Fen'Harel

Fen'Harel, also known as the Dread Wolf, He Who Hunts Alone,According to Keeper Lanaya following the quest Nature of the Beast. Lord of Tricksters,Codex Entry: Arlathan: Part Two The Great Wolf,According to Tamlen. Roamer of the Beyond, the old wolf,Codex entry: Torn Notebook in the Deep Roads, Section 2 is the elven god of betrayal or rebellion.Codex entry: The Rebel God
He was known as kin to both the Creators and The Forgotten Ones. His supposed betrayal of both clans of gods by sealing them away in their respective realms, never again to interact with the mortal world, is sometimes used to explain why the elven gods—particularly the benevolent Creators—did not intervene to prevent the fall of Arlathan.Codex entry: Arlathan: Part Two Fen'Harel is said to have spent centuries in a far corner of the earth after his great deception, hugging himself and giggling madly in glee.
Fen'Harel is said to have never been particularly fond of the elven people, only interacting with them for sport and imparting dark wisdom as the whim took him.Dragon Age (tabletop RPG), Core Rulebook, p. 193
== The Betrayal ==
The deceit of Fen'Harel itself—known as the Great Betrayal—is sometimes described as a truce suggested by the Dread Wolf,Codex entry: Fen'Harel: The Dread Wolf and other times as a hunt by the Creators and Forgotten Ones in the Heavens and the Abyss, respectively, for a blade Fen'Harel promised would stop a war.According to conversation with Merrill regarding the Sylvanwood Ring gift. It may even have been a bid by Fen'Harel to rule the Fade—or even Elvhenan itself—without the interference of the other elven gods.
== Relationship with mortals ==
Fen'Harel has a mixed reputation amongst the Dalish. While some modern clans consider him to be an evil god,According to Tamlen who states "But [Falon'Din] wasn't an evil god, not like Fen'Harel - the Great Wolf.", he is often still held in wary respect. In the past it is said that the Dread Wolf was called upon by elves for aid and advice in various matters, but always with a price. In spite of this, offerings of thanks were often given for Fen'Harel's help as he did follow through on promises of aid, if in an unorthodox manner. Since the fall of Arlathan, however, this practice has understandably fallen out of favor as a rule. In the modern day, statues of Fen'Harel are set facing away from any Dalish camp, as a reminder that the Dalish must always be wary, or else to protect against evil spirits.According to an elven Inquisitor when examining the statue of Fen'Harel in the Temple of Mythal. Furthermore, Keepers wear rings of sylvanwood depicting Fen'Harel's betrayal of the elven gods as a reminder of their duty to protect their clan from him.According to Merrill regarding the Sylvanwood Ring.
He is also said to gleefully patrol the Fade, feasting on the souls of the dead.
Despite Fen’Harel’s reputation he has been known to be invoked by Dalish elves to express dismay at unexpected events ("By the Dread Wolf!"), to demand the annihilation of an enemy (“Dread Wolf take you!”), when all seems lost,According to Dragon Age: The Last Court. and as a wary farewell (“May the Dread Wolf never hear your steps”). Furthermore, some Dalish elves still erect shrines to him and make offerings; perhaps as a form of appeasement, but still a sign that the fearful wariness in which the Dread Wolf is held by modern-day elves is not absolute.Per description of the shrine in Ghilan'nain's Grove in the Exalted Plains. These shrines are mostly avoided and are typically situated far outside of camps. Owing to how long it lasts, it is speculated that some Dalish elves may leave spiced jerky as offerings at these shrines, and that offering perishable food is bad practice.Dragon Age: The Official Cookbook: Tastes of Thedas, p. 31 
Dalish elves do still honor Fen'Harel in their own way; it is simply not the same as how the other gods are worshipped. Dalish elves do not bring statues of him with them as they might do with those of the Creators, as his always remain outside elven camps and nevertheless remain a way to honor him no matter where they are. Therefore, Fen'Harel's statues remain common in the Dales at large in any place outside of a Dalish settlement, explaining their comparative ubiquity.
Fen'Harel is mentioned as well in the uncommon text The Emergent Compendium—an ancient magical tome that produces images and text on its own. One of the pictures it manifested was described as "Two shadowed spheres among stars", and it was accompanied by a subtitle that could be deciphered into the phrase "An eclipse as Fen'Harel stirred."
=== Dragon Age: Inquisition ===
==== Trespasser ====
=== Dragon Age: Deception ===
=== Dragon Age: Tevinter Nights ===
=== Dragon Age: The Veilguard ===
== Fables of the Dread Wolf ==
=== The Courser and the Wolf ===
::"You know what the Dalish say to their dogs? “Take the Dread Wolf by the ear if he comes.""
::"Long ago, a clan lived on the Silent Plains. It was a terrible, lonely place where the sun was forbidden to shine. Their Keeper had a coursing hound. They had run down deer and hares and wolves together when they were young. But they had grown old together, Keeper and hound, and now only dozed before the campfire, dreaming of hunts."
::"But then the Dread Wolf came, for the Keeper was wise and kind—the things Fen’Harel hates above all else. At night, he tried to steal into the Keeper’s dreams, to twist his mind and turn him against the People. But even in dreams, the courser guarded his master. He caught the Dread Wolf’s scent and gave chase across the Fade."
::"Fen’Harel tried to shake his pursuer, but the hound ran as coursers can only run in their dreams. Even the wind couldn’t have fled that hound. He ran the Dread Wolf down and grabbed him by the tail! Fen’Harel howled, so loud that the Veil shook and even the stars scattered in fear. But the hound wouldn’t let go."
::"Neither hound nor Wolf gave in. Finally, Fen’Harel bit off his own tail to escape, and away he fled. Ever since, the Dread Wolf thinks twice about playing his tricks when dogs are on guard."
::—Merrill, First of the Sabrae clanAccording to conversation with Merrill at the Hawke Estate with The Black Emporium DLC installed.
=== The Slow Arrow ===
::The god Fen'Harel was asked by a village to kill a great beast. He came to the beast at dawn, and saw its strength, and knew it would slay him if he fought it. So instead, he shot an arrow up into the sky. The villagers asked Fen'Harel how he would save them, and he said to them, 'When did I say that I would save you?' And he left, and the great beast came into the village that night and killed the warriors, and the women, and the elders. It came to the children and opened its great maw, but then the arrow that Fen'Harel had loosed fell from the sky into the great beast's mouth, and killed it. The children of the village wept for their parents and elders, but still they made an offering to Fen'Harel of thanks, for he had done what the villagers had asked. He had killed the beast, with his cunning, and a slow arrow that the beast never noticed.
::—Felassan, to BrialaDragon Age: The Masked Empire, p. 73
=== The Noble and the Dread Wolf ===
::Felassan: "There was a young noble in fair Arlathan, and it happened that the elven king lost one of his two daughters to a serpent's bite. At the ceremony to commemorate her life, the young noble saw an elven lady so fair and perfect that his heart broke—but by the laws of ancient Arlathan, he was forbidden to speak with her during the ceremony, and he did not learn who she was, so he could not ask her family to court her. The young noble prayed to the gods that he might meet the elven lady again. He prayed to Mythal for love, and Dirthamen for the secret of the elven lady's name, and to Andruil for luck in the hunt for this woman. And finally, he made an offering to Fen'Harel...and the Dread Wolf was the only one who answered. In a dream that night, he told the noble what he needed to do to see his heart's love again. Do you know what he said?"
::Briala: "Kill the king's other daughter."Dragon Age: The Masked Empire, p. 183
=== Fen'Harel and the Tree ===
::"In the story, Fen'Harel was captured by the hunting goddess, Andruil. He had angered her by hunting the halla without her blessing, and she tied him to a tree and declared that he would have to serve in her bed for a year and a day to pay her back. But as she made camp that night, the dark god Anaris found them, and Anaris swore that he would kill Fen'Harel for crimes against the Forgotten Ones. Andruil and Anaris decided that they would duel for the right to claim Fen'Harel.
::He called out to Anaris during the fight and told him of a flaw in Andruil's armor just above the hip, and Anaris stabbed Andruil in the side, and she fell. Then Fen'Harel told Anaris that he owed the Dread Wolf for the victory and ought to get his freedom. Anaris was so affronted by Fen'Harel's audacity that he turned and shouted insults at the prisoner, and so he did not see Andruil, injured but alive, rise behind him and attack with her great bow. Anaris fell with a golden arrow in his back, badly injured, and while both gods slumbered to heal their wounds, Fen'Harel chewed through his ropes and escaped."
::—Felassan, to BrialaDragon Age: The Masked Empire, p. 319
=== The Betrayal ===
::The carvings tell the story of the Betrayal. The Dread Wolf tricking all the gods away from the world. Long ago, there were two clans of gods. The Creators looked after the People. The Forgotten Ones preyed upon us. And one god who was neither. Fen'Harel, the Dread Wolf. He was kin to the Creators, and in the old days, often helped them in their endless war against the Forgotten Ones. We barely even remember all their names, let alone who struck the first blow, who was wrong... 
::Fen'Harel was clever. He could walk among both clans of gods without fear, and both believed he was one of them. He went to each side, and told them the other had forged a terrible weapon, a blade that would end the war. He told the Creators it was forged in the heavens, and the Forgotten Ones, that it was hidden in the abyss. And when the gods went seeking it, he sealed them both in their realms forever. Now he alone is left in the world.
::—Merrill to Hawke during Memento of the Dalish (diplomatic option in the middle of the conversation)
=== Where Willows Wail (Roughly Translated) ===
::—Documented by minstrels assisting the University of Orlais in cataloguing folktales of Thedas
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== Trivia ==
* Some scholars believe that the constellation Fenrir, known in common parlance as "White Wolf," was originally associated with Fen'Harel before being supplanted by the ancient Tevinters.Codex entry: Constellation: Fenrir
* Michel is told that Clan Virnehn sometimes practiced a savage game with human prisoners called "Fen'Harel's Teeth", wherein a prisoner's clothes are taken and their hands lashed together. The prisoner is given hard leather leggings with small nails driven into them to cause pain, and given a hundred-count head start before the clan gives chase.Dragon Age: The Masked Empire, p. 221 This is in contradiction to the Dalish first verse of the Vir Assan, the Way of the Arrow, that governs the rule: "Strike true; do not waiver. And let not your prey suffer." Codex entry: Elven God Andruil. The contradiction may exist because the story about "Fen'Harel's Teeth" was only intended to intimidate Michel.
* The Emprise Du Lion region is a part of the Dales, and so retains a few elven artifacts, including two statues of wolves, to which passing Dalish clans make offerings of flowers.According to a letter found near a wolf statue in Alphonse's Passage, signed by the local mayor.
* The idea that some Dalish elves may make offerings of spiced jerky to the Dread Wolf at his shrines seems to be a play on the fact that jerky is a common treat given to pet dogs.Dragon Age: The Official Cookbook: Tastes of Thedas, p. 31
* In their cookbook, Devon also refers to the Dread Wolf in the recipe for hearth cakes, writing that if feeling impish, one could use hot peppers in this dish instead of the usual dried fruit. This is not recommended however, as the baker would end up being loudly cursed out for their prank, "as vehemently as Fen'Harel, the Lord of Tricksters himself!"Dragon Age: The Official Cookbook: Tastes of Thedas, p. 41 This may be a reference to Mary Kirby's description of Solas as being like Scotch bonnet candies, which are a variety of chili pepper.
== See also ==
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:Lateral Thinker
:Mask of Fen'Harel
== References ==
Category:Religion
Category:Elven lore
Category:Elven pantheon
de:Fen'Harel