“Some words remain unuttered. Truths are pushed down, down where they shall never arise again.[1]”
Dirthamen: Keeper of Secrets
Dirthamen is the elven god of secrets and knowledge.[2]
Dalish legends
Dirthamen wandered aimlessly till he came across two ravens. "You are lost, and soon you will fade," the raven named Fear said to Dirthamen. "Your brother has abandoned you. He no longer loves you," said the other, named Deceit. "I am not lost, and Falon'Din has not abandoned me," replied Dirthamen. He subdued the ravens and bade them carry him to Falon'Din.
—From Codex entry: Dirthamen: Keeper of SecretsIn Dalish stories Dirthamen and his twin brother Falon'Din are the eldest children of Elgar'nan and Mythal. Dirthamen gave to elves the gift of knowledge and taught them loyalty and faith in family.[2]
Legends tell that the twins were inseparable spirits from birth to adulthood. They were parted when Falon'Din ventured beyond the Veil, to a place where his brother could not easily follow. Dirthamen wandered the grey paths of the Fade until he found and outmastered two ravens, Fear and Deceit. The ravens took him to Falon'Din, and the twins swore to never be parted again.[3][4] Together they accompanied the elders who would enter uthenera and walk the shifting paths in search for the secrets of dreams. Dirthamen provided such elves with counsel.[5]
In the days before Arlathan, the first varterral was formed from the fallen trees of the forest to guard an ancient city said to be beloved by Dirthamen.[6]
The Dalish believe that Dirthamen was banished along with the other gods. They bury their dead with a cedar branch to scatter his ravens who are now without a master.[5]
In Elvhenan
Dirthamen and Falon'Din were "twin souls" with no family connection. Their bond was not romantic, beyond even the strongest friendship. The oldest elven stories never even name them directly, referring to Falon'Din as "Dirthamen’s shadow," and Dirthamen as "Falon'Din's reflection."[7]
The sinner who dared to fly in the shape of the divine belonged to Dirthamen.[8]
Symbols and shrines
A Dalish tale says that Dirthamen gave each creature a secret to keep. However, the hares shouted their secret to the treetops, the birds sold theirs for gold and the foxes traded their secret for wings. Only the bears kept Dirthamen's secret, so the bear is considered beloved of Dirthamen.[9]
Dirthamen is sometimes depicted as a cloaked kneeling figure.[10] Ancient glyphs scattered across the Exalted Plains reveal the location of the Lost Temple of Dirthamen.
Gallery
![A statue of Dirthamen in Citadelle du Corebeau (Exalted Plains)[10]](/wiki/File:Exalted_Plains_-_Citadelle_du_Corebeau_-_Statue_of_Dirthamen.png "Exalted Plains - Citadelle du Corebeau - Statue of Dirthamen.png (1.48 MB)")
See also
Codex entry: The Lost Temple of Dirthamen
References
- ↑ Codex entry: The Lost Temple of Dirthamen
- ↑ 2.0 2.1
Dragon Age: The World of Thedas, vol. 1, p. 120
- ↑ Dragon Age (tabletop RPG), Player's Guide, set 2, p. 23
- ↑ Codex entry: Dirthamen: Keeper of Secrets
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Codex entry: Falon'Din: Friend of the Dead, the Guide
- ↑ Dragon Age: The World of Thedas, vol. 1, p. 174
- ↑ Codex entry: Twins in Shadow.
- ↑ Codex entry: Ancient Elven Writing
- ↑ Codex entry: Bear
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Landmarks on the Plains: "The Raven"
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