The Elven Pantheon

Before humans came to Thedas, the gods of the elves were revered across the world. Their temples stood in beautiful places, shaped from natural materials. Their magnificent rituals lasted for months on end. But no more. With the fall of the great elven cultural center of Arlathan to the Tevinter Imperium, the voices of the elvish gods fell silent. The Tevinters enslaved the elves and all but destroyed their culture. Centuries passed while the elves labored in cruel bondage and all but forgot how to revere their gods. The words of Andraste, however, set fire to the heart of an elf named Shartan. He led a host of elves out of bondage with the promise that they could reclaim a land of their own and once again worship the gods of their ancestors. As a reward for their support, they were given land in the south of Orlais; it came to be called the Dales. The Dales were a dream of remembrance for the elves. They recovered much of their lore and language. The dream, however, was short. After the Second Blight, tensions between the Chantry and the elves led to an Exalted March that utterly smashed the Dales and saw the elves forbidden to worship their gods. Those who accepted the Chantry’s dominance were corralled in alienages and forced to worship the Maker. Those who refused became the Dalish, elves without a homeland who keep to the old ways as best they can.

### The Creators:

The Dalish hold that there are two groups of gods, the Creators, who favor the elves, and the Forgotten Ones, enemy gods who fought against the Creators whom the elves occasionally had to appease.

#### Elgar’nan, The Eldest of the sun. :

He who overthrew his father.

Elgar’nan is the male head of the elven pantheon, the firstborn of the earth and sun. He is the patron of fatherhood and the taker of vengeance, and his name is frequently invoked by Dalish who seek retribution. Elven legend relates that the earth brought forth life to please Elgar’nan, but that his love of this gift of his mother cause his father to grow envious, so in a fit of jealous rage, the sun turned the creatures of the earth to ash. Elgar’nan, wrathful, grappled with his father, hurling him from the sky. Elgar’nan set about replacing what had been lost, but could not without the sun’s life-giving rays. With Mythal’s cool counsel, Elgar’nan set the sun free in return for a pledge that he would be gentle, and retire from the earth each night. Together with Mythal and his parents, Elgar’nan recreated all that had been.

#### Mythal, The Great Protector:

Mythal is the female patron of motherhood and justice, Elgar’nan’s counterpart. Born of the sea, Mythal’s serene hand calmed Elgar’nan after he threw his father from the sky, allowing him to see how his anger had betrayed him. Mythal had a hand in creating all that is in the modern world, but is especially credited with crafting the moon from the earth that surrounds the sun’s bed. Elves invoke Mythal’s name for protection and justice.

#### Falon’Din, The Friend of the Dead:

The god of death and fortune, Falon’Din and his twin brother Dirthamen are the eldest sons of Elgar’nan and Mythal. From birth, these two were inseparable spirits, split from each other for the very first time in adulthood when the kindly Falon’Din carried a dying deer to rest beyond the Veil, to a place where Dirthamen could not easily follow. Falon’Din swore to guide all beyond the Veil when their times came, a duty that became more and more important as death became more and more common among the elves.

#### Dirthamen, The Keeper of Secrets:

The twin brother of Falon’Din, Dirthamen is the god of secrets and lore. When Dirthamen was first parted from Falon’Din, he wandered the grey paths of the Fade for a time until he happened upon two ravens. Though they tried to confuse him, Dirthamen outsmarted them and became the master of Fear and Deceit. The ravens took him to Falon’Din and the brothers swore to never be parted again.

#### Andruil, The Huntress:

The goddess of the hunt, some tales paint Andruil as a daughter of Elgar’nan and Mythal while others suggest she is a child of the earth. In either case, she is thought to be the sister of Sylaise. Andruil is the originator of the Vir Tanadahl (“Way of Three Trees”), a philosophy of the hunter’s life that has become a code among the modern Dalish:

• Vir Assan (“Way of the Arrow”): Fly straight and do not waver.

• Vir Bor’Assan (“Way of the Bow”): Bend but never break.

• Vir Adahlen (“Way of the Forest”): Together we are stronger than the one.

#### Sylaise, The Hearthkeeper:

Sylaise is the goddess of all the domestic arts and sister of Andruil. She taught the elves to use fire and the herbs of the forest, as well as how to weave fabric and work healing magic. Sylaise is invoked before every fire is kindled and thanked whenever one is quenched. Sylaise is also seen as a protector of all who dwell close to a hearth, especially children.

#### June, The Master of Crafts:

June is the god of crafting. He taught the elves how to make all needful things, but is especially known for showing them how to fashion bows. June’s crafts helped give the elves purpose; before they learned his arts they were incapable of hunting game, and so ate only the nuts and berries they could forage. June is sometimes described as Sylaise’s husband and at other times as her brother. He is said to have crafted himself. (edited)

#### Ghilan’nain, The Mother of Halla:

The youngest of the elven deities, Ghilan’nain was once a mortal elven woman and beloved of Andruil. There are a number of different stories involving her betrayal at the hands of an elven hunter, all of which end with her being transformed into a halla, one of the horned stags sacred to the Dalish. As the goddess of halla, Ghilan’nain is invoked when the Dalish must travel swiftly.

#### Fen’Harel, The Dread Wolf:

Fen’Harel is known as the lord of tricksters and bringer of nightmares. In even the oldest tales Fen’Harel is regarded as a dangerous figure, a god beholden to both the Creators and the Forgotten Ones, part of both camps and neither. He is said to have never been particularly fond of the elves, interacting with them for sport and imparting dark wisdom as the whim took him. The Dalish do not worship Fen’Harel so much as attempt to appease him. Dalish legend has it that not long before the fall of Arlathan, Fen’Harel carried out his greatest intrigue. The Creator gods had long been at war with the Forgotten Ones. Fen’Harel swore to the Creators that he could negotiate a truce if they withdrew to the heavens for a time, even as he vowed to the Forgotten Ones that he could defeat the Creators if they kept to the abyss for a while. Having convinced both sides, Fen’Harel sealed the ways shut behind them all and was left alone with the world all to himself. The Dalish refer to this scheme as the Betrayal, and it serves as the only explanation they have for their abandonment by their gods.

## The Forgotten Ones:

Supposedly, no Dalish can remember these dread beings. All their tales are thought to have been lost in the centuries since the fall of Arlathan, even though a few powerful spirits in the Fade still whisper their names: Geldauran, Daern’thal, and Anaris, the gods of terror, malevolence, spite and disease. Some fear that these dark beings are less forgotten than most believe, and that a terrible few have strayed deeply into darkness in their quest for vengeance against the shemlen. If these fears are true and secretive cults do indeed hide among the elves, then such lost souls have torn out their hearts and forsaken all that it means to be Dalish in return for the keys to a twisted and terrible strength.