Marika’s motivation is easy to understand once you figure out what’s deal with Farum Azula and what exactly this location represents.
Farum Azula, a dragon domain lost in time, reveals to the player the truth behind the Elden Ring — it works in cycles similar to the ages of fire and dark in Dark Souls. Here we can find the image of the previous Elden Ring and meet the real first Elden Lord and learn that there was a different god prior to Marika. We discover two important things - sometimes the Greater Will chooses new Empyreans, one of them takes the role of the new Elden Ring’s vessel and rules as a new god.
Erdtree also works very similar to the Dark Souls fire, in various items we can read how long ago it produced blessings until it became just a fancy background decoration and object of worship.
In the same location, we learn that Marika extracted the Rune of Death from the Elden Ring.
Those two things combined give us hints to understand Marika’s motivation.
So why did the Shattering happen?
Marika ain’t a noble savior and doesn’t want to free the world from the Greater Will. In fact, she is obsessed with immortality, with eternity and wants to rule forever, stopping the next cycle of the Erdtree/Crucible or whatever form it will take next time happening. She effectively cut off communication between the Greater Will and the Two Fingers and prevented the possibility to choose more Empyreans aka next vessels of the Elden Ring, she sent off the Greater Will to chill in outer space until every demigod and Empyrean will be slaughtered. Each one of them is her competitor and they all need to die, while she is locked in the Erdtree in safety.
It’s worth to note that in every variety of an ending where Marika is a “alive” we are restoring the Elden Ring and bringing back the Greater Will. Doesn’t it contradict with a popular theory that Marika was rebelling against it?
But wasn’t Marika questioning the Golden Order? Yes, she does, but the Golden Order is the religion that she founded, not the outer god she serves. It’s two separate things and if you check the timeline you will find out that Marika was upset with the Golden Order in its more peaceful early days. But that’s a different topic, let’s talk about gods.
Why did Radagon try to repair the Elden Ring?
Contrary to a popular belief, he actually wants the next cycle to happen. He tries to repair the Elden Ring and restore the natural cosmic cycle of life and death, and let the current ring turn into dust and be replaced… with a new one.
It is said that long ago, the Greater Will sent a golden star bearing a beast into the Lands Between, which would later become the Elden Ring
First time I chose the standard Fractured ending I asked myself “Why was I fighting Radagon/Elden Beast and not Marika if I’m going to restore the Golden order? Isn't that what he wishes?” Just like in the case of Marika the ending a popular fandom interpretation of a character didn’t fit to what I’ve seen in the game.
Actually, Radagon wants current age to come to an end, the current ring to cease from existance and the goddess, who overstayed her welcome, to **** off. He is a parent of all Empyreans after all, while Marika on *her own* gave birth to none. He wants his children to succeed and become vessels for the next Elden Ring, - Elden Beast. I know a lot of people dislike him as a boss, but from a narrative standpoint I find him fascinating. Design of Elden Beast reminds me of Princess Mononoke forest spirit, it's rather cute, it cowardly runs away from us in a similar way as Rom from Bloodborne. That thing acts like a child of lovecraftian horror.
Both Marika and Radagon represent the different sides of eternity, Marika is a continuous existence, an immortality, and Radagon is an endless cycle of life and death, a rebirth.
None of them is necessarily good or bad, and both are operating under the Greater Will, but I find it ironic how twisted their gender characteristics are in the context of mythos and fantasy archetypes. Marika’s path is violence, Radagon works via diplomacy, Marika throws her Omen twins in the sewers, Radagon gifts miracles to his cursed child Miquella, Marika’s signature item is a hammer, Radagon’s is a sewing kit, Marika uses her children as sacrifices to continue her reign, Radagon dies, protecting future Elden Ring.
In the end they both suffered greatly and caused a lot of suffering for others.
tl;dr: Elden Ring works in cycles, sometimes the Greater Will replaces its old vessels with new ones, the current cycle was coming to an end and the Greater Will started to pick new Emyperans as Marika’s replacements, Marika was scared that her ass gonna be whooped soon from the throne and she started giant battle royal between demigods and Tarnished.
