#Asha’bellanar

[doomeddoodles]

A thought. Since Morrigan appeared, i was surprised that the choice for the dark ritual was left out. And I tried to see why it didn’t matter. Then thinking of where veilguard takes place and her design, maybe Rook wouldn’t meet Morrigan the Apostate but Asha’bellanar, the Witch of the Wilds, the Inheritor of Mythal. She’d not be the woman who traded jibes with past companions or the mother watching her son play in the garden.

She’ll be what Flemeth was, a mysterious witch who assisted the hero, giving knowledge in cryptic riddles. What ends she’d seek who knows?

[daitranscripts]

The Final Piece Pt. 2

The Altar of Mythal (Morrigan Drank)

The Final Piece Masterpost Previous: 'Tis Exhilarating

The party arrives at a structure in the Arbor wilds.

PC: This is the place?

Morrigan: It is. Look for an altar, ancient but still standing.

They enter the structure and see a large stature ahead.

Morrigan: There. Do you see it?

They approach the altar, and PC paces in front of it.

Morrigan: ‘Tis all that remains of the great altar. We few who travel far, call to me , and I will come. Without mercy, without fear.”

Solas (if in party): “ Cry havoc in the moonlight, let the fire of vengeance burn, the cause is clear.”

Morrigan: Why, thank you.

Dialogue options:

Arcane: I know what this place is. [1]

General: I don’t like that last part. [2]

General: Could this really work? [3]

General: Get on with it. [4]

1 - Arcane: I know what this place is. PC: Strange that there wasn’t an altar like this at Mythal’s temple. The temple was a place of justice, but this… is different. This was where the elves called to her. Spoke to her. Morrigan: Then one day she disappeared, and there was no one with whom to speak. [5]

2 - General: I don’t like that last part. PC: “Without mercy”? That sounds rather ominous. Morrigan: Indeed it does. [5]

3 - General: Could this really work? PC: Could this actually summon an ancient goddess? Morrigan: We are about to find out. [5]

4 - General: Get on with it. PC: If you’re going to do it, do it. [5]

5 - Scene continues.

If there are other members in the party: Morrigan: Your companions will need to go elsewhere. Not to worry. If there is shouting, they will hear it readily enough.

The party members leave.

Morrigan: You know who I am. From high priest to high priest, I am the last to drink of sorrows. Come to us, Mythal. Whatever you are, whatever remains, I invoke your name and your power.

A cloud of smoke appears behond them, and Flemeth walks out.

Morrigan: Mother.

PC: “Mother”?

Flemeth: Now, isn’t this a surprise?

Dialogue options:

General: This is Mythal? [6]

General: You know her? [7]

General: What’s going on here? [8]

6 - General: This is Mythal? PC: So this is Mythal? Morrigan: She is a deceiving witch! [9]

7 - General: You know her? PC: I take it you know her? Morrigan: She is a deceiving witch! [9]

8 - General: What’s going on here? PC: What’s wrong? Morrigan: We have been deceived! [9]

9 - Scene continues.

Morrigan tries to attack her but is stopped.

Flemeth: Now, now, that’s quite enough of that.

Morrigan: What have you done to me?

Flemeth: I have done nothing. You drank from the Well of your own volition.

Morrigan: Then… you are Mythal?

Dialogue options

Stoic: She is? [10]

Confused: You’re not even an elf! [11]

Angry: You’re no god. [12]

Pleased: [Kneel before her.] [13]

Angry: This was a trick? [14]

10 - Stoic: She is? PC: That’s Mythal? Flemeth: You invoke that name so easily. I wonder if you know what it means? [16]

11 - Confused: You’re not even an elf! PC (Dalish): Mythal was the goddess of justice. I’ve seen the statues. She… Flemeth: Was one of the People. Yes, indeed.

PC (non-Dalish): Mythal was an elven god. You, you’re… Flemeth: Human? Not a word many have used for me in a very long time. [15]

12 - Angry: You’re no god. PC: I’m supposed to believe that you’re some kind of god? Flemeth: Clearly not the sort you had in mind, hmm? [15]

13 - Pleased: [Kneel before her.] PC (Dalish): I greet you, Asha’bellanar. To see you in the flesh, to see you alive and among us… Flemeth: You see, girl? Those are manners, as you require a demonstration.

PC (non-Dalish): Thank you for coming. I had no idea what to expect. Flemeth: You see, girl? Those are manners, as you require a demonstration. [15] \ 14 - Angry: This was a trick? PC: Then this was all some kind of trick? Flemeth: I know many tricks, but this… is merely a reunion. [15]

15 - Scene continues.

Morrigan: I do not understand. How can you be Mythal?

Flemeth: Once I was but a woman, crying out in the lonely darkness for justice. And she came to me, a wisp of an ancient being, and she granted me all I wanted and more. I have carried Mythal through the ages ever since, seeking the justice denied to her.

Dialogue options:

General: She’s a part of you? [16]

General: That could be a demon. [17]

General: Why should we trust you? [18]

16 - General: She’s a part of you? PC: Then… you carry Mythal inside you? Flemeth: She is a part of me, no more separate than your heart from your chest. [19]

17 - General: That could be a demon. PC: That could have been a demon, lying to you. [19]

18 - General: Why should we trust you? PC: You can say anything you like. Why should we trust you? [19]

19 - Scene continues.

Flemeth: You hear the voices of the Well, girl. What do they say?

Morrigan closes her eyes.

Morrigan: They… say you speak the truth.

Flemeth: But what was Mythal? A legend given name and called a god, or something more? Truth is not the end, but a beginning.

She turns to the PC.

Flemeth (Dalish PC): So young and vibrant. You do the People proud and have come far. Flemeth (non-Dalish PC): A herald, indeed. Shouting to the heavens, harbinger of a new age.

Flemeth: As for me, I have had many names. But you… may call me Flemeth.

20 - Dialogue options:

History: I know who Flemeth is. [21]

Special (Dalish PC): The elves needed you. [22]

Investigate: You’re Morrigan’s mother? [23]

General: Will you help us? [24]

General: This was no accident. [25]

General: So what now? [26]

21 - History: I know who Flemeth is. PC (Dalish PC): I know the name “Flemeth.” My people call you Asha’bellanar, the woman of many years, and speak of your legend. PC (non-Dalish PC): I know the name “Flemeth.” It belongs to an ancient Fereldan legend.

PC: It says, long ago, you left your husband for a lover. Your husband then tricked you, killed your lover, and imprisoned you. Then a spirit came to offer you vengeance. Mythal–that’s what you spoke of. Flemeth: One day, someone will summarize the terrible events of your life so quickly. But, yes, I was that woman. That is how my tale began. PC: Flemeth appears in other legends, helping heroes for reasons of her own. Flemeth: I nudge history, when it’s required. Other times, a shove is needed. (Chuckles.) [27]

22 - Special: The elves needed you. PC: If Mythal is a part of you, why haven’t you helped us? We’ve called to you, prayed to you… Flemeth: What was could not be changed. PC: What about now? You know so much… Flemeth: You know not what you ask, child. [27]

23 - Investigate: You’re Morrigan’s mother? PC: Then you’re Mythal and Morrigan’s mother? Morrigan: As well as a witch who prolongs her unnatural life by possessing the bodies of her daughters. Flemeth: That’s what you believe, is it? Morrigan: I found your grimoire, and I am no fool, old woman. Flemeth: (Chuckles.) Yet here you stand, bound into my service. My daughter ran from me long ago. I’ve let her be… until now, it seems.

Dialogue options:

Investigate: I need to understand. [27]

[Back to 25]

27 - Investigate: I need to understand. PC: Why did Mythal come to you? Flemeth: For a reckoning that will shake the very heavens. Morrigan: And you follow her whims? Do you even know what she truly is? Flemeth: You seek to preserve the powers that were, but to what end? It is because I taught you, girl, because things happened that were never meant to happen. She was betrayed as I was betrayed–as the world was betrayed! Mythal clawed and crawled her way through the ages to me, and I will see her avenged! Alas, so long as the music plays, we dance. [back to 25]

24 - Will you help us? PC: We summoned you because we need your help. Flemeth: Against the magister who grasps beyond his reach. Yes, I know. [27]

25 - General: This was no accident. This meeting was no accident, was it? Flemeth: Clever [lad/girl]. Morrigan: The voices… came from you? Flemeth: The price of the Well seemed no dire thing when you saw so much gain, hmm? [27]

26 - General: So what now? PC: So what happens now? [27]

27 - Scene continues.

Flemeth: The voices did not lie, Morrigan. I can help you fight Corypheus.

The voices speak to Morrigan again.

Flemeth: Do you understand, child?

Morrigan: Yes, I… think I do.

Flemeth turns to leave.

Morrigan: Wait!

Flemeth: I wished to see who drank from the Well of Sorrows. It has been a very long time.

Flemeth: (Chuckles.) Imagine my surprise to discover it was you.

Morrigan: And that is all?

Flemeth: A soul is not forced upon the unwilling, Morrigan. You were never in danger from me.

Flemeth disappears. \ Morrigan: All things considered, Inquisitor, I now wish you had drunk from the Well.

Dialogue options:

General: Are you all right? [28]

General: No kidding. [29]

General: Did she help us? [30]

28 - General: Are you all right? PC: Will you be all right? Morrigan: I… am uncertain.

29 - General: No kidding. PC: Forced to obey your mother, huh? Ouch.

30 - General: Did she help us? PC: Will what she did to you actually help? Morrigan: Surprisingly, yes.

31 - Scene continues.

Morrigan: What she said is true, at least. I have the answer to your problem. I can match the Archdemon’s power, when the time comes. All that remains is for you to find Corypheus.

Scene ends.

Next Quest: Doom Upon the World

[wardencommanderrodimiss]

I made a joke once about how, since they’re about the same age, proto-Ena and Avrian Mahariel could’ve had a fling at the Arlathvhen sometime before Origins, and I’m canonizing this because I think it is way too funny to consider the possibility of bumping into your teenage hookup and having a conversation like

Avrian: “I have a son with Asha’Bellanar’s daughter. He used to have the soul of an Old God within him.”

Ena: “I had a traumatic breakup with Fen’Harel.”

And then between the other stuff like “drank darkspawn blood” “touched a weird magic artifact” “became the Hero of Ferelden” “got named as a prophet of the human god” they’re just like

[thornfield13713]

I also have a lot of feelings about the Flemeth fight here, because-

Look, Belath knows who Asha’bellanar is. She’s heard all the same stories as Merrill, she knows exactly how bad an idea it is to give her any reason for a grudge and she is absolutely terrified of her. She’s not even all that close to Morrigan, at least not yet. But-

Taking over somebody’s body, turning their soul out to wander the world alone, or smothering it under your own- that’s a really, really horrible fate. One she’d rather not see anyone suffer. And Morrigan is- they aren’t friends, and don’t understand each other, but they’ve been travelling companions for a while by this point, and Belath is attached enough to not want her to face a terrible fate that might not even give her the mercy of death.

So. Here she is. Fighting Asha’bellanar. Who probably isn’t even going to be permanently dead and will carry a grudge. This is definitely not going to come back to bite her somewhere down the road.

[nightmarist]

@leetutheicefanatic

Yes, if I remember correctly, Flemeth is a vessel of Mythal, while also being worshiped as a god herself.

Her apotheosis was probably because of it, granted honorary god status in the pantheon while also granted the literal godhood and power that comes with housing a god being. So, it’s possible that the ancient elves saw/knew her ascension and adopted her into their pantheon as Asha’bellanar many ages ago. The Dalish having a broken up and partially lost history serves as a good and convenient narrative device so it could be that elves just don’t remember Why a non elf is in their pantheon and just accept it / don’t question it.

Culture and religion just naturally evolve history into legend until the facts are lost or become more like suggestions. Sort of like Cassandra’s rise to becoming a Hand of the Divine where the story says it was a single handed effort she was rewarded for vs truth of it being the efforts of many, or Varric’s tall tale telling in all of his stories to make them feel more heroic and glorious than they are, or the Chantry’s attempts at explaining the Golden/Black Cities and Darkspawn with only fragments of stories.

As a human vessel of an elf god, in addition to being worshiped by the Dalish as a separate god herself, compounded with Elvhen history of slavery between both their own gods and humans creates an interesting narrative — if it’s a purposefully crafted narrative to evoke that very connection it would provide a really fucked up (in a good way) sense of disparity. But if not then it feels a bit out of place. It wouldn’t be game breaking just mild disappointment. Maybe making her an elf in some capacity could fix some dialogue and offer foreshadowing and better explanation for other events throughout the series like Solas’ reveal, Morrigan drinking from the well, and Morrigan’s child. But that’s also just a personal “wouldn’t it be cool if” thing.

[halfwaythroughmonday]

No path is darker than when your eyes are shut.

Asha’bellanar, Dragon Age 2

[squirrelwithatophat]

Amell (HoF) would be another major historical mage whose name starts with ‘A,’ but they were never possessed (at least not on screen)… although a male Amell can give his son an Old God soul, so maybe it can still sort of count?

Does Adrian (the Libertarian leader from Asunder) count as major historical mage?

Dragon Age lore theory: every major historical mage whose name begins with ‘A’ was also possessed by a spirit.

Case studies:

1. Anders (obviously.) Incited the Mage Rebellion, was possessed by a spirit of Justice, either died by stabbing or fucked off into the wilderness. Supporting evidence: dude, we were there.

2. Aldenon the Wise. Helped found Ferelden, violently opposed the Circle, fucked off into the wilderness. Supporting evidence: Aside from the fact that he literally has his spirit’s name in his title, the descriptions of him speaking before the Ferelden court in a voice that was uncanny and otherworldly matches with the way we heard Justice speak through Anders.

3. Andraste. Rebelled against Tevinter, founded a new religion, died by stabbing. Supporting evidence: It’s disputed – heretical, even – to even claim that Andraste was a mage at all, let alone possessed by a spirit, but there are some fairly solid arguments that indicate she was at least the first – and if the first, then the second follows logically. 

Her sister died in an unexplained fire at the dawn of puberty, an accident reminiscent of many uncontrolled fires started by mages just coming into their powers. She heard voices, and seemed to be able to hear the lyrium song, a sound that is usually only heard by spirits and those they are in contact with. All of her historically recorded attacks on Tevinter territory are consistent with elemental mage spells (fire, earthquakes, wind, lightning) amplified to an unprecedented degree by a supplementing source of magic. Finally, Andraste was raised Avvar, and the Avvar canonically train their mages by investing them with spirits.

4. Ameridan. Hunted demons for his friend the Emperor of Orlais, was the first Inquisitor, fucked off into the wilderness, cast an incredibly complex and powerful time spell and maintained it for centuries without outside help.

This one’s a lot more specious than the others:  there is one of his journal entries – just one, it’s never mentioned anywhere else – that makes reference to a ‘spirit friend.’  This could either be evidence of possession, that he’s just got a spirit following him around, or has them on speed dial in some way. But hey, he’s a mage, a famous historical figure, and his name starts with an A.

[reveriereblogs]

Asha’bellanar, The Witch of the Wilds ✨🪶

twitter & insta: @/damzeldoesart

[dalishious]

morrigan #2 for the companion ask meme!

(Warden + Companions Ask Meme)

Morrigan #2: “Did your Warden agree to help Morrigan kill Flemeth? Why or why not?”

The party barely made it into camp before Morrigan approached Da��Renan expectantly. He had departed that morning with Shale, Wynne and Leliana in tow, on a promise to kill Asha’Bellanar. It was easily the toughest battle Da’Renan had ever taken on; only Shale managed to come out unscathed. If not for Wynne’s healing magic, none of the rest would have been even standing that night. But seeing Morrigan and knowing that she was now safe from her mother made it all worth it.

“Do you have Flemeth’s true grimoire?” Morrigan asked. Da’Renan pulled it out of his pack and presented it to the witch, who looked at it like it was made of gold. “You could’ve warned us she was a dragon.” “Beg pardon?” “Your mother. She turned into a dragon.” “I see,” Morrigan raised her eyebrows. “I knew she was a powerful shapeshifter, but I never knew she was capable of such a powerful form as the dragon.” Da’Renan studied her face, but could not tell if Morrigan was being truthful or not. He decided to assume she was honest. “I must owe you a great deal for this,” Morrigan then said. “You owe nothing.” She looked surprised again. “You’re a friend, Morrigan.” Da’Renan couldn’t afford to lose another one of those. “You say that so easily.” “And you seem so doubtful.” “Is that surprising? I’ve never had a… friend, before,” she admitted. “I’m not entirely sure I even know what that means.” “It means we look out for each other. I help you, and the next time I need it, you can help me.” Morrigan looked down at the grimoire, then back up at Da’Renan, nodding. “I will not forget this… my friend.”

[roguelioness]

wip whenever

I know I’ve been tagged by a bunch of folks including @thevikingwoman, @serenpedac and @perlen-gold - thank you!

Most of my writing lately is immediately yeeted into the AO3 void, but! I have gotten some work done on Uprooted so here’s a snippet:

“Thank you,” her voice breaks on a half-formed sob.

“Do not thank me yet, child. There is still the matter of the price that must be paid.”

“What do you want of me?”

Asha’bellanar’s golden eyes, already ancient and all-seeing, fill with something dangerously similar to retribution. For a second, it’s as though she’s staring at something not meant for her, like she’s watching a god plot and plan. Alarm slithers down her spine, disquiet ringing in her ears. For the first time in their conversation Ilearys feels as though she may have made a mistake, that she might have wagered too much in this gamble, that she may have won the battle but lost the war. “This is what you shall do,” she says, cold, stern, forbidding, like the deepest depths of the cruelest ocean.

Tagging @cleverblackcat, @coldshrugs, @noire-pandora, @darethshirl, @bluewren, @ejunkiet, @redinkofshame, @shannaraisles, @kagetsukai, @rosella-writes, @inquisimer, @harumeau

(please let me know if you want/don’t want to be tagged!)

[psqqa]

FLEMYTHAL COMIN’ THROUGH FOR US WITH “you do the people proud”!!!! THANKS JUSTICE MOM!!!!!!

the temple of mythal is always some kind of something but i’m feeling especially upset about it this time around

[rosella-writes]

Happy friday, which is also dadwc!! For a prompt, I would like to send: Hawke/Merrill, “You always stop at the same part, when it’s very beautiful and interesting.”

Thank you so much!! I've not written them before and Merrill's voice is hard for me, so here's some very rough Act 3 bonding on the Wounded Coast for @dadrunkwriting

Rated: T for mention of family loss Words: 590

~~~

“You always stop at the same part, when it’s very beautiful and interesting.”

Emrys glanced down at Merrill, who had laid her head on his knee. He carded his fingers through her hair — grown out a bit now, and loose of its braids — and leaned forward to stir the fire. It spat sparks up into the dusky sky. 

“I don’t know about beautiful, Merrill.”

“Oh but it is!” she insisted. Her foot began to bounce in the grass, as it did when she got agitated or excited. “We managed to get ahead of the Blight, and rebuilt in the Free Marches. I never saw it with my own eyes. Was it really so bad? All wasting and brown death? The Brecilian was so green, it’s hard to imagine it dying back and — oh I’m babbling again.”

“Don’t mind it,” Emrys told her. “I’d rather listen to you talk.”

She huffed and turned to glare up at him. Her eyes were very green, and shone with a mirrorlike flash in the dim light. “You aren’t distracting me that easily. I want the rest of your story, ma vhenan.”

He shrugged noncommittally, then leaned back until his back rested once again against his mabari’s side. Egg huffed in his sleep. “Usually left it to Varric to tell them. To make up what he wanted. Feels weird to say what happened out loud.”

“But you met Asha’bellanar!” Merrill groaned. “Just as I did, but she cares about you! What did you do in the before times? To earn her trust?”

His hand slid from her hair to the slim lines of her back. She was like a limp, warm cat, curled against his side. “Killed an ogre.”

“No no! Not like that, you said you left Lothering, described it, and then went quiet. What happened?”

He shrugged again. “Killed an ogre, Merrill. We’d met Aveline and Wesley, Wesley threatened Bethany so I threatened him back, and finally we decided to keep going towards the Wilds. That’s when we pushed on and got to the top of this burnt rise and —”

His next words choked him. Merrill’s eyebrows furrowed with her omnipresent worry, and her thin fingers plucked at the placket of his jacket. 

“Ma vhenan, you’re alright.”

He swallowed. “Right. Yeah. Um, well, we got to the top and there was this ogre up there, charging towards us. Bethany’s twin, my little brother, Carver, leapt in the way.”

“Oh.”

Her little noise carried such weight behind it, with more sympathy than he could bear. He didn’t look at her. “Mother blamed me. We had to leave him, after I killed the ogre. It was so huge, he didn’t stand a chance. He gave me time.”

“It wasn’t for nothing.” There was no question in her voice, just soft assurance.

“Doesn’t matter, Merrill,” he said. “He’s dead. So’s Mother and Bethany. Didn’t matter in the end.”

Merrill’s silence felt heavy, expectant. He looked at her, finally, and found her staring up at him with wide eyes. 

“Maybe this is the abyss Flemeth warned me about,” he muttered.

Merrill moved, all limbs, and clasped him tight about his waist. She hugged him as tightly as her thin arms could manage, grunting out her effort. “Now now,” she scolded. “There’ll be no jumping. Not while I’m here. I’ll follow you right in.”

Emrys settled his arms around her, glad for her bruising grip keeping him together. He pressed a kiss onto her scalp. “I know, Merrill. Love you.”

"Hmph. Don't forget it, either. It'd be rude."

[villainii]

[”I know what she is. The Witch of the Wilds.”] Some call me that. Also Flemeth. Asha’bellanar. An “old hag who talks too much!”

[smalllady]

I know the name Flemeth. My people call you Asha'bellanar, the woman of many years, and speak of your legend. It says long ago, you left your husband for a lover. Your husband then tricked you, killed your lover, and imprisoned you. Then a spirit came to offer you vengeance. Mythal. That's what you spoke of.

[diirthara-ma]

“On Skyhold” Codex Entry Translation

The codex entry “On Skyhold” contains elven writing which references the elven name of Skyhold (“Tarasyl’an telas”), found written underneath a pillar in some of the older parts of the fortress. The Skyhold archivist notes that the writing is “old but still [written] long after the place had been built over.” Only part of the writing survives:

Var'landivalis him sa'bellanaris san elgar

Melanada him sa'miras fena'taldin (word missing)

Nadasalin telrevas ne suli telsethenera

Tarasyl'an te'las vehn'ir abelath'vir (word missing) 

The translation provided was put together by the archivist, with the assistance of Solas. The archivist notes that, even with Solas’s help, they still “managed only a partial translation.” Here is the translation given in the codex entry, along with the archivist’s notes:

Our belief transformed into everything. (assertation/problem? uncertain)

All time is transformed into the final/first death (uncertain),

Inevitable/threatened victory and horrible/promised freedom in the untorn veils, (uncertain)

Where the sky is held up/back, where the people give/gain love that is an apology/promise from/to....(missing subject, uncertain)

While I think the archivist’s translation here isn’t actually *incorrect*, I thought it could be interesting to break this down word-for-word and see if anything new can be gleaned from it. As the archivist even notes in this codex entry, “Elven is often a game of intents, not direct mapping of phonetic meaning. That means it's a mess.” Additionally, the fact that Solas helped them translate makes me think there are potentially parts that he purposely simplified or concealed the meaning of when translating.

My word-for-word translation and musings are below the cut:

Var'landivalis him sa'bellanaris san elgar

“Our belief transformed into everything. (assertation/problem? uncertain)”

Var’landivalis = “our belief”; an elision of var + glandivalis

var = “our”; Var Bellanaris is translated by Keeper Gisharel as “our eternity” (from the quote here); Emma solas him var din'an is translated as “Arrogance became our end”, literally “____(?) pride became our death-place” (from the codex entry Tracing from the Temple Doors)

glandivalis = “belief”; in the poem “Where Willows Wail” we see the line Ir tela’ena glandival, vir amin tel’hanin translated as “When we could no longer believe, we lost glory to war”

him = “to become/to make (into)”, “to transform”; as I discussed here

sa’bellanaris = “____-eternity/forever”; possibly a contraction of sa and bellanaris, “one eternity”?

sa = “one”; it’s entirely possible that this is actually a shortening of a larger word, but sa is so short it’s hard to even guess at what the full word would be

bellanaris = “eternity”, “forever”, “many years”; the elven dictionary in World of Thedas Volume 1 translates it as “eternity”; Var Bellanaris is translated by Keeper Gisharel as “our eternity” (here); the Dalish translator in “Torn Notebook in the Deep Roads, Section 3” translates it as “forever”; Asha’bellanar, the name the Dalish give Flemeth, is translated by a Dalish elf in The Stolen Throne as “The Woman of Many Years”, asha = woman and therefore bellanar means “many-years”

san = ????? San doesn’t seem to play a direct role in the arcanist’s translation, and while we’ve seen the word like a half-dozen times it’s not clear from any of those contexts what the word actually means? I’m going to try to puzzle it out in another one of these elven language posts at some point in the future.

elgar = “spirit’; it’s strange to me that this word doesn’t seem to factor into the archivist’s translation at all, this seems like a definite sign that his translation is incomplete

Thoughts:

I’m not sure why elgar doesn’t factor into the archivist’s translation at all? Or why they translate sa’bellanaris as “everything”, unless they’re interpreting “one-eternity/forever” as meaning “many”? Like an infinite number of things? Maybe they’re translating the whole phrase sa'bellanaris san elgar as “everything”?

Some possible translations include  “Our beliefs transformed our eternal spirits” or “Our faith/belief [in Fen’Harel] transformed our immortality and spirits”---referencing the elves losing immortality bc of the actions of Fen’Harel and his people?

Or perhaps “Our beliefs transformed our spirits into eternal/immortal ones.”---referencing the beginnings of the elves? That they were once spirits, and then became immortal, physical beings?

Melanada him sa'miras fena'taldin (word missing)

“All time is transformed into the final/first death (uncertain)”

melanada = Something to do with time; melana is translated as “time” in the codex entry In Uthenera; da as a prefix normally means “little”, that doesn’t seem to be the case with it here, as a suffix?; Melana + nadas? “Inevitable time?”; melana is also translated as “now” in the codex entry Tracing from Temple Doors, perhaps melana + nadas = “it is now inevitable?”

him = “to become/to make (into)”, “to transform”

sa'miras = I’m not sure if this pairs with the next word and *together* the archivist takes them to mean “final/first death”, or if this is separate and just means “into” or for some reason doesn’t factor into their translation?; clearly another contraction, sa + miras ?; it’s possible that if the sa here means “one” that this word means “first”

sa = as previously mentioned, sa means “one” but we don’t know if this is actually an elision and, if it is, how how much of the first word was lost

miras = possibly related to mir, “my”?; to my knowledge we don’t have any other words that would be related to this

fena'taldin = This is clearly part of what the archivist is translating as “the first/final death”, given the word din

fena = ??? the only related word we have is fen, which obviously means “wolf”, but I’m not sure that’s relevant? I guess it’s possible that fena’taldin is referencing death caused by the Dread Wolf, but that doesn’t seem likely to me; it also seems unlikely to me that either sa’miras or fena’tal translates *literally* as “final”, given that both halam and din are already used to mean “final/end”

taldin = something to do with death (tal + din); the only word related to tal that I know of is Keeper Marethari’s surname, Talas, which we don’t know the translation of

(word missing) = Given that there are so many unidentifiable words in this section, it’s hard to make even a wild guess at what could be missing here. Potentially something about the Veil? Or uthenera?

Thoughts:

This section has so many unidentifiable parts it’s difficult to make even a guess at a translation beyond what is said by the Skyhold archivist. The only parts we can reliably translate basically give us “Time(?) become/transform _____(?) _____(?)-death.” 

From the archivist’s translation, I’m assuming this is about the elves losing their immortality, hence “final/first death,” referencing that people started dying of old age for the first time?

Nadasalin telrevas ne suli telsethenera

“Inevitable/threatened victory and horrible/promised freedom in the untorn veils, (uncertain)”

nadasalin = If this elision breaks down the way the archivist seems to think it does, it should be nadas + enasalin; it’s interesting that the archivist also suggests “threatened victory” as a translation, perhaps from the general tone of the sentence they get the impression that the fact that victory is inevitable is bad?

nadas = “inevitable/inevitably”, “something that must be”; from the elven dictionary in WoT v1

salin = from enasalin, “victory”; the codex entry “Enasalin” translates Enasalin'abelas as "sorrowful victory", literally “victory-sorrow”

telrevas = Translated by the archivist as “horrible freedom” or “promised freedom”, it seems to be a contraction of tel + revas, so literally “not-freedom”. Therefore I think the definition the archivist is trying to get at is a sort of “false freedom,” a promised freedom that turned out to be horrible. Another possible translation might be “un-freedom,” as in the opposite of freedom, so potentially “slavery”?

tel = “not”; Wisdom says Tel’abelas to Solas during the quest “All-New, Faded for Her” and it’s translated as “I’m not sorry”; Tel garas Solasan is translated as “Come not to a prideful place” (“not” + “come” + “pride-place”) in the codex entry “Tracing from the Temple Doors”

revas = “freedom”; from the elven dictionary in WoT v1; in The Last Flight, when Isseya sees that her griffon is named Revas, she thinks to herself that “it was an Elvish word: ‘freedom’”

ne = there isn’t much precedent for the word ne, one of the only places we’ve heard it is when Solas tells Abelas Malas amelin ne halam, which Solas translates as “I hope you find a new name,” but the phrase definitely doesn’t *literally* translate to that; perhaps this is what the archivist is translating as “in”?; potentially related to nae, which means “no”?

suli = we’ve not seen this word anywhere else; we’ve got a lot of elven words that start with “sul-” (sulahn, suledin, sulevin) but it’s difficult to know which, if any, of these words suli would be related to; perhaps this is what the archivist is translating as “untorn”?

telsethenera = tel + sethenera, something like “not-Fade” or “the absence of the Fade”? I think this word is the part the archivist is translating as “veils”

tel = “not”

sethenera = another name for the Fade?; setheneran is translated as “land of waking dreams” by Tamlen in the Dalish Origin, he says Hahren Paivel uses it to refer to places where the Veil is thin/weak; in “Where Willows Wail” from WoT v2 sethen’a is translated as “the land of dreams” (it’s noted that a “form of lyrical shorthand” is used in this song, which might explain the shortening of sethenera to sethen’a); theneras is translated as “dreams” in the codex entry Torn Notebook in the Deep Roads, Section 3

Thoughts:

A possible translation is “The inevitable victory of the (untorn? untearable?) Veil brought nothing but a false freedom.” or “The Veil was a false freedom and a pyrrhic victory.”---the victory of Fen’Harel and his people after the Veil went up ended up not bringing the elvhen people the freedom Solas had promised, but instead cut the elves off from the Fade. This had catastrophic effects on elven society: it destroyed buildings, caused people to start aging and dying, cut many elves off from magic, etc.

Tarasyl'an te'las vehn'ir abelath'vir (word missing)

“Where the sky is held up/back, where the people give/gain love that is an apology/promise from/to....(missing subject, uncertain)”

tarasyl'an = “Sky-keep/hold-place”; this is what Morrigan says the ancient elven name of Skyhold was, and she translates it as “the place where the sky is kept”

tara = “sky”?

syl = I’m curious if this is the part that means “kept/held”; this would match up with Sylaise potentially being literally translated as “hearthkeeper”; however it would also potentially conflict with Dirthamen literally translating as “keeper of secrets”

an = a suffix that denotes that the noun is a place; Solasan is translated as “prideful place” in the codex entry “Tracing from Temple Doors” https://dragonage.fandom.com/wiki/Codex_entry:_Tracing_from_Temple_Doors)

te'las = In the last addition to the “On Skyhold” codex entry, Solas says that the name of Skyhold is not just tarasyl'an---“some simplistic allusion to holding up the sky”---but that the full elven name is tarasyl’an telas, meaning “the place where the sky was held back”; therefore I think te’las translates to something like “not shared” or “not given,” making Skyhold’s full literal name something like “Sky-keep/hold-place not-given”

te = from tel, “not”

las = “give/grant”; in the codex entry Tracing from Temple Doors, Melana en athim las enaste is translated as “Now let humility grant favor”; in the codex entry Torn Notebook in the Deep Roads, Section 3, the phrase Mythal las ma theneras is translated as “Mythal gives you dreams”

vehn'ir = given that the archivist translates this as something to do with “people”, I think this might be a misspelling? I think it’s probably meant to be vhen’ir

vehn = probably meant to be vhen, “people”; as seen in words like vhenadahl, “the tree of the people” (from the codex Vhenadahl: The Tree of the People) and elvhen, “the people”, as seen in the elven history section of WoT v1

ir = ???? as I mentioned here, it’s difficult to tell if ir is meant to be a pronoun (either “I” or “we”) or a verb, potentially “to be” or ”to have”; I feel like in this context, especially with the archivist translating this part of the sentence as “the people give/gain”, it would make sense if ir is being used as a verb, potentially “to have”?

abelath'vir = “way of sorrowful love”, “path of loving apology”, “love through sorrow/an apology”; as this is made up of three words (abe + lath + vir) it can combine in many ways

abe = from abelas, “sorrow”, “to be sorry”; from the elven dictionary in WoT v1

lath = “love”, “love of being”, “to be in love”; from the elven dictionary in WoT v1

vir = “way/path of”; Vir Tanadhal translates as “Way of the Three Trees” (from the codex entry Vir Tanadhal: The Way of the Three Trees)

(word missing) = I feel like Fen’Harel would make sense here; Evanuris could also possibly fit

Thoughts:

It’s interesting that the archivist is certain that the *subject* is missing from this sentence. I wonder how they came to that conclusion? Elven doesn’t seem to properly follow any specific word order, nor do noun declensions seem to be demarcated in any noticeable way, so how would they be able to tell? There are several other nouns here that could all be the subject of the sentence. I wonder why they specify what type of word is missing here and not in the other phrase that’s missing a word?

One possible translation for this would be something like “Where the sky was held back, people give love as an apology to Fen’Harel”---Perhaps saying that, after the Veil was created, elves continued to travel to the site to essentially try to convince Fen’Harel to take the Veil back down? Like, they would give him “love”--offerings, worship him, etc.--hoping it would make him change his mind and put things back to the way they used to be? Solas was presumably asleep at this point, and potentially wasn’t even aware yet of the ramifications of the Veil, but assuming that many elves still didn’t understand he wasn’t actually a god maybe they thought he was purposely ignoring them?

Another translation that would have a similar meaning is “Where the sky was held back, the people give love as an apology to the Evanuris.” That maybe people tried to reach out to the locked-away gods from the place where the Fade was held back, hoping that somehow they could reach them?

Another possibility, basically coming at the sentence from an opposite perspective, would be “Fen’Harel held the sky back, as a loving promise to the people.” Perhaps whoever is writing this sees what Solas did as a good thing, despite the ramifications? Or they’re trying to explain Solas’s motivations?

I’d love to see what other translations people come up with! 

[thessalian]

Molly!Warden vs Cultists, Again

Molly: So I cleared out the darkspawn and dragon cultists move in. Lovely.

Finn: You ... know these people?

Molly: Not these specific ones, but the general type. There were a bunch of people around the Temple of Sacred Ashes worshipping a high dragon there.

Ariane: Why do people want to worship dragons?

Finn: Big and powerful and fire-breathing!

Molly: Or, like, there was something more to that “Tevinter Old Gods looking like dragons” thing than anyone was letting on. I mean, I know Flemeth - your Asha’bellanar - turned into a dragon and she probably wasn’t human or even abomination so maybe gods aren’t actually gods but just really powerful people who like being worshipped Because Reasons?

Finn; Ariane: ....................

Ariane: That is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. My gods are real!

Finn: The Chantry teaches--

Molly: And, see, that’s why I might actually be better at deciphering this theology nugshit than people who actually grew up with ... religion, y’know? I don’t do gods. We don’t have ‘em. We have ancestor-worship. ‘Cos, see, I’m a Paragon now, okay? And what that means is that someday, dwarves are going to venerate me. Like they do Branka - who was a lunatic - and Caridin - who was a bit of a meeble-merchant, if you ask me, but he was stuck in a golem so had reason to be...

Finn: ...wut...

Molly: Long story; I’ll tell you more once we’ve got this mirror thing sorted. Anyway, point is, I know how it is to worship people as kind of like gods and if they have magic, I figure actually gods is a logical step to take. All we’ve got is the words of people who wrote down stuff all flowery in a “history is written by the victors” sort of way, or tales passed down from hahren to hahren for generations and probably getting twisted on the way--

Ariane: What do you know about hahren?

Molly: I spent, like, weeks with the Dalish clan that helped me get to the Archdemon; it was a thing. Anyway, I’m just saying that sometimes, myths get it wrong.

Valterral: REEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Ariane: That’s ... a valterral. They’re a myth. They’re supposed to protect us.

Finn: He looks like he wants to make you part of his balanced diet, though. That doesn’t sound very protective to me.

Molly: See? Sometimes myths get it wrong. Now, maybe we should commence stabbing?

Dragons: RAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Molly: Aaaaaaaand of course these get in on the act. Okay, swords for everyone, c’mon!

Finn: Good. This is less confusing than the philosophy, anyway.

And, way down in the Nest

Molly: Oh, yeah, There’s your eluvian. I see why I missed it before. It was hard to see past Boobmother and her All-Star Tentacle Revue.

Finn: It’s glowy! I have to study it!

Ariane: Nope. Let the Warden talk to Morrigan alone.

Finn: But...

Ariane: You know that spell Molly likes it when you do against mages?

Finn: Mana Clash, yes...

Ariane: She has to have seen that done by some mage to know about it. And this Morrigan travelled with her to end the Blight. So...

Finn: Oh. ...Oh. Okay, yes, staying back is a good idea.

And, over by the eluvian

Molly: Hey, salroka; what’s shapin’?

Morrigan: Does “do not follow me” mean something different to the dwarves?

Molly: Hey, look, I just wanted to know how the kid is and if you’re doing okay. And it looks like you’re ... shopping for extra-planar real estate. I mean, I guess so long as you’re not having to yell at rage demons to get off your lawn.

Morrigan: ......I missed you. But I still have to go. Things are going to be happening, and changing, and I need power, and the safety to build it. Also you probably didn’t actually kill Flemeth but that’s alright; she probably can’t be killed by regular means anyway.

Molly: ...I have theories now but I’ll probably keep those to myself because Ariane would probably soil her smalls. Speaking of which, she’s been meebling about this book--

Morrigan: Ah, forever doing errands for others. I have what I need from it, so I leave that with you. And a gift.

Molly: You had a gift for me all ready to go, in someplace I slaughtered the broodmother of all broodmothers and wouldn’t want to go back to ... and you didn’t think I would follow you here?

Morrigan: “Do not follow me” might mean the same to most dwarves as it does to others, but to you, it means “do everything but throw a bon-voyage party”.

Molly: *pulls some confetti out of a belt pouch and flings it in to the air* Bon voyage, salroka. But just before you go, how is the kid.

Morrigan: Innocent. I’ll try to keep him that way for as long as the world lets me.

Molly: I’ll let Alistair know. He’ll be at least a little curious.

Morrigan: I ... I find I...

Molly: You hate the mushy stuff so I’ll just tip you a little wave and turn around so you can leave without it getting weird.

Morrigan: Perhaps you understand me better than I realised. Farewell.

Exit Morrigan, not pursued by anybody

Finn: ...can I study the mirror now?

Molly: Out or I will shove your face into the Boobmother corpse.

Finn: Going! Going!

Ariane: ...book?

Molly: This is yours, and this is mine, and we are leaving before more nasty shows up.

Ariane: What did she leave you?

Molly: I ... will let you know as soon as I figure that out. So half-past never, probably. Out.

((And thus ends Molly Brosca’s tromp through Thedas! Now I am going to bed and dream of what I might end up liveblogging next. I still have an eye on Meep!Warden...))