So complete was the elven fall that no artifacts of their culture survive from before the arrival of humans. The eldest of the Dalish have assembled a patchwork of what might have been and believed the lost glory of their people was unparalleled.
They claim elves ruled Thedas from an ancient nation called Elvhenan. They had their own pantheon of gods who were said to bestow all life's gifts and dole out it's punishments. A few even claim their ancestors were immortal, and it was only the arrival of humans- "shemlen" or "quicklings"- that brought death to the "elvhen" people.
It is all conjecture. Belief persists in a few forgotten corners, but if elven gods existed, they are long silent to their modern followers.
Andruil: Goddess of the hunt
Dirthamen: God of secrets and knowledge
Elgar'nan: God of vengeance and the sun, the All-Father
Falon'Din: Guide and Friend of the Dead, god of fortune
Fen'Harel: The Dread Wolf, trickster god
Ghilan'nain: Goddess of navigation, Mother of the Halla
June: God of craft
Mythal: The Great Protector, the All-Mother
Sylaise: The Hearthkeeper
According to Dalish lore, the world was created by Mythal, goddess of motherhood, justice, and protection, together with Elgar'nan, God of fatherhood, and vengeance.
Their eldest children are remembered as twin brothers. Falon'Din was the Friend of the Dead, who guided elders on journeys of enlightenment in their long sleep and later carried them beyond the Veil in death. His brother Dirthamen gave the elves the gift of knowledge, and taught them the value of loyalty and faith in family.
There was also their daughter Andruil, goddess of the hunt, who watched over the animals and taught the elves to respect them.
Andruil's godly sister Sylaise, the Hearthkeeper, stayed home to sing and make art while wild Andruil frolicked. She is credited with teaching the elves to use fire, heal with herbs and magic, and spin fibers to make thread and rope.
Their brother, the god of craft June, used Sylaise's lessons to teach the elves to fashion bows for hunting Andruil's gifts.
Andruil's influence was wide and she had many followers. Among them was Ghilan'nain, an elf chosen by Andruil to raise to a godly rank as Mother of the Halla for her devotion to the animals.
The Dalish tell stories of an ancient conflict during the reign of the elven gods. They say the pantheon, led by Mythal and Elgar'nan, warred endlessly with gods of terror, malice, spite, and pestilence known as the Forgotten Ones.
In between was Fen'Harel, a god of tricks who walked as kin with the pantheon, but was also regarded by the Forgotten Ones as one of their own.
The Dalish believe Fen'Harel conspired to lock away both good and evil to have Elvhenan for himself. It is said that he promised a truce between the good gods and the Forgotten Ones. He sealed the gods away in their respective realms, leaving the elves to fend for themselves. It was then that the humans came, and latter under Tevinter, the great elven city of Arlathan fell.
"After the destruction of Arlathan, when the gods could no longer hear our prayers, it is said Fen'Harel spend centuries in a far corner of the earth, giggling madly and hugging himself in glee" wrote Gisharel, once the keeper of the Dalish clan Ralaferin. This story of elven downfall, whether true or false, serves to reinforce and justify the divide between elf and human.