I searched for it on Tumblr
Why is no one talking about the fact that The Book of Breathings in ACOMAF is named after the Egyptian Book of Breathings which, consequently, are several late, ancient Egyptian funerary texts that is intended to enable deceased people to exist in the afterlife. I mean this seems kind of an important clue. maybe?
In ancient Egypt “breathing” was a metaphorical term for all the aspects of life that the deceased hoped to experience again in the afterlife.
Could the book Feyre has actually be related to this same idea?
The first piece that Feyre, well she basically steals it, and that half of the book says the following: “hello liar” “Will you read me?” to which Feyre responds “NO” the book then says “Unmade and Made; Made and Unmade–that is the cycle. Like calls to like”. Then it calls her “Cursebreaker” The first half of the book is described as cold, cunning, heartless.
The Second half of the book comes to Feyre from a sympathetic mortal queen it sings to her: Life and death and rebirth, Sun and moon and dark, Rot and bloom and bones, Hello, Sweet thing. Hello, lady of night. Hello, princess of decay. Hello, fanged beast and trembling fawn. Love me, touch me, sing me. This half of the book is described as Madness, Chaos, Disorder, and Lawlessness, Joy and Despair.
When Feyre takes the Book of Breathings with her to nullify the cauldron the book has this to say: “Sweet-tongued liar, lady of many faces—You see now, princess of carrion–you see what you must do”
This book is the only one that can nullify the Cauldron and apart each half could be said to represent a different side of creation and together it would represent the whole of creation.
The Cauldron is described as “absence, and presence. Darkness and whatever the darkness had come from. But NOT LIFE. Not joy or light or hope”.
Does the Cauldron then represent death and the afterlife? When Feyre is telling the Bone Carver about where she went after she died she describes darkness. She said “There was nothing in the dark, but that it was not frightening.”
Feyre has already died once and been reborn, remade, from the powers of the 7 High Lords. What if those 7 High Lords each represent the 7 Gods of the Underworld/Afterlife. What if being remade by all 7 of them makes her the only person not just able to read the Book of Breathings but to truly command the Cauldron as well.
You can not have life without death, you cannot have death without life the two are inextricably intertwined together. Yet for us mortals and the fae alike there is a moment, a bridge between the two that we must pass over to reach the other side of our existence from life to death. What if Feyre has become that bridge?
The Book of Breathings says 4 times to Feyre “Take us home” It tells her it must be “joined together”.
I don’t know I’m just speculating at this point so if ya’ll have any ideas you wanna throw my way or you have a different spin feel free to jump in.
consequently the first chapter in the third book A court of Wings and Ruin is titled Princess of Carrion.
@propshophannah @teamfeyre @crochanblackbeak @princevvhitethorn @hermajestymanon
