All Frescos: Symbols in Dragon Age Art (Part 1)

When is a triangle not a triangle?

So….Tevinter Nights!  Still reading it, but you know me and maps.  I kind of like them.  And while the book’s map is short on details, it had one very interesting image that caught my eye.  

Let me zoom in a bit for you.

What an interesting depiction of the Veil!  Complete with spikey projections!!  Then I thought…we’ve seen those triangles before. Here they are clearly labeled as a visual representation of the Veil.  And if they represent the Veil between the Fade and the Mortal World then…

….it is very likely that they mean the same thing here.  

So this image may well be meant to show Solas creating the Veil.  

Now that alone might not be groundbreaking.  I think many of us thought that the triangles could represent magic or the Fade, but it seems to be more specific than that.  These triangles are the Veil in Solas’ art.  

Taking this as a working theory, then some interesting tin-foil hat analyses of the his other frescos is possible.  Here is what I am thinking:

Continuar lendo

The demon with veil marks on the back could be representing the change it suffered, being a spirit first and becoming a demon when passing through a tear in the veil or for coveting a way to cross the veil (abomination)

How interesting the sentinels fresco, I just noticed the blue lines in the middle (something lyrium/magic related?) Also, look how it is present over the diamond shapes. Perhaps they represent the world without the veil? Like the diamonds are a complete shape, but the veil is a half shape (triangle), since without magic the world is less. And the sentinels here could be representatives of the only ones who saw/remember the world in both states, being ancient Elvhen.

The cloak veil in Fen'Harel’s back could also be a symbol, since he is probably the only mage back then who has a grasp on the kind of magic that can manipulate it.

This is all very interesting and I totally agree that these repeated symbols from art piece to art piece represent some constant thing present in each of them. I’m interested in figuring out the blue lines and the asterisk one, the eyes, the v shape too etc Send more theories :3

I’m so glad you commented, @sassyseeker​!  Your thoughts about the sentinels fresco were right on par with mine, but I couldn’t get over how much the blue lines looked like stylized water.  So are they magic?  Lyrium?  Water?  And then it hit me like a facepalm.  Of course it’s magic water!  It’s representing the most magical water we’ve encountered thus far!  The vir’abelasan!  Of course such a momentous choice as the fate of the Well of Sorrows would be represented in Solas’ artwork.  

Lyrium, however, we have definitely seen in Solas’ frescos and other art.  More on that and other symbols in other posts.  ^_^

Thanks for the support!  I’ll do my best to post more soon!!

-MM

PS - I found a few more instances of triangles that are very interesting.  

First up, it’s ya boi Solas.  This is the Dragon Age Keep tile for marking the Inquisitor’s promise to save or stop Solas.  Interestingly, the image on the left is far more ...saturated with color (If that is what you would call it.  I am not an artist!).  Solas has turned his back, but still casts a watchful eye over his shoulder.  The circle (which Decima theorized represented the Fade, the mortal realm, or the Void depending on how they are depicted) is stark and clear as the Dread Wolf crosses it.  This Solas is intent on his purpose, and there is barely a trace of the Veil in the image. 

Solas doesn’t appear directly in the image on the right, but his presence is keenly felt there as well.  This image is more faded, the circle smaller and more fractured, the Inquisitor moves forward with purpose while the figure of the wolf looks on with an attitude of waiting, watching, and perhaps wanting.  This image implies that Solas is far less sure of himself if the Inquisitor is intent on saving him. 

These next images are also super interesting and I worried that they were going to undermine my whole theory.  And then they made me go “oh!!!” which, typically, is a good thing.  ^_^ 

First up, Valta’s card.  The imagery and symbolism in this one is just so damn cool!  I have a lot of thoughts, but I am going to save most of them for separate analysis.

So the triangles.  Look at their placement compared to any other picture and you’ll see some interesting things.  First of all, they point up, not down.  Valta towers over the Veil, the visual effect of making her look like she is towering over mountains (perhaps harkening back to Dagna’s experience handling a rune and feeling mountain tall).  The presence of the triangles in this image probably symbolizes her connection to the titan of Heidrun Thaig while also showing that Valta has achieved a connection to the Fade that has been blocked from her people by the Veil.

This idea, that some dwarves have transcended the Veil, is repeated in the tarot cards for the male and female dwarf Inquisitor.  

The lady dwarf inquisitor’s card has a diamond pattern that is more orderly and solid than the ones in Solas’ mural of the sentinels at Mythal’s temple.  The male Inquisitor’s card has upward facing triangles like those in Valta’s card. 

So why would the Dwarf Inquisitors have Veil in their tarot cards when no other Inquisitor's share that symbol?  Because, unlike all the other Inquisitors, dwarves are cut off from the Fade, and more and more it is looking like this is not their natural state.  They are supposed to be connected to the Fade through lyrium and a bond with the titans.  

Dwarven Inquisitors, however, command the Veil and bend it to their will, unlike their brethren.  They have the means to overcome the barrier.  They can dream.  They can enter the Fade itself!  Pretty damn impressive!

And ummm...this post script became a whole separate post.  Thanks for making me think about this more!  It was fun!

I recently played through Trespasser again and I have All Kinds of Feelings

also this looks better irl pls don’t judge me

He makes the Fade look good.