Ghilan'nain and Geldauran: Apotheosis and Apostasy in Ancient Elvhenan and Beyond
Hey Nony!
Great question. There does seems to be a curious juxtaposition going on with Ghily and Geldy in The Jaws of Hakkon. They are definitely connected in DA lore, but how deep that connection goes is mostly a matter of speculation.
Two Paths Diverged
Let’s start with the facts. Ghilan’nain and Geldauran certainly knew who the other was since they were contemporaries in ancient Elvhenan. Elven legends say that Ghilan’nain was an elven woman before becoming a goddess, but Geldauran’s origin, like the other Forgotten Ones, has yet to be revealed. Given, however, that the place he was imprisoned shares design elements of elven ruins that were used as resting places for elves who entered uthenera, it is likely that he was an elf as well, rather than a spirit.
If Geldauran did start out as an elf, he and Ghilan’nain’s paths may have paralleled each other in that they were both highly skilled mages, gaining enough power to attract the attention of the Evanuris. There their paths seem to have diverged.
Ghilan’nain was elevated to join the pantheon because she honored the elven gods, especially Andruil, and created monsters they wanted destroyed or controlled.
Did Andruil seek out Ghilan’nain because she was devoted and/or possessed tremendous magical powers that could transform creatures into “monsters”? Or could there be a more prosaic motive behind the decision? The Elvhenan seems to have risen and fallen due to two great wars. The war with the Titans and the war against the Forgotten Ones. Perhaps Andruil was seeking a new, powerful ally to use against the empire’s enemies. Sort of like Cap and Tony did in Captain America: Civil War. And like the Inquisitor says they will do at the end cutscene in Inquisition, i.e. find allies who are unknown to Solas in order to gain some advantage in the coming conflict. It’s a possibility, at least.
The Forgotten Ones are still virtually unknown to us, but something set them against the Elven gods. Geldauran wanted his position known, even millennia after being sealed away in the Frostback Basin.
The Forgotten Ones appear to have rebelled against the Evanuris and were imprisoned and “forgotten” as punishment for their actions.
Looking at the surface of what we know, Ghilan’nain and Geldauran would have been adversaries. According to Dalish lore, the Evanuris and the Forgotten Ones fought “an endless war” against each other. The Dalish don’t remember what, or who, started it or what it was about, and we can’t even be sure if Ghily’s ascension was before or after the beginning of the conflict between the two groups.
If the war between the elven gods started before Ghilan’nain was a goddess, that might explain why the Evanuris were highly motivated to recruit her and bring her monstrous creations under their control.
If, on the other hand, she was already part of the elven pantheon when the war with the Forgotten Ones began...well, that puts a very different, and potentially more interesting spin on thing. It could also mean there was a deeper connection between Ghilan’nain and Geldauran.
The “Sins” of Ghilan’nain?
I can’t decide what to think about Ghily (as you can tell if you read this post I wrote about her). The Dalish remember her as a benevolent deity, while the information about her from Mythal’s Temple paints a far more sinister picture of the Halla Mother. (Probably both given the writers’ love of grey characters.) One thing I do believe about Ghilan’nain, however, is that she is a person who brought dramatic change to Elvhenan.
Her story, on the surface, suggests that the Evanuris rewarded those who were most faithful to them, even to point of potential apotheosis. She is described as the “the chosen of Andruil’ in the codex above and there is evidence to suggest that the Evanuris’ “Chosen Ones” were given special powers and privileges, including being about to “fly in the shape of the divine”. If Ghilan’nain could become so highly favored as to attain godhood, why not the others? Because there certainly were other elves (and perhaps spirits) who became the Chosen Ones of the other Evanuris.
(Perhaps that is why Solas and Mythal had such a close relationship. He could well have been her Chosen One at some point before becoming the Dread Wolf. Solas himself says that the Dread Wolf identity came later in his life, after he began to his rebellion against the Evanuris. Who was he before that? But I digress...)
For all we know, this could be how the Forgotten Ones came to possess their magical abilities. They may have been the Chosen Ones of the various members of the elven pantheon before severing ties and becoming their adversaries. They may have come to resent the Evanuris’ control or, when they found out the truth about their gods non-divine origins, they felt betrayed and rebelled against them.
They might even have been considered “gods” and counted as members of the elven pantheon, but something caused a schism that set them in opposition to the Elgar’nan and company. They may have been stricken from the pantheon or gained powers that the Evanuris could only be explain by elevating them to evil god status (as I suggested in this earlier post).
So much speculation, so little evidence!
But perhaps the most tinfoil hat theory about the Forgotten Ones that I can come up with is that Ghilan’nain created them and/or set them on their rebellious path. She certainly didn’t always play by the rules....
Why in the Void is Ghilan’nain encouraging treasonous actions? Why was she encouraging the Sinner to take on the “form of the divine”? Was this an experiment that went too far? Or a more deliberate act of sedition? There is no sign from the text whether Ghilan’nain and Dirthamen were punished for these events, but the Sinner certainly was. I can’t be positive if the image at the end is the last thing the Sinner saw (i.e. Elgar’nan dispensing ‘judgement’) or if that shadowing mass was all that was left of him afterwards.
Either way, this event seems to have been a world changing event and possibly a prelude to war. All the other codices that can only be read with the aid of the Well of Sorrows are about conflict, after all:
- Codex entry: Old Elven Writing - Possibly the earliest since it refers to the war with the titans.
- Codex entry: Unreadable Elven Writing - Andruil creates a super weapon, possibly originally meant to hunt the Forgotten Ones or perhaps the superweapon Merrill refers to in her story of the betrayal of the elven gods. Or, if we really want to go dark, it could be the weapon that was used to murder Mythal.
- Codex entry: Untranslatable Elven Writing - Definitely the “last” entry chronologically, since Abelas says the temple guardians are preparing for the arrival of those who “cast Mythal down”, i.e. murdered her.
Put in this context, the judgement of the Sinner almost certainly had dramatic consequences. The Sinner was punished for showing godlike powers, something that Ghilan’nain (with her monsters) had been rewarded for. Some in Elvhenan certainly would have found this judgement unjust at the least. Perhaps the Sinner had compatriots who were outraged that Mythal had not spoken for him as Andruil had spoken for Ghilan’nain. Perhaps this event was what created the schism between the Evanuris and the Forgotten Ones.
If the Sinner survived Elgar’nan’s punishment, which is likely if he truly was on the path to divine powers (Mythal certainly seems to be able to wisp her way out of death if absolutely necessary), then he might have become the shadowy entity described at the end of the codex. What would his next step have been?
If the Sinner retained his memories, revenge and exposure of the Evanuris’ secrets certainly would be likely motives for his next moves. Perhaps he gathered others who were cast out or disillusioned with the rule of the elven gods and started seeking powers to equal the gods in the Abyss.
In other words, I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that the Sinner founded the Forgotten Ones. Would they hold a grudge against Ghilan’nain for starting the Sinner on his path? Perhaps, although it is also possible that she wanted dissent amongst the gods for her own purposes. Intrigue and infighting seem entirely likely in the court of the Evanuris, given what Solas says about Winter Palace reminding him of how much he enjoys political maneuvering. But Solas’ potential role in all of this is best left for another day and another post... ;)
In other words, Nony, there most certainly are connections between Ghilan’nain and Geldauran that relate to major events in elven history...and yet, there may be another, more literary reason why they are both included in the Jaws of Hakkon DLC.
Compared and Contrasted
Although I am fairly certain there are lore reasons why Geldauran was imprisoned in the Frostback Basin and there are no elven monuments in the valley (other than Ghilan’nain’s near Geldauran’s prison/tomb and a statue of Falon’Din above Stone-Bear Hold), there is also a neat literary analysis to be made here.
Arguably, two of the themes of Inquisition is faith and divinity. The Inquisitor becomes a symbol for the Chantry faithful and of Andraste whether they want to be or not. Corypheus wants to become a god to replace the silent Old Gods of Tevinter. The elven gods are revealed to be powerful mages who elevated themselves to god status and do seem to have powers beyond the reach of most mortals. A titan, with seemingly godlike powers, awakens and choses and avatar in Valta... I could go on, but you probably get the idea.
These themes of faith and divinity are also present in the story of Ameridan and the beliefs of the Avaar. Ameridan built a shrine to both Ghilan’nain and Andraste, perhaps choosing to honor these two particular beings because he saw parallels in their stories. Ghilan’nain was raised to godhood for her faith in the elven gods. The Maker elevated Andraste to divinity for her faith.
Geldauran provides an interesting contrast for Ghilan’nain and Andraste. He rejected the divinity of the elven gods, cursing them, and implying that he won’t be deceived like their “faithful” followers are. Ironically, and despite his own rejection of divinity, there is good evidence to support that Geldauran became Hakkon, a “god” of the Avaar. The Avaar knowingly create their own gods, influencing spirits to become the deities so that they may gain their favor in battle, their guidance, etc.
So there is a case to be made that the Inquisitor is being juxtaposed to these powerful ancient beings. The Inquisitor deeds are miraculous to many, even if the Inquisitor would rather they not be seen that way. The Inquisitor, in a way, is symbolically following in the footsteps of Andraste, Geldauran, and Ghilan'nain. Whether your Inky chooses to accept, reject, or just go about their business, it is the people of Thedas who will ultimately decide whether the Inquisitor should be remembered as being touched by the divine ...or not.
Thanks again for the ask, Nony!