#bog of Oorid

[wingedblooms]

The river to Hel

This meta builds upon theories in Peering into a pit of hell, The space between, Forbidden secrets, Flower of life, Blooming dreams, Bright as the dawn, and Heart of the night court. It includes spoilers for hofas, so please avoid if necessary.

In Heart of the night court, I wondered if there could be a doorway to Hel under/on Ramiel that is linked to Temple of Chaos (Wyrd). I’m very curious about the Pass of Enalius on Ramiel, the heart of the land, that seemed to breathe—

like the pit at the heart of Chaos’s (Wyrd’s) temple seemed to breathe.

In the stone illustrations leading to the sacred peak on the Prison island, we see a Helscape beneath the land. Is it possible that the land above mirrors the Helscape below? And could the dark water in the Bog of Oorid, which flows underground, into the sacred peak in the Middle, and into other courts—including the Night Court—be the start of the path on the black river in Hel? A River Acheron Archeron, like @offtorivendell theorized long ago?

Nesta and Bryce make similar observations of the dark waters in both places:

-

The black surface of Oorid is even compared to a mirror, just like the Temple of Chaos seems to mirror the Temple of Wyrd in Midgard. Is Oorid a reflection, near-mirror, of what lay beneath, like sister-glass?

As indicated by the mist, it is a thin place, which means the veil between worlds is thin there. The color of the water may even be from black salt. Bryce and Hunt use black salt in Avallen, combined with water, to travel to Hel in a dream.

Before the land was cursed by Fionn’s death, it was once a sacred place (like the three sister peaks). People used to lay their dead to rest in the bog.

Did its waters, like a solemn stag, once guide souls of the dead to Chaos’s (Wyrd’s) womb at Ramiel?

If this place does mirror, or bleed into, the path to Chaos’s (Wyrd’s) temple, then could the violence of Fionn’s death have defiled it?

Theia and Pelias may have violated the peace and beauty of this sacred place by ruthlessly killing the king who also seemed deeply connected to its land. It withered upon his brutal death, falling into a deep winter.

When he was drowned, Fionn was gagged and bound. What if his soul remains trapped in its watery depths, unable to make the journey home? Perhaps Elain, a lovely fawn with vibrant spring behind her, might be able to guide him to the womb of the Mother, her sacred temple, and right an ancient wrong. Could this act of peace purify the darkness of Oorid and thaw the winter gripping its soul?

[vivictory-draws]

For @nestaarcheronweek Day 6: Lady Death, this is actually a redraw of an older art I had done (which came out pretty crappy, hence why I choose to redo it). The bog scene was one of my favorites in acosf.

[wolfnesta]

I want to take a brief moment just to talk a little about how creepy the bog of Oorid scene is. Nesta is surrounded by countless zombies, (depending on how bad the decomposition) their bones all wet and yellowish, there’s pinkish goopy flesh, hanging jaws connected by threads of flesh, exposed bone stumps, shredded/missing limbs, and more. A completely dead environment, huge spindly white trees, brambles, muted sounds, water so black it’s like ink. In all this Nesta is holding the freshly severed dripping head of a monster. I know this is a boss moment for my girl but it’s just such a creepy scene and I live for it 🖤🖤

[throwawayacotartheoryblog]

hofas spoilers below the cut

Bruh, Amren told us about the waterways that flow under the prison/across the continent in SF

pg 345

So the waterways that Bryce and co took while galivanting under the Night Court, theoretically connect to, not only, the Prison, but Under the Mountain, and probably (maybe) Ramiel as well.

Damn.

[thefatesofspring]

Cassian ACTIVELY CHOOSING to leave Nesta at The bog of Oorid which is well known for how dangerous & deadly it is & still makes the decision to leave Nesta…a newly turned fae, with untrained power & basically 0 combat skills, to help Azriel…an almost 550yr old Illyrian warrior, spymaster & torturer, has a substantial amount of combat skills behind him spanning over 5 centuries & that’s the decision Cassian as a WAR GENERAL chose to make?!!…

Oh Nesta hunny…I’m so sorry, you deserve so much better than that trash.

& if you read the scene that happens straight after you’ll be even more disgusted.

[velidewrites]

A Court of Thorns and Roses Locations

⤷ THE BOG OF OORID

For @yourethehero

[acourtofwhatthefuck]

Hey look! I bought Azriel another t-shirt!

[silverflameataraxia]

My favorite Az moments in this entire series have been with Nesta and Gwyn 🥰

Az calmly asking Nesta why she isn't training. Not as a means to insult her, but just asking because he cares about her and her feelings. Nesta being so worried about Az in the Bog of Oorid that she demands that Cassian leave her in a tree so he can go back to rescue Az. Az being absolutely frantic when they can't find Nesta in the Bog. Nesta and Az dancing together. Nesta going up to talk to Az, and comfort him, when she notices him being more aloof than usual at Winter Solstice. Az buying her a present specifically for her, knowing she wasn't able to buy him a gift in return, and giving it to her in front of everyone. Nesta being so excited that she jumps up and flings her arms around Az. Az chuckling and squeezing her gently. Nesta trying so hard to get Az to smile at her. Az and Nesta going back-to-back to fight the Middengard Wyrm. Az coaxing the Mask off of Nesta, grabbing her as she falls and bringing her to his chest, stroking her hair gently. Nesta and Az walking side by side after that ordeal, not wanting to be too far from each other. Nesta sticking up for Az when Bryce calls him a creep. Az boasting about Nesta spectacularly beheading the King of Hybern. Az saying Nesta is someone he loves and asking for her forgiveness, to which she says that there's nothing to forgive. Az quickly flinging his arm in front of Nesta to protect her when the door to the chamber starts to open. Nesta using her magic to let Az through the wards, which he walks through without a shred of fear. Az and Nesta working in perfect tandom to distract Bryce and to try and gain an advantage over Vesperus. Injured Nesta leaning against Az for support.

Az wrapping Gwyn in his cloak after she endures an incredibly traumatic event. Az originally wanting to be alone, but staying with Gwyn, even after she gives him an out. Gwyn teasing Az. Gwyn is comfortable around Az enough to practice cutting the ribbon with him watching. Az showing her how to properly rotate her blade and not once thinking of his scarred hands, even though she's staring right at them. Gwyn is absolutely irreverent to Az being a shadowsinger. Gwyn causing Az's shadows to sing and dance. Az, who normally has an unreadable face, has admiration and quiet encouragement shining from his face while watching Gwyn prepare to cut the ribbon. Gwyn challenging Az.

And then, of course, there's the fact that Az is rarely surprised by people... and both Gwyn and Nesta surprise him within days of each other. Gwyn surprises him by asking if he sings, and then Nesta surprises him a few days later by laughing 😍

[azrielsfavoriteshadow]

And if I said Nesta coming out of the Bog of Oorid with an army of the dead, the trove on her face, and two of Prythian’s greatest warriors kneeling before her, is the best scene in the ACOTAR series?

[theladyofbloodshed]

sjm's lack of consistency is so funny because we have nesta who is terrified of being in a bathtub due to the cauldron to the extent that she washes with buckets. She then gets dragged into the bog of oorid and is nearly drowned by a kelpie who mauls her face. THEN goes to the moonstone palace where there is a massive bath tub and she gets into it without a problem and dunks her head under the water to wash herself.

Did she forget Nesta is afraid of baths because a few moments later, Cassian enters and Nesta is stood with her hair covering her breasts asking him for sex - so she saw the prime moment for nesta to seduce cassian and her phobia was gone?

[shadowqueenjude]

“Most of your soldiers are dead.” Eris only blinked. “And the good news?” “Two of them survived.” Nesta studied every minute shift on Eris’s face: rage glimmering in his eyes, displeasure in his pursed lips, annoyance in the fluttering of a muscle in his jaw. As if countless questions were racing through his mind. Eris’s voice remained flat, though. “And who did this?” Cassian grimaced. “Technically, Azriel and I did. Your soldiers were enchanted by Queen Briallyn and Koschei to be mindless killers. They attacked us in the Bog of Oorid, and we were left with no choice but to kill them.” “And yet two survived. How convenient. I assume they received Azriel’s particular brand of interrogation?” Eris’s voice dripped disdain. “We could only manage to contain two,” Cassian said tightly. “Under Briallyn’s influence, they were practically rabid.” “Let’s not lie to ourselves. You only bothered to contain two, by the time your brute bloodlust ebbed away.” Nesta saw red at the words, and Cassian sucked in a breath. “We did what we could. There were two dozen of them.” Eris snorted. “There were certainly more than that, and you could have easily spared more than two. But I don’t know why I’d expect someone like you to have done any better.” “Do you want me to apologize?” Cassian snarled. Nesta’s heart began to pound wildly at the anger darkening his voice, the pain brightening his eyes. He regretted it—he hadn’t liked killing those soldiers. “Did you even try to spare the others, or did you just launch right into a massacre?” Eris seethed. Cassian hesitated. Nesta could have sworn she saw the words land their blow. No, Cassian had not hesitated.

Alright, come on. If Cassian and Azriel are super duper powerful mega warriors like SJM claims them to be, then Eris is 100% right. They 100% could've spared more than two. But they didn't bother. And then they tortured the soldiers even when they knew they were under Briallyn's thrall. This is just more proof that the Night Court really doesn't value life. Not like Tamlin, or Lucien, or even "oh-so-evil" Eris.

[emilystheories]

I just think it’s interesting that in HOFAS, we witness the death of Fionn — the first High King of Prythian. He is dragged into the Bog of Oorid.

Yet as he died, so did the land around him.

Today, we know this land as the Middle. It is still withered. No life flourishes there.

But, what happens if a High King (or a High Queen) is crowned once again?

Will the land in the Middle bloom once more? Will it become a Royal Court to rule Prythian?

Geographically it makes sense, as the Middle is perfectly situated between both the solar and seasonal courts.

But, who will rule?

Recall this passage in ACOSF; that there are three sister mountains in Prythian.

The three sister mountains in question are:

Ramiel, the mountain in the Night Court.

The mountain on the Prison Island (Dusk Court).

The mountain in the Middle (UTM).

People have already theorised that these three sister mountains foreshadow the three Archeron sisters, and where their story will take place (e.g. Feyre’s story featured UTM, Nesta’s story featured Ramiel, so Elain’s will feature the Prison Island mountain — Dusk).

But, I wonder if this passage is also foreshadowing from where the three Archeron sisters will rule.

One sister will rule the Night Court.

One sister will rule the Dusk Court.

Which means that the remaining sister will rule the Middle… as High Queen.

(art by rockieartt)

[elains]

Fionn's death, the Bog of Oorid and the Mask

I'm currently on my Sarah J. Maas brainrot era and chatting with my friends earlier, I drew a parallel which soon turned into a deep dive into ACOSF, HoFaS, and some mythology to boot. Worry not, I’ll keep the mythology part to myself first and foremost and this post will mostly revolve around the following: that the current state of the Bog of Oorid is due to Fionn’s death.

Spoilers for House of Flame and Shadow, so be warned. 

In ACOSF, Amren tells us about the Bog of Oorid and how it wasn’t always this evil, accursed place. It used to be a sacred ground, where warriors of the Fae were laid to rest, long ago:

The Bog is a part of the Middle, which is mostly uncharted territory full of dangerous creatures, where Wild Magic runs unbound. A council of Ancient High Lords prohibited any mappings of it. We also learn from House of Flame and Shadow that the Middle was the Daglan's personal hunting grounds, where they unleashed beasts they bred to serve as worthy prey:

We know for a fact that Fionn was in a Marsh - a bog - when he died, with islands and grass and black waters, and we also know that the place was blooming when he was there. Even with the amount of evil and beasts kept in the Middle, the land was still thriving:

This is a sharp contrast to present day ACOTAR. In Silver Flames, the Bog is described as oppressively still and dead, all gnarly, leaflesss branches branches, crumbling trees, thorns. There are no birds, no insects. It's a place of death, of Evil, and it's remarked how it's as if not anything bloomed:

House of Flame and Shadow provides this passage just after Fionn dies:

Also from Flame and Shadow, we knows that the worlds have souls and degrees of sentience, as far as worlds go. Fionn is murdered in a foul act of violence, fueled by nothing but hunger for power by the very people who were supposed to aid him. Fionn, who worked to free the world from the Daglan feeding on its magic. It seems to me that the world was thankful to him for what he did, as it might have also been thankful to Theia.

And you know what's more interesting? That this is where the Mask ends up. We don't know what in the world happened to the Mask after Theia left Prythian; it's not said what she did with neither it nor the crown. Presumably other people got ahold of them (Helion's ancestor?). We don't know where the Crown was, but it's ironic that it ends up where Fionn died.

When approaching the water, Nesta remembers a story her mother told of how a cosuin was killed by Faeries, dragged to the depths and drowned:

Which is actually very similar with how Fionn himself comes to meet his end: bound and gagged and thrown into the water by his wife and general. Shortly after, she meets the Kelpie, who is described as such:

This is also remarkably similar to the creature that ultimately kills Fionn:

This Kelpie speaks to Nesta in the Old Tongue, which hasn't been spoken in fifteen thousand years. It retreated to the Bog thousands of years ago and it was probably the last o his kind. It could very well be the creature that killed Fionn, slain by Nesta, who goes to claim the Mask as he himself did.

Which brings up some questions: how did the Mask end up in the Bog of Oorid? It doesn't seem happenstance that it found its way to a place where death has in its grip and the open grave of the High King. Could it have been Helion's ancestor? His reaction to the mask is strange, visceral in a way the other's aren't. I'm betting that it was Helion's ancestors who took the Mask from Theia and once the power proved too much, discarded it to rest in Oorid.

But the point is that Fionn dies and it's the nail in the coffin for Oorid. The Bog withers to a giant, accursed grave, trapped in a state of perpetual death where nothing blooms.

Therein rests the first and last High King, the evil done to him forever imprinted on the land.

[violetasteracademic]

An In Depth Look at the Gwyn/Lightsinger Theory

As always, we are bringing a text based analysis straight from the books!

Full disclosure, I have mixed feelings about the Gwyn Lightsinger theory. It definitely could be the case, but I also have an alternate theory about her powers that I'll share at the end. The reason I don't love it 100% is because it is founded in a bit of a messy way. My understanding is g/wynriels started this theory because: Lightsinger and Shadowsinger! Light and dark! Cute, meant to be. Then us Elriels replied by saying babes, lightsingers are evil AF and that's not a good thing. Thus Evil Gwyn was born which I do not subscribe to.

Lightsinger *is* totally an option, but there is some context both for and against and I'll share my take on both sides! That being said, not a whole lot is actually said about lightsingers and the manner in which their power functions.

Here is the only passage describing lightsingers in the book (and this is their description on wiki):

Key words that stand out to me re: Gwyn- ethereal, friendly faces.

Now let's read the chapter where Gwyn's singing lures Nesta into a spell-like trance where she then begins to scry completely against her will or knowledge:

Key words: The bells ringing at 7 pm. A faint glow radiating from Gwyn.

Key takeaways: Gwyn's song beckoning and calling only to Nesta, lulling her into a place down into her own bones which are somehow then used to scry. Scrying with your own bones is *not* generally possible!

Key takeaways: Doors and pathways trying to be opened by Nesta's own body and the stones of the mountain becoming scrying tools while listening to the 7 pm service.

Key takeaways: Nesta literally collapses and everyone is looking at her concerned. She was the ONLY one who has been affected by the priestesses service in this way.

Now let's take a look at Azrie'ls bonus chapter:

Azriel and his shadows can hear a song, and his shadows replied to it. One of the most critically important elements to this occurring that I feel very few people discuss is the importance of Cauldron made items being the only ones having this reaction to Gwyn. Nesta herself is Cauldron made, and Gwyn's song literally controlled her entire person (I'm not saying intentionally! That is just what happened.) Azriel bears truth-teller, a Cauldron made weapon. There is a lot of indication that his shadows are also closely linked with truth-teller, they are all commonly described as a part of him. Only Made beings or beings with Made objects on their person can hear Gwyn's song, and it absolutely lures Cauldron made power. Is this lightsinger power? Maybe. We simply don't have enough context to the nature of lightsingers or Gwyn to say for sure, but it is compelling.

Now Azriel, bearing a Made object, finds himself present as the bell chimes 7 pm for the evening service. Exactly as Nesta had.

I do think an important mention is also this:

Does Azriel sing because he's a shadowsinger? No, it's just a being/species/whathaveyou. As lightsinger is just a being. The fact that they do sing is irrelevant to singer in their alleged respective titles.

So key items *for* Gwyn being a lightsinger: She is described as an ethereal beauty, containing a secret beneath her lovely face by Nesta. She has some sort of spell like power in her song. Is it luring specifically? Or is it something that calls to and controls Made objects?

My personal opinion is that the latter is more explicit in the text. There is no conversation around lightsingers having any specific impact on Made objects and Made objects alone. Why are only these two experiencing Gwyn's impact on their powers? If she could have had a luring effect on Cassian as well, in his POV book, I would have loved to see it.

I also think Gwyn being part river nymph might prove more relevant. Lightsingers are creatures of the Bog of Oorid, and they lure their prey into the bog. River nymphs are different water creatures entirely. So when would a fae or river nymph have gone to the Bog of Oorid to mate, when lightisngers eat both human and fae alike? I think it's possible we may see she is a Siren or some other yet to be discovered being.

I also think her proximity to the Cauldron in Sangravah, which we now know was corrupted and leaks dark power, is *extremely* interesting. I'm here looking for the connection for why only Nesta and Azriel experience this with Gwyn, and I think the Cauldron will prove relevant!

Whether Gwyn is a lightsinger, whether she is something else, I can't wait to find out! Please know I love Gwyn. My being an Elriel does not detract from how beautiful I thought her story was. Her being evil would honestly devastate me. However, I don't quite understand why g/wynriels are against the notion of Gwyn's secret powers and it being reflected again in the bonus chapter. It only serves to actually make her relevant to the plot, which is otherwise very lacking for our cute ginger Valkyrie!

What do you guys think? Are you still team Gwyn lightsinger after reading or are you seeing other options?

I'm leaving my usual Elriel tags on here to avoid getting unprompted boomer yelling style all caps DM's again from angry g/wynriels, even though I always try to be respectful to her and all ship opinions while also passionately sharing my own, but feel free to share!

[acourtofthought]

Elain in ACOWAR:

Spring Court:

The Bog of Oorid:

The Prison Lands:

Helion, Lucien's father (Lucien being Elain's mate) has the remaining Pegasus who originally came from the island where the Prison is located. A land that withered and died.

The Bog of Oorid is where Nesta recovered the mask. The mask which Helions ancestors wore. Helion, father of Lucien with Lucien being the mate of Elain. The Bog being a land that withered and died.

Areas in Spring have started to die. Lucien is now permanently stationed there (Lucien, Elain's mate).

Elain said the world needs more gardens and her mate is connected to each of the places that we were told became a dying land (or started to as is the case with Spring).

[lady-of-tearshed]

A Court of Sins and Nightmares

Chapter one

(Chapters index here)

Next Chapter

Eris Vanserra x OC! Alessia Mors

A/N: Hii omg. I was so excited to make this happen outside of my brain. I've literally been dreaming of this series for a while. And I feel quite good about how this first chapter turned out. A huge thanks to @sarawritestories and @milswrites for the feedback and support !💕 😊

Summary: Alessia Mors is expected to marry Eris Vanserra to concretize his alliance with the Night Court.

Word count: 1,205k

Warnings: Some harsh language, I think. Nothing more for now...

“Either you accept this engagement, or I’ll send you to the Bog of Oorid to meet your sweet mother!” Thanatos roared in anger from the other side of the door.

“I’ll gratefully accept, then! That already sounds like a much sweeter proposition than marrying the devil!” 

Alessia was certainly not going to let her grip off that door. Nor would the mass of fog. Or so she thought.

As soon as Keir’s voice boomed, the murk quickly hid under her bed.

With the resistance of her powers gone, Thanatos easily yanked the door open, sending Alessia flying to the ground. “Can’t even handle your own daughter now, Thanatos?” 

Thanatos was quick to tackle Alessia to the ground. She tried to wiggle and squirm under her father’s grip as he restrained her hands and ankles with heavy golden chackles. Keir was staring at the scene happening right before him, lazily leaning against my door frame. Alessia was most certainly looking like some hissing cat right now, all claws and teeth out.  “Let’s just hope Eris can discipline her, Keir. Maybe she'll be easier to tame than your daughter.”

Gross. Utterly and completely gross, Alessia turned her head to Thanatos and grimaced. She may not hold snobby Morrigan in her heart, but Eris nailing Morrigan's womb to "discipline her" was wrong.

Alessia couldn’t figure out which of the four males I hated more at the moment… Keir for his mistake to force Morrigan into marrying Eris, Thanatos for repeating the same mistakes with her, Beron for raising shitty and cruel sons, or Eris for his lack of balls to confront his father? 

Before she could even mentally elaborate on this theory, Keir lifted her chin and forced her mouth open. He brought a tiny vial to her lips, and emptied a silver liquid in her mouth. He pinched her nose and pressed his hand over her lips, forcing her to swallow. “There, this should at least sweeten her up for the duration of that quick business talk with Eris.” Keir taunted, a shit-eating grin rising on one side of his lips. 

Alessia instantly recognize what she had been forced to swallow. It was a potion made of lavender essence, peppermint, and a tiny drop of faebane extract. Its purpose was to help calming people suffering from severe anxiety disorders. Such as soldiers suffering from PTSD or panic disorder, for example. “Did you just use my own potions against me?!” She wanted to yell at the realization.

How dared he?! She wanted to spit on his perfectly polished shoes, to bite his toes off… But the faebane contained in this concoction quickly dulled her, making her feel like she was moving, talking and breathing very slowly. She was... weirdly calm.

Drugged.

As much as faebane was harmful to Faes when used topically, it was completely harmless if ingested in small quantities.

“Make sure she’s ready in not more than twenty minutes, and take the restraints off her wrists. Wouldn’t want Eris to notice them until he agrees to wed her so we can concretize this alliance. Keep the ones on her ankles though, make sure they’re unnoticeable under her dress. Wouldn’t want your nasty gremlin to run away, not that she would be able to… with this ingenious concoction…” Keir smiled devilishly and crushed the vial under his feet before walking away from his spot.

Alessia frowned. She would've reused that vial... those were quite expensive.

Thanatos untied Alessia's wrists and sat her down on the chair in front of the vanity. Domestic rushed inside the room on cue to get Alessia ready.

Before leaving my

Thanatos walked to the door, about to leave the room too. He halted before he could step iut of the room, turning his head to look over his daughter. He sighed, “Just… behave. For once.”

Alessia wanted to be mad, to scream, to fight, to snap, but the potion affected her too much to react. Thanatos left the room before she could say anything.

The domestics started to brush her long hair, fighting to put her wild curls in a neat bun. It didn't take long for them to ready Alessia. She had been dressed, powdered and her hair was done in barely fifteen minutes.

Before she got dragged out of the room by them, she took the opportunity to slide a dagger into the hidden sheath wrapped around her thigh when they turned their attention away from her to rummage through her jewelery box, busying to find the best necklace to fit her gown.

When they finally turned around, and wrapped the silver necklace around Alessia's neck, she couldn't help a snicker to erupt from her mouth.

One of her domestic rose a suspicious brow and politely asked “Is something wrong, miss?”

“No… No. It’s nothing, I’m just a bit tired.” Alessia quickly answered, covering up her lie.

It was, in fact, not ‘nothing’ at all. On the contrary… things were about to get quite… interesting. The potion Keir had stolen from jer had been brewed to help a little girl who was suffering from severe PTSD since witnessing her parents' horrible death at such a young age. A little girl weighing not more than forty-four pounds… Which was almost four times less than Alessia's weight...

The dosage was greatly insuficient for herself, and the effect would quickly wear off. She was certainly going to use this information to her advantage... later.

Alessia was quickly escorted to the giant dining room. The sound of the chains wrapped around her ankles was muffled by the carpet flooring. Alessia took the seat across from the red-headed Devil, Eris Vanserra. His hands were crossed over his head, his shirt lifted up slightly, exposing his hip bone. Alessia couldn’t help but stare at where his shirt was lifted for a while longer and grinned. The sound of her chair moving as she sat down was what made her presence noticed, and the three pairs of eyes flipped in her direction.

Alessia's eyes locked on Eris amber eyes. She tried to stay grounded, but she would be lying to herself if she said that the Devil, as bad as he was, was damned handsome.

If she could've been given the chance to take a bite, she would have. Probably.

A/N (again 🤭): I really really hope you liked it! And what's going to come next... Woooo! They're not going to have it easy!! 😉💕

Taglist: @milswrites @sarawritestories