I like the Tarnished Archeology theory that there was a war between Leyndell and Mt. Gelmir and that Messmer fought on the side of Mt. Gelmir/Serpent god and as such was ostracised from Erdtree side. His throne is missing from the Morgott arena and he has snakes about him as well.
But I don't see any other lore slingers validating this theory so I am unsure. It would be cool nonetheless .
There are certainly a ton of ties between the Serpent God and fire, and Messmer is certainly a burny boi with snakes, though if I am understanding the implications here, I think that Messmer's time in 'the real lands between' happened before Rykard was eaten. Now the Serpent God is referenced to exist before Rykard but in that one painting it is so small.
Something makes me think that Messmer isn't directly related to Mt. Gelmir and that his flame might be a different one (there are sooooo many unique flames in this game!)
Still it's all speculation.
My first thought when the trailer was out was when Vaati will release his hour-long lore analysis. Glad he never disappoints.
I can't wait for Quelaag to blow our minds with one of her conspiracy theater whiteboards connecting a fragment of a statue in some DLC dungeon that changes everything we know about major chunks of the lore.
