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[Cydh]

Eleni Zinovia was a Tevinter prophetess, consort of Archon Valerius, who turned her into a statue after she prophecized the death of his House. We meet her in Witch Hunt, and she helps us find a way to locate Morrigan.

 

One of her prophecies has long stood cryptic - I think I know what it could mean now.

 

"Weep not for me, child. Stone they made me and stone I am, eternal and unfeeling. And thus shall I endure 'til the Maker returns to light their fires again."

 

We learn in World of Thedas Volume II that she is the mother of Hessarian. I believe this prophecy was directed at him.

The part about Eleni Zinovia in WoT 2 reads like this:

A colleague once believed that, being timeless, Fade spirits could know the future. Indeed they do - from their point of view.

[...]

It is curious. The young Hessarian must have passed that statue many times, hearing the voice of his mother from unmoving stone lips - even after Zinovia's predictions proved correct and Valerius's fortress burned to the ground. Years later, Hessarian would stand before another prophet, one he had sentenced to burn at the stake, and show her mercy.

 

I have sometimes wondered what Hessarian was thinking the moment he made that fateful decision to put Andraste out of her misery. Perhaps he indeed heard the voice of the Maker, as he would later claim. One could imagine, however, that he was remembering his mother's fate: that such mercy had been denied to her, leaving her trapped for years in a form not her own. Perhaps Zinovia had even foreseen this moment and whispered of it to her son, in some small way shaping the world to come.

 

...And there I am. Analyzing this prophecy and that fragment. Imagine Eleni told Hessarian that exact same sentence... but as a prophecy with multiple meaning.

 

"Weep not for me, child": Hessarian is Eleni's son. She tells him to be strong.

 

"Stone they made me and stone I am, eternal and unfeeling.": Eleni was turned into a statue, she doesn't suffer.

 

"And thus shall I endure 'til the Maker returns to light their fires again": ...and so will I be till the end of times.

 

It looks like a very straightforward speech from mother to son, here. It's not a prophecy at all. Or is it? Why would Eleni be prophecizing the "Return" of the Maker, at a time when the Maker never even came to Tevinter? Who would "they" be, the ones with Fires to light?

 

What if, instead of telling Hessarian not to worry, she was prophecizing the last words of Andraste? 

 

Perhaps Zinovia had even foreseen this moment and whispered of it to her son, in some small way shaping the world to come.

 

 

"I shall endure till the Maker returns to light their fires again" might be a reference to Drakon's prophecies in the Canticle of Exaltation, where Andraste returns with the Maker at her side. But "Stone they made me and Stone I am?" Would that be a way to say that Andraste is a Child of the Stone?

 

I dove deep into the Myth of Andraste, looking for clues. Genetics, first. Andraste is known to be born of an Avvar Chieftain and a Ciriane Leader. The Avvar were known to consort with Dwarves. Were Andraste a dwarf, we'd know more about her through her parents and true children. She bore two true daughters, but their fate is a little too convenient - little is known of them except they were forbidden to take a husband and met death and banishment for themselves and their own daughters. See http://dragonage.wik...ren_of_Andrastefor more details.

 

Of Brona her Ciriane mother, we know her spirit form is Human. Elderath, her father, is on the other hand absent from all historical depictions. We know he was a powerful leader and most likely a veteran of the First Blight. He held a large territory north of the Frostbacks, and his alliance with Brona made him a chief worthy of fame among the Alamarri. But he was also the Father of Andraste - why would he be absent from all engravings and paintings? We mostly only know his name. Even the "Alchemist" who gave birth to Halliserre, Andraste's half-sister who perished in very troubling circumstances, was not physically described, but rather definitely rejected by history.

 

So I started looking into Andraste's story, trying to figure out clues that would imply possible Dwarven involvement. It's tricky. Just like Ameridan's Dalish race was removed from history, Andraste's race could have been falsified as well. We do know she's been followed with miracles from the Earth itself. Her campaign against Tevinter was highly successful due to Earthquakes shaking the lands seemingly at her command. And Valta does say that the last time her Titan was the source of earthquakes was a thousand years ago - which would fit the timeline.

 

It's still a very fragile theory at this point. Then I saw Shaper Valta's official Tarot card https://twitter.com/...199802927714304

 

 

The signs are almost ominous. She is using a Blade in her Left Hand (Hessarian/Leliana), and a Shield in her Right Hand (Havard/Cassandra). She has the Eye of the Maker in a flame above her head. Her head is wrapped in a Sunburst. All of these are clear call-outs to Andraste.

 

Her sword is unsheathed and held with a firm grip but pointing down, her shield is at rest but on her arm. Both signify a readiness to fight along with a will to avoid bloodshed. Whether the fight is over or is about to begin, her posture signifies that victory is hers. She is her Titan's chosen, and the Inquisitor shall be her Herald.

 

Now the parallels are scary. Andraste described the Maker like this:

 

 

"Greater than mountains, towering mighty, Hand all outstretch'd, stars glist'ning as jewels From rings 'pon His fingers and crown 'pon His brow."

 

The part about The Maker's name is reminiscent of the Profane in Primeval Thaig

 

 

"None now remember. Long have they turned to idols and tales away from My Light, in darkness unbroken The Last of My children shrouded in night"

 

Blessed are they who stand before

The corrupt and the wicked and do not falter.

Blessed are the peacekeepers, the champions of the just.

Blessed are the righteous, the lights in the shadow.

In their blood the Maker's will is written.

 

—Canticle of Benedictions 4:10-11

 

 

...compare with:

Cadash: My ancient dwarven is rusty. Something about "Guardians"?

Valta: I believe it (Sha-Brytol) means "Revered Defenders"...

Valta: "Isatunoll... Isatunoll... Cut our tongues... entomb our bodies... watch over the Titan until it stirs..."

Cadash: Does that say "the Pure"?

Valta: "Only the Pure may pass. All others will be punished."

Valta: That phrase is "The Path of Purity". And there's a reference to "Titan's Blood"? It says the Sha-Brytol come here to... drink it.

 

 

 

I obviously can't prove anything: it's still just a superstition. A hunch based on a conspiracy theory, if you will. But it's becoming more precise every day. I wonder how people feel about it?

[SwobyJ]

Cool! More layers to the Maker, I'll take it.