Shadow of the Erd Tree introduced a treasure trove of new traditions to the already elaborate universe of Elden Ringand a surprising mystery can be found in a dark, unassuming corner of the Shadow Realm. The Frenzied Flame lore expansion includes an area that will drive Tarnished crazy, literally: the terrifying Abyssal Forest, where even Torrent is afraid to wander. If Tarnished dares to explore this area and manages to avoid the many difficult enemies – including the Aged Untouchables, who can only be defeated with a well-timed attack – they will find themselves in Midra’s Mansion.
A painting within this smaller Legacy Dungeon depicts 
Midra, Lord of the Frenzied Flame
and his partner, Nanaya, a SOTE character about whom very little is known. By piecing together clues around the Shadow Realm, fans of the franchise have begun to theorize that this painting provides details about an important NPC in the base game, 
Shabriri
. As with everyone Elden Ring tradition, details are elusive, details are difficult to piece together, and there may not be a conclusive answer to the questions raised about Shabriri’s murky past.
These Shadow Of The Erdtree Details Hint At Shabriri’s Origins
Nanaya’s torch and locations such as Midra’s mansion hold clues about Shabriri
The painting in the Midra Mansion of an old, withered Midra shows Nanaya standing behind him with her hand over her belly, indicating that she may be pregnant. This raises the question of who this child could have been, pointing to items such as 
Nanaya’s Torch
inside the Manse in search of clues. This torch may have been a container of sorts for the Frenzied Flame that allowed Shabriri to manifest. in the Middle Lands. His description includes some quirky phrases (which may be intentional) and a vague explanation of what happened to Midra after he failed to become the Lord of Frenzied Flame:
A torch made by attaching a dying flame of frenzy to a small spine. In a distant land, in a time long past, a man was born who failed to become the Lord of the Frenzied Flame. Whatever is left of him is cradled gently by Nanaya.
A popular interpretation of this item’s description is that Midra was the “dying flame of frenzy“after failing to become his Lord, and in the same course of events, the child was lost, that’s it “small spine“used by Nanaya to forge this torch as a last-ditch effort to keep them both alive. Although the theory is based on many assumptions, one cannot help but speculate about the fate of Midra and Nanaya, and who exactly the child was, if even a piece of her survived. Despite all this, Shabriri is never mentioned directly in relation to Midra or Nanaya.
One Elden Ring theory explains the connection between Midra, Nanaya and Shabriri
Middle Earths and the Shadow Realm: Different Dimensions Bound by the Frenzied Flame
The lack of a direct connection between Shabriri, Midra and Nanaya has not stopped theories from trying to explain the possibilities. Even without explicit evidence in the game, It’s hard to deny that certain details about the Frenzied Flame and Shabriri in the Lands Between seem intrinsically connected to the Shadow Realm. Consider the striking similarity between items like the 
Shabriri grape
of the base game compared to the 
Swollen grape
in Shadow of the Erd Treewhere the latter feels like a matured version of the former.
Manchado also learns from 
Shabriri’s misfortune
what Shabriri was punished for slander, had his eyes gouged out and ended up infested with a “plague of frenzy.” More significantly, the 
Shabriri’s Howl
the incantation explicitly calls him the originator of madness in the Middle Lands:
It is said that the frenzy flame disease began with Shabriri, the most reviled man in all of history.
In addition to Shabriri’s deep connection with the Three Fingers and Chaos, the nature of his existence is such that he must inhabit a body that has been offered to him, hence his possession of 
Yura Bloodfinger Hunter
. These many scattered clues raise many significant questions: Where did the Frenzied Flame come from before infesting the Lands Between? And what exactly is Shabriri? Why and how was this disease able to spread through him? Manchado may never have satisfactory answers to these questions, so all that’s left to do is try to piece together a theory.
One version that takes these various details into consideration is that Midra and Nanaya’s story ended tragically when Midra became obsessed with and eventually failed to become the Lord of the Frenzied Flame. Because of this failure, the child is somehow lost and In an attempt to save her son and her fallen Lord, Nanaya forges a torch that will unite the three forever.. Perhaps it was from this torch that Shabriri, an entity composed of the dying Frenzied Flame, was able to travel from the Shadow Realm to the Lands Between and become “the most insulted man in all history.”
While this may seem convenient, there are many other possible explanations surrounding these questions. Unfortunately, most of the time there are just theories that are based on heavy assumptions, and Ultimately, there is no clear, definitive interpretation of any item, painting, piece of dialogue – or really anything – in Elden Ring. Theories cannot explain all the nuances of FromSoftware’s intricate and intentionally vague approach to environmental storytelling. But for a large part of Elden Ring fan base, the open nature of lore like Shabriri, Midra, Nanaya, and Frenzied Flame is what makes the game exciting and fun.