“There are two wolves inside you. One is good, and one is evil. Which one wins? The one you feed” is a quote often attributed to Billy Graham and/or the Cherokee Native American tribe, with it being commonplace on the internet in the form of memes, serious or otherwise. Interestingly enough, this very concept could be applied to Dragon Age: Dreadwolf’s Solas as well.
Solas’ identity as Solas, Fen’Harel, and/or the Dread Wolf is complicated, and what’s true and isn’t true is far removed from the time of Dragon Age: Inquisition. Come Dragon Age: Dreadwolf, though, Solas sets out to tear down the Veil and restore power to the Elven people. It’ll likely come at a price, as many things including the Evanuris, are trapped behind the Veil.
While Solas is Fen’Harel, it’s possible he’s not the only one. In fact, it often seems like there is a war waging inside of Solas, which could play a role in his redemption or fall, but it could be more literal than that. It may not be there are two metaphorical wolves that make up Solas, but two literal wolves.
Dragon Age: Dreadwolf vs. The Dread Wolf
Throughout the franchise, Dread Wolf is treated as two words, so it’s no doubt eye-catching when it is only one word in Dragon Age: Dreadwolf’s official title. Dreadwolf is an anagram for Fade World, but it should be noted that one of Solas’ personal quests is an anagram too—including spaces. Thus, the title seems to make a distinction between The Dread Wolf and Dreadwolf intentionally, as if these are two separate beings.
The exact nature of Solas and/or The Dread Wolf is hard to pinpoint, intentionally, because of how the stories depict him. Abelas will reveal that the Dread Wolf was not involved in the murder of Mythal, but many Dalish elves believe it/he was. Some paint The Dread Wolf as a traitor, while others paint him as a hero. Solas sought to free his people from the control of the Evanuris, which eventually led to the creation of the Veil, and that in turn destroyed his people. The events of Dragon Age: Dreadwolf will have to separate truth from beliefs, and it may be more complicated than being forgotten by history.
Somewhere in all that lore, it’s revealed that Solas’ true name was always Solas. Fen’Harel, or the Dread Wolf, is a name given to him by the Evanuris. He adopted it to strike fear in them, while The Dread Wolf was still painted to be an evil entity. The thing is, what if it was? It could be that the name wasn’t invented, but inspired.
Dragon Age: Dreadwolf – The Implication of Two Wolves
In fact, one could argue that Dragon Age: Dreadwolf has teased this long before the beginning of the game. One of the first shots of Solas (seen above) depicts him standing alongside a Wolf, while the first teaser for Dragon Age: Dreadwolf in 2018 shows Solas standing before a six-eyed wolf. Many thought this was a more metaphorical representation of Solas, but it may prove that it’s not. Perhaps Solas, as a regular elf, struck a deal with Fen’Harel a long time ago, and the two are one and the same but also not, now.
Another hint at this possibility comes from The Dread Wolf Take You short story. In it, a Mortalitasi mage describes meeting the Dread Wolf in the Fade, which she described as a six-eye wolf the size of one of Dragon Age’s High Dragons. What’s interesting about this is that, while Solas was asleep prior to Inquisition, it would make sense if part of his subconscious manifested in the Fade. However, The Dread Wolf Take You happens one year after the events of Trespasser. It’s possibly still Solas, but based on the context of the story, it doesn’t seem to be him. In other words, there are two wolves.
This has huge implications for the story direction of Dragon Age: Dreadwolf. For one, many think and have thought that Solas is a Red Herring for the game. Solas is no doubt a powerful and dangerous individual, but it’s what’s behind the Veil that’s terrifying. Demons tore the world asunder in Dragon Age: Inquisition, but if the Evanuris, Creators, Forgotten Ones, Dread Wolf, Formless One, and all other matter of beings beyond the Veil return, it’s likely to not go well for Thedas.
After all, Solas would no doubt destroy Thedas as it stands to return Elven people to power. It’s likely his plan involves tearing down the Veil but yet somehow still sealing away the Evanuris and other entities, as he believed the Evanuris would destroy the Elven people and the world. But his history shows how this could go awry, leading to the events of Dragon Age: Dreadwolf. For now, all fans can do is keep an eye over their shoulder, lest the Dreadwolf or The Dread Wolf take them.
Dragon Age: Dreadwolf is in development.