“There is no light save my glory! No refuge save my shadow! No desire save my perfected intention! I am Creator and Destroyer! I am will made manifest! I! Am! Elgar'nan!”
Elgar'nan (ELL-gar-nan)—also known as the All-Father, the Eldest of the Sun and He Who Overthrew His Father[1][3]— is the elven god of vengeance and the sun[4] who represents fatherhood and leads the pantheon with the goddess Mythal.
Dalish legends[]
Long ago, when time itself was young, the only things in existence were the sun and the land. The sun, curious about the land, bowed his head close to her body, and Elgar'nan was born in the place where they touched. As a gift to Elgar'nan, the land brought forth great birds and beasts of sky and forest, and all manner of wonderful green things.
—From Codex entry: Elgar'nan: God of Vengeance
He was the first of the elven gods, born of the sun and the earth. According to elven legend, the sun grew jealous of the favor shown by Elgar'nan for the things of the earth, and so burned them to ashes. In retaliation, Elgar'nan threw the sun down from the sky, and only later relented because of Mythal's intervention. He was convinced, with her help, to restore his father to the sky on the promise that the sun would set each night. With the aid of Mythal and his parents, Elgar'nan remade the world.[5][3] Most elves will invoke Elgar'nan's name when they seek retribution.
The Dalish believe that when Elgar'nan buried the sun in the abyss, some of its heat remained in the Earth and gave rise to hot springs in the Dales. They call the springs the Pools of the Sun and treat them as sacred.[6] They also believe that the sun's lifeblood spilled in the battle with his son became the stars.[1]
The Dalish tell a story about how the dwarves fear the sun because of Elgar'nan.[7]
In Elvhenan[]
When the Evanuris were still primeval spirits who wanted to become corporeal, they used raw lyrium to craft physical bodies for themselves, thus becoming the first Elves. In the process, however, they angered the Titans and entered into a war with them. When the elves were losing the war, Mythal had Solas craft a Lyrium Dagger which was used by the Evnauris to sever the Titans' connection to the Fade, rendering them Tranquil. The Titans' dreams, now severed from their hosts and locked away inside the Fade, mutated into the Taint and Blight out of anger, fear, and confusion. Solas banished these corrupted dreams which would become the Blight to a prison which would be known to contemporaries as the Black City.
Once the war against the titans was over, Elgar'nan refused to give up his command as he promised. Elgar'nan argued the nascent elven people needed stern leadership and his strength for protection. Much to Solas' disappointment, Mythal agreed with Elgar'nan, believing the elves needed inspiring figures to unite them, quell their fears, and to guide them with wisdom. The respected generals and elders that consisted the Evanuris followed Elgar'nan and Mythal's examples and proclaimed themselves the gods of the elves. Only Solas refused to follow suit and was furious the Evanuris had set themselves up as despots over the elven people. To avenge this betrayal and make right his mistake, Solas started a rebellion against the elven pantheon.
Elgar'nan was the greatest elven general. He led them to victory in their wars, then declared himself god and king. He bound a dragon to himself, Lusacan, and used the blight to take even more power.
He was a tyrant who subjugated his followers, mind and body, demanding love and perfect obedience.[8]
Elgar'nan is described by Solas as tyrannical, callous, and arrogant. Solas claims he would have ruled alone had Mythal not forced him to share power. Those who are strong, he molds into dictators with visions of godhood. Those who are weak, he crushes. Solas and Elgar'nan despise each other.[9] Elgar'nan would deride Solas as "Mythal's lapdog" who he alludes to being a "wolf" in disguise.
Despite their differences, Solas wrote to the Evanuris to persuade them to lead their people in a noble way and to cease claiming they were gods. To Elgar'nan, he tried to temper his tyrannical tendencies by telling him dominating his subjects' minds was unnecessary when their bodies were already shackled and his authority was accepted by most.[10] Elgar'nan appeared to have ignored his words and had his servants give Solas a polite dismissal.[11]
The Evanuris weaponized the Blight in their wars of supremacy, especially during Solas' rebellion against them. Solas told Mythal of the other elven gods' abuse of the Blight and she sought to convince them to cease its use on behalf of Solas. The other elven gods had somehow acquired Solas' lyrium dagger and murdered Mythal with it when she confronted them. Solas recovered the Lyrium Dagger from Elgar'nan and from it extracted a fragment of Mythal that had lain hidden within its depths.[12] For unleashing the Blight onto the world and murdering Mythal, Solas imprisoned the Evanuris in the Fade and used their lives to sustain the Veil by connecting their blood to his Lyrium Dagger. Yet Solas did not anticipate that the Elven pantheon that he had imprisoned would speak through the Old Gods and manipulate the Magisters Sidereal into breaching the Black City and releasing a portion of the Blight onto Thedas.[13][14]
Ancient elves would not call on Elgar'nan to deliver justice, for his fury would destroy all it touched. Elgar'nan agreed to Mythal's offer to dispense justice instead and bound all to abide by her verdicts.[16] However on at least one occasion, when Mythal did not show favor to the sinner who dared to fly in the shape of the divine, she let Elgar'nan judge him instead.[17]
Elgar'nan's followers asked for his help in taming the land that shook their cities. They sought to defeat the usurpers who threw down their work.[18]
Elgar'nan appears to have lead ancient elves who drove the dwarves underground, although the details are obscure.[7]
When Falon'Din and Elgar'nan found themselves in an argument, Mythal defused the situation by suggesting that they appoint their knights to battle in their stead, thus avoiding a civil war among the gods. Elgar'nan's champion won the duel.[19]
A monument commemorated Elgar'nan's victory and him being "first among the gods". Thousands of slaves made it in a single afternoon from an enormous lump of fallen stone. The eidolon was stern in appearance, with light radiating from his narrowed eyes and an open, snarling mouth.[20]
Involvement[]
Dragon Age: The Veilguard[]
Elgar'nan emerging from imprisonment
Nearly a decade after being revealed as Fen'Harel by the Inquistion, Solas attempts to transfer Ghilan'nain and Elgar'nan from their failing prison within the Fade to a new one. His ritual is interrupted by Varric Tethras, Lace Harding, Neve Gallus, and Rook. The interruption results in the unintentional liberation of the gods from their prison and leaves Solas trapped within the Fade.[21]
Mayor Julius of D'Meta's Crossing was tempted by Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain to sacrifice two Veil Jumpers in a blood magic ritual for gold. The blood magic ritual unleashed the Blight on the entire village of D'Meta's Crossing. This released a fraction of the Blight trapped in the Fade but the elven gods sought to tap more of the Blight in restoring their empire.[22]
Seeking to release the full force of the Blight locked in their former prison, Ghilan'nain sent a ghoul to retrieve the lyrium dagger only for the Veilguard to retrieve it instead. Viewing the fallen ghoul in a reflecting pool, Elgar'nan declared that he could no longer sense the dagger, which he blames on Fen'Harel, so Ghilan'nain proposed creating another formed of red lyrium.
Elgar'nan later recruits the Venatori to be his agents and had given them a relic that allows them to control the darkspawn through their tainted blood. The Venatori were sent to Minrathous to prepare the city for the elven gods' conquest.[23]
Elgar'nan later travels to the Cauldron to save Ghilan'nain before she could be killed by Veilguard, the Grey Wardens and their allies, blasting them back while slowing time around them. He chided Ghilan'nain for risking herself, reminding that without her, the Blight would be reduced to a blunt weapon. Observing Rook resisting his spell, he concludes that this was the result of Solas' influence. The Evanuris then retreat to continue their work in Arlathan.
Elgar'nan later hosts a gathering of Venatori in Arlathan Crater, where he intended to sacrifice a clan of captured Dalish to his awakened Archdemon Lusacan. He then began to dominate the minds of all gathered, including the Veilguard, who had infiltrated the ceremony. Elgar'nan used his mental dominating magic to influence the gathering, which tempted the gathering with their desires in exchange for complete obedience to him. Neve and Bellara Lutare managed to disrupt Elgar'nan's spell over the Veilguard, which quickly drew his attention. While unwilling to risk his dragon, Elgar'nan ordered the Venatori to find the interlopers. He soon trapped Rook and their party in an illusion, while kept Rook running in circles while the landscape became covered in Blight with each loop. His attempts to encourage Rook to surrender were soon interrupted by Solas, in due part to Elgar'nan's magic weakening Veil. The two elves verbally spar against one another as Rook escaped the illusion, during which Solas tried warning Elgar'nan that his plan to unleash the full power of the Blight would only bring the world to ruin, but the Evanuris arrogantly declared he controlled the Blight, not the other way around. After the Dalish captives were set free, Elgar'nan decided to punish the Venatori for failing him by feeding several of them to Lusacan, sending the remainder fleeing back to Tevinter.
Elgar'nan then retreats to Tearstone Island, where he fortified his position with the Antaam and Human mercenaries. In an effort to accelerate the creation of his red lyrium dagger, Elgar'nan created an eclipse. This draws the attention of the Veilguard, though Elgar'nan only sensed their presence when they were in closer proximity. He would taunt Rook from afar, encouraging his adversary to surrender. Later, depending on whether Rook chooses Neve or Bellara to disable the ward leading to the ritual site, Elgar'nan will proceed to abduct them through an eluvian.
Elgar'nan would later succeed in forging the red lyrium dagger, only to soon witness Lucanis Dellamorte successfully killing Ghilan'nain. As a magical storm erupts from his sister's demise, Elgar'nan, realizing his dagger could be destroyed, vowing vengeance on Rook before retreating, conjuring a pillar of fire in an attempt to kill the Veilguard, only to kill scores of Antaam.
Elgar'nan then traveled to Minrathous and seized control of the Archon's palace, blighting the assembled Magisterium while sparing the Venatori, before covering the city in blight and cutting off its eluvians. As the Veilguard would lead a counterattack with their allies, Elgar'nan bonded his captive as well as the other magister to the blight to participate in the defense. When Rook frees Elgar'nan's captive, she reveals to have seen into his mind and warned that his demise will bring about the collapse of the Veil.
Rook would then confront Elgar'nan in the palace throne room, finding the Evanuris had fully given himself to the blight. Elgar'nan went onto pontificate how Tevinter paled in comparison to the ancient elven empire and that all would benefit under his rule, before engaging the party in a fight. After fighting for a time, they were interrupted by the appearance of Solas in Dread Wolf form as he is pinned by both Lusacan and the blight. Elgar'nan would subsequently incapacitate the party, only for a blighted Neve or Bellara to sneak over to his throne and commanded the blight to release Solas, who then kills Lusacan, rendering Elgar'nan mortal. Rook would then kill Elgar'nan with the lyrium dagger, causing his body to release a powerful vortex that swallow Lusacan and some of the blight.
Quests[]
Symbols and shrines[]
The constellation Solium
Elgar'nan is believed to wield fire,[24][7] light[25] or lightning[18] that would burn his enemies to ashes. The constellation Solium, or "the Sun", may have originally represented him.
The largest temple of old Halamshiral was dedicated to Elgar'nan.[26] Elgar'nan's Bastion is located in the Emerald Graves.[27]
Quotes[]
- "For hundreds of years you have mourned the loss of your dragon gods. From beyond the veil I have heard your lament, and have come to deliver you from desolation. Dragon of Night, I break your chains. Hear my voice and rise! I am Elgar'nan, once called Lusacan, and I have returned."
- "You mistake discipline for cruelty, a failing amongst those who lack a master's gentle guidance."
- "There is no light save my glory! No refuge save my shadow! No desire save my perfected intention! I am Creator and Destroyer! I am will made manifest! I! Am! Elgar'nan!"
Codex entries[]
Codex entry: Elgar'nan: God of Vengeance- Codex entry: Song to Elgar'nan
- Codex entry: Song to Sylaise
- Codex entry: The Judgment of Mythal
- Codex entry: Ancient Elven Writing
- Codex entry: Torn Notebook in the Deep Roads, Section 2
- Codex entry: Vir Dirthara: Duel of a Hundred Years
- Codex entry: Vir Dirthara: Signs of Victory
- Codex entry: Neve's Case Notes: Elgar'nan
- Codex entry: Neve's Case Notes: Lusacan and Razikale
- Codex entry: The Father of Retribution
Trivia[]
- Elgar'nan never asks questions.[28]
See also[]
Gallery[]
References[]
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