Ferelden, as we think of it now, did not exist before the Exalted Age. Instead, the valley was divided up into dozens of old Alamarri clans. They warred constantly with one another over land, honor, the allegiance of the freeholders, and, on one notable occasion, the name given to a favorite mabari.
And then, in the 33rd year of the Exalted Age, Calenhad Theirin became teyrn of Denerim, and everything changed.
Most of what we know about the founding of our nation comes from old songs that the bards passed down through the Ages. The songs are filled with wild exaggerations and outright lies, but this hardly differs from the scholarly papers of some of my contemporaries. There is no agreement among poets or scholars on how he did it, but Calenhad gained the support of the Circle of Magi, and they crafted for him a suit of silvery white armor that, by all accounts, repelled both arrow and blade. Calenhad led his army across the valley and captured Redcliffe—one of only three men who ever successfully laid siege to that fortress—and presented himself to the banns of the Landsmeet as their king.
The poets tell us that every lord knelt before Calenhad without question. The fact that he attended the Landsmeet surrounded by Ash Warriors and loyal mages of the Circle is generally omitted from the ballads, however.
From Calenhad came the line of Theirin kings and queens who reigned, uninterrupted, until the 44th year of the Blessed Age, when the Orlesian invasion came. The rightful king was forced to flee Denerim, and for 70 years (sic) a puppet sat upon the throne.
—From Ferelden: Folklore and History, by Sister Petrine, Chantry scholar
—From Codex entry: History of Ferelden: Chapter 1
Ferelden is a kingdom in southeastern Thedas. It was conquered by Orlais a century ago, when King Darlan ruled, but was freed through the efforts of King Maric Theirin, grandson of King Brandel. Maric's son, King Cailan Theirin, is the ruler as of the start of Dragon Age: Origins.
The climate of Ferelden appears to be temperate, and Ferelden along with Thedas itself is located in the southern hemisphere.
Geography
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Cities
Regions
- Amaranthine
- Bann Loren's Lands
- Blightlands
- Brandel's Reach
- Brecilian Forest
- Dragon's Peak
- Frostback Mountains
- Gherlen's Pass
- Sulcher's Pass
- The Hinterlands
- Korcari Wilds
- Lake Calenhad
- Soldier's Peak
Note
- Ferelden has two coasts. It is bordered on the north by the Waking Sea and on the east by the Amaranthine Ocean.
- To the west are Lake Calenhad, Redcliffe, mountain passes, and the dwarven kingdom Orzammar at the northwest edge within the Frostback Mountains. Beyond the mountains is the Orlesian Empire.
- In the northern center is the Bannorn, a large area of fertile land where the banns compete for the right to rule.
- Highever and Amaranthine sit on Ferelden's northern coast.
- To the northeast is the capital Denerim, at the base of Dragon's Peak.
- The eastern part is dominated by the Brecilian Forest, with the coastal city Gwaren to the far southeast, connected by the Brecilian Passage.
- To the south are the Korcari Wilds and the Ostagar ruins. The areas beyond the Wilds are uncharted.
- Ferelden has two islands off its north-east coast: one island with a city named Alamar and another island named Brandel's Reach. In Alamar, the kingdom doesn't have a great deal of presence there. Brandel's Reach is a rocky island right next to it which is considered to be a haven for raiders, so Alamar isn't really considered a prime place to live.[1]
Culture and Society
"The Fereldans are a puzzle. As a people, they are one bad day away from reverting to barbarism. They repelled invasions from Tevinter during the height of the Imperium with nothing but dogs and their own obstinate disposition. They are the coarse, willful, dirty, disorganized people who somehow gave rise to our prophet, ushered in an era of enlightenment, and toppled the greatest empire in history."
"One can assume a few things in dealing with these people: First, they value loyalty above all things, beyond wealth, power, and reason. Second, although few things in their country are remarkable to outsiders, they are extremely proud of their accomplishments. Third, if one insults their dogs, they are likely to declare war. And finally, one has underestimated Fereldans when he thinks he has come to understand them."
Alienage Culture
Like many countries in Thedas, Ferelden has large population of elves who are segregated from the rest of society and live in walled off alienages. Most elves working there are unable to achieve high paying jobs, but many elves feel that, in alienages, they are at least among family who look out for each other.
Importance of Dogs
A Mabari War Dog
Often visitors and travelers to Ferelden ask the residents and scholars to explain the omnipresence of dogs in Ferelden. In every civilized corner of Thedas, astute observers note that dogs are employed in hunting game, keeping barns and storehouses free of vermin, herding livestock, guarding homes, and, in the mountains, they are even used as beasts of burden. It is simply that Fereldans show appreciation for the work that their dogs do. The reason for that is tangled up in mythology.
Hafter, the first Fereldan to be named teyrn, was the hero who united the Fereldans' ancestors, the Alamarri, to drive back the darkspawn of the Second Blight. He was also reputed to be the son of a werewolf. This was perhaps meant to be some comment on his temperament or simply a way of making a great man even larger than life, but more than half the noble families of Ferelden claim to be his descendants. Since so many of the Fereldan people believe they have some distant kinship with wolves, it is, after all, only good manners to be polite to one's kin.
Politics
Human Nobles
To its neighbors, Ferelden seems utterly chaotic. Unlike other monarchies, power does not descend from their throne. Rather, it arises from the support of the freeholders.
They also have a extreme dislike for the Orleisians due to their treatment of native Fereldans during the occupation.
The Landsmeet
The Landsmeet is a council of the entire Fereldan nobility, which has been held for three thousand years - with the occasional interruption by war, occupation, or Blight. During the Landsmeet, it is expected that the current monarch of Ferelden will mingle with, and curry favor from, the nobility.
An important milestone in the history of the Landsmeet, and of Ferelden itself, was the Landsmeet forced by King Calenhad Theirin in the 33rd year of the Exalted Age. After mysteriously gaining the support of the Circle of Magi, Calenhad marched on and defeated Redcliffe - forcing a Landsmeet where the nobles unanimously submitted to him as king. This marked the birth of modern-day Ferelden and began the Theirin line of royalty from which Ferelden Kings have descended - the primary interruption caused by the Orlesian invasion and occupation.
Titles
All nobility may be referred to as 'lordship/ladyship' or 'my lord/lady' when not using their title. This is also the correct term for their spouse.
Freeholder
The term for any land-owner in Ferelden. A few commoners are freeholders.
Ser
A male or female knight of the realm. Also commonly used as a polite term of address to and by those of equal or greater status than oneself. (For example, "No, ser,")
Banns
Each freehold chooses the bann or arl to whom it pays allegiance. Typically, this choice is made based on proximity of the freehold to the lord’s castle, as it’s rarely worthwhile to pay for the upkeep of soldiers who will arrive at your land too late to defend it. For the most part, each generation of freeholders casts their lot with the same bann as their fathers did, but things can and do change. No formal oaths are sworn, and it is not unheard of, especially in the prickly central Bannorn, for banns to court freeholders away from their neighbors, a practice that inevitably begins feuds that can last for ages.
There are currently nine known bannorns in Ferelden: Amaranthine City, Dragon's Peak, Oswin, Lothering, Rainesfere, River Dane, Waking Sea, West Hill, and White River.
One notable bann is Bann Teagan, who is encountered in the Arl of Redcliffe storyline.
Arls/Arlessa
The teyrns established the arls, giving them command of strategic fortresses that the teyrns could not oversee themselves. They are somewhat more prestigious than banns but -- with the known exception of the Arl of Amaranthine -- traditionally have no banns sworn to them.
There are currently five known arlings in Ferelden: Amaranthine, Denerim, Redcliffe, South Reach and West Hills
Teyrns/Teyrna
Human Nobles
Teyrns arose from among the banns, war leaders who, in antiquity, had grown powerful enough to move other banns to swear fealty to them. There were many of these in the days before King Calenhad, but he succeeded in whittling them down to only two: Gwaren in the south and Highever in the north. These teyrns still hold the oaths of banns and arls. They may call upon them in the event of war or disaster and they are responsible for defending those sworn to them. The title is likely analogous to the real world English title of Duke.
Teyrns are referred to as "your Grace," a form imported by the Orlesians.
Notable Teyrns include Teyrn Loghain Mac Tir and, if the player is a Human Noble, their parents are Teyrn and Teyrna Cousland. In the Epilogue, the Warden may become Teyrn of Gwaren.
King/Queen
The king is the most powerful of the teyrns. Although Denerim was originally the teyrnir of the king, it has since been reduced to an arling, as the king’s domain is now all of Ferelden. However, even the king’s power must come from the banns.
This is especially evident during the Landsmeet, an annual council for which the nobles of Ferelden gather. It has been held for almost three thousand years with only a few interruptions for Blights and invasions. The sight of a king asking for, and working to win the support of "lesser" men is a source of constant wonder to foreign ambassadors.
A king or queen is referred to as "your Majesty", while a prince or princess is called "your Highness."
Origin of Titles
The titles ser, bann, and teyrn originate in Ferelden. Calenhad, the first teyrn to unite the Clayne tribes into a single nation, borrowed arl and king from neighboring states.
Inheritance
Fereldans are mostly patrilineal, but there's no firm rule that dictates who rules the household. Fereldans are willful and their families tend to be managed by whoever can. Usually, the oldest child inherits the majority of the property regardless of gender, but there are some cases where a younger brother or sister is named the heir simply because he or she seems more capable.
Trivia
- Ferelden is loosely based on the real-world medieval Britain. Human characters from Ferelden speak with a distinctive English accent. More specifically, Ferelden seems to be heavily based on the culture of the Anglo-Saxons, with a great deal Norse influence as well. Ferelden’s occupation by the Orlesian Empire furthers the comparison to medieval Europe. Specifically, the Anglo-Saxon themed Ferelden being conquered by the French themed Orlais seems to be based off on William the Conqueror’s invasion of England in 1066. Unlike Anglo-Saxon England, however, Orlais was driven out of Ferelden. Ferelden is essentially what England would have been like if the Saxons had ousted their Norman conquerors in around AD 1200, a few generations after conquest, like Ferelden repelled Orlais. The developers have specifically compared Ferelden to England in "AD 1200" for this reason.
- Furthermore, the similarities with the Anglo-Saxons is further compounded when it is observed that the modern day Fereldens are descendants of the Germanic inspired Alammari and Avvar; just as the historical Anglo-Saxons themselves were descendants of the three Germanic tribes; the Angles, Saxons and Jutes, as observed by the Benedictine monk, Bede. Northumbrian (A kingdom of the Angles in Northern England, divided into 2 parts) influences are also clear in Ferelden naming, (E.g.: Urien, Oswald).
- Additionally, the Landsmeet is almost certainly based upon the Witenagemot, or Witan, of Anglo-Saxon England.
- The Teyrnir of Highever seems to be loosely inspired by a combination of Ireland and Scotland. Both Ireland and Highever were forced into submission via military conquest. Highever by Calenhad's growing Ferelden kingdom and Ireland by the Kingdom of England, upon which Ferelden is based. Also, several inhabitants of Highever have Scottish Gaelic names, such as Ser Gilmore or the teyrn's eldest Fergus; the default name for a male human noble, Aedan, is Irish.
- Most visiting foreigners (Sten and Marjolaine) claim that, "Ferelden smells like wet dog".
- Many of Ferelden's titles have real world analogues;
- "Ser" is likely based on the real life English honorific "Sir," which is bestowed upon male British knights. Unlike real life, where it is also used politely to address men, it is used in-game to address both sexes (this also means there is one less piece of voice-recording for the actors and less circumstantial programming). It has previously been used with the same meaning in George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire.
- "Bann" is likely based on the real world title "Ban," meaning "lord" or "master," which was used in Hungary and certain Slavic kingdoms during the Middle Ages. Bann also equates realistically with the status of the similar term "Baron".
- "Arl" is most likely based on the real world British title "Earl," from the original Anglo-Saxon title.
- "Teyrn" is also an actual real world title, being the Welsh for "Sovereign" or "Monarch".
- The Fereldens are also similar to the Celts of the British Isles. The Prophetess Andraste draws light parallels with Boudica. The similarities become rather clear when one recalls that Boudica led a rebellion against the Romans in modern day England. The Fereldans use their war hounds to take down armored knights, just as the Irish did with their Irish Wolfhounds when they were invaded by the English in the 9th and 10th centuries. Additionally, there are strong Gaelic/Irish influences in the naming of Ferelden characters (Loghain Mac Tir, King Cailan). Though these comparisons are relatively subtle when compared to how heavily the Fereldens are based on the Saxons.
- A gift made available by the Feastday Pranks DLC is about "The Complete Genealogy of Kyngs in Ferelden". This may be a developer joke on Ferelden's use of words for nobility that are slightly altered from English equivalents, "as was done with "Ser" or "Arl."
- Ferelden is the setting for the Dragon Age: Redemption web series, and also features in the prelude of Dragon Age II.
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