The Mysteries of Elven Gods in Dragon Age: Inquisition - A Tattoo Cheat Sheet for Players

If you've already played any Dragon Age game, you're probably familiar with the "free" elves, the Dalish. If you haven't, well the Dalish elves have a unique customisation option, that sets them apart immediately from any other ordinary lowly city elf - a face tattoo.

Those face tattoos are called the vallaslin, and are basically a right of passage for the young Dalish elves, representing deities in the Elven Pantheon.

Meaning if you choose to play as a dalish elven character you get to adorn them with their very own face tattoo, no pain involved. Now, If you’re into lore and role playing at least one tiny little bit, this is the post for you. Good to know which God you’re “promoting”, am I right?

But first, let's start with the only God, or "Demigod", who doesn't have a tattoo of his own, and who you'll hear mentioned in the games a whole lot...

Fen'Harel

... you've probably heard him mentioned in elven curses quite a lot throughout the series (If not, you might have encountered him in the working title of the new Dragon Age game, at least until it got changed into the Vielguard).

AKA He Who Hunts Alone, Lord of Tricksters, The Great Wolf, Roamer of the Beyond, and Bringer of Nightmares.

A charming fellow to be sure.

Known primarily for a single act: Treason. Because of it, the elves lost all their gods, and because of his actions, their empire and civilization collapsed as a result.

So, let’s say he is considered an “evil” God, but the elves turned to him for help anyway, even though every favour of his came at a cost.

The First, as the elven clans call the apprentice of the clan leader (a mage), is also supposedly dedicated to protecting the Clan from Fen'Harel, for this exact purpose. You might have noticed (if you’ve played Origins), that the Dalish always carry wolf statues with them, placing them away from the Clan, thus directing the dread wolfs gaze at anyone who would like harm the clan. Hence the curse: May the dread wolf take you! 

Falon'Din

The elven god of death and luck, a leader of the dead into the Beyond. He and his brother Dirthamen are the eldest children of Elgar'nan (the father of all) and Mythal (the protector). In the days when the elves were still immortal, he was supposed to lead the elders to their eternal sleep – Uthenera.

Dirthamen

Falon'Din's twin brother. Also known as the "twin soul." Dirthamen is the elven god of mystery and knowledge, and the lord of the crows called Fear and Deception.

He is said to have bestowed upon the elves the gift of knowledge and taught them loyalty and importance of family. The first varterral is also said to have been created from fallen trees to protect the ancient city that Dirthamen loved most.

Andruil

If you've read The Masked Empire, you'll encounter her in one of the stories regarding Fen'Harel. There are also quite a few amulets and other trinkets that you've probably already encountered in at least one of Dragon Age games, that tie to Andruil.

She is basically the goddess of the hunt, but also of blood and power. She created a kind of warrior code for the elves (the details of which I won’t go into in case you discover it by yourself in DAI. There's a sizable reward next to it).

At the same time, she supposedly hunted down the first demons – The Forgoten Ones - which is said to have led her to madness, from which she was saved by Mythal, who stole her knowledge on how to get to them. Simple solutions and all that.

Sylaise

So Sylaise is Andruil's sister, the goddess of the hearth, and all that relates to it. She is also the protector of children and all those who reside/work around the hearth. Many elves consider her to be the supreme goddess of the elven pantheon, and as such  has the most followers.

Ghilan'nain

Ghilan'nain is said to be the youngest of all the gods of the elven pantheon. She supposedly created the halla (dalish mounts) giants and other monsters. However she did kill off most of them after Andruil approached her with an offer to elevate her to the ranks of gods in return.

June

June, which is a male god (unlike in Greek mythology), is said to have taught the elves to make various practical things even before the arrival of Sylaise. He is the most mysterious of all the elven gods, and consequently the least is known about him.

Mythal

Mythal is said to be the mother of all, the goddess of love, and the protector of motherhood and justice. She leads the elven pantheon with the help of Elgar'nan, and is the mother of Falon'Din, Dirthamen, Andruil, Sylaise, and June. Mythal is supposed to have two sides – on the one hand, she was to right the wrongs with maternal kindness, and on the other, she was supposed to have a dark and cruel side that destroyed any of her opponents. Elves turn to her especially when they need protection.

Elgar'nan

Elgar'nan the father of all, the god of the sun, and also a god of vengeance and fatherhood. The elves believe that Elgar'nan fought the sun after the sun became jealous of the creation. Only Mythal prevented him from enclosing the sun forever in darkness, and the remnants of this battle were to become stars. Elgarn'an is THUS said to be in fact the god of day and night from then on. That's what you get if you defeat the sun...or you know, be in the darkness forever...

And that is all of them. Which one is your favourite/made the best impression? Comment down below.