Thesan, High Lord of the Dawn Court 

Beron, High Lord of the Autumn Court

@faenet event: minor characters

Helion The sun personified. Powerful, lazy with grace, capable of kindness and wrath.

high lords of prythian: high lord thesan of the dawn court

“Enormous clouds drifting in the cobalt sky, soft and magnanimous, still tinged by the rose remnants of sunrise, their round edges gilded with the golden light. The dewy freshness of morning lingered in the balmy air as we peered up at the mountain-palace spiraling into the heavens above.”

So… this happened… I drew our favourite High Lord. It’s the first time I try to paint like this so I hope you like it! :D 🖤 Also, the clothes are inspired by Charlie Bowater’s Rhysand 🖤

PS. I’ll just leave my Instagram here if you wanna follow my art or whatevs: Instagram: KaraMorrDraws 🖤

i painted this for Whimsify subscription box. and wanted to share it with you guys but i couldnt :D because i would spoil the box. so here he is, our beloved High lord of Night court by @sjmaas

hope you guys will like it xoxo 

I ACTUALLY SCREAMED. I LOVE THIS

Stunning!

Renee’s Crazy Amalgamation of Theories after reading ACOFAS.

Random title because after writing my ideas I still don’t know how to sum this up with a clean, clear title. 

*** SPOILER WARNING ***

Please don’t read further if you haven’t read The Throne of Glass Series as there are MAJOR SPOILERS for it in this post.

Please don’t read further if you have not Read ACOTAR, ACOMAF, ACOWAR and ACOFAS.

You have been Warned.

——-

While reading ACOFAS a couple of chapters stood out to me so strongly and gave me ideas for Theory, so I’m going to try and recap some of my other theories to put together my thoughts. Yes I might be repeating some of my older stuff, but in a different way. Masterlist here. I’ll try to put headings in to make it make a little bit more sense - as it can be a little all over the place :s

Parallel universes…

So I’ll Start off reminding you of my Erilea post - which was about how Prythian and Erilea could be the same world/ parallel universe etc based on the geography of the land. For my thinking below I am going to use the Parallel universe theory, aspect, as it allows me to tie a few theories together. So Basically that means that both worlds could exist in the same “mulit-verse” as Mass has alluded to before when she said the worlds were not the same.

With Parallel universes there is also an idea that the same people/ same events can re-happen but with small changes. So some parallel worlds will look more similar and others not at all close depending on the moment in time where the new world was made (the timeline separated/fractured away from another one). There are infinite timelines/world/possibilities. I love sci-fi/ star trek / dr who /wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff so this is easy for me to understand and I don’t want to assume it is the same for everyone. I will jump back and forth from TOG books to ACOTAR books so I’m sorry if it gets a little confusing.  

This can explain why there are some things that feel like “easter eggs” in Heir of Fire like Emrys’ “firebird” story told around the fire. The same event has happened but differently - in a different world. As well as the sin eater and the bone carver feeling like they could be the same person in two different worlds. Still could be the same person but let’s say for argument’s sake that they are two versions of the same person in different worlds.

Amren, Angels and Illyrians

We know Amren has come from another world as have the Bone Carver and the Weaver. As Koschei is their brother he is perhaps from this “other world as well”. In one theory post I speculated on Amren coming from a “bible based” world where Angels were present, as well as the other “ancient ones” who present in Prythian (The Weaver, Bone Carver, Bryaxis, Koschei). The reason for their banishment into Prythian is unknown, however I have made speculation that if Amren and her ilk are Angels or Fallen Angels, then looking to the bible to see why some Angels fall would help. In this post, I talked about the fall of the Watchers, a group of Angels that lusted after man/women and were imprisoned by ‘the man upstairs’ to be watched over by Arch Angels.

The Watchers begot the Nephilm, a half human half Angel Hybrid. In that post, I speculated that the Illyrians were actually Nephilm, descendants from these unions. It could also be why Illyrians are forbidden to breed with non-illyrians. A rule that Rhysand’s father broke to be with his mate, and a reason for Rhysand’s unparalleled magical abilities.

So this world has already had some beings from another world enter it and become a part of Prythians make up. The Bone Carver talks about how his world is probably already dust- in ACOWAR. Faded away to nothing. So their world came first and they have been in Prythian for a very very very long time.

You might be wondering why I am re-hashing this. In ACOFAS we received a detailed description of the mountain Ramiel. Sure we could have been told about it for the blood rite information but I’m a little more suspicious.

Sacred Mountains

Mountains are important culturally to both Throne of glass peoples and A Court of Thorns and Roses peoples (I started writing a mountain post but it got bigger than I realised, so I’m skimming over this for now, or trying to). In Throne of Glass there is the Omega and several Mountains with specific names and histories. There are the Ruhn mountains separating Erilea and bordering the old forest. In Tower of Dawn on the Southern Continent there are several mountain ranges and Sartaq takes Nesryn to his mountain home, where it is noted there are three peaks and then a solitary mountain that stands alone and is silent. Arundin the silent mountain reminds me so much of “the Mountain” in the middle in ACOTAR, but Nesryn also makes a point of saying that the lake reflects the mountain and it appears as if a shadow world is on the other side.

I’ve always thought that there has been weird symmetry with lakes and mountains in Throne of Glass. Ever since Empire of Storms. Anneille, Chaol’s Mountain home, is called the land of the silver lake, with the Omega standing right behind, a huge mountain. In Empire of Storms “silver” is deciphered by Dorian for Elena’s riddle as being a mirror. So Anneille has this large mirror-lake and a mountain behind. Eerily similar to Arundin on the southern continent. We know that the ferrian gap is also near the Omega in the mountains and that this is where the Wyverns are being pulled into the world and other dark creatures - through a gap in the world. With Nesryn’s comment about their being a shadow world it’s possible that these lakes were the first way to travel between worlds, like the witch mirrors, or that possibly they can the use the wyrd keys to make these portals open and grant access to other worlds.

So with that in mind, I’m going to talk about what Cassian said about Ramiel in ACOFAS. First a side note (that is blowing my mind a little) for my angel theory and where the illyrians came from; Ramiel is the name of an angel - specifically a fallen watcher who looks after those who are resurrected. Mind slightly blown right now that I could be right about angels, but anyway, I digress and that’s not what I wanted to talk about.  

So Cassian says that Ramiel feels like it “summons” him and is so different from the other mountain in the centre of prythian. ACOFAS quotes…

There is an Onyx monolith at the top.

Ramiel feels alive (the mountain or the Monolith??? That’s my question)

The Peak is off Limits except for when the Three stars are in the Sky above the Mountain in Early spring. The rite happens at the same time every year. The first ruler of the Night Court made it their insignia. No-one knows who put the monolith at the top.

Kingdom of Ash Theory

Now I’ve mentioned the Parallel world theory in connection to this post. The Next part is murky. Because I don’t know exactly what I have stumbled across, But it could be the answer to what might happen in Kingdom of Ash. Since the world’s are the possibly in the same multi-verse. In Throne of Glass we know that “the game” has been played three times. What if in this world - Prythian - the game finished in the first or second round? What if the Dark King was imprisoned before he could cause too much harm.

A Dark King

Erawan was imprisoned in a “sarcophagus of iron and some indestructible stone”(QOS) and buried under a mountain because Gavin and Elena could not destroy him only contain him, Elena did not understand the full potential of the eye of Elena - A Witch mirror.. This was the second act in the unfinished game in Throne of Glass, so something came before this - we don’t know the details. Erawan managed to persuade those who were guarding him. While being contained. The King of Ardarlan and Duke Perrington got too close and basically released the beast.

What if the Mountain Ramiel, feels alive is because someone or thing has been trapped within the monolith made of Onyx. (possibly the same material used to trap Erawan, we dont know the stone only that it is inky black) This mineral is a source of great power, “when he’d touched the onyx monolith, when he’d felt that ancient force sing into his blood in the heartbeat before it had whisked him back to the safety of Devlon’s camp … It had been worth it. To feel that.”-ACOFAS. Cassian knows what this force feels like. He desires it. It is all consuming. Even the Rite is worth the pain just to touch this thing.

How did they get transported back to camp so quickly? I think it has to do with the stars in the sky. (And Sadly what I think will happen in KOA.) The Stars in the Sky are the lock that keeps the dark king contained. They protect anyone who might try to touch the Monolith. They hold the beast in place at a time when he might be able to escape (The blood rite occurs during Early spring and so does Starfall and Nynsar, could this be a time when barriers between worlds are weakened?? See this post for a theory about Erawan and what his real purpose could be). This is why it is the only time of the year the rite can occur. If someone touched that monolith when there are no protections in place aka the three stars in the sky, they could be consumed by whatever evil is dwelling in that monolith - in this world. Just as Perrington was taken over by Erawan. Or that evil can find a way to escape especially if barriers weaken between worlds.

It is so ancient that no-one remembers how the rite started - it has become a myth even to those who still perform the rite.

Guardians

The insignia is a part of the night court. The three stars and that mountain. I believe it is because Rhysand’s family were to watch over the imprisonment of this beast (I won’t say Erawan specifically but something Dark, the equivalent of him perhaps). Rhysand has the Night court insignia on his knees and said he would not bow for anyone before his court and his crown (paraphrase) until he met Feyre. When Feyre asks to have the insignias on her hands in ACOFAS instead of the cats eyes, Rhysand says that it is not something that can ever be removed. As if this branding has some deeper meaning. Perhaps as guardian over Ramiel? And what lies there? Over the Sacred Mountain and the Lock. His Family are also the guardians of “The prison” and have their blood keyed to the locks there. Is it just a different sort of Prison?

Erawan’s Downfall

You’re probably wondering why I’m calling this the “lock”. It might not be the lock, but I’m going to share a possibility that my brain came up with for Kingdom of Ash. Constellations have always been mentioned in all of Sarah’s books. I’ve even tried to see if there are double ups but I haven’t found any yet. We have been told that three will be needed to create “the lock” and it feels like the three people are going to be Dorian, Manon and Aelin. What if they somehow sacrifice either themselves or a part of themselves - to the Lock and either this aspect of who they are is needed for this ancient magic. I don’t really want to loose my favourite characters so I’m hopeful that Manon can give up her iron, Dorian his raw magic and Aelin her fire to create these three stars rather than their lives.

Onyx/Wyrdstone/Dark indestructible material - would be needed to contain the Erawan again. Onyx is a mineral formed via volcanoes. If you have been following me for a long time you will know that -I think- there is going to be a volcano in Kingdom of ash formed by Aelin. So Aelin manages to forge this rock that can contain Erawan and then works with her team to create the lock and trap him forever. This would give us a mountain with some onyx and some sort of magical presence to keep this guy where he has been placed. I think this would be such a cool way to deal with Erawan, I don’t think Maeve is going to be handled in the same way though.

Maeve’s end

If you have seen my poem “the Weaver’s Lament” you will see that I think Maeve is Styrga. That she is a bit of a Chameleon and that she takes many names. I think that in KOA Maeve is going to be sent through a Wyrd gate or a lake acting as a Wyrd gate and banished. Unfortunately I don’t think she can die by mortal hands. With her power diminished she will be contained to a small location so she cannot cause problems again. Styrga is from another world separate from Prythian and I think that Styrga is actually the vanished Maeve. Maeve who gets warriors to swear blood oaths and Styrga who drinks the blood of her victims. Maeve with Dark hair and red lips, and in ACOWAR Styrga is described similarly once she regains her youth after devouring Ianthe.

High Lord as a Prison Guard

If Prythian is a prison world, Then the high lord of the night court is entrusted with guarding the darkest places - the bone carver and the watchers in the prison and the dark presence on Ramiel, he also has Bryaxis contained under the mountain near his home - Rhysand has a guardianship over all, a prison guard if you will. How many more beasts does he watch over? One for every mountain? The Court of Nightmares is also a prison in a way and he is only now coming to terms of the consequences of the deal he made with Kier.

Aranae the weaver

I know there are some gaps and I’m still trying to understand the path of Aranae. A weaver of renowned skill in Velaris who just happened to create a material called void. She is making me think extra hard. She has the potential to have a fantastic story because I think her name-sake might be Arachne from Greek Myth. A weaver who had too much hubris and insulted Athena. She gets turned into a spider and then weaves garments for Aphrodite because she is still the best weaver (i’m paraphrasing but you get the idea of spiders being linked with weaving). I’ve looked at this myth and drawn parallels to our lovely Maeve in Throne of Glass. Which is why i’m torn. Can they both have links to spiders and weaving? How many weavers do we need?

Stygian spiders

Then I try to talk myself out of the spider idea, that spiders aren’t really in Prythian - only Throne of Glass at this stage. And then I read a Cassian chapter in ACOFAS of him watching Ramiel. Talking about how “far worse things prowled between the peaks. Some of them hunting on the winds, some crawling out from deep caverns in the rock itself…. Most had been slayed by illyrians, or sent fleeing to those steepes. But the most cunning of them, the most ancient … they had found ways to hide. To emerge on moonless nights to feed.” - ACOFAS and then I get the spider vibes back. Like they have been here all along, hiding.

Two more things and then I’m done

Azriel and his “Winnowing without winnowing”-acofas as Cassian says. I feel like this is more supporting evidence for my truth teller post. Sadly it is only one line. Here is the post, if you’re interested.

And Mor seeing that presence in the bushes/forest ahead, I feel like that is Bryaxis exploring.

This is a little all over the place, and I’m sorry for that. I have kept away from Inner circle relationships and meta. I’m more interested in figuring out what we don’t know about the world and the magical things that happen in it at this stage. ACOFAS hinted at so many things, made me take notice of so many things. Most good and in support of ideas/theories I have already written - which is actually kind of cool. So I’m sorry for amalgamation of theories all in one post. Forgive me. I just wanted to share what ACOFAS has made me think and feel for the future - which is a lot. Any thoughts ?

And I just found more evidence so I made a part 2 for anyone interested.

Just added a Link to the bottom for part two.

Rhys still knelt, whings drooping across the white sheets, head bowed, his tattoos stark against his golden skin. A dark, fallen prince.

Rhysand is done! This was a nice change but I do prefer painting women xD Hope you like it!

Is the title of High Lady worthless?

After reading a post, my friend @ignite-my-love and I started a conversation about sexism and misogyny in the ACOTAR world, and how that relates to everyones favourite High Lady: Feyre. 

My conclusion after this conversation? A High Lady is still a lesser standing then a High Lord, they don’t really have all that much power, and really it’s just a glorified ‘second.’ 

Let me explain.

Here’s the first, and main reason why this may be the case. A High Lord is intrinsic to it’s land, as stated by the Suriel itself,

The High Lord’s are not just powerful, but Power themselves. They are critical in the survival of their courts and have been for thousands of years. We also know, even though many people in the past have ignored this canon lore, that not just anyone can become a High Lord. There are certain requirements you have to fulfil before becoming a High Lord. 

First and foremost, you have to be from a very specific bloodline. For example, if Tamlin dies without an heir than his magic will be given to a blood relative of his, probably a cousin. Tamlin would have no choice in who would inherit the Court, he could not decide he wants X person to be his successor. This is proven 1) from the passage below where Tamlin talks about his brothers and growing power and 2) when Tarquin is made High Lord when it was not his father who was High Lord. 

Secondly, as far as we’ve seen, there have been no High Ladies, meaning that to inherit this power you must be male. In the highly talked about scene when Tamlin informs Feyre of this in chapter 2 of ACOMAF, he is often scolded for being sexist. Personally, and I think you might agree once you’ve read the whole post, Tamlin was just stating a fact. It’s like if I said there have been no female presidents of the United States. Me telling you this doesn’t make me sexist (even if the reasons for such are themselves misogynistic), I’m just relaying information. Which is why I think it’s important to note that Tamlin had said that there had never been a High Lady before. 

Last, but most definitely not least, to become a High Lord you have to inherit the magic. The High Lord’s are not a monarchy that can be overthrown. If you don’t like your High Lord, you leave the Court (as we’ve seen plenty of times in the Spring Court: when Tamlin first became High Lord and his father’s correspondents didn’t like him, when Feyre manipulated his court into leaving in ACOWAR etc.) 

If a High Lady is created and not born, will she be linked to the land the same way the High Lord’s are? The High Lord’s are the magic of their land, as we know from Rhys in chapter 5 of ACOMAF.

From this canon, we can predict that in the event that there is no High Lord, there is also no Seasonal Courts, the land will suffer etc. BUT a High Lady (Or our High Lady, Feyre) is not tied to the land this way. Her death would have no consequences for the land nor for inheritance. Because again, all evidence shows that THE POWER BESTOWED UPON THE HIGH LORDS IS INHERITED, NOT GIVEN. 

So what does being a High Lady even mean? It doesn’t have the same attributes as a High Lord does, nor does Feyre ever mention being tied to the Night Court like Rhys is (beyond allegiance of course), and the name was also given to her. 

Is it just a name? A name with power, of course, but not at all the same power that any High Lord has. 

Rhysand may believe Feyre to be his complete equal, but can anyone ever be the equal to a High Lord? Is the title of High Lady just that: a title, and nothing else? 

However: Tamlin says “there are no High Ladies.” (Too lazy to find a page number but it’s there). Not “there has never been a High Lady”. I took that as “High Ladies cannot exist”. Later Rhysand says “Yes, there can be High Ladies”. People (at least nice ones) have never said “There cannot be a woman president.” They say “There has never been a woman president” (but we can hope). And while it’s possible that Tamlin is simply uninformed, he is being sexist because he responds so quickly. He doesn’t think and say “I don’t think there can be High Ladies.” He doesn’t go do research, or even ask anyone. There’s no real reason why he shouldn’t have any less resources than Rhysand for finding this out. His response is simply meant to shut Feyre down. The idea that she could be his equal never even enters his head. He is being sexist not because he doesn’t know but because he doesn’t wonder.

As to High Lady being a title and nothing more, while it’s an interesting theory, I have a theory that goes toward disproving that.

1. The most likely. We know that the son who will inherit the position of High Lord displays certain powerful qualities. We don’t really get a good look at these qualities (yet, maybe Feysand’s child) but we do know that Alis mentions that Feyre’s superior strength is not the first indicator. And we know that the High Fae of Prythian are, in general, pretty sexist. From the way that Tamlin treats Feyre to the way that Beron treats Lucien’s mom. When Feyre mentions to Mor how constricting the mortal world is for human women, Mor replies that “Some of the High Fae are the same.” I look like I’m going out on a limb here but hear me out. Imagine that the daughter of the High Lord develops abilities. Most people wouldn’t notice. Only those close to Feyre, Tamlin, Lucien, and later Rhysand, notice her strength. The daughter of the High Lord, at maybe around 13 years old, would still be learning how to be dainty and ladylike. She would most definitely not be training with weapons. Forced into these molds, her “conceal don’t feel” state might cause her abilities to abate. It’s also possible that they would simply drive her insane. Rhysand mentions that if he doesn’t use it, his power will drive him insane and eventually overcome him. While he is the most powerful High Lord in history, the other High Lord ’s have significant power and it’s entirely possible that not using their powers would drive the daughters insane and eventually kill them. After this, the title of Heir would pass to the next child. If it was a son, he would be celebrated as an the heir, and if not, that daughter would die as well, in effect weeding out the female heirs. Rhysand states that “there can be High Ladies,” which could be implying that there have been a few in the past, but they have been erased from history due to sexism (similar to female pharaoh Hatshepsut). These High Ladies would have come from forward-thinking High Lords encouraging their daughters’ budding abilities. As for Feyre herself I think @sarah-bae-maas is right— in her case it is just a title. But Feyre has the power of all seven High Lords. She doesn’t need the power that comes with the title. I believe that being named High Lady doesn’t give you power, but being born High Lady does.

@keladrym99thefangirl while an interesting topic of discussion, I don’t think in this case it’s necessarily plausible. Firstly, becoming a High Lord/Lady is pretty hard to miss. We know from both accounts from Tamlin and Rhys that they could feel the shift of power going to them, and I would be highly surprised if the high fae around them didn’t feel it too. I can see how the ‘conceal don’t feel’ theory might come into play for the Spring or Autumn Court, but it dismisses the fact that from what we’ve seen the other courts are, how does one say this, not complete assholes and cool with their women. 

As for the “there are no ladies” thingy, I can’t totally fault Tamlin for saying it so quickly when 1) Our poor baby Feyre was obviously quite horrified of the thought at the time and 2) literally every other High Lord is also surprised she’s become a High Lady. I don’t think it’s that previous High Ladies have been erased from their history, but rather that Rhys my gorgeous boy is just very loving and idealistic. Because now that we know the High Lords better, we know they’re a pretty good crop. Beron obviously fucking EXCLUDED BYE BERON. 

I FUCKING LOVE THIS SO DAMN MUCH!!

And I’d like to just sneak in that usually the power goes the first born or in Tamlin and tarquins case, the only remaining one that is closest to that bloodline. And that probably has to do with power or the ability to hold that power. I’m pretty sure Lucien says somewhere that with each birth, the child is born “weaker” then the others. So let’s say the bone carver was wrong and feysand had a girl first. Because she would be the most eligible for the power because bloodline shit and just generally having “more power” then BOOM! High Lady!

Jumping to the other side of the argument, where it always will be a male, what about the great Rite? I don’t remember if that’s just in the spring court but I do know that that is a tradition because it allows the highlord to give his court the power it needs for that following year for x, y, and z. Does that need to be completed by a male? Or can a female….. finish… and then release the same power? Hell Lucien did it once! It literally just needs to be one of the most powerful! So….. my question still stands.

Ahh but none of the high lords children never seem to be female (or they always die before they reach adolescence or adulthood *cough* rhyss sister).

What if rhy’s sister had the potential to be more powerful than him? This also brings up the question, why hadnt any of the high Lord’s female children (if they had any) survived long enough to become high lady (if possible). I dont think the magic here is sexist but rather the people weilding it are. The only reason female Illyrians arent as powerful as their male counter parts (they obviously can be, look at mor or the ones who try to fight back. Even when malnourished and beaten they can kill.)

So what if in the past, females were always killed because older (or younger) brothers dont want them to have it. Its obvious this isnt an outlandish thought. Most if the characters (lucian, tarquin, tamlin) grew up in places where your siblings would kill you because they could.

Also what if this is “lazy” writting (just something that didnt fully develop in sjms mind, because her writting is very thought out and this topic is pretty small) on SJM part? After all she wrote this world so maybe simply having that title grants you power?

(@rayonfrozenwings any thoughts?)

ah hahaha @crownedwithstarz I just wrote a reply to @sarah-bae-maas original post. but all the add ons make me want to put it on this thread.... 

like you said - it is very very possible it is lazy writing. 

and the fact that it could be high lords having daughters who don’t seem to have very long life spans could be a thing too. I mean look at how Keir reacted when his daughter was not longer able to be married off. *rolls eyes* Female genocide is also not unheard of. 

here is what i said on the other thread - below line... because i’m not re-writing it hahahaha, i’m being totally lazy today.

________________________________________________

Ahh this was so good to read - I agree.

Also I had an ask a long time ago about what I thought happened in ACOWAR when Rhysand died, and where did his power go? Someone had to inherit the power because he. was. dead. 

Feyre didn’t seem to react at all like she had gained some massive power - so who got the power? or did anyone get his power? how can they be equals?

At the time I thought there were two possible answers

first- because the power was split then it went to Feyre - the other half of the power, but if that is the case why didn’t he “take back his power from her - he just had power when he came back to life and made a point to say that the power was his own. But if that is the case then how can Feyre contribute some of the “elemental night court magic/power” to resurrecting him if its not the “real’ power - if you get what i mean. Urgh I feel like this may be a plot hole. if its not then his power is different from everyone else’s, and he doesnt nessecarilly have “high lord” power but “xyz-superbeing power”.

second idea -hes not the real heir to the night court - so his powers are not inherited - but then this would make him resurrecting feyre in ACOTAR weird too. and who is the heir? and he had that story he told Feyre -  about how he and tamlin both inherited the power from their fathers and they ran away.  

urgh sorry to jump on the post about woman and them being “less than”. I really don’t know if feyre has any of the inherited powers of the night court  - it sounds like she should have with all the emphasis on them being equals, but I don’t see how power like this can be perfectly balanced unless one of them is sharing/diminished in power to give it to the other one.

i shall think on it some more…. :) 

Is the title of High Lady worthless?

After reading a post, my friend @ignite-my-love and I started a conversation about sexism and misogyny in the ACOTAR world, and how that relates to everyones favourite High Lady: Feyre. 

My conclusion after this conversation? A High Lady is still a lesser standing then a High Lord, they don’t really have all that much power, and really it’s just a glorified ‘second.’ 

Let me explain.

Here’s the first, and main reason why this may be the case. A High Lord is intrinsic to it’s land, as stated by the Suriel itself,

The High Lord’s are not just powerful, but Power themselves. They are critical in the survival of their courts and have been for thousands of years. We also know, even though many people in the past have ignored this canon lore, that not just anyone can become a High Lord. There are certain requirements you have to fulfil before becoming a High Lord. 

First and foremost, you have to be from a very specific bloodline. For example, if Tamlin dies without an heir than his magic will be given to a blood relative of his, probably a cousin. Tamlin would have no choice in who would inherit the Court, he could not decide he wants X person to be his successor. This is proven 1) from the passage below where Tamlin talks about his brothers and growing power and 2) when Tarquin is made High Lord when it was not his father who was High Lord. 

Secondly, as far as we’ve seen, there have been no High Ladies, meaning that to inherit this power you must be male. In the highly talked about scene when Tamlin informs Feyre of this in chapter 2 of ACOMAF, he is often scolded for being sexist. Personally, and I think you might agree once you’ve read the whole post, Tamlin was just stating a fact. It’s like if I said there have been no female presidents of the United States. Me telling you this doesn’t make me sexist (even if the reasons for such are themselves misogynistic), I’m just relaying information. Which is why I think it’s important to note that Tamlin had said that there had never been a High Lady before. 

Last, but most definitely not least, to become a High Lord you have to inherit the magic. The High Lord’s are not a monarchy that can be overthrown. If you don’t like your High Lord, you leave the Court (as we’ve seen plenty of times in the Spring Court: when Tamlin first became High Lord and his father’s correspondents didn’t like him, when Feyre manipulated his court into leaving in ACOWAR etc.) 

If a High Lady is created and not born, will she be linked to the land the same way the High Lord’s are? The High Lord’s are the magic of their land, as we know from Rhys in chapter 5 of ACOMAF.

From this canon, we can predict that in the event that there is no High Lord, there is also no Seasonal Courts, the land will suffer etc. BUT a High Lady (Or our High Lady, Feyre) is not tied to the land this way. Her death would have no consequences for the land nor for inheritance. Because again, all evidence shows that THE POWER BESTOWED UPON THE HIGH LORDS IS INHERITED, NOT GIVEN. 

So what does being a High Lady even mean? It doesn’t have the same attributes as a High Lord does, nor does Feyre ever mention being tied to the Night Court like Rhys is (beyond allegiance of course), and the name was also given to her. 

Is it just a name? A name with power, of course, but not at all the same power that any High Lord has. 

Rhysand may believe Feyre to be his complete equal, but can anyone ever be the equal to a High Lord? Is the title of High Lady just that: a title, and nothing else? 

Ahh this was so good to read - I agree.

Also I had an ask a long time ago about what I thought happened in ACOWAR when Rhysand died, and where did his power go? Someone had to inherit the power because he. was. dead. Feyre didn’t seem to react at all like she had gained some massive power - so who got the power? or did anyone get his power? how can they be equals?

At the time I thought there were two possible answers 

first- because the power was split then it went to Feyre - the other half of the power, but if that is the case why didn’t he “take back his power from her - he just had power when he came back to life and made a point to say that the power was his own. But if that is the case then how can Feyre contribute some of the “elemental night court magic/power” to resurrecting him if its not the “real’ power - if you get what i mean. Urgh I feel like this may be a plot hole. if its not then his power is different from everyone else’s. 

second idea -hes not the real heir to the night court - so his powers are not inherited - but then this would make him resurrecting feyre in ACOTAR weird too. and who is the heir? and he had that story he told abot how he and tamlin both inherited the power from their fathers and ran away.  

urgh sorry to jump on the post about woman and them being "less than”. I really don’t know if feyre has any of the inherited powers of the night court  - it sounds like she should have with all the emphasis on them being equals, but I don’t see how power like this can be perfectly balanced unless one of them is sharing/diminished in power to give it to the other one. 

i shall think on it some more.... :) hope you don’t mind me throwing my ideas on. :D

“There are different kinds of darkness, there is the darkness that frightens, the darkness that soothes, the darkness that is restful.  There is the darkness of lovers, and the darkness of assassins. It becomes what the bearer wishes it to be, needs it to be. It is not wholly bad or good.”

Tune in shortly for the next episode of Summer Court Drama™ 😂

HIGH LORDS OF PRYTHIAN

As mighty armies grapple for power, Feyre must decide who to trust amongst the dazzling and lethal High Lords