#acotar theories

[shadowqueenjude]

I posted a Rhys is actually fucking weak theory months ago and I’m glad to see everyone is on board with the idea now.

I mean come on, it just makes sense! Why else would he need to split his court to maintain order? He doesn’t even perform Calanmai, Keir does. Plus he’s only half High Fae, not full. It would explain why he needs the “mask,” because if people found out he’s a weakling, they’d kill his ass so fast. It’s also why he surrounded himself with some of the most powerful warriors in the world. I mean we’ve actually seen Tamlin’s power; he annihilated Rhys’s uber powerful dad within seconds of being High Lord. What has Rhys ever done that even proves he’s the strongest? Nothing. It’s literally just Feyre’s word we’re supposed to trust. Considering Rhys can’t even enforce the law in Illyria…it’s giving weakling.

[infiniteetcetera]

Something I would actually love to see in an Azriel book is Az getting a “second family” sort of situation outside the inner circle, i.e. a group of friends he hangs out with where he can actually just relax, laugh, and be himself. Don’t get me wrong, Azriel obviously loves the IC and they love him, but we’re told from basically every single one of them in their POV that they don’t understand him and he won’t talk about himself/his feelings with them (as he should honestly, Rhys and Cassian canonically used to beat conversation out of him and Mor’s been messing with his head for centuries) and one of the very first things we’re told by Az directly is that he doesn’t feel like he belongs (with them).

I just think it’s sad that Az is often written off as so private/quiet because of his personality even though we see there’s so much more to him than that. I love that he is our occasionally awkward introverted boy, but he’s also canonically like the most charismatic of the IC??? Feyre points out how fun/charming he is the first time she hangs out with him outside the IC, he’s the only one Elain feels comfortable with in all of ACOMAF and brings her out of her shell, and he’s literally the only one who gets along with Nesta and they actually form such a normal sweet friendship??? He operates so sweetly and openly with everyone outside the IC (I use the Archerons as examples bc that’s most of what we’re shown but we’re also told even like the valkyries in training all crush on him) I can’t help but feel like the IC hold him back and after the way he was raised Azriel really deserves a true family where he feels like he “belongs” and doesn’t have to hide and isolate himself.

This is why I care less who he winds up with and more that it’s done well and leaves him genuinely happy, not just because one person suddenly “fixes” everything, but because they help him be himself and let others in and feel comfortable with who he is. I feel like that’s what he really needs and he’s not getting it from most people in the Night Court (like I swear the Archeron sisters already know him better than his supposed family in the IC. what do you mean Feyre and Nesta both clock Elriel and Rhys/Cassian are oblivious??? what do you mean he’s terribly depressed on Solstice and Nesta is the only one who reaches out and when she brings it up Cassians like ‘nah that’s just how Az is’??? what do you mean Mor gets him awful gifts every year but Elain has him dying on the floor laughing with her present after knowing him a few weeks???)

In conclusion, please let Azriel find not only a happily ever after with his LI but some awesome new friends too ❤️ (or let him help the Archeron girlies escape the NC fr even if he just drops them off with their autumn court LIs, IDC I just love his relationship with all of them)

[elucienhasmywholeheart]

Anyone else notice this about ToG and ACOTAR?

The Archeron sisters either are, or embody, the three-faced goddess from Throne of Glass.

Maiden - Elain

She's kind and sweet, and always referred to the most lovely of the sisters. Literally a "flower of youth". She is constantly pursued by suitors and directed towards marriage. At a glance, the most "desirable" of the sisters.

Mother - Feyre

Feyre is incredibly nurturing and a giver by nature, even if it is detrimental to herself (ie. when she was literally being abused and neglected by her family, but still continued to hunt for them instead of simply fending for herself). Very much the mom friend of the inner circle, and now the actual mother of little Nyx.

Crone - Nesta

This isn't to say that Nesta is old, even though she is the eldest of the sisters. But by nature, she reacts as if she has seen much of the world and life in general. She is cautious and realistic (if not outright pessimistic), tending to follow the "guilty until proven innocent" mantra. She acts cold and distant to protect herself and those she loves because she knows how possible it is to be hurt by life's twists and turns. Not to mention that she literally is Lady Death.

[futurehunt]

"You're not the person I want to explain myself to." -Eris Vanserra and his hidden motives

The story of Eris Vanserra haunts me. At this point, most of the characters in ACOTAR are an open book in terms of their backgrounds but Eris's is still so shrouded in mystery and I have to know more. Consider this the inspiration for my following lengthy analysis of all the Eris Vanserra scenes we've been given. Additional inspiration being this clip of SJM from a since deleted live stream on Instagram (still available on YouTube) :

Love that SJM says that Eris is her favorite Autumn Court character but more importantly she spills a little detail about Eris having a secret history and a secret motivation behind his character. I think most readers assumed by now that Eris is primed for a redemption arc but this simply could've been reserved to him making amends for leaving Mor injured in the woods. No, this is something more than that- something significant that affected his actions back then and is still influencing them now.

Let's start breaking everything down:

Everything starts with: Eris found and left Mor in the woods at the Autumn Court border after she was tortured dumped there by her father, Keir.

Why did he do this?

“I knew why you did it... So I gave you your freedom, ending the betrothal in no uncertain terms" - Eris in ACOWAR

After Mor slept with Cassian, Eris knew Mor did it because she wanted out of the engagement (for a secret reason- on her end- that we'll touch on in a bit) so he ended the betrothal as she wished.

But why did Eris leave her there, injured with fatal wounds? This is still the biggest point of hostility between him and the IC.

"There were forces at work that you have never considered," Eris said coldly. "And I am not going to waste my breath explaining them to you. Believe what you want about me" - ACOWAR

What are these forces?

We're given an answer to this question during a scene in ACOFAS when Mor is recalling the memory of that day at the Autumn Court border.

“No one touches her,” he said. Eris. “The moment we do, she’s our responsibility.” Cold, unfeeling words. “But—but they nailed a���” “No one touches her.” - ACOFAS

If Eris or his men provided aid to Mor she would've become their responsibility, implying that she would've become a ward of the Autumn Court essentially. This is probably why Keir even dumped her on the border in the first place, because he knew that if the Autumn Court provided her aid they would have to assume responsibility for her. It was created as a lose-lose situation for Mor: get help from Eris and be trapped at the Autumn Court or be refused help and left to suffer and potentially die in the woods.

“I take it you do not wish to live here, Morrigan.” She would rather die here, bleed out here. She would rather die and return—return as something wicked and cruel, and shred them all apart. He must have read it in her eyes. A small smile curved his lips. “I thought so.” -ACOFAS

He knew she'd rather die than live there so he acted according to her wishes, even though it was done cruelly. This scene, which we're given from Mor's perspective, shows that she heard the true reason why Eris refused to provide her aid but because of the trauma of the whole situation she likely never put two and two together.

But the situation is a bit more complex than that. There is more to the reason that Eris left her in the woods to have her freedom.

“Eris nodded to where Mor watched them from beside Feyre and Rhys, her face neutral and aloof. “She knows the truth but has never revealed it." “Why?” “Because she is afraid of it.” - ACOSF; dance scene between Nesta and Eris

Eris knows something about Mor that she's afraid to reveal. What's the only fact we know about Mor that she's been hiding her entire life? That she's queer. It seems somehow Eris was aware of this.

“Eris looked between them, smiling faintly. Secretly. As if he knew something that Azriel didn’t. "I knew why you did it" Again that secret smile that had Mor shrinking." -ACOWAR

Later on in ACOWAR, we find out the big secret Mor is hiding is that she's romantically attracted to females. Alright, so somehow Eris knew Mor was queer back when they were betrothed. It seems that this was part of the reason he left her to her freedom.

Despite the cruel nature he's described to have, Eris keeps the knowledge that Mor is queer to himself. Eris left Mor in the woods because he knew she wanted her freedom and the reason she wanted her freedom was because she is queer. Out of some uncharacteristic kindness, Eris won't share this information with the rest of the IC because he seems to not want to out her because he knows she's afraid of the truth. Refer to the quote between Eris and Nesta above for proof of this.

But what are Eris's own secret motivations in all of this?

“So I gave you your freedom, ending the betrothal in no uncertain terms.”

“And what happened next,” Azriel growled.

A shadow crossed Eris’s face. “There are few things I regret. That is one of them. But … perhaps one day, now that we are allies, I shall tell you why. What it cost me.”

This is such an important line and one that if you don't dissect it properly, you won't understand it's real meaning.

"What it cost me". The cost that Eris is referring to is one that he suffered as a result of leaving Mor unaided in the woods. NOT from breaking the engagement, from leaving her. "The cost" is something that would've been unaffected by breaking the engagement (because Eris has no remorse over that) but affected by abandoning an injured Mor (because this is what Eris labels as one of the few things he regrets). Mor being left in the woods was, in the grand scheme of things, inconsequential for the rest of Prythian. The only people negatively affected by it were Mor and the rest of the IC.

"Perhaps one day... I shall tell you why" when Eris says this, he means: perhaps one day he'll them why he regrets it, NOT why he did it. It's important to read this quote in the context of its surrounding passages because you'll see that he had an opportunity to explain why he left her but he instead tells Mor he's not going to "waste his breath explaining it to her."

So after breaking down those lines we know: Eris regrets abandoning Mor because of something it cost him in relation to the IC now hating him after the events at the border but "the cost" is something he's hesitant to reveal to them.

For the sake of the analysis, let's go over a few things we know Eris does canonically care about and why they are not the cost he's referring to:

His father's throne: It's not secret that Eris wants to usurp his father. Feyre even notes how startled she was to hear Eris discuss killing his father so blatantly. Also, if the marriage to Mor would've aided Eris in taking the throne then Eris would've expressed remorse at ending the engagement but he didn't. He only regretted leaving her injured.

His mother, Lady of Autumn: The text shows us that Eris is concerned over the welfare of this mother when he angles his body to protect her during the High Lord meeting scene. However at the time of Eris's betrothal to Mor, his mother wasn't miserable in her marriage the way she's described now. It wasn't until LoA's affair with Helion was revealed, which happened decades after the Eris and Mor situation, that Beron began abusing his wife. Of course, Eris undoubtedly wants his father dead because of this but we know it's not "the cost" that Eris references since it wasn't a factor at the time.

“Helion shrugged. “On and off for decades. Until Beron found out. They say the lady was all brightness and smiles before that. And after Beron was through with her. You saw what she is.” “What did he do to her?” “The same things he does now.” Helion waved a hand. “Belittle her, leave bruises where no one but him will see them.” - ACOWAR

Lucien: Eris has a soft spot for Lucien but he wasn't born for decades after everything happened so he can't be a factor in why Eris regrets his actions.

His father tortures him: It's revealed at the end of ACOSF that Beron tortures Eris after Cassian realizes Eris is injured after returning back from Autumn. We're not told how long it's been occurring and Eris is extremely reluctant to speak on the matter. However, if this was the big secret Eris has been hiding there'd be a bit more emphasis placed on the reveal. In fact, Cassian pushes him again after that to tell him the true reason he left Mor on the border (keep in mind Cassian doesn't know Mor is queer and Eris is refusing to reveal that information to others) and asks Eris for the real reason he's back the Night Court trying to make amends.

Why is Eris back at the Night Court after everything that happened, pushing so hard to build an alliance?

When pushed for the truth, Eris tells Cassian:

"You're not the person I want to explain myself to" - ACOSF

Cassian assumes Eris means Mor and tells him she won't want to hear his explanations anyway. But is Mor really the person Eris was referencing. I think not, given we've been given these lines:

Eris nodded to where Mor watched them from beside Feyre and Rhys, her face neutral and aloof. “She knows the truth but has never revealed it." -ACOSF

"There were forces at work that you have never considered," Eris said coldly. "And I am not going to waste my breath explaining them to you. Believe what you want about me"- ACOWAR

Eris says that Mor already knows the truth and has explicitly said he doesn't care what she thinks about him. He has nothing to explain to her. And aside from those two facts, which already make it clear enough that Mor is not the person Eris meant, what more would Eris gain from speaking to Mor? Assuaging his guilt? That could be a reasonable explanation if it weren't for Cassian already asking Eris if guilt is what was motivating him, Cassian realizing it's not and pushing for Eris to "give me a damn answer".

"You're not the person I want to explain myself to"

So, who in the IC does Eris want to explain himself to?

Mor? No, for reasons stated above

Cassian? No, they're speaking in that scene and if Cassian were the person then Eris wouldn't have said that

Feyre? Nesta? Elain? Weren't alive so aren't applicable

Lucien? Wasn't alive during the incident and is thus unaffected

Rhysand? We're told in ACOSF (Chapter 7) that Eris already has Rhysand's trust and allyship

Amren? I guess I can't necessarily eliminate Amren as the person Eris wants to explain himself to but let's be real, it's not her.

Azriel? Hmm....The person who arguably hates Eris more than even Mor herself. Who has such a burning passionate rage towards Eris that he attacked him during a High Lord meeting, yet also dropped everything to fly to the Continent to save Eris when he was abducted by Koschei.

Conclusion and remaining questions

Let's put everything together:

Eris is back at the Night Court attempting to smooth things over, make amends, and build an allyship. On the surface, we're told it's all because he wants the throne. But what we now know from SJM (in her interview) and our textual analysis is that Eris paid a big, deeply personal price due to the fall out of leaving Mor injured at the Autumn Court border. This cost was directly tied to the IC's perception of him. Eris lost something or the chance at something when the Night Court began to hate him. So he's back, 500-ish years later, attempting to make amends because of the same problem that plagued him all those centuries ago. We also know there's only one person he's interested in explaining himself to- and that person interestingly seems to be Azriel. Why would Eris want to explain himself to Azriel? Why go to these lengths to make amends with him? Was "the cost" Eris paid 500 years ago tied to Azriel?Is this all tied to Eris's "secret history and secret motivations" that SJM referenced? Crack theory time: What if Eris and Azriel are mates? If they are, it would seem maybe Eris knows about it but Azriel isn't consciously aware? It could explain Azriel's extreme and passionate reactions to Eris. What if when Eris became an enemy of the Night Court he lost his chance at having a connection to his mate. It would also explain why Eris is so tight lipped about his secret motivations. We know that Beron tortures Eris as he is now, imagine what he would do to Eris if he found out he was queer. If Eris is queer it would also explain his empathy to Mor and his reluctance to tell her truth to other people. This could also explain why Azriel is the one person Eris wants to explain himself to, because Azriel is the only person whose opinion he cares about. AND this would also provide an answer to the great "Azriel mate debate". I know Gwynriel is a popular theory but the text has not given us any indication that they are (yes, bonus chapter included) and Azriel had never displayed any mate-like behavior around her. Eris and Azriel also provide interesting foils to one another: flame and shadow- which is a theme that's mentioned in both of SJM's other series. We also know how much SJM loves her enemies to lovers.

"There was an icy rage in Azriel I'd never been able to thaw" -Rhysand in ACOMAF

Azriel is routinely described as icy and frozen, physically and emotionally. What better to thaw ice than fire!

If you read this far- thank you and ily.

Feel free to let me know if you have any critiques to my reasoning!

[exinewine]

I'm convinced that the mating bond makes Elain FERAL. Now hear me out... the only person she treats completely different is Lucien. All the night court members were there when she was turned Fae, including Azriel, so the whole "Lucien was there during her most traumatic moment" doesn't make sense to me. I think Elain is used to being prim and proper and totally in control, and the mating bond, as we've seen with Nesta and Feyre, makes them feel the total opposite of that. It was clear to me that this was the case when Elain was pleading with Graysen ("love of her life") to take her back but still managed to say "his name is Lucien" when Graysen said he was "some Fae male". Like you better put some respect on his name 😄

[ataraxiasflame]

In doing some research for my fic, I encountered a few names from different SJM books that seem to be derived from similar origins and I went on a bit of a trip trying to consider all the connections:

When researching some information regarding the inspiration for Helion (the God Helios) I discovered that Helios’s mother is called Theia and his sister is called Selene. Theia, Helios and Selene are all connected through solar elements like light, the sun and the moon.

If we recall from HOFAS, Silene was Theia’s second daughter who Azriel also claims looked like Rhys’s sister. We also know that she too was able to wield her mother’s Starborn powers (which is essentially starlight).

Helion’s power is also light and also has several similarities to Helios:

And I always question the potential foreshadowing of the scene below.

- ACOSF ch 41.

If I had to guess, perhaps Silene or a descendant of hers was married off to a member of the Night Court, which is why Rhys’s sister looks like her. But my real interest is the connection that Helion (and Lucien) has to the Trove, and their potential challenge to the theory that Rhys has a claim to the throne as a descendant of Fionn/Theia. The similarities in name could have been mere coincidence but the effect the trove had on Helion creates that potential connection to Theia and Fionn (I’m not saying he is Silene’s brother but they could be the ancestors to whom he is referring in ACOSF)

Then perhaps this chapter in ACOSF (ch 42) in which Amren urges Rhys to conquer Prythian claim the throne and he declines several times, only to have her respond with this line:

…might suggest that there are others who have equal claim to the throne.

Personally, I hate the potential High King plot line, especially if Rhys and Feyre will claim the throne (I could write an essay on why this would make no sense from a narrative perspective). There are so many references in HOFAS that highlight why Prythian failed under the ruling of one sovereign and we as readers experienced the reign of a sole ruler in book one. It just makes no sense for Prythian to return to a proven failed form of sovereignty, especially with Rhys and Feyre in those positions of power, when they only recently broke free from Amarantha’s reign.

However, should the High King and Queen narrative be necessary to the plot line, I would far prefer Helion/Lucien be the potential challenge to the throne over Rhys. The end of HOFAS even opens questions regarding Nesta’s future in a position of power in Prythian.

High King plot aside; these potential clues do make me even more interested to see how Lucien’s past will affect the rest of his story and the over arching plot of the series, how his power could be even stronger than we expected, how they could come into play with the Koschei plot line and whether he will play a larger role in the political future of Prythian as well.

But most interestingly is that Theia (the mother of Helios and Selene) was the Goddess of Sight and Vision, possessing prophetic powers, and it seems fitting that Helion’s own son is mated to a cauldron-blessed Seer. Mates fated to be together who are true equals in every way.

[oristian]

I have a theory about Elain Archeron and where her book could potentially go. These are just my own thoughts and everyone is free to disagree if they so see fit. This theory is ACOTAR specific and will not touch on the other two series. I may come back here at some point after my SJM reread, but that is months in the future.

I have a theory that Elain will be manipulated by Koschei to free him from his lake. Since this antagonist has been introduced, it has been beaten into the reader that he is trapped by ancient magic at his lake, and his ultimate goal is to be freed and to fix this ‘desolate’ world. He has been in cohorts with Queen Briallyn in ACOSF to find the items of the Dread Trove—once Nesta had two in her possession, the plan had changed to use Cassian to force Nesta to hand them over. Koschei had, ultimately, wanted the Dread Trove items to free himself from the lake.

Before I touch on Koschei, I want to touch on Elain. There were two instances of dialogue and/or inner monologue that have stuck with me. The first is the dinner scene where Elain questions if Amren was able to shift forms once she settled into her new body—Amren pointedly informed her that she would never turn human again. The second instance was Cassian dwelling on not quite believing that Elain was going to help tend to a garden the next morning.

A large theme between the Archeron sisters is that they needed to overcome the hurdle of accepting their lives as fae in order to fully heal along their journeys. Elain has been the most negatively affected by turning fae—going so far as to lose her mortal fiancé. I am inclined to believe that Elain’s story is going to delve heavily into her aversion of being fae. I also connect this to ACOWAR when Elain asked to be glamoured to appear mortal when she and the entourage went to Graysen’s family estate.

I believe that Elain is not gardening around Velaris as she claims to be—at least, not consistently. I also believe that she wants to find any means to turn back into a mortal in order to be with Graysen once more. I connect this back to ACOFAS where Feyre harps on Elain not wanting a male, but a human man. Now, to the climatic moment of the theory: I believe that Koschei is speaking to Elain through the wind and/or her visions and will promise to turn her back into a mortal if she frees him from his lake.

Koschei communicates through the wind, as that is how he is able to gain allyship with Briallyn and Beron from the confines of his lake. Vassa confirms that Koschei had manipulated the other Queens into selling her to him. “[…], whispered on the winds.”

I connect Elain and Koschei together through Papa Archeron. I wonder if Koschei managed to find out about Elain through him, or if Elain being Made was whispered to him the same way that Nesta was to everyone else—A Cauldron-Made Seer with the ability to view his weakness. Someone like that is a risk to his very livelihood, and his overall order of operations. Elain Archeron introduced the reader to Koschei, and that will be her arc and antagonist in her book.

According to lore, Koschei’s box holds his immortality. Destroying the contents will ultimately destroy him—Koschei the Deathless bested by his own creation. I do wonder what Papa Archeron was able to negotiate with him that was enticing enough for Vassa to be released temporarily to him. “Tell my Vassa I’m waiting.”

I see Elain either giving Vassa back to Koschei, or freeing him from his lake. I then see this being the start of her healing journey—she realized the mess that she had made, and she hastily goes to try and fix it. Koschei is part of Prythian lore and the one court that has thousands of libraries with every piece of knowledge from their world documented would be the Day Court.

I do see a bit of Beron and the subplot of Helion and the Lady of Autumn being dealt with in this book, hence why I believe that Elain and Lucien will be sharing the same book. Not only was Beron an ally to both Briallyn and Koschei, but Eris comments to Cassian at the end of ACOSF that Beron very well may still allege to Koschei.

There are so many ways that SJM could take Elain’s story and this is just a single interpretation. Feel free to add your own thoughts and/or tell me why you may disagree! This is all in good fun, after all.

[cactusboil]

I saw this one post a while ago, I don’t remember what tumblr it was but it was basically talking about people who made up theories about how Nesta would take over Dusk Court aka the Prison Island, and they were talking about how wild it is for a white woman to take something that rightfully belongs to a POC.

Let’s think with our brains for a single moment. The magic of the land, chooses its ruler. The Dusk, as in the Prison Island, was ruled by a full fledged starborn. Now, if the magic of the land, in the future, chooses Nesta as its ruler, since she is a starborn (it’s pretty obvious), then the land goes to Nesta. Becasue that’s how it works in Prythian. If the land doesn’t choose Nesta, she won’t be able to do shit about “claiming” it and stuff. But if it does, then there’s really nothing Rhysand can do, because that is legit THE land choosing its own ruler.

But you know, since we’re on the topic of “a white woman taking something that rightfully belongs to a POC”- let’s talk about Feyre and the Illyrian wings she struts around in.

[silverlinedeyes]

In Their Starborn Era

(HOFAS spoilers below)

The starborn age has ended on Midgard…

…and the Archeron Starborn Era is about to begin on Prythian. LFG!!!!

The Archeron Sisters are Starborn

As @offtorivendell has theorized here, @wingedblooms has theorized here, I have theorized here and here, we think each of the Archeron sisters is starborn and has part of Theia’s (or her children’s) light.

Elain has Helena’s.

Nesta has Silene’s.

Feyre has Theia’s (or maybe her son’s if that crack theory is right lol).

Though I wonder about Nesta’s Starborn power, and if she gave some of it back to the Cauldron at the end of ACOSF…and what that might mean for her ability to use Gwydion or TT at all on her own, like Bryce can. So what does that mean?

We get hints that Elain has strong starborn power:

So will Elain at first be the one to wield Gwydion and TT as she (and Az) go on their quests? Potentially to revive Dusk, or other parts of Prythian, as @offtorivendell and @wingedblooms have theorized?

And might she in part use them to help herself? To unMake her bond with Lucien using TT to free them both of it, and to potentially Make a new bond with Az (if a bond doesn’t already exist), either using her powers, or using Gwydion?

Together They Can Activate TT and Gwydion

Only united can Theia’s starborn power activate Gwydion and TT and be used to kill the unkillable. The Asteri in Midgard. Koschei in ACOTAR?

The Sisters’ Bonds

Right now, the bonds between the sisters are somewhat fractured, particularly still between Nesta and Elain.

Those bonds will need to finally heal so that they can come together to use Gwydion and TT to save Prythian.

[tothestarsinvelaris]

Idk, maybe it's just me, but I feel like Elain being associated with

Gardening

Baking/cooking

The headache powder and earplugs for Az

Dawn/dusk imagery

Fawn imagery (and other soft/feminine imagery)

Seeing the future

I just feel like that adds up to her being associated with healing and/or healing with antidotes or potions of some kind.

Like, we've already seen antidotes used in the series, but what if Elain sees something for the upcoming war and figures out how to use her gardening knowledge to create something to help protect everyone?

[kopfkino-o]

The Seer and the Singer

Disclaimer: While I consider the below theorizing to be pro-Gwyn, as well as pro-Elain, I do want to go ahead and note that this post discusses Gwyn being a lightsinger. There will be no ships discussed in the below text and I ask that ships be left out of any discussion surrounding this post. My goal here was to theorize about the characters, not the ships. If anything mentioned above might potentially bother you, please consider scrolling! kk now that that's out of the way lemme yap.

I’d like to discuss the potential implications of Gwyn being a lightsinger and how she might play a role in an Elain book. In particular, how she might use her powers to help amplify/summon/control Elain’s sight.

Let’s get into it!

The Lightsinger Theory

There’s been countless other creators who have complied amazing theories and metas on this, so I’ll only be touching on this briefly.

At current, I believe that Gwyn is most likely unaware of her powers or at least somewhat aware of her magic, but does not fully understand it due to the loss of any familial relations who could have taught her about them. Which is incredibly heartbreaking when you think about it.

Disclaimer: Regardless of the outcome, I do not think Gwyn will be evil. I repeat, I DO NOT THINK GWYN WILL BE EVIL.

Regardless if she knows or if she doesn't, I do think we will see Gwyn come to a better understanding of these powers in the background of the next books (similar to how I think we will see the continuation of Nesta's journey + the Valks just like we saw Feyre's pregnancy arc occur in the background of SF). I think this largely because I suspect that Nesta, and therefore her best friends in Gwyn and Emerie, will be present in an Elain book, regardless of the endgame, due to that fact that both sisters are Made, therefore connected to the forces of the Mother and the Cauldron. If you’re interested to hear my thoughts on how Elain specifically is connected to both entities you can read more here.

How will Gwyn come to learn of these powers and/or reveal them to her friends? I think we will see the narrative call back to what Nesta experienced upon hearing Gwyn's voice during the priestesses' 7pm ceremony + (potentially) the events of Azriel's bonus chapters. But there’s other creators who have talked way more in-depth about why, or why not, they think Gwyn could be a lightsinger so let’s move on to what I think that could mean for Gwyn’s role in an Elain-centric book!

Gwyn’s Voice - Pure and Clean, Becknoning Any Listener

Time and time again, we are shown within the text that Gwyn’s voice, in particular, her singing has… some atypical effect on the characters. Most notably Nesta and Azriel. Below are the complied moments where this is highlighted in ACOSF:

Across the hushed, cavernous space, it was easy to hear Gwyn’s soft singing as she flitted from table to table, looking at the piles of discarded books. Trying desperately to find the missing tome. The words of Gwyn’s merry song were in a language Nesta didn’t know, but for a heartbeat, Nesta allowed herself to listen—to savor the pure, sweet voice that rose and fell with sinuous ease. Gwyn’s hair seemed to glow brighter with her song, skin radiating a beckoning light. Drawing any listener in. But Merrill’s warning clanged through the beauty of Gwyn’s voice, and Nesta... - ACOSF, Chap.

Drawing any listener in. Beckoning. These words just feel... so intentional. And never before have we seen a character's voice described with such intentional language.

Nesta could only gape at the lovely melody, the voices from the front of the cavern leading it, lifting higher than the others. Gwyn sang, chin high, a faint glow seeming to radiate from her. The music was pure, ancient, by turns whispering and bold, one moment like a tendril of mist, the next like a gilded ray of light. It finished, and Merrill spoke about the Mother and the Cauldron and the land and sun and water...

I find the fact both the Mother and the Cauldron being mentioned here is very, very interesting Could the old language, these ancient whisperings, be the language of the Mother? Of the Cauldron? The soft murmurs of fate? I need to do a bit more reflecting on the priestess's connection to both entities, but, I do find it interesting that the Cauldron is mentioned here. The Cauldron that Made both Nesta and Elain.

Gwyn’s voice soared like a bird through the cavern as she started the third song with a solo, and Nesta closed her eyes, leaning into the music, shutting out one sense in order to luxuriate in the sound of her friend. Something beckoned in Gwyn’s song, in a way the others’ hadn’t. Like Gwyn was calling only to her, her voice full of sunshine and joy and unshakable determination. Nesta had never heard a voice like Gwyn’s—by turns trained and wild, as if there was so much sound fighting to break free of Gwyn that she couldn’t quite contain it all. As if the sound needed to be loose in the world.

Again, Gwyn's voice is described as beckoning. Her voice draws Nesta in a way that the other voices does not. Like Gwyn is calling to her. Like her voice is summoning Nesta, drawing her in, drawing her down.

Gwyn’s voice rose again, holding such a high note it was like a ray of pure light, piercing and summoning. Two other voices rolled in to join, pulsing around that repeated high note, the harp still strumming, voices whispering and flowing, lulling Nesta down, down, down into a pure, ancient place where no outside world existed, no time, nothing but the music in her bones, the stones at her feet, her side, overhead. The music took form behind Nesta’s eyes as the priestesses sang lyrics in languages so old, no one voiced them anymore. She saw what the song spoke of: mossy earth and golden sun, clear rivers and the deep shadows of an ancient forest. The harp strummed, and mountains rolled ahead, as if a veil had been cleared with the stroke of those strings, and she was flying toward it—toward a massive, mist-veiled mountain, the land barren save for moss and stones and a gray, stormy sea around it. The mountain itself held two peaks at its very top, and the stones jutting from its sides were carved in strange, ancient symbols, as old as the song itself.

Could this vision have been induced by the lyrics of the song? Perhaps. But within the narrative the author takes great care to highlight that it's Gwyn's voice that draws Nesta down, down, down... It's GWYN'S VOICE that evokes, summons, beckons this vision into Nesta's minds eye.

In particular, I find it really interesting that mossy earth and golden sun, two symbols that I feel are connected to Elain, are mentioned. As well as mist. Mist, which we learned in HOFAS, can be used to veil and shroud lands such as the Prison and Avallen, dampening it's natural power and purpose.

Another line I found to be very compelling, and the main reason I'm writing this blasted post, is that Nesta feels as if a "veil had been cleared". [Yes, this is in reference to the harp strings, but I still think it's important.]

Now on to Elain. How was her mind described? A misty veil. A void, a land of dreams, unclear and shrouded, with gates of iron covered by sleeping blooms.

So, if Gwyn's voice could do beckon a vision for Nesta.. imagine what her voice could do for a certain Seer.

A Voice to Lull You Down into the Void

Now, here's where I get into theory-mode. I think we will see Gwyn, with the encouragement of Nesta and Emerie, her found sisters, use her voice to help lull Elain down, down, down into a vision at a pivotal time in the story.

Perhaps when the Prison roars back to life in the same way we saw with Avallen? Or maybe when one of the sisters needs to see back through time to better understand the creation of the Starsword or the rule of Theia? Perhaps we see this play out in a desperate effort to save Elain’s kidnapped love (a post for another day) where she finds herself needing to peer through the world in search of him.

To me, I think this would make Gwyn being a lightsinger play into the “misunderstood murder faeries who are actually benevolent creatures” subversion SJM likes to write and has used with both Bryaxis and the Suriel. Because I do think that lightsingers, whether Gwyn is one or not, are just that: misunderstood creatures. Creatures and beings who can be used for good. Who can be empowered by their magic. Beings and entities who, like the Suriel, are just simply misunderstood.

Just picture it:

Gwyn leaving the Library because Nesta needs her help. Her voice. Her power of song. Arriving at the townhome to find Elain floating in a tub a la the mystics of Crescent City. She spreads her arms wide, eyes fluttering closed, and begins to sing. Maybe she knows the song. Maybe it just flows from her. But the words guide Elain down, down, down, through that murky realm, through the mists and the threads of time and fate, to the place she needs to be, to the time she needs to see.

I know at this point I’m diving into headcanon territory, but I think this could be an amazing twist on Gwyn being a lightsinger, and a chance for us to see more of her again in the next book. Because I do think we will see her again in the next book!

Also imagine how badass this skill would be for Gwyn as a Valkyrie. She could use her voice to induce visions while in the field or to lure the enemies to her and her squad. An ability like this could be invaluable for the Valkyries as a unit. One day I'll do a yap session on my theories for the future of the Valkyries and expand more on this, but for now, just imagine the badass potential with someone like a lightsinger in their ranks.

A Closing Word: The Valkyrie and the Seer

So, with that, I’ll close this post with this. I do not think Gwyn will just disappear from the narrative. Just like I don’t Nesta will. In fact, I think Nesta will be a key player in Elain’s book, and by extension, the Valkyries as well. At least in one way or another.

And gods would I love to see that.

Give me women working together. Give me women leaning on one another’s magic and strengths. Give me the Seer and the Singer!!

if you've made it this far, thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings! if you're interested in civil discourse on this theory, feel free to leave a comment or shoot me a dm! i am always down to yap

[infiniteetcetera]

Everytime I see the “gWyN hAs pLiAbLe bOnEs” argument I lose decades off my life. It’s so gross and dehumanizing to both Gwyn and Elain to act like their value is rooted in being able to birth babies like even Azriel does not gaf about that and says so in the books. it’s not even a ship thing it’s just so weird to fixate on that and honestly none of the acotar characters should be having babies the way they’re going😩

[shadowqueenjude]

I just had a thought inspired by @kateprincessofbluewhales

Did we ever think about why the Night Court sided with Amarantha? Like, yeah we assume they sided with Amarantha because their High Lord did, but why would they do that??? The Night Court hates Rhysand, remember? I mean I bet they knew that this scumbag wasn't really loyal to Amarantha, that he's just "loyal" to whoever is powerful at the time. So what if in fear of Amarantha, what if Rhysand kind of leaving Night alone while he was imprisoned to Amarantha, meant shit actually improved in Night while Rhysand was gone? I'm thinking salutary neglect here. In that case, it would make sense that Night would like shit to remain the way it is, with Amarantha in power.

[highladyjane]

While we're waiting for the announcement, what's your guess for the title of the next acotar book?

Lol, you sneaky nonnie! I've seen this Ask all over my dash today yestereve (I fell asleep writing my response to this)😆 Thank you for letting me join in on the fun!

I've actually had a theory about this hiding somewhere in my drafts for a couple of months now, but I've been too lazy to dig into it because 1. Structured writing, and therefore theories, is not my forte 2. I'm a perfectionist but my mind's messy - so it's all a bit messy, 3. so I might sound like a loony... 4. and I'm too insecure about my thoughts at times to even post about what goes through it 😅

But since you Ask'd... Here's a "shorter" version of that draft, at least:

My theory is that Elain's book will have something to do with ✨️Vines✨️.

Like... A Court of ✨️🌿Golden Vines🌿✨️(which I'm leaning the most towards), ACO Twining Vines, ACO Tangled Vines, ACO Blooming Vines, ACO Shadows and Vines... etc. I'm still trying to figure out where to lay my theory 😅🤣

It may sound very Elucien or even Tamlain, but ✨️Vines✨️ are described as "a plant whose stem requires support and which climbs by tendrils or twining or creeps along the ground" which, if you read or search through the books, also hints and applies to the movement of Azriel's shadows in many instances... @wingedblooms absolutely brilliant post that I quite recently came upon, especially supports the 'Twining'... So I think it's the perfect title to confuse people about her endgame 😜

Anyways, to back up my guess/theory...

Elain's scent is of Jasmine (and Honey), which seems to be the bloom of the Night Court ��, grows as climbing shrubs or ✨️vines✨️. But I'm feeling specifically strongly for the ✨Vines✨ because

Aaaaand because:

1. Ivy is a ✨vine✨ and Sarah has mentioned it in relation to Elain's book in an interview presented at the back of ACOFAS.

2. Nesta's drawer had flames🔥. Elain had...

🌿✨Twining Vines of flowers✨🌿

We often see the beautiful petals (Elain's softness & beauty), but we don't think about the strength, resilience, and foundation of the vines underneath and........ 👇

3. ✨️Vines✨️ symbolise:

Strength & hope & resilience = Elain's quiet strength.

Determination = Elain has shown determination to help in ways she can, but is yet to be given the chance to...

She also has shown a determined disregard and opposition to having a mate...

Connection = Goes well along with my guess on "Golden" or "Twining" Vines which are often used as adjectives in relation to bonds, threads, and even spells.

Also, Elain is an Archeron sister, Cauldron-blessed, and a Seer - connected to basically every plot and possible subplots in the books (The Cauldron ➡️ Ramiel in Illyria ➡️ Made Objects & People ➡️ The Middle & The Prison/Dusk Court ➡️ The Dread Trove ➡️ Koschei ➡️Vassa ➡️The Human Queens etc.🔁); not just for who she is and her Cauldron-given gifts and abilities, but also possibly through her LIs and family. She's the one sister left unexplored and it all leads back to her. She's basically at the beginning (She's the first sister mentioned by Feyre at the beginning of ACOTAR) and in the end (She's the last sister mentioned by Nesta at the end of ACOSF) of everything. So I don't know if that supports her book being next or last...

Life = the meaning of which also applies to her scent of Honey and "Golden" -the colour of (sun)light, honey, her eyes, her hair.

3. ✨️Vines✨️ are also mentioned/connected to the earthen powers described in CC3 that Sathia & Tristan Flynn + Bryce have, which I believe many has already theorised Elain to also have... I quite like those theories (can't remember exactly where I read them as of rn) and would like to believe that it's something the Cauldron has blessed her with since she's associated with gardening and life...

I also read somewhere in a biblical text (which I wasn't too keen to delve into tbh, so don't trust my word for it, but it's Googlable) where ✨️Golden Vine✨️was associated with Life, Rebirth, and Free Will... But if Elain turns out to be the next Messiah/Saviour/Prophet of Prythian, then it's quite perfect 🤷🏻‍♀️

So... that's sort of my take so far 🫣 Hope it makes sense to you, nonnie 😅

What's yours?

[greenleaf777]

OK I am absolutely convinced that Elain has seen future moments that shows shes with Azriel.

Thats why she seemed so confused when he broke off their moment before the kiss. Thats why she hasn’t tried to get to know Lucien at all. I think she may have also seen Lucien with someone else too(cough VASSA cough).

[casualbuttercupblog]

I'm posting all my book thoughts here bc I'm over Threads.

But one theory I've seen going around and think is SO CUTE. You guys remember the two spirits that crashed into Rhys and Feyre on Starfall, right?

The theory is that those two spirits were Rhysand's mother and sister, giving them a little push in the right direction. ❤️