Why Solas Despises the Grey Wardens: A Deep Dive into Dragon Age Lore
Solas’s animosity towards the Grey Wardens is a complex issue rooted in his ancient perspective and his fundamental disagreement with their methods. He doesn’t simply dislike them; he fundamentally opposes their existence and purpose. The core reason for his hatred is that he views the slaying of an Old God by a Grey Warden as the destruction of a piece of Thedas’s ancient past and history, something he cannot abide. Each time a Grey Warden kills an Old God, he believes a part of the world and its true history is obliterated. He sees the Wardens as unknowingly perpetuating the cycle of destruction and chaos. This core belief fuels his intense disdain, far beyond simple dislike or disagreement. He sees them as ignorant tools, oblivious to the true consequences of their actions.
The Ancient Elven Perspective
To truly grasp Solas’s hatred, one needs to understand his origins. He is Fen’Harel, the Dread Wolf, an ancient elven rebel who existed before the creation of the Veil. He remembers a world before the Veil separated the physical world from the Fade, a world where spirits and elves freely interacted. He sees the Old Gods not as monsters that must be destroyed but as powerful, albeit corrupted, parts of that ancient world.
The Cycle of Destruction
For Solas, the Grey Wardens’ actions are not heroic, but rather a form of cultural and historical vandalism. He believes the Old Gods are linked to the Fade and the ancient elven world, and their deaths permanently alter the fabric of both. The Wardens, in their fight to save the world from the Blight, are unwittingly destroying the past that Solas yearns to reclaim. He sees their actions as shortsighted, focusing only on the immediate threat while ignoring the long-term consequences for the world’s true history.
Ignorance and Manipulation
Solas is not opposed to the idea of stopping the Blight, he does have a problem with how the Wardens do it. He perceives the Grey Wardens as easily manipulated and blindly obedient. He points to the Wardens’ propensity for blood magic rituals at Adamant as a sign of their vulnerability and susceptibility to corruption. He criticizes their methods of defeating the Blight, seeing their willingness to sacrifice and taint themselves with darkspawn blood as a deeply flawed approach to a complex problem. From his perspective, they are ignorant pawns following a path that is destructive to the world he is attempting to save.
Why Solas Believes He Is Different
A common criticism leveled at Solas is his hypocrisy. He condemns the Wardens for destroying parts of history in their attempt to save the world, yet he’s willing to commit genocide to restore his vision of his past world. Solas believes his actions are justified because he is trying to save the true world and undo the damage done by the creation of the Veil, an act he believes ultimately created the current problems.
The End Justifies the Means?
This difference in perceived morality is crucial to understanding Solas’s perspective. He sees the current world as a flawed and broken iteration of the original, and he believes drastic measures are necessary to rectify it. To him, the Wardens are actively contributing to the decay of Thedas, while his actions are designed to fix what is already broken. This is where his profound grief and regret over the downfall of his people come into play. He sees his actions as necessary to reclaim his heritage and right the past wrongs.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are some frequently asked questions to further clarify Solas’s stance and related topics:
1. Does Solas hate all Grey Wardens equally?
While his hatred is for the organization as a whole and the actions they take against Old Gods, it’s likely his disdain intensifies for Wardens who participate in activities he particularly despises, such as blood magic. There are also subtle differences in how he interacts with specific Grey Wardens if they are encountered during the course of Dragon Age: Inquisition, showing degrees of contempt.
2. Does Solas understand the Grey Wardens’ necessity?
Yes, he understands the immediate threat posed by the Blight and the role the Wardens play in containing it. However, he views this as a short-term solution that comes at the expense of the greater, historical consequences. He doesn’t see the Wardens as heroes; instead, he views them as necessary, but destructive, cogs in the machine of the current, broken world.
3. Is Solas’s hatred towards Grey Wardens purely rational?
No, there’s an element of emotional investment and personal bias driving his hatred. His grief over the loss of his people and his ancient world clouds his judgment, making him see the Wardens’ actions as a deeper betrayal than just a simple misunderstanding of history. His view is highly subjective and colored by his own experiences.
4. Would Solas ever collaborate with the Grey Wardens?
Unlikely. He might use them as a means to an end if necessary, but he would never trust them or see them as allies. His disdain is too fundamental for any lasting partnership to be possible, and he views their approach to problems as directly opposed to his goals.
5. Does Solas view the Blight as a threat?
Yes, he acknowledges the Blight is a threat, but he views it as a symptom of a larger problem – the Veil and the state of the world. He sees the Wardens’ methods as only treating a symptom and not addressing the root cause. For Solas, the Blight is just another effect of the broken world.
6. Can Solas be convinced to change his mind about Grey Wardens?
Highly doubtful. His beliefs are deeply ingrained and tied to his core identity as Fen’Harel. While a romanced Inquisitor may have influence on him, his fundamental opposition to the Wardens and their destruction of the Old Gods would be extremely hard to sway.
7. Does Solas view the Wardens as inherently evil?
No, he views them as misguided and ignorant. He doesn’t see the Wardens as malicious, but he believes their actions, despite good intentions, are harmful to the world in the long run. They are, in his eyes, tools that perpetuate the broken cycle.
8. Why is Solas against blood magic, given that it exists?
He states that he has no qualms about blood magic, yet he doesn’t know any, as it somehow makes entering the Fade more difficult. While he is not opposed to it from a moral standpoint, it’s more that he views the Wardens’ reliance on it as a sign of their vulnerability to corruption. He doesn’t see it as inherently evil, but also as an unnecessary complication.
9. Do Qunari Grey Wardens exist?
No, Qunari have never joined the ranks of the Grey Wardens. Their isolated society and strict adherence to the Qun prevent them from engaging with the Wardens, whose existence is opposed to the Qun. The Qunari view the Grey Wardens as an outsider group with different beliefs.
10. Can Grey Wardens sense each other?
There’s no indication that Grey Wardens can sense each other directly. This ability has never been mentioned or shown in the games, which would have affected many storylines had such an ability existed.
11. Can two Grey Wardens have children?
It’s extremely rare. Grey Wardens have very low fertility rates, and it’s even more unlikely for two Wardens to conceive a child. However, the children of Grey Wardens are not born with any complications or tainted.
12. Can Grey Wardens be cured of the Taint?
The only known case of a cured Warden is Fiona. The cure for the Taint is very rare. This means the Taint is considered permanent for the most part.
13. How powerful is Solas?
Solas possesses incredible magical abilities, suggesting that he has the power and immortality of a divine figure. His status as an ancient Evanuris greatly elevates him beyond a mere mage, making him one of the most powerful beings in the Dragon Age universe.
14. Is Solas a tragic figure?
Yes, many see Solas as a tragic figure. He is burdened by his past mistakes and consumed by a goal that may lead to the destruction of the world. He is deeply conflicted by his feelings for the modern Thedas and is torn between the world he remembers and his actions to fix it.
15. Will we see Solas again?
It is highly likely, given his importance to the lore and his plans to tear down the Veil, that Solas will play a central role in future Dragon Age installments. He is the overarching antagonist of the series so far, and his story is not finished. His actions in the previous games guarantee he is a central character for future events.