Before Rykard became the Lord of Blasphemy, he was a Praetor of the Golden Order, meaning he administered the law of the Lands Between. To this end, he built Iron Virgins outfitted with writhing snakes who would grab heretics to interrogate in Volcano Manor.
The Iron Virgins were later repurposed as soldiers to fend off the Erdtree loyalists sent to kill Rykard after he fed himself to the God-Devouring Serpent.
You'll undoubtedly have run into them in your quest throughout Elden Ring, pulled into the maw of their cold metallic shells. And while they may have seemed little more than annoying enemies blocking the way, they might have been hiding a clue to Shadow of the Erdtree all along.
One fan has suggested that the baby being cradled on the Iron Virgin's ornate outer decorations may be Messmer, making the 'virgin' in question Marika. She has born several children, Mohg, Morgott, Godwyn, Miquella, Malenia, and perhaps even Melina, but Messmer could have been a virgin birth. The assumption is that his father is Radagon, who is Marika, so it definitely lines up.
It's an interesting theory, but what actually connects the infant to Messmer beyond wild speculation? Firstly, we...
