Ancient Guardian

* Immortal
* Lawful good
* Chaotic evil
* Various
* None
* N/A
* Azeroth
* All languages

**Ancient Guardians** (also known as **Wild Gods**, **ancient protectors**, **Ancients**, or **ancients**) are demigods of Azeroth.

From the dawn of its reshaping by the mysterious titans, Azeroth had been guarded by beings who were tied to the world as no other creatures could be. The dragons had been empowered by the titans, but Azeroth itself gave rise to the spirits and demigods, creatures eternal in nature yet capable of ultimate sacrifice.

The August Celestials are Ancients in Pandaria.

## Named Ancient Guardians

* **Agamaggan**
Giant boar ancient, created the Quilboar race. Where he died, thorns grew and the quilboar flocked to them, making it their home. Quilboar worship Agamaggan.

* **Aessina**
One of the greater wilderness spirits who lurks in dense untamed woods. She is the soul of the forest, its beating heart, the source of life energy that breaks down stone, devours ancient ruins, and fills dense thickets with mystery and fear. Aessina is the center of the web of life. The night elves revere her and have even built shrines for her. She takes on the form of a wisp.

* **Aviana**
Was a raven until Elune chose her to deliver a message. This eventually led to her delivery of messages all over the world. The night elves revere her. The Druids of the Talon worship her.

* **Cenarius**
Lord of the Forest and patron god of all druids. Worshiped by the night elves. He taught the night elves to embrace nature instead of arcane magic, leading to the first druids.

* **Goldrinn**
He takes the form of a monstrously powerful white wolf and embodies ferocity, savagery, and an unyielding will. He is worshiped by the Druids of the Scythe and the worgen.

* **Malorne**
An enormous white stag that roamed the land as protector of nature. His power lay in nature itself and he is responsible for the creation and nurturing of nature in the world. He is the father of Cenarius, who inherited his dominion over nature.

* **Omen**
Was a being of great strength and knowledge. He was eventually corrupted by the Burning Legion and is now evil.

* **Tortolla**
The turtle demigod. He is the patron ancient to all creatures who move effortlessly between land and sea.

* **Ursoc** and **Ursol**
Ursoc and Ursol are patrons of those who favor balance of nature and the living beasts of the wild. They are twins and take on the form of bears. The furbolg worship them.

## Unnamed ancient guardians

Numerous unnamed Ancients appeared in a few scenes of *The Sundering* alongside known ancients and other forest races.

* A being resembling a wolverine
* A tiny red fox with a sly yet gnomish visage
* A winged panther with hands almost human (possibly tol'vir-related)
* Sword-wielding pixies of a sort
* A reptilian warrior with a shell reminiscent of a turtle's (possibly Tortolla)
* Male figures with hooded faces and whose flesh (what little there was visible) was oak bark. (possibly ancients)
* A humanoid stick bug race (possibly aqir-related or an aqir ancestor)
* A squat warrior

## Dark Ancients

The Twilight's Hammer feared that the Ancient Guardians may someday rise up to oppose them. They created twisted versions of the Ancients, summoned to replace them. They were a primal force of nature, but their origins were from a darker place. Those who birthed these beasts reached deep into the blackness, channeling powers never intended for this world. The Twilight's Hammer dreamed of creating their own pantheon of twisted ancients to rule over the land, sea, and air, though only two were summoned before the Twilight's Hammer was stopped.

* **Lycanthoth**
The dark version of the ancient Goldrinn.

* **Nemesis**
The dark version of the ancient Tortolla.

## Ancients of Vashj'ir

The following two underwater beings located in Vashj'ir are also known as "Ancients", though it is unclear exactly how they're related to the Ancient Guardians, if at all.

* **L'ghorek**
* **Nespirah**

## Relationship with the Loa

Troll druids visiting the Moonglade have been overheard calling the wisps who reside there loa, just as they refer to Goldrinn, Aviana, and the other returned Ancients as loa. Night elves and tauren have tried to counsel these trolls on "correct" druidic nomenclature, but the trolls thus far have been stuck in their ways. What this actually means for the two groups is unknown.

## Racial ancestry

Brann Bronzebeard has confirmed that several races originate from the ancients.

* Cenarius' descendants are the keepers of the grove, the magnataur, the centaur, the dryads, nymphs and their forest and frost descendants.
* Something created the pandaren
* Ursoc created the furbolg
* Agamaggan created the quilboar
* Aviana created the harpies
Brann also speculates on the existence of few ancients and their creation of descendant races:

* Gorloc and a Frog Ancient
* Wolvar and a Badger Ancient
* Tauren and a Bull Ancient. It is possible this might have been Niuzao.
* Tuskarr and a Walrus Ancient
* Aessina might have created the grell (she tells Brann "maybe")
* Gnolls and a Hyena Ancient
* Makrura and a Lobster Ancient
Although the worgen are actually night elves or humans afflicted with a curse, the curse drew upon Goldrinn's fury. Thus, in a way, it can be said Goldrinn gave rise to the modern worgen.

## RPG

Night elf culture speaks of both ancients and Ancients (note the capital A). Ancients (lower-case) are treelike sages and protectors. Ancients (upper-case) are old demigods, like Cenarius, who assisted the night elves at various points throughout their history.

Perhaps more so than other Eternals, the Ancients of the night elves are treated like deities. Primal spirits of the natural world when it was young, they personify its most distinct and most powerful qualities. Although several of them were effectively destroyed during the War of the Ancients and in later conflicts, they are honored still by races such as centaur, furbolgs, night elves and quilboar. Elune the Moon Goddess, Azeroth's one true deity, remains a focus of worship for the night elves and other races, while the world grows warier of what the changed Queen Azshara may attempt in the coming future.

Most of the inhabitants of northern Kalimdor — namely the night elves, but also the furbolgs and the satyrs — worship or revere the Ancients. The night elves worship Azeroth's only deity, the eternal moon goddess Elune. They revere most of the other Ancients, especially Cenarius, the only Ancient to spend considerable time on the physical plane. They also honor the moon goddess's companions, including Agamaggan, Aviana and Malorne. The furbolgs venerate the bear twins, Ursoc and Ursol; and the evil satyrs revere Lord Xavius. The Ancients rarely interfere with life on Azeroth, but these races hold fast in their fervent beliefs that the Ancients exist and are watching events unfold.

Azshara, Elune and Xavius are considered Ancient Guardians in the RPG. This is, however, non-canon.

## Credits

* The entirety of this article comes directly from Wowpedia. The article can be viewed here.
* The artwork on this article is official and was created by Blizzard Entertainment and/or their affiliates.