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If you’ve spent the past few days playing through the Elden Ring DLC like most other gamers, you may have already encountered one of the expansion’s all-important Scadutree Fragments. But what exactly is a Scadutree, and, more importantly, how do you pronounce it? Since we wouldn’t do the game’s mythology any justice, we’ll leave the former’s explanation to the lore keepers at FromSoftware. The latter, however, has a much simpler answer, thanks to the community’s latest discovery.
Based on a post from Twitter/X user airbagged, ‘Scadutree’ is pronounced as ‘Shadowtree,’ hence the title of the Elden Ring DLC Shadow of the Erdtree. Now, you may wonder how you get the word “shadow” from the completely different and near Kung Fu Panda-sounding term “scadu.” According to another user who responded to the same post, “scadu” is the old English spelling of “shadow,” a language used in England in the early 1100s.
This also isn’t the only instance of FromSoftware using old English terms throughout the game. Over on Reddit, another Elden Ring fan went a step further after revealing the meanings of ‘erd’ and ‘halig’. According to u/HutSutRawlson, the ‘erd’ (spelled ‘eard’ in old English) in Erdtree means home or nature, possibly referring to its natural place in the Lands Between as the heart of the Golden Order. Conversely, the ‘halig’ (stylized as hālig) in Haligtree means holy or sacred.
Then, there’s also gaol and the character Blaidd, both of which are pronounced differently than how they’re spelled. Gaol is the Middle English spelling for jail, meaning the Evergaols you see in-game serve as a permanent prison to the bosses you encounter within (until you defeat them, that is). Blaidd, on the other hand (pronounced Blyth), means ‘wolf’ in Welsh, which accurately fits the character’s…wolfish look.
With Elden Ring’s lore and backstory being as extensive as it is, there are likely several other terms or names that have meanings derived from old languages. Before you jump back in to find more, check out our guide on how to beat Furnace Golems in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree so you can explore the DLC without issue.
