Part Two - an addition to Renee’s Crazy Theory Amalgamation.

Part One 

Why the Sacred Mountain in ACOFAS tells us more than we realise.

So I finished the post yesterday about all the theories I had jumped onto while reading ACOFAS, and I skimmed over the Sacred Mountains because I felt like that could be a post on its own, its not what I have written below but its why I didn’t go into all aspects of Ramiel.

Well I was looking through Tumblr and I found a post with some quotes from Heir of Fire and it shook my little world and turned upside down. (here is the post by the lovely @saltierthanbottomofapretzelbag​ and the addition by @sarah-bae-maas​ Link here - )

I had forgotten about this! And then it reminded me of tower of Dawn when Chaol and Yrene found the ancient remains near the oasis. So I’m going to pull them altogether to tell you why I think Ramiel and Erawan could be the same embodiment/person/parallel person.

Some Background on Erawan to Start and Using that post linked above to help me. In Heir of Fire Rowan and Aelin discover that if Erawan had all three wyrd keys he would not need to infest humans but rather could raise the dead. Raise an Army of the Dead.

saltierthanbottomofapretzelbag

Is any one else concerned about this?

“…with all three keys. His control would be absolute. And he would not need living hosts—­only bodies.

Celaena’s heart stumbled a beat, and Rowan tensed from his spot on the ground. ‘He could have an army of the dead, inhabited by the Valg.’

‘An army that does not need to eat or sleep or breathe—­an army that will sweep like a plague across your continent, and others. Maybe other worlds, too.” -Heir of Fire

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So Erawan is a bad, bad man/valg who wants to raise an army of the dead. Then in Tower of Dawn we get more glimpses of what he is capable of by looking at how the Fae in the southern continent tried to protect themselves from him. I haven’t found everything because Tower of Dawn is so full of juicy content - so just a few snippets. But Basically the Southern Fae didn’t bury their dead but rather placed them in a sarcophagus that would be almost impossible to open. To protect themselves from being used as Erawans host.

Yrene reading the Song of Beginnings - an Elwye tome in TOD.

Yrene is later talking with Hafiza about the book and what she has discovered giving us some more information on what Erawan and those kings can do.

And if We go back further to Crown of Midnight and “the Walking Dead.” Aelin says this of it “awful spells contained in The Walking Dead—spells to summon demons, to raise the dead, to torture others until they begged for death …”COM

So the Second part of my post was inspired by the heartbreaking comment by @sarah-bae-maas

sarah-bae-maas

I’m not saying Erawan murdered the slaves of Endovier and Calaculla so that he would have an army of the dead, I’m just saying that HOLY SHIT WHAT IF ERAWAN MURDERED THE SLAVES OF ENDOVIER AND CALLACULLA SO THAT HE WOULD HAVE AN ARMY OF THE DEAD

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And I’m already getting upset that this is true - that slaves will be used in the war. Then I think what if...  Erawan is going to bring back people we love. I cannot handle if he goes into Rifthold and raises those bodies under rocks!! I cannot Deal with Sam coming back or Nehemia. It would be too heartbreaking. I’m hoping there isn’t enough pages in Kingdom of Ash for Sarah to do this to us. Because I CANNOT DEAL.

So that’s the update on that side of things, now I have a heartbreaking revelation to share with you all. One I came too after reading ACOFAS and writing my crazy theory.

Ramiel - the Ancient mountain sacred to the Illyrians. Where the Illyrians perform their blood rite at the start of spring. Where a creepy black monolith is standing. I talked about What I think that monolith means for KOA in my first theory on ACOFAS - here.

Well, Ramiel just happens to be the name of an angel. Wiki says it can be the name of an arch angel and in the book of Enoch that this angel is guarding over those who are resurrected or rise from the dead. Because there are so many different stories out in the world the name can mean other things too. Like angel over true visions. In popular culture, the show supernatural has a prince of hell named Ramiel.

So Erawan/some evil force is hinted at raising the dead throughout Throne of Glass books. The walking dead talks about spells to raise the dead, In Heir of fire they find out Erawan had undead armies. He just needs the Wyrd keys to create his armies. Maeve stole the keys for a seemingly good reason in my opinion. In ACOFAS Ramiel is a sacred mountain with a large black rock with a creepy presence. Ramiel is a name for someone who is meant to watch over the raised dead. Ramiel could be the ACOTAR version of Erawan. Raising the dead and then being trapped in stone. Showing the reader how Aelin is going to trap him in KOA by having him already trapped in ACOFAS. This is more evidence in my previous theory which is why I’m calling this part 2. It’s really just supporting evidence for that train of thought.

Thanks for Reading.

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.

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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…

“ Ramiel had always felt alive, somehow. Awake and watchful. He’d only set foot on it once, on that final day of the Rite. When he and his brothers, bloodied and battered, had scaled its side to reach the onyx monolith at its summit. He could still feel the crumbling rock beneath his boots, hear the rasp of his breathing as he half hauled Rhys up the slopes, Azriel providing cover behind. As one, the three of them had touched the stone—the first to reach its peak at the end of that brutal week. The uncontested winners. The Rite hadn’t changed in the centuries since. Early each spring, it still went on, hundreds of warrior- novices deposited across the mountains and forests surrounding the peak, the territory off-limits during the rest of the year to prevent any of the novices from scouting ahead for the best routes and traps to lay.” ACOFAS

“Ramiel rose higher still, a shard of stone piercing the gray sky. Beautiful and lonely. Eternal and ageless. No wonder that first ruler of the Night Court had made this his insignia. Along with the three stars that only appeared for a brief window each year, framing the uppermost peak of Ramiel like a crown. It was during that window when the Rite occurred. Which had come first: the insignia or the Rite, Cassian didn’t know. Had never really cared to find out.” ACOFAS

“Who had put that stone atop the peak, he didn’t know, either. Legend said it had existed before the Night Court formed, before the Illyrians migrated from the Myrmidons, before humans had even walked the earth. Even with the fresh snow crusting Ramiel, none had touched the pillar of stone.” ACOFAS

“But 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

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.