Dragon Age – Deities and Lore / Characters

This page lists deities and heroic figures appearing in the background lore in the various Dragon Age media.

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Andrastian Deities & Historical Figures

The Maker

Monotheistic Creator of all that exists and all-powerful, all-knowing deity of the Andrastian doctrine. The Maker has been involved for centuries in a passive-aggressive cycle of rejecting humanity, returning briefly, and leaving once more due to the weight of humanity's sins. The Chantry believes that if all four corners of the world sing the Chant of Light, the Maker will finally forgive humanity of their sins and return to their world.

Big Good: The source of all that is good and holy, in the Andrastian religion.
Capital Letters Are Magic: As in certain Judeo-Christian traditions, pronouns referring to Him are capitalized, even in subtitles.
Divine Punishment: The Chantry teaches that the Maker initially turned away from humanity out of disappointment, and then when the magisters broke into the Golden City, corrupting it, he shunned them even harder. He cast the magisters down and turned them into the first darkspawn, leading to the cycle of Blights that ravage the land every few hundred years. A surviving magister claims that the city was already black when they arrived, and they found the throne empty. Oh, and not to mention that the Archdemons leading the Blights are actually the Old Gods who the magisters worshiped, leading to quite a few additional theological questions.
Expy: For God of the Abrahamic religion, and specifically Christianity, though with an overriding deist bent. The Maker has no interest in answering your prayers. He's too busy shunning you.
God Is Displeased: Has been in a perpetual state of this ever since humanity began to worship the Old Gods. He will not answer prayers, grant wishes, or help humanity in any way until they redeem themselves in His eyes by accepting the Chant of Light.
God Is Evil: An uncommon, but existent, view of Him is that he's a capricious asshole whose attention and gifts are arbitrary. Corypheus comes to believe that either this is true or that He does not exist due to finding the Golden City already black- but Corypheus isn't a very good source.
God Is Good: The Andrastian view of him is as a loving creator who seeks to protect the world and only punishes mortals justly for their misdeeds (such as burning Andraste at the stake), and often see His aid in the protagonists' heroics.
The Maker: He is the creator of all that exists, according to the Chantry.
Have You Seen My God?: He has been missing for eons, and some are unconvinced that he ever existed at all. The Chantry rationalizes this as Him having turned from his creation as a result of the hubris of mortals, as mentioned above. According to Word of God, the entire point of The Maker is "faith", meaning that we may never get a straight answer.
In Mysterious Ways: As he symbolizes "Faith", according to Word of God, you never have any word about anything The Maker does or is reputed to have done except for the faithful. People who should have some experience with Him (spirits, Corypheus, gods, etc.) either have no idea if He exists, think He's permanently abandoned the world, or flat out tell you He doesn't but have motive to lie. It's true that plenty of "miracles" occur at the Darkest Hour which are attributed to His work, but that contrasts with the many, many dark hours where no such miracles occur and somehow get ever darker. Solas in Dragon Age: Inquisition treats this as a positive trait, claiming that no true god needs to prove its power.

Andraste

The Messiah of the religion that bears her name.

Action Mom: Andraste had three step-sons and two biological daughters.
Adaptational Dye-Job: An In-universe example. Andraste is mainly depicted as golden haired in Chantry murals, but according to Cassandra she was actually a redhead.
All-Loving Hero: She preached a doctrine of love, tolerance and forgiveness.
Always Female: This is thought to be the case with Andraste's biological descendants. This, the loss of so many records during the Second Blight, and the fact that most cultures in Thedas use patrilineal naming traditions, is why no one knows what became of Andraste's heirs.
Crystal Dragon Jesus: She is the Messiah of a religion that bears her name, led an oppressed people against a decadent Empire, and was betrayed, killed, and then deified.
Deity of Human Origin: Unlike Jesus, she isn't considered to be inherently divine. She was just a good person whom The Maker chose to make his bride.
Divine Date: She already had a mortal husband, but The Maker picked her to be His bride as well. She initially refused, because she wouldn't abandon her people. This only made Him love her more.
Expy: Andraste has several influences. She was a warrior queen who led a rebellion against an occupying empire, like Boudica, was taken captive by said empire after being betrayed by someone close to them, as Jesus was betrayed by Judas, and was ultimately burned at the stake like Joan of Arc. Being a mortal chosen directly by the God analogue also carries elements of Mary and Mohammad.
Face Death with Dignity: When condemned to death by burning at the stake, she did not cry out in pain. This moved Archon Hessarian so much that he gave her a quicker end by his blade (which then became a religious icon for Andrastianism).
Good Is Not Soft: Being a messiah didn't stop her from picking up a sword and beheading some mofos, though.
Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Chantry art always depicts her as blonde. This may be in-universe artistic license, as she's mentioned as having red hair in other places.
Heroes Love Dogs: According to Fereldan folklore she had a loyal Mabari at her side during the war. That the chantry dismisses this as non-canon gets blamed on Orlesian bias. Given she was Fereldan herself it would actually be very strange if she didn't have one.
Heroic Lineage: Of Andraste's two biological children, her older daughter is said to have had one daughter who herself died childless while Andraste's younger daughter produced a large number of descendants, all girls. Due to a combination of patrilineal naming traditions and the records being destroyed in the Second Blight, no one knows what became of Andraste's descendants, though they are thought to still be all female.
Interspecies Romance: In The Masked Empire, it's said that many Andrastians suspected Shartan and Andraste were lovers during the rebellion.
Jeanne d'Archétype: A woman that leads an army against a powerful empire inspired by visions from her god? Check.
Jesus Was Way Cool: While debates rage regarding the Maker's morality, Andraste herself is almost never vilified. Even those in Tevinter who speculate she could be a mage still revere her, and the Dalish, who do not believe in the Maker, view her as an honorable woman for freeing the elves. This also applies to her characterization in outgame sources: while the history available to players makes no secret of the fuckery both chantries were involved in, Andraste herself is generally depicted as a force of good. At worst, World of Thedas Vol. II depicts her as too short-sighted.
Knight Templar: World of Thedas Vol. II puts forth a more critical interpretation of Andraste, suggesting that she was leading her followers into disaster because her fixation on her "divine mission" blinded her to practical concerns like making sure they had an escape route out of Tevinter's heart, and that this played a role in Maferath's betrayal.
Law of Inverse Fertility: Andraste was initially thought to be barren, so Maferath took a concubine to prevent his line from dying out. After the concubine died, Andraste had two daughters.
Messianic Archetype: She is an obvious Jesus analogue, with aspects of Mary, Mohammad, and Joan of Arc.
No Such Thing as Wizard Jesus: Subverted. The Tevinter Imperium's Chantry officially holds the position that Andraste was a very powerful mage. This is considered the darkest heresy in the Southern Chantry.
Parental Marriage Veto: It is said that Andraste was not happy when her daughter married a Tevinter Magister. Any records that weren't lost in the Second Blight were destroyed by Andraste herself.
Rebel Leader: She led a coalition of different peoples against Tevinter.
Single Sex Offspring: Her only biological children were two daughters, and one of them in turn only had girls. The Chantry has declared that all of her descendants are women, but any actual proof was lost during the second Blight or to the actions of Andraste and Vivial themselves.

Maferath

Maferath as depicted in Heroes of Dragon Age

The king of the Alamarri tribe of barbarians, and Andraste's husband before being chosen as The Maker's bride. Infamous for his later betrayal of his wife.

The Atoner: The moment he started watching Andraste burn on the pyre, he started to regret his betrayal. He prayed for forgiveness ever afterward.
Barbarian Tribe: He was the king of the Alamarri, the tribe of barbarians who would later become the Fereldans.
Chosen Conception Partner: He took a concubine to bear him heirs when it seemed Andraste was infertile, having three sons. This was later proven wrong, and she bore two daughters after Maferath's concubine died.
The Corruptible: His jealousy allowed Tevinter to corrupt him and betray Andraste to them.
Founder of the Kingdom: According to one of the canticles, he made the Alamarri officially Andrastians. His sons later went on to found what would become Orlais and Ferelden. In fact, Ferelden was crippled as a unified country for nearly five hundred years because none of the Alamarri warlords could decide who would succeed him. Had he not betrayed Andraste, it's likely Ferelden, rather than Orlais, would have been the first of the southern Andrastian nations and the focal point of their shared culture.
Green-Eyed Monster: He betrayed Andraste for jealousy. What he was jealous of depends on the context. Some say he was jealous of Andraste choosing the Maker over him, believing he could never compete with a god, and some say that he was jealous that his wife was a better ruler than he was. Some say it was both. What may or may not be his spirit in the Temple of Sacred Ashes claims the former.
Jerkass Has a Point: World of Thedas volume 2 suggests Maferath was not jealous of the Maker or his wife's popularity, although that might have played a role. Rather, he did not want to march on Tevinter's main territory, where the people would not support Andraste, without having a base in the South from which to draw strength.
Necessary Fail: It's controversial to paint him as anything other than a villain in the Andrastian doctrine, but some Chantry scholars argue that his repentance, and the fact that The Maker knew his betrayal was necessary to ascend Andraste to godhood, make him a worthy figure to remember — if only as a cautionary tale. Much the way certain thinkers view Judas in Christianity.
Patricide: He was killed by his two sons when they realized what he'd done to Andraste.
Plot-Triggering Death: His overthrow after Hessarian revealed his betrayal of Andraste doomed Ferelden to five centuries of political division and civil war. Instead of being the epicenter of the South, Ferelden is derided as a nation of upstart barbarians, and Orlais instead became the focus of Southern Thedas.
The Quisling: In the Dragon Age world, his name is synonymous with betrayal, the way "Judas" is in Christianity.
Reformed, but Rejected: Few followers of Andraste make mention of the fact that he repented, reformed, and (apparently) was forgiven by Andraste herself.

Shartan

The leader of the elves that aided Andraste in her rebellion against the Tevinter Imperium. He and his followers were given the Dales as reward.

Bald of Authority: The once leader of the elves, his spirit in the Temple of Sacred Ashes appears bald, and in Inquisition the player can find some murals that depict him as bald, as well as codices that imply he modeled himself off of ancient elvhen freedom-fighting folk heroes who also had bald heads.
Downer Ending: He either died trying to save Andraste after she was betrayed, or he was burned alive with her. She became a goddess (or, at least, a revered prophet). He didn't.
Enemy Mine: According to his Temple of Sacred Ashes spirit which may or may not be him, Shartan didn't care for humans, but "the enemy of my enemy is my friend," so he teamed up with Andraste to take down the Imperium to free his people. It's implied that they later grew to be respected allies and friends, if not lovers.
Fighting for a Homeland: According to his Sacred Ashes spirit, Shartan fought with Andraste against the Imperium to free his people from slavery and earn them a new homeland.
From Zero to Hero:. He went from being just another elven slave in Tevinter to the Rebel Leader of Andraste's elven army, and her strongest and closest general after Maferath.
Hijacked by Jesus: In-universe. According to his Sacred Ashes spirit, Shartan fought with Andraste to free his people and give them a new elven homeland. However, the few Chantry scholars who don't deny his existence downplay this in favor of depicting him as a true believer and disciple who fought for Andraste in service of their Maker, or because he was Andraste's lover.
Interspecies Romance: It's rumored that he and Andraste were lovers.
Legacy Character: In Dragon Age: Inquisition, the player can find some codices implying that Shartan might not have existed, or modeled himself after ancient elvhen folk heroes who also had bald heads, who also modeled themselves after some long forgotten ancient elvhen freedom fighter. In Trespasser, we learn that elvish folk hero and freedom fighter was Fen'Harel, Solas.
Moses Archetype: He led the elves to freedom in the rebellion against Tevinter, for which they were granted a new homeland in the Dales centered on the city of Halamshiral. Like the Biblical Moses, however, he didn't live to see it.
Rebel Leader: He led the elves that assisted Andraste's rebellion.
Undying Loyalty: He was either betrayed and burned beside Andraste due to their closeness or died trying to save her, but either way he was with her to the end.
Un-person: Following the Second Exalted March and the war against the Dales, the verses about him in the Chant were declared Dissonant (i.e. apocryphal, false), all art representing him destroyed, and even discussing him is a tricky proposition. However, his part in history is acknowledged in at least one city, and if Leliana is made Divine at the end of Inquisition, she will eventually restore his Canticle.

Old Gods

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/urthemiel_wot.jpg

Urthemiel, one of the Old Gods

Dragon gods that exist underground. Supposedly, they tricked the Tevinter Magisters into breaching the Fade and causing the Blights. As a result, they are corrupted into Archdemons. Their leader and most powerful member is Dumat, the God of Silence. The others are Zazikel, the God of Chaos; Toth, the God of Fire; Andoral, the God of Slaves; Urthemiel, the God of Beauty; Razikale, the Goddess of Mystery; and Lusacan, the God of Night.

And I Must Scream: Literally if you count their telepathic Songs. Otherwise they live in centuries-upon-centuries of paralyzed confinement.
Ambiguously Evil: While an Archdemon is a force of destruction that must be stopped at all costs, the nature of the Old Gods in their uncorrupted forms is one of the setting's biggest mysteries. Andoral is the only one of the seven that represents anything bad per se, and even he is sometimes referred to as the Dragon of Unity instead. On the other hand, each of the Old Gods is said to have tricked one of the Tevinter Magisters into invading the Golden City and compete with each other for godhood. It doesn't help that the implication that they were ever evil to begin with was mostly spread about by the Chantry. Dumat in particular is theorized, at least by Corypheus and the Chantry, to have created Darkspawn in the first place through the Taint he received.
Bad Boss: If the Darkspawn were a thinking, independent army, they'd hate serving masters who use them for constant Zerg Rushes.
Beauty Is Bad: Urthemiel, the Dragon of Beauty. He may have been this or he may have been the Token Good Teammate before he was corrupted, but after starting the Fifth Blight he was just as much a force of evil and destruction as his brothers.
Beware the Quiet Ones: Dumat, the Dragon of Silence. He's generally considered pantheon leader and his high priest, Corypheus, is the most powerful of all the Darkspawn Magisters. He was also the first to be corrupted into an Archdemon and lead a Blight, which lasted 200 years since nobody initially knew how to stop it. Beware, indeed...
Black Speech: Grey Wardens, and indeed all beings carrying the Taint, can hear the Archdemons speak to them telepathically. It is unknown just what language they use, but it is known that said language is deep, bellowing, and demonic. Only the Darkspawn and the oldest Wardens can understand what they say.
Breath Weapon: Like all dragons, they can breathe whatever element they prefer.
Chaos Is Evil: Zazikel, the Dragon of Chaos. While his status as this pre-corruption is up in the air (he was also known as the God of Freedom), he was the second Archdemon to be corrupted, and the Blight he led lasted 90 years and is indirectly responsible for the elf/Chantry split (the elves caught a bad case of Bystander Syndrome and did nothing, which is a bad idea during an event basically everyone agrees is a Godzilla Threshold) and the destruction of a lot of pre-Chantry historical records, such as the marriage records that would identify Andraste's biological descendants.
Cosmic Keystone: Solas in Inquisition believes that the Old Gods are somehow vital to the world. He hates the Grey Wardens because their method of ending Blights destroys the Old Gods' souls. Solas thinks that destroying all of them could ultimately lead to something worse than any Blight... though he never does give a solution for how people are supposed to survive the Blights in the first place without killing Archdemons. Word of God once commented offhandedly that "Dragon blood is the blood of Thedas", but this has never been expounded upon.
Dark Is Evil: Lusacan is the Dragon of Night. While he wasn't considered evil by his Tevinter followers, the Chantry believes that he tricked the Magisters Sidereal into corrupting the Golden City. Currently, he's mostly neutral as he's hibernating and hasn't been corrupted yet, but when he does become an Archdemon, he'd be this unquestionably.
Dracolich: When they are corrupted by the Blight, they basically become this—a Blighted monstrosity that can't truly die, with tattered wings and rotted flesh.
Dream Walker: They communicated with the Tevinter Magisters through their dreams.
Eldritch Abomination: Though Archdemons take the form of corrupted dragons, their true forms are supposedly far more nightmarish and twisted. Pretty much everything the Taint or the Darkspawn touch is turned into this.
The End of the World as We Know It: Any time one awakens to lead a Blight. The Dalish Elves believe that, if every Old God is eventually slain, something far, far worse than a Blight will occur.
Evil Is Burning Hot: Toth, the Dragon of Fire, who commanded the Third Blight, which lasted 15 years. It's unknown if he was evil pre-corruption, but this most definitely applied afterwards.
Evil Overlord: They command the entire horde of Darkspawn when awakened.
Evil Takes a Nap: It is said that the Maker sealed them into eternal sleep in special prisons. Some scholars believe they are only hibernating like any other animal and were never sealed away at all.
Expy: They’re kind of a mish-mash of Satan and the Leviathan of the Bible; ancient beasts from below that are unknowable, incredibly powerful, dangerous, and just being in their presence is enough corrupt other beings.
God of Darkness: Lusacan is the God of Night, and is associated with the constellation of the Shadow.
God of Evil: In the Andrastian religion, they're considered this. They're equivalent to the Serpent in the Garden of Eden, turning Man away from the "one true god".
Guilt-Free Extermination War: Although the Architect claims to want to change this, as it stands the Old Gods and their Darkspawn minions cannot peacefully coexist with other intelligent life. Although defeated in each Blight thus far, each time the Archdemons come close to eradicating all life in Thedas; Dumat's Blight alone wiped out well over a third of humanity when it occurred, not even counting the other races involved. Similar situations occur outside of Blights. If they're not on the surface, the Darkspawn fight for the Old Gods underground, making endless war on the Dwarves (when they're not busy fighting each other). The Dwarves know all too well that the war with the Darkspawn is eternal, and won't end until one side or the other is wiped out entirely.
Harbinger of Impending Doom: The appearance of an Archdemon marks the start of a new Blight.
I Have Many Names: Maybe. The codex entries for a few constellations in Inquisition suggests that many of the constellations attributed to the Old Gods were originally attributed to Elven gods and then supplanted at some point during the reign of Tevinter. For example, Silentir (attributed to Dumat) is speculated to originally represent Mythal, and Tenebrium (attributed to Lusacan) is speculated to originally represent Falon'Din. However, Solas (an Elven historian) states that there exists no lore that connects the Elven gods to the Old Gods at all. As Fen'Harel, he would know... but Fen'Harel also speaks in metaphorical truth.
Light Is Not Good: The Old Gods are beautiful and vibrant beings before being turned into Archdemons, but even then they have malicious intent. We think.
My Death Is Only The Beginning: Hence why only Grey Wardens can kill them. Whenever one dies, its spirit leaves its carcass and searches for a body to possess and transform, usually Darkspawn.
The Old Gods: As their name implies, this is what they're referred to. Thus far, it's never been revealed what they are exactly, or why they're called "Old".
Omnicidal Maniac: Tevinter learned the hard way. The Old Gods seek to kill everyone and everything that isn't Tainted in their Blights, even former worshipers.
Our Dragons Are Different:
- There are Dragonlings, Dragons, and High Dragons, and then there are these guys. No one knows exactly what they are, or if they're truly dragons, since no one has spoken to one since the glory days of Tevinter. The Archdemon in Origins, an Old God corrupted by the Blight, does not take extra damage from weapons that deal more damage against Dragons and Darkspawn because it is neither.
- The Chantry claims that the Old Gods are extremely powerful spirits that took the forms of dragons after enticing their followers into summoning them into the physical world. Though the Chantry is far from the most reliable source, there is at least one case unrelated to the Old Gods where a spirit that was worshipped as a deity was summoned and then bound into the body of a High Dragon. The resulting dragon-abomination was said to be as powerful as Dumat.
Physical God: Supposedly. As far as we've seen, though, they're only stronger, more intelligent dragons. However, if Kieran is a vessel of one, not only he can activate an Eluvian without the key and redirect it to the Fade, something that Morrigan claims that it required a unimaginable amount of power to do, he can also walk in the Fade unharmed.
Sailor Earth: There is speculation among scholars In-Universe that there may in fact be eight Old Gods rather than seven. This theory is mainly born from the Fridge Logic of the Tevinter Imperium identifying the Draconis constellation as a dragon even before the first Blight when dragon iconography was reserved for the seven known Old Gods. Whatever Number 8 was god of and what he did to be stricken from history remains completely unknown.
Samus Is a Girl: Originally, all seven Old Gods were assumed to be male, but inscriptions found in the Temple of Razikale in the Frostback Basin refer to Razikale with female pronouns.
Sealed Evil in a Can
- They are sealed deep underground. The reasons why vary. The Darkspawn, however, actively search for them and dig them out.
- Once an Old God is corrupted into an Archdemon and slain, its corpse becomes a vital component for sealing the corresponding High Priest that invaded the Golden City.
Slavery Is a Special Kind of Evil: Andoral, the Dragon of Slaves. Unquestionably a bad thing to begin with but became even worse when Andoral was corrupted and began the Fourth Blight; the Grey Warden who killed him was an elf, the race that the Old Gods' followers enslaved. Andoral stands out as the only Old God to have an explicitly negative title, though he also carried the lesser-known title of the Dragon of Unity.
The Smurfette Principle: Razikale is identified as female, while the other six are identified as male.
Token Good Teammate: Yes, he was the latest Archdemon, but let's remember that as an Old God, Urthemiel was the God of Beauty. Contrast Dumat, Zazikel, Toth, and Andoral, who were, respectively, the gods of silence, chaos, fire, and slaves. And Razikale and Lusacan, the gods of mystery and night. Compared to the other six, Urthemiel's role was very benign. On the other hand, Urthemiel supposedly encouraged his own high priest (precisely the man who would become the Architect and who in the following centuries would have found, awakened and corrupted Urthemiel himself in an Archdemon) to invade the Golden City just like his siblings did with theirs.
Taking You with Me: An Archdemon's death throws are violent enough to kill everyone in their physical range. It is said that Dumat killed at least seven Grey Wardens when they finally killed him for good. As a result, no one knows who actually dealt the final blow. In light of the Dark Ritual that potentially spared Urthimiel, this also means that no one knows for sure if the Grey Warden who killed Dumat really died as a result of doing so, or if it was just the violence of Dumat's death throws...
Top God: Dumat is generally considered the leader of the other gods.
Trickster God: Both the Andrastian Chantry and Corypheus agree on this much; the Old Gods tricked the Magister into entering the Golden City. The difference is what exactly the "trick" was. According to the former, it was persuading them into betraying The Maker. According to the latter, it was that the Black City was already empty and corrupted before they got there. Word of God is that the Black City was verifiably golden in appearance before the Magister's attempt to invade it however, which raises even more questions.
Women Are Wiser: Razikale, the only Old God identified as female, is referred to as "She Who Winds the Skein of Wisdom" and her domain governs knowledge. This does not mean that she is any more or less malicious than her brothers.

The Magisters Sidereal

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/magisters_sidereal.jpg

The seven Tevinter Magisters who, encouraged by the Old Gods they worshipped, decided to invade the Golden City, bringing the First Blight into the world and being turned into the First Darkspawn as a result. Corypheus, real name Sethius Amladaris, was the most powerful of them and the first to be tempted with the prospect of godhood. He then went to the Architect of the Works of Beauty for help. The Architect was originally reluctant but eventually convinced by the prospect of using his powers to improve Thedas, and he brought the other five in on the plan. The other five were the Madman of Chaos, the Forgewright of Fire, the Appraiser of Slavery, the Augur of Mystery, and the Watchman of Night.

The Archmage: They were all powerful Tevinter Magisters, a position that requires a lot of magical clout. Corypheus proves that they haven't lost their touch since becoming Darkspawn.
Asskicking Leads to Leadership: They can influence normal Darkspawn by virtue of being powerful (and weird) enough to scare them into submission. Corypheus at least can imitate the Calling of the Old Gods, but it's unknown whether others share this ability, as the Architect demonstrably does not.
Body Horror: Gained some upon being turned into Darkspawn.
Did We Just Have Tea with Cthulhu?: The A Different Darkspawn? codex entry recounts a story of a dwarf who got lost in the Deep Roads and was saved by a talking Darkspawn, who gave him food and water and had a chat with him about the surface. Given that the Magisters Sidereal are the only Darkspawn to be naturally sapient, it's likely he stumbled upon one of the Chantry's seven Satan analogues and had a friendly conversation with him.
Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": They're all known by the titles they took, which were pretty much part of their jobs as high priests. The only Magister Sidereal whose name is known is Sethius Amladaris, the one who originally came up with the plan and who would later be known as Corypheus.
High Priest: They were all high priests of the ancient Tevinter pantheon. Unfortunately, this left them vulnerable to temptation by the very gods they worshipped.
It Can Think: The most common initial reaction to meeting one is surprise at how talkative that strange Darkspawn is.
Pride: The generally accepted reason they decided to invade the Golden City. The only one with a different motivation given is the Architect of Beauty (undecided until Urthemiel told him he could use his newfound powers for good), and even he was tempted by the prospect of power. Fenris generally accepts their story because he believes that 'arrogant enough to literally invade Heaven if they could' is a very good description of most Magisters he knows.
Monster Progenitor: They're widely accepted as being the first Darkspawn and bringing the Blights into the world, with the Old Gods' corruption into Archdemons being because they encouraged the Sidereals.
The Punishment: Sure, being a Darkspawn is not the most pleasant of fates, but it did give the Sidereals extra powers and some level of control over the Taint.
Red Baron: They all protected their identities by taking on titles referencing their gods: the Conductor of the Choir of Silence, the Architect of the Works of Beauty, the Watchman of Night, Forgewright of Fire, Appraiser of Slavery, Augur of Mystery, and Madman of Chaos.
Sealed Evil in a Can: The Conductor of the Choir of Silence at least was confirmed to have been sealed away because his pseudo-Calling meant the Grey Wardens couldn't outright kill him. One of the components of his seal was the corpse of Dumat, the Archdemon he worshipped. This makes it possible but unconfirmed that the Madman, the Forgewright, and the Appraiser were also sealed away using the corpses of Zazikel, Toth, and Andoral, respectively. Since Razikale and Lusacan have not yet been corrupted and slain, the Augur and the Watchman cannot have been sealed away using this method. The Architect of Beauty could potentially be sealed with this method post-Origins, but the events of Awakening and a mention in II pretty much confirm that he's still free if the player didn't kill him.
Shrouded in Myth: Most of the records about them were lost, and a good chunk of the rest was declared heresy and removed from the Chant of Light, leaving little beyond occasional stories about wanderers encountering surprisingly polite and chatty Darkspawn. Anders doesn't even believe they exist, thinking that the story was made up by the Chantry to justify imprisoning mages in the Circles. He gets a very unpleasant surprise if he comes along for Legacy and meets Corypheus.
Anders: That's ridiculous! There were no magical boogeymen who trespassed in the Maker's city. It's a story.
Fenris: You don't think a Magister would be arrogant enough to challenge the Maker? You need to meet more Magisters.
Sebastian: The Chantry would not make such things up! The story is true, or as true as we can ever know.
Anders: It's Chantry propaganda.
Token Good Teammate: The Architect of Beauty was initially conflicted about the plan, and what convinced him to go ahead was Urthemiel telling him that he could use his powers to make Thedas a paradise. And if he really is The Architect from Awakening, then he still just wants to solve the problem of Blights- albeit that he's forgotten how morality works over the centuries. There's also the one in the codex entry who saved the life of a Dwarven smuggler, who could be any of them except Corypheus (since he was sealed away during the First Blight).
Unknown Character: One confirmed Magister Sidereal has appeared (Corypheus), and one heavily implied (the Architect). The whereabouts of the other five are unknown. Corypheus isn't sure if the others even escaped the Golden City, and he doesn't care either. A codex entry mentions an argument between three magisters, so at least four survived (those three + Corypheus, and it can even be five of them if the Architect wasn't one of the three unnamed magisters), but that's all we get. Complicating matters even further is the speculation among scholars that an eighth Old God was stricken from the historical record, raising the possibility that this forgotten god had his own Magister, who may or may not have even cooperated with the others.
Un-person: According to Corypheus's memories, all records of who they really were as humans have been erased.
Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Their act of entering the Golden City is generally agreed to have caused the first Blight.
Unwitting Pawn: To the Old Gods, who convinced them that entering the Golden City would make them gods themselves. It didn't work out the way they or the Old Gods presumably wanted.
Was Once a Man: Were mortal mages before they decided to go turn themselves into gods and accidentally wound up as the first Darkspawn.
We ARE Struggling Together: They're mentioned to have plotted against both enemies and one another, and only came together to break into the Fade because none of them were strong enough on their own. Currently, none have any association with each other and Corypheus himself doesn't know or care what became of the others. A codex article, framed as a dwarf recounting a family story in his diary, recounts an argument between three of them over their expedition to the Golden City, in which all three blamed each other but could barely even remember for what, and it ended with one murdering and cannibalizing another.

Elven Pantheon/Evanuris

Elven Pantheon In General

Ambition Is Evil: Their lust for power lead them to commit terrible crimes to the elves. Eventually they turned on Mythal, killing her for being the only check to their growing power and insatiable greed.
Ambiguous Situation: Whether or not they were actually "gods" or simply powerful elves. Morrigan, who always believed the latter, starts to have doubts when she learns what sort of abilities these "gods" have. As it stands, they may be so powerful that "god" is the only word sufficient to describe them. Trespasser reveals that they were indeed powerful elven rulers, but what they were capable of made even the other elves worship them as gods. The anthology novel Tevinter Nights reveals that they have more in common with Eldritch Abominations than the phrase "powerful immortal mages" implies.
Animal Motifs: Each of the elven gods is associated with a particular animal, though the knowledge of what that animal was has been lost in some cases.
- Mythal's sacred animal is the dragon.
- Falon'Din's sacred animal is the owl.
- Dirthamen's sacred animal is the bear.
- Andruil's sacred animals are the hare and the hawk.
- Ghilan'nain's sacred animal is the halla.
- Fen'harel's sacred animal is the wolf.
- Elgar'nan, June, and Sylaise's sacred animals have been lost to history.
Decadent Court: It's hinted that the daily lives of the pantheon played out a lot like the courtly intrigue in modern palaces, but with magic.
Divine Conflict:
- The original conflict between Elgar'nan and his father, The Sun. Elgar'nan was prepared to let the world stay a barren wasteland just to spite his old man.
- They were locked in a Forever War against The Forgotten Ones until Fen'Harel (according to legend) locked both sides away.
The Force Is Strong with This One: According to Solas, each of them is actually not really a god but their individual raw magical power at the time, far superior to both that of the other mages of their time and the vast majority of those who exist today on Thedas, is sufficient, along with their immortality, to allow them to actually be considered as divine beings.
Have You Seen My God?: Elven legend says they were locked away by Fen'Harel. However, Inquisition reveals that Fen'Harel did so after Mythal was in fact betrayed and murdered. In fact, when Flemeth is revealed to actually be Mythal, an elven Inquisitor can call her out on precisely this, saying that despite being present after Arlathan fell, Mythal/Flemeth has answered none of the prayers and supplication her people made in desperation and despair in all those centuries.
Jerkass Gods: Almost every single Elven god has some sort of myth that makes them seem like assholes. Elgar'nan had no concept of the difference between justice and revenge, obliterating innocent and guilty alike. Falon'Din massacred elves in huge numbers to satisfy his ego with worshippers. Andruil hunted The Forgotten Ones until she became a maddened berserker. And so on, and so forth. Only Mythal kept it together. This combined with their murder of Mythal justifies why Fen'Harel thought they needed to be brought down a peg. And Fen'Harel is planning to risk an apocalypse by tearing down the Veil just to soothe his own guilt for the fall of the Ancient Elves.
Sealed Evil in a Can: Fen'Harel locked them away beyond the Fade after creating the Veil. He now wishes to undo this in order to restore immortality to the elves, knowing that this will devastate all other races.
Sufficiently Advanced Aliens: Solas reveals in Trespasser that the Elven pantheon are merely phenomenally powerful, immortal mages rather than actual gods who rose to prominence after an unknown war and established an empire where they were revered as deities.

Elgar'nan

King of the gods and god of Fatherhood and Vengeance.

Asskicking Leads to Leadership: The strongest of the Elven gods, who took his throne from his father by force.
God of Good: The leader of the Elven pantheon, the "good guys".
Good Is Not Soft: He will beat the crap out of anyone who angers him.
Kill It with Fire: Part of his origin myth is The Sun burning everything on the land to a cinder, but he himself is also associated with the element, as well as light, which may not be a coincidence. It is also said that his fire is the reason Dwarves fear the sun.
The Maker: In contrast to the Chantry's version, Elven lore say it was he who remade the world, after The Sun destroyed the original one.
The Patriarch: The leader of the gods, and also the god of Fatherhood.
Roaring Rampage of Revenge: His other speciality, besides Fatherhood.
Top God: Of the Elven Pantheon, ruling with his queen, Mythal.

Mythal

Goddess of Love, Motherhood, and Justice. Also Queen of the gods, wife of Elgar'nan, mother of the rest of the pantheon.

Abusive Parents: She's accused of this by Morrigan. She actually looks hurt at the accusation... but does not deny it.
Dragons Are Divine: The queen of the gods is strongly associated with dragons. Probably because she can turn into one.
For Great Justice: One of her spheres.
God Is Dead: According to her most devout follower, Mythal was killed by... something. Turns out she was killed by the other Elven Gods becasue she was Only Sane Woman. She herself verifies that she's out for Revenge, and that she's only a wisp of what she once was.
God Was My Copilot: Flemeth all but states this to be the case.
Have You Seen My God?: If playing as a Dalish Inquisitor, s/he will desperately ask where the hell Mythal's been all this time. The elves have prayed for her to save them for millennia, with no answer. The answer is that she was painfully weakened and more interested in avenging herself upon her killers.
Living Lie Detector: If you pray to her for vengeance against an innocent party, she will know... and she will not be happy.
Love Goddess: In Elven lore. Not just romantic love, but also the love of family.
Mama Bear: According to Solas, Mythal was not quite as gentle and all-loving as the Dalish depict her, since she was the Goddess of Justice as well as Motherhood. He explains that this is because she is the Goddess of Motherhood — while mothers can be very gentle and loving to their children, they can also be wrathful and vengeful against those who hurt their children.
Mysterious Backer: To the Wardens in the first game, saving their lives, sending Morrigan with them, and giving them the ancient treaties that propel their quest. To Hawke in the second game, saving the party from Darkspawn and helping get them to Kirkwall where the rest of the story takes place. To the Inquisitor at the conclusion of the third game, helping defeat the Big Bad.
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Mythal was the first of the Evanuris to kill a Titan, and inspired the others to follow suit. This led to them unleashing something that Fen'Harel's followers thought would destroy the world if it wasn't contained.
Not Quite Dead: Although the other Gods had tried to end her, a small wisp of her spirit was able to survive and found its way to Flemeth.
Only Sane Woman: She was the only god who was not too proud, vain, or wrathful. This resulted in her having to clean up most of the other gods' messes and keep them in check. She is revealed to have been murdered for this reason.
People Puppets: Anyone who drinks from the Well of Sorrows has to do whatever she says, in both life and death, forever.
Pet the Dog: When Morrigan begs her to leave her son alone, and lashes out against her, she just takes part of what she came for, leaving Kieran and some encouraging words. And unlike Solas and Abelas and with all of her faults, she praises the Dalish Inquisitor for making the People proud.
Physical God: She inhabits the body of Flemeth.
Protectorate: Allegedly a protector goddess (which makes a Dalish Inquisitor upset that she didn't protect them.)
Revenge: According to Flemeth, Mythal's motivations are "a reckoning which will shake the very heavens."
Sealed Evil in a Can: Mythal sealed away the pillars of the earth, enemies that the ancient elves once fought against.
Supernatural Gold Eyes: The only people in the setting with gold eyes are those who have a direct connection to Mythal.
Top God: Alongside her husband, Elgar'nan.
Unreliable Expositor: We have no idea how much of what she tells us in the third game is the truth. The only verification we get are "voices", who themselves only do what she tells them to.
What the Hell, Hero?: Morrigan and a Dalish Inquisitor can both call her out on being a terrible mother (in Morrigan's case) and goddess to her people (for the Dalish).
Women Are Wiser: In the Monomyth, she persuaded the angry and prideful Elgar'nan to release his father from imprisonment so that life could grow again. Similarly, when Elves prayed for a god to give them justice, they always went to Mythal rather than Elgar'nan, because he would destroy everything in his fury, while she could better mediate true justice.
Your Soul Is Mine!: A person that drinks from the Well of Sorrows belongs to her, mind, body and soul, for all eternity.

Falon'Din

The god of Death and Fortune. Twin brother of Dirthamen.

The Grim Reaper: The Elven god of Death. That said, according to Dalish lore, he's a very Nice Guy who gently guides the spirits of deceased souls (be they animals or people) to the Fade, where they can find eternal knowledge and peace. According to Solas, who is also Fen'Harel, this was not the case.
Nice Guy: He offers to guide people to Enlightenment, as well as the world beyond the Veil after their death. Solas contradicts this view of him, though, saying that Falon'Din massacred a lot of elves in a war to get more worshippers simply because he was vain.
Mercy Kill: Finding a sickly deer in the woods, he picked her up and carried her to the afterlife.
Single-Minded Twins: For the most part, he and his brother are only separated a handful of times, and they're never happy about it. The Temple of Mythal has lore indicating that while they were indeed incredibly close, they were not twins, nor friends, nor lovers, but had some other relationship that seems vaguely spiritual with no modern equivalent.
Twin Desynch: According to Dalish lore, Falon'Din and his twin brother Dirthamen were inseparable and indistinguishable until the day Falon'Din took pity on a dying deer and carried her soul beyond the Veil, where Dirthamen could not follow. Dirthamen struggled in his absence, but when they reunited Falon'Din had decided to become a guide to souls in the afterlife, while Dirthamen decided to be seeker and sharer of knowledge and secrets to those mortal souls.
Undying Loyalty: To his brother.

Dirthamen

God of Secrets and Knowledge.

Defeat Means Friendship: Fear and Deceit became his servants after being outsmarted by him.
Expy: His ravens, Fear and Deceit, are similar to Odin's ravens Thought and Memory in Norse Mythology.
Familiars: His ravens, Fear and Deceit, whose loyalty he gained after he tricked them.
Secret-Keeper: His godly sphere. He is not pleased if a secret he gives someone is revealed, however. It is said that the bear is his sacred animal because they were the only creatures to keep the secret he shared with them.
Trickster God: Dabbled from time to time, though not to the degree of Fen'harel.
Twin Desynch: According to Dalish lore, Dirthamen and his twin brother Falon'Din were inseparable and indistinguishable until the day Falon'Din took pity on a dying deer and carried her soul beyond the Veil, where Dirthamen could not follow. Dirthamen struggled in his absence (mostly due to Fear and Deceit), but when they reunited, Falon'Din had decided to become a guide to souls in the afterlife, while Dirthamen decided to be a seeker and sharer of knowledge and secrets to those mortal souls.
Undying Loyalty: When tempted to betray his brother (out of fear of being betrayed first), he refused.

Andruil

Goddess of the Hunt and creator of the Vir Tanadahl.

Determinator: The second tenet of the Three Trees: "Bend but never break".
Fallen Hero: Traveling to The Abyss to hunt The Forgotten Ones made Andruil more and more crazed each time she went. Eventually, she returned just as much of a threat as her prey. Mythal had to fight and defeat her to get her to come to her senses.
Friend to All Living Things: She protected all animals and bade that the elves do the same.
Hunter of Monsters: On the other hand, she hunted all monsters and vicious beasts that were a danger to others, to point of almost killing off all of Ghilan'nain's creations.
The Fettered: The creator of the Vir Tanadahl or, the Way of the Three Trees.
Heroic Resolve: The first tenet of the Three Trees: "Fly straight and do not waver".
Hunter of Monsters: Andruil reportedly ventured into The Abyss many times to hunt The Forgotten Ones, Titans, and other monstrosities within.
Multiple-Choice Past: Elven legend cannot decide if she was a daughter of Elgar'nan and Mythal, or if she independently formed from the earth.
The Power of Friendship: The third of her tenants is "Together, we are stronger than the one."
Sibling Yin-Yang: To her sister Sylaise, since Andruil was said to be a Hot-Blooded Hunter of Monsters while Sylaise was a Nice Girl, and a bit of homebody.

Sylaise

Hearthkeeper goddess.

Divine Incest: Implied. Myths disagree on whether Sylaise and June are brother and sister or husband and wife. While the obvious third option is never brought up in-universe, it is assumed that players familiar with this trope in real-world mythology will pick up on it.
Healer God: Sylaise is said to have taught the elves how to heal, and her domain governs all magical and mundane forms of healing and medicine.
Healing Hands: One of her gifts to the elven people was the knowledge of healing magic.
The Mentor: Taught elves the basics of survival.
Nice Girl: According to elven legend, at least. According to Fen'Harel, she was just as power-mad as the rest of the Evanuris.
Multiple-Choice Past
- Like her sister, Andruil, elven legends cannot agree on whether Sylaise was a daughter of Elgar'nan and Mythal, or if she formed from the earth itself.
- Elven legend also disagrees one whether she and June were siblings or spouses.
Playing with Fire: The Song to Sylaise in the temple of Mythal suggest she was this trope. Her heat is said to "rival Elgar'nan's light."
Sibling Yin-Yang: To her sister Andruil, since Andruil was said to be a Hot-Blooded Hunter of Monsters while Sylaise was a Nice Girl, and a bit of homebody.
What Kind of Lame Power Is Heart, Anyway?: According to some in-universe Dalish Keepers, while lots of Dalish kids adopt Andruil's Creed to live by, few to none want to live by Sylaise's code, since being a peaceful healer and hearthkeeper is not nearly as glamorous or badass as being a warrior or hunter.

June

God of Crafts.

The Blacksmith: While a god of "crafts," is said to have taught elves how to craft weapons and armor as well as many other useful items.
Creating Life: It's said that he created himself.
Divine Incest: Implied. Myths disagree on whether Sylaise and June are brother and sister or husband and wife. While the obvious third option is never brought up in-universe, it is assumed that players familiar with this trope in real-world mythology will pick up on it.
The Mentor: He taught elves how to make everything, including bows, knives and other tools.
Multiple-Choice Past
- Elven legend varies on whether he created himself, or if he was another child of Mythal and Elgar'nan.
- Some legends paint him as Sylaise's brother, and others as her husband.
Odd Job Gods: No one is entirely sure what his "craft" actually was before Tevinter began destroying and defacing all his records. They apparently did not find it useful.

Ghilan'nain

Mother of the Halla.

Disproportionate Retribution: In Dalish tales, she asked the gods to curse a hunter for killing a hawk (a sacred animal). The gods made it so he could never kill anything again. In return, he blinded her, tied her in a forest and left her for dead. She prays to the gods again (this time for help), and after being freed by some hares, the gods turned her into a halla (a special white deer), the first of its kind.
Divine Date: The lover of Andruil, the Goddess of the Hunt.
Mad Scientist: Of the Mad Biologist type. The murals at Temple of Mythal hint at this with the story of her creating monsters. And then we get to Tevinter Nights anthology.
Maker of Monsters: According to lore found within the Temple of Mythal, when Ghilan'nain was mortal she created several monsters and beasts besides the halla. They were all so violent and untameable that Andruil hunted most of them down and offered her godhood if she destroyed them all. She did so, and became the youngest of the Elven gods
- We get to see one of her labs in "The Horror of Hormak" short story. Let's just say that she earned her reputation.
Multiple-Choice Past: The Dalish and the Arlathan versions of her origin differ vastly, the former being a simple elven hunter who was turned into the first halla, and the latter was a creator of monsters (and halla) who later became a goddess.
The Purge: She destroyed every monster she ever made except the halla, some flying creatures and an unnamed sea monster, in response to Andruil's offer that she would ascend to godhood by doing so.
Red Baron: Known as Mother of Halla, the First Halla and Mother of Monsters.
Odd Job Gods: She's the mother of all halla, and basically the goddess of everything related to them. The Dalish also consider her a god of navigation.
Slasher Smile: If she's the priestess depicted on the murals in the hidden laboratory under Hormak.
White Hair, Black Heart: She's depicted either as a white halla or a white-haired woman in art. She's also an amoral mad scientist according to what we learn in "The Horror of Hormak" from Tevinter Nights.

Fen'Harel

The Dread Wolf, the malevolent Trickster God, who tricked the elven pantheon and the Forgotten Ones into trapping themselves somewhere beyond the Fade. The Dalish worship him as a form of appeasement, as they believe he is the only god that still walks among the People.

Appropriated Appellation: Fen'Harel was a nickname given to him by his enemies that he eventually took on as an actual name since it inspires hope from his allies and fear from his enemies. His real name is Solas.
God Was My Copilot: The end of the Dragon Age: Inquisition reveals one of your staunchest allies, Solas, to be Fen'Harel. Also reveals him not to be a god, just a very powerful, old and knowledgeable mortal (in the sense that he's flesh and blood anyway, as he is ageless). He is VERY powerful though; the myths massively undersold what he did.
Have You Seen My God?:
- The disappearance of the Elven pantheon is blamed on him. In Trespasser it is revealed that he is really responsible for this event, by creating the Veil and in so doing, banishing the pantheon into the beyond. In contrast with the Dalish lore that he did it For the Evulz, he did it as punishment for them murdering the only level-headed one among them, Mythal.
- In Inquisition, it's revealed he was sleeping for an unspecified amount of time and thus was absent himself.
Historical Villain Upgrade: Zig-Zagged. He was described as a malevolent trickster-god, a 'bringer of nightmares' and a villain in general as far as Dalish lore is concerned. He is in fact not much of a trickster, and not a god as well. His malevolence is exaggerated in some ways, but in others not so much. If one believes what Solas says at the end of Trespasser, his 'betrayal' was committed in order to end the tyranny of the Evanuris and free the elves from oppression, but also in Trespasser, he's trying to tear down the Veil in order to bring the ancient Elves back, which has the not-so-insignificant side effect of killing every other living thing on the planet.
"Just So" Story: It's suggested that the story about his betrayal was made after-the-fact to explain why the gods ignored the downfall of the elves, although many Dalish believe it sincerely. His 'betrayal' is revealed to have been true in Trespasser. Although it is debatable whether that was really a betrayal, since judging from contemporary accounts he seemed to be a prominent revolutionary, and unlikely to have been on the Evanuris' side in the first place.
Laughing Mad: According to Dalish lore, after Fen'Harel betrayed and imprisoned the Creators, he spent centuries hugging himself and giggling madly with glee. Seeing as Solas' sentiments on what he did is I Did What I Had to Do at best and My God, What Have I Done? at worst, this is most likely untrue.
Mysterious Backer: To the Inquisitor. As Solas, he is responsible for keeping the Inquisitor alive after they step out of the Fade, showing them how to close rifts, explaining how the Breach might be closed, and telling the Herald where to find Skyhold.
Pet the Dog: One of his myths has him save a village by setting up a trap for a beast that plagued them every night by firing a slow arrow in the morning that descended and hit the monster when it showed up in the evening.
Rebel Leader: Apparently this is what he is, a prominent revolutionary that 'broke the chains of all who wished to join him.'
Walking Spoiler: His role in world events is enormous and his true identity can't really be discussed without spoiling lots of stuff.

The Forgotten Ones

Anti-gods, the number of which is unknown. The three known named gods are: Anaris, Geldauran and Daern'thal. No one knows much about them, other than the fact they were apparently evil and were locked in conflict with the Elven pantheon.

The Corruption: The Abyss, where they supposedly dwell, is mentioned to be filled with some sort of Corruption. Even a goddess, like Andruil, would eventually turn crazy when she came in contact with it. That does sound a little familiar...
God of Evil: All of them are considered the "evil" gods.
Historical Villain Upgrade: The Forgotten Ones are suggested in the DLC Trespasser to have been the Forbidden Ones, with Xebenkeck being mentioned as one of the Forgotten Ones. They are implied to have been Dirty Coward Elves who discarded their physical form to reside in the Fade so that they could survive the war.
Rape, Pillage, and Burn: Apparently all that they were interested in.
Sealed Evil in a Can: They were locked away, along with the rest of the Elven pantheon, according to myth.

"The Sun"

The creator deity and primordial deity of the Elven Pantheon. At this point, almost no one knows anything about it.

Archnemesis Dad: According to the lore, The Sun grew jealous of The Land's affection for their son and the gifts she gave him. So he destroyed everything she made and scorched her.
The Atoner: His imprisonment and later release mellowed him out some.
Disproportionate Retribution: He destroyed the world because his mate loved their son more than him.
Jerkass Gods: Was willing to destroy all life, and painfully burn his mate (The Land) for not paying him enough attention.
Top God: Of the "God of Gods" variety. He (or "she" or "it") was the original deity, along with the Earth. When the two of them "touched", it created Elgar'nan.

"The Land"

The primordial Earth deity that existed before the Elven pantheon and is responsible for creating and protecting all life.

Doting Parent: She was absolutely smitten with her son, and produced as many gifts, such as life, landscape, and other wonders, as she could to please him.
Earth Mother: The creator of all life, which she made as a gift for her son.
"Just So" Story: Oceans exist because she wept from the loss of all the gifts she gave her son (not to mention the agony from the fact that The Sun scorched her entire surface).
Top God: Like The Sun, The Land fulfils the "God of Gods" variety.
Truly Single Parent: It is said that her second child, Mythal, appeared fully formed from the ocean that was created by The Land's tears, with no involvement from The Sun.

Dwarven Belief

The Stone

While not a "god", per se, The Stone (referred to as a "she" by the dwarves) is the entity that protects the dwarves and provides for them.

The Corruption: "Weak stone" (what the dwarves chip away to build things) is said to corrupt and weaken The Stone. To make her stronger and closer to perfection, they must continue to chip away at it, as well as their own imperfection.
Earth Mother: Basically what she is to the dwarves. A provider and nurturing figure.
Psychic Link: Dwarves claim that she possesses this with them.
Social Darwinist: Not her, specifically, but she makes it necessary. Surfacers, exiles, the casteless, and other "undesirables" are outcast or oppressed in Dwarven society to prevent their weaknesses and imperfections from being added to The Stone after they die. As the Dwarves chip away imperfect ore, they must also chip away the unworthy from their own society.
Spirit Advisor: Dwarves believe that their ancestors "return to The Stone" when they die, and thus guide future generations.

Paragon Aeducan

The founder of House Aueducan, the Royal Family of Orzammar.

Ancestral Weapon: His Shield of Aeducan.
Asskicking Leads to Leadership: Aeducan was made a Paragon for leading the dwarven armies against the darkspawn during the First Blight.
Badass Family: Is the progenitor of King Endrin, Prince Bhelen, and the Dwarf Noble Warden.
From Zero to Hero: From a Warrior caste nobody who never entered a single proving, to a Paragon willing to lead Orzammar against the Blight.
Heroic Self-Deprecation: He considered his inability to save Orzammar without resorting to what was essentially treason and abandonment of other dwarves to be his greatest failures. Ironically, he might have been the only person in existence who believed he did not deserve to be a Paragon.
I Did What I Had to Do: While the Assembly bickered over which of their thaigs to save from the onslaught of the First Blight, the central city of Orzammar was imperiled itself. Rather than wait for a decision, Aeducan sealed Orzammar off from the rest of the deep roads, sacrificing the thaigs but saving Orzammar. He regretted these actions for the rest of his life.
Universally Beloved Leader: Aside from one abstention, all votes for his Paragon-hood were in his favor.

Paragon Hirol

The founder of the noble House Hirol. He has also established the great thaig of Kal'Hirol which is named after him.

The Ace: According to his Codex entry, Paragon Hirol was this. He thought the dwarven Fantastic Caste System was bunk and set out to prove it by mastering all the skills of Warriors, Smiths, and Nobles. His accomplishments at warfare and smithing were so great that the Assembly named him a Paragon, whereupon he built one of the wealthiest and most prestigious noble houses in the old dwarven empire.
Big Eater: Hirol is also known to love rich food, which rendered him substantially fat during his last years.
Master of All: By becoming an expert in the fields of combat, smithing, and noble politics.
Ultimate Blacksmith: Became a master blacksmith in his day. When the fortress of Kal'Hirol was founded, the Paragon expanded the thaig making it a center of learning for smiths. While in the thaig's workshops, Hirol conceived important inventions one of which was the inferno golem, an invention that made normal golems more resilient and powerful.

Paragon Fairel

Inventor of enchantment and runes. He is also the founder and initial ruler of the only known surface colony that the Dwarves ever attempted.

Founder of the Kingdom: Was the first (and last) dwarf to ever found a surface thaig.
The Greatest Story Never Told: Like all surfacers, he and his caste have been completely forgotten by the Dwarves by the modern day.
My God, What Have I Done?: When a destructive war erupted in the Dwarven Empire using the runes and enchantments he created, Fairel left for the surface with his sons and caste.
The Patriarch: Like all Paragons, he was leader of his own house and caste. When he fled to the surface, they all went with him.
Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Left the rest of the Dwarven Empire to their fate when they began killing each other with his invention.
Ultimate Blacksmith: He invented runes and enchantment, and took most of his expertise and intimate knowledge of the process with him to his grave. It's mentioned that the runes found in his tomb are more advanced than anything dwarves use today.

Titans

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/death_of_a_titan___the_trespasser.png

Mural depicting a titan's death.

The Titans are ancient creatures that dwell deep beneath the earth. At least one is know to sleep under the Deep Roads.

Alien Blood: They bleed lyrium, which is colored blue.
Eldritch Location: Besides the fact that they're alive and apparently have lyrium for blood, there are plants, birds, and what looks like an inverted sky inside the creature we see.
Enigmatic Empowering Entity: When the Sha-Brytol drink its lyrium blood, they gain extended life and glowing eyes instead of liquefied organs like anyone else would. Apparently it can also grant dwarves magic.
Genius Loci: It's unknown if Titans are living cave systems or creatures that resemble such. Either way, they're huge, they resemble rock, and people can live in them.
God Was My Copilot: They may or may not be The Stone, and Cole implies they are the source of Templars' anti-magic.
Hidden Elf Village: Apparently, an entire unknown civilization of dwarves lives in the Titan encountered.
Hive Mind: Or maybe Mind Hive. Dagna experienced a vision of being what's implied to be a Titan, and described her thoughts as being either all of Dwarves' thoughts. Either that or their thoughts were her thoughts.
Nature Spirit: They use earthquakes to shape and sculpt the world.
That's No Moon: An Inquisitor with the Arcane Knowledge perk can realise that they have not been approaching the Titan — they are within it.
Un-person: The existence of the Titans is implied to have been removed from the Memories by the Shapers for reasons unknown, but it is hinted that the Dwarves are very closely connected to them.
Womb Level: The later portion of The Descent takes place inside a Titan.

Heroes and Kings

Calenhad

King Calenhad Theirin

Founder of Ferelden, and a King Arthur-like figure to them.

Asskicking Leads to Leadership: Before him, Ferelden was divided into warring teyrnirs. He made them one country.
Deal with the Devil: According to the Qunari, he was an ambitious and power-hungry man who made a deal with what is heavily implied to be Flemeth, who led him to a dying Great Dragon whose blood he drank.
Expy: Of King Arthur. Calenhad is the legendary founder of Ferelden, Thedas' equivalent to Britain, with many events of his legend being almost direct allusions to Arthurian lore.
Folk Hero: Of all of Ferelden.
Founder of the Kingdom: United the warring arldoms and teyrnirs of Ferelden into one kingdom.
From Zero to Hero: From the third son of a struggling Highever merchant to the king and master of all Ferelden. He was likely this to the Couslands specifically, seeing as he was once one of their subjects. Even moreso in the Qunari's version, where he was a humble pig farmer who drank the blood of a dragon to become a Reaver, then king.
The Good King: Yes and no. An incredible conqueror, but from what can be seen, a terrible administrator. He nearly destroyed his realm through infidelity, and then left his kingdom in the hands of his unborn son to go search for his long-lost best friend.
Heterosexual Life-Partners: With the hedge mage Aldenon the Wise, his best friend and most trusted adviser.
Hypocrite: He was a Reaver who made a deal with Flemeth. He was also a vocal Andrastian who brought the Chantry to Ferelden. In hindsight, most of the mages in his country, who the Templars exterminated or shackled, probably practiced less blood magic than he did.
Knight in Shining Armor: Called the Silver Knight for the suit of armor the Circle of Magi gave him. According to legend, he spent a year and a day at the Circle Tower. Each day, he collected a cup of water from what would later be named Lake Calenhad. Each day, the mages used the water and from it formed a single link. From each link, they created a shirt of chainmail armor that would protect Calenhad from all harm so long as he remained on Fereldan soil.
The Power of Blood: According to the Qunari, the source of his power was that he was actually a Reaver. All of his descendants have a portion of this power, meaning that they're all Reavers to some extent.
Real Men Love Jesus: He was a fervent worshiper of the Maker at a time when Ferelden was not Andrastian. His support of the Chantry destroyed his friendship with Aldenon.
Screw the Rules, I Make Them!: He refused to punish his old friend Shayna for using forbidden magic to seduce him, even though his own beliefs demanded her execution. This clear display of nepotism nearly caused a civil war.
Trauma Conga Line: Pretty much what happened to Calenhad after he became King. His best friend, Lady Shayna, finally succumbed to her unrequited love for him and used forbidden magic to seduce Calenhad (goaded on by a witch who happened to be the vengeful sister of a man Calenhad killed in his rise to power). Calenhad's pregnant wife Mairyn caught them in bed together and left him, and her father Myrrdin, Calenhad's strongest ally, threatened to break off their alliance. When Shayna went to try and negotiate a peace with Mairyn, Calenhad's father-in-law killed her for the insult she'd done to his family, and Calenhad challenged and killed Myrrdin in a duel over the matter, before abdicating the throne to his unborn son, rather than have the country he'd forged be torn apart in civil war between his and his father-in-law's supporters.
Übermensch: Rose from obscurity to forge a country where there had never been one.
Where I Was Born and Razed: One of his most notable conquests was taking the city of Highever, his birthplace, and forcing his one-time liege lords, the Couslands, to bend the knee to him as their king.
Worthy Opponent: To the Couslands, who he defeated and allowed to keep their lands. Also, to Arl Myrrdin, his first foe, and then his first great ally.

Kordillus

Emperor Kordillus Drakon I

Founder of the Orlesian Empire and responsible for turning the Chantry into the state religion of Southern Thedas.

Always a Bigger Fish: The Second Blight proved to be this for him.
Amazon Chaser: According to legend, his wife Area wasn't very pretty or charming, but he fell for her after seeing her shooting the wings off a bumblebee with her bow and arrow at one hundred paces.
Child of Two Worlds: The son of a barbarian Ciriane mother and a noble Tevinter father.
Desecrating the Dead: His tomb was ransacked and looted when the elven armies sacked Val Royeaux during the Exalted March against the Dales. His armour and weapons in the tomb were taken as trophies back to Halamshiral and never recovered.
The Emperor: The very first one to Orlais.
The Extremist Was Right: Drakon had no patience for the Great Game as he rightfully saw it as a threat to the empire's stability. His measure to solve it was to abolish all noble titles except emperor, empress and minor lords and ladies. Given how Orlesian nobles generally are, he may have had the right idea.
Forever War: The Second Blight was this for him; Drakon spent most of his reign defending Orlais from the darkspawn and died forty years before the Archdemon Zazikel was finally destroyed.
Founder of the Kingdom: First Emperor of Orlais.
Heroic Lineage: Averted. The House of Drakon went extinct, and Orlais is ruled by an unrelated family, the House of Valmont, by the time of the games.
I Owe You My Life: After Drakon relieved the siege of Weisshaupt Fortress during the Second Blight, the Grey Wardens both joined forces with him and converted to the Chantry.
Irony: The Orlesians' first ruler was born to an Ciriane mother and a Tevinter father, respectively a barbarian and a sorcerer — both things that Orlesian people look down.
No Historical Figures Were Harmed:
- To Charlemagne, the King of the Franks responsible for spreading Christianity to Western Europe and founding medieval France.
- To an minor extent, to the Roman emperor Constantine the Great who provided uniformity to the Church within the Empire, though it bears noting, he did not make it the state religion like Kordillus but merely made it tolerated - it wouldn't be until his later successor Theodosius I who made Christianity the state religion of the Empire and abolished all other faiths.
Odd Friendship: With Lord Inquisitor Ameridan, who was an elven mage.
Religious Bruiser: He carved out an empire because he received a dream from Andraste telling him to redeem the world by uniting it under the Chant of Light.

Koslun

Ashkaari Koslun

Existence is a choice.

Kossith philosopher and founder of the Qun.

Control Freak: Apparently, he was this. The Qun demands that one be in control of everything (both oneself and others) at all times.
No Historical Figures Were Harmed: He's basically a mix of Plato and Confucius, as the creator of a philosophical system that teaches self-control and respect (like Confucianism) and a caste-based society led by the enlightened (much like The Republic).
The Perfectionist: Taught that people should accept the role they were born for and seek perfection within it.
Principles Zealot: If the Qunari truly are acting like he would- and if they aren't, there must've been one hell of a misunderstanding between him and his followers.
Proverbial Wisdom: The snippets of his writing we've seen involve parables and aphorisms meant to illustrate his broader point about an interconnected world and the human(ish) condition within it.
Sacred Scripture: The Tome of Koslun, the book he hand-wrote about the Qun.
Seeker Archetype: Ashkaari means 'one who seeks' in Qunlat, and is used in the context of both scholars/scientists and those who have achieved Qunari Enlightenment by mastering their role to the extent that they define it. Koslun fit both descriptions, being a philosopher and the one who understood his place in the world so well that he created an entire religion based off doing the same.

Other Lore

The Fade

Possibly the most important and iconic aspect of the Dragon Age mythos. Nearly every facet of its mythology involves The Fade in some way.

Background Magic Field: The Fade is the source of nearly all magic in the Dragon Age verse, with the possible exception of lyrium and deities (and even then, there's still some apparent connection).
Dark World: It's a twisted version of the real world. Spirits create its landscape and inhabitants, but because they lack imagination, there's always something "off" about it.
Dream Emergency Exit: Souls of those who sleep enter a special realm called the Fade. Mages can also visit this realm consciously through rituals. A dreamer can get trapped in a section of the Fade controlled by a demon and is then able to leave it and wake up only after the demon is defeated. All games of the series and several related books have at least one "Fade sequence".
Dream Land: All dreams bring the dreamer into the Fade, save for dwarves who don't dream (unless forced to). Mages are people with a particularly strong connection to the Fade that allows them to remain conscious even while they sleep, effectively lucid dreamers. Actual physical travel into the Fade is normally impossible though the Inquisitor in Inquisition can do it thanks to the Anchor. The Fade also embodies waking thoughts and whims as well, as it's noted that even the thoughts and memories of Dwarves can be recounted there.
Eldritch Location: Nobody knows much about The Fade, other than you can only go there while dreaming and that it's inhabited by spirits and demons. Its shape and locale change based on the whims of the spirits, who only copy what they see within mortal minds. Ironically enough, spirits consider the real world to be this trope; according to Cole in Inquisition, the real world makes as little sense to them as the Fade does to mortals, which is why most of them end up taking on monstrous appearances.
Emerald Power: Everything in the Fade, or connected to it, glows green.
Genius Loci: It's implied that spirits and demons are actually pieces of The Fade itself. According to Solas, when an idea or concept is strong, energy (possibly wisps) begin to stir in the Fade and eventually coalesce into a semi-existent entity. Further, when brought into the Fade, Cole will constantly state that the Fade should be "like him". It's possible that spirits and demons don't have "control over" the Fade so much as they can shapeshift themselves.
Heaven: According to Andrastian beliefs, it used to be this, until it was corrupted by human sin and abandoned by The Maker.
Ironic Hell: For spirits, according to the Chantry. They cannot create anything or taste true "life", and the Fade is featureless except for what they create. Thus, they're trapped in an empty void and can only watch enviously as mortals enjoy living on the other side. Several sources in Inquisition suggest that this is an overly-simplistic notion. Many spirits are perfectly content being inside the Fade, but mortals would never know that because that means they aren't the type of spirits they encounter.
Landmark of Lore: The mysterious Black City. It is the only constant in the Fade, so every race and entity knows about it. There are many different stories about exactly WHAT it is or how it got there. Whenever one enters the Fade (by dreaming), the Black City is always on an island extremely far in the distance, with no way to reach it. All places in the Fade are equidistant to it. In Inquisition, however, entering the Fade physically brings the party right on the doorstep of the City (the player still can't reach it, however). Combined with the story of the Magisters, it seems physically entering the Fade brings one to the center island that can't normally be reached.
Life Energy: The Fade and Life Energy are bound together in ambiguous ways. The Fade draws energy from life, which is how Blood Magic works. Being cut off from the Fade will not cause someone to die, but they will become Tranquil which many consider to be far worse.
Power Source: All magic comes from the Fade in some capacity. The stronger one's connection to the Fade, the stronger their magic... and risk of demonic Mind Rape.
Sealed Cast in a Multipack: Elven belief is that their gods have been sealed inside the Black City by Fen'Harel, as opposed to the belief in the Tevinter incursion told by the Chantry. Given that we later learn Fen'Harel created the Veil, and thus the Fade, he may be the only person who actually knows the truth. The story can't be the whole truth, however; the City was blackened at a known historical date, centuries after the elven gods disappeared.
Sickly Green Glow: Everything in the Fade is green, which makes it seem ominous, threatening and unsafe.
Spirit World: It's where spirits and demons dwell, and where the dead go after death. In Inquisition, we also learn that gods, like Mythal, can seemingly enter it whenever they like as well.

The Taint

A mysterious disease that spreads to any living substance and turns it into something monstrous, twisted, and evil. It is considered the most evil thing in the Dragon Age setting.

Applied Phlebotinum: When combined with lyrium and an unknown ritual, Blighted Darkspawn blood allows Grey Wardens to resist being fully Blighted, and also enables them to kill an Archdemon.
Big Bad: Pretty much all of the main games' plots have been influenced directly or indirectly by the Taint. It causes the Blight in the first game and possibly causes the death of The Warden's loved ones depending on their origin, Hawke had to flee the Blight and make Kirkwall their home with the possible death of both of their siblings shortly after settling in, and in Inquisition, it's revealed that II's Legacy DLC villain, Corypheus, one of the seven Tevinter Magisters who invaded the Golden City, is the Big Bad and wants to continue his attempts to become a god, along with the claim the Taint was a tool which helped him enter the Golden City during his first attempt. Then it's revealed that it creates red lyrium, which makes a person powerful but eventually insane from being near it too long, which means it caused Meredith, the final boss of the second game, to turn insane along with Varric's brother.
The Corruption: A horrific disease that twists everything it touches.
From Bad to Worse:
- Taint + Tevinter Old God Dragon = Archdemon
- Taint + Lyrium = Red Lyrium
Healing Factor: The Taint heals the darkspawn pretty quickly, which explains why we never see any healing spell among the darkspawn. It also recreated lost body parts, as we see the Architect with both hands in Awakening, after losing one in The Calling.
Made of Evil:
- The Blight is something that everyone battles against. Aside from those already corrupted, stopping it is the top priority of every single entity, faction, and nation. (Which is why Grey Wardens have so much authority during Blights.)
- According to Corypheus, the Blight wasn't some "punishment" or curse inflicted upon the world. He refers to it as "a tool", and one he and the other seven Ancient Magisters willingly let into themselves. He is also the only person in the series who can control the Blight... something even the Archdemons seem unable to do.
- Solas in Inquisition thinks that Corypheus is just kidding himself. Solas believes that the Blight inevitably destroys everything it touches and that anyone who would try to exploit it is a fool. This coming from a guy who is not afraid of spirits or Blood Magic.
Mysterious Past: While the Chantry says the Taint is the Maker's punishment, there are Blighted objects scattered across Thedas that have existed long before the Magisters. Ultimately nobody knows where the Taint actually comes from, which just makes it even more terrifying.
Power Source: For the Darkspawn. The more Blighted they become, the stronger they become. It also gives some of them magic powers that don't follow the same rules as any other magic.
Religion of Evil/Apocalypse Cult: There was a religious group that believed that the Blight was an instrument sent by The Maker to end the world and start a new one. When the second Blight started, the entire order put themselves directly in the path of a Darkspawn horde, waiting to be claimed. It ended as well as you'd expect.
Retcon: Bioware's been retconning out the use of the term "Taint" to refer to the disease/radiation/energy field that connections/infects/empowers Darkspawn, poisons the land they tread on, and connects the Grey Wardens to them from Dragon Age II onward, where they referred to it as "corruption" but would still use the term "tainted", and by Inquisition they seem to have settled on referring to it as "Blight", which in Origins just referred to the event of an Archdemon rising and leading the Darkspawn on an invasion of the surface. This is presumably because "taint" has unfortunate connotations in American slang.
This Is Your Brain on Evil: The Taint invariably makes anyone go evil and insane. The only question is when.

Lyrium

A mysterious mineral mostly found underground that possesses magical properties.

Addiction-Powered: Templars get their powers from processed lyrium, which is addictive. That addiction is used to keep them in line, because they will go through a slow, horrible wasting away unless they get more of it.
Applied Phlebotinum: A mysterious substance that possesses magical properties and is used as a power source for many magical artifacts, abilities and rituals. Inquisition reveals that it's actually alive and Descent reveals it's the blood of Titans. If Leliana died in Origins the Trespasser DLC will reveal that it can give life to spirits.
Bizarre Alien Biology: Is Titan blood.
Fantastic Drug: A modified version of lyrium is given to Templars to grant their powers, and it's very addictive.
Toxic Phlebotinum: Ingesting lyrium will mess you up bad. Unprocessed lyrium is even worse. Even exposure to it will kill you in short order (even Dwarves, who are naturally resistant to it will die or be permanently lobotomized if unprocessed lyrium gets into their blood stream). Not only is the substance toxic, but it's volatile: it has to be extracted and placed in special explosion-proof containers because of raw lyrium's tendency to detonate without warning.
With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: Lyrium that's been ingested or gotten into the bloodstream can provide some great magical powers, but at the cost of sanity. Red Lyrium is even worse.

Characters / Dragon Age – Deities and Lore

Andrastian Deities & Historical Figures

The Maker

Andraste

Maferath

Shartan

Elven Pantheon/Evanuris

Elgar'nan

Mythal

Falon'Din

Dirthamen

Andruil

Sylaise

June

Ghilan'nain

Fen'Harel

The Forgotten Ones

"The Sun"

"The Land"

Dwarven Belief

The Stone

Paragon Aeducan

Paragon Hirol

Paragon Fairel

Titans

Heroes and Kings

King Calenhad Theirin

Emperor Kordillus Drakon I

Ashkaari Koslun

Other Lore

The Fade

The Taint

Lyrium

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Index

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Characters / Dragon Age – Deities and Lore

Edit Locked

Andrastian Deities & Historical Figures

The Maker

Andraste

Maferath

Shartan

Elven Pantheon/Evanuris

Elgar'nan

Mythal

Falon'Din

Dirthamen

Andruil

Sylaise

June

Ghilan'nain

Fen'Harel

The Forgotten Ones

"The Sun"

"The Land"

Dwarven Belief

The Stone

Paragon Aeducan

Paragon Hirol

Paragon Fairel

Titans

Heroes and Kings

King Calenhad Theirin

Emperor Kordillus Drakon I

Ashkaari Koslun

Other Lore

The Fade

The Taint

Lyrium

Previous

Index

Next