Vir Atish'an - The Way of Peace

Jan 2, 2018 1:28:58 GMT Sokemis said:

Try to avoid a fight when possible, seeking out gentler and more diplomatic solutions, striving to be benevolent and helpful - but still being strong without being a pushover.  

This would seem a possibility except for the fact that Sylaise seems to have been associated with fire which is generally viewed as more destructive and violent. However, it may be seen in a more positive light if you think that fire is often needed for some plants to germinate and, in religion, fire can be seen as cleansing and rejuvenating. So from this you could derive Sylaise's associations with birth and healing.

The Dalish talk of Andruil being somewhat wild (which seems likely true) compared with Sylaise. They also talk of Sylaise singing and making art so it is easy to see how that would be associated with a more peaceful, calming influence.   The Grand Sonallium was after all a gift from Sylaise to "clever" June in thanks for a great favour, and this was a work of art so there does seem something to that association with Sylaise.   Clearly she also did seem to prefer to use persuasion and probably bribes to get people to do things for her rather than violence and intimidation.

Of course, even if Sylaise was more peaceful and diplomatically inclined, we know that the elven empire was destroyed by war, and ironically so was the Dales, so just as the Vir Atishan is not so popular with modern Dalish, probably this was equally the case towards the end of the empire, which could account for why there is no recollection of what the Vir Atishan actually involved, just that it was associated with Sylaise.

I must admit that I would be interested in learning more about both Sylaise and June.   There is clearly more to Sylaise than the Dalish remember and the Temple of Mythal suggested the same was true of June.     I do wonder exactly what that great favour was that June did for Sylaise.    The gods also do seem to have been regarded as pairs: Elgar'nan and Mythal; Andruil and Ghilan'nain, Dirthamen and Falon'Din so that would leave Sylaise and June.    They were also regarded as the youngest of the gods before Ghilan'nain was elevated to their ranks, quite possibly because Andruil felt she needed an ally or simply because she was "beloved".