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|family = [[Brona]] <small>(mother)</small> <br> Elderath <small>(father) </small> <br> Halliserre <small> (half-sister) </small> <br> [[Maferath]] <small>("mortal" husband)</small> <br> [[The Maker]] <small>("spiritual" husband)</small> <br> Ebris <small>(daughter)</small> <br> Vivial <small>(daughter)</small> <br> Isorath <small>(adopted son)</small> <br> Evrion <small>(adopted son)</small> <br> Verald <small>(adopted son)</small> <br> Alli Vemar <small>(granddaughter)</small> |
|family = [[Brona]] <small>(mother)</small> <br> Elderath <small>(father) </small> <br> Halliserre <small> (half-sister) </small> <br> [[Maferath]] <small>("mortal" husband)</small> <br> [[The Maker]] <small>("spiritual" husband)</small> <br> Ebris <small>(daughter)</small> <br> Vivial <small>(daughter)</small> <br> Isorath <small>(adopted son)</small> <br> Evrion <small>(adopted son)</small> <br> Verald <small>(adopted son)</small> <br> Alli Vemar <small>(granddaughter)</small> |
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|class = |
|class = |
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| − | |title = Bride of the Maker <br> Prophet <br> Our Lady Redeemer <br> Lady of Sorrow |
+ | |title = Bride of the Maker <br> Prophet <br> Our Lady Redeemer <br> Lady of Sorrow <br> Lady of Restitution<ref>{{Cite wot2|75}}</ref> |
|race = [[Human]] |
|race = [[Human]] |
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|appearances = Historical |
|appearances = Historical |
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| Line 18: | Line 18: | ||
== Background == |
== Background == |
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{{Quote|And thus fell the eye of the Maker upon Andraste, she who would be raised up from outcast to become His bride. From her lips would fall the Chant of Light, at her command would the legions of righteousness fall upon the world.<ref>As recited from the Chant of Light by [[Maric Theirin]] in ''[[Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne]]'', p. 38.</ref>}} |
{{Quote|And thus fell the eye of the Maker upon Andraste, she who would be raised up from outcast to become His bride. From her lips would fall the Chant of Light, at her command would the legions of righteousness fall upon the world.<ref>As recited from the Chant of Light by [[Maric Theirin]] in ''[[Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne]]'', p. 38.</ref>}} |
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| + | Andraste was a woman who rose to greatness, first as a [[Slavery|slave]] of the [[Tevinter Imperium]], then as a prophet, war leader, and religious icon. |
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| ⚫ | According to |
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| ⚫ | According to Chantry scholars, Andraste was born into a prosperous Ciriane-Alamarri tribe in -203 [[Ancient Age|Ancient]] (992 TE) in [[Denerim]], which was then a fishing village. Her mother was a [[Human_tribes#Orlais_and_Nevarra|Ciriane]]<ref>{{cite wot2|11}}</ref> woman named [[Brona]] and her father, Elderath, was the chieftain of one of the largest Alamarri tribes in what is now northern [[Ferelden]].<ref name="wot111">{{Cite wot|111}}</ref> She had a half-sister, Halliserre, born of Elderath and his advisor on matters of alchemy. Halliserre died in a violent incident under mysterious circumstances with Andraste present. This incident scarred Andraste in many ways: she was left with a sickness of the lungs that made her unable to bear children for a decade; she also was known to display strange behavior, such as becoming still for long moments in a trance-like state, after which she would report voices as if from a lost memory and talk of strange auras or the sound of bells. Later on, Andraste came to remember her sister's death as a matter of heresy, suggesting that her alchemist mother had been whispering of the [[Old Gods]].<ref>{{Cite wot2|18}}</ref> |
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| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | According to legend, before the Maker spoke to Andraste, she despaired at the fate of her |
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| + | Andraste was married to [[Maferath]] to create a unified Alamarri border that stretched from the Planasene through the Fertile Crescent to the Bannorn. It was at the time the largest alliance the barbarians of the South had ever attempted. As Andraste was too weak to bear children<ref>{{Cite wot2|15}}</ref> when she married Maferath, he sired three sons with the concubine Gilivhan: [[Isorath]], [[Evrion]] and [[Verald]]. Andraste adopted them as her own. She did manage to eventually give Maferath two children: daughters named Ebris and Vivial.<ref>[[Codex entry: The Children of Andraste]]</ref> The daughters were never counted as heirs and were not permitted to marry though relationships and families were still allowed. Ebris partnered and had children, but was as weak as her mother, and died of plague in her late twenties. Her daughter, Alli Vemar, was married, but died in an accident before she could have any children. The other daughter of Andraste, Vivial, fell in love with the [[Tevinter]] mage named Regulan, which caused great controversy and led them into exile. All records of her and her daughters were destroyed by Andraste herself.<ref>{{Cite wot2|15}}</ref> It is unknown if any of her descendants still live, as all of her scions were born female, and thus they took their husbands' names in marriage. There have been many claimants in the centuries since, saying that they were related to Andraste, but the Chantry has disavowed each of them. To date there are no known legitimate heirs to Andraste's blood.<ref>{{BW old forums|author=Gaider, David|date=June 30, 2009|url=http://forums.bioware.com/forums/viewtopic.html?topic=684017&forum=135&sp=45#6487165|archive=http://web.archive.org/web/20090714123543/http://www.dragonagecentral.com/thread/684017|title=One-line lore questions only please|access=February 28, 2014}}</ref> |
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| ⚫ | From an early age, Andraste suffered troubling dreams of a deity known as the Maker.<ref name="wot111" /> Over time she began to interpret these dreams as the answer to questions that plagued her, and she came to believe that the Maker was the supreme being who had abandoned the world when his people took up the worship of the Old Gods, those beings worshipped in particular by the Tevinter Imperium. According to Chantry canon, after having fled the Imperium and marrying the warlord Maferath, Andraste appealed to the gods<ref>[[Codex entry: The Avvars]], specifically, their religion.</ref> but her prayers went unanswered. She would sing, and one day the Maker, enchanted by her voice, invited her to join Him at His side. She instead encouraged Him to return to humanity and forgive them, compelling her fellow Alamarri and others to accept the one true god of Thedas. |
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| + | After their marriage, Elderath was killed in a Tevinter raid and Andraste kidnapped and enslaved, leaving Maferath in control of all northern Alamarri territory, the largest potential force outside of the Imperium. As most of the men were Elderath's, they would only follow Maferath after he successfully negotiated Andraste's release.<ref>{{Cite wot2|12}}</ref> |
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| − | To the world, Andraste was an escaped slave from the Tevinter Imperium who came to power after the [[First Blight]] had ended and the [[archdemon]] [[Dumat]] was slain. She fought against the Imperium, which had been significantly weakened by the First [[Blight]]. As part of the [[Exalted Marches]], she conquered most of the south while fighting to destroy the [[magister]]s, whom she blamed for the Blight. The people she led in her campaign were the barbarian ancestors of the Fereldans, the Alamarri. She also joined forces with the elven leader and former slave [[Shartan]] and his people, as they shared a common enemy in the Imperium. To the Imperium, Andraste was an opportunist, a barbarian taking advantage of their weakness. She led her rebellion against the Tevinter Imperium in the first Exalted March under the Maker's sanction. Andraste's March was greatly successful due in part to several unfortunately concurrent natural disasters, including droughts, famines and flooding, which decimated the Imperium's farmland and, consequently, troops—a form of divine punishment, which Disciple [[Cathaire]], one of her war leaders, contends. According to the [[Chantry]] teachings, the reason the Imperium did not fall entirely to her army was because of Maferath, Andraste's mortal husband. Feeling that the barbarians had overextended themselves, he made a deal with the magisters to keep the south in exchange for turning Andraste over to them. She was burned at the stake in [[Minrathous]]. Her death is known as the second sin, which caused the Maker to turn from humanity once again. Yet, because of her, the Imperium, for all intents and purposes, was greatly weakened, and the Chantry was formed, focused around her teachings. |
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| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | Archon [[Hessarian]], who ordered Andraste's execution, |
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| + | As her people rallied, Andraste began to see herself as a conduit to the truth of the Maker and what He required for the salvation of the people and declared around -180 Ancient the first [[Exalted Marches|Exalted March]] against the Imperium, who still believed in the heretical [[Old Gods]]. The [[First Blight]], which had only ended a few years before, had significantly weakened Tevinter: there was widespread civil unrest over the Blight and the silence of the Old Gods and numerous slave uprisings. The droughts, wildfires and landslides, now commonly believed to either have natural explanations or to be the result of [[Darkspawn]] interference<ref>{{Cite wot2|12.}}</ref>, were then considered miracles performed by Andraste. As a result, Andraste's march was greatly successful. |
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| ⚫ | |||
| + | Andraste also joined forces with the elven leader and former slave [[Shartan]] and his people, as they shared a common enemy in the Imperium. Together they fought in the Battle of Valarian Fields in -171 Ancient, one of the biggest victories of the Exalted March. After this battle, Maferath began to believe they had overextended themselves, and were ow facing the risk of losing everything they had won, and more. In -170, he conspired with [[Archon]] [[Hessarian]] and allowed disguised Tevinter forces to enter Andraste's stronghold in the city of [[Nevarra]] to capture her and bring her back to [[Minrathous]], where the Archon had her burned at the stake.<ref>{{Cite wot2|15}}</ref> |
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| − | Andraste bore two children, but it is unknown if any of her descendants still live, as all of her scions were born female, and thus they took their husbands' names in marriage. There have been many claimants in the centuries since, saying that they were related to Andraste, but the Chantry has disavowed each of them. To date there are no known legitimate heirs to Andraste's blood.<ref>{{BW old forums|author=Gaider, David|date=June 30, 2009|url=http://forums.bioware.com/forums/viewtopic.html?topic=684017&forum=135&sp=45#6487165|archive=http://web.archive.org/web/20090714123543/http://www.dragonagecentral.com/thread/684017|title=One-line lore questions only please|access=February 28, 2014}}</ref> Andraste was too weak to bear children<ref>[[World of Thedas]] v2 pg 15</ref> when she married Maferath, but since he was a barbarian chieftain, he needed an heir, so he sired three sons with the concubine Gilivhan, whom Andraste adopted as her own. Years later, however, she did manage to give Maferath two children: daughters named Ebris and Vivial.<ref>[[Codex entry: The Children of Andraste]]</ref> The daughters were never counted as heirs, but were still allowed to have relationships and families. Ebris partnered and had children, but was as weak as her mother, and died of plague in her late twenties. Her daughter, Alli Vemar, was married, but died in an accident before she could have any children. The other daughter of Andraste, Vivial, fell in love with the Tevinter mage named Regulan. Before their marriage, the two went into exile, and all records of her and her daughters were destroyed by Andraste herself.<ref>[[World of Thedas]] v2 pg15</ref> |
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| + | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | Archon [[Hessarian]], who ordered Andraste's execution, later converted to following the Chant of Light. According to the Chant, the Archon saw the error of his ways as soon as Andraste was burned. It was he who put the sword through her heart to put her out of her misery, which is why the sword is a symbol of mercy in Andrastian lore. Later, he repented her execution entirely, though Chantry dissenters claim Hessarian only converted because he could not stem the tide against Andraste's followers, who were only emboldened by the death of their leader, and he repented his actions as a means to stay in power. |
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| + | |||
| ⚫ | |||
[[File:Andraste and magisters - Those Who Speak 1-1.png|thumb|200px|Andraste and Tevinter magisters]] |
[[File:Andraste and magisters - Those Who Speak 1-1.png|thumb|200px|Andraste and Tevinter magisters]] |
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| − | After her death, a group of people named [[Disciples of Andraste]] was created for the purpose of protecting her [[Urn of Andraste| |
+ | After her death, a group of people named the [[Disciples of Andraste]] was created for the purpose of protecting her [[Urn of Andraste|remains]] and continuing her legacy. They moved her ashes to the [[Frostback Mountains]] and a [[Ruined Temple|temple]] was built around it. Eventually, however, only the [[Guardian (character)|Guardian]] remained at his post and protected the ashes, as the rest of the disciples believed that Andraste had been reborn into the form of a [[high dragon]]. This temple commemorates her memory and prevents the unworthy from viewing her remains. The remains stayed in the mountain, undisturbed for many years and eventually rumours began to spread that her ashes held [[Medicine|curative]] properties. |
| + | {{SpoilerDAO|style=short| |
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| ⚫ | The official belief of the [[Imperial Chantry]] is that Andraste wasn't, in fact, the Maker's Chosen, but rather "just" an extraordinarily powerful [[mage]].<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZK_hfTV4Zw&list=UUEvNGwLX3AKUAZRwTqrhhSQ&index=1 Dorian Pavus Conversation].</ref><ref name="prima">Prima Official Game Guide: DAO Collector's Edition.</ref> This view, which is considered heretical by the Andrastian Chantry, can also be found in a book called "[[The Search for the True Prophet]]". Chantry art frequently depicts her as a warrior bearing a sword and shield or as a robed motherly figure, however. |
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| + | Eventually, [[the Warden]] found Andraste's ashes and brought a pinch back to [[Arl Eamon]], restoring him to health. |
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| + | }} |
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| + | == Chantry Teachings == |
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| ⚫ | Furthermore, the newly revealed portions of the formerly-apocryphal Dissonant Verses of the [[Chant of Light]] seem only to ascribe more "mundane" visions and periods of immobility to Andraste rather than magical powers, and in fact describe her and her warrior army being nearly bested by the magical attacks of Tevinter during her rebellion<ref>{{Cite wot2|67-69.}}</ref>. |
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| + | === Vision of the Maker === |
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| ⚫ | The |
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| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | According to legend, before the Maker spoke to Andraste, she despaired at the fate of her people. At that time, every night, her husband [[Maferath]] would come to console her and each time Andraste would tell him of her despair while shedding a single tear, which Maferath captured in a vial. As a barbarian, she was taught to revere the [[Avvars#Beliefs|Alamarri gods]], the gods of mountains and the wind. When she prayed to them, none answered.<ref name=Andrastecodex></ref> On the thirtieth night the vial was full, and when dawn came Andraste saw her first vision of the Maker. Even though this legend is popular and has been passed on for ages, a part of it isn't in the [[Chant of Light]].<ref>This legend is mentioned by [[Slim Couldry]] when acquiring [[The Tears of Andraste]] sub-quest.</ref> |
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| + | |||
| ⚫ | From an early age, Andraste suffered troubling dreams of a deity known as the Maker.<ref name="wot111" /> Over time she began to interpret these dreams as the answer to questions that plagued her, and she came to believe that the Maker was the supreme being who had abandoned the world when his people took up the worship of the Old Gods, those beings worshipped in particular by the Tevinter Imperium. According to Chantry canon, after having fled the Imperium and marrying the warlord Maferath, Andraste appealed to the gods<ref>[[Codex entry: The Avvars]], specifically, their religion.</ref> but her prayers went unanswered. She would sing, and one day the Maker, enchanted by her voice, invited her to join Him at His side. She instead encouraged Him to return to humanity and forgive them, compelling her fellow Alamarri and others to accept the one true god of Thedas. |
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| + | |||
| + | === Imperial Chantry === |
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| ⚫ | The official belief of the [[Imperial Chantry]] is that Andraste wasn't, in fact, the Maker's Chosen, but rather "just" an extraordinarily powerful [[mage]].<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZK_hfTV4Zw&list=UUEvNGwLX3AKUAZRwTqrhhSQ&index=1 Dorian Pavus Conversation].</ref><ref name="prima">Prima Official Game Guide: DAO Collector's Edition.</ref> This view, which is considered heretical by the Andrastian Chantry, can also be found in a book called "[[The Search for the True Prophet]]". Chantry art frequently depicts her as a warrior bearing a sword and shield or as a robed motherly figure, however. |
||
| + | |||
| ⚫ | Furthermore, the newly revealed portions of the formerly-apocryphal Dissonant Verses of the [[Chant of Light]] seem only to ascribe more "mundane" visions and periods of immobility to Andraste rather than magical powers, and in fact describe her and her warrior army being nearly bested by the magical attacks of Tevinter during her rebellion<ref>{{Cite wot2|67-69.}}</ref>. many of the miracles ascribed to Andraste's communion with the Maker are now commonly believed to either have natural explanations or to be coincidental underground Darkspawn incursions. Some individuals, such as [[Celene Valmont I|Empress Celene]], similarly suspect that Andraste's views were likely more political than idealistic.<ref>[[Dragon Age: The Masked Empire]] p. 108</ref> |
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== Customs and Culture == |
== Customs and Culture == |
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At the beginning of [[Calendar|Matrinalis]], there is a holiday named "All Soul’s Day", and the Chantry uses the holiday to commemorate the death of Andraste, with public fires that mark her immolation and plays that depict her death. In Chantries across Thedas, it is more popular to depict Andraste praying rather than as the conqueror with a sword and shield. |
At the beginning of [[Calendar|Matrinalis]], there is a holiday named "All Soul’s Day", and the Chantry uses the holiday to commemorate the death of Andraste, with public fires that mark her immolation and plays that depict her death. In Chantries across Thedas, it is more popular to depict Andraste praying rather than as the conqueror with a sword and shield. |
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| + | == The Coming of Andraste's Herald == |
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| − | == Dragon Age: Inquisition == |
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{{SpoilerDAI| |
{{SpoilerDAI| |
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| + | In 9:41 [[Dragon Age (time period)|Dragon]] the peace conclave held at the [[Temple of Sacred Ashes]] to put an end to the [[Mage-Templar War]] was suddenly destroyed in a massive magical explosion, killing Divine [[Justinia V]], destroying the Temple and leaving a massive [[Breach]] into the [[Fade]]. The sole [[The Inquisitor|survivor]] of the explosion was seen being led out of the Fade by an unknown woman. |
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| − | After the explosion that kills Divine [[Justinia V]] and the conclave, [[the Inquisitor]] finds themselves in the [[Fade]] and suffering from memory loss of how they got there. The Inquisitor meets a [[spirit]] who they remember reaching out to, which many believed is how the Inquisitor was imprinted by a mark on their left hand, which has the ability to close [[Fade rift]]s across Thedas. The Inquisitor escaped the Fade through a rift and was found by the [[Inquisition]]. Through companion dialogue, it is revealed that many believe that the spirit is Andraste and that she granted the ability to the Inquisitor to save Thedas. Thus, those believers call the Inquisitor the "Herald of Andraste". |
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| + | |||
| + | The survivor was suffering from memory loss, and couldn't explain their miraculous survival. On their left hand was a strange [[Mark of the Rift|mark]] with the ability to close [[Fade rift]]s across Thedas. After stabilizing the Breach, many came to believe that the woman in the Fade had been Andraste herself, who had chosen the survivor to save Thedas. Thus, those believers came to call the survivor the "Herald of Andraste". |
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| − | + | During the Inquisitor's push to halt the chaos at [[Adamant Fortress]], they were physically thrown into the Fade once again. It is revealed that the woman who led the Inquisitor out of the Fade was not Andraste but [[Divine]] [[Justinia V]], who had been sent into the Fade along with the Inquisitor and sacrificed herself to save them from a pack of demons. |
|
}} |
}} |
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== Trivia == |
== Trivia == |
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| − | * Before the developers decided on the name of Andraste, she was named Augusta.<ref>{{BWF|author=Gaider, David|date=8 October, 2010|url=http://forum.bioware.com/topic/144584-gameing-research/?p=3830742|title=Gameing Research|access=February 28, 2014}} |
+ | * Before the developers decided on the name of Andraste, she was named Augusta.<ref>{{BWF|author=Gaider, David|date=8 October, 2010|url=http://forum.bioware.com/topic/144584-gameing-research/?p=3830742|title=Gameing Research|access=February 28, 2014}}</ref> |
| ⚫ | * The "Birth Rock" in Denerim's [[Royal Palace|Palace]] District commemorates Andraste's birth. It is a site of pilgrimage to her followers who come to touch the rock in her honor.<ref>[[Codex entry: Denerim]]</ref> However, the Orlesian city of Jader also claims this prestige, with [[Divine]] Justinia II's support.<ref name=Andrastecodex>[[Codex entry: Andraste: Bride of the Maker]]</ref> |
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* It appears that many Andrastians suspect, as a matter of salacious debate, that [[Shartan]] and Andraste were lovers during her rebellion against the [[Magister]]s of [[Tevinter]].<ref>[[Patrick Weekes]]. ''[[Dragon Age: The Masked Empire]]'', pg. 109-110.</ref> |
* It appears that many Andrastians suspect, as a matter of salacious debate, that [[Shartan]] and Andraste were lovers during her rebellion against the [[Magister]]s of [[Tevinter]].<ref>[[Patrick Weekes]]. ''[[Dragon Age: The Masked Empire]]'', pg. 109-110.</ref> |
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* According to banter between [[Sera]] and [[Cassandra Pentaghast]], Andraste may have been a redhead. Background art from [[Dragon Age: Those Who Speak]] and artwork in [[Dragon Age: The World of Thedas]] portray her as a blonde. |
* According to banter between [[Sera]] and [[Cassandra Pentaghast]], Andraste may have been a redhead. Background art from [[Dragon Age: Those Who Speak]] and artwork in [[Dragon Age: The World of Thedas]] portray her as a blonde. |
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Revision as of 06:39, 10 April 2016
“Its gates forever shut.
Heaven has been filled with silence,
I knew then,
And cross'd my heart with shame.
—Andraste 1:11”
Andraste is the prophet whose teachings later served as the foundation for the formation of the Chantry, which later becomes the dominant religion of Thedas. She was the spiritual wife of the Maker, the being whom the Chantry worships.
Background
“And thus fell the eye of the Maker upon Andraste, she who would be raised up from outcast to become His bride. From her lips would fall the Chant of Light, at her command would the legions of righteousness fall upon the world.[2]”
Andraste was a woman who rose to greatness, first as a slave of the Tevinter Imperium, then as a prophet, war leader, and religious icon.
According to Chantry scholars, Andraste was born into a prosperous Ciriane-Alamarri tribe in -203 Ancient (992 TE) in Denerim, which was then a fishing village. Her mother was a Ciriane[3] woman named Brona and her father, Elderath, was the chieftain of one of the largest Alamarri tribes in what is now northern Ferelden.[4] She had a half-sister, Halliserre, born of Elderath and his advisor on matters of alchemy. Halliserre died in a violent incident under mysterious circumstances with Andraste present. This incident scarred Andraste in many ways: she was left with a sickness of the lungs that made her unable to bear children for a decade; she also was known to display strange behavior, such as becoming still for long moments in a trance-like state, after which she would report voices as if from a lost memory and talk of strange auras or the sound of bells. Later on, Andraste came to remember her sister's death as a matter of heresy, suggesting that her alchemist mother had been whispering of the Old Gods.[5]
Andraste was married to Maferath to create a unified Alamarri border that stretched from the Planasene through the Fertile Crescent to the Bannorn. It was at the time the largest alliance the barbarians of the South had ever attempted. As Andraste was too weak to bear children[6] when she married Maferath, he sired three sons with the concubine Gilivhan: Isorath, Evrion and Verald. Andraste adopted them as her own. She did manage to eventually give Maferath two children: daughters named Ebris and Vivial.[7] The daughters were never counted as heirs and were not permitted to marry though relationships and families were still allowed. Ebris partnered and had children, but was as weak as her mother, and died of plague in her late twenties. Her daughter, Alli Vemar, was married, but died in an accident before she could have any children. The other daughter of Andraste, Vivial, fell in love with the Tevinter mage named Regulan, which caused great controversy and led them into exile. All records of her and her daughters were destroyed by Andraste herself.[8] It is unknown if any of her descendants still live, as all of her scions were born female, and thus they took their husbands' names in marriage. There have been many claimants in the centuries since, saying that they were related to Andraste, but the Chantry has disavowed each of them. To date there are no known legitimate heirs to Andraste's blood.[9]
After their marriage, Elderath was killed in a Tevinter raid and Andraste kidnapped and enslaved, leaving Maferath in control of all northern Alamarri territory, the largest potential force outside of the Imperium. As most of the men were Elderath's, they would only follow Maferath after he successfully negotiated Andraste's release.[10]
As her people rallied, Andraste began to see herself as a conduit to the truth of the Maker and what He required for the salvation of the people and declared around -180 Ancient the first Exalted March against the Imperium, who still believed in the heretical Old Gods. The First Blight, which had only ended a few years before, had significantly weakened Tevinter: there was widespread civil unrest over the Blight and the silence of the Old Gods and numerous slave uprisings. The droughts, wildfires and landslides, now commonly believed to either have natural explanations or to be the result of Darkspawn interference[11], were then considered miracles performed by Andraste. As a result, Andraste's march was greatly successful.
Andraste also joined forces with the elven leader and former slave Shartan and his people, as they shared a common enemy in the Imperium. Together they fought in the Battle of Valarian Fields in -171 Ancient, one of the biggest victories of the Exalted March. After this battle, Maferath began to believe they had overextended themselves, and were ow facing the risk of losing everything they had won, and more. In -170, he conspired with Archon Hessarian and allowed disguised Tevinter forces to enter Andraste's stronghold in the city of Nevarra to capture her and bring her back to Minrathous, where the Archon had her burned at the stake.[12]
Stained-glass windows telling Andraste's story
Archon Hessarian, who ordered Andraste's execution, later converted to following the Chant of Light. According to the Chant, the Archon saw the error of his ways as soon as Andraste was burned. It was he who put the sword through her heart to put her out of her misery, which is why the sword is a symbol of mercy in Andrastian lore. Later, he repented her execution entirely, though Chantry dissenters claim Hessarian only converted because he could not stem the tide against Andraste's followers, who were only emboldened by the death of their leader, and he repented his actions as a means to stay in power.
Ten years after Andraste's death, he publicly revealed Maferath's betrayal and proclaimed the Imperium an Andrastian nation, though the Chantry as an organization did not yet exist at this time. Maferath and his court were slain when his betrayal became known.
Andraste and Tevinter magisters
After her death, a group of people named the Disciples of Andraste was created for the purpose of protecting her remains and continuing her legacy. They moved her ashes to the Frostback Mountains and a temple was built around it. Eventually, however, only the Guardian remained at his post and protected the ashes, as the rest of the disciples believed that Andraste had been reborn into the form of a high dragon. This temple commemorates her memory and prevents the unworthy from viewing her remains. The remains stayed in the mountain, undisturbed for many years and eventually rumours began to spread that her ashes held curative properties.
Chantry Teachings
Vision of the Maker
Andraste's vision of the Maker.[13]
- See also: Tears of Andraste
According to legend, before the Maker spoke to Andraste, she despaired at the fate of her people. At that time, every night, her husband Maferath would come to console her and each time Andraste would tell him of her despair while shedding a single tear, which Maferath captured in a vial. As a barbarian, she was taught to revere the Alamarri gods, the gods of mountains and the wind. When she prayed to them, none answered.[14] On the thirtieth night the vial was full, and when dawn came Andraste saw her first vision of the Maker. Even though this legend is popular and has been passed on for ages, a part of it isn't in the Chant of Light.[15]
From an early age, Andraste suffered troubling dreams of a deity known as the Maker.[4] Over time she began to interpret these dreams as the answer to questions that plagued her, and she came to believe that the Maker was the supreme being who had abandoned the world when his people took up the worship of the Old Gods, those beings worshipped in particular by the Tevinter Imperium. According to Chantry canon, after having fled the Imperium and marrying the warlord Maferath, Andraste appealed to the gods[16] but her prayers went unanswered. She would sing, and one day the Maker, enchanted by her voice, invited her to join Him at His side. She instead encouraged Him to return to humanity and forgive them, compelling her fellow Alamarri and others to accept the one true god of Thedas.
Imperial Chantry
The official belief of the Imperial Chantry is that Andraste wasn't, in fact, the Maker's Chosen, but rather "just" an extraordinarily powerful mage.[17][18] This view, which is considered heretical by the Andrastian Chantry, can also be found in a book called "The Search for the True Prophet". Chantry art frequently depicts her as a warrior bearing a sword and shield or as a robed motherly figure, however.
Furthermore, the newly revealed portions of the formerly-apocryphal Dissonant Verses of the Chant of Light seem only to ascribe more "mundane" visions and periods of immobility to Andraste rather than magical powers, and in fact describe her and her warrior army being nearly bested by the magical attacks of Tevinter during her rebellion[19]. many of the miracles ascribed to Andraste's communion with the Maker are now commonly believed to either have natural explanations or to be coincidental underground Darkspawn incursions. Some individuals, such as Empress Celene, similarly suspect that Andraste's views were likely more political than idealistic.[20]
Customs and Culture
At the beginning of Matrinalis, there is a holiday named "All Soul’s Day", and the Chantry uses the holiday to commemorate the death of Andraste, with public fires that mark her immolation and plays that depict her death. In Chantries across Thedas, it is more popular to depict Andraste praying rather than as the conqueror with a sword and shield.
The Coming of Andraste's Herald
In 9:41 Dragon the peace conclave held at the Temple of Sacred Ashes to put an end to the Mage-Templar War was suddenly destroyed in a massive magical explosion, killing Divine Justinia V, destroying the Temple and leaving a massive Breach into the Fade. The sole survivor of the explosion was seen being led out of the Fade by an unknown woman.
The survivor was suffering from memory loss, and couldn't explain their miraculous survival. On their left hand was a strange mark with the ability to close Fade rifts across Thedas. After stabilizing the Breach, many came to believe that the woman in the Fade had been Andraste herself, who had chosen the survivor to save Thedas. Thus, those believers came to call the survivor the "Herald of Andraste".
During the Inquisitor's push to halt the chaos at Adamant Fortress, they were physically thrown into the Fade once again. It is revealed that the woman who led the Inquisitor out of the Fade was not Andraste but Divine Justinia V, who had been sent into the Fade along with the Inquisitor and sacrificed herself to save them from a pack of demons.
Trivia
- Before the developers decided on the name of Andraste, she was named Augusta.[21]
- The "Birth Rock" in Denerim's Palace District commemorates Andraste's birth. It is a site of pilgrimage to her followers who come to touch the rock in her honor.[22] However, the Orlesian city of Jader also claims this prestige, with Divine Justinia II's support.[14]
- It appears that many Andrastians suspect, as a matter of salacious debate, that Shartan and Andraste were lovers during her rebellion against the Magisters of Tevinter.[23]
- According to banter between Sera and Cassandra Pentaghast, Andraste may have been a redhead. Background art from Dragon Age: Those Who Speak and artwork in Dragon Age: The World of Thedas portray her as a blonde.
Gallery
![False idols and Andraste's vision.[13]](/wiki/File:Life_of_andraste_1_WoT.jpg "Life of andraste 1 WoT.jpg (442 KB)")
![Andraste as war leader against the Imperium.[24]](/wiki/File:Life_of_andraste_2_WoT.jpg "Life of andraste 2 WoT.jpg (439 KB)")
![Andraste's captivity and immolation.[25]](/wiki/File:Life_of_andraste_3_WoT.jpg "Life of andraste 3 WoT.jpg (430 KB)")
![Andraste's ascension and the weakened Imperium.[26]](/wiki/File:Life_of_andraste_4_WoT.jpg "Life of andraste 4 WoT.jpg (412 KB)")
![A triptych featuring Andraste.[27]](/wiki/File:Andraste_triptych.jpg "Andraste triptych.jpg (492 KB)")
![A Fereldan statue depicting Andraste as a warrior.[4]](/wiki/File:Andraste_statue.jpg "Andraste statue.jpg (219 KB)")
See also
Codex entry: Andraste: Bride of the Maker
Codex entry: The Children of Andraste
Codex entry: Andraste's Mabari
References
Gaider, David (June 30, 2009). 
Gaider, David (8 October, 2010).
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