Enalius replaced Rhiannon in Lore
I haven't seen this discussed, but please feel free to add links if there are existing posts somewhere...
What if Enalius (ACOTAR) and Rhiannon Crochan (TOG) are actually the same historical figure? Some key points below that seem just too coincidental in the lore from both worlds:
- The "Three-Day Stand" in both worlds has probably been rewritten, but the core events remain the same:
A. Legend of Enalius: He is worshipped as the first Illyrian warrior-god. He drew a line in the dirt at the Pass on Ramiel and held off an entire invading enemy (Daglan/Asteri) for three days. On the fourth day, he crawled up the mountain with his guts hanging out to reach the sacred summit stone before dying.
B. Legend of Rhiannon Crochan: She is worshipped as the last Crochan Queen. During the Witch Wars, she held the gates of her city against the invading Ironteeth for three days. On the dawn of the fourth day, she was dealt her finishing blow by the Ironteeth Matrons and died.
- The Horns: Both legends feature a sacred horn blown to signal when their defenses fell.
A. In Rhiannon's story, her ancestor blew the Horn of Telyn Vanora on the fourth dawn to sound a tragic retreat. Later in KoA, Bronwen Vanora carries this exact cracked, ancient horn. She tells Manon that it is her honor to blow it again—not to warn their people of a massacre, but to rally them to take back their land.
B. In Enalius's story, Luna’s Horn was blown on the fourth day to banish the invaders and seal the rifts.
- Truth-Teller and Damaris:
A. Damaris is the legendary sword of truth wielded by Gavin and later Aelin, featuring an "eye" on its pommel representing the Three-Faced Goddess. It is implied to be a ancient witch relic forged during Rhiannon’s time.
B. Truth-Teller is the legendary, dark-hued dagger wielded by Azriel. During the crossover events of CC, it is revealed that Truth-Teller is the twin sword to Gwydion (Starsword).
C. "Truth-Teller" and "Damaris" are either the exact same blade passed down through different names across rifts, or sister blades forged by the same historical figure (Rhiannon/Enalius) to combat world-eating entities.
- Crown of Stars:
In ACOMAF, Rhysand owns the crown of stars. In ToG, the symbol of the Witch Kingdom's sovereign rule is the very similar crown of stars worn by Rhiannon Crochan. The fact that this heirloom ended up in the Night Court implies that the ancient royal line of the Witches crossed over into Prythian’s history.
- Witch Origins of the Illyrians:
A. The Illyrians are a sub-race of Fae with bat-like wings, warrior culture, and fear of women gaining magical power.
B. In ToG, the Ironteeth Witches are a warrior-race born from cross-breeding Fae and Valg. They fly, wear leather, and are deeply matriarchal.
C. What if... the Illyrians are the historical descendants of the ToG witches who fled through a Wyrdgate/rift into Prythian? Over millennia of patriarchy, the history was rewritten so that the matriarchal Crochan Witch Queen Rhiannon was replaced by male historians into the patriarchal Illyrian warrior-god Enalius to erase the powerful female origins.
What is everyone's thoughts? Arguments for and against are welcome... or heck maybe this will spur alternative theories when seeing the similarities. :)