#if you have existing Flemeth meta feel free to share a link to the post!

[imakemywings]

Hi! I saw and liked your analysis of Ambessa & Mel and that you implied in your tags that you don't like bashing either about it - which gives me hope, because I wanted to ask what you think about Flemeth from the Dragon Age series? I think she has many parallels with Ambessa and enjoy her character as well... (I know there are many people with very strong - negative! - opinions about Flemeth because of Morrigan, hence the "gives me hope" part)

Hi Anon, I'm glad you liked it! Arcane has been on my mind again and I've always found Mel and Ambessa fascinating characters with a disappointing lack of analysis in the fandom at large. Unfortunately, there is a lot of hate for both characters, especially Mel, which I think is unwarranted--but that's another discussion.

Flemeth is a great question. I'm going to say I haven't given Morrigan and Flemeth's relationship nearly as much thought as I have Ambessa and Mel's, but I know there are fans out there who have. I'm going to put this in her tag to see if someone else is looking for the chance to give some analysis on Flemeth!

I will say I think Ambessa and Mel's relationship is actually more clear-cut than Morrigan and Flemeth. Dragon Age sort of goes back and forth on the details and the nature of their relationship. Origins seems to make a very clear, obvious case that whatever affection Flemeth might have for Morrigan, she did intend to eventually steal Morrigan's body for her own use. We're also given plenty of fodder for the notion that Flemeth was not a particularly maternal parent and believed that approaching Morrigan's upbringing with harsh realism would keep Morrigan safe later by teaching her not to be too trusting or naive. While Morrigan expresses agreement with this tactic--and strongly disapproves whenever she believes the Warden is coddling someone--she also suggests there were moments that Flemeth's lack of sympathy wounded her in ways that stick with her as an adult and at times seems not to understand her mother as a person.

However, in II, Flemeth appears again as a (chaotic) force of good for the Hawke family and has some kind words for Merrill on Sundermount. Here, she seems eminently reasonable and is a part of the Hawke mythology. Then in Inquisition, Flemeth will tell Morrigan when confronted that Morrigan was never in any danger, and that Flemeth would never have taken her body without permission.

I've seen some fans argue this was simply retconning of Flemeth as a straightforward villain, but putting the Doylist analysis aside, what does this mean within the realm of what we're given as canon? It means, for now, we're left choosing who we think is more believable: Morrigan or Flemeth. Most fans will be inclined to believe Morrigan, simply because we're given a lot more chance to understand and befriend or even romance Morrigan, which is apt to put us squarely in her camp and believe her original analysis of the danger presented by Flemeth was correct.

However, assuming for a moment that Morrigan perhaps overestimated or misunderstood the danger posed by Flemeth, what else can we believably see? If Flemeth does house the remnants or soul of the elven god Mythal (who, from what we're told, appears to be one of the more sympathetic of the Evanuris, the only one whom Solas speaks of with any regard), it would be easy to see why she might not understand Morrigan's fear or connect with Morrigan's feelings about anything. If we're talking about an ancient, immortal god soul, who has lived largely in isolation for at least a generation (Morrigan repeatedly notes how isolated her childhood was, that it was mostly just her and Flemeth the whole time), there's every reason to believe she is virtually incapable of understanding things from Morrigan's perspective--not out of malice, but because Morrigan's mortal life is simply too removed from Flemythal's experience in the world (Possibly comparable to how the citizens of Thedas did not even seem like people to Solas initially.)

It's also possible that whatever danger Flemeth did or does pose, Morrigan misunderstood it by virtue of being unaware that Flemeth houses Mythal's soul--it may indeed be the case that Flemeth is dangerous, but on a totally different scale/in a very different manner than Morrigan thought when she believed her mother was just a witch (Morrigan is shocked to learn about the Mythal connection).

I should probably also address Morrigan's own parenting. In an Inquisition game where Morrigan arrives with Kieran, we get a glimpse at what Morrigan believes is good parenting. While I would not go so far as to say Morrigan is an indulgent parent, she also appears to have softened a great deal from her Origins attitudes. Kieran clearly trusts her and Morrigan appears reasonably affectionate with him. She is extremely protective of him in the Fade. Are these things a sign that she's rejected Flemeth's parenting tactics as too harsh to use on her own child? Arguably. One of the things she says to Flemeth in Inquisition is a rather damning "I will not be the mother you were to me." This is a pretty harsh condemnation of her own upbringing.

But you could parse it with the same analysis used on Ambessa and Mel: How much of what Morrigan and Mel say is truth, and how much is their lashing out with hurt feelings because they misunderstood their mothers' motives? The difference with Morrigan and Flemeth, I would argue, is that Morrigan starts out agreeing with Flemeth--it isn't until later, after Flemeth's (perceived?) betrayal, after Morrigan becomes a parent herself, that she changes her view and decides Flemeth was too harsh with her. Mel appears to have always had friction with her mother stemming from their diametrically opposed philosophies until it culminated in her being sent away, a move she freely admits hurt her deeply, and continues to hurt her.

All of this makes Flemeth a difficult character to analyze, imo. Your analysis of her is likely to be strongly predicated on whether you find her more believable than Morrigan or not. Personally, I'm inclined to believe Morrigan was not totally wrong that Flemeth is dangerous. I would also venture to say Flemeth--at least as she appears in Origins--comes across more selfish than Ambessa, who at least nominally acts to protect her family (even if you believe her methods are misguided). Ambessa, at the crux of her confrontation with Mel in E9, recognizes that Mel was hurt by her actions and offers to bring her home (on a condition...) Flemeth, by contrast, seems more dismissive of Morrigan's fear and hurt. Even if Morrigan is totally wrong, clearly she believes and has believed for years that Flemeth intended her real harm--enough that she made an effort to convince the Warden her mother had to die to keep her safe--but Flemeth does not appear to have much sympathy for any of this (Which again--she may not really be capable of, being Flemythal. To her, these things may all feel so trivial that it escapes her how upsetting it's been for Morrigan.)

So what would Flemeth's motivations be for lying to Morrigan in Inquisition? I would guess three main options:

a) She wants to preserve some remnant of Morrigan's trust for later use (For what? Why? Just as a precaution--don't burn a bridge if you don't have to?)

b) She was actually telling the truth.

c) Whether or not she was telling the truth, she has some attachment to Morrigan's affection and therefore wanted Morrigan to believe the best about her (that she never meant to hurt Morrigan).

It could be a combination of factors. Given her last scene with Solas in Inquisition, I sincerely doubt we've seen the last of Flemeth in this series, and Dread Wolf might force the Dragon Age team to finally pick a lane on whether Flemeth is a villain or not (and to what degree).

Anyone else who has devoted time and thought to pondering Flemeth and her motivations--please feel free to share your thoughts!