"Voice ringing with fullness from both worlds, guiding me to the shining places. He calls himself Pride. Old pain, shadows forgotten from dreams too real. This side is slow and heavy, but here is what can change. Wisdom knows enduring is pain. He hurts for her, another of many he couldn't save. He carries necessary deaths" (Cole).
"Fen'Harel" "He Who Hunts Alone"
"The Dread Wolf" "Lord of Tricksters" "The Great Wolf" And "Chuckles"
Before each alias, he was known as Solas.
In ancient elvhen "Solas" means "Pride", or literally "to stand tall", it's a word often spoken in the Elvhish tongue.
In elven times, "Pride" was denoted as a figure within key Dalish-tales, like 'The Ascension of Ghilan'nain', as the Mother of the Halla proceeded to deplete her creations across the world, when she decided to destroy the giants within the deep depths of sea - "Pride stopped her hand" - sparing one of her oceanic creations for unknown purposes.
Within this tale, "Pride" is referred to as a name/figure, expressing that these actions were taken by a living body.
In modern-day Thedas, "Pride" often corresponds to a Pride Demon, the most powerful abomination among its ranks. A demon is formed when their initial purpose as a spirit is somehow perverted and twisted.
"When a spirit is forced to do something that greatly conflicts with its original nature."
Therefore, a Pride Demon's original purpose has been corrupted, once a spirit of Wisdom in the Fade, now a demon of Pride in Thedas.
"Wisdom and Purpose are too easily twisted into Pride and Desire."
According to the Chantry, spirits are the first children of the Maker, he turned away from his original creations because they lacked a soul; to emulate their creator.
Whatever the truth about the Maker is, spirits are told to be first beings in existence, they uphold plenty of relevance regarding the cultures of Thedas.
The Avvar tribes revere spirits as Gods, directly linking with them and seeking consul. The Dalish believe both demons and spirits are the same, both equally dangerous. Tevinter Imperium is known for binding spirits and using them as servants. Even Rivani hedge-witches allow spirits to posses them for the sake of their villages.
The knowledge and existence of spirits is spread throughout Thedas, with each race and culture following many different beliefs regarding the ancient beings.
The Chantry's history extends to a time after the veil, not before, however throughout the ancient elvhen times, an advanced civilization existed before the veil's creation.
A group of powerful elvhen mages called the Evanuris ruled over the Age, Elgar'nan was the All-father and leader of these mages, he lead the pact with Mythal, the all-mother.
Just like the elvhen word "Solas" meaning "Pride", Elgar'nan has an elvhen translation:
"Elgar" means "Spirit"
"Nan" means "Revenge" or "Vengeance"
The elvish meaning of Elgar'nan is "Spirit" of "Revenge" or "Vengeance", by this definition, Elgar'nan is a spirit (or apropos a demon) of revenge, with Mythal, his counterpart acting as the opposite force (or spirit) of justice and love.
{"Mythal walked out of the sea of the Earth's tears and onto the land. She placed her hand on Elgar'nan's brow, and at her touch he grew calm and knew that his anger had led him astray."}
Perhaps each of the Evanuris mages follow this same origin, each fulfilling their own purpose, nuanced between a spirit and demon. For further context, the counterweight of Wisdom is Pride.
Seemingly Solas, one of the members of the Evanuris Pantheon, "was" a Wisdom spirit forced to enter Thedas with a body gifted by Mythal.
"He did not want a body, but she asked him to come. He left a scar when he burned her off his face", and "Bare-faced but free, frolicking, fighting, fierce. He wants to give Wisdom, not orders."
Solas, as a Wisdom spirit had no desire to enter this world with a body, (such limiting things), but for whatever reason 'she' asked him to come, she being Mythal, a woman whom Solas loves as queen and ruler of his people.
Perhaps Mythal knew she was in-danger with the Elven Pantheon, she asked for a trusted Wisdom spirit to join her in the flesh.
Once given a body by Mythal, Solas burned the vallaslin linked with Mythal off his face, leaving a scar, no longer baring the slave markings that once were marked by the previous occupant.
Solas's original purpose was to give Wisdom as a spirit, not to be given a body and become a lieutenant in Mythal's ranks, his purpose seemingly changed.
Solas's body was given by Mythal, potentially one of her servants offered it as a sacrifice for Solas to come, however, the ancient elves originally created their bodies from the "Earth."
"They made bodies from the earth. And the earth was afraid. It fought back. But they made it forget."
The elves mined the Titan's bodies for their blood, lyrium, which they used to create bodies for their spirits to occupy.
Lyrium is a most powerful substance throughout Thedas, it has many uses ranging from sustaining magical spells, charging dwarven runes, enhancing a person's talents, replenishing health, mana and stamina, it's even been infused onto a person's skin for combat purposes.
One can imagine the possibilities of a lyrium body and how someone could become most powerful.
The mining and extraction of lyrium among the elven people caused the Titan's to retaliate in war, shaking the very world until Mythal "struck them down."
("Hail Mythal, adjudicator and savior! She has struck down the pillars of the earth and rendered their demesne unto the People! Praise her name forever!")
The greed of the Evanuris's thirst for lyrium caused the ancient elves to somehow make the Titans forget, never waking their anger again, and forgetting there place.
("What the Evanuris in their greed could unleash would end us all. Let this place be forgotten. Let no one wake its anger. The People must rise before their false gods destroy them all.")
Mythal was killed by her own people, the Pantheon plotted against their own queen in lust for power and greed.
It was Solas's love for Mythal that he joined this world physically, he never possessed any desire to become flesh, Wisdom merely wanted to help his queen.
After Mythal was slain, Wisdom went to each side of the betrayers, he told them the other had forged a terrible weapon, a blade that would end the war. He told the Creators it was forged in the heavens, and the Forgotten Ones, that it was hidden in the abyss. And when the gods went seeking it, he sealed them both in their realms forever.
"He broke the dreams to stop the old dreams from waking. The wolf chews its leg off to escape the trap."
The Chantry teaches that the Maker created the Veil before He created men, this is false as it was Solas who "held back the sky" to banish the Evanuris.
The veil severed many ties the elven people had to the Fade, since their kingdom was founded on strong magics and the gifts of immortality, all irrelevant when the veil was forged.
Creating the veil was a sacrifice for Solas, destroying his own kingdom, yet knowing the people will be saved from the Evanuris in the process. Ultimately, he stumbled alone in this world, resting to see the future of the elven people.
Cole: Bright and brilliant, he wanders the ways, walking unwaking, searching for wisdom... Solas: I do not need you to do that, Cole. Cole: Your friend wanted you to be happy, even though she knew you wouldn't be. Solas: (Sighs.) Could you... if you would remember her, could you do it as I would? Cole: He comes to me as though the Fade were just another wooded path to walk without a care in search of wisdom. Cole: We share the ancient mysteries, the feelings lost, forgotten dreams, unseen for ages, now beheld in wonder. Cole: In his own way, he knew wisdom, as no man or spirit had before. Solas: Thank you.
Solas, sealing away the Gods and creating the veil felt undecided about his actions, his only purpose was to give Wisdom, however, he was given more, birthed a body to serve Mythal and the elven people.
He yearns to know if he was wise, if Mythal would agree, if the pain was worth it. As Cole depicts, locking away the elven gods and creating the veil was the right thing to do for all the elven people's sake.
He had saved his people from a life of slavery, servitude and near annihilation, for fear of what the Evanuris may have wrought onto Arlathan.
After Solas woke from a long slumber, his next aim was to destroy the veil her originally erected, and restore the world of his time, the world of the elves, bringing back the ancient magics and destroying modern-day Thedas.
He planned on using the Orb of Destruction, however, he was to weak to unlock the orb, he passed the weapon to Corypheus through his network of spies so he could unlock it and die in the process.
As Corypheus unlocked the orb, destroyed the Conclave, killed the Divine and proceeded to ascend to Godhood, Solas decided to defeat the Magister by joining the Inquisition, once defeated, he'd reclaim his newly unlocked orb and destroy the veil.
The Inquisitor destroyed Corypheus in a heartbeat, however, Solas's orb wasn't so lucky, it had broke in the process of trembling rocks falling back to the ground.
His original plan failed, and now he seeks a new scheme to rip open the veil and restore the time of the elves. In hiding, Solas sought out Flemeth who carried but a wisp of Mythal's essence, remorsefully reconnecting with his queen.
"But the people, they need me"
It's unknown what exactly Solas and Mythal collaborated as they embraced, has Solas possessed Mythal's spirit into his own body or has Wisdom taken on a new purpose in order to destroy the veil? Has Wisdom became Vengeance, so a reckoning that will shake the very heavens can be unleashed onto Thedas?
Is Wisdom no more but deceit, has his purpose changed? Is Vengeance his only hope at saving the elven people? Or will he become mad in the process? Perhaps even prideful? Could this be the undoing of Solas? By possessing Mythal and becoming Vengeance, destroying the veil and perhaps turning into the Dread Wolf to cast the Evanuris out for good?
Or will Wisdom recollect and stop before it's too late? The ambiguity between spirits and demons are far too tightly linked, even the thought of pride can make one stumble into damnation.
What is the future for Wisdom? Will he become Pride? Has he become something different, like Vengeance? Is his path already too late to be altered, or will Wisdom recollect his original purpose and save this world?
"Alas, so long as the music plays, we dance."