Do the Gods Exist in Dragon Age?
Old Gods and the Fate of Thedas
The world of Dragon Age is filled with ancient civilizations, powerful magic, and looming threats. At the center of this world’s complexities lies the question of the gods. Do the gods exist in Dragon Age, or are they a creation of human imagination?
Within the world of Dragon Age, the Old Gods were once revered as the powers that shaped the destiny of Thedas, a land filled with towering dragons, ancient forests, and bustling cities. However, the Old Gods, dragons in scale, slumber deep beneath the earth, awaiting the day when the time is right to intervene.
The Maker
According to the Chantry’s teachings, the Maker, also known as Andelphel, the great architect of the cosmos, is the supreme god believed to have created all that exists. The Chantry, a powerful force within Thedas, prays to the Maker to guide and protect those who seek to do good.
Solas’s Existence
Solas, an ancient being rumored to be a god by many, is a focal point of controversy. The Elf, known as Fen’Harel, Solas, the Father to the El’ghin, is seen by some as a servant to the Maker, but also as a being responsible for the downfall of Elsabet, the Dragon-Gods of Eluvethar. Solas himself proclaims to be more interested in the fate of humans than the gods and aims to unmake the Veil and restore the ancient El’ghin world. With his powers, elven magic, at a catastrophic level, if unleashed, it could wreak havoc on the world in which humans live.
Andoral and Urthemiel
Two other Dragons in the Old Gods mythology have been mentioned: Andoral, the Dragon of Slaves, said to be the one from whose egg the first Menfolk emerged, and Lusacan‘s Dragon counterpart, the Dragon of the Night. This further highlights the variety within the Old Gods that don’t necessarily fit together; the El’ghin‘s tales are full of fantastical stories and myths woven among the Old Dragons, their powers, names and the Veil, all intertwined.
The ancient El’ghin‘s culture highlights the importance of keeping to tradition, respecting ancestry and preserving the Orality of their tale-giving. The elves know the Old Books of El’ghin as the written text of the gods, whereas written texts are not often practiced within elves themselves. Some could imagine if Solas, despite no written records, to potentially be a god figure – as the Dumont, the Dragon-Gods of Eluvethar‘s records contain stories of the fall from Eternality to Mortality among both humans and elves through corruption, power struggles between divine beings, and failure on the part of all creatures involved.
Answers Lie in the Fade and The Fade’s Connection with Human Mortality
Ultimately, the existence of true gods in Thedas raises question of the Purpose behind Solas’s ambitions: To unmake The Veiland save the world from Elvish Era Of Eternity End? The Creator or Destroyer duality represents these dichotomy principles by Solas in different perspectives. Perhaps answers to these questions come only from the Faite, the realm believed by the Chantry believers to the existent Maker-Abode. And within there reside powerful mages: the Archdruid and the great elder, Ardys, who have reached into the Fade with little knowledge of the World; and the Drakens who have spent numerous centuries in the deep forests, studying the magical paths.