Highlights
- Solas, a major character in Dragon Age: Inquisition , challenges the notion of divinity and claims that he and the Evanuris are powerful mages rather than gods.
- Solas's unparalleled abilities, as revealed in the game and related material, suggest he has the power and immortality of a divine figure.
- Regardless of Solas' powers and origins, his role in myths and legends further elevates him beyond a mere mage.
The issue of divinity was one of the major themes of Dragon Age: Inquisition, with the Inquisitor hailed as the Herald of Andraste, forcing the player character to question their beliefs in the Maker. As the narrative progressed from the human-centric Chantry of the Maker to confirming the existence of the Dalish elf pantheon, questions about the nature of the elven pantheon, the Evanuris, were posed. One of the biggest refuters of the divinity of the Evanuris was Solas, who claimed numerous times that he and the Evanuris were powerful mages rather than gods, bringing up questions of divinity going forward into Dragon Age: Dreadwolf.
Thedas' question of the Inquisitor's divine nature parallels Solas', in that the stories around the Inquisitor make their deeds appear divine and greater than the mundane story behind them. Despite this, unlike the Inquisitor, there are indications that Solas can functionally be considered a god thanks to his actions and their consequences, and whether he is one is an issue that could be broken down to semantics. Thanks to the several possible story paths that lie ahead for Thedas, it's possible that Solas' full power will be unleashed in Dragon Age: Dreadwolf.
Solas' Abilities are Beyond a Normal Mage
Solas fundamentally changed how the world of Dragon Age works in every way. By creating the Veil, he created the world anew, separating spirits and magic from the mundane. His peers among the Evanuris were considered gods, and the stories recounted by Solas along with evidence found in ruins such as in Tevinter Nights implies they had power far beyond even the most powerful mage. Even the most incredible feats of the strongest mages, such as Flemeth or Corypheus, were only possible thanks to borrowing the power of Mythal or Solas' orb respectively.
The Dread Wolf's strategy against the Evanuris included asserting that the Evanuris were not gods. However, Iron Bull points out in Trespasser that this is a typical strategy to restore the confidence of the oppressed, especially in the case of a rebellion. Solas says several times across the course of Dragon Age: Inquisition that he doesn't believe the Evanuris were gods, but his own dislike for the term doesn't discount reality. There has been no comparable power to the Evanuris before or since their rise and fall. Even spirits and demons regard Solas as a god, with the demon of Regret from Tevinter Nights saying, "I am the regret of a god."
Indications of Solas' Godhood
If Solas wasn't a god before, Solas power level as of Dragon Age:Trespasser could be considered close to it. If he achieves his goals of tearing down the Veil, he'll have the power to reshape reality back to the way it was. This isn't the power of an unusually strong mage, and despite Solas' protests otherwise, it's an indication that Solas is a divine figure that has transcended mortality. Beyond the power, his role in myths, legends, and his place as a divine figure in religion for thousands of years elevates him beyond the label of mage.
Aside from his power, like the other Evanuris in Dragon Age, Solas is also functionally immortal. Though Mythal exists as a wisp and needs to possess a host, her will remains strong even thousands of years after her murder, and it's presumably the same for Solas. As seen in the quest In Hushed Whispers, he could be killed with red lyrium, but while it is possible for him to die, it's unknown if he would endure like Mythal after his death.
Dragon Age: Dreadwolf is in development.