Will Elain Archeron become "the Shadowsinger's Knife"?
Or has she already taken on this nom de guerre?
Please don't share or screenshot this post without credit. Art used with permission from the amazing theclever.crow on Instagram.
Disclaimer: this post is really more of a meandering discussion than a theory, which makes no claims of accuracy. It's just something I've been speaking about with @wingedblooms and @silverlinedeyes as a continuation of my posts about the parallels between the Archeron sisters - specifically Elain - with Bryce Quinlan and Theia, as well as Elain's association with Truth-Teller.
Spoilers: ACOTAR, CC and TOG series to date.
Relevant previous posts:
Could the Archeron sisters be descended from Theia, the Starborn Queen? Here.
Powerful parallels between the Archeron sisters, Bryce Quinlan and Theia. Here.
Theia's secret legacy: is "Gwydion" code for Theia's own deeds in the Prythian history books; was she forgotten on purpose? Here.
Does Truth-Teller portend a future relationship between Azriel and Elain Archeron? Here.
Azriel and Elain Archeron live up to their names: Here.
To clarify, I'm not suggesting that Elain will become known as "The Shadowsinger's Knife" as a title - she is a Seer, with possible mystic or oracle* powers, so something along those lines seems more likely to me (although even then I can understand her not wanting word to get out, because she'd never be left alone) - but that she, or another being, might have nudged a cosmic thread or two in order for her name to be replaced by that of the blade she used to pierce the King of Hybern's throat in any historical accounts of the event, or even in the minds of her family and friends.
* Post by @wingedblooms.
Does Elain have a nom de guerre?
Many have noticed the fact that, as of ACOSF, Elain's crucial role in killing the King of Hybern to save Nesta and Cassian - and their world! - appears to have been erased, with Nesta herself claiming to Gwyn that it was "luck and rage" that allowed her to slay the faerie who was seconds away from ending both her and Cassian, before Elain stepped out of a shadow and stabbed him through the neck so hard that she created an exit would on the other side.
We've all seen the following parallel between Elain and Azriel, with Feyre calling Az "the knife in the dark," but Elain actually performing the deed:
But the second male, the more classically beautiful of the two … Even the light shied from the elegant planes of his face. With good reason. Beautiful, but near-unreadable. He’d be the one to look out for—the knife in the dark. Indeed, an obsidian-hilted hunting knife was sheathed at his thigh, its dark scabbard embossed with a line of silver runes I’d never seen before. - ACOMAF, chapter 16
The king’s hand began to drop. And then halted. A choking noise came out of him. For a moment, I thought the Cauldron had answered my pleas. But as a black blade broke through the king’s throat, spraying blood, I realized someone else had. Elain stepped out of a shadow behind him, and rammed Truth-Teller to the hilt through the back of the king’s neck as she snarled in his ear, “Don’t you touch my sister.” - ACOWAR, chapter 74
I have previously discussed the idea that "Gwydion" might be synonymous with "Theia" in Prythian's history books and, to me, Elain's erasure appears to be in the same vein. Elain - possibly - either already is, or could become known as, "the Shadowsinger's knife" when the King of Hybern's assassination is referred to in the history books. Again, I don't think this will be a title, simply a way for her to remain private and fly under the radar. When Gwyn said to Nesta that she killed the King of Hybern with "the Shadowsinger's knife," could she have inadvertently been referring to Elain? Was Nesta lucky that Elain was enraged at the threat the King posed to her life?
If Elain does end up working in the intelligence field in some capacity, it would make complete sense for her actions to remain as hidden as possible, given her very public identity. Additionally, if Theia* was a Seer - and I wouldn't be surprised, Theia being the Greek goddess of Light and Sight - it would fit with the theory that Seers, and the fact that Cauldron Made beings, can make themselves be forgotten.
“Made objects tend to not wish to be found by just anyone,” Amren cautioned. “That they have faded from memory, that even I didn’t think of them immediately in the fight against Hybern, suggests that perhaps they willed it that way. Wanted to stay hidden. True things of power have such gifts.” - ACOSF, chapter 20
Given Nesta didn't think, even once, of Elain's crucial actions when Gwyn asked her about the King of Hybern's death, I lean towards Elain - who is Made - or another being - maybe a mystic or god, who can nudge psychic threads - being responsible for this (consciously or not on Elain's behalf), and not Nesta deciding that Elain needed to be protected, though I could be incorrect, of course.
Is Elain Truth-Teller's chosen wielder?
This is an incomplete discussion, because metas are hard work, but consider the following... we saw Truth-Teller devour sunlight in ACOWAR:
Elain’s eyes widened at the obsidian-hilted blade in Azriel’s scarred hand. The runes on the dark scabbard. “It has never failed me once,” the shadowsinger said, the midday sun devoured by the dark blade. “Some people say it is magic and will always strike true.” He gently took her hand and pressed the hilt of the legendary blade into it. “It will serve you well.” - ACOWAR, chapter 69
And then in HOSAB, Truth-Teller and Gwydion's (aka the Starsword) relationship was revealed:
The male dropped the dagger to the plush carpet. All of them retreated as it flared with dark light, as if in answer. Alpha and Omega. “Gwydion,” the dark-haired female whispered, indicating the Starsword. - CC HOSAB, chapter 78
Elain "stepped out of a shadow" to save Nesta and Cassian, answering Feyre's prayers.
Elain, in Hebrew, means my god has answered me.
I've been wondering for a while if the dark light with which Truth-Teller flared in answer to the Starsword could potentially be shadows, similar to Azriel's own, because we don't actually know what Az's shadows truly are. So, did Truth-Teller...
Allow Elain to focus some latent shadow magic of her own; ie. could she be a Singer of some sort? These posts here, here and here discuss this,* but additionally, I wouldn't be surprised if Truth-Teller allowed Elain to pierce the fabric of reality and shadow walk to save her sister.
Forge a carranam bond with Azriel that let her access his powers?
Does the magic reside within the blade itself, and Elain managed to recharge it with her (hypothetical) light?
* Reblogs of posts by @silverlinedeyes and @wingedblooms.
Could it be a combination of these scenarios, or something else entirely?
“You honestly think he’d ever give up Truth-Teller?” “He gave it to Elain,” Mor said, admiring a moonstone necklace in the counter’s glass case. “She gave it back,” I amended, failing to block out the image of the black blade piercing through the King of Hybern’s throat. But Elain had given it back—had pressed it into Azriel’s hands after the battle, just as he had pressed it into hers before. And then walked away without looking back. Mor hummed to herself. - ACOFAS, chapter 4
Given the above ACOFAS quote with Mor and Feyre it wouldn't surprise me if Elain wielded Truth-Teller once more... or even permanently. This could lead to another parallel between Elain and Bryce Quinlan, who currently wields Gwydion/the Starsword.
Bryce and the Starsword seems to be a foregone conclusion:
Given the a possible link between:
Theia (and now Bryce) wielding Gwydion, which is known in Midgard as the Starsword,
Elain wielding Truth-Teller, Gwydion's paired blade, and
The blades hypothetically being known for their deeds, rather than the person who used them...
How will this affect Bryce going forward? Will her actions also be forgotten by history, or be labelled with the Starsword's name? Or is this phenomenon only applicable in Prythian? Alternatively, will something change in the future, as the Starsword and Truth-Teller have now been reunited, or perhaps only once the Asteri have been defeated?
I know I've mentioned it before, but I do hope that any link between Elain and Bryce is more intrinsic to themselves, and not just because they are the hypothetical "chosen" of each blade - which, I really think they may be, as each blade was found by a shadowy male (Azriel and Ruhn, respectively) who is important to them, and then used by him for years, but they were never fully utilised, as Bryce and Elain appeared to do so with little training.
As if it was meant to be.
What could this mean for Azriel?
These parallels are part of why I think Azriel could be Starborn, with a little light. Like Ruhn Danaan, is Azriel's (hypothetical) Starborn light hidden beneath his shadows, and could his discovery of Truth-Teller parallel how Ruhn once found the Starsword (aka Gwydion) during his ordeal?
How could this impact the plot?
The Starsword belongs to Bryce (and Ruhn), but could Azriel wield it for a time? In ACOSF, Azriel mentioned that he preferred swordplay to close quarters fighting... could that have been a hint that he would wield Gwydion, while Elain used Truth-Teller (thus fulfilling the ACOFAS conversation between Feyre and Mor)?
Will there be some sort of lending of the blades between their worlds - and is there a difference in timelines that could allow this - such that they can each use the magics at full strength to defeat their respective enemies and then give the blades back? Could Hunt possibly use Truth-Teller to power up the Starsword from a distance, instead of the risky and inconvenient practice of throwing lightning bolts at Bryce?
Like I said at the start, this is more of a meandering discussion than a fully fleshed out meta, but I'm excited to see where it goes.
I honestly can't believe it took me this long to figure out, but: Lidia Cervos is a daemati.
This explains so much about her character, from the way she's such an effective spy-breaker to the way she suddenly knows Ruhn and Ithan's secrets when they play poker (HOSAB, 359-363) to how she was able to reach out to Ophion in the first place. And, of course, Lidia's daemati skills are the perfect weapon for a double agent.
As satisfying as this theory might be, it still needs some evidence, right? Let's take a look at Lidia and Ruhn's final communication in the Crystal Palace:
Night.
Her voice was a distant, soft plea in his mind. Like Lidia was trying to find a way to link their thoughts again, like the crystal in his pocket had yet again forged a path. Night.
Ruhn ignored the begging voice. The way it broke as she said, Ruhn.
He fortified the walls of his mind. Brick by brick.
Ruhn. Lidia banged on the walls of his mind.
So he encased it with iron. With black steel. (776)
While the communication crystal is mentioned, and there's likely a mating bond at play here, the way that Ruhn and Lidia are communicating in this moment is very reminiscent of the way that Feyre and Rhys communicate mind-to-mind. They can put up barriers even to each other, but the capacity to enter and to speak into each other's mind is a key component of their daemati powers. This is distinct from their mating bond. Nesta and Cassian are never able to link their thoughts in this way, and neither are Bryce and Hunt.
There are quite a few passages that showcase these parallels, but this one in ACOMAF stands out:
I lunged. Blindly, wildly, but I sent my power lashing down that line between us.
And yelped as it slammed against his inner shields, the reverberations echoing in me as surely as if I'd hit something with my body.
Rhys chuckled, and I saw fire. "Admirable -- sloppy, but an admirable effort."
Panting a bit, I seethed.
But he said, "Just for trying...," and took my hand in his. The bond went taut, that thing under my skin pulsing, and--
There was dark, and the colossal sense of him on the other side of his mental barricade of black adamant. That shield went on forever, the product of half a millennia of being hunted, attacked, hated. I brushed a mental hand against that wall.
Like a mountain cat arching into a touch, it seemed to purr -- and then relaxed its guard. (ACOMAF, 231)
Even daemati can be stopped by mental shields. The key is being able to access the mind, come to the threshold. We never see another character, other than Lidia, approach Ruhn's mind in this way. Throughout Crescent City, he is the only one entering into other characters' thoughts. Until now.
But Lidia is a shifter and a witch. How would she get such powers? First, keep in mind that Baxian is an angel with some latent shifter blood, and is able to transform into a dog (HOSAB, 699), but the following passage from ACOMAF, where Rhys explains the daemati, may also be relevant:
"We're called daemati -- those of us who can walk into another person's mind as if we were going from one room to another. We're rare, and the trait appears as the Mother wills it, but there are enough of us scattered throughout the world that many -- mostly those in positions of influence -- extensively train against our skill set...A more powerful [daemati] could make you their unwitting slave, make you do whatever they wanted and you'd never know it." (ACOMAF, 150)
Lidia's powers aren't necessarily connected to her ancestry, and likely appeared at random, particularly if we assume that the Prythian High Fae have intermingled throughout the Midgard population. Because, while the Avallen Fae tend to have these powers, now that we know that the Prythian High Fae are the same as the Fae in Midgard, we can assume that their powers work and manifest similarly.
In addition, it is highly likely that, just as Ruhn did (HOSAB, 213), she kept those powers quiet, especially given her position as a double agent. If Ruhn is primarily concealing his powers to avoid his father's attention, Lidia has many more reasons to keep her powers a secret. She can pass off her insights through her work as a spy-breaker and perhaps even as a deer shifter. Given that many of the shifters seem to take on the characteristics of the animals they become, Lidia may have the heightened powers of visual and auditory perception that prey animals have, which she could use to try and cover up her identity as a daemati.
We also have evidence that Lidia has trained her powers considerably. Slipping into Ruhn and Ithan's minds unannounced is a feat that even skilled daemati in ACOTAR find challenging (though they have ways around it, see: ACOMAF, 342), but we know that Lidia is a dreamer and a hard worker. We know that she was ruthlessly trained by her father from a young age (HOSAB 384 & 586), and whether he knew about her powers or not, it is likely that she trained them with that same rigor.
Now, after all her training and all her work behind the scenes, when the stakes are incredibly high for her, her cause, and the person she loves, I think we're going to see Lidia and her daemati powers take center stage.
Is Aidas the cat in the Library in the House of Wind, and is Aidas going to come to Prythian at the end of ACOTAR 5?
Much credit for this delightful crack theory goes to my dear friend, @sketchedabow, and to my other friends, @offtorivendell (who I think first made the cat connection, ETA in this post, which I either had totally forgotten about or hadn’t seen!! 😅) and @wingedblooms (who made the Bryaxis connection). I truly love my friends.
In ACOSF, we have this really interesting scene in the Library under the House of Wind, where Nesta senses this darkness in the depths of the library:
She’s talking about the seventh level of the library, which she is standing above on level six. And she says that the ramp down to the seventh is like “an entry into some dark pit of hell.”
Nesta describes the darkness she observes down there as almost alive; it feels like it’s breathing. The darkness pulses.
When Gwyn finds her, they have this exchange about the darkness and what’s below:
Nesta says she saw “pure darkness” below.
But here is where it gets interesting: Gwyn says that she feels something “like a cat. Small and clever and curious. It’s watching.”
What a weird specific thing to say. Like a cat.
You know who appears as a cat, and who is from some dark pit of Hel?
Aidas.
I discuss it more in depth in this post, but I really Theia’s second daughter went back to Prythian through the rift with Truth-Teller before the rift closed. And I think it’s possible Aidas helped her get through the rift with protection from demons from Hel.
And Aidas loved Theia:
And he also seems to have betrayed her, leading to her death:
(HOEAB)
(HOSAB)
This raises so many questions for me:
Is Aidas the cat in the library in the HoW?
Can Aidas appear there in cat form like he does in Midgard?
Or is there some kind of portal to Hel in the deepest part of the HoW?
Does Aidas come to watch over Theia’s descendants? To atone for his betrayal of his love?
Is Bryaxis a demon from the Pit that Aidas planted there to observe and keep him informed? Like the shepherd Thanatos planted in the bone quarter as an informant?
And my crackiest theory:
I’m convinced that if CC3 is next, it’s because CC3 is going to be important to the end of ACOTAR 5, and something from CC3 is going to appear in ACOTAR at the end. I imagine in this scenario that the last chapter of HOSAB occurs sometime in the middle of ACOTAR 5, and then in the last chapter, something from CC3 is going to come into play. (For example, Bryce returning with Gwydion and maybe TT, or some of the starborn returning to colonize Dusk, or something like that.)
But will this be Aidas? Is he going to hear of the dire threat to Theia’s descendants in Prythian and return to help?
And how might Aidas play into the ACOTAR plot? Is he related to the Illyrians, or maybe even to Koschei? Were Koschei and the Carver and Stryga children of the Void, just like the Princes of Hel and the Under-King?
I. Just. Have. So. Many. Questions. And I truly cannot wait to see where Sarah is going with this.
Or where I think the main plot of ACOTAR5 and ACOTAR6 is headed.
This post was made before HOSAB came out, and there are some dates given by sarah in ACOWAR that do not match what was said in HOSAB AND ACOSF, I understand that what is valid is what HOSAB said and that what was said in ACOWAR is an error (or that we lack information) the edited from the HOSAB info will be in yellow
HOFAS INFO: OK, certain timelines don't add up (Amrem's story basically, which I will develop later, when a couple of weeks have passed since HOFAS, so right now NO SPOILERS FROM HOFAS ) but I am quite proud with this analysis, considering that I did it after ACOSF.
Why am I making this post?
Because I really like to go crazy with theories.
because I find the world that Sarah is creating very impressive.
So join me to see what Sarah has hidden in plain sight.
This post was going to be about the reasons why, even though I love it, the dusk court theory is unfeasible (or at least it is impossible for the Dusk Court to be set on the prison island) but in the end it has become a necessary post about the history of Prythian because there is much, much plot to get out of here, and Sarah if she wanted(hopefully) could perfectly create more sagas explaining the history of ACOTAR's world.
I hope I don't make this theory too long, but this post is going to be long, so grab the popcorn, keep an open mind and read on.
First things first, here are the most important pages of ACOSF, at least the pages that hold the most clues for future books and the main plot ( or maybe I'm crazy, which is an option ). This are the pages of chapter 55 of ACOSF.
“The Fae were not the first masters of this world. According to our oldest legends, most now forgotten, we were created by beings who were near-gods—and monsters. The Daglan. They ruled “for millennia, and enslaved us and the humans. They were petty and cruel and drank the magic of the land like wine.”.... “Some strains of the mythology claim that one of the Fae heroes who rose up to overthrow them was Fionn, who was given the great sword Gwydion by the High Priestess Oleanna, who had dipped it into the Cauldron itself. Fionn and Gwydion overthrew the Daglan. A millennium of peace followed, and the lands were divided into rough territories that were the precursors to the courts—but at the end of those thousand years, they were at each other’s throats, on the brink of war.” ... “Fionn unified them and set himself above them as High King. The first and only High King this land has ever had.” ... “Fionn was betrayed by his queen, who had been leader of her own territory, and by his dearest friend, who was his general. They killed him, taking some of his bloodline’s most powerful and precious weapons, and then out of the chaos that followed, the seven High Lords rose, and the courts have been in place ever since.” A Court of Silver Flames, chapter 55Sarah J. Maas
It is curious how here Rhys when is telling this story, does not refer at any time to the land as Prythian but refers to it as world or land, but not as Prythian.which, as we will see below, means that this is a period that could be called the prehistory of Prythian.
What do these pages explain?
That the Daglan ruled for millennia. That they were almost gods and monsters and that they created the Fae? Curious because in ACOTAR (chapter 13) Feyre tells us the story of the Cauldron and the Mother and how they created Prythia and the world (she does not say that the created the Fae) and how on that same map were the beings that had once ruled over humans. Could those beings be the Daglan? Probably.
“The story of … of Prythian.It began with a cauldron.A mighty black cauldron held by glowing, slender female hands in a starry, endless night. Those hands tipped it over, golden sparkling liquid pouring out over the lip. No—not sparkling, but … effervescent with small symbols, perhaps of some ancient faerie language. Whatever was written there, whatever it was, the contents of the cauldron were dumped into the void below, pooling on the earth to form our world …” “Each territory was marked and colored, some with intricate, ornate depictions of the beings who had once ruled over lands that now belonged to humans.”Acotar chapter 13
It tells the story of Fionn, one of the heroes who overthrew the Daglan with his Gwyndon Sword, created by a Priestess directly from the Cauldron.
After defeating the Daglan, they had 1000 years of peace and the precursors of the Courts were formed.
Peace ended, war ensued and Fionn proclaimed himself High King, the first and only High King there ever was.
Fionn was betrayed by his queen (who ruled before one of the territories precursors of the courts) and his best friend and General .(Theia and Pelias?? or Enalius??)
After Fionn's death the seven High Lords rose up and the courts have been established from there.
Then they ask about Amren, our little minion who, let's remember, is 15000 years old (ACOWAR chapter 14).
⚠️Edited : this publication is from before HOSAB, in HOSAB it is said that Amren has not heard the ancient language of the FAE in 15000 years, in ACOSF Rhys says the same , therefore, the high king Fionn was betrayed 15000 years ago and Amren had to arrive before (if or if ) to Prythian, therefore the age of Amren that Sarah gives us in ACOWAR , IS WRONG 🙃😒( unless you count the age of Amrem since she leaves prison ) .⚠️
“From what I’ve gleaned, she arrived during those years before Fionn and Gwydion rose, and went into the Prison during the Age of Legends—the “time when this land was full of heroic figures who were keen to hunt down the last members of their former masters’ race. They feared Amren, believing her one of their enemies, and threw her into the Prison. When she emerged again, she’d missed Fionn’s fall and the loss of Gwydion, and found the High Lords ruling.”ACOSF chapter 55.
Amren arrived in this world "shortly before" Fionn rebelled against the Daglan, so she arrived in what we could call, the Daglan period.
And she was locked up in The Prison during the Age of Legends, which is the Age of legends? Rhysand says when she came out of prison she had missed the fall of Fionn and that the High Lords already ruled the land. Conclusion Amren was locked up before the formation of Prythian. So let's say that the Age of Legends is the time period that encompasses, the 1000 years of peace and Fionn's reign (which we don't know how many years it lasted).
Throughout the saga reference is made to the creation of Prythian. And to the history before Prythian. Which we can understand as the creation of Prythian as a "country". When can we say that the year 0 of our history is found? Prythian arises with the death of Fionn and the uprising of the High Lords.
“Those are legends that predate our courts,” Eris said” ACOSF capítulo 7
“This place,” he said, “was made before High Lords existed. Before Prythian was Prythian ” . ACOMAF chapter 17
“All before Prythian, before the land was carved up and any High Lord was crowned.” ACOWAR chapter 23.
The next question that could be asked is how long ago was Prythian created?we know that Amrem is 15000 and that he arrived before Prythian was created, so Prythian has to be less than 15000 years old. But in ACOWAR when Feyre goes to the relic chamber of the night court he makes the following mention.
“Ten thousand years’ worth of treasure.”ACOWAR chp 41.
10.000 years of treasures, 10.000 years that the High Lords of the Night Court have been accumulating relics, 10.000 years since the rise of the High Lord of the Night Court, 10.000 years since the death of Fionn and the birth of Prythian.
⚠️It doesn't match what we learn in HOSAB, Queen Theia and General Pelias go to Midgard 15,000 years before CC's story, the timeline of Cc and ACOTAR is the same (I doubt Sarah has also introduced time travel) therefore Queen Theia betrayed Fionn 15,000 years ago, and 15,000 years ago Prythian was formed.⚠️
If Amrem is 15.000 years old and Prythian was created 10.000 years ago, that means that in the first 5.000 years that Amrem spent in this world, the end of the Daglan Reign and the Age of Legends took place.
So to summarize so far, we can highlight the following epochs in this world.
Reign of the Daglan.
Age of Legends (+ Fionn's reign) duration between 1.000-5.000 years
Prythian and High Lords. Duration 10.000. Here would be included the history of Prythian from the original triology as follows AFTER HOSAB this was 15000 years ago
1 war against Hybern + treaty + wall (500 years before ACOWAR)
Reign of Amarantha (50 years pre-ACOTAR -ACOTAR)
2 War against Hybern + new treaty (ACOWAR)
Which in turn we can synthesize between
Before Prythian (BP) reign of the Daglan+ Age of Legends
After Prythian (AP). or just Prythian.
Do you understand anything? I hope so, does any of this make sense? I hope so.
Well, let's move on because we have to talk about the prison and Koschei and the Bone Craver.
What do we know about the prison? (And why do I think it's impossible for the Dusk Court to be there?)
“This place,” he said, “was made before High Lords existed. Before Prythian was Prythian ” . ACOMAF chapter 17
The prison was made before Prythian was Prythian and as I mentioned above, that means that the prison was built before the High Lords ruled Prythian. Which if you have paid attention to the analysis we already knew because Amrem was imprisoned during the Age of Legends. Another detail that is emphasized is that the prison was made. The fact that the prison, the sacred mountain, was created is a fact, which is emphasized again in Acosf.
Let's remember that the pegasus come from that island, not from the mountain itself, but from the island.
“According to legend, the pegasuses had come from the island the Prison sat upon—had once fed in fair meadows that had long given way to moss and mist. Perhaps that was part of the decline: their homeland had vanished,” ACOSF chapter 41
And let's also remember Nesta's vision.
“Fae screamed, pounding on stone that hadn’t been there a moment before, pleading for their children’s sakes, begging to be let out let out let out” ACOSF ch53
(In another post I will talk about what it means that one of the sacred mountains of Prythian has been created, and who I think are the people who were trapped inside it, because as I mentioned in this one I can continue writing to infinity).
Now when was the prison created?
option 1: during the reign of the Daglan.
option 2: right at the beginning of the Age of Legends, right at the beginning of the 1.000 years of peace that followed the fall of the Daglan .Remember that Amren (and the bone craver) were locked in the prison during the Age of Legends, so it should already exist by then.
after HOSAB I think it may have formed when Theia's second daughter (Rhys's ancestor) fled Midgard with the harp and closed the rifts between worlds, (or when Theia,her two daughters, Pelias and the rest of the Fae fleed to Midgard) doesn't quite add up, but maybe the story Rhys and the others know not be true.
My theory, ⚠️and this is theory that is not supported by any part of the book⚠️ is that the prison was created right before the defeat of the Daglan. But this is not the important thing, the important thing is that the prison had to exist at the beginning of the Age of Legends, so Dusk Court could not exist as a court as such because courts are created with the rise of the High Lords. Ah, you might think, but during the Age of Legends, during those 1.000 years of peace that exist before Fionn is crowned as High King, the precursors of the courts arise, then the Dusk Court despite not having been an "official court" could have been a "precursor court". Yes and No. Yes, the Dusk Court could have been a precursor court. But No, the Dusk Court could not have been located on the prison island, because the prison at the latest was created at the beginning of the Age of Legends.
(As I said above in another post I will develop my thoughts about the Prison and the other two sacred mountains in another post). (Spoiler i think that the dusk court was the Middle )
And now, finally let's talk about the other creatures we know that are older than Amren, our 3 brothers, Gods of Death💀, The Bone Craver, Stryga and Koschei.
All 3 brothers are ancient, very ancient,
“For if he’d been here before even Amren had arrived … Tens of thousands of years—longer, perhaps. I shoved against the sinking sensation in my gut.” ACOWAR chapter 23
“But Koschei is as old as the sea—older.”ACOSF chapter 7
Tens of thousands of years before Amren, meaning they came to this world during the Daglan Reign.
The ancient Fae claimed them as Gods of Death. Who are the ancient Fae? Can the Daglan be considered as Fae? Or by ancient Fae can we understand the Fae who were slaves of the Daglan? I dont know, I know nothing, I need answers Sarah.
“I might have bided my time—waited for their power to fade, for that long-ago Fae warrior to trick Stryga into diminishing her power and becoming confined to the Middle. Koschei, too—confined and bound by his little lake on the continent. All before Prythian, before the land was carved up and any High Lord was crowned.”“Clever, that Fae warrior. Her bloodline is long gone now—though a trace still runs through some human line.” ACOWAR chapter 23
Koschei, Stryga and the Bone Craver were confined by a FAE warrior before the Prythian High Lords existed, i.e. during the Age of legends (just like Amren).
“Age of Legends- the “time when this land was full of heroic figures who were keen to hunt down the last members of their former masters’ race. They feared Amren, believing her one of their enemies, and threw her into the Prison. When she emerged again, she’d missed Fionn’s fall and the loss of Gwydion, and found the High Lords ruling.” ACOSF chp 55
Koschei was confined in the lake by a Fae, a Fae warrior whose lineage only survives in human lines.which human characters do we know?
Jurian
Grayson
the 6 human queens (now only 3 are left and Vassa)
and the Archeron.
Of these people most of you will think that the ones descended from this lineage are either Vassa or the Archeron.and...my bet⚠️is that the Archeron are descended from this lineage.⚠️
Now what does Koschei want?💀
“Koschei is no mere sorcerer. He’s confined to the lake only due to an ancient spell. Because he was outsmarted once. Everything he does is to free himself.”.... “I fear what may happen if he ever gets free of the lake. If he sees this world on the cusp of disaster and knows he could strike, and strike hard, and make himself its master. As he once tried to do, long ago.” ACOSF chapter 7
“And all Koschei wants is to be free from his lake?” Rhys asked Azriel.But Amren answered. “No one really knows the full scope of the Trove’s powers. Beyond freeing him from his lake, Koschei may very well know something about the Trove that we don’t—some greater power that manifests when all three are united” ACOSF Chapter 20
So Koschei wants to free himself from the lake and use the 4 Troves (remember that Nesta saw a fourth Trove) for an unknown purpose, which is probably to control the world as the Daglan did.
And what relation do Koschei's goals have with the Prythian story? That Koschei was confined in the lake before the creation of Prythian in the BP era, and that just as the original triology explored AP history (High Lords, the first war against Hybern, The Treaty, second war against Hybern) this new Triology (ACOSF , ACOTAR5 and ACOTAR 6) will explore the BP history, the history of the legendary swords, the history of how they defeated the Daglan, the history of the Daglan and The Wild Hunt and the history of Fionn, the first and only High King of Prythian and his queen and the general who betrayed him.
Sarah is doing a great job expanding the world of ACOTAR and independent of Shipwar I think the next stories promise a lot.
This is it, thank you very much for reading all of this, all of this may mean something or it may mean nothing, if you have any doubts or any pointers to this one leave them to me in the comments. If you think I'm crazy and that it doesn't make any sense you can also leave it to me in the comments.
But please comment with respect.
As always, sorry for the grammar, this was qwritten by the translator because my English is not good enough. <33
the woodscouts are presumably going through puberty
s2 e1 ‘Cult Camp’
Daniel is a deranged cult leader
most other characters with eyebags are old
but,
s2 e5 ‘Jasper Dies at the End’
what about David?
ive been overthinking this because uh of course i have and heres what ive come up with:
okay so eyebags are only a permanent thing for characters that have them, characters that don’t can get them when they’re:
-scared
-embarrassed
-sad
-angry
-in shock
but, most often, when they’re tired, EVERYONE gets eyebags when they’re tired
s1 e12 ‘The Order of the Sparrow’
s4 e6 ‘Follow the Leader’
i think David is very tired, he’s stated that he eagerly lies in bed waiting for tomorrow in s1 e3 ‘Scout’s Dishonor’ and when we do see him sleeping he’s easily woken up by even the smallest sound of someone talking, as shown in s2 e1 ‘Cult Camp’ when he’s woken up by Gwen, and in s3 e5 ‘Dial M for Jasper’ jasper wakes him up despite being very quiet
this probably doesn’t mean anything and im think WAY to deeply into something silly for the 894325769345954085423974th time, but im fif, that’s what i do best
