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curiousity-cell · 8 months

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just had a thought regarding gwyn & the lightsinger theory & az’s regifting of the necklace

disclaimer: i do not believe gwyn is evil if she’s confirmed as a lightsinger i don’t think she even realises she has this effect on people & it might not even be a lightsinger it could very well be a nymph thing so. don’t be a dick basically

so i was basically just thinking about the bonus chapter and why azriel would regift elain’s very targeted gift (shape of a rose necklace? that’s just pure elain Why is he giving that to another woman who has no connections to roses or flowers at all. why do men. anyway). i think this sentence is really really important because while yes maybe her powers are mainly channeled more powerfully when she sings, SJM would not have put “silent music” & about his shadows here -

- if it was not important. so when he leaves the training area and discovers elain’s given her necklace back (because. obviously. she’s just been rejected by someone she thought liked her back. idk why some people think this is confusing), look at what is written:

“beautiful singing” follows him. he had “every intention” of giving the necklace back to the palace of thread and jewels but didn’t. why? i believe it’s because gwyn’s accidental lightsinging / nymph effect kept gwyn on his mind and therefore she was who he was thinking about all day. i think that’s also why the “secret thing of lovely beauty” is repeated for gwyn. now i’m not gonna say i know what a lightsingers effect has on a person but looking at the effect gwyn’s singing has on /nesta/ (read below)

i think it’s safe to say that it has a luring effect & brings out positive emotions (again: we know lightsingers are stated to be evil in the siren like way but i don’t believe gwyn is that type of person so. i’m led to believe she doesn’t realise she has this effect)

but what positive emotions do we know that azriel has had recently? liking elain. possibly loving elain. so yeah i think that gwyn’s luring powers rubbed off on azriel and that’s why he regifted the necklace to gwyn, because she was on his mind. literally. because of effect she has on people.

i feel like this also explains why it feels so jarring for him to hop from one woman to the other in a night and then go back to being in a foul mood literally the next morning after the solstice. maybe he doesn’t remember giving the necklace away? maybe because gwyn doesn’t wear the necklace he doesn’t know where it went? idk but yeah. this is my theory.

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nightcourtreader · 8 months

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The discussion whether Gwyn is a light singer or a siren is tiring. Especially when the details that Cassian gave about light singers doesn’t match Gwyn what so ever. And ACOWAR & ACOSF to me proves that she isn’t.

Light singers are seen to be lovely, ethereal beings.

• Yes, Gwyn is a lovely person who’s beauty is said to rival Mor & Merrill. And she’s a priestess.

Will lure you

• there is no evidence that Gwyn lured anyone anywhere. Whether it’s by her singing or not.

• I have seen the same theory that Azriel’s shadows are there to “protect” him & it’s a good thing they disappear. If that was the case why didn’t the shadows tell him or warn him about Gwyn being in the training pit in Azriel’s bonus chapter?

• Something I’ve never seen mention is how in ACOWAR, page 559 Feyre said “Again, the Cauldron sang it’s siren song.” Then on the next page, on page 560, and I quote. “Azriel stepped out of a shadow. “What is that,” he hissed. My brows rose. “You hear it?” A shake of the head. “No—but the shadows, the wind…They recoil.”

• If Azriel’s shadows recoil because it heard the cauldrons siren song and if Gwyn is suppose to be a evil light singer or a siren then why doesn’t Azriel shadows recoil from her?

• On page 710 of ACOSF, when Azriel and Cassian were tricked by Koschei. It states “You fell for it rather easily.” Koschei went on, “though you took your time making contact. I thought you’d rush in for the kill, brute that you are.” They could make out nothing of him beyond the shadows of his form. Even Azriel’s own shadows kept tucked behind his wings. Koschei laughed, and Azriel stiffened. Like his shadows had murmured a warning.”

• In Azriel’s bonus chapter it stated, “He aimed for the training pit, giving in to the need to work off the temptation, the rage and frustration and writhing need. He found it already occupied. His shadows didn’t warned him.”

• So to me it seems that Azriel’s shadows tend to hide or recoil when it comes to danger not go towards people that seem like a threat. Azriel’s shadows obviously warn him of any danger to him so the fact that they don’t recoil from Gwyn nor did they warn Azriel she was in the training pit really negates the fact that she’s some evil light singer or siren!

Appearing as friendly faces when you are lost, They drown you in the Bog, they kill for sport.

• If that’s the case Gwyn would have popped up in the Bog when Nesta climbed down the tree looking for Cassian when he went off to go find Azriel. Especially since light singers are suppose to live in the Bog like Cassian stated and drown their victims in it. That would have been a perfect opportunity for Gwyn but where was Gwyn? Not there.

Only when you’re in their arms will you see their true faces

• How many times have we seen Gwyn and Nesta in close proximity to each other? On page 705, in ACOSF we see Nesta wrap her arms around Gwyn while Gwyn sobbed in her chest and right there Nesta was in Gwyn’s arms and the only thing Gwyn did was argue that Nesta shouldn’t stay to bottle neck the path by herself and didn’t even try to attempt to kill Nesta. The only thing Gwyn was worried about was her friend.

So it’s just disgusting to see how Gwyn keeps getting vilified all because of a ship when there is no proof that she’s a light singer or siren all because she sings, which is something she has in common with Azriel. Also it’s fucked up because she’s apart of Nesta’s found family, and a person that really help Nesta with her journey and to have her expose as a villain that people think she is will just fuck up Nesta and her healing arc.

And another big thing, Cassian never stated that light singers can sing! Sirens I get but we have never encountered a siren in the ACOTAR universe!

#pro gwyneth berdara #acosf #gwyneth berdara #acowar #gwynriel #azriel and gwyn #pro gwynriel #pro gwyn #lightsinger theory

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silverlinedeyes · 9 months

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Pelias, Ruhn, Az, and Clotho(?)

Some theories

This post is a collection of theories @merymoonbeam and I have been kicking around for a while. Much of the credit of these goes to her—I’m just the one writing this post. But as usual with our convos, this snowballed into something much bigger than we initially anticipated 😅🤯

TW: this post discusses the lightsinger theory. If that’s not your thing or it’s triggering to you, don’t read past the break. And these are just theories (and some are crack theories at that)!

And finally, this is a crossover post and contains spoilers from CC and ACOTAR.

Was Pelias really Starborn, or was he a lightsinger?

In HOEAB, we’re told Pelias was the “first Starborn Prince.” That he “possessed what was basically an ocean of starlight at his disposal.”

We are also told that Pelias’ light was different than Theia’s.

In ACOSF, we learn that Fionn was betrayed by his queen (Theia) and his best friend and general (Pelias) who stole Gwydion (the Starsword) from him and killed him. We know from CC that Theia and Fionn (and Theia’s two daughters) then went through the Rift to Midgard, bringing Gwydion with them. It’s unclear what led to this betrayal, and why Theia “betrayed” Fionn and left with Pelias.

In HOSAB, things get interesting though. We learn that Pelias was “no true” prince. He slew Theia, stole “her” sword, forced Helena into marriage, and “corrupted” Theia’s line. He was only a “so-called first Starborn Prince” and an “imposter.”

Could Aidas (or Rigelus as Aidas) be telling us more about Pelias than he was just a traitor who didn’t deserve to be a prince? What if Pelias wasn’t actually Starborn, but something else? Something that could pretend to be Starborn? Something that could emit light but not truly activate or use the Starsword? A lightsinger?

This also would explain why Theia betrayed Fionn and left with Pelias, and also how Pelias was able to get Helena to marry him. If Pelias is a lightsinger, he might have used his lightsinging powers on them to manipulate them into it. And he also used those powers to make people see him as a prince.

Pelias, Ruhn, and the Starsword

In HOEAB, Ruhn tells Bryce, “The sword doesn’t work like that. Aside from being picky about who draws it, the sword has no power without the knife.”

This seems based both on legend and on Ruhn’s experience. By this, I mean that Pelias could no longer use the power of the Starsword after the knife (TT) was taken back to Prythian (by Theia’s second daughter???), and the Starsword also has no power when Ruhn uses it. Light “shimmers” *down* the sword when Ruhn is holding it and “glimmers” with starlight, but he cannot activate its power or use it as more than just a sword.

The use of the word “glimmer” when Ruhn is holding the sword is part of what led us to this theory. In the Azriel bonus chapter, when he first comes to the roof and finds Gwyn there, her sword is “glimmering” in the moonlight.

While this might actually just literally be caused by her sword reflecting in the moonlight, it’s also possible Gwyn is using her powers to make the sword “glimmer” here, just like the Starsword seems to “glimmer” with Ruhn’s starlight that he emits when he uses it.

[Interestingly, the priestesses’ stones also “glimmer” in the fae light at the beginning of the singing service scene. And Ianthe uses “some glimmer” of power to lull the guard to sleep in ACOWAR? Also lightsinger powers?]

Anyways, the thing is, Ruhn is wrong about the Starsword. The Starsword does have power without the knife. In HOSAB, we see Bryce actually use the Starsword for the first time:

Bryce didn’t stop to think as she unsheathed it. Starlight erupted from the black blade. Like its metal had been kindled with iridescent fire. …

The Starsword sang with light, her power flowing into it. Activating it. …

With shaking fingers, she put it back into its sheath. Dimmed its light. But the Starsword still sang, and Bryce had no idea what to make of it.

Bryce is able to activate the Starsword’s powers with her Starborn power and use it to kill things that are supposed to be unkillable.

So if Bryce is able to activate the Starsword’s powers with her Starborn power, why couldn’t Ruhn and Pelias? I guess it’s possible Ruhn can’t because he only has a small kernel of the (supposed) Starborn power, but that doesn’t explain Pelias. If Pelias was really a Starborn Prince, shouldn’t he have been able to use the Starsword without the knife?

Or…can they not activate the Starsword because they are not actually Starborn? And instead, they’re light comes from a different source—lightsinging?

Ruhn, Azriel, and Clotho (Gwyn?)

If Ruhn is a lightsinger, again, it seems like he only has a small amount of the power. Ruhn himself describes it as a “kernel.” It’s interesting, though. Unlike Bryce, who doesn’t seem to have to work hard at all to access her Starborn powers or use them, it causes Ruhn a significant amount of effort:

It ordinarily took Ruhn a good amount of concentration to summon his starlight, and it usually left him with a headache for hours afterward, but … He was intrigued enough to try.

Setting his index finger onto the crystal of the prism, Ruhn closed his eyes and focused upon his breathing. Let the clicking metal of the orrery guide him down, down, down into the black pit within himself, past the churning well of his shadows, to the little hollow beneath them. There, curled upon itself like some hibernating creature, lay the single seed of iridescent light.

He gently cupped it with a mental palm, stirring it awake as he carefully brought it upward, as if he were carrying water in his hands. Up through himself, the power shimmering with anticipation, warm and lovely and just about the only part of himself he liked.

Ruhn gets a headache when he tries to access his “Starborn” power, which is hidden deep down inside him past his shadows. It seems almost as if the powers work against each other? It might even be that Ruhn’s “light” power, whatever it is, dampens his Avallen powers, and vice versa? It does seem that Ruhn’s Avallen powers aren’t nearly as powerful as Cormac’s. Could this be why? Because his “light” power suppresses his Avallen/shadow powers?

And where Ruhn’s “light” power is and how it’s described is interesting. It’s this seed of “iridescent light” that’s buried down deep inside him.

The headaches is what @merymoonbeam first noticed—it reminded her of the headaches Az constantly gets. Maybe those headaches are related to Az using his shadowsinging powers?

But then we were talking about it more, and this scene with Ruhn finding his power made us think of the end of the bonus scene:

But Azriel tucked away the thought, consciously erasing the slight smile it brought to his face. Buried the image down deep, where it glowed quietly.

Something sparked in Azriel’s chest. To “spark” means:

To ignite. To start a fire essentially. Could that spark in Azriel’s chest be the ignition of power in his chest?

And then this image of gwyn come to his mind, which he buries “down deep” inside himself where it “glowed quietly,” as @merymoonbeam has written about?

Did Clotho (or maybe Gwyn) plant a seed of lightsinger power inside Az?

Could this seed of lightsinger power dampen or suppress Az’s shadowsinging abilities? And is this why his shadows are missing in HOSAB chapter 78?

Or maybe that lightsinger power isn’t suppressing his shadowsinging abilities, but is instead being used to influence and control Az’s shadows from inside him…..

#lightsinger theory #azriel #azriel shadowsinger #acotar theories #cc theories #pelias and theia #maasverse #maasverse theories #sjmcu #anti gw*nriel

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athena-85 · 9 months

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SJM: “Elain is sweet, Elain has a different type of strength, Elain is a hufflepuff (only house with no dark wizards). I gave Elain all my favourite hobbies,Elain is the Character I would most likely hang out with from ACOTAR….”

Misogynistic ACOTAR fans (and artists):

She is the one character I will make Evil…

Maybe start with the suspicious characters first, maybe the ones not in the IC. Maybe the ones that tell you they have a dodgy past, maybe the ones that break your trust and tell your secrets. Maybe the ones that your cauldron given power reacts badly too. Maybe the one the lull you?

You’re just telling on yourself that you hate feminine women and your brain can only get around the idea that they are equally important as the gurl boss type by making them Evil.

Be better

#acotar #elain archeron #evil elain #toxic fandom acotar #lightsinger theory #gywn is a lightsinger #acotar art #toxic acotar art

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acourtofantumbra · 8 months

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🚨 Ok, I've got something to SAY about lightsingers!!! 🚨

I know the "are lightsingers evil?"... or even just an easter egg... debate has sent this fandom into a tizzy a few times over. We're not on the ship controversy (pun intended), we're on the SS Earnest & Nerdy Close Reader.

My fave part of my TOG/Complete SJMU reread has been zeroing in on two groups of women/females that have long since itched my brain - priestess and witches... I also yearn for a Manorian book after all these years and I have been waiting for their... "boat hangouts" since I started my TOG reread. IYKYK.

Imagine my surprise when this description of a half dead Manon - a witch, yes, but a half Blackbeak, half Cochran heir, and witch queen - paralleled the one fleeting description we get of Lightsingers from Cassian while he, Nesta, and Azriel hunt for the mask (gotta love Manon's beautiful face casually being referred to as a mask) in the Middle in ACOSF.

Both of these scenes warrant a longer close read with more screengrabs (but I'm tired and have a gnarly cold a I can't kick) because both essentially question what it means to be evil... this is an oversimplification, but whether evil is in your nature or if intent is the deciding factor. But here's the lowdown:

In the ACOSF scene, Cassian literally just described witches, "not the human kind," who live in the bog/Middle before describing Lightsingers. Wow, what a fun coincidence. And when Nesta asks why the Prythian powers that be let the Middle and its creatures live, Cassian basically says that it's not right, or their call, to punish something for doing what it was born to do... unlike the inhabitants of the Prison who earned their spot there and needed to be removed from society and have their considerable powers leashed.

In the EoS scene, Dorian asks Manon (after she makes it clear he looks tasty af) if witches are partially human, to which she replies, "Not in the ways that count." Ok, ominous. Then Dorian remembers that witches have human, Fae, and Valg parts, but that "Valg blood had shaped the witches." But when Dorian asks Manon if she feels more human or Valg, Manon immediately responds saying that both the Valg, and Erawan, are her enemies. Nuance!

Things I think are interesting? Many have brilliantly speculated about Nesta's potential witchiness and her being smack dab in the middle of this big parallel is both very fun and, I suppose, unsurprising. The Dread Trove Mask and the allusion to Manon's beauty being a mask has me 👀 Also for all this talk of "oh no a Lightsinger will lure you and control you against your will..." might some of that lore been wrapped up in what it is the mask can essentially do? Granted it can only raise/control the dead, but that would qualify as "horror" to me. I think Prythian, Midgard, and Erilea are victims of the worst game of telephone ever.

Big picture? Every time a character says "oh yeah, we were taught x was evil," pretty consistently we're learning that was some big ol' Asteri (or whatever they're calling themselves on that planet) propaganda. And Cassian being taught that Lightsingers are evil when, by this reading, they could be very important witches? Well, that would make a lot of sense for someone raised by Illyrians who infamously hate witches (and women). Cassian is, of course, our sweet evolved himbo, but he might not know some myths he's always believed were fake news.

Anyway, this deserves a nice, long investigation, but my brain is already succumbing to NyQuil and my IQ is dropping by the second.

I leave you with this moving quote from Manon #growth

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hopelesslyhopeful11 · 8 months

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Murder Faeries in SJM

So I have seen a lot commentary that Gwyn is evil because she’s a lightsinger and this is proven since SJM said “I have no interest in writing about dainty faeries, I like to write about murder faeries” when discussing how she likes the stories of sirens who resemble a similar definition to Lightsingers

I wanna start off by saying I never ever interpreted this as meaning that SJM thinks Sirens are evil and that’s the direction she wanted to take. I just thought it was on par with every other fae character she has written.

But overall this is one of the weakest arguments against Gwynriel for multiple reasons:

As I said, every one of SJMs fae characters are murderers. Aelin, Manon, Lysandra, Bryce, Feyre, Nesta, Cassian, Azriel, Rhys, Rowan, Lorcan, Fenrys, and Hunt are all “murder faeries”. Like I hate to be the bearer of bad news but most of these characters are war criminals at worst and murders at best.

Azriel is considered to be evil to anyone outside of the night court. He is a Shadowsinger and torturer. The night court was thought to be evil for centuries, but perspective is what makes us think of them as goodwilled. Why should we expect things to be any different from Gwyn if she is a lightsinger?

It’s an oxymoron that a Lightsinger would be an evil creature while a Shadowsinger is supposed to be good and pure. Light by definition has always been associated with good connotations. I think if SJM wanted them to be truly evil, she probably wouldn’t pick a positive name that resembles the compliment to a shadowsinger.

SJM literally cried writing the friendship between Nesta, Gwyn, and Emerie because she loved the idea of found families so much. It makes absolutely no sense to turn around and have Gwyn betray Nesta in another book and have Nesta have a mental breakdown over that.

This math just isn’t mathing

#pro gwynriel #gwynriel #gwyn rambles #lightsinger theory #azriel shadowsinger #acosf #gwyn acosf

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merymoonbeam · 1 year

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Acosf Chapter 52 - Lightsinger Theory

In this post I’m gonna connect the wording of chapter 52 to Azriel’s bonus chapter and connection of sirens to chapter 52

Before we start the post these are the posts I will connect to as we go...

Lightsinger part1 , part2 by @silverlinedeyes

Glowed quietly

Cauldron’s song and Gwyn’s singing

Chapter 52 Acosf

A bell rang seven times somewhere nearby, echoing through the stones, through Nesta’s feet. Each peal was a summons, a call to focus. Everyone rose at the seventh peal. Nesta gazed at the sea of pale robes and blue stones as the entire room seemed to suck in a breath.

Azriel's Bonus Chapter

Instead, he found himself at the library beneath the House of Wind, standing before Clotho as the clock chimed seven in the evening.

In Acosf chapter 52 there is a bell that rings seven times and from Gwyn we know that they hold services at dawn and dusk.

Gwyn huffed a soft laugh. “In part. We honor the Mother, and the Cauldron, and the Forces That Be. We have a service at dawn and at dusk, and on every holy day.”

so it is interesting that when they held the service Nesta heard a bell ring seven times and Azriel arrived at the library when clocked chimed seven in the evening.

Chapter 52 Acosf

Not from any instruments, but from all around. As if they were one voice, the priestesses began to sing, a wave of sparkling sound. Nesta could only gape at the lovely melody, the voices from the front of the cavern leading it, lifting higher than the others. Gwyn sang, chin high, a faint glow seeming to radiate from her.

Azriel's Bonus Chapter

Something sparked in Azriel's chest, but he only nodded his thanks and left. He could picture it, though, as he ascended the stairs back to the House proper. How Gwyn's teal eyes might light upon seeing the necklace. For whatever reason... he could see it. But Azriel tucked away the thought, consciously erasing the slight smile it brought to his face. Buried the image down deep, where it glowed quietly. A thing of secret, lovely beauty.

In this part what took me back because as you can see...the same words are used? when you look at the context it feels different but when it comes to how the Azriel's bonus chapter was build upon silent music and singing and all...this gave me a pause. I wonder if there is more to it.

Azriel's bonus chapter

He could picture it, though, as he ascended the stairs back to the House proper. How Gwyn's teal eyes might light upon seeing the necklace. For whatever reason... he could see it.

Chapter 52 acosf

She’d never heard such music. Like a spell, a dream given form. The entire room sang, each voice resonating through the stone

as you can see Nesta says that music is like a "spell, a dream given form" like how Azriel could picture Gwyn's eyes lighting up.

Gwyn’s voice rose again, holding such a high note it was like a ray of pure light, piercing and summoning. Two other voices rolled in to join, pulsing around that repeated high note, the harp still strumming, voices whispering and flowing, lulling Nesta down, down, down into a pure, ancient place where no outside world existed, no time, nothing but the music in her bones, the stones at her feet, her side, overhead. The music took form behind Nesta’s eyes as the priestesses sang lyrics in languages so old, no one voiced them anymore. She saw what the song spoke of: mossy earth and golden sun, clear rivers and the deep shadows of an ancient forest.

Again in here the music "took form behind Nesta's eyes" and she "saw what the song spoke of" like Azriel picturing Gwyn's eyes.

Another thing is that those orange highlighted parts.

Summoning literally means "call an image to mind" as @silverlinedeyes pointed in her lightsinger part one post I'd linked above and it is exactly what Azriel saw in his bonus chapter.

But Azriel tucked away the thought, consciously erasing the slight smile it brought to his face. Buried the image down deep, where it glowed quietly. A thing of secret, lovely beauty.

and I made a post about how glowing "quietly" feels odd and added the link above as well.

Lulling is similar to settle as you can see in the screenshot.

and in Azriel's chapter we literally have that.

Gwyn smiled broadly. "Thank you." Azriel dipped his head in a sketch of a bow, something restless settling in him. Even his shadows had calmed. As if content to lounge on his shoulders and watch.

I made a post about how this settling could be connected to another "settling" scene with Nesta but it is not in chapter 52 so I'm not including that in this post.

Chapter 52 Acosf

This one was a lilting chant, the words tumbling over each other like water dancing down a mountainside, and Nesta’s foot tapped on the ground in time to the beat. Nesta could have sworn that beneath the hem of Gwyn’s robe, the priestess’s foot was doing the same. The words and the countermelodies danced around and around, until the walls hummed with the music, until the stone seemed to be singing it back.

Azriel's bonus chapter

Azriel entered the warmth of the stairwell, and as he descended, he could have sworn a faint, beautiful singing followed him. Could have sworn his shadows sang in answer.

both scene have gwyn in it...both scene have singing in it...both scene have "could have sworn"...both scene has singing back to it. It is a bit weird?

Now onto the siren connection.

we will go part by part in here as well.

While I was looking up sirens etymology parts stood out to me.

The etymology of the name is contested. Robert S. P. Beekes has suggested a Pre-Greek origin.[4] Others connect the name to σειρά (seirá, "rope, cord") and εἴρω (eírō, "to tie, join, fasten"), resulting in the meaning "binder, entangler",[5][better source needed] i.e. one who binds or entangles through magic song. This could be connected to the famous scene of Odysseus being bound to the mast of his ship, in order to resist their song.

and in Chapter 52 of Acosf we have this

It was like a braid, the song—a plait of seven voices, weaving in and out, individual strands that together formed a pattern. Halfway through it, a drum appeared in the hand of the singer on the far left. A harp began strumming in the hands of one on the far right. A lute sounded from the center. She’d never heard such music. Like a spell, a dream given form. The entire room sang, each voice resonating through the stone.

sirens are described as "binder, entangler" and the music in acosf described as individual strands that together formed a pattern. and sirens bind or entagnle through magic song and Nesta explains the music as "like a spell, dream given form"

Another thing is that Sirens are described as birds.

The sirens of Greek mythology first appeared in Homer's Odyssey, where Homer did not provide any physical descriptions, and their visual appearance was left to the readers' imagination. It was Apollonius of Rhodes in Argonautica (3rd century BC) who described the sirens in writing as part woman and part bird By the 7th century BC, sirens were regularly depicted in art as human-headed birds.

and in Chapter 52 Gwyn's voice is described as a bird.

Gwyn’s voice soared like a bird through the cavern as she started the third song with a solo, and Nesta closed her eyes, leaning into the music, shutting out one sense in order to luxuriate in the sound of her friend. Something beckoned in Gwyn’s song, in a way the others’ hadn’t. Like Gwyn was calling only to her, her voice full of sunshine and joy and unshakable determination. Nesta had never heard a voice like Gwyn’s—by turns trained and wild, as if there was so much sound fighting to break free of Gwyn that she couldn’t quite contain it all. As if the sound needed to be loose in the world.

and the orange part is interesting because Nesta singles out Gwyn's voice from others. As if her singing is different then other. I touched upon this in my Cauldron's song and Gwyn's singing post. In that post Cauldron's luring song parallels to Gwyn's singing as described in that scene.

As you can see Nesta describes Gwyn's beckoning song as "in a way others' hadn't" and "like Gwyn was calling only to her" and with Cauldron's luring it presented itself as Graysen to Elain...beckoned her and told her he'd come for her.

Also beckoning is literally means "lure,charm, entice.."

Lasty we have this about sirens

The early Christian euhemerist interpretation of mythologized human beings received a long-lasting boost from the Etymologiae by Isidore of Seville (c. 560–636): They [the Greeks] imagine that "there were three sirens, part virgins, part birds," with wings and claws. "One of them sang, another played the flute, the third the lyre. They drew sailors, decoyed by song, to shipwreck. According to the truth, however, they were prostitutes who led travelers down to poverty and were said to impose shipwreck on them." They had wings and claws because Love flies and wounds. They are said to have stayed in the waves because a wave created Venus.

one sang...one played the flute...the third the lyre

we are gonna look at the paragraph before the bird connection also I'm adding that paragraph as well.

They finished, and started another song—led into it by a rolling drumbeat, then a single voice. Then the harp joined, a second voice with it. Then the lute, along with a third. The three sang around and into each other, another braid of voices and melodies. They reached the second verse, and the other four joined in, the room with them. Gwyn’s voice soared like a bird through the cavern as she started the third song with a solo, and Nesta closed her eyes, leaning into the music, shutting out one sense in order to luxuriate in the sound of her friend. Something beckoned in Gwyn’s song, in a way the others’ hadn’t. Like Gwyn was calling only to her, her voice full of sunshine and joy and unshakable determination. Nesta had never heard a voice like Gwyn’s—by turns trained and wild, as if there was so much sound fighting to break free of Gwyn that she couldn’t quite contain it all. As if the sound needed to be loose in the world.

a single voice...harp joined...then the lute...

like the three sirens I added above.

one sang...one played the flute...the third the lyre

And again the music is describe as a "braid" like the first point how the sirens were described as ""binder, entangler", and they bind or entangle through magic song. and right after it Gwyn's voice describes as a bird which is what sirens are described as.

so that's about it.

Special thanks to @offtorivendell . Thanks for always listening my rambling thoughts about these theories and helping me.

#acosf #lightsinger theory #Chapter 52 #Azriel bonus chapter

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offtorivendell · 1 year

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What’s your favorite obscure acotar theory? One that’s lesser known or not as hyped as others that you really enjoy or really hope will play out in the next book?

Firstly anon, I'm sorry this took me well over a week!

Spoilers: ACOTAR, CC and TOG series to date, mostly discussing witches.

This is a personal crack theory that I've had for more than a year now, which I haven't - as far as I can remember - mentioned publicly before, because it goes off more "the vibe of the thing, your honour" than solid evidence that I've seen in the text (at this point I've lost the motivation to research for new, giant metas, so this is apparently how you'll get it).

What if lightsingers were "rebranded" as witches in Prythian's world?

Here me out.

Koschei the sorcerer has shadow (dark light?) powers.

What if ACOTAR witches had light powers?

I've theorised before that Koschei may be Prythian's oldest shadowsinger, but it's interesting to note that he is also an accomplished sorcerer. This made me wonder, how do sorcerers differ from witches, if at all? I've had similar thoughts about shadowsingers and lightsingers, and I do still mean to write about that topic, but to sum up, I suspect that lightsingers and shadowsingers are two sides of the one coin, based on one of two things:

They are the same species, and the colour of their magic is dependent on mood or emotions (more likely), as I outlined in this post about Azriel's shadows and their response to Elain Archeron and his happiness/comfort in general.

There is possibly a male/female divide. This is less likely, but SJM established the following in HOSAB: "Two intersecting triangles. Male and female, dark and light, above and below … and the power that lies in the place where they meet." To many of us, this has a clear parallel with the Truth-Teller scene between Elain and Az in ACOWAR - "Elain looked up at Azriel, their eyes meeting, his hand still lingering on the hilt of the blade. I saw the painting in my mind: the lovely fawn, blooming spring vibrant behind her. Standing before Death, shadows and terrors lurking over his shoulder. Light and dark, the space between their bodies a blend of the two. The only bridge of connection … that knife." - but I digress.

* @wingedblooms has already written a fantastic post about why she believes Elain could be a lightsinger, and another hypothesising that Elain could be a witch (though we're both thinking and hoping that all three Archeron sisters are witches - and who knows, they were born in and slept on an ironwood bed in their cottage...); keep an eye out for wingedblooms' upcoming witch post! @silverlinedeyes has written similarly, wondering if Elain could be another sort of Singer, perhaps one that we haven't seen before. I highly recommend reading all of those posts.

There are - imo - similarities in the text between lightsingers, whose powers are not yet established beyond an apparent ability to lure people to them in some way, and ACOTAR witches, who are said to amass power beyond their natural reserves. We shouldn't, however, forget the witches from Midgard (CC) or Erilea (TOG, of which there was more than one sort: Ironteeth and Crochan).

The Ironteeth witches could be very beautiful, however, similarly to rumours of lightsingers in Prythian, they had keen predatory instincts, could change their teeth and nails to iron fangs and talons, and it wasn't uncommon for them to hunt for sport, as Cassian said of lightsingers in ACOSF. Other parallels exist, but as I said this is not just a crack theory, but a lazy theory as well, so I cbf going into it all. Sorry, but to quote @merymoonbeam, I'm in an it's in the text mood. 😅

Basically, it boils down to this: Koschei has shadow powers and can cast spells. Rhys has shadow-type powers and can also cast spells. Can Azriel, likewise, perform magic of his own? Do his shadows give him this power, or is it something more innate... does he have a hidden light? He can heal, of a sort, which we haven't seen from Cassian. Can lightsingers perform magical feats of their own? And if they are what are currently known as witches in some form, are they the sort that Mor spoke of, or Cassian? Or are they more similar to TOG or CC witches?

Witches in Prythian - the "human kind" that I assume Mor was talking about in ACOWAR (though this is unconfirmed) when Nesta asked the difference between a faerie and a witch - as I mentioned earlier, "...amass power beyond their natural reserve,” Mor answered with sudden seriousness. “They use spells and archaic tools to harness more power to them than the Cauldron allotted—and use it for whatever they desire, good or ill.”

As in TOG, Cassian seemed to hint, in ACOSF, that there was more than one type of witch, and he went straight into discussing lightsingers right afterwards: “What else dwells here other than kelpies?” “Some say witches,” he murmured. “Not the human kind,” he added when she raised a brow. “The kind that used to be something else and then their thirst for magic and power turned them into wretched creatures, banished here by various High Lords.” “They don’t sound so bad.” “They drink young blood to fill the coldness the magic left in them.” Nesta winced. Cassian went on as she scanned the bog, “There are lightsingers: lovely, ethereal beings who will lure you, appearing as friendly faces when you are lost. Only when you’re in their arms will you see their true faces, and they aren’t fair at all. The horror of it is the last thing you see before they drown you in the bog. But they kill for sport, not food.”

Witches, apparently, were also wretched creatures, banished to the Middle. This sounds eerily in line with what I suggested in this post, where I posited that lightsingers might not truly be evil after all, but they had possibly copped a bad rap after (and this is also a crack theory) siding with Theia against Fionn, and so, after the fallout, became an entire species of scapegoats to the misled public for that "betrayal." After such an historic event, it would make sense for the surviving lightsingers to rebrand themselves as witches, especially if they could pass for one sort, in order to escape the retribution that almost certainly would have followed. Has this disguise stuck over the millennia? Or, as I have often wondered, do they occasionally get caught out and then targeted, perhaps leading to a need for sanctuary in a library full of their own kin, run by someone who has her own unique brand of magic?

Again, I know that none of this is really well thought out, and I apologise for that, but I hope you get the gist of it, at least.

#acotar theory #acotar crack theory #lightsingers and shadowsingers #lightsinger #shadowsinger #lightsinger theory #shadowsinger theory #azriel shadowsinger #rhysand #koschei acotar #pro lightsinger #lazy theory #it's in the text #it's the vibe of the thing #why yes that is a reference to the castle #but whether this crack theory ends up in the pool room or sjm tells me i'm dreaming only time will tell #witches and lightsingers

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elvery · 2 years

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An interesting statement about priestesses, indeed.

#lightsinger theory #acotar #please I’m not anti g/wyn #just thought this was an interesting statement #how is it we have 2 scenes of a specific priestess singing #and nesta sees visions #and Azriel’s shadows react #they’re both beckoned #they both react

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elainemg97 · 2 months

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ACOTAR: Gwyn is a Lightsinger Theory

Summary

Gwyn’s powers are of beckoning songs that emit joy and light; they literally make her glow. This power causes her to knowingly or unknowingly manipulate people into wanting to make her happy. There’s a lot of phrases like:

* “…didn’t know why she did it…”

* “…didn’t know why she wished to see Gwyn…”

* “…for whatever reason…”

Etc.

Not only that but Gwyn’s voice is a siren call to people who are lost, not physically lost but emotionally. Gwyn herself is a siren call. Is it ethical? Her powers seem to be as ethical as Rhys and Feyre’s Daemati powers, the difference is that Feysand know how to control these powers, and right now we don’t know if Gwyn knows about her powers. Im sure the truth will come out sooner or later, but I do not think she is evil in any way.

Ps: Gwyn might be being manipulated by Merrill, but thats a whole other post.

PPS: Azriel’s shadows not warning him of Gwyn’s presence in the bonus chapter is bad. His shadows are his alert system, his upper hand on his enemies. If his shadows are compromised, that means that he doesn’t know if there’s any immediate danger.

Credit: @silverlinedeyes

@merymoonbeam

@daisybrekker

@greenleaf777

@i-sneezed

@curiousity-cell

#acowar #acotar #sarah j maas #a court of thorns and roses #acomaf #art #fanart #azriel #Gwyn lightsinger #pro elriel #a court of silver flames #gwyn acosf #acosf #acotar theory #acotar fanart

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mycadences · 2 months

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Hot take (?): I only hate the "Gwyn is a lightsinger" theory when it is used to spin the narrative that Gwyn is evil. I am firmly of the opinion that SJM will NOT make her a villain. She will not vilify Nesta's found family and throw away an entire book's worth of character growth for the sake of petty drama. On its own, though, I find the lightsinger theory appealing because of its potential implications.

"But if they’re blessed, they’ll find their mate—their equal, their match in every way."

Imagine if Gwynriel are not only both Carynthians, but one is a shadowsinger and the other is a lightsinger. Imagine if one wields Truth-teller and the other wields its twin, Gwydion. Imagine if they're on a battlefield and Azriel uses his cobalt blue Siphon to kill and Gwyn uses her blue Invoking Stone to heal.

Oh, the lovely parallels.

#gwynriel #pro gwynriel #gwynriel supremacy #gwyneth berdara #pro gwyneth berdara #the lightsinger theory makes gwynriel more likely to be mates #so thanks e/riels?

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nymphpriestessvalkyrie · 3 months

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Here’s the thing about lightsingers and evilness. SJMs theme across all of her series is that the magic isn’t what makes you evil, it’s how you choose to wield it. Fire can either be Aelin’s or Beron’s. Darkness can be Erawan’s or Rhys’s. Hybern isn’t the bad guy because he has a particular kind of magic, he’s the bad guy because he’s a slaving, conquering autocrat. Rhys, Feyre, Bryce, and Ruhn all wield starlight to various degrees. So do the freaking Asteri.

SJM abhors faerie “racism.” Every time someone says something bigoted, you know they’re either the bad guy or they’re about to get proven wrong. Derogatory attitudes towards “lesser fae” are backwards. People who call the Illyrians animals or brutes are in the wrong. The Court of Nightmares values High Fae purity, not a ringing endorsement of that idea.

Feyre’s most powerful allies have been creatures who have been completely written off because of their magic. The Suriel. The water wraiths. The Bone Carver. Briaxis. The Weaver. Nesta was feared even by her family and allies because her magic was revealed to be Death, and what did she do with it? Only save the lives of the entire ruling family.

Gwyn may or may not have anything to do with lightsingers and their magic. The point is that you aren’t destined to be evil in these books because of the magic you have. You choose how to live your life.

#gwyneth berdara #lightsinger #theories made by people with no critical literacy are worthless

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silverlinedeyes · 11 months

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“There are lightsingers: lovely, ethereal beings who will lure you, appearing as friendly faces when you are lost. Only when you’re in their arms will you see their true faces, and they aren’t fair at all. The horror of it is the last thing you see before they drown you in the bog. But they kill for sport, not food.”

Lightsinger. This is not a word in English. It’s not a real mythical being. It’s not a being that appears in other works of fantasy. It’s a name Sarah made up. She chose the name.

Lightsinger. Light-Singer. Light. Singer.

“Gwyn sang, chin high, a faint glow seeming to radiate from her.”

🤔

I mean….

#lightsinger theory #gwyn lightsinger #anti gw*nriel #it’s obvious

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twihard23 · 1 year

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GWYNRIEL X LITTLE MERMAID pt 2

I miss them and can’t wait for the day we’ll get to read their book 💙🦇👩🏻‍🦰 for now, enjoy another little mermaid parallel between gwynriel 🥹 prints and stickers are available on redbubble! Link below ;)

https://www.redbubble.com/i/sticker/Gwynriel-x-Little-Mermaid-by-katiascandale02/132481271.EJUG5

Please share everywhere! Just tag me, @ twihard23 on tiktok

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greenleaf777 · 5 months

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I am absolutely convinced that Gwyn is a lightsinger, its right there! The whole reason shes in the bonus chapter is to show how her powers effect Azriel, Elain gave Azriel earplugs for a reason!….Nesta was clearly influenced by Gwyn too.

Its said they appear as friendly faces when their prey is lost! Azriel felt lost mentally after being warned off Elain!

What I can’t decide is if shes truly evil or if she is being used by someone. Kind of hope shes not evil for Nesta’s sake but it would be an interesting turn of events thats for sure. Cause her turning evil and betraying the inner circle wouldn’t be as devastating as if one of the IC turns evil.

Saw a video on tiktok about a potential sleeping beauty arc for elriel plus someone mentioning that sleep is a big word in the bonus chapter too, it mentions several times that Az has trouble sleeping. I WOULD BET MONEY HE IS PUT INTO A SLEEP.

I swear I read somewhere that SJM hinted at someones betrayal in an interview…do I remember that right?? Or am I misremembering?

Have I officially lost my mind? LOL

#gwyneth berdara #elriel #gwyn acotar #lightsinger #azriel #nesta archeron #elain archeron #acotar #a court of thorns and roses #acosf #a court of silver flames #acotar theories #anti gwynriel

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believer25 · 3 months

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GWYNETH BERDARA: EVIL OR NOT ?

PART 1: LIGHTSINGER

I was thinking about the theory of Gwyn being a Lightsinger. I rarely see people picturing the theory in a positive way. I've seen someone talking about it, but I don't remember who.

If this theory is true, I don't think that Gwyn knows that she is a Lightsinger.

I'm sure that if Gwyn find out that she is one, she will be devastated. Knowing her personality, she is going distance herself from everyone especially the Valkyries, Cassian and Azriel. She will push everyone away because she is scared to hurt them.

She will be ashamed of her darkness and the "monster" that she is. DID WE KNOW SOMEONE WHO IS LIKE THAT ?

YES, AZRIEL.

He will relate to her perfectly. As he tries to help her, he will heal with his own darkness. They will heal together and become closer.

The Shadowsinger and the Lightsinger

PART 2: PROBLEMATIC THEORY

I don't see SJM making a character like Gwyn an evil monster. With all her traumas and story, it's disgusting to make her evil.

Also, I find quite disturbing Elriels obsession on Evil Gwyn. She deserves so much better. Gwyn has a beautiful evolution, still has a long road to do and some traumas to heal. Wanting so bad Gwyn to be consciously or unconsciously some type of horrible monster, doesn't sit right with me. I don't like the idea of evil Elain too but Gwyn is worse to me. Adding the fact that Azriel is the first and only male who she is comfortable with, makes everything 10000000000x worse. (Not going to talk about the part of the fandom you thinks that she lied about the SA, it's even more disgusting)

EVIL GWYN IS THE MOST PROBLEMATIC THEORY IN ACOTAR.

We need to talk more about this. Anyone who has a platform needs to sprea awareness about this. It's extremely hurtful to some people, including me.

Can you (Elriels) also understand how problematic the Evil Gwyn Theory is ?

English is not my first language, I hope I didn't make a lot of mistakes.

My face when someone brings the Evil Gwyn Theory:

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