Truth-teller exposing the truth | Elriel Theory
This is a crack theory that burst into my brain the other day so I figured i’d just share it :) it’s more of an observation.
Also i just want to mention how i loved “az giving elain his knife” scene but never really understood the meaning behind it, like i knew SJM was hinting for something but never connected the dots until i read it again (keep in mind that SJM at-least had a idea for elain’s book when writing the “truth-teller” scene)
So first what do we know of truth-teller so far?
In ACOWAR:
We all noticed the scene where azriel lends elain his truth-teller and that’s because SJM herself wanted us to focus or maybe remember it for some future event, BUT despite it being a sign of trust and other cute shit, It’s important to note how Azriel never let another person—I’m gonna take Elain out of this for a second—touch that knife, and what does this mean? It means that this knife has some sort of unknown power that makes azriel so protective over it and fear it landing in the wrong hands.
And what kind of power does it have?
It never failed him to strike true
Even Azriel doesn't know the extent of truth-teller’s power, but the fact that it never failed him to strike true shows that truth-teller:
Has a purpose, it always finds a way to break through what’s not right & harmful (keep this in mind)
Possess fair magic
Exposes the truth
Azriel may have said that truth-teller never failed him, but was it proven in the books?
YES! SJM showed that truth-teller always strikes true and was proven by Elain stabbing the king in the neck.
I believe that SJM’s intention in this scene isn’t only about Elain participating in the war, or saving nassian, it’s about proving that truth-teller does indeed strike true and will cut through the bad.
Truth-teller’s target will always be someone like king of hybern, why? Because his intentions were clear, he wanted to do everything bad to Prythian:
Taking down the wall (which will enslave the humans)
Invade prythian
So it seems like the knife was looking for the king to end the bad, especially if you note how Elain didn’t really try or put much effort into killing him—his death seemed too easy—it sort of made its way through his neck, and that is because it always strikes true.
So where am i going with this?
I’m glad you asked (no one did) because now we’ve reached my crackhead theory :)
How does truth-teller tie with Elriel and them potentially being mates?
Now when I first read this i knew SJM was hinting /foreshadowing something but my brain was focused on how to pass the SATs that i had an hour later.
The scene includes:
Azriel & Elain both holding truth-teller
Feyre describing the painting.
Even with Elriel differences—light & dark, death & the fawn—it is shown how they match, how they blend.
The ONLY bridge of connection that knife.
What bridge is she talking about?
What connection?
Why is truth-teller the only thing connecting them?
That leads my screaming brain to believe that: what if truth-teller cuts through “anything” that is false to get to the truth, it doesn’t have to be through flesh, it can be through power (dimensions/bonds).
If what’s connecting both elain and azriel that knife then it has to break something for them to finally be connected, and what’s hinted to be false in relation to them: her mating bond with Lucien
Feyre and Azriel both questioning the cauldron is no coincidence, it had to be questioned because something is off (for a problem to be fixed it needs to be addressed first)
If Azriel and Elain are truly mates they need truth-teller to break through what’s false, and strike true.
Truth-teller is what’s left for them to finally connect.
The only bridge of connection...that knife.
So if this is true then either elain or az will break/cut elucien’s false mating bond with this knife.

















