Ignoring the mountain of Christmas decorations piling up at Tesco (wait your bloody flip, Santa), the spooky season is now in full swing. It’s lastly time for pumpkins, skeletons, ghosts, schlocky horror films, and this yr… Dragon Age: The Veilguard.
It’d seem to be an odd selection for a fantasy RPG to launch on Halloween, nevertheless it couldn’t be extra becoming. The vacation is rooted within the historical Celtic pageant of Samhain (‘sow-win’), during which pagans rejoice the barrier between the bodily and spirit worlds breaking down (thanks, History Channel). It marks the midpoint between the autumnal equinox and winter solstice, making it some of the essential days within the Celtic calendar (as per Irish Myths).
Revellers would maintain festivals to please the gods and even feed the useless, hoping to climate the cruel chilly till the subsequent harvest. It was believed that the darker nights stemmed from the solar itself descending into the Underworld every year, permitting the lord of the useless and his legions to stroll the Earth. The residing would don costumes to mix in with the wandering spirits in what the Scottish known as ‘guising’, and they might even carry out tips to get presents that may beat back evil souls.
Pagans would usually rejoice for 3 days and three nights, and people who didn’t had been believed to be punished by the gods — so that you’d finest get to enjoying Veilguard!
The Veilguard is about Solas tearing down the Veil, permitting demons and historical elven gods to spill into Thedas from the Fade. Sounds acquainted, eh? The direct similarities are clear, however we will additionally infer a few thematic parallels that solely go to indicate how ingrained the concept of Samhain is inside ideas of the Veil.
One of many gods that Solas unleashes is Elgar’nan, who, as acknowledged by the Fandom wiki, might have as soon as been represented by the Solium constellation, ie the Solar. If true, it ties superbly into the concept of the Solar descending into the Underworld throughout Samhain.
One other fascinating connection is our hub in The Veilguard — The Lighthouse. Positioned past the Veil in the Fade, this lavish mansion the place we will relaxation our head safely for the night time may need its roots in a few of Samhain’s most putting iconography. Throughout the celebrations, pagans would create huge, sacred bonfires, believing that they held again the darkness of winter and scared away evil spirits. What higher than a towering beacon of fireplace throughout the Fade itself to carry again comparable forces?
Very similar to the Dalish elves figuring out little of their heritage, the which means of this festive season has been muddied as time marched on from pagan rituals. Most now see it as a possibility to observe their favorite horror films, costume up in enjoyable costumes, and in the event that they’re youthful, go door-to-door amassing sweets. There’s nothing incorrect with that, holidays adapt and develop over time and are refitted into extra fashionable contexts, nevertheless it’s refreshing to see a sport like The Veilguard impressed so deeply by the season’s Celtic roots, quite than utilizing it as little greater than an aesthetic.
It’s no coincidence that The Veilguard is launching on Halloween, and actually, it is perhaps some of the unashamedly Halloween video games we have ever had.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard is the long-awaited fourth sport within the fantasy RPG sequence from BioWare previously often known as Dragon Age: Dreadwolf. A direct sequel to Inquisition, it focuses on purple lyrium and Solas, the aforementioned Dread Wolf.Â
