When any native Fereldan pictures a member of the Dalish, they imagine a wild elf, animal and untamed, shaped by the rugged environments of the Brecilian Forest, the Korcari Wilds, and other hidden places. They picture a savage hunter, wildly tattooed in signs of ancient gods, a blatant unbeliever in a country which reveres the Chant above nearly everything else. And most of all, they see an alien, a figure so strange and utterly foreign, that they cannot truly be trusted as a friend.

But increasingly, as human populations spread, and these wild forest elves find themselves at the mercy of Blight, disease, and darkspawn incursion, the picture of who and what the Dalish are has begun to change.

Historically, the Dalish have been independent, living alone and free as nomads in ever-moving clans, owing allegiance to no one save themselves. The Dalish consider themselves the only “true elves,” living close to the tenets of their ancient gods, the Creators, and following the lessons passed down through legend and lore from the days of Arlathan, the original – and immortal – elven empire. As such, most Dalish believe that they have little in common with humans or with the “flat-earred” elves who live in human cities. As the Dalish oath itself asserts, they are the keepers of the lost lore, the walkers of the lonely path, and never again will they submit to the rule of humans.

“We owe nothing to anyone, we have no master but ourselves, and we go where the halla and the gods take us. [...] We are truly free, for the first time in our people’s history. Why should we change this?” – Taniel, Dalish hunter

Their fierce refusal to submit to the Chantry or to the human occupation that comes with it has earned the Dalish a near-legendary reputation as bandits, murderers, and heathens. They are not welcome within human settlements, nor are they encouraged to build cities of their own. Instead, they keep to the trees, forever wandering the forests as nomads. Yet as the Dalish themselves are quick to point out, their status as renegades also gives them substantial freedom, to travel where they will and worship as they choose.

Their independence poses a sustantial threat in the face of a Blight, however. With no city to call home, and no standing alliances with any other race in Ferelden, the Dalish are caught between the growing numbers of darkspawn surging up into the wilds from the Deep Roads, and the human cities, which are fast preparing for war against the Blight. Given their long-held mistrust of humans, and their commitment to preserving the diminishing natural resources of their homeland, the Dalish we meet in Dragon Age stand at a precipice between tenuous survival and utter annihilation.

But despite their fierce and often violent independence, there is another side to the Dalish – a unique facet of elven lore which may serve as a much-needed tool to help the Dalish out of their tight spot. A lesson from Andruil, the goddess of the hunt, instructs the Dalish to follow a code of conduct called the Vir Tanadhal, or “Way of Three Trees.” In this code, Andruil commands her children to rise above being mere killers, to become hunters truly in tune with the earth and the forces around them:

The Way of the Arrow:

“Be swift and silent;
Strike true, do not waver
And let not your prey suffer.”

The Way of the Bow:

“As the sapling bends, so must you.
In yielding, find resilience;
In pliancy, find strength.”

The Way of the Wood:

“Receive the gifts of the hunt with mindfulness.
Respect the sacrifice of my children
Know that your passing shall nourish them in turn.”

On the surface, it all sounds very pretty: well-intentioned lullabies from a goddess who walked the world long before the modern perils of darkspawn, Archdemons, and inter-racial strife. After all, Andruil was worshipped before humans had even arrived in Thedas, when the entire surface of the continent was home to the elves alone.

But a deeper look at Andruil’s teachings reveals a lesson far more timeless than rabbit-hunting or archery practice. Within these simple phrases lies a philosophy of flexibility, diplomacy, even gentleness: teachings which have perhaps more bearing on the future of the Dalish now than when they were written back in Arlathan.

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