Hello everyone! I have decided to kick off the year on a very important theory subject. Solas and who he is to be. He deems importance because he can be the potential threat of chaos in Thedas. Now, as I would love discussing about 'what he's going to do', and 'how he will destroy the Veil', there isn't any foreground to base that of, so that leads to theories....
How did Solas come into existence, and what mysteries before the Veil happened to make elves how they once were 'Pre-veil', like with immortality. What makes life before the Veil so powerful? So many questions, yet never any answers...
Let's start in the beginning. There's too many plot holes regarding who Solas is. Considered as the Dread Wolf, a God in the elven empire, and potential lover of Lavellan/Mythal/Andraste? Idk... You name it.
We have to look way beyond his own actions within the inner circle, and sadly, that we cannot do since we do not know much of the world of his life.
Despite the disadvantages of not knowing the former reality of Arlathan, and how Solas lived, we just have to speculate... Which isn't too accurate, and very tinfoiley. But this is a theory video! Let's get this show on the road!
So, without further ado, let's understand Solas' origin of existence.
Name and Representation:
Solas - In elven it means: 'Pride'
Pride is mentioned a lot in ancient elven texts, and it's used in the common dialogue of ancient elven tongue. But the only time Pride is mentioned in the reality we play in, it's represented as a demon. Now this could tie into double meanings in what they stand for regarding personal representation.
Just like Abelas meaning 'Sorrow', being the sentinel that protects the Vir Abelasan (Well of Sorrows) .
Or, Felassan meaning 'Slow Arrow', to represent the 'heroic' story of Fen'Harel, as he partakes as an agent of Fen'Harel.
Whatever the name is, it basically represents who or what a person is, at least according to ancient elven.
Pride Demon
Pride Demons are known as probably the most powerful demons out there. Not too mention, they have a reasoning for being powerful:
"because they, among all their kind, most resemble men; as clever and manipulative as the desire demon, with a penchant for cruel irony that is almost human" -Beyond the Veil: Spirits & Demons
In it's corrupted form, it's a malicious beast, known for it's 7 eyes. Now I'm not stating Solas to be this form 'yet'. But he does talk a lot about Pride's corruption of spirits.
"Wisdom and Purpose are too easily twisted into Pride and Desire" -Solas
Plus, in the companion quest for Solas, his friend you help is known as a spirit of Wisdom. It becomes twisted when mages who forced it into bondage to kill bandits when needed. Solas releases the spirit, or you can kill the spirit, which sucks either way because the spirit is no longer what it used to be, his friend.
Wisdom Spirit
Now there's a ton of spirits we have met in the Fade throughout Dragon Age, Wisdom Spirits are known for giving knowledge. Knowledge of either lore, or history from the past ages. The thing with spirits, is that it's evident who they are, and what their name describes them as, so it's easy to interpret their purpose. Cole as Compassion fixes up relationships, mourning those of the dead, and help resolve hard situations in which is hard without the need of Compassion. Anders as Justice, whom we know, to be brash and try to fight to create the solution of proving a common cause against those who stand in the way, like the Chantry.
The hard thing to notice is that if a Pride Demon resembles so much of humanity, and Wisdom is the opposite spectrum of Pride. Wisdom would also resemble this trait, of being human. Making Solas that much easier to tie into our reality.
Now that I've briefly discussed who Solas potentially can be, a Spirit, let's discover how spirits once contacted into beings who lived on the surface of Thedas.
Origin:
In this reality we play in, we look to the Chant of Light, in which, the Spirits are the first children of the Maker. He turned his back on them because they lacked a soul – they could twist the Fade to their liking, but lacked the ability to imagine and create, and thus emulate their creator.
Throwing the idea of 'who the Maker is', out, 'first' still shows that they were belonging before any beings came upon the walking land of Thedas, when the Fade and the waking world were one.
The only entity we can come across in ancient elvehn would be Elgar'nan, and the funny thing is, overthrowing his Father 'the Sun' is even more skeptical...
Elgar translated means "spirit"
nan translated means "revenge, or vegeance"
Elgar'nan is known to be the God of Vengeance, so is there a possibility that all the God's are just spirits, with a body later on?
Eventually, we believe that the Maker made man, as if these spirits were not enough, but it rises a huge question...
Is there a difference?
It is challenging enough for the casual observer to tell the difference between the Fade and the creatures that live within it, let alone between one type of spirit and another. In truth, there is little that distinguishes them, even for the most astute mages. Since spirits are not physical entities and are therefore not restricted to recognizable forms (or even having a form at all), one can never tell for certain what is alive and what is merely part of the scenery. (It is therefore advisable for the inexperienced researcher to greet all objects he encounters.) -Beyond the Veil: Spirits and Demons
According to the Chant, as fickle as it proves, there's a difference between a 'soul' and a 'spirit', and a spirit lacks that very essence, instead, it 'imitates' men, and collects memories. Yet seems to be disproved throughout Inquisition starting from Cole potentially becoming more human, and linking on to a prisoner from the White Spire, thus, becoming a new human. Or traveling in the Vir Dirthara, where we see codex after codex of elves leaving there last memory to remember what was once lost...
Solas also explains the similarities between Spirits and 'living beings'...
"Is Cassandra not defined by her cheekbones, is Varric's chest-hair not defined by his wit?" -Solas
The solution is that the people of Thedas are in fact spirits or tied to them ultimately, what would be the point of the Fade if our souls linger into nothing, yet the people are once in the Fade, like Divine Justinia being linked onto the essence in that Nightmare realm of the Fade. They have to be real people, even if it's a fabrication of someone, what stops that from being real?
Immortality
Solas talks about the lack of immortality was because of him. Creation of the Veil, stripped the ability of immortality. All things were known as fleeting, Tranquil to what once was.
If you remember Origins when you visit and deal with Zathrian, the keeper of the clan in the Brecilian Forest. Was also living on the extension of years never truly stated until dealing with Witherfang, the Lady of the Forest.
"Zathrian's years were extended not through restoration of the natural means we assume have been poisoned by the press of humanity, but by lashing of soul to spirit through the manipulaton of life and blood... We know that the minds of spirits [seem] focused in a way that is alien to mortals. They seem myopic, but is that what they are or because of what they are? It is conjectured that Zathrian lived at least three centuries. We can presume that the guilt of his actions weighed upon him, but for many, one lifetime is enough to prompt restitution. It took him far longer. We must ask why." - Keeper Ilan'ta
Zathrian basically bounded the spirit Witherfang to gain revenge of the humans who raped his daughter, turning them into beasts (werewolves) as punishments for their sins. But it showed mistakes in his vengeance, that costed more than he bargained. Yet he obtained immortality from the spirit, then how easy can immortality be if that were the case? Maybe the Veil disrupts how the world once was, making spirits ultimately uncomfortable and become twisted in their nature due to the nature of this world.
But immortality in a fleeting world results in isolation, such a fate was proven in the Sentinels, and seems the same for Solas...
"It can be argued that an immortal would have to be distant, or eventually all it would know is loss. What would our world look like to such a creature? What actions would they be capable of when everything except themselves is fleeting and therefore of little relevance to eternity? If we as elvhen discover a path back to what we were, we must be sure that the path is wide enough for all. For the individual who stumbles into that journey, who endures when all else is dust, can only be alone." -Keeper Ilan'ta
Physical Bodies:
Now that I've discussed the reality of spirits being connected to souls, therefore proving a source of immortality, so to say...
Eventually there has to be something up with the creation of bodies, like Adam being created from the soil of the Earth, the Fade began as an "ocean of dreams" and was reduced to a well when the Maker used its "emerald waters", lyrium. He "took from the Fade a measure of its living flesh" and created men.
The Maker is known as the 'Wellspring of Creation', made to create men. Using lyrium to create their bodies, in which, raises alarm to what beings of Thedas truly are.
The only Wellspring we know of, was from the Descent DLC in Inquisition. It's a location within the Deep Roads, known to be within inside a Titan, consisting of a heart of lyrium beating.
In ancient elven times, they mined lyrium, or isana, in the deep roads...There are a lot of areas that seem older than recorded in the Memories of Dwarves, Primeval Thaig:
"He says, however, that he's gone down into parts of the Deep Roads that are so old that our people forgot them long before the Blight even happened. He spoke of great statues and temples--temples! He spoke of things that could have only been made of magic and of impossible ruins untouched by darkspawn. He described creatures the likes of which we've never seen." - Excerpt from a report sealed in the Orzammar royal archives
Now that we have a new trailer, the idol that is from the Primeval Thaig stands for a lot. Red lyrium growing out of corpses means nothing except trouble, yet why would there be lyrium there in the first place?
If the creation of bodies is from a wellspring, then would it be possible for bodies to be created by this rare substance? What are the chances of power if this is the case. Does it also give immortality since it is a living substance? There might be more proof then we realize. Cole is a huge help for this case, he states that this is true:
"They made bodies from the earth. And the earth was afraid. It fought back. But they made it forget ."
Again, this seems pretty solid that there is a lot going on with infusing lyrium to create lyrium bodies. And we might have seen this process already:
In Trespasser, when you reach the Deep Roads, we see a statue of Mythal, which would come to question why would one be here if the deep roads mostly consist of dwarven architecture? In the end of the deep roads, there is an area that holds many sarcophagus', which seems eerily strange due to the amount of lyrium surrounded by it, if Cole is with you, he explains things that aren't what they seem to be...
"They're asleep but they no longer know how to wake up... They're all singing. Coffers, coffins, corpses that aren't dead. A song crying out in the dark." -Cole
Now this could be elven sleeping in uthenera, and try to reawaken but can't due to the Veil, which seems pretty logical. Then again, why would that be necessary if there's an immense source of lyrium right there? Are they making bodies out of lyrium like the Chant describes? And they cannot awaken because a spirit would only awaken them to become as they once were?
Cole also states to the Inquisitor in Trespasser that Solas comes to a body:
"He did not want a body. But she asked him to come. He left a scar when he burned her off his face. "
Eventually I believe that bodies are created from lyrium (at least the ancient elvehn are). Which might be the reasoning that the Blight is a huge epidemic since lyrium can be tainted as well. Maybe becoming the main problem for Thedas eventually? Who knows?
Therefore, my theory is that spirits do have a connection to souls, and therefore can be the key to immortality. Solas is a Spirit of Wisdom that had to contact to a body, becoming who he is, maybe contacted from Mythal, or whatever that may mean. Regardless, the mysteries of ancient elvehn are still one to understand, and maybe one day we might see the truth in the upcoming Dragon Age.
Have any questions or comments, leave them below, and we can discuss them together, like and subscribe for more Dragon Age content like this, and see you in the next video!
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