You’ve probably spent hours wandering through the Hinterlands or the Frostback Basin, picking up scattered codex entries about the Evanuris. At first, they sound like your standard fantasy pantheon. Wise, eternal, and maybe a little bit distant. But if you’ve played through Dragon Age: Inquisition and its Trespasser DLC—or if you’ve jumped into The Veilguard—you know the truth is a lot messier. The elven gods in Dragon Age aren't actually gods. Not in the "divine creator" sense, anyway. They were just powerful mages. Really powerful. So powerful that they basically tricked an entire civilization into believing they were holy beings while they spent their time backstabbing each other for more influence.
It's a bait and switch. BioWare spent two full games building up the lore of the Creators and the Forgotten Ones, only to pull the rug out from under us by revealing that the "gods" were actually just narcissistic generals who got lucky with their magic.
The Evanuris weren't what you think
For a long time, the Dalish elves told stories of the Evanuris as benevolent protectors. They had Mythal, the motherly figure, and Elgar'nan, the vengeful father. They had Falon'Din, Dirthamen, Andruil, Sylaise, June, and Ghilan'nain. To the modern, struggling Dalish, these figures represented a lost golden age. A time when elves were immortal and magic flowed like water.
But Solas—or Fen'Harel, if we're being formal—dropped a massive truth bomb. The Evanuris were generals in a war. After the war ended, they refused to give up their power. They branded their followers with vallaslin (those facial tattoos the Dalish wear with pride today) as a mark of slavery, not devotion. Imagine wearing a permanent ink mark on your face that you think honors a god, only to find out it was actually a barcode for a property owner. That’s the level of trauma we’re dealing with in the elven history of Thedas.
The reality of the elven gods in Dragon Age is that they were essentially a magical oligarchy. They hoard power. They killed Mythal because she was the only one trying to keep their egos in check. That’s why Solas did what he did. He wasn't a "dread wolf" out of malice; he was a revolutionary who realized that his peers had become monsters. He created the Veil to lock them away, which, ironically, destroyed elven civilization anyway. Talk about a "lesser of two evils" situation that backfired spectacularly.
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Mythal and the tragedy of Flemeth
Mythal is easily the most complex figure in this whole mess. In the legends, she’s the goddess of justice and protection. In reality, she was the voice of reason among a group of power-hungry tyrants. When the other Evanuris murdered her, her "spirit" (or a piece of her essence) clung to life and eventually merged with a human woman named Flemeth.
This is where the lore gets really wild. If you’ve followed the series since Origins, you know Flemeth as the "Witch of the Wilds." She’s been pulling strings for centuries. Why? Because Mythal wants revenge. This isn't just about elven history; it's a multi-generational revenge plot that spans thousands of years. When Flemeth tells the Inquisitor that "a spark remains," she’s talking about the divine—or at least the incredibly powerful—will of an ancient mage who refused to stay dead. It makes you wonder how much of Flemeth’s personality was her own and how much was the lingering bitterness of a betrayed goddess.
The Forgotten Ones and the Void
Everyone talks about the Creators, but the elven gods in Dragon Age also include the Forgotten Ones. These guys are the "dark" counterpart to the Evanuris. Legends say they were locked away in the Abyss or the Void. While the Dalish fear them, some theorists suggest they might just be another faction of ancient mages who lost the power struggle against Elgar'nan’s group.
There is a terrifying connection between the Forgotten Ones and the Blight. In the Silent Plains or deep within the Deep Roads, you find hints that some of these ancient beings were experimenting with things they shouldn't have. Corruption. Blight-rot. If the Evanuris were tyrants of the sky and the light, the Forgotten Ones were masters of the dark. Some fans even speculate that the Archdemons—those high dragons corrupted by the Blight—might be linked to these "gods," though the timeline is a bit fuzzy. It’s one of those things where the more you learn, the more you realize how much the Chantry’s version of history is just... wrong.
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Why Ghilan'nain is the scariest of them all
If you want a real nightmare, look at Ghilan'nain. She started as a mortal elf who was so good at creating monsters that Andruil took notice. She eventually ascended to the rank of the Evanuris. While most of the "gods" were busy being arrogant, Ghilan'nain was playing God in a laboratory. She created the halla, sure, but she also created the giants and probably half the terrifying "unnatural" creatures you fight in the games.
She represents the absolute lack of ethics in the ancient elven empire. To the modern Dalish, she's the Mother of the Halla. To the people who lived under her, she was a mad scientist with the power of a deity. Her laboratories, which we see glimpses of in The Veilguard, show that she was into some seriously dark stuff—mutating her own people to create a "perfect" army. It’s hard to reconcile the beautiful halla-carvings with the reality of a woman who dissolved people in vats of magical goo just to see what would happen.
Fen'Harel: The god who wasn't
Solas is the ultimate "well, actually" character. He hates being called a god. He finds the very idea of divinity insulting because he saw firsthand how the elven gods in Dragon Age used that title to justify horrific crimes. To him, "God" is just a word for a person with too much power and no accountability.
He’s a tragic figure. He tried to save his people from slavery by creating the Veil, but in doing so, he stripped them of their immortality and their connection to the Fade. He effectively "nuked" elven culture to save its soul. Now, he’s trying to undo it, even though it means destroying the world of the humans, dwarves, and Qunari. He’s the most relatable antagonist in the series because his motivations aren't based on evil, but on a crushing, ancient guilt. He loved the world he destroyed, and he hates the world that replaced it.
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How to use this knowledge in your playthrough
If you're playing through the series now, especially with the newer releases, keep a few things in mind to get the most out of the story:
- Look at the Vallaslin differently: Every time you see a Dalish elf with those tattoos, remember they are wearing the symbols of the people who enslaved their ancestors. The irony is heartbreaking.
- Question the Chantry: The human religion in Dragon Age says the Maker created the world and the elves were just "pagan" worshipers. The reality of the Evanuris proves that the history of Thedas is way older and more complicated than the Chant of Light suggests.
- Pay attention to the architecture: Ancient elven ruins often have statues of the Evanuris. Look at how they are positioned. Are they looking down in protection or in judgment? Usually, it's the latter.
- The Fade is the key: The "gods" were at their strongest when the Fade and the physical world were one. Any lore you find about the "Golden City" probably has more to do with the elven capital of Arlathan than it does with the Maker's throne.
The biggest takeaway from the saga of the elven gods in Dragon Age is that power corrupts, and history is written by the survivors. Or, in this case, history is written by the people who forgot the truth and filled in the gaps with fairy tales. The Dalish are trying to reclaim a past that never really existed—at least, not in the way they think.
To really understand the current state of Thedas, you have to look at the ruins. The truth isn't in the prayers; it's in the old, blood-stained stones of Arlathan. If you're looking for the "next steps" in your lore journey, go back and read the Canticle of Shartan or the Emerald Graves codex entries. They hit a lot differently once you realize the "gods" they mention were just mages with a god complex and a lot of spare time.