Rebecca Yarros has woven a complex and intricate world in The Empyrean Series, filled with powerful dragons, morally gray conflicts, and hidden truths about magic. While dragons are seen as the righteous force against venin, are they truly as noble as they seem? Could it be that they, too, have their own dark history? Let’s explore the clues from Fourth Wing, Iron Flame, and Onyx Storm to determine if dragons are as good as we believe—or if they are simply another faction vying for power.
Why would I even be asking this question? I can’t shake off what Jack says over and over again.
“Why should they determine our potential when we’re capable of reaching for fate all on our own?” – They, as in, the dragons.
Then Jack says “[the wards] Do not block all power like the dragons want you to think they do! We can still feed from the ground, still channel enough to survive. Enough to fool them. We might not be at full strength, capable of wielding greater magic under your protections, but make no mistake: we are already among you, and now we’re free.”
And finally, from Onyx Storm: “Power should be accessible to everyonestrong enough to wield it, not just who they see fit. You conveniently see me as the villain, but you’re bonded to two.”
We know that there are seven species of dragons: black, blue, brown, orange, red, green, and irid. These dragons use combined fire to raise wards against other wielding creatures, such as gryphon fliers and venin. However, unlike their counterparts, irids seem fundamentally different.
A key moment is when Violet learns that dragon eggs hold magic long after hatching—implying a deeper connection between dragons and magic than previously thought. This raises the question: where exactly does their power come from? “They’re metal and still carry magic long after the dragons hatch.”
But how long AFTER? “Not this one.” A corner of my mouth lifts, and I run my finger along the inner edge, picturing her biding her time for hundreds of years, listening, waiting. A charge of energy runs up my arm, and I lift my brows at the sensation.
The irid egg shell continues to hold some magic more than 6 centuries after? Interesting.
The irid dragons claim they are magic.
“We are magic,” the male replies like it’s the most obvious reason in the world.”
This stands in stark contrast to venin, who siphon magic from the ground. More importantly, when visiting the isles, Violet notices: she alone can continue communicating with her dragons. There is no magic on the island so is it possible? We know that the rest of the dragons are in pain.
“She’s in pain.”
“All the dragons are, I think, not that they’ll admit it, but I don’t think they can survive—or at least thrive the way they do at home—away from magic.”
Violet is not magic herself, but she has bonded with Andarna, an irid dragon. Could it be that the irids, unlike other dragons, draw from the sky, not the ground. The venin continuously tell Violet that she can command the sky, further hinting at this distinction.
“Andarna shows no sign of trouble. I am inconvenienced, annoyed, and cut off from my source of power, strength, and my mate’s thoughts, but I am still Tairneanach[…]
Every other dragon is cut off. Because the land has no magic. Not Andarna. Not Violet. However, Andarna is completely fine. Why? Because unlike the others, Andarna does not rely on magic from the ground.
“You can command the sky to surrender all its power.”
That’s what the venin keep telling Violet, right?
This begs the question: what if dragons once wielded magic from the sky, but abandoned it?
Additionally, Violet uncovers:
“But it was the third brother, who commanded the sky to surrender its greatest power, who finally vanquished his jealous sibling at a great and terrible price.”
Interesting, so the sky can be commended to surrender its greatest power. Furthermore, the fables explicitly warn about wielding power from the ground instead of the skies, cautioning against corruption. This could mean that dragons, like venin, once made a dangerous choice. In fact, when you read the fable…”Maybe it’s childish, just a collection of stories that warn us against the lure of magic, and even demonize dragons, but it’s all I have left.“
In Onyx Storm, when Violet visits Unnbriel (the Island of Dunne), she is able to wield lightning despite the magic-nullifying effects of the land. If all magic is supposed to come from the ground, how can she still wield her signet? Is it because her power is connected to the sky, through Andarna.
The biggest revelation comes when Felix challenges Violet’s assumptions:
“And lightning comes from the sky, not my hands.”
“Why not from the ground? Or your hands?”
Violet can feel that she channels from the sky. Not from her hands, and not from the ground. I now wonder what is the role of her conduit?
This suggests that wielding from the sky is a forgotten art. Humans bonded dragons to channel magic through them, and in turn, dragons also channel magic from the ground. Why not the sky? What actually happened?
In one of the Q&A, Rebecca Yarros said that she would want to write a prequel, but it would be very sad. Something tells me that there is a lot of suffering involved, and something made dragons channel from the ground. Why? Also, why did Irids leave from the continent? Did they not agree with bonding humans and channeling from the ground? It also seems a little superficial that if they are magic, they decided to abandon all other dragons? Or did the dragons get corrupted themselves and wanted more power?
At this point, we understand that magic in the Empyrean world is deeply divided. The venin drain magic from the ground, while humans channel it through their bonds. But what if dragons are simply a more refined version of venin?
“It was never our continent. From the very beginning, it was theirs, and we were simply allowed to live here.”
Who is they? Many assume dragons, but what if it was the Gods? What if dragons, much like venin, found a way to steal magic—and not turn?
The most important passage in Onyx Storm suggests that Violet is sensing something completely different:
“I’m struck with the oddest urge to try and pluck strands from the very sky and weave runes.”
This is crucial. Violet instinctively wants to weave power from the sky. But then it’s weird.
“It feels like there’s more power out here than usual,” I tell Tairn as we dive along a ridgeline.
“There’s actually less—the venin saw to that,” he replies. “But you grow more powerful every day, more capable of recognizing what once was entirely invisible to you.”
Hmmm, is there more power because she is beyond the wards and she can feel the sky magic without the pressure from the wards?
One of the best supporting pieces of evidence comes from the Fables of the Barren:
“The fables explicitly warn about wielding power from the ground instead of the skies.”
If wielding magic from the ground leads to corruption (venin), then wielding it from the sky may be the true way to use magic. This would explain why Violet’s lightning signet alone is able to kill venin when others cannot. Or why Andarna says that magic feels different when she changes color. Or why potentially her fire is the only one that kill venin.
“Magic requires balance,” Nolon argues. “It does not give without a price!” – So what is price dragons have to pay for taking magic?
“Dragons can speak to gryphons?” My eyebrows shoot up. “Naturally. How do you think we communicated before humans got involved?” Before humans got involved. Gryphons cannot raise wards. I am curious about this one. Do they also channel from the ground? Dragons always say that they are the superior species. They also say that they pay no heeds to the human Gods. WHY?
Are dragons evil?
Sort of. Morally gray, much like most of Yarros’ characters. Dragons seem to be hiding the truth about their past. They have bonded with humans not out of altruism, but to secure their own survival—and to continue wielding power.
“The First Six riders were desperate to save their people when they approached the dens over six hundred years ago. Those dragons formed the first Empyrean and bonded humans only to protect their hatching grounds from venin, who were the bigger threat. We don’t exactly have opposable thumbs for weaving wards or runes. Neither species has ever been entirely truthful, both using the other for their own reasons and nothing more.”
Did the irids leave because they didn’t like what was happening? Dragons might have abandoned their original power source. For some reason, they stopped drawing from the sky and started using magic from the ground—possibly for control over humans. So why not the irids? Why did they refuse this?
Irids never made this transition. They still wield from the sky, which is why their flame kills venin while other dragonfire does not.
Violet is the balance. Theo states that every century, there is a “great equalizer.” She has the ability to channel magic from the sky, making her the balance. In a way, if she cures venin, she can also cure dragons, right? And make them channel the right way again.
Oh since we’re discussing this, I do think Irids are on Loial’s isle. They seem to like peace (and love) above all.
If magic from the ground corrupts (venin), then magic from the sky may have the ability to heal the venin—potentially even saving Xaden and thus, the rest of the dragonkind. Which would nicely tie in with my theory that love (Violet) is the cure.
Leave a Reply