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“I am a fly in the ointment. I am a whisper in the shadows. I am also an old, old woman. More than that you need not know.”


Flemeth is a shapeshifter, known as the Witch of the Wilds, Mother of Vengeance among the Chasind[1] and Asha'bellanar ("woman of many years" in Elvish). She is widely recognized as the eponymous character of an age-old legend, described variously as extremely powerful and long-lived or even immortal, and having many daughters, all of whom are witches like their mother.

Background[]

Ages ago, legend says Bann Conobar took to wife a beautiful young woman who harbored a secret talent for magic: Flemeth of Highever. And for a time they lived happily, until the arrival of a young poet, Osen, who captured the lady's heart with his verse.

They turned to the Chasind tribes for help and hid from Conobar's wrath in the Wilds, until word came to them that Conobar lay dying: His last wish was to see Flemeth's face one final time.

The lovers returned, but it was a trap. Conobar killed Osen, and imprisoned Flemeth in the highest tower of the castle. In grief and rage, Flemeth worked a spell to summon a spirit into this world to wreak vengeance upon her husband. Vengeance, she received, but not as she planned. The spirit took possession of her, turning Flemeth into an abomination.[2] A twisted, maddened creature, she slaughtered Conobar and all his men, and fled back into the Wilds.

For a hundred years, Flemeth plotted, stealing men from the Chasind to sire monstrous daughters: Horrific things that could kill a man with fear. These Korcari witches led an army of Chasind from the Wilds to strike at the Alamarri tribes. They were defeated by the hero Cormac, and all the witches burned, so they say, but even now the Wilders whisper that Flemeth lives on in the marsh, and she and her daughters steal those men who come too near.

—Excerpt from Codex entry: Flemeth

Flemeth is said to have been born in Highever in 3:00 Towers.[3] However, according to Brother Ferdinand Genitivi, there is no actual evidence of a "Bann Conobar Elstan" or a "Flemeth of Highever" having existed. Some people speculate that the legend might refer to Teyrn Talemal, son of Caedmon, who tried to unite Ferelden before being killed by his wife, whom he'd imprisoned for unfaithfulness but had been released by sympathetic servants.[1]

Morrigan however, claims that according to her mother, Flemeth was the wife of a poor bard named Osen, and in truth Lord Conobar was the jealous lord who desired Flemeth from afar. One day, Lord Conobar offered Osen wealth and power in exchange for his lovely wife; Osen agreed to his terms. Conobar was a foul man who bargained with coin he did not possess however, and instead of fulfilling their deal, Conobar slew Osen in a field. Flemeth heard of Osen's fate from spirits and swore revenge. Flemeth used the spirits to slay Conobar and fled to the Korcari Wilds. Lord Conobar's allies chased her in pursuit, but Flemeth found a demon in the Wilds that allegedly made her strong enough to defend herself.

Centuries later, legends spoke of a hero named Cormac who defeated Flemeth when she raised a Chasind army to invade the lowlands. Morrigan claims these legends were lies however, and that there was never an invasion. As Morrigan's mother tells it, the Chasind never raised an army under Flemeth and Flemeth never fought Cormac. According to her, Cormac led a brutal civil war against his own people under the pretense of vanquishing an evil that had taken root amongst the lords and was thus hailed as a hero. Flemeth was attached to the legends sometime later, presumably influenced by the great war with the Chasind that eventually came.[4]

Many legends shroud the mystery of how Flemeth became the Witch of the Wilds, a fearsome personage that walked the Wilds for centuries. Her title is, however, not a true one, but rather a superstitious name the locals of the Korcari Wilds gave to her. The Chasind often paint Flemeth in the shape of a great dragon or serpent that only the truly desperate would turn towards. Flemeth offers vengeance, but rarely in the way one expects, and most petitioners come to regret their wishes. To the Dalish, she's a vengeful and sometimes capricious being, just as likely to kill a supplicant as help them.[1]

Flemeth appears often in Fereldan tales. In one legend, an old witch is said to have approached Calenhad Theirin to offer him the power to unite the Alamarri tribes and form a kingdom. She also appears in many versions of Dane and the Werewolf and is said to have helped King Maric Theirin retake the Fereldan throne.


This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Inquisition.


Although Morrigan at first believed Flemeth to be an abomination, she later realized that Flemeth is not truly human. Flemeth herself reveals to The Inquisitor that the Fereldan legends of the Witch of the Wilds share one aspect that is true: Flemeth fled the Alamarri and asked spirits for help. Flemeth then admits that Mythal answered, and in exchange for fulfillment of Flemeth's request, she possessed her.



This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Origins.


Flemeth has borne multiple daughters, but Morrigan claims to have never met another - she is later taken aback by the revelation that Flemeth possesses their bodies as a means to prolong her life, thus making her Flemeth's next host.



This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Inquisition.


Yavana later claims, and Flemeth herself confirms, that the truth is in fact far more complicated, cryptically stating that "a soul cannot be forced upon the unwilling, you were never in danger from me", which appears to confuse, frustrate and disturb Morrigan, although the old woman refuses to elaborate further.


Flemeth has an almost unsettling tendency to be involved in the lives of a number of Ferelden's most noted citizens. Although she is most associated with the Korcari Wilds to the south of that nation, tales of her have reached much farther afield: stories of her are sung as far north as Antiva, and the Seekers of Truth know she is more than just a legend.

Involvement[]

Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne[]


This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne.


While on the run from Orlesian sympathizers, Prince Maric Theirin and Loghain Mac Tir are captured by the Dalish, who deliver them to Flemeth. In exchange for leading them out of the Wilds, she requests that Maric make a promise to her that he may not share that knowledge with anyone. She also tells Maric that a Blight will occur one day in Ferelden, and gives Maric a cryptic warning about Loghain: "Keep him close and he will betray you, each time worse than the last."


Dragon Age: The Calling[]


This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: The Calling.


Fourteen years later, Flemeth's words inspire Maric, now King of Ferelden, to accompany the Grey Wardens on their expedition into the Deep Roads. He later relays her words to Loghain, who disagrees with them and points out that she may have been deceiving them.


Dragon Age: Origins[]


This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Origins.


While on assignment to recover old treaties crucial to the Grey Wardens' effort against the Blight, the party is approached by Morrigan, who reveals that the treaties have been removed by her mother. Apparently, Flemeth had kept them safe in her hut in preparation for the Wardens' hour of need.

Flemeth later rescues the Warden and Alistair from the Tower of Ishal following the disastrous Battle of Ostagar, and brings them back to the hut to heal them. Once they recover and grasp the scope of their responsibilities, she insists that Morrigan accompany them. Flemeth avoids giving a direct answer to her reasons, but implies that her main concern is stopping the Blight and perhaps that she wishes to keep Morrigan safe from it.

Leliana, when asked, will tell the Warden the traditional version of Flemeth's story as known in Ferelden and Orlais. Morrigan may tell the Warden the story as the Chasind know it, as well as Flemeth's own version (in which Osen is her true husband). Morrigan is quick to point out the distinct possibility that neither version is true.

Morrigan may also ask the Warden to recover Flemeth's Black Grimoire, which is held by the Circle of Magi. Recovered from the First Enchanter's study in the Circle Tower, it can be exchanged for a bonus to Morrigan's approval, and soon afterwards the Warden will hear a startling tale. Morrigan claims to discovered through reading the Grimoire that whenever Flemeth feels her body diminish from age, she raises a daughter to follow in her footsteps, only to then possess that daughter and discard the old body. Morrigan asks the Warden to kill Flemeth as a precaution, but will not risk being present for such a confrontation. If confronted, Flemeth offers the Warden a deal: in exchange for her real grimoire, the Warden returns to Morrigan merely pretending that Flemeth is dead. If Flemeth is attacked she will transform into a high dragon.

See Flemeth the Shapeshifter for tips on how to defeat her.

After defeating Flemeth or agreeing to lie to Morrigan, access is granted to Robes of Possession and Flemeth's Real Grimoire.

On the eve of the Battle of Denerim, Morrigan reveals that her ritual was designed by Flemeth. Morrigan conceiving a child with a Grey Warden to trap Urthemiel's soul was (according to Morrigan) Flemeth's motivation from the start. Morrigan does not reveal what Flemeth planned to do with the child herself—perhaps she never knew.


Witch Hunt[]


This section contains spoilers for:
Witch Hunt.


When the Warden or Warden-Commander finally tracks Morrigan down to the Nest, she will warn them that Flemeth is far more dangerous than they suspected. Morrigan has discovered that her mother is not after immortality after all, but something much more horrifying, though she doesn't mention what. Morrigan also implies that Flemeth is more closely connected to the Blight than anyone ever suspected. If the Warden killed Flemeth, Morrigan will state that she has survived. If the Warden-Commander has had no prior association with Morrigan, she simply implores them to warn the rest of the Grey Wardens about the danger Flemeth poses.


Dragon Age II[]


This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age II.


Flemeth03

Flemeth encounters Hawke and company outside of Lothering

Flemeth encounters the Hawke family along with Wesley Vallen and his wife Aveline Vallen as they are attempting to escape the Blight in Lothering. Flemeth, in dragon form, saves them from hurlocks.[5] Materializing as a more attractive human form, Flemeth attributes her actions to mere curiosity towards Hawke for defeating an ogre earlier. Afterward, Flemeth offers Hawke safe passage with the request that Hawke delivers an amulet to the Dalish Keeper Marethari, whose clan resides near Kirkwall. This begins the quest Long Way Home. She also warns Hawke and Aveline that Wesley is dying from darkspawn corruption, forcing Hawke or Aveline to put him out of his misery. As these events occur during the fall of Lothering to the darkspawn hordes, it is before the Warden can perform Morrigan's quest to kill Flemeth.[6] When Cassandra expressed disbelief about Flemeth's appearance in Hawke's story, Varric suggests he relate the tale of the Warden, to which Cassandra admits that she shouldn't be surprised to hear of the witch's involvement.

Before Hawke or Aveline kills Wesley, Flemeth states that only cure for the taint (that she knows of) is to become a Grey Warden. Hawke or Aveline will respond by saying that they all died at Ostagar. Flemeth corrects them, stating "Not all, but the last are now beyond your reach". Once the choice is made, Flemeth will give a cryptic warning about their troubles just beginning.

After Hawke gives the amulet to the keeper and a Dalish ritual is performed upon it, Flemeth is reborn, as she stored a part of herself within it. She reveals this was a form of security in case Morrigan was successful in convincing the Warden to kill her. If asked "Are you real?" she will mention that she is not limited to being in one place at a time. Her current self is merely a piece of herself that she has projected, effectively enabling her to live on regardless of whether the Warden killed her or not. She then tells Hawke that change is about to come to the world, and gives a number of cryptic warnings to Hawke and Merrill. After this, she flies away in her high dragon form.


Dragon Age: The Silent Grove[]


This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: The Silent Grove.


Flemeth is mentioned by another daughter, Yavana, the Witch of the Wilds in the Tellari Swamps of Antiva, who reveals that Flemeth made Maric promise to come to the Silent Grove once his children were grown. She also says that Flemeth's ritual of possession that Morrigan feared is a "gift."


Dragon Age: Inquisition[]


This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Inquisition.


Dai Flemeth

Flemeth in Dragon Age: Inquisition

If the Warden performed the Dark Ritual in Dragon Age: Origins:
The Inquisitor and Morrigan join forces to find Morrigan's son Kieran, who has disappeared through the eluvian. Morrigan surmises that it took immense power to direct the mirror to the Fade where they find themselves. After a brief search, they find Kieran with Flemeth.
If the Warden did not perform the Dark Ritual in Dragon Age: Origins:
The Inquisitor and Morrigan encounter Flemeth when they go to the Altar of Mythal.

Regardless, Morrigan attempts to attack, only to be stopped when Flemeth takes control of either Morrigan or the Inquisitor (depending on who drank from the Well of Sorrows), revealing that Flemeth is in fact Mythal. Flemeth admits that when she was human ages ago and called out into the darkness, a wisp of Mythal came to her and granted her all she wanted and more. Carrying Mythal through the ages, she seeks to grant the elven goddess the justice that was denied to her, a reckoning she claims that will shake the very heavens.

If the Warden performed the Dark Ritual in Dragon Age: Origins:
She offers Morrigan a deal: Flemeth keeps Kieran and Morrigan is free of her, or Kieran returns to Morrigan but Flemeth will keep pursuing her. Morrigan refuses to leave Kieran with Flemeth and is willing to offer her body to protect her son. Flemeth then only extracts the soul of the Old God Urthemiel from Kieran and gives him back, stating that she cannot possess an unwilling host and that Morrigan was never truly in any danger from her.
If the Warden did not perform the Dark Ritual in Dragon Age: Origins:
Flemeth claims that all she desires is to see who drank from the Well of Sorrows. If it is the Inquisitor, she instructs them to master the dragon acting as the altar's guardian, providing them with a dragon ally. If it is Morrigan, then she casts a spell on Morrigan which imparts the knowledge of how to shapeshift into a dragon. Flemeth leaves but not before telling Morrigan that a soul is not forced upon the unwilling and that she was never in danger from her.
In the aftermath of the Elder One's defeat, Flemeth is seen sending something magical through an Eluvian. Solas encounters her in an unknown location next to the Eluvian in a post-epilogue conversation. She reveals him to be the Dread Wolf Fen'Harel, addressing him as an "old friend", while chastising him for allowing Corypheus access to the Orb of Destruction. After their brief exchange, Flemeth expresses disappointment towards Solas before sharing an embrace, only for Flemeth to be affected by him in some way and collapse in his arms, seemingly petrified while Solas' eyes glow.


Quests[]

Dragon Age: Origins[]

The Tower of Ishal The Tower of Ishal
Flemeth's Real Grimoire Flemeth's Real Grimoire

Dragon Age II[]

The Destruction of Lothering The Destruction of Lothering
Long Way Home Long Way Home

Dragon Age: Inquisition[]

The Final Piece The Final Piece

Quotes[]

Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne[]

  • "There are things hidden in the shadows of your kingdom, young man, which you couldn't begin to guess."
  • (To Loghain) "You've rage enough inside you, tempered into a blade of fine steel. Into whose heart will you plunge that one day, I wonder?"
  • (To Maric) "You will hurt the ones you love the most, and become what you hate in order to save what you love."

Dragon Age: Origins[]

  • "You are required to do nothing, least of all believe. Shut one's eyes tight or open one's arms wide, either way, one's a fool."
  • "Be always aware... or is it oblivious? I can never remember."
  • "Men's hearts hold shadows darker than any tainted creature."
  • "I laugh at a world full of stupid humans, who ignore the Blight's evil and abandon their vigilance to pursue mortal goals."
  • "We believe what we want to believe. It's all we ever do."

Dragon Age II[]

  • "Hurtled into the chaos, you fight... and the world will shake before you." (Aside, to herself) "Is it fate or chance? I can never decide."
  • (To Bethany or Carver) "Regret is something I know well. Take care not to cling to it, to hold it so close that it poisons your soul."
  • "We stand upon the precipice of change. The world fears the inevitable plummet into the abyss. Watch for that moment... and when it comes, do not hesitate to leap. It is only when you fall that you learn whether you can fly."
  • "There is always a catch. Life is a catch! I suggest you catch it while you can."

Dragon Age: Inquisition[]

  • "I nudge history, when it's required. Other times, a shove is needed."
  • "Alas, so long as the music plays, we dance."
  • "Truth is not the end, but a beginning."
  • "They do not want the truth. And I? I am but a shadow, lingering in the sun."

Codex entries[]

Codex entry: Flemeth Codex entry: Flemeth
Codex entry: Flemeth's Demise Codex entry: Flemeth's Demise
Codex entry: Journal of the Tranquil Codex entry: Journal of the Tranquil

Notes[]

  • Flemeth was created and written by David Gaider.
  • Like Morrigan, Flemeth was originally supposed to have a Persian accent[7] and would have been voiced by Shohreh Aghdashloo. However, Aghdashloo had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts caused by Origins' developmental delays. She ended up voicing a character in BioWare's Mass Effect 2 instead.[8] The role was later given to Kate Mulgrew. Mulgrew described Flemeth as having a "history rich in despair and loss", something that she drew on for her performance - that every "choice she makes" and "strange thing" that she says is impacted by that history.[9]
  • Flemeth's design was overhauled from Dragon Age II onward, giving her a radically different costume and hairstyle. This new design was based on early concept art for the character from Origins. Character artist Francis Lacuna described her redesign as going from "crazy old lady" to "hot babe", a choice that was bit of a gamble at first. [10]
  • Flemeth was once again written by Gaider for her appearance in Dragon Age: Inquisition. Gaider described the resolution scene between her and Morrigan as "easily the most complex scene I've written", having three overlapping variant scenes and many different plot requirements.[11]

Trivia[]

  • Flemeth's dialogue in Dragon Age II contains several references to her role in Dragon Age: Origins:
    • Her first words in Dragon Age II are, "Well, well... what have we here?" These are the same words first spoken by Morrigan in Dragon Age: Origins[12] as well as Dragon Age: Inquisition.
    • After she saves Hawke and their company, she mentions Alistair and the Warden as the only Grey Warden survivors of the Battle of Ostagar.
    • During an exchange with Hawke when a sarcastic option is chosen, Flemeth will also mention Morrigan.
    • After it is mentioned that she is the Witch of the Wilds, she quips that one of her names is, "an old hag who talks too much." This is what Alistair calls her in Dragon Age: Origins, just days before her encounter with Hawke.
  • Morrigan established Flemeth's survival in Witch Hunt (regardless of player choices), though the exact circumstances would not be revealed until Dragon Age II.
  • In her initial appearance in Origins, Flemeth wears a commoner's outfit, but when she is confronted later she is wearing generic mage's robes (the false Flemeth from Morrigan's nightmare wears magister's robes).

This section contains spoilers for:
Dragon Age: Inquisition.


  • Designer notes on the post-credits scene indicate that Flemeth/Mythal knows that in his drive to restore the elven people Solas/Fen'Harel will kill anyone - even her. She intends to let him have her power, so long as she can pass the essence of her god-hood onto Morrigan.[13] However, David Gaider has also noted that this is legacy information and may no longer be canonical.[14]


Gallery[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Dragon Age logo - new Dragon Age: The World of Thedas, vol. 2, pp. 27-29
  2. Codex entry: Flemeth's Demise
  3. Dragon Age logo - new Dragon Age: The World of Thedas, vol. 1, p. 82
  4. Dialogue with Morrigan if discussing Flemeth's legends in Dragon Age: Origins.
  5. Game Informer (Print Edition), pp. 7-8
  6. David Gaider's post on the Bioware forums
  7. Tumblr icon David Gaider. "On voice acting" . Tumblr.
  8. Tumblr icon Felassan. "Dragon Age development insights from David Gaider" . Tumblr.
  9. Andrew Park (September 24, 2009). Kate Mulgrew talks Dragon Age: Origins. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  10. Pixologic. Interview Dragon Age II. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  11. Twitter icon Daivid Gaider (May 08, 2019). https://twitter.com/davidgaider/status/1125935101026525184 . Twitter. Retrieved on January 28, 2024.
  12. Game-play Video of Dragon Age 2
  13. Reddit post-credit scene explained
  14. Bioware Forum "Flemeth lying or just misunderstood?"

External links[]

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