Quick Links
The Dragon Age series has a number of religions. The largest of them is the Chant of Light, but there are also the elf gods and The Stone of the dwarves. However, the Qun is arguably the most mysterious of these religions. This is helped by the Qunari also being the most mysterious race in Thedas.
While they are called Qunari today, the race used to be called Kossith. Most about their religion is not revealed in the games themselves but in The World of Thedas books.
Updated on August 18, 2021, by Allison Stalberg: The Qunari, as you will soon learn, are more of a religion than a race. Their customs have always sparked interesting debates among fans that are both political and philosophical. The Qun has a unique view of individualism versus the universe but also zealously practices all the horrors of colonialism when at war. Their authoritarian rule springs interesting companions who are incredibly different despite growing up in the same society, like Sten and The Iron Bull. With all that in mind, the Qun is truly one of the most fascinating parts of Dragon Age lore.
How The Qun Came To Be
The Qun was founded by a Kossith philosopher, Ashkaari Koslun. Koslun founded the Qun after going on a quest to find a society without any despair. Places he found that were even close to what he wanted only were happy at the expense of others.
After journeying through many places, he decided to live in the desert and self-reflect. It was there that he came to the epiphany of the Qun. Apparently, the ideas for the Qun came after he witnessed a swarm of locusts. He proceeded to write his lessons in the form of poetry that would be known as the founding texts of the Qun.
Once Koslun wrote his philosophy, its teachings spread like wildfire. Due to its authoritarian beliefs practice, it did not take very long for the religion to also become law. All old animist temples were destroyed and anyone who worshiped gods like the Maker or Mythal was stopped.
The Qun's Core Concepts: Society And Order Come First
In Dragon Age 2, Hawke and the gang meet a Saarebas - a Qunari mage. His mouth is sewn shut, as their culture fears magic and believes it can never truly be controlled. When he is set free by Hawke, he quotes the Qun with "Asit tal-eb - It is to be" before killing himself.
His entire scenario is reflective of the Qun's core concepts:
- The first concept is that the good of society always sits above personal freedoms.
- Secondly, society has a natural order that is meant to be followed and obeyed. If one struggles against it, they will suffer, and thus the world will suffer as well.
The Qun teaches that the individual does not truly exist, as they are just a part of a whole. Society is nature, not a construct, and to go against it is what creates despair.
This brings up two words that are also core concepts of the Qun: mastery and balance. The Qun believes these concepts cannot be obtained by someone who spends their lifetime finding out who they are and what they want. Instead, the Qun gives them these answers from the beginning and their job is to master and find inner balance in their role.
Life As A Qunari Mage
So why did the Saarebas kill himself? It is because he was a devout follower of the Qun. As a mage, he is seen as a danger that always needs to be under rigid control. When Hawke broke him away from his role of being controlled, he ultimately decides to end his own life because he would not be accepted back into the Qun.
It is not far-fetched to imagine that those who are devout do not know how to live as an individual. The Saarebas decided it would be better to die than to live without the Qun.
If his death is mentioned to the Arishok later in Dragon Age 2, the Arishok says he did the right thing. If the Saarebas returned to the Qun, they would have killed him instead because Qunari mages are never allowed to be separated from their keeper.
The Roles Of The Qun
The Qun love their roles, so knowing what roles exist is a part of understanding the religion. In fact, each Qunari is assigned their role at 12-years-old.
Leadership Roles
There are three leaders of the Qunari:
- The Arigena: The nurturer of their society, someone who maintains community health.
- The Ariqun: The head priest, someone who pushes the progress of science as well as makes sure the Qun is taught correctly.
- The Arishok: The head of the military.
Family Roles
Family roles actually do not exist in the Qun. This is to avoid individualism, as society itself is the family. There are female priestesses who raise young Qunari and teach them the ways of the Qun.
The priestesses are called Tamassrans, and they actually have a ton of power because they are the ones who decide the roles of the children once they reach 12-years-old. They decide the roles through physical and oral tests.
Gender Roles
The Qun believes that certain genders are better at certain kinds of work. No matter how much a man may work hard to be a Tamassran, the Qun would think a woman would be better and that it is an inefficient choice to put a man in that role. Even in roles where both genders exist (such as the Ben-Hassrath), the different genders may still be categorized by specializations.
However, the gender roles are not set in stone. There are sometimes exceptions.
The Secret Police
Known as the Ben-Hassrath, this secret police of the Qun exists to maintain order from the shadows. They typically do not kill those that have done wrong; instead, they try to reeducate them so that they can assimilate into Qunari society.
To the Ben-Hassrath, rebellion and unhappiness is an illness that can be cured through their methods. Iron Bull is one such example of how the order operates.
Saarebas
Mages in the Qunari are both feared and respected. Under the Qun, it is believed that magic is anti-order. It's something that can never be controlled, so mages born under the Qun must be leashed and constantly watched over. If they ever practice forbidden magic, their tongues are cut out as well. In terms of what they do, they are considered to be weapons and are used as such.
In terms of what respect Saarebas receive from the Qun, they get a mixture of pity and awe. Under the Qun, the highest virtue is to thrive despite having a constant threat from within.
Tal-Vashoth (Exiled Qunari Heretics)
While most people of Thedas would look at a Tal-Vashoth and call them Qunari, the devout Qunari will not, as the Tal-Vashoth are Qunari who do not believe in and/or follow the Qun after having lived under it.
They are constant targets of the Ben-Hassrath, despite the Tal-Vashoth never being as formidable as the Qun. Unfortunately, most Qunari outside of the Qun have to resort to mercenary work or thievery to survive. Outside of the Qun, few parts of Thedas society will have them.
Qunari Timeline Before Inquisition
---2021-08-17T165832848.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=740&dpr=1.5)
This timeline shows every Qunari entry in the timeline of Thedas according to The World of Thedas Volume One:
- - 410 Ancient: It is believed that Kossith appeared in the south Korcari Wilds and establish a colony. They were killed off in the first Blight, creating the first ogres on the continent.
- - 6:30 Steel: Qunari land in Par Vollen and conquer it.
- - 6:32 Steel: Many Qunari ships go to Seheron and northern Rivain. The First Qunari War begins.
- - 6:42 Steel: Qunari claim land in the Imperium, Rivain, and Antiva. They begin attacking the Free Marches.
- - 6:85 Steel: Humans chip away at the Qunari in Tevinter.
- - 7:84 Storm: Nothern Thedas is in ruins from Qunari invasions. Rebuilding becomes more prioritized than driving out the Qunari. A peace treaty is signed by all Thedosian nations, except Tevinter, with the Qunari. This treaty is called the Llomerryn Accords.
- - 8:10 Blessed: Par Vallen Qunari welcome Rivaini diplomats. The visit dispels many myths about the Qunari.
- - 8:55 Blessed: Qunari retake Seheron and Tevinter is at war with them alone. Qunari attempt to directly attack Tevinter, but fail.
- - 9:31 Dragon: A Qunari dreadnaught gets shipwrecked in Kirkwall. The Qunari Arishok and his soldiers refused to leave until they recover the stolen Tome of Koslun.
- - 9:34 Dragon: There is a Qunari uprising in Kirkwall and Viscount Dumar is beheaded by the Arishok. Hawke drives the Qunari out and gets named Champion.