Who Are Ghilannain And Elgarnan In Dragon Age: The Veilguard?

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Dragon Age: The Veilguard

Much of Dragon Age: The Veilguard's central conflict revolves around two mysterious figures called Ghilan'nain and Elgar'nan. Introduced as elven gods, the truth behind their origins and intentions is actually far more complex. While it's explained in part though the natural exposition of The Veilguard's story, their full background remains somewhat obscure, and requires at least a little knowledge of prior Dragon Age games to understand fully.

Ghilan'nain and Elgar'nan are introduced during the very first quest in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, when Rook, Neve, Harding, and Varric attempt to stop Solas, himself a member of the Evanuris, from performing a ritual involving the two. They succeed in stopping him, but Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain are unleashed regardless, going on to wreak havoc throughout the world. With Varric out of commission, it falls to Rook to stop them - but first, they must understand exactly who these two mysterious figures are.

Who Is Elgar'nan In Dragon Age Lore?

The First Elven God, & The God Of Vengeance

Dragon Age The Veilguard Elgar'nan on a blighted throne

Elgar'nan is worshiped by many elves as the creator god, with dominion over the sun and vengeance. He's a member of the Evanuris, also known as the elven pantheon, of nine gods and goddesses that also include Ghilan'nain. The Evanuris weren't born gods, though: they're actually ancient elven mages who ascended to semi-godhood through mastery of powerful magic.

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Or at least, that's how previous Dragon Age games have it. The Veilguard actually goes back further in the Evanuris' history for the first time in the series, revealing, through Solas' memories, that the Evanuris were once powerful, disembodied beings of unknown origin and nature. Elgar'nan was purportedly the first to be created, and was born from a union of the sun (his father) and the land (his mother).

Many of them gained dominion over the powers of life, death, and creation, and thus came to be worshiped among elves as The Creators. In particular, Elgar'nan is credited with molding the landscape of the Dales, the ancestral home of the elves, by burying the sun beneath the abyss after it burned the creatures of the land. There, it heated the water lying dormant underground, creating the sacred hot springs for which the region is known.

The Dalish, a faction of elves attempting to revive their ancient traditios, are named after the Dales.

For this act, Elgar'nan is known as the god of vengeance and the sun. However, more so than that, he's known for his potent rage. His temper is so notoriously short that ancient elves refused to pray to him for the dispensation of justice, instead praying to his opposite counterpart: Mythal, goddess of love, motherhood, and justice.

Just as Elgar'nan was born of the sun and the land, Mythal was born of the sea shortly after Elgar'nan defeated his father, the sun. She calmed him, and convinced him to restore the sun to the sky. The two went on to have five children, all of whom went on to join the pantheon, including Andruil, goddess of the Hunt.

Who Is Ghilan'nain In Dragon Age Lore?

The Evanuris later constructed bodies for themselves using Lyrium, a volatile mineral with powerful connections to the Fade, and thus the first elves were born. These early elves were immortal, and used their unlimited lifespans to master potent magic. One of these elves was Ghilan'nain, who manifested a wide variety of creatures to inhabit the sea, sky, and soil. As a result, Andruil offered her a place in the Evanuris.

Ghilan'nain is credited with creating the halla, horned animals used as a mode of transportation. She was actually transformed into the first of that species by Andruil prior to her ascension to godhood. As a result, she's known as the goddess of navigation and guides, and is more widely evoked by elven worshipers, especially those who are lost or wish for safe travel. Her relative benevolence, though, does not make her totally innocent.

Why Solas Sealed The Evanuris Away (And Why He Released Them)

Fen'Harel's Betrayal & The Creation Of The Veil

Over time, though, a power hierarchy emerged in elven society, with the Evanuris at the top. Solas gives a different account of history, in which the Evanuris are directly responsible for the oppression of their people.

According to Solas, those who served as generals in an ancient war soon rose to powerful positions in the elven government, and eventually became venerated as gods. The pseudo-gods were constantly at war with one another, and others were frequently caught in the crossfire. The Evanuris enslaved other elves who hadn't reached the same levels of power, even branding them with Vallaslin tattoos to denote which gods controlled them.

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Solas, then known as Fen'harel, was the trickster god of the Evanuris, originally appointed by the others to root out the false gods in their midst. Appalled by their treachery and violence, he decided it fell to him to do something about it. In Inquisition's DLC Trespasser, Solas explains that the Evanuris turned on Mythal, believing her merciful attitude contradictory to their never-ending pursuit of power. So the rest of the Evanuris killed Mythal, and Solas rebelled. Solas created the Veil, and using an unknown bit of trickery, sealed the Evanuris behind it, disrupting their influence over the mortal world.

The energy Solas expended caused him to fall into a deep sleep, where he remained until the events of Dragon Age: Inquisition. He awoke to find, as a result of the Veil's creation, elves had lost their immortality, and, weakened, had been subject to invasion and enslavement by the rapidly growing human population. This led to the gradual erosion of their society and culture, a tragedy for which Solas holds himself wholly responsible.

[Warning: The following paragraph contains major spoilers for Dragon Age: The Veilguard.]Although Solas is initially presented as reckless and desperate, unleashing Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain in order to destroy the world and allow elves to remake it in their image, that's not the whole truth. In reality, Solas realizes that the Veil is falling. The Evanuris have continued consolidating their power since they've been sealed away, and are about ready to break out on their own. His intention is to free them only momentarily, before restoring their mortality and killing them for good. If Rook has leveled up all their factions and companions sufficiently, they'll join his side in the end.

That's the general idea of the history behind the Evanuris and the ancient elves, but there's a lot more to be inferred from dialogue and read in the codex. Although this background provides a solid foundation, players are encouraged to pay attention to how elven history factors into Dragon Age: The Veilguard.

Dragon Age The Veilguard Tag Page Cover Art

Dragon Age: Dreadwolf is the fourth entry in the Dragon Age franchise and a sequel to 2014's Dragon Age: Inquisition. A classic character, Solas, will return as the new game's antagonist. The game will retain many of the series' staples, such as multiple dialogue options, party choices, romantic options, and more. Dreadwolf will act as the first direct sequel in the Dragon Age franchise.

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