Is this proof that the mating bonds of the High Fae were corrupted along with Prythian's Cauldron? What might this mean for Azriel and Elain Archeron?
This post was written for @azrielappreciationweek Day 5: No Need For Poetry
Disclaimer: this is a theory that, while based on the text, makes no claim of being canon. My thanks as always go out to @wingedblooms, @elrieldreamer, @ladynightcourt3, @psychologynerd and anyone else who tolerates my nattering. And don't worry, this isn't nearly as long as my last post. 😂
Spoilers: the entire Maasverse to date is discussed.
High Fae and their mating bonds
@wingedblooms recently made a great observation: that the witches from Erilea had once taken up the Fae habit of "selecting" their mates. This especially caught my eye as I have previously theorised that all Singers could be witches or sorcerers of a sort. I think @psychologynerd also mentioned the same passage when she discussed the possibility of Azriel being a witch prince, which I absolutely hope is true.
The crone read her question in her eyes. “Our men dwell at our homes, where they are safe. This camp is an outpost while we conduct our business.” The Crochans had always given birth to more males than the Ironteeth, and had adopted the Fae habit of selecting mates—if not a true mating bond, then in spirit. She’d always thought it outlandish and strange. Unnecessary. - KOA, chapter 15
It even pairs nicely with the following quote, which @silverlinedeyes included in her discussion about true mates possibly being a bond type all of its own.
“After your mother never returned, your father was asked to couple with another young witch. He was the sole carrier of the Crochan bloodline, you see, and should your mother and you not have survived the birthing, it would end with him. He didn’t know what had happened to either of you. If you were alive, or dead. Didn’t even know where to look. So he agreed to do his duty, agreed to help his dying people.” Her great-grandmother smiled sadly. “All who met Tristan loved him.” Tristan. That had been his name. Had her grandmother even known it before she’d killed him? “A young witch was chosen for him especially. But he did not love her—not with your mother as his true mate, the song of his soul. Tristan made it work nonetheless. Rhiannon was the result of that.” - KOA, chapter 15
Those on their own were very interesting finds, but when we combine them with the now-canon fact that, per Silene's message, Prythian's Cauldron has indeed been corrupted, it shines the following passage from ACOMAF in an entirely new light.
The Cauldron was of our world, our heritage. But upon arriving here, the Daglan captured it and used their powers to warp it. To turn it from what it had been into something deadlier. No longer just a tool of creation, but of destruction. And the horrors it produced … those, too, my parents would turn to their advantage. - HOFAS, chapter 19
I held out my own glass for Mor to fill. “He does need unusual amounts of coddling.” Azriel choked on his wine, and I met his gaze—warm for once. Soft, even. I felt Rhys tense beside me and quickly looked away from the spymaster. A glance at the guilt in Rhys’s eyes told me he was sorry. And fighting it. So strange, the High Fae with their mating and primal instincts. So at odds with their ancient traditions and learning. - ACOMAF, chapter 56
So at odds with their ancient traditions and learning.
Feyre suggested the primal instincts of the high fae mating bonds - at least as they currently exist - were "at odds" with their ancient traditions and learning.
Does this not sound like we should be questioning everything, especially in light of the information we learnt in HOFAS, which confirmed what some of us had previously wondered about the Cauldron having been tampered* with? It makes me wonder what, exactly, made these two facets of the current high fae become so at odds with each other.
* Kudos to @fawnandshadows for that brainwave years ago!
Why can Azriel smell the bond between Elain and Lucien before it has been consummated? That shouldn't be possible, especially as - like Cassian - he simply "suspected" that Feyre and Rhys were mates in early ACOMAF. Unless there's something we don't yet know, Amren was the only one who knew without being told.
Further, why does proximity to the "bondmates" become too much for even such a hardened soldier to bear? This doesn't seem normal.
Why does the Cauldron's magic appear to be associated with oiliness?
It has to be the Cauldron's corruption, right?
What if Azriel has been right all along... what if the Cauldron was wrong?
So... Azriel and Elain Archeron?
We know that Azriel's shadows can hide him from binding magic, such as the contract Thesan created to keep the peace in the High Lords' meeting.
Azriel squeezed, Eris thrashing beneath him. No physical brawling—there had been a rule against that, but Azriel, with whatever power those shadows gave him … “Enough, Azriel,” Rhys ordered. Perhaps those shadows that now slid and eddied around the shadowsinger hid him from the wrath of the binding magic. The others made no move to interfere, as if wondering the same. - ACOWAR, chapter 45
@mrspettyferr has previously wondered if this part of the shadows' power could have been why a true bond didn't snap between Azriel and Elain while at Hybern, either when she was in/freshly out of the Cauldron (or with Mor previously, if it turns out they share some sort of bond); do his shadows hide him from the binding magic/contract of a mating bond? Especially as SJM has used the term "shackled." It is an incredibly interesting thought, as I had only ever considered this ability in terms of defensive magic, and is part of the reason why I first took note of the passage below. Of course, we still need to answer why a mating bond would generate with Lucien in the absence of Azriel's soul; was there some sort of external interference, such as the Cauldron itself, or is it simply part of the function of at least one of the hypothesised bonds to snap into place if the nearby match is "good enough" for strong children?
@wingedblooms and I have previously discussed the potential for an evolution of the current mating bond (here and here), and many theories exist about how the bond may be dissolved. Will it be Nesta or Elain who use the power of the Cauldron to unMake it; will it be Truth-Teller severing the Elucien bond, per sleepyliv and @riddlecrux; or did Lucien and his spell-cleaving heritage unintentionally pull their bond thread loose and begin its unravelling back in ACOWAR, as once suggested by @nikethestatue.
Assuming that whatever exists between Elain and Lucien can be unMade, of course, I wonder if Azriel's shadows/magic could contribute in some way towards him "selecting" his own mate in the future, after reading the following exchange.
“No one’s got any rope?” Bryce asked pathetically. She was met with incredulous silence. Bryce nodded to Azriel. “Those shadows of yours could take form—they caused that cave-in. Can’t you, like, make a bridge or something? Or your blue light … you seemed to think it could have restrained the Wyrm. Make a rope with that.” His brows rose. “Neither of those things is remotely possible. The shadows are made of magic, just very condensed. These”—he motioned to the blue stones in his armor—“concentrate my power and allow me to craft it into things that resemble weapons. But they’re still only magic—power.” - HOFAS, chapter 16
Cassian gawked at Azriel, and I wondered how often Azriel had lent out that blade— Never, Rhys said from where he finished buckling on his own weapons against the side of the wagon. I have never once seen Azriel let another person touch that knife. Elain looked up at Azriel, their eyes meeting, his hand still lingering on the hilt of the blade. I saw the painting in my mind: the lovely fawn, blooming spring vibrant behind her. Standing before Death, shadows and terrors lurking over his shoulder. Light and dark, the space between their bodies a blend of the two. The only bridge of connection … that knife. - ACOWAR, chapter 69
Why did we learn that Azriel's shadows cannot make any sort of "bridge" or "rope" (aka a cord of woven threads, which is very reminiscent of a mating bond) to reach across the gap? It seems pretty symbolic to me, and marries nicely with Truth-Teller being described as "bridging the gap" between Elain and Azriel in ACOWAR's pre-war meadow scene. Will Azriel's shadows or siphons be able to help nullify the Elucien bond somehow? What about creation?
Purification?
I know @wingedblooms and @ladynightcourt3, at least, join me in my suspicions that - similar to Yrene in KOA - Elain's magic/light could purify a Valg (or similar) infestation from Azriel's shadows, which we now know are really condensed magic. If this is possible, could Az's shadows - once purified by Elain, of course (assuming Valg or similar corruption to the Cauldron, with Elain as the "executioner") - help to bridge the gap between his and Elain's souls with his magic, to meet hers half way? Thereby having Azriel and Elain "select" each other as true mates, just like the witches in Erilea once did?
Why did SJM say that Truth-Teller was bridging the gap between the two? Was it because it had been charged with sunlight and/or Elain's own light enough to begin negating a possible Valg infection in Azriel's magic, or that it will be charged enough to do so at some point in the future? Or will Gwydion or Truth-Teller's magics help to cleanse the hypothetically corrupted Cauldron bond that currently exists between Elain and Lucien? There are so many possibilities going forward.
Whatever ends up happening, this all seems very symbolic. Especially once you add in all of the "purity language" (not my term) that SJM used between Elain and Azriel. Imagine the pay off if it was always suggesting that Azriel sensed Elain's light could cleanse his magic and free him from Valg (or other) corruption?
There has been quite a few newer faces around these parts so I thought I would make a little master-list of theories surrounding Elain & Lucien's mating bond resolution + theories on mates themselves.
I see a lot of "I don't get why Elriels think..." & "it makes no sense" etc... Well here is some very detailed posts to sum up exactly why people think it will be rejected, is a spell, and so forth and why there is plenty of foreshadowing to back it up.
[Updated Mates]
The Mating Bond is A Spell
The use of the word 'Oily" and it's use in the series and with Elucien's bond.
Mating Bonds & Bridges
Elriel Master-Post of Thoughts
Mating Bonds/Elucien/Elriel
Do you think Elriel are mates?
Two Mates?
Need Through Bond
Heartbeats + True Mates
Elain x2
Elain Archeron and the Evolution of the Mating Bond; a Headcanon or Three
Lil Nuggets
Please feel free to add any of your own, or more links!
I just recently finished the actors series and I was reading up on the mating bonds and I came across your post about Lucien and Elain’s mating bond from a few years ago and how it potentially could be wrong from the cauldron and I find it super interesting and have seen multiple theories on it! I do think that Azriel might be right and the cauldron made a mistake but that leads me to think about Nesta/Cassian so I was hoping you could help me understand their mating bond! Could this not be considered the same for them? Is their bond not considered made by the Cauldron when Nesta was thrown in as well or how does their bond differ from Elain/Luciens? I could be overlooking but the info on the bonds is also hard for me to wrap my head around 😂
Hi and thanks for stopping by and taking the time to read my nonsense!
I assume you are talking about this post from May 2021 - "What if the Cauldron was wrong?" - in which, to briefly sum up, I suggested that Elain and Azriel were actually meant to be mates, and that Lucien was chosen by the Cauldron as Elain's mate because Azriel was currently "dead" to its senses thanks to taking a poisoned ash arrow in his chest, and Lucien's true mate, Jesminda, had already died.
I know you sent this last week, I'm sorry about the wait - which, sadly, is not nearly the worst wait time for the asks I've been procrastinating on over the last couple of years lol, sorry to anyone who sent something I've flaked on - but funnily enough, there has been some renewed discourse this week.
In addition to this ask, I'd recommend checking out the following (bearing in mind that some may contain spoilers for the entire Maasverse):
The OP and my recent reblog of this post.
This similar ask I recently answered.
This thread and this thread by @silverlinedeyes.
This thread by @elriell.
This post by @icedflames.
This thread by @psychologynerd.
This thread by @wingedblooms.
This thread by @violetasteracademic.
These two posts, here (ACOTAR only) and here (with evidence from the Maasverse suggesting something might've happened to the Cauldron).
It's difficult to explain the entire (hypothesised) lore behind SJM's mating bonds without delving into the worlds of TOG and CC, so I'll attempt a very basic discussion about the Archeron sisters and bat boys (please note that all of these theories are due to a shared effort within the Elriel fandom, not limited to the accounts I tagged above); the following will be based on the theory that there are two types of bonds in Prythian: the original, mutual soul bonds, and offspring bonds for breeding purposes that may be a Cauldron-Made imitation of the original bonds.
In short, I believe Nesta and Cassian's bonus chapter from ACOMAF, and his behaviour towards her while everything was going wrong at Hybern, strongly suggested they already shared a mating bond that would have obviously predated Nesta being Made by the Cauldron at the end of the book; this would have been similar to Feyre and Rhys, who we know shared a bond that predated Feyre being Made by the High Lords. And not to make this Elriel, but for the sake of being complete, the first "family" dinner shared by all six brothers and sisters in the human lands appeared to show Azriel acting differently (in his own unique way) around Elain, just as Cassian was so obviously drawn to Nesta.
Lucien, on the other hand, didn't act in such a way that demonstrated, without any doubt, that he felt anything for Elain in particular before she went into the Cauldron at Hybern (which I discussed in my first mating bond meta that I linked above). Azriel, though? It's definitely murky, but imo his responses at Hybern, while downed with a poisoned arrow, could plausibly suggest he felt something for Elain, assuming SJM wants to go the "true bond" way. As Nesta, who could see through glamours as a human, said to Lucien right after he'd claimed Elain: "She is no such thing!"
Remember this passage between Feyre and Rhys, in the original trilogy?
“A mating bond can be rejected,” Rhys said mildly, eyes flickering in the mirror as he drank in every inch of bare skin I had on display. “There is choice. And sometimes, yes—the bond picks poorly. Sometimes, the bond is nothing more than some … preordained guesswork at who will provide the strongest offspring. At its basest level, it’s perhaps only that. Some natural function, not an indication of true, paired souls.” A smile at me—at the rareness, perhaps, of what we had. - ACOWAR, chapter 24
Rhys said that sometimes, the bond is nothing more than "preordained guesswork," which suggests that sometimes it is more than that. I (and many others, but definitely not everyone in the fandom) think that Feysand and Nessian have the "rarer" type of bond, between "true, paired souls," while Elucien does not. I guess there's always the possibility that Feysand and Nessian also share offspring bonds, but given what happened in ACOSF that would appear to be... unwise on the Cauldron's behalf. But who knows.
Anyway anon, I hope this response helps to clear the theory up for you. If you have read the rest of the Maasverse then the posts I linked above are a really good grounding in the theories behind why mating bonds may not all be created equal.
Do you think Nesta/Cassian have a true mate bond or a corrupt cauldron bond? I see a lot of people say they think Eris is her true mate and some people say the complete opposite 😅
Hi anon!
Disclaimer: more word vomit I'm sorry.
TW: discussion includes birthing winged babies and all that entails. If this is a sore topic for you, then I recommend giving this a pass. 💜
Spoilers: I'll be discussing the entire Maasverse, please beware.
I think both Nessian and Feysand have true or soul bonds, which I suspect may be a type of carranam bond, rather than corrupted Cauldron bonds.
Whether or not true/soul bonds are equivalent to carranam bonds - though as I have said before, it appears the sisters may have powers "to match" the brothers (per ACOSF) - it would make ZERO sense for Feyre and Nesta to be mated to Rhys and Cassian respectively for the sole purpose of creating more powerful offspring, given the risk to mother and child when a winged bub is born to a woman with the (I'm sorry) incorrectly shaped uterus/birth canal. And wasn't there a 50/50 chance of a winged baby, with a full Illyrian procreating with a high fae female? Those aren't great odds for the Asteri. But both couples do share bonds consisting of multiple golden threads, ergo: I suspect they share the true or soul bonds about which @silverlinedeyes and @icedflames originally theorised years ago now.
Personally - and imo this was supported by HOFAS, with what we learnt of Hunt's ancestry and design - I lean towards Feysand, Nessian and Elriel all being foretold as a way to free their land from the magical chains left by the Asteri/Daglan of the past. I think that what is most important is the pairing's ability to support each other, and make each other more powerful, rather than to create stronger children from which the Daglan can feed, hence why they complement each other's magic so well and, if I'm right about them being carranam, they can act as conduits for each other as well, further amplifying their strengths.
To complete the poetic balance of 3x3 being fated, I think Elriel were also meant to have a true/soul bond until Koschei (or Someone) loaned his (or Their) otherworldly magic to the King of Hybern*, allowing him to control the Cauldron. This hypothetical, new ability to Make powerful spells, combined with Azriel being downed by Jurian's poisoned ash arrow to the chest, may have created an opening for the corrupted Cauldron to cast a thread between Elain and the next best male, Lucien.
* My thoughts are that Koschei is either a prince of Hel and/or a Valg-type creature (how that plays in with the Daglan I'm unsure), and the King of Hybern was possessed in a way similar to what we experienced in TOG. But if the King of Hybern was a Valg prince, or had the borrowed powers of a Valg king (or queen), then it is not out of the realm of possibility that he could have tweaked the threads of fate to generate a false bond between Elain and Lucien in order to keep Elain and Azriel apart, as Maeve did between Rowan and Lyra to separate him from his true mate, Aelin. There are great theories that delve into the parallels between Elriel and Rowaelin, I recommend checking out @riddlecrux (I'm 99% sure).
It's always fun to theorise, so as always, no hate to anyone who thinks differently than me - shipping with your heart is absolutely valid, even if your fav pairing doesn't end up being canon - but I really do not think that SJM is splitting her loved up pairs with accepted mating bonds. This goes for Feysand, Nessian and Bryceriel Quinlar (hooray fatigue), all of whom have made strong declarations of love for each other. That would cheapen SJM's romances so much.
Besides that, while I understand focusing on ships - because this is romantasy after all, and the couples are integral to the overall plot - I don't see how Nesta and Eris would work into the poetry of a prophecy that we already know:
Life and death and rebirth
Sun and moon and dark
Rot and bloom and bones
Hello, sweet thing. Hello, lady of night, princess of decay. Hello, fanged beast and trembling fawn. Love me, touch me, sing me.
Madness. Where the first half had been cold cunning, this box … this was chaos, and disorder, and lawlessness, joy and despair. [...] Rhys picked up the Book of Breathings.
Light and dark and gray and light and dark and gray— - ACOMAF, chapter 57
The Book of Breathings gave us this beauty back in ACOMAF, and while there are many attempts to make sense of it (and I think many could be right), if we're talking about romantic pairings, I don't see how it could encompass any ships other than those of the brothers and sisters present. Where would the balance be in that? While there are certainly plots that people have theorised for pairings other than these three (and of course, I acknowledge that Elriel isn't canon endgame at this point in time), I haven't read any that would tie into the themes of three we have seen established by SJM: sisters, brothers, mountains, stars etc.
Eris is an intriguing character and Neris a fun ship (I don't hate it at all), but in canon it wouldn't flow, at least to me. Though of course I could be wrong.
Anyway, sorry for the mess of this response. I hope my thoughts make at least some sense lol.
Edit: I was about to post and then @wingedblooms and her beautiful mind struck again. Anon - and anyone else - please read her reblog of my post about the Asteri corrupting mating bonds, it's beautifully written and I have similar thoughts (as usual).
Please don't share or screenshot this post without credit.
Disclaimer: as always, this is just a theory.
So I was reading a Tessa Dare book the other day, because @wingedblooms and @silverlinedeyes told me to, and the word "troth" was used. Now, I know that it forms part of "betrothal," and to pledge one's troth is to promise yourself in marriage to another - and betrothal could be considered as a magic free, not-yet accepted mating bond - but the word nerd in me decided to google it for any interesting origins or facts, and just LOOK...
Troth -> Truth
Elain looked up at Azriel, their eyes meeting, his hand still lingering on the hilt of the blade. I saw the painting in my mind: the lovely fawn, blooming spring vibrant behind her. Standing before Death, shadows and terrors lurking over his shoulder. Light and dark, the space between their bodies a blend of the two. The only bridge of connection … that knife. - ACOWAR, chapter 69
I've discussed the possibility that Truth-Teller's name could be a hint that Elain is Azriel's endgame, given that she is a Seer - ie. a soothsayer, a truth teller! - in an earlier post, and many in the ACOTAR fandom have wondered whether the ACOWAR Truth-Teller scene between Elain and Azriel could be hinting not only at their potential relationship, but a bond of sorts, as well, but this seems like it could be a fun little hint that Truth-Teller may in fact be trying to tell us something about Elriel:
A future betrothal?
A hidden bond of some sort?
Given Mor's power is that of Truth, could she be seeing some sort of troth between Elain and Azriel, and that is why she tends to react around them?
