#maasverse theories | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

wingedblooms · 3 months

Text

Three sisters witches

Thank you to @offtorivendell, @silverlinedeyes, and @psychologynerd for our discussions which inspired this theory. This is a Maasverse post, and as such, there may be spoilers for all Maas series. Please proceed with caution.

“All three sisters blessed by fate and gifted with powers…” (Amren, acosf)

The acotar series begins with three sisters: Feyre, Nesta, and Elain. Given their ironwood origins and the fact that Ironteeth witches in Erilea use it to carve their brooms, many of us suspect the sisters have witch heritage or are connected to witches in some way.

The room was large enough for a rickety dresser and the enormous ironwood bed we slept in. The sole remnant of our former wealth, it had been ordered as a wedding gift from my father to my mother. It was the bed in which we’d been born, and the bed in which my mother died. In all the painting I’d done to our house these past few years, I’d never touched it. (acotar)

In Midgard and Erilea, witches worship the Three-Faced Goddess, and she is sometimes conflated with Fate…

Again, Manon felt that ebb and flow in the world, that invisible current that some called Fate and some called the loom of the Three-Faced Goddess. (hof)

In this quote, Manon feels an invisible current that goes by different names. That current sounds a lot like Urd in Midgard, Wyrd in Erilea, and the divine trio (Mother, Cauldron, Fate/Forces That Be) in Prythian. All of which sound like different forms (usually three) of the same higher being. The Fae believe this being controls fate, including fated bonds. Bonds, like spells, are described in terms of threads. Does this being weave threads of fate together with her loom, like witches seem to believe? She (they?) appears to be inspired by the Norns of Norse mythology, one of which is named Urðr (Wyrd). Together, these wise women preside over fate. In some folklore and literature, they are considered witches, like the Three Witches or Wyrd (Weird) Sisters in Shakespeare’s Macbeth, who deliver a prophecy.

The Three-Faced Goddess is also known, albeit rarely, as the Three-Faced Mother:

Manon couldn’t look at them, couldn’t do anything but close her eyes and pray to the Darkness, to the Three-Faced Mother as she held her hands over the bleeding gashes. (koa)

I’ve talked about links between the Archerons, witches, Three-Faced Goddess, and divine trio (Mother, Cauldron, Fate) before, so this isn’t new, but something caught my attention when reviewing the text recently. Ironteeth witches believe that they return to the Three-Faced Goddess when they die, and they are reborn within her womb. It’s called the Mother’s Womb.

“We’ll collect the dead tomorrow,” Manon said, her voice low. “And burn them at moonrise.” As both Crochans and Ironteeth did. A full moon tomorrow—the Mother’s Womb. A good moon to be burned. To be returned to the Three-Faced Goddess, and reborn within that womb. (koa)

This belief reminded me of the three sisters’ rebirth, particularly Nesta and Elain. We gain insight into this experience in Nesta’s book:

In the beginning

And in the end

There was Darkness

And nothing more

She did not feel the cold as she sank into a sea that had no bottom, no horizon, no surface. But she felt the burning.

Immortality was not a serene youth.

[…]

They would pay. All of them.

Starting with this Cauldron.

Starting now.

She tore into the darkness with talons and teeth. Rent and cleaves and shredded.

And the dark eternity around her shuddered. Bucked. Thrashed.

She laughed as it recoiled. Laughed around the mouthful of raw power she ripped out and swallowed whole; laughed at the fistfuls of eternity she shoved into her heart, her veins.

[…]

Wrapped in black eternity, Nesta and the Cauldron twined, burning through the darkness like a newborn star. (acosf)

While Feyre is not reborn in the Cauldron, we do get insight into her experience. When telling the Bone Carver about what appeared to her after death, she said this:

But if he knew … I turned again to the boy-creature. “There was a choice—in Death,” I said.

[…]

“I knew,” I went on, “that I could drift away into the dark. And I chose to fight—to hold on for a bit longer. Yet I knew if I wanted, I could have faded. And maybe it would be a new world, a realm of rest and peace. But I wasn’t ready for it—not to go there alone. I knew there was something else waiting beyond that dark. Something good.”

[…]

“I knew there was no coming back from what I’d done,” I said, wondering if the blue flame in the Carver’s eyes might burn my ruined soul to ash. “And once I broke their curse, once I knew I’d saved them, I just wanted enough time to turn that dagger on myself. I only decided I wanted to live when she killed me, and I knew I had not finished whatever…whatever it was I’d been born to do.” (acomaf)

Feyre was broken, but she wasn’t finished with whatever it was she had been born to do. Nesta also chose to fight in the Cauldron like a warrior. When we finally get insight into Elain’s rebirth, I am willing to bet that she fought with her own brand of strength.

It’s clear the dark womb of the Three-Faced Goddess is the same divine trio (Mother, Cauldron, Fate) the Fae in Prythian worship. When discussing the sisters in acosf, Amren emphasizes, nothing is a fluke, and the Cauldron—like the invisible current Manon described—can influence others without their awareness, especially those it has reforged. The sisters are blessed by fate with immortality and rare gifts for a reason. What plans does it have for them, and who would it enlist to help them on their path?

“May the Immortal Light shine upon thee, sisters,” said the pale-robed young woman directly in our path. (acolyte, acotar)

From the beginning of the series, various religious influences have played a role in the sisters’ journey. Children of the Blessed are the first religious influence we see, and they are largely reviled as religious fanatics by humans. The acolyte who blesses the sisters wears pale blue robes like Fae priestesses, and it is this blessing that serves as foreshadowing for their immortal fate. The acolytes’ imitation of Fae priestesses also makes me wonder if they are part of the priestesses’ extensive spy network.

Like witches, Fae priestesses worship the divine trio, and in their full garb, they represent the Voice of the Cauldron:

Ianthe had shown me once what the panel looked like when down: only her nose and full, sensuous mouth visible. The Voice of the Cauldron. I’d found the image unsettling—that merely covering the upper part of her face had somehow turned the bright, cunning female into an effigy, into something Other. (acomaf)

Their powers stem from their rituals and they can be deadly, if desired:

Among the High Fae, the priestesses oversaw their ceremonies and rituals, recorded their histories and legends, and advised their lords and ladies in matters great and trivial. I hadn’t witnessed any magic from her, but when I’d asked Lucien, he’d frowned and said their magic was drawn from their ceremonies, and could be utterly lethal should they choose it. (acomaf)

It was a High Priestess who informed Hybern about Feyre’s sisters, leading to their eventual capture and rebirth. Hybern also possessed the Cauldron at the time—did it influence him and Ianthe, weave their actions like threads in a tapestry?

Lucien’s face had slackened. “She sold out—she sold out Feyre’s family. To you.”

I had told Ianthe everything about my sisters. She had asked. Asked who they were, where they lived. And I had been so stupid, so broken … I had fed her every detail.

“Sold out?” The king snorted. “Or saved from the shackles of mortal death? Ianthe suggested they were both strong-willed women, like their sister. No doubt they’ll survive. And prove to our queens it can be done. If one has the strength.” (acomaf)

According to the Bone Carver, dark makers created the Book of Breathings and used the Cauldron to make terrible things. The Book of Breathings can control or nullify the Cauldron, and because like calls to like, only someone who is Made can speak the spells and wield its power.

As three Made sisters with potential witch heritage, were the Archerons chosen to wield the divine trio's power, a Three-Faced Goddess in the flesh? Each sister is associated with a different kind of light, so could they be light makers? And is that ultimately what it means to be Starborn? Blessed by fate, their purpose written in the stars or woven into the Goddess's loom...

The weaver went on, "I have to create, or it was all for nothing. I have to create, or I will crumple with despair and never leave my bed. I have to create because I have no other way of voicing this." Her hand rested on her heart, and my eyes burned. "It is hard," the weaver said, her stare never leaving mine, "and it hurts, but if I were to stop, if I were to let this loom or spindle go silent..." She broke my gaze at last to look at her tapestry. "Then there would be no Hope shining in the Void." (acofas)

...to be threads of Hope shining in the Void.

In acosf, priestesses continue to remain directly in the sisters’ path. They help Nesta in various ways, including scrying and locating the Harp during their dusk ritual. It belongs to the Dread Trove and it is the Trove that Nesta uses to save Rhys, Feyre, and Nyx. Was the divine trio pulling the threads here as well, and if so, to what end? To help another world defeat an old enemy? Combat an ancient death-god and sorcerer? Bring peace and healing through a different sort of world?

Now that Nesta has tracked down three Trove objects, and we know the Cauldron can be used alongside them by those who are Made, it seems inevitable that we will see it again.

“Shall I tend to my little garden forever?” When Nesta flinched, Elain said, “You can’t have it both ways. You cannot resent my decision to lead a small, quiet life while also refusing to let me do anything greater.”

“Then go off on adventures,” Nesta said. “Go drink and fuck strangers. But stay away from the Cauldron.” (acosf)

In the original trilogy, we learn that the Cauldron gave Elain such powers and found her so lovely.

The Cauldron seemed to realize what she’d done, too, as his head thumped onto the mossy ground. That Elain … Elain had defended this thief. Elain, who it had gifted with such powers, found her so lovely it had wanted to give her something…It would not harm Elain, even in its hunt to reclaim what had been taken. (acowar)

Her story might bring us even closer to the divine trio, witches, and priestesses with her gift of Sight. Among the Ironteeth, Bluebloods were especially known for their connection to divine Sight and even had their own priestesses:

“I see now,” Manon said softly, “why my Blueblood sisters still worship you.”

“Do they, now?” The spider remained motionless, but the three behind her crept closer, silent and observing with their many dark eyes. “We can hardly recall the last time the Blueblood priestesses brought their sacrifices to our foothills. We do miss them.” (Manon to the valg spider, hof)

Like a Blueblood, Elain is different from her sisters. She has a different sort of strength. Manon comments that the Blueblood Matron, who represents the maiden aspect of the Three-Faced Goddess, is more priestess than warrior. Her heir, Petrah, is similar to Elain: she is gentle and caring and is rumored to have her head in the clouds. Their clan is full of oracles, mystics, zealots, and they supposedly require more iron to remain tethered to their world.

Elain’s connection to the Cauldron—marked by a mental, iron crown—mirrors her unique strengths and gifts.

She had no mental shields, no barriers. The gates to her mind … Solid iron, covered in vines of flowers—or it would have been. The blossoms were all sealed, sleeping buds tucked into tangles of leaves and thorns.

[…]

If Elain’s mental gates were those of a sleeping garden, Nesta’s…They belonged to an ancient fortress, sharp and brutal. The sort I imagined they once impaled people upon. (acowar)

Rather than a brutal ancient fortress (the Prison?), Elain’s iron crown is covered in vines and sleeping buds. It is peaceful and lovely and full of budding life. So, what might this mean for her role? With her oracular and mystic sight, Elain might be able to move and influence like the divine trio, a rose among the thorns. She could use her gifts, or the Cauldron itself (the flower of life), to weave threads of Hope through protection, healing, and creation. Both Feyre and Nesta have used raw magic to heal and create, weaving their own threads of Hope. Elain may also participate or learn a ritual in the dawn service to help her channel her powers. It’s no coincidence that we’re told about a dawn ritual called groundings before her story. Not when she is described like this:

But even the silence weighed too heavily, and though the shadows kept him company, as they always had, as they always would, he found himself leaving the room. Entering the foyer. Soft steps padded from under the stair archway, and there she was.

The Faelights gilded Elain’s unbound hair, making her glow like the sun at dawn. She halted, her breath catching in her throat. (Azriel’s bonus chapter)

And there she was, a vision of hope and healing, glowing like a new dawn during the longest night of the year.

If you’re interested in related posts about Elain, the divine trio, witches, and Archerons, here are some of my favorites:

Murky Realm of Dreams (Elain's connections to oracles and mystics)

Seer. Wise Woman. Witch. (Elain’s connections to witches, shifting, sight, herbs and healing, rituals, etc.)

Forbidden Secrets (Elriel mapping the secrets of the sister peaks and healing the land)

Sister-Glass Caverns (Prythian’s underground caves behave like sister-glass)

A Rose in the Thorns (Elain moves like the Cauldron)

Elain and the Flower of Life (The Cauldron is the flower of life and Elain is a gardener on a larger scale)

#Maasverse theories #the three Archeron sisters #three witches #Mother Cauldron Fate #Three-Faced Goddess #Hope shining through the Void

89 notes · View notes

silverlinedeyes · 9 months

Text

Pelias, Ruhn, Az, and Clotho(?)

Some theories

This post is a collection of theories @merymoonbeam and I have been kicking around for a while. Much of the credit of these goes to her—I’m just the one writing this post. But as usual with our convos, this snowballed into something much bigger than we initially anticipated 😅🤯

TW: this post discusses the lightsinger theory. If that’s not your thing or it’s triggering to you, don’t read past the break. And these are just theories (and some are crack theories at that)!

And finally, this is a crossover post and contains spoilers from CC and ACOTAR.

Was Pelias really Starborn, or was he a lightsinger?

In HOEAB, we’re told Pelias was the “first Starborn Prince.” That he “possessed what was basically an ocean of starlight at his disposal.”

We are also told that Pelias’ light was different than Theia’s.

In ACOSF, we learn that Fionn was betrayed by his queen (Theia) and his best friend and general (Pelias) who stole Gwydion (the Starsword) from him and killed him. We know from CC that Theia and Fionn (and Theia’s two daughters) then went through the Rift to Midgard, bringing Gwydion with them. It’s unclear what led to this betrayal, and why Theia “betrayed” Fionn and left with Pelias.

In HOSAB, things get interesting though. We learn that Pelias was “no true” prince. He slew Theia, stole “her” sword, forced Helena into marriage, and “corrupted” Theia’s line. He was only a “so-called first Starborn Prince” and an “imposter.”

Could Aidas (or Rigelus as Aidas) be telling us more about Pelias than he was just a traitor who didn’t deserve to be a prince? What if Pelias wasn’t actually Starborn, but something else? Something that could pretend to be Starborn? Something that could emit light but not truly activate or use the Starsword? A lightsinger?

This also would explain why Theia betrayed Fionn and left with Pelias, and also how Pelias was able to get Helena to marry him. If Pelias is a lightsinger, he might have used his lightsinging powers on them to manipulate them into it. And he also used those powers to make people see him as a prince.

Pelias, Ruhn, and the Starsword

In HOEAB, Ruhn tells Bryce, “The sword doesn’t work like that. Aside from being picky about who draws it, the sword has no power without the knife.”

This seems based both on legend and on Ruhn’s experience. By this, I mean that Pelias could no longer use the power of the Starsword after the knife (TT) was taken back to Prythian (by Theia’s second daughter???), and the Starsword also has no power when Ruhn uses it. Light “shimmers” *down* the sword when Ruhn is holding it and “glimmers” with starlight, but he cannot activate its power or use it as more than just a sword.

The use of the word “glimmer” when Ruhn is holding the sword is part of what led us to this theory. In the Azriel bonus chapter, when he first comes to the roof and finds Gwyn there, her sword is “glimmering” in the moonlight.

While this might actually just literally be caused by her sword reflecting in the moonlight, it’s also possible Gwyn is using her powers to make the sword “glimmer” here, just like the Starsword seems to “glimmer” with Ruhn’s starlight that he emits when he uses it.

[Interestingly, the priestesses’ stones also “glimmer” in the fae light at the beginning of the singing service scene. And Ianthe uses “some glimmer” of power to lull the guard to sleep in ACOWAR? Also lightsinger powers?]

Anyways, the thing is, Ruhn is wrong about the Starsword. The Starsword does have power without the knife. In HOSAB, we see Bryce actually use the Starsword for the first time:

Bryce didn’t stop to think as she unsheathed it. Starlight erupted from the black blade. Like its metal had been kindled with iridescent fire. …

The Starsword sang with light, her power flowing into it. Activating it. …

With shaking fingers, she put it back into its sheath. Dimmed its light. But the Starsword still sang, and Bryce had no idea what to make of it.

Bryce is able to activate the Starsword’s powers with her Starborn power and use it to kill things that are supposed to be unkillable.

So if Bryce is able to activate the Starsword’s powers with her Starborn power, why couldn’t Ruhn and Pelias? I guess it’s possible Ruhn can’t because he only has a small kernel of the (supposed) Starborn power, but that doesn’t explain Pelias. If Pelias was really a Starborn Prince, shouldn’t he have been able to use the Starsword without the knife?

Or…can they not activate the Starsword because they are not actually Starborn? And instead, they’re light comes from a different source—lightsinging?

Ruhn, Azriel, and Clotho (Gwyn?)

If Ruhn is a lightsinger, again, it seems like he only has a small amount of the power. Ruhn himself describes it as a “kernel.” It’s interesting, though. Unlike Bryce, who doesn’t seem to have to work hard at all to access her Starborn powers or use them, it causes Ruhn a significant amount of effort:

It ordinarily took Ruhn a good amount of concentration to summon his starlight, and it usually left him with a headache for hours afterward, but … He was intrigued enough to try.

Setting his index finger onto the crystal of the prism, Ruhn closed his eyes and focused upon his breathing. Let the clicking metal of the orrery guide him down, down, down into the black pit within himself, past the churning well of his shadows, to the little hollow beneath them. There, curled upon itself like some hibernating creature, lay the single seed of iridescent light.

He gently cupped it with a mental palm, stirring it awake as he carefully brought it upward, as if he were carrying water in his hands. Up through himself, the power shimmering with anticipation, warm and lovely and just about the only part of himself he liked.

Ruhn gets a headache when he tries to access his “Starborn” power, which is hidden deep down inside him past his shadows. It seems almost as if the powers work against each other? It might even be that Ruhn’s “light” power, whatever it is, dampens his Avallen powers, and vice versa? It does seem that Ruhn’s Avallen powers aren’t nearly as powerful as Cormac’s. Could this be why? Because his “light” power suppresses his Avallen/shadow powers?

And where Ruhn’s “light” power is and how it’s described is interesting. It’s this seed of “iridescent light” that’s buried down deep inside him.

The headaches is what @merymoonbeam first noticed—it reminded her of the headaches Az constantly gets. Maybe those headaches are related to Az using his shadowsinging powers?

But then we were talking about it more, and this scene with Ruhn finding his power made us think of the end of the bonus scene:

Something sparked in Azriel's chest, but he only nodded his thanks and left. He could picture it, though, as he ascended the stairs back to the House proper. How Gwyn's teal eyes might light upon seeing the necklace. For whatever reason... he could see it.

But Azriel tucked away the thought, consciously erasing the slight smile it brought to his face. Buried the image down deep, where it glowed quietly.

Something sparked in Azriel’s chest. To “spark” means:

To ignite. To start a fire essentially. Could that spark in Azriel’s chest be the ignition of power in his chest?

And then this image of gwyn come to his mind, which he buries “down deep” inside himself where it “glowed quietly,” as @merymoonbeam has written about?

Did Clotho (or maybe Gwyn) plant a seed of lightsinger power inside Az?

Could this seed of lightsinger power dampen or suppress Az’s shadowsinging abilities? And is this why his shadows are missing in HOSAB chapter 78?

Or maybe that lightsinger power isn’t suppressing his shadowsinging abilities, but is instead being used to influence and control Az’s shadows from inside him…..

#lightsinger theory #azriel #azriel shadowsinger #acotar theories #cc theories #pelias and theia #maasverse #maasverse theories #sjmcu #anti gw*nriel

73 notes · View notes

psychee92 · 2 years

Text

Why Elain giving back TT is significant [ACOSF & CC Spoilers]

In ACOFAS, we learn what happened after Elain used TT to stab (or kill) Hybern.

“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.”

I have seen many people using this argument against Elain having a connection to TT—when, in fact, it means the opposite, especially considering what we learn in both ACOSF and (most importantly) HOSAB.

But first, let’s recap what we know about Elain’s (alleged) connection to TT:

Azriel had never before let another person touch that knife—until Elain.

Elain, who had never used a weapon, accepted it, despite having rejected other options before (remember, Cassian had offered her a weapon prior to her accepting TT from Azriel).

Elain actually used it—and by using it, answered Feyre’s plea for help, thus saving Nesta and Cassian’s life.

When using TT, Elain stepped out of a shadow, something we have only ever seen Azriel do.

And by using TT, Elain ultimately changed the course of the war.

What is also interesting is that we see this scene through Feyre’s eyes—and the Cauldron’s, so we get a glimpse of how the Cauldron feels about Elain.

Now, at the end of HOSAB, we learn that TT is connected to the Starsword.

And what do we know about the Starsword?

That it actually answers to two people, not one. It recognizes and chooses both Ruhn and Bryce.

Yet Cormac glowered at the Starsword peeking over Ruhn’s broad shoulder. “Rumor has it that the sword sings for my bride, too.”

Ruhn seemed to force himself to look at Bryce as he said, “It’s true.” So he’d seen her glare, then. “The sword’s as much yours as it is mine.”

The Starsword deemed Ruhn worthy, and recognized Bryce as kin.

“That your son, not you, retrieved the Starsword from the Cave of Princes in Avallen’s dark heart. That your son, not you, stood among the long-dead Starborn Princes asleep in their sarcophagi and was deemed worthy to pull the sword from its sheath.”

Her sword—it was her sword, and Ruhn’s. And with that light in her veins, with the star that slumbered inside her heart, the Starsword had recognized her not as a royal, worthy Fae, but as kin. Kin to those who had forged it so long ago. Like called to like.

So we now know that TT can also have two owners: one deemed worthy, and one it recognizes as kin.

Because what else do we learn about these weapons?

“That sword belongs to Theia’s female heir. Not the male offspring who corrupted her line.”

These weapons are passed down the female line, not the male.

I am still surprised when I see readers connecting Bryce to Azriel through TT, when we know from HOSAB that the weapons belong to the female descendants of Theia, NOT the male.

Also interesting to note: Bryce does not want the Starsword—does not want to claim it.

“I don’t need a fancy sword to add to it.” “But I do?” “Honestly? I think you don’t know how special you are, Ruhn.” His blue eyes flickered. “Thanks.” “I mean it.” She grabbed his hand, and light flared from her chest. “The sword came to you first for a reason.”

The sword came to Ruhn first—just as TT came to Azriel.

And even more interesting: the scene where Bryce uses the sword.

The Starsword sang with light, her power flowing into it. Activating it. And nothing had ever felt so right, so easy, as plunging the blade into the bony chest of the wounded Reaper. It arced, bellowing, black blood spurting from its withered lips. The others screamed then. So loud she thought the sewer might come down, so loud she nearly dropped the blade to cover her ears.

Which mirrors the scene where Elain uses TT:

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.”

The Cauldron purred in Elain’s presence as the King of Hybern slumped to his knees, clawing at the knife jutting through his throat. Elain backed away a step. Choking, blood dribbling from his lips, the king gaped at Nesta.

Unlike with Bryce, however, we do not have Elain’s POV of the events leading up to this scene, or how she felt during it, so we do not know if the knife responded to her in the same way.

But it does make you wonder: did it feel as right to her, as it did to Bryce? Given how afraid she had been up until that point—vomiting from terror—she appeared as an avenging angel in this scene, almost as if she’s done this before, almost as if it felt right.

Also similar is the return of the sword and knife to the men who found the weapons first, who were deemed worthy to possess them. Despite Bryce using the sword, it returns to Ruhn, and stays with him until he asks her to take it with her.

Similarly, Elain returns TT to Azriel after using it. Will TT find its way back to her? Will Azriel, like Ruhn, offer it to Elain again?

Remember: when Azriel picks up the sword in HOSAB, it does not react to him. We do not see a change in him when he touches it, nor do we see any change in the sword when near the other IC members.

The male’s face didn’t soften as he picked up the sheathed Starsword, then gestured for her to step closer.

Elain is, of course, absent, and I am 99.99% sure that Sarah hinted at her being somewhere nearby (bread and roses) for a reason. Could this be it? Will the sword react to her the same way it reacts to Bryce? The same way the Cauldron reacts in Elain’s presence?

Could Elain activate the Starsword? Did she activate TT the way Bryce did, the way Nesta infused other swords with her power?

“Yes,” Amren said. “Only the Great Powers could do that—Gwydion was given its powers when the High Priestess Oleanna dipped it into the Cauldron during its crafting.” Cassian’s blood chilled, waves rippling over his skin. “One touch from Nesta’s magic while the blade was still hot …” “And the blade was infused with it.”

I still think that Nesta losing most of her powers at the end of ACOSF was done on purpose, to make Elain take center stage in future events. At this point, she is the only being alive who has Cauldron-given powers, similar to the Starsword and TT.

“You stole from the Cauldron,” I said to Nesta, who seemed ready to jump between all of us and Elain. “But what if the Cauldron gave something to Elain?”

And what does Bryce need at the end of HOSAB?

And she had no way to get home. Unless Aidas or Apollion knew how to use the Horn. Had magic that could charge it.

Bryce ends up in Prythian because she is looking for someone who can help. Sarah mentioned during one of her interviews that her ending up in Prythian while looking for help is not a coincidence—help is in Prythian.

With Nesta’s Cauldron-stolen powers mostly gone, Elain is the only one who can both use the Horn and the only one who has the power to charge it.

“Once, the High Fae were more elemental, more given to reading the stars and crafting masterpieces of art and jewelry and weaponry. Their gifts were rawer, more connected to nature, and they could imbue objects with that power.”

“When Briallyn was Made, it likely removed from her the Dread Trove’s glamour, for lack of a better term. Recognized her as kin. Where she might have glanced over a mention of the items before and never thought twice, now it stuck. Or perhaps called to her, presented itself in a dream.” All of them, all at once, looked at Nesta. “You,” Amren said quietly, “are the same. So is Elain.”

#elain archeron #elriel #hosab #maasverse #maasverse theories #acotar 5 #pro elain

240 notes · View notes

lexicologically · 4 months

Text

I really think we will find out in CC3 that rhysand’s last name is danaan

Also I went on a Wikipedia deep dive and now I want to start reading Irish mythology

#cc3 theories #maasverse theories #someone lmk where to start w Gaelic mythology

2 notes · View notes

houseoflameandshadow · 2 years

Text

The concept of the drop in CC is honestly so intriguing to me its definitely something i hope sjm actually goes into good detail with in future books. We know for sure that the fae in CC are originally from the acotar world, but the acotar fae don’t need to go through the drop in order to gain their full powers. We can assume this has something to do with the asteri, but how exactly they take power away from the vanir that are born and give some amount back to them after the drop is unexplained. It seems like it could be some sort of spell like the one that stopped magic in ToG or another form of advanced otherworldly magic that the asteri posses (or stole). And while the autumn king has observed that the amount of magic the fae possess has been decreasing (likely due to a decrease of magic overall from the asteri), the fae in CC posses more of some types of magic than those in the acotar world, or at least their bodies are affected differently. Specifically, vanir in CC that have undergone the drop are able to grow back appendages and limbs, while in acotar it was mentioned that many Illyrian warriors lost limbs in the war (correct me if I’m wrong but I’m pretty sure it was permanent and was mentioned as part of the loss causing Illyrian discontent in ACoFaS). So what about the magic gained/given back during the drop could cause this?

The closest thing we see to the drop elsewhere in the maasverse is the settling in the ToG universe, in which the fae go through the process of “settling in” to their immortal bodies over a much longer period of time than the drop. Sense the shifters in CC are likely the Fae from the ToG universe, it makes sense that the asteri could have found a way to control the time of and speed of the process, we don’t see anything like this in the ACOTAR world. While the fae from ToG go through their settling in their 20’s, its stated in ACOTAR that fae take 75 years to reach maturity, however we’re told very little of this concept and we know that 18 would be late for a female fae to be getting her first period, so the aging processes of the ACOTAR fae are less defined.

So the asteri not only feed off magic and control who possess it and when the possess it, but also how the bodies of the vanir interact with it. Beyond the use of spells, possibly using wyrdmarks or something similar to what is used in the ToG universe, I’m not quite sure how the asteri could do this to an entire planet all at once. This is such an intriguing topic to me so I would love to hear anyones theories on this to hold me out to CC3 (where we hopefully get some answers)!

#maasverse theories #maasverse #throne of glass spoilers #cc spoilers #crescent city spoilers

7 notes · View notes

cassianfanclub · 8 months

Text

“This time, you sent the trembling fawn to find me. I did not expect to see those doe-eyes peering at me from across the world.”

Happy Elain Archeron Week Day 6: Fanged Beast

One of my absolute favorite theories in this fandom is that Elain will be able to traverse the murky realm, like the Mystics in HOSAB. @wingedblooms incredible mind connects details in a way most only dream of and has helped to further my excitement for Elain’s book and journey. You can find the two main theories that inspired this piece here and here.

The first time we see Elain peer across the world, she is doing so as a trembling fawn, but my hope is that, she will peer across worlds on her way to becoming a fanged beast and embrace that side of her in her own book.

In this piece, Elain has left behind Az and Bryce in Velaris, and stepped into the murky realm, only to be greeted by a waiting Apollion, mirroring Az. Apollion’s black eyes, deep and dark as the Pit in which he dwells- a telltale sign that his relaxed posture is nothing more than a trick to give a false sense of calm. But I have confidence Elain’s fangs and claws will get her back home.

A massive thank you to @luxury_banshee on IG for creating this piece for me💕

You can find this art on IG here

Please do not repost

@elainarcheronweek

#elain archeron week 2023 #pro elain #elain acheron #azriel shadowsinger #elriel #bryce quinlan #hofas theory #crescent city #acotar 5 #acotar fanart #fan art #acotar #maasverse #sarah j maas #seer #mystic #pro elriel #house of sky and breath

1K notes · View notes

offtorivendell · 3 months

Text

The Asteri, the Daglan, and Prythian's Court System

Disclaimer: this is a stupidly massive crack theory that could end up being disastrously wrong. Oh well.

Spoilers: the ACOTAR and CC series to date (I'm halfway through HOFAS right now, slowly plodding along, so nothing beyond that).

Image from ACOSF, Kindle edition.

Buckle up for some more of my nonsense! I think I could have discovered why Prythian's land has the Court and High Lord Systems. This theory still has a couple of wrinkles to iron out, but it's plausible, so I figured I'd share what I've got.

A massive thank you goes to @ladynightcourt3 and @psychologynerd for our chat yesterday morning, which led to this post. I love you guys! 💜

Full warning that this will A) be absolutely cracked, and B) contains Maasverse spoilers, including from HOFAS (up to around 40% I think), but I was mulling over what I'd read so far and this popped into my mind.

Part 1 - The Court System

Bryce made, I think, one hell of an assumption when she said the following in HOFAS:

Vesperus, the only Asteri left on this world, lay dead. - CC HOFAS, chapter 26

@wingedblooms and I have previously theorised that some of the barren regions in Prythian may be so because the death gods were trapped there, drinking the magic of the land, rendering it spent - lifeless - and possibly unable to power up a gateway to an interstellar rift. We both also think it's very interesting that one Elain Archeron was referred to as “a rose bloom in a mud field,” but I digress.

However, in HOFAS, we learnt that there was a Daglan/Asteri, called Vesperus (who considered herself the Evening Star and their god), trapped in a crystal coffin far below the Prison, which was once a land of Dusk.

The female’s long nails scraped along the lid of the coffin. She didn’t look at them as she tested the lid for weaknesses. “I am your god. I am your master. Do you not know me?” - CC HOFAS, chapter 24

It's interesting, no, that the region was named after the Daglan who ruled it? Was this common practice? Because we just so happened to learn, in Feysand’s ACOSF bonus chapter, that there was once an ancient Night Court goddess named Nyx.

You know, their son's namesake? Yikes. 🫣

“You may call me Vesperus.” The creature’s eyes glowed with irritation. “Are you related to Hesperus?” Bryce arched a brow at the name, so similar to one of Midgard’s Asteri. “The Evening Star?” “I am the Evening Star,” Vesperus seethed. - CC HOFAS, chapter 25

Silene, Theia's second daughter, who “escaped into the night,” gave us further information that appeared - to me, at least - to be incomplete. Or perhaps inaccurate? She had been taught by her mother, so she could have been fed certain things as facts. For example, was the land of Prythian really divvied up into seasons and times of day before the Daglan came to town?

The land strengthened. It returned to what it had been before the Daglan’s arrival millennia before. We returned to what we’d been before that time, too, creatures whose very magic was tied to this land. Thus the land’s powers became my mother’s. Dusk, twilight—that’s what the island was in its long-buried heart, what her power bloomed into, the lands rising with it. It was, as she said, as if the island had a soul that now blossomed under her care, nurtured by the court she built here. - CC HOFAS, chapter 19

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. - CC HOFAS, chapter 19

My sister and I grew older. My mother educated us herself, always reminding us that though the Daglan had been vanquished, evil lived on. Evil lurked beneath our very feet, always waiting to devour us. - CC HOFAS, chapter 19

Reading between the lines, I think it's just possible to link the powers of each land with the Daglan who once ruled over them. Perhaps each region - each “precursor” to a modern day Court - had a Daglan/Asteri buried underneath a barren peak, or in a body of water? Is this why the lands have frozen seasons, pools of starlight*, or powers based upon the light of the time of day? Because of a monster buried far, far below the surface?!

*Is there a Daglan entombed in a crystal coffin far below the surface, or is it a cache of firstlight, one that may be refuelled each Calanmai? Or, as @psychologynerd has suggested, is there a Made object of power that will draw Elain to the Spring Court?

Our home had been left empty since we’d vanished. As if the other Fae thought it cursed. So I made it truly cursed. Damned it all. - CC HOFAS, chapter 21

Despite my efforts to hide what this place had once been, a terrible, ancient power hung in the air. It was as my mother had warned us when we were children: evil always lingered, just below us, waiting to snatch us into its jaws. So I went to find another monster to conceal it. - CC HOFAS, chapter 21

I left, wandering the lands for a time, seeing how they had moved on without Theia’s rule. They’d splintered into several territories, and though they were not at war, they were no longer the unified kingdom I had known. - CC HOFAS, chapter 21

As a quick aside, I still suspect that Fionn may have been a Daglan - or similar, perhaps an Under King - who tricked Theia into thinking him a normal faerie and used her to overthrow his peers in order to gain more land for himself. It seems exactly like something a rogue Asteri would do.

Like I suggested earlier, could each region be named for its ruler? Because the names of at least one of the Midgard Asteri was, shall we say, coincidentally similar to the Daglan of Prythian, and others appear to match at least the solar courts.

Solar:

Dawn - Eosphoros

Day - Rigelus

Dusk - Hesperus

Night - Sirius

Seasonal (incomplete/unsure/probably incorrect):

Spring - Austrus?

Summer - Octartis?

Autumn - ?

Winter - Polaris?

As I said, the Midgardian Asteri don't perfectly match up to the seasonal Prythian courts, but it's too close to not consider as a possibility, imo.

Perhaps the lands of Midgard were broken up into solar regions and something else that wasn't seasonal? But given the Vesperus/Hesperus competition... maybe whatever species Asteri and/or Daglan are are strongest when travelling with a full complement of powers? And each "clan" (for lack of a better word) that travelled together had dawn, day, dusk, and night “lights,” as well as spring, summer, autumn and winter lights? Could it weaken them to be without a full cohort of powers? As @ladynightcourt3 said, it would explain why they were so upset about Sirius. Could Rigelus be hoping for a replacement to find them and return them to full strength, and that's why he keeps an empty throne?

Part 2 - The High Lords

No one knew that the infant who sometimes glowed with starlight had inherited it from me. That it was the light of the evening star. The dusk star. - CC HOFAS, chapter 21

An Asteri being buried under each Court could explain the high lord magic as well.The HLs are “a different breed,” per Lucien. Did the Asteri/Daglan need a Starborn Fae who is predisposed to holding, or withstanding, their magic? If this is the case, it would explain why the next in line to inherit the power - or who the magic chooses - isn't always a direct descendant of the previous high lord. Does it pass to the Fae with the strongest Starborn blood? And why the mountain shook when Mor got her first period. There has to be a Daglan/Asteri buried under the Hewn City.

That being said, why is it only men who can inherit the magic, and not women, especially when we now know that high ladies used to exist? Did Theia's betrayal made them distrust females in general, or was it something Seline did? Or is it because the women have the most/purest/strongest, starborn power, so did the men keep them down to use them as “breeding stock” in order to legitimise their rule, similar to what Pelias did with Helena?

Part 3 - Further Thoughts

I still wonder how Hybern and Hel could come into play here, because I think those lands are linked. A Valg/Hel Prince population on a different island?

@psychologynerd noted that we’ve previously connected the solar and seasonal courts, such Dawn = Spring, Day = Summer etc., and that it would track for Autumn and Dusk - an appropriately matched pair - to migrate together to Midgard. As an aside, this could tie in with the parallels shared by Azriel and Lucien, who may be/are linked to Dusk and Autumn. What if their power was connected via their “stars”?

@ladynightcourt3 wondered if Hesperus may have changed her name, hence Vesperus’ anger.

I can understand how a Daglan's presence may impart their magic into the land, especially if they're left buried - steeping? - in the soil for millennia, but how would that magic shape the faeries living there? Is it like I suggested in this post, that prolonged exposure to a powerful object allows a tie to be forged?

A bonus crack theory for fun - what if Merrill is a trapped Asteri? Either Nyx or Sirius, whom Apollion ate, and perhaps she escaped the pit of Hel through the base of the House of Wind library; nobody knows where she came from, she's descended from Rabbath of the Western Wind… her room is described as a cell and she called Nesta “girl” like Amren - an ancient - did. I dunno, but there's something about Merrill.

As always, thank you for reading! 💜

#hosab spoilers #hofas spoilers #acotar cc tog crossover theory #acotar theory #the dusk court #dusk court #the night court #night court #prythian #acotar #sjm books #maasverse #feysand #feyre archeron #rhys acotar #crack theory

107 notes · View notes

vellichor01 · 5 months

Text

My take on the 'mates are rare' thing is more that finding them is rare, like the Archerons were on the other side of the wall and a different race entirely to begin with, and Feyre had to die for Rhys to realize. Neither Lucien, Rhys, nor Cassian were in their native courts when their bonds snapped. So the conjunction of major world events that had these main players outside of normal circumstances allowed them to find their mate when, had Feyre not crossed the wall, had Hybern not kidnapped the older Archerons, had Rhys not been Under the Mountain during Amarantha's reign; they would not have met their mates. And when it's only 6 people (hopefully 8; I really do hope Az finds his mate) who are major political/influential players in the story, who probably make up >/=0.001% of Prythian's population, it still is a rare thing. Most of the Fae probably don't leave their home Court much, if at all. And if they can be mated to humans who have not crossed the wall for centuries, of course they never find them. But it does open the narrative to show the importance of choosing love. Sorry for the mini rant. It's all meant in good spirits ☺️

#acotar #cassian #azriel #rhysand #acotar headcanon #eris vanserra #helion spell cleaver #lucien #a court of frost and starlight #acotar fanfiction #rhys acotar #a court of silver flames #a court of wings and ruin #a court of mist and fury #a court of thorns and roses #sarah j maas #maasverse #theory

103 notes · View notes

highladyofterrasen7 · 4 months

Text

This will be lost into the sands of time by the time hofas rolls around

But oh well

#sarah j maas #acotar #rhysand #feyre archeron #crescent city #hofas #bryce quinlan #maasverse #hunt athalar #ruhn danaan #hofas theory

59 notes · View notes

highladyjane · 22 days

Note

While we're waiting for the announcement, what's your guess for the title of the next acotar book?

Lol, you sneaky nonnie! I've seen this Ask all over my dash today yestereve (I fell asleep writing my response to this)😆 Thank you for letting me join in on the fun!

I've actually had a theory about this hiding somewhere in my drafts for a couple of months now, but I've been too lazy to dig into it because 1. Structured writing, and therefore theories, is not my forte 2. I'm a perfectionist but my mind's messy - so it's all a bit messy, 3. so I might sound like a loony... 4. and I'm too insecure about my thoughts at times to even post about what goes through it 😅

But since you Ask'd... Here's a "shorter" version of that draft, at least:

My theory is that Elain's book will have something to do with ✨️Vines✨️.

Like... A Court of ✨️🌿Golden Vines🌿✨️(which I'm leaning the most towards), ACO Twining Vines, ACO Tangled Vines, ACO Blooming Vines, ACO Shadows and Vines... etc. I'm still trying to figure out where to lay my theory 😅🤣

It may sound very Elucien or even Tamlain, but ✨️Vines✨️ are described as "a plant whose stem requires support and which climbs by tendrils or twining or creeps along the ground" which, if you read or search through the books, also hints and applies to the movement of Azriel's shadows in many instances... @wingedblooms absolutely brilliant post that I quite recently came upon, especially supports the 'Twining'... So I think it's the perfect title to confuse people about her endgame 😜

Anyways, to back up my guess/theory...

Elain's scent is of Jasmine (and Honey), which seems to be the bloom of the Night Court 👀, grows as climbing shrubs or ✨️vines✨️. But I'm feeling specifically strongly for the ✨Vines✨ because

Aaaaand because:

1. Ivy is a ✨vine✨ and Sarah has mentioned it in relation to Elain's book in an interview presented at the back of ACOFAS.

2. Nesta's drawer had flames🔥. Elain had...

🌿✨Twining Vines of flowers✨🌿

We often see the beautiful petals (Elain's softness & beauty), but we don't think about the strength, resilience, and foundation of the vines underneath and........ 👇

3. ✨️Vines✨️ symbolise:

Strength & hope & resilience = Elain's quiet strength.

Determination = Elain has shown determination to help in ways she can, but is yet to be given the chance to...

She also has shown a determined disregard and opposition to having a mate...

Connection = Goes well along with my guess on "Golden" or "Twining" Vines which are often used as adjectives in relation to bonds, threads, and even spells.

Also, Elain is an Archeron sister, Cauldron-blessed, and a Seer - connected to basically every plot and possible subplots in the books (The Cauldron ➡️ Ramiel in Illyria ➡️ Made Objects & People ➡️ The Middle & The Prison/Dusk Court ➡️ The Dread Trove ➡️ Koschei ➡️Vassa ➡️The Human Queens etc.🔁); not just for who she is and her Cauldron-given gifts and abilities, but also possibly through her LIs and family. She's the one sister left unexplored and it all leads back to her. She's basically at the beginning (She's the first sister mentioned by Feyre at the beginning of ACOTAR) and in the end (She's the last sister mentioned by Nesta at the end of ACOSF) of everything. So I don't know if that supports her book being next or last...

Life = the meaning of which also applies to her scent of Honey and "Golden" -the colour of (sun)light, honey, her eyes, her hair.

3. ✨️Vines✨️ are also mentioned/connected to the earthen powers described in CC3 that Sathia & Tristan Flynn + Bryce have, which I believe many has already theorised Elain to also have... I quite like those theories (can't remember exactly where I read them as of rn) and would like to believe that it's something the Cauldron has blessed her with since she's associated with gardening and life...

I also read somewhere in a biblical text (which I wasn't too keen to delve into tbh, so don't trust my word for it, but it's Googlable) where ✨️Golden Vine✨️was associated with Life, Rebirth, and Free Will... But if Elain turns out to be the next Messiah/Saviour/Prophet of Prythian, then it's quite perfect 🤷🏻‍♀️

So... that's sort of my take so far 🫣 Hope it makes sense to you, nonnie 😅

What's yours?

#Pro Elain Archeron #acotar theories #ACOGV #A Court of Good Vibes #acotar 6 #acotar5 #pro elriel #sarah j maas #elain archeron #acotar #maasverse theory #hofas spoilers

34 notes · View notes

slowpress · 1 month

Text

Other Made people?

Who was the Emissary to the Night Court for the human realm?

Who was important enough to be human-turned-immortal?

If it's Miryam, can she also use the Trove?

Jurian was also made. If he finds out about the Trove will he be able to summon it?

Feels like maybe it was a mistake to send the Cauldron to Cretea

#acotar #sjm universe #sjmaas #maasverse theory #maasverse #acomaf #night court #feyre #rhys #rhysand #feyre archeron

27 notes · View notes

wingedblooms · 3 months

Text

Lovely darkness

Yrene, blessed with raw healing magic, describes the darkness she interacts with in Silba’s Womb:

And the darkness above her … it was different from what she had spied in Lord Westfall’s body. The opposite of that blackness. The darkness above her was that of creation, of rest, of unformed thought.

Yrene stared into it, into the womb of Silba herself. And could have sworn she felt something staring back. Listening, while she thought through all Lord Westfall had told her. (tod)

[…]

You must enter, the sweet darkness whispered, the water singing along with it while it flowed around and past her. As if she were swimming in Silba’s veins.

[…]

To fight that festering force within the lord, to risk it for some test of Hafiza’s, to risk it for a son of Adarlan when her own people were being attacked or battling in that distant war and every day delayed her … I can’t.

You won’t, the lovely darkness challenged. (tod)

It’s a darkness of creation and rest.

The gates to her mind…solid iron, covered in vines of flowers—or it would have been. The blossoms were all sealed, sleeping buds tucked into tangles of leaves and thorns. (acowar)

A sweet darkness.

Elain had always been gentle and sweet—and I had considered it a different sort of strength. A better strength. To look at the hardness of the world and choose, over and over, to be kind. She had always been so full of light.

Perhaps that was why she now kept all the curtains open. To fill the void that existed where all of that light had been.

And now nothing remained. (acowar)

A lovely darkness.

Hm. That would certainly explain some things. ✨

#elain archeron #gentle and sweet #so lovely #just like the darkness of creation #the quiet dreamer indeed #elain and the cauldron #mother cauldron fate #maasverse theories

86 notes · View notes

biggestqiblifan · 3 months

Text

Lidia braids Ruhn hair.

That's all I'm going to say.

#crescent city #cc3 #sarah j maas #sjm theory #sjm universe #sjm multiverse #sjm fandom #sjm books #sjmaas #sjm #lidia x ruhn #ruhnlidia #ruhn danaan #hofas #lidia cervos #maasverse #house of flame and shadow #hosab #house of sky and breath

38 notes · View notes

chunkypossum · 7 months

Text

Y’all wanna know some things that bother me SJM Books edition that lead to UNHINGED theories?!? : Obvious Spoilers for all of Sarah J Maas books …

*also, I told you these are unhinged thoughts, don’t come for me.. argue with your mama… just enjoy the ride.

- Why do we know the Bluebloods Matron name and not Blackbeak or Yellowlegs?

- And why does she share a name with the princess of Adriana in ACOTAR?

🧐

- Why is ACOTAR the only series in first person? What is Prythian hiding?

- And why is it only Feyres story? Nestas story is 3rd person but several different POV.

- What exactly were we not supposed to notice about the people or places Feyre saw or experienced that could easily be hidden in her 1st person POV?

🫣

- Why are feline descriptors used for everyone and everything , constantly?

😬

- The parallels between the library in the house of wind and the Torre Cesme

- Wombs

- Cats

- Darkness that stares back

- Haven for women

😉

- “I was never as good as I thought I was…” - Florence, but applied to Aelin- we gloss over the fact that she seriously considers conquering other worlds like wtf. What if Aelin, and hear me out, (I say this as I’m also on my knees for her bc she is my queen), is somehow responsible for the Asteri?

🤯

- 1. Briggs said, tugging on his shackles, “the only people I see on a daily basis are the ones who take me apart like a cadaver, and then stitch me up again before nightfall, their medwitches smoothing everything away.” 2. No injuries ever remained when she awoke. No pain. Only the memory of it, of Cairn’s smiling face as he carved her up over and over. 3. SJM:”what goes on on the dungeons might be too much, poor hunt Ruhn and baxian”… IM JUST SAYING.

🥲

- Ruhn shares a name with the mountain ranges in Erilea. Is he named after them?

- Perhaps his a nod to his mothers home.

- The ruhnn mountains are where the Stygian spiders made their home after they split with their sisters on the southern continent

- Handmaidens of Maeve who has VIOLET STARRY EYES,

- like Rhysand…

- Rhysand who looks like Ruhn….

- THE PIECES ARE THERE BUT HOW DO THEY FIT?

🙃

- When Feyre has visions/dreams of Amarantha in ACOTAR Rhys sees them…. When he recounts his story in ch 54(ACOMAF), why does he imply he didn’t know who she was dreaming about? He would know Amarantha wouldn’t he? In her dreams it was woman with red nails … we never get that little detail about Amaranthas looks. Why? Was it her? Or someone else?

👩🏻‍🦯

- Cresseida, briar, Cormac… these are not common names so why the hell does she use them in more than one series?

🙃

Of course I can’t forget the classics….

- WHAT DID LORCAN DO?!? 👹

- And where the fuck is Vaughn? 👹

#sjm universe #sjm books #sjm fandom #sjmass #acotar #throne of glass #crescent city #cc3 #maasverse #sjm theory #unhinged thoughts

43 notes · View notes

voidcommascreamintothe · 7 months

Text

Maiden, Mother, Crone - The Archeron Sisters as reincarnations of the Three Faced Goddess

Part 1

Elain, Ferye, Nesta. Three humans, turned Fae. Made magic. Or perhaps only awoken?

No I will not be normal about this, it is you who should be more weird about this.

It has always been clear to me that the three Archeron women have magic in their human blood. They are descendants of an acient deity, that once ruled over the lands alongside The Bone Carver, The Waver, and perhaps many other Deathless and Nameless gods. It is very much so confirmed by the Bone Carver themself that Feyre resembles and old god, powerful and cunning, who sought to hide herself and her magic, for reasons of a mysterious nature. This is just contextually picking up on the inherent meaning of the statement. In book 1, a big plot detail is that Feyre can taste and smell magic. She uses it to her advantage a few times during the events of book 1. This isn’t something that normal humans can do, seeing as how a lot of the village folk live in fear of magic and cant understand its working. The Human Lands are baren, cold, and stripped of all magic, and yet- Feyre can taste and smell it. And yet, Nesta remains of sound mind, immune to glamours, a type of magic that effects the mind. Elain only needs a little push to snap out of its influence.

These women are of magic descent, and to me this was a well established plot point. I interpreted the events above as the author just plainly telling this; although its entirely possible that i have been overthinking this because i have never been normal about these books, not once since i started them.

Feyre is the Mother, she is Mother Life, vindictive and vengeful; aggressively protecting her own kin, going and hunting down threats. She is the Mother; passionate and inclined towards the arts. Calm in the face of fear, and with a strong sense of duty. She claws, bites and rips out throats. A wild mother wolf, a wild beast. Feyre has always been inclined to go nuclear on her revenge plans. Sabotaging and undermining a religious leader, Ianthe, and plotting and successfully executing her revenge over an entire court of - lets be honest here, entirely innocent people, is very Aelin Galathyneus of her. Standing up to a magic wolf, with her throat exposed, she stood her ground and bargained. In the face of the heinous lie about her pregnancy, she was calm and brave and coping, only so that her son would not feel those things as he grows inside her womb. It is my headcanon that she went scorched earth on Rhysie’s ass afterwards.

Elain is the Maiden. She is Mother Nature. Ambivalent, and yet omniscient. Seeing all, reacting only just so.

When it comes to Elain, I don’t have much to work with; she has yet to have her books after all. However, I am confident in saying that he is not as mentally checked out of reality as I originally thought. She is a seer, one who sees the future. But this must also come with the immense strength to resist altering it. She either must not intervene, or do so incredibly delicately. She does also see the reality of what their situation was, in regards to the Archerons loosing their money, but she is rather unbothered by it. I hesitate to say she does not care, because again, we have not see her perspective yet, but she is aware how bad it was for them. In book one, there is a distinct moment when after Feyre comes back fro the Fae Land, Elain remarks on how the rich people treat them as if they didn’t loose all of their money, as if the last however many years did not happen. Its either cognitive dissonance, or Elain just does not.. care? Again, we have not seen her story, so I am speculating; and also resisting hating her for being docile and passive, and seemingly disinterested. Altho she is not a favored character of mine, I shan’t repeat history and hate on her as I did Sansa Stark.

That being said, her ambivalence and lack if action reminds me on nature and of natural disasters. Elain, the gardener, Elain the Mother Nature, The Maiden. A storm does not care if the levies might break and cause a flood, a mountain does not want anything, does not act on changing the outcomes of future events. Elain is a living being, who loves her sisters very much, so of course she reacts and saves them. But she was to be a young bride, in love and idealistic, yet she never consummated the marriage. Never got to be the bride, in fact. She seems to be stuck in this perpetual state of maidenhood, not quite moving on, remaining innocent, and maybe not yet ready to do anything else but ignore the happenings in front of her. She ignores Lucien, perhaps still grieving the loss of her old life and her old love.

Nesta is the Crone, The Mother Death. She is Lady Death. Meeting the Lord of Bloodshed at every step, a loyal companion to her friends, she is always there, inevitable as a rising storm. She is passive. She stays and guards. A mirrored image to Feyre in every way. She Makes objects of immense power. She creates and yet her power is pure death. But she creates. She does not want power. She creates, she seeks peace. What is more peaceful than Death’s embrace? Nesta has the power of the eternal flame. Her power coming out in silver flames perfectly encapsulates the power of fire: giving and taking life. Nesta is not vindictive. Don’t misunderstand me, she is actively cruel in Book 1, and a whole part if her journey was owning up to that. She recognized where she was wrong and made amends.

She is not nice, she was never taught to be nice. Her mother taught her how to read and manipulate people, not how to be kind and nice to them. She learns those things on her own. And again I ask, is Death nice and kind? It is peaceful and passive. A power that inspires awe. She is broken and rebuilds her self. She is Made, and i suspect that in order to be Made, she needed to die first. She inherits the most power out of all three sisters. Her dying during her Making means that she inherits Death itself. She experiences it, so she wields it because she understands it. She has lived many lives and appears older than she is. I personally thought that she was 30 in ACOSF, not 26, only 5 years older than Feyre. The narrative presents her to us as The Crone. She reads as someone older, harsher, someone who is also Death herself.

Where Feyre, Mother Life, is active, Nesta, Mother Death, is passive. Feyre hunts, Nesta guards. A mirrored image of eachother, they represent the cycle od life. The symbolism attached to them shows just how connected life and death truly are. Feyre and Nesta are always invoked in each other’s inner monologue. It is also entirely plausible that they each had an almost pathological need to keep Elain safe and innocent, because that was the only way to show that one cares for the other. Nesta loves Elain, but she keeps her safe because that is what Feyre would want. This fact, that Nesta would do anything to keep Elain safe, is very clearly stated by Feyre in both book 1 and 2. They both love Elain, no doubts about that. But Nesta’s and Feyre’s relationship was so burdened and volitale, that the only way for them to show affection was through the unspoken rule that Elain stays safe, is kept safe, at all costs. Nesta and Feyre, Death and Life, two sides of the same coin.

For me, it has always been reasonable to assume that the sisters represent one of the three faces of The Three Faced Goddess. Its buried in metaphor and vague statements, but it is there regardless. The more I read the books, the more obvious the comparison was. Having read Throne of Glass as well, the sisters also remind me of the Three Faced Goddess worshiped by the witches. After all, it was an ancient Witch God that hid her power and herself in the human lands; a place without magic and entirely mundane.

I intend to elaborate further in part 2 of this essay, but for now, let us enjoy quite a unique take on the Goddess Hecate. The Greek goddess has had many a modern interpretations, but I have not seen one done as subtly as this one. Having three separate people represent her faces, and therefore phases of a woman’s life, is new to me at least. Maas doesn’t really reimagine the old greek myths in a 1-to-1 recreation, but rather a loose inspiration taken from the core of the story. I quite enjoyed placing it all together.

More on how Nesta is the one to Bless Aelin’s blood line, and even how she might have started said bloodline in part 2.

Bonsoir.

#nesta archeron #pro acosf #cassian acotar #acotar #nesta acotar #feyre archeron #pro nesta #pro feyre #pro elain #acosf #acomaf #acowar #tog #throne of glass #sarah j maas #sjm #sjm books #maasverse #acotar fan theory

24 notes · View notes