"hahren na melana sahlin
emma ir abelas
souver'inan isala hamin
vhenan him dor'felas
in uthenera na revas"
— From "In Uthenera," traditional elven song of unknown origin.
Uthenera is directly translated as 'immortal', ' the long sleep ' or 'endless dream'.
Ancient elvehn lived lives eternally, their immortality caused them to become weary of holding onto many memories of their life. This type of act was used for these elves, in hope for preservation for the newer generation, and in hopes to become into the state of transcendence.
Hello Thedosians and welcome back to my blog/channel. Today we are talking about the sacred deed passed along the ages of Elvhen history and their culture. Living was only a price to be paid for, and for those who were immortal, life we know would become overbearing...
"To the ancient elves who existed during the time of Arlathan, uthenera was an act of reverence. Elves did not age. They were not immortal, but they did not suffer from deterioration of mind or body. They suffered only from a deterioration of the spirit. It did not happen often, but the oldest of the elves were said to reach a point where they became weary of life. Memories became too much to bear, and rather than fade into complacency, they voluntarily stood aside to let newer generations guide their people"
— From What Has Passed, by Hassandriel, Lord of Halamshiral, 2:7 Glory
What it seems from this text, is that most of the elderly partook into this ritual. When they were a part of their slumber, servants would come and go to partake in the act of feeding the elf:
According to Felassan, some elves in uthenera were able to reach "perfection" and draw sustenance from the Fade rather than dying in their sleep. Elves in uthenera were tended by servants to prevent discomfort from waking them, and who bathed them in scented oils to provide them the spark of wisdom on their journey.
An elf who had perfected themselves was determined by brushing the potion on the lips at the full moon and determining at the new moon if it had been absorbed in the body. If they were, meaning the herbs were smelt in the next phase of the moon, the servant would still feed them for the next cycle. But if the "wrist was bare of scent, it meant that the dreamer learned how to draw sustenance from the Fade itself". Such elves were moved into beds of pure white, signifying their achievement and naming them into 'perfection'.
And although we know such little of the time of ancient Arlathan, let take of look at what we have seen in recent times in Thedas.
1. In Origins, elders would come to slumber even to the places built by humans, such as the Brecilian Ruins in Ferelden, and visitors would offer tribute to the gods on their behalf.
"Third from the top is a carving which shows one of the three robed figures, a woman with an elaborate tattoo on her face, drinking from the jug on the altar while the other elves watch.
The bottom image shows the tattooed woman standing waist-deep in a pool of water. She holds the jug with water spilling out of its mouth. The armored elves bow before her."
— Codex: A Carved Elven Tablet
This is much of similarity to what we see for the 'well of Sorrows', which I will explain a little later...
2. The poem or traditional elvhen song, most known by the Leliana singing at the Camp, is also about uthenera.
"Death is just another beginning. One day we must shed our earthly bodies to allow our spirits to fly free."
— Leliana, DAO
In DA2, Merrill is the one to perform the ritualistic spell to 'revive' Flemythal, while stating this poem as well...
Paivel also recites more of this poem:
Swiftly do stars burn a path across the sky,
Hast'ning to place one last kiss upon your eye.
Tenderly land enfolds you in slumber,
Softening the rolling thunder.
Dagger now sheathed, bow no longer tense.
During this, your last hour, only silence.
I'm guessing that this song represents the memorable action one was to take while entering into uthenera. Hopefully, that they will return into a peace more loving than suffering...
3. DAI — Solas is an elf that has awoke from uthenera. Now I don't know specifically if he was entering into 'perfection', because he slumbered due to his weakness from forming the Veil.
In the Temple of Mythal, Abelas and most of the Sentinels were in uthenera and only awoke to fight against any resistance they may have for their temple. Of course, uthenera is meant eventually to be sustenance from only the Fade, and I somehow wonder why this type of ritual was meant for those who needed to be in action in such a quick phase.
"The ones born here do not understand the keenness of what we have lost, or why so many of their elders weep as they enter uthenera. The new ones are faithful to Mythal but do not understand what she was in her fullness. Without the wise to lead them, they will lose what they should have been.
I will teach them. They must serve. We must prepare for those who cast Mythal down. I shed my name the day I began her service. I shed my new one again, now that she rests. I will only be known by the sorrow that cuts my heart."
— Codex entry: Untranslatable Elven Writing
The last reference we know is from the Vir Abelasan, translated as Well of Sorrows. The Well of Sorrows is a piece of a last remaining knowledge from each of Mythals priests and servants translated into this well.
This well is of somewhat a diamond amongst the lost knowledge that Thedas hasn't been faced with. It gives someone a huge advantage against any big bad. But of course, the boon is faced with consequences in which, might come into play in the next game hopefully...
Other than these references, it leaves room for the expectation of how these ancient beings can maintain and stay alive like Solas and many other Ancient Elvhen have. But as for some elvhen, most of them do not survive:
In Masked Empire, it seems some do face a violent end to their slumber -
"Felassan stopped and looked at the ancient corpse half-lying under the satin sheets. To Briala, it looked no different from the ones they had fought on the first terrible day, but Felassan's face was twisted with grief.
The body lay in a resting position, with clean white bedding pulled up carefully over the chest, leaving only the head and shoulders exposed. It had not awakened to die, nor struggled. Though the skin was withered down to worn leather pulled taut over the bones, nothing had picked those bones clean of flesh.
But there, at the throat, Briala saw a single thin cut, along with the tiniest trace of bloodstains on the pillow."
— Masked Empire, pg. 316
As we already know from the basics of uthenera, those who were in white satin had reached their perfection of drawing sustenance from the Fade. As for this unfortunate elf, the slice of their throat was done in revenge. Although we do not, unfortunately, know why in this case, Felassan does note that this elf 'could have helped' in this age...
As for slumbering, those who are in uthenera are in a conscious state in the Fade. Their bodies may become weary, and as well with their mind and spirit, but the dreamers allowed themselves to be pulled into a state where living was one with dreaming.
Theory wise — I do not think that the ancient elves where the only participants for committing to uthenera. We know that Old Gods do slumber eternally in their underground prisons, and dragons rest for ages in the Hall of Sleepers below the Silent Grove. Titans are also imagined to be asleep, and those who awake it become pure of the Stone. For all of these ancient beings means only one thing — that they are awake within the Fade...
Thank you for watching, if you have any questions or comments leave them below and I would love to hear about all of your theories too! If you want to follow me on any other social media, read about this on my blog, all of those links are down below in the description as well.
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