As many of you know, my brand online is all about theorising and tinfoiling about everything to do with Dragon Age, whether that be news, speculation and theories, I love my tinfoil and that’s just my schtick on this channel. In the past, I’ve explored some tremendous theories, if I do say so myself, but today I am unleashing what I would say are my absolute favourite, connecting theories combined in this video. Y’see, I have for you, five major theories which each link to the other while following one mighty, sixth overarching theory.
That overarching theory is probably the oldest theory we’ve had since the beginning of the Dragon Age games, the hypothesis that the Old Gods are the very same elven gods. I’ll build up a case for this within each theory, stacking evidence throughout.
As a quick preface, I do apologise, each of these theories are elven in nature because that’s just Dragon Age’s current direction at the moment. With that said, brew some tea, put on your tinfoil hat and relax as we explore six theories that I believe must come true in the next Dragon Age instalment.
“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).
Hypothesis:
To fully explain my initial hypothesis, let’s go back to the ancient times of Arlathan when the elven god of rebellion, Fen’Harel, the Dread Wolf, tricked and banished the other elven gods who had murdered Mythal, the All-Mother of the elven pantheon. Once Fen’Harel discovered that in a lust for power, the elven pantheon betrayed their queen, Fen’Harel banished his fellow gods to an eternity of torment, he did this by creating a Veil between the waking world and the dreaming world.
In their hubris, the Evanuris threatened to destroy the entire world, so Fen'Harel chose the lesser of two evils and paid the ultimate price by creating the Veil. In one foul moment, the elven empire was sundered, their entire reality was split: foundations built on magic crumbled away, the ancient elves lost their immortality, and most importantly to this entire theory, as I believe it explains everything, Solas said:
“The Veil took everything from the elves, even themselves” (Solas).
So, taking Solas’s remark very literally, that the Veil took everything from the elves, even themselves, I believe the Veil sundered the elves’ bodies from their souls, splitting these entities into the mortal realm and the dreaming realm. Their physical bodies were banished to sleep, dreaming in the mortal realm. Whereas, their spirits’ wandered the Fade, attempting to reconnect with their body. Eventually, they dreamed and through those dreams they spoke to mortal men under the guises of Tevinter gods, coaxing them to visit the Fade and meet their gods in the flesh.
Once the Magister Sidereal physically entered the Fade with a mass ritual that broke parts of the Veil, the elven gods’ spirits were able to reconnect with their physical bodies. However, because their forms were banished to sleep, the elven gods couldn’t fully arise. So, they spoke the Calling, summoning Darkspawn to taint their Old God forms, awakening them as Archdemons to rise from their slumber. And that is exactly how the Evanuris have reformed themselves in modern-day Thedas.
With that as my introductory hypothesis, for the moment, let’s take a huge step back from the Old Gods, the blight, and the sundered elven empire and examine our first theory that will springboard everything into motion: are the ancient elves originally spirits/demons?
The Ancient Elves Are Originally Spirits/Demons:
As we know, spirits and demons are powerful entities that live in the Fade and embody a specific human experience as their entire identity. Many Thedasion cultures believe that spirits and demons are the first beings of Thedas, particularly, the Chantry teaches that spirits were the Maker’s first children, and demons were born from spirits who envied their creator. Thus explaining the Old Gods.
“The first of the Maker's children watched across the Veil
And grew jealous of the life
They could not feel, could not touch.
In blackest envy were the demons born”
(Erudition 2:1).
Following that belief, in quite a hegemonic manner, the Chantry perceives and divides spirits and demons by their purpose - if a spirit follows a ‘good’ virtue like justice or faith, it is a spirit, however, if a spirit follows an ‘evil’ virtue, like pride or desire, it is a demon. The Chantry also teaches that the nature between spirits and demons is often depicted like a flip of a coin - that a spirit can easily be twisted into becoming a demon, and therefore, should be viewed as dangerous.
“In general, spirits are not complex. Or, rather, they are not complex as we understand such things. Each one seizes upon a single facet of human experience: Rage, hunger, compassion, hope, etc. This one idea becomes their identity. We classify as demons those spirits who identify themselves with darker human emotions and ideas” (Codex entry: Beyond the Veil: Spirits and Demons).
Despite the Chant of Light’s teachings, the Chantry's history extends to a time after the Veil, not before. They don’t know the true nature of spirits, demons, and how the world used to be before the Veil. Also, The Chant of Light teaches that the Maker created the Veil before He created men, but as we know, this is false as it was Solas who "held back the sky" and created the Veil.
So, disregarding The Chant of Light because we’ve just disproven aspects of it, Solas believes there’s a much deeper understanding on the nature of spirits and demons - that they’re not so black and white as the Chantry perceives. While Solas does recognise demons, he believes that spirits and demons are the same - not to be divided.
In fact, Solas blames modern conceptions and radical views for corrupting spirits into demons, for example, a person may encounter a spirit expecting it to be evil or a demon, and that spirit may twist its purpose to suit those human expectations. In essence, it’s the Chantry’s fault for labelling spirits as good, and demons as evil, when in reality, their nature is much more ambiguous.
“Spirits form as a reflection of this world and its passions. We will never lack for spirits of rage, or hunger, or desire. The world gives them plenty to mirror. The gentler spirits are far more rare. We can ill afford the loss of even one spirit of wisdom, or faith...Or compassion” (Solas).
Moreover to this theory, it’s certainly interesting that Solas feels that way, because quite ironically, just like spirits and demons exemplifying a human experience, Solas has a lot of relation to wisdom and pride. It would seem that all the ancient elven gods have some correspondence to specific virtues, exactly like spirits and demons.
For example, Falon’Din, the elven god of death and fortune had a huge association with vanity, which is almost similar to desire, like a desire demon.
"I do not believe they sing songs about Falon'Din's vanity. It is said Falon'Din's appetite for adulation was so great, he began wars to amass more worshippers" (Solas).
Even further, Mythal, the All-Mother of the elven gods had an association with justice, exactly like a spirit of justice.
“Mythal, goddess of motherhood, justice, and protection” (WoT V.1).
Not only do a few of the Evanuris correspond with a specific virtue, but a few of their names also translate to a virtue. For example, in elven, “Solas” literally translates to “Pride,” exactly like a pride demon. Even more groundbreaking, Elgar’nan, the All-Father of the elven pantheon has his own elven translation, “Elgar" means "Spirit,” and "Nan" means "Revenge" or "Vengeance." Therefore, “Elgar’nan” means “spirit of revenge/vengeance.”
This translation directly supports my spirit theory, it’s literally confirmed with this example. But we’ve got a lot more evidence to examine.
Most interestingly, Mythal, who has been depicted as the elven god of justice, has recently taken a side of vengeance, perhaps showcasing that her nature has changed, just like a spirit’s purpose changes when becoming a demon. Exactly like how Anders’ suppressed anger warped Justice into a demon of Vengeance. It is even more coincidental given Elgar’nan and Mythal’s relationship and their representation of justice and vengeance.
“According to Dalish lore, the world was created by Mythal, goddess of motherhood, justice, and protection, and Elgar'nan, god of fatherhood and vengeance” (WoT V.1).
“She was betrayed, as I was betrayed, as the world was betrayed! Mythal clawed and crawled through the ages to me, and I will see her avenged!' (Flemeth).
Morrigan once stated that Mythal was the deliverer of justice, protector of sun and earth alike, and that she was equally dark and vengeful. Solas challenged Morrigan and said that, according to the oldest accounts, Mythal was both of these and neither at the same time.
"In most stories, Mythal rights wrongs while exercising motherly kindness. Let fly your voice to Mythal. Deliverer of justice. Protector of sun and earth alike. Other paint her as dark, vengeful. Pray to Mythal and she would smite your enemies, leaving them in agony.” (Morrigan).
Perhaps this blurred dynamic between good and bad virtues was the true, ambiguous nature of spirits and demons before the Veil? If so, then Mythal and Solas could be the perfect representation of what spirits used to be like in the ancient times.
“The oldest accounts say Mythal was both of these, and neither. She was the Mother, protective and fierce” (Solas).
Supporting this spirit theory further, when Mythal was slain by the Hero of Fereldan, she didn’t die, this is because she placed a piece of herself in an amulet before her physical form was killed, she only survived by doing so. This proves that presumably just like the rest of the elven gods, Mythal is a spirit, made up of multiple aspects. Despite the death of her physical bodies, her essence has always found a way to endure.
“Just a piece. A small piece, but it was all I needed. A bit of security, should the inevitable occur” (Mythal).
This also connects with the death of a tainted Old God. When an archdemon is slain, its physical body dies, but its spirit clings for a way to live on. It finds the closest, blight-related entity and reforms itself with a new body. Curiously, in some world-states, Urthemiel the Archdemon that was defeated in the Fifth Blight is still alive, its essence contained within Mythal. But that’s a topic for later.
Ultimately, we have the biggest case to support this spirit theory - when Solas was hypothetically given a physical body to join the world at Mythal’s behest.
Now, this is also a theory, but I feel like it’s practically confirmed because of how blatant this theory is. Essentially, Solas was once a Wisdom Spirit navigating through the Fade enjoying life until Mythal asked him to join her in a physical body. This theory spawns from a dialogue that Cole stated:
"He did not want a body, but she asked him to come. He left a scar when he burned her off his face” (Cole).
I’ll be talking about the bodies part of this dialogue in another theory, but as this one goes, it paints the image that Solas was once a full spirit until given a physical body by Mythal, showcasing that, perhaps, the Evanuris were originally spirits who later inhabited bodies.
"Bare-faced but free, frolicking, fighting, fierce. He wants to give Wisdom, not orders” (Cole).
Solas’s nature sounds very similar to Cole’s - a spirit who was given a body. Given his nature, perhaps, the Evanuris’s true nature could be similar to Cole, or as a similar idea, they could be like Anders. Anders was a host who had a spirit of justice/vengeance living freely with him, whereas Cole was a spirit living independently inside an already established physical body.
If not like this, then perhaps the Evanuris’s spirit-like nature could be something completely new and different. For example, after the Inquisitor drank from the Well of Sorrows, when poking Solas about the elven gods, you could’ve reminded Solas that he said he didn’t believe the elven gods were gods, he then replied with:
“I don’t believe they were gods, no, but I believe they existed! If not gods, then mages, or spirits, or something we've never seen" (Solas).
So, if they’re something brand new, as another tinfoil idea, the pantheon could’ve all been powerful spirits that took the physical forms of the divine only when required, or they could’ve freely connected themselves with animal spirits or other powerful demons. Maybe even the Forbidden/Forgotten Ones? All we know at the moment is that Solas was given a body. With regards to the other members of the Evanuris, it’s implied that they were born from Mythal and Elgar’nan. As per usual, it seems Solas is the outlier.
“Mythal and Elgar'nan’s eldest children are remembered as twin brothers. Falon'Din was the Friend of the Dead (and) his brother Dirthamen. There was also their daughter Andruil, and Andruil's godly sister Sylaise, and their brother, the god of craft June” (WoT V.1 paraphrased).
Perhaps Solas’s nature is different from Evanuris because he walked among both the gods and those who shunned the gods, but what does that make Solas - a spirit inhabiting mortal flesh? If so, what does that mean about the nature of the other elven gods?
“Our gods saw him as a brother, and they trusted him when he said that they must keep to the heavens while he arranged a truce. And the Forgotten Ones trusted him also when he said he would arrange for the defeat of our gods” (Codex entry: Fen'Harel: The Dread Wolf).
It is said that Mythal arrived at Elgar’nan’s side when she ‘walked out of the sea of the earth's tears and onto the land,’ which sounds similar to ‘the emerald waters of the Fade’ that the Maker created the world from. In the Chant of Light, the Fade is also referred to as an ‘ocean of dreams.’
“It is possible—even likely—that the "emerald waters" Andraste refers to are the substance of the Fade, which began as an "ocean of dreams" (Threnodies 1:1) and was reduced to a well—bottomless but limited in scope—by the Maker's creation of our world.” (Codex entry: Here Lies the Abyss).
Breaking this apart, it sounds like Mythal walked out of the sea, which could be like a spirit leaving the Fade. She came from the earth’s tears, which could be lyrium from the Titans, from that, she arrived on land. Could Mythal have been a spirit with a body created from lyrium?
“It was at this moment that 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.” (Codex entry: Mythal: the Great Protector).
Most likely in my opinion, in any event, that’s the majority of the evidence I have on this theory at the moment, throughout the upcoming theories, I’ll be connecting more dots, and speaking a lot more on the ancient elves' nature as spirits, but let’s move on to the second theory: did the ancient elves create bodies for their spirit’s to inhabit?
The Ancient Elves Created Bodies For Their Spirit’s To Inhabit:
I’m going to kick this one off with another hypothesis. I believe that the ancient elves hunted and mined the Titans so they could create bodies from their blood, lyrium, to physically inhabit. Lyrium’s unique properties are one of the reasons the elven empire became so powerful. The elven gods transferred their essence into their own-created lyrium bodies, explaining their spirit-like nature and how indestructible the elven gods became - we’ve seen the power of what raw lyrium can do when imbued on a person’s flesh, one can imagine the power of spirits living in a body made from lyrium.
As another side-point, perhaps when Andruil hunted the Forgotten Ones in the abyss, she brought back with her the blight. In the process of her hunt, she became madder and madder, she wore armour of the void and howled things meant to be forgotten until Mythal sapped her power. If Andruil had a body made from lyrium and she became blighted, and red lyrium is blighted lyrium, perhaps Andruil became a red lyrium abomination extruding her madness, explaining the connection between the blight and lyrium.
“One day Andruil grew tired of hunting mortal men and beasts. She began stalking the Forgotten Ones, wicked things that thrive in the abyss. Yet even a god should not linger there, and each time she entered the Void, Andruil suffered longer and longer periods of madness after returning” (Codex entry: Elven God Andruil).
While that’s a bit of a stretch, I do have plenty of evidence to support this lyrium bodies theory. The first case I have relates again to the theory that Solas was once a full Wisdom Spirit who joined Mythal with a physical body if we go back to Cole’s dialogue:
"He did not want a body, but she asked him to come. He left a scar when he burned her off his face” (Cole).
Essentially, Solas was given a body to inhabit that was already marked with Mythal’s vallaslin; we know that vallaslin was used to label slaves in the elven empire, bound by blood. Obviously, Solas didn’t want to be bound to Mythal, so he removed her vallaslin, leaving a scar on his face, explaining the mark on his eyebrow. Most importantly, this exchange proves that the ancient elves could’ve been spirits that created bodies from lyrium.
"Your vallaslin (...). They are slave markings. A noble would mark his slaves to honour the god he worshipped” (Solas).
I do wonder if lyrium bodies were only reserved for the gods and their chosen and not the rest of the ancient elven people, because vallaslin, i.e, blood writing through lyrium was used to bind elven slaves to a specific god. If the gods had bodies made from lyrium, it makes sense why the elves used lyrium to imbue binding tattoos on slaves.
Moving on, while Solas and Mythal’s exchange is evident enough for this theory, I’ve got a lot more cases to explore. At the start of Dragon Age 2, once you placed Mythal’s amulet at Sundermount, she said:
“Must I be in only one place? Bodies are such limiting things. I am but a fragment cast adrift from the whole. A bit of flotsam to cling to in the storm!” (Mythal).
Factually, we know that Mythal has body swapped plenty of times, she has lived throughout the ages by transferring her essence through the bodies of her daughters. She also gave Solas a body. Her survival proves that body-swapping is an ancient elven trick and that it takes more than killing an elven god’s physical body to defeat them. Exactly like Corypheus and many of the Archdemons.
Solas once said that he did not foresee Corypheus unlocking the secrets to effective immortality. If the Inquisitor drank from the Well of Sorrows, it revealed that the key to defeating Corypheus was to defeat his red lyrium dragon. The fact that the whispers of ancient elves revealed this insight proves that body-swapping and placing an aspect of your soul into something else to prolong your life; like an amulet or a dragon, dates back to the elvhen times.
“I did not foresee Corypheus uncovering the secret to effective immortality” (Solas).
It’s also interesting that Mythal asked if she can only be at one place at a time while in this body. It assumes that she could be at multiple points in time when not limited to a body, while this is a separate theory on its own, it coincides with Morrigan’s belief that Mythal was more than just a single entity, perhaps multiple beings with the same consciousness?
“Truthfully, I am uncertain Mythal was even a single entity. The accounts are...varied” (Morrigan).
Also, I just want to throw away another tiny theory because it seems relevant about Mythal. As we know, her legacy has been to live on through the bodies of her daughters, and Andraste, Bride of the Maker went on to only have daughters. Has Mythal been living on through the descendants of Andraste? Could be possible.
“What became of (Andraste’s daughter) Vivial and her descendants is largely unknown for one primary reason: she had only daughters. Each of those daughters only had daughters” (Codex entry: The Children of Andraste).
Anyway, The next piece of evidence that somewhat supports this theory that the elves inhabited bodies made from lyrium are the mysterious lyrium-infused coffins in the Deep Roads that had been taken over by the ancient elves. To me, this is a visual representation of creating bodies from lyrium.
The next piece of evidence for this theory is another Cole dialogue:
“They made bodies from the earth. And the earth was afraid. It fought back. But they made it forget” (Cole).
Based on this dialogue, I believe the elves made living bodies from the Titans, the Titans fought back, but the elves defeated them and severed their connection to their children, the dwarves - explaining the broken ties between the dwarves and the Titans.
While not the same, coincidentally, the Maker was said to have used the emerald waters of the Fade, being lyrium to create a measure of living flesh, being man. Thus showcasing that even in modern Thedas, the people believe that lyrium was used to create physical bodies.
“Here lies the abyss, the well of all souls. From these emerald waters doth life begin anew” (Codex entry: Here Lies the Abyss).
“And He knew he had wrought amiss. So the Maker turned from his firstborn. And took from the Fade. A measure of its living flesh” (Codex entry: The Maker).
And finally, just as interesting, when an elf Inquisitor talked with Kieran, he said, he didn't know why your people wanted to look like that as if the elves had a choice of how they wanted to look. If the ancient elves did create their own bodies, of course, they would’ve had some involvement in the way they wanted to look, right?
“No, I just don't know why your people want to look like that” (Kieran).
Anyways, tying these two theories together, the ancient elves are spirits who created physical bodies by decimating the Titans. Moving ahead, the next connecting theory: what’s the nature of the Evanuris’s divine forms?
The Nature Of The Evanuris’s Divine Forms:
In elvhen legends, many of the Evanuris have been mysteriously depicted as animals, to name a few: Mythal is a dragon, Fen’Harel is a wolf, Ghilan'nain is a halla, Dirthamen is a raven, and Falon’Din is an owl. Yet very little is known about the symbolism and nature of these animal depictions.
In my research, there are few lore-nuggets on this topic, but it’s largely a lot of speculation. Nevertheless, I've found something very interesting about the animal portrayals in Elvhenan, and that’s an ancient elven codex that spoke on the Evanuris having a divine form reserved for them and their chosen. At one point, a sinner belonging to Dirthamen dared to fly in the shape of the divine at the urging of Ghilan'nain. He begged protection from Mythal and was judged by Elgar’nan.
"His crime is high treason. He took on a form reserved for the gods and their chosen, and dared to fly in the shape of the divine. The sinner belongs to Dirthamen; he claims he took wings at the urging of Ghilan'nain, and begs protection from Mythal. She does not show him favor, and will let Elgar'nan judge him" (Codex entry: Ancient Elven Writing).
Most importantly, the fact that Dirthamen’s sinner flew in this form assumes that the divine form is a flying creature. Considering Mythal was the All-Mother of the pantheon who quite happily took the form of a dragon, I’m going to assume the form of the divine in the context of this codex is a dragon. The writing did specify ‘a form reserved for the gods’ - which is plural, so I wonder, did each of the gods have their own divine form exactly like their animal depictions? Or are dragons the only divine form belonging to the gods?
Moreover, the codex mentioned that the divine forms were reserved for the gods and their chosen. I imagine those who drank from the Well of Sorrows and other elven Wells would’ve been seen as their god’s chosen. When Morrigan drank from the Well, she gained the ability to transform into a dragon. This illustrates that there’s some sort of spiritual connection to unlock the divine forms, like, legit, Morrigan had to bind herself to Mythal, showcasing that it was among the elves elitist that could take these forms.
While I’m on the topic of the elven god’s chosen, there are many codexes explaining that each elven god had their own champion who served their master’s every wish.
"Mythal, in her wisdom, interceded in an argument between Elgar'nan and Falon'Din. With clever words, she convinced them to settle their grievance through a battle of their champions. Elgar'nan and Falon'Din agreed, and set their champions against each other rather than declare war among the gods. May those knights long be remembered, and Mythal's wisdom be praised” (Codex entry: Vir Dirthara: Duel of a Hundred Years).
There’s also a codex about the Emerald Knights in the days of elven Halamshiral who had wolf companions never leaving the side of their chosen knight, exactly like the bond between the elven gods and their champion. To commemorate the memory of the ancient wolves, statues that; we know also depict the Dread Wolf, were constructed.
“In the days of elven Halamshiral, wolf companions walked alongside Emerald Knights, never leaving the side of their chosen knight. Wolf and elf would fight together, eat together, and when the knights slept, wolves would guard them. The statues were erected in memory of their unbreakable bond” (An excerpt from In Pursuit of Knowledge: The Travels of a Chantry Scholar by Brother Genitivi).
Given that the animals in this codex were wolves, and their statues resemble the Dread Wolf, this prominently displays that Fen’Harel potentially had a champion who either was a wolf or could take form as a wolf like Solas. So, did each of the elven gods have their own distinct champions, who, like the elven gods, could take the shape of their own specific divine form?
While it’s certainly a mystery, I wonder how exactly the divine forms came about, could the Evanuris have connected with powerful animals or demons like the Avvar who created Hakkon Wintersbreath - a spirit who inhabited a powerful animal? Ghilan'nain created animals that none had ever seen. What if the Evanuris had joined themselves with powerful animals created by Ghilan'nain? If so, perhaps Ghilan'nain created the Dread Wolf, among other elven god forms.
“Ghilan'nain kept herself apart from the People. She used her power to create animals none had ever seen” (Codex entry: The Ascension of Ghilan'nain).
I could throw many more guesses out, but in truth, I don’t rightly know. What I do know is that when the Veil was created, the elven gods were split, their bodies sundered from their souls which fundamentally explains why the Evanuris are locked away and cannot rise.
The main reason I ask about the elven gods and their divine forms regards Solas and his Dread Wolf counterpart. There’s no clear indicator if his Dread Wolf form is a shapeshifting transformation, a separate entity or something completely different. Maybe the Dread Wolf’s nature changed after the Veil’s creation, but at the moment, in modern day Thedas, there’s more evidence proving that the Dread Wolf is a separate entity split from Solas.
For example, there’s a codex on The Treachery of the Wolf which revealed a warning from the Evanuris asking the elven people to be aware of the forms of Fen’Harel, which assumes that Solas had many different forms whenever this memory was set. The codex detailed a terrible danger, a wolf with slavering black jaws and pits for eyes. The Evanuris stood in a ring around the wolf as if preventing it from attacking.
The pages of this book-memory?-warn of a terrible danger, a wolf with slavering black jaws and pits for eyes. The Evanuris-the elven gods-stand in a ring around it, as if preventing it from attacking.
"Beware the forms of Fen'Harel! The Dread Wolf comes in humble guises, a wanderer who knows much of the People and their spirits. He will offer advice that seems fair, but turns slowly to poison. Remember the price of treason, and keep in your heart the mercy of your gods" (Note: The Treachery of the Wolf).
And then we have Tevinter Nights which revealed a lot more about the nature of the Dread Wolf, the Wolf was verbatim described as ‘a spirit so great that it shook parts of the Fade.’ Which is honestly enough to satisfy my conclusion.
“Something huge trembled around us—a spirit so great that it shook parts of the Fade I had always considered to be neutral, devoid of life—and high overhead, where the Black City shadowed the sky, I heard a great booming roar” (Tevinter Nights).
But, there’s more. The Fade was said to be the Dread Wolf’s natural home, and spirits there serve him gladly.
“While we might visit the Fade, it is his natural home, and the spirits there serve him gladly” (Tevinter Nights).
So, is Solas roaming the mortal realm while the Dread Wolf dominates in the dreaming realm? Is this the current nature of the Dread Wolf? A pride-like demon manifested to Solas’s will in the Fade?
Most likely, it would seem, but let’s not get too ahead of ourselves. I think it’s fundamental that I uncover how exactly the Evanuris were split from their physical bodies and what that could mean for Solas and the Dread Wolf. With that, let’s explore the next theory: what happened when Solas sundered the elven empire?
What Happened When Solas Sundered The Elven Empire:
“They killed Mythal. She was the best of them. She cared for her people. She protected them. She was a voice of reason. And in their lust for power, they killed her. A crime for which an eternity of torment is the only fitting punishment” (Solas).
Okay, so now we can delve deep into the meat of this theory and start answering some questions finally. When Solas created the Veil he split reality itself.
Ghil-Dirthalen, the Archivist Spirit in the Vir’Dirthara shared that the waking world and the Fade were sundered due to the creation of the Veil – this means they have split apart and separated from each other which explains the fractured and dysfunctional Thedas we experience today. Yet the great quickening didn’t stop there.
“How could the Dread Wolf cast a Veil between the world that wakes and the world that dreams. The Evanuris will send people, they will save us. When have you last heard from the Gods? When the Veil came down, they went silent. What is this Veil? What has Fen’Harel done?
“If we get out of here, I will end Fen’Harel. After he held back the sky to imprison the gods, the Dread Wolf disappeared. Lies. We must tear down the Veil, the cities, the pathways, without magic they’re crumbling. You’re wasting your time, Fen’Harel’s Veil has turned our empire to ruins” (Archivist Spirit).
Not only was the world sundered but so were the ancient elves as confirmed in Solas’s remark - “The Veil took everything from the elves, even themselves.”
Given that I’ve just unearthed that the ancient elves were spirits, the elves’ own beings had been split apart into multiple aspects because of the Veil. It’s no wonder the ancient elves lost their immortality when the Veil was created, they lost an aspect of themselves that presumably was sent to the Fade. As we know, spirits can grant people immense powers. In modern-day Thedas, spirits are used to revoke the rite of Tranquility, and even further, spirits can grant ‘immortality’ and longevity to a person’s life. Wynne and Zathrian are perfect examples of this.
Wynne transferred her spirit that was sustaining her life to save Evangeline, sacrificing herself in the process so Evangeline could live with the assistance of a Faith spirit. It makes sense that when the Veil was created, it forcibly removed a bunch of spirits from the elves’ being, diminishing their gift of immortality, among other things.
For further confirmation of this split, when the Inquisitor met the Archivist Spirit, they couldn’t share any more information because they were sundered from another part of themselves, the Inquisitor had to locate the Spirit's other sundered aspects to learn more knowledge about the Veil’s creation. Each part of the Archivist Spirit had many insights to offer, yet they had each forgotten fundamental knowledge that the other aspects’ knew.
This proves that when sundered, aspects of their being had forgotten key parts of their identity.
Perhaps this is another reason why Solas dislikes the modern-day elves, because they are literally, not just figuratively, an aspect of what they once were. It certainly seems like if the Veil were destroyed, the ancient elves could be whole once again. But I do wonder what that would mean for the modern elves of Thedas. Would they too become unsundered? Perhaps Solas’s plan will see every single elf changed if he succeeds?
Adding more to this, in two different party-banters between Solas and Sera. Solas said to Sera:
“You are different, you are the furthest from what you were meant to be” (Solas).
"Don't concern yourself, vhenan. She is… apart from herself" (Solas).
Are both of these remarks confirmation of the sundering of the elven people? Even though Sera is a modern elf, could she literally be apart from herself as in sundered like the rest of the ancient elves? What does that mean about the nature of the current elves then?
While we don’t know everything about Solas’s scheme, we do know that in Tevinter Nights, Solas said to the elf known as Charter, that what he’s doing will save this world, and elves like her, and the elves who still remain. They may even find this world better when it’s done.
“I have no choice. What I am doing will save this world, and those like you—the elves who still remain—may even find it better, when it is done” (Tevinter Nights).
Just as, if not more important, the reason Solas created the Veil was to sunder the elven gods - that’s the only way he could logically defeat them, they would’ve destroyed the world, and they were already an impossible threat - so, Solas decided to separate their souls from their physical forms, banishing each in a different realm.
“My people fell for what I did to strike the Evanuris down, but still some hope remains for restoration. I will save the elven people, even if it means this world must die” (Solas).
Let’s say, in an attempt to stop Fen’Harel and his scheme, the Evanuris took the shape of their divine forms and ensued chaos. However, once the Veil was created, the seven Evanuris were sundered, their physical forms imprisoned in the mortal realm and their spirits lost in the Fade. This would directly explain the Old Gods. A fractured, forgotten physical aspect of the Evanuris that can’t remember their full identity. Yet the elven god’ spirit’s still endured, disconnected from their physical form.
Before tainted, the Old Gods are said to be shapeshifters, their true forms are unknown. Perhaps this is because they have forgotten, or more apropos, lost an aspect of their former self, clinging to the things that they can remember.
“Scholars assume that the Old Gods must indeed have been real at one point, but most agree that they were likely actual dragons—ancient high dragons of a magnitude not known today, and impressive enough to frighten ancient peoples into worshipping them. Some even claim that these dragons slumber as a form of hibernation, not as a result of the Maker's wrath” (Codex entry: The Old Gods).
Now, I know what you’re thinking, Solas said that there was nothing in the elven lore that connected the old gods to his people. So this can’t be correct, right?
“There is nothing in elven lore to connect the old gods to my people” (Solas).
Indeed this is true, there is nothing in the elven lore that connects to the Tevinter ideologies of the Old Gods because mankind has built a completely different picture of the Old Gods to what they actually are. All Solas is saying is that the elven gods are not the specific Old Gods that have been concocted and described by Tevinter and the Chantry in modern-day lore. This was just another example of him omitting the truth.
Correcting what Fen’Harel had done to them, what remained of the elven gods’ spirits began dreaming through the Fade, they whispered to the dreamers of the Imperium, promising them godhood if they physically entered the Fade. Once the Magisters breached the Fade, the elven gods’ souls were able to reconnect with their physical forms, but not completely without a hitch. Their physical forms were still banished, slumbered in imprisonment.
“They sleep, masked in a mirror, hiding, hurting, and to wake them... (gasps) Where did it go?” (Cole).
The only way the elven gods could awaken themselves was through the blight, so they sang the Calling, summoning the Darkspawn to their physical form to become tainted. Only then could they rise as Archdemons on Thedas, escaping their torture and becoming tainted in the process, perhaps losing themselves even further. Thus explaining the Old Gods and the elven gods' connection. But why rise as dragons, well, I’m not completely sure, but Mythal does tie to the blight, perhaps through that shared connection, the Old Gods when tainted take the shape of corrupted dragons?
Like red lyrium, the gods and everything else, the blight most likely relates to ancient elven times. Solas claimed that the ‘fools who first unleashed the blight upon this world thought they were unlocking ultimate power,” however, “the blight corrupts everything it touches. Those who believe themselves capable of using it safely are mad.”
“The fools who first unleashed the Blight upon this world thought they were unlocking ultimate power. The blight corrupts everything it touches. Those who believe themselves capable of using it safely are mad.” (Solas).
At first glance, it seems like Solas is talking about the hubris of the Magister Sidereal when they returned as the first Darkspawn, however, given that he is Fen’Harel and has a habit of omitting key lore, I think Solas knows who exactly released the blight - which is probably the Evanuris. This could be a link to the elven gods using the blight explaining how they could speak the Calling and rise as Archdemons. The blight may have been another factor regarding the elven gods’ descent to power and madness, which eventually led to them killing Mythal.
Even further, for reasons still unknown, if the Hero of Fereldan performed the dark ritual, the Old God soul of Urthemial lived on, free from the taint inside Kieran, Morrigan’s child. Mythal collected that soul from Kieran in Inquisition. But whatever for? Maybe this plays into Mythal seeking the justice that was denied to her long ago to further torture the elven gods? Or maybe their souls are more valuable given that it’s no longer tainted, perhaps it serves a purpose now?
Along with Mythal wanting the soul of Urthemial preserved. Solas adamantly hates the Grey Wardens who outrightly kill the Archdemons. But if the Old Gods were sundered elven gods, surely he’d revel in their deaths?
Well, I think the Old God souls could originally be pure because they’ve forgotten an aspect of themselves, but when twisted into an Archdemon, they become evil. However, through the dark ritual, their souls can become pure and untainted again. This flip-flop state sounds very similar to the ambiguity of spirits and demons in the elven times, like Mythal for example.
The Grey Wardens have found a way to permanently kill the Archdemons along with their Old God souls, Solas and Mythal hate that because they would rather see them preserved for unknown reasons. I’d honestly be throwing mad guesses out, but I think their reasoning may tie into the next game.
While that sounds well-rounded, we still have many more unanswered questions and tie-ins to this theory. More prominently, I need to discuss the nature of the Dread Wolf. When Solas sundered the entirety of Elvhenan, did he also sunder himself in the process? While similar to a large part of this theory, it needs to be examined on its own. So, moving on: is the Dread Wolf a sundered spirit of Solas?
The Dread Wolf Is A Sundered Spirit Of Solas:
Surely Solas sundered the Dread Wolf from himself when he split the entire elven kingdom, exactly like the banishment of the elven gods. This sacrifice must’ve been one of the prices to pay for the Veil’s creation:
"He broke the dreams to stop the old dreams from waking. The wolf chews its leg off to escape the trap" (Cole).
The Archivist Spirit said that once the Veil was created, the Dread Wolf disappeared. While this could be figurative because Solas most likely yeeted the scene once he created the Veil, it could also be very literal, as in the Dread Wolf disappearing to the dreaming world just like the sundered elven gods?
“After he held back the sky to imprison the gods, the Dread Wolf disappeared” (Archivist Spirit).
Along with the previous Trespasser codex’s that were already explored in the third theory, the biggest case of evidence for this theory is when Solas joined the Inquisition, he awoke very weak, as if disconnected from himself:
"I lay in dark and dreaming sleep while countless wars and ages passed. I woke still weak a year before I joined you" (Solas).
Solas couldn’t unlock his orb with his power, he also needed some of Mythal’s power at the end of Inquisition to ensure his scheme could continue. Perhaps, through their exchange, Solas unlocked Mythal’s ability to rise like a dragon. Needless to say, Solas was as weak as an elven god could be when disconnected in the mortal realm. So, has Solas been split from the Dread Wolf since he created the Veil? Or was he just really tired from his long slumber?
The second biggest case to support that the Dread Wolf was sundered relates again to Tevinter Nights. Like I explored before, ‘The Dread Wolf Take You’ revealed a very real Dread Wolf spirit lurking in the Fade with hordes of lesser demons, tearing apart mortals who disobeyed and disrupted his scheme.
“YOU MEDDLE PAST YOUR UNDERSTANDING, FOOLISH MORTAL MAGES, AND IN DOING SO, YOU THREATEN ALL CREATION.” (Tevinter Nights).
The Wolf spoke about his idol and disowned those who dare bind spirits in the future. Based on the description of the Wolf as a spirit that shook the entirety of the Fade, most assuredly it seems that the Dread Wolf is a spirit sundered from Solas.
“YOU USE MY IDOL CARELESSLY TO VANDALIZE THE SEA OF DREAMS. NOW FEEL THE PAIN OF WHAT YOU HAVE CREATED” (Tevinter Nights).
“FROM THIS MOMENT, SHOULD YOU EVER BIND A SPIRIT, THEN YOUR LIFE IS MINE” (Tevinter Nights).
If true, I do wonder about the major differences between the Dread Wolf and the elven god’s sundered physical forms. Perhaps the Dread Wolf’s nature is different because it wasn’t banished to an eternity of torment like the Evanuris were, instead, it was just sundered from Solas and sent to the Fade.
“A crime for which an eternity of torment is the only fitting punishment” (Solas).
With that concretely uncovered, I wonder if another huge aspect of why Solas seeks to destroy the Veil is because he wants to become whole with the Dread Wolf once again. The entire point of the Dread Wolf rising is essentially because it was sundered in the first place. If the Veil was destroyed, the Dread Wolf would be set free on both realms, Solas would be able to join with it again as illustrated in The Dread Wolf Rises mural.
With that in mind, if Solas destroyed the Veil and reunited with the Dread Wolf, no doubt, the Evanuris; in whatever form they are, would also be awakened. Most likely, the elven gods would be released as untainted Old Gods for the first time, not as Archdemons following a blight - whatever that would even look like. Is this what is illustrated in The Dread Wolf Unveiled mural? Two untainted Old Gods unleashing on Thedas with the Veil destroyed?
What is Solas’s plan for the gods? Does he want to sap their power, is he trying to find a new way to defeat them? Are their souls pure as Old Gods, and twisted as Archdemons? Does he want their pure souls for his scheme, or for Mythal? All hypotheticals that we don’t know at the moment.
Throwing another tinfoil out there, if Solas destroyed the Veil and reunited with the Dread Wolf, and also considering he took some power from Mythal, could Solas rise as a Draconic-like Dread Wolf? Now that would be terrifying...
“Solas doesn’t want to hurt people, he isn’t that kind of wolf. The Qunari don’t see…” (Cole).
Alright, so, let’s wrap up with the conclusion: are the Old Gods sundered elven gods?
The Old Gods Are Sundered Elven Gods:
Bringing this video full-circle, let’s quickly go through every single point of evidence that overall supports this theory.
The nature of spirits and demons before the Veil is largely unknown, but the elven gods represent what spirits and demons used to be - more ambiguous in their nature. Mythal was accounted as both justice and vengeance, yet at the same time, she was neither.
Solas was summoned to the world by Mythal, he was given a body. The elven gods inhabited lyrium bodies by mining the Titans. They used lyrium as blood writing to institutionalise slavery.
The Chant of Light teaches that spirits were the firstborn of the Maker, and when He abandoned them, the Old Gods were formed by spirits who envied their creator and inhabited the forms of dragons.
The Old Gods are shapeshifters, their true forms are unknown. When tainted by Darkspawn, they take the shape of corrupted dragons.
Many of the Evanuris have specific depictions and citations as animals. The elven gods are said to be “if not gods, then mages, or spirits, or something we've never seen.”
The elven gods also had divine forms reserved for the gods and their chosen. One of the god’s divine forms are dragons. The Evanuris also had champions who served them willingly.
The Grey Wardens discovered how to kill an Old God permanently, when killed by a Warden who carries the taint, the Old Gods’ soul will enter the Warden’s body, and both will die in the process.
The elven gods do not die so easily too. They know how to effectively be immortal. Body swapping and fragmenting an aspect of their soul into something else. Mythal has been effectively immortal by living through the bodies of her daughters and placing pieces of herself in different items. Mythal also taught Morrgan the dark ritual so she could take Urthemial’s soul, which persevered and became untainted through the ritual.
The elves were sundered from themselves when the Veil was created. Their souls were split from their bodies, banished to the mortal world and the dreaming world.
The Old Gods were said to have been cursed by the Maker, imprisoning them in underground tombs where they would slumber eternally.
Seven elven gods were banished.
Seven Old Gods slept in the Fade.
The elven gods were dreamers, they were capable of entering the Fade at will.
The Old Gods taught magic to the dreamers of the Neromenian tribes, and these dreamers became the priests and kings of their people.
The elven gods have ties to the blight, they may have unleashed it onto their world.
The Old Gods become Archdemons when tainted by Darkspawn who hear the Calling.
The Dread Wolf is a spirit currently living in the Fade with a scheme to destroy the Veil, deal with the Evanuris, and whatever else Solas has planned.
There are two remaining Old Gods to awaken as Archdemons, their locations are known by the Grey Wardens and the Venatori.
If the Veil were destroyed, the Evanuris would be free, in whatever forms they are. Solas has plans to deal with them.
And, Mythal still seeks a reckoning that will shake the very heavens, seeking the justice denied to her.
So, are the Old Gods sundered elven gods? I believe so, at least, that’s my current hypothesis given the current state of Dragon Age and everything we know so far. As per usual, there are fundamental aspects of lore that are deliberately missing for the sake of the future narrative. If true, what does this mean for Solas’s plan, does this allude to his next step? Will we see the Old Gods rise as they are? Who knows, even so, the mystery of the Old Gods connecting with the elven gods has been a long-standing enigma. I’m looking forward to the answers in the future.
"Alas, so long as the music plays...we dance" (Flemeth).
And dance, we shall! Let me know your thoughts down below. Is there any connecting lore I missed? What do you think about this theory and the many others explored? What’s your opinion on the nature of the Old Gods, the elven gods and the Dread Wolf? Let me know what you’re thinking down below. Until then, you’re already in the right place for all your Dragon Age needs.
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