Old Gods

Old Gods are beings that were worshiped by a significant number of Thedosians, specifically the mages of the Tevinter Imperium, thousands of years ago. The mages worshiped them in the form of dragons. Legend holds that it was the Old Gods who initially taught mages how to use magic. It is widely believed—if not generally accepted as self-evident—throughout Thedas that the archdemons are the sleeping Old Gods, tainted and corrupted by the darkspawn.

In the days of the Tevinter Imperium, the Old Gods were a pantheon of deities widely revered by most citizens, with temples and priesthoods dedicated to their veneration, such as the acolytes of Dumat, who swore oaths of silence in homage to their lord. The first magister, Archon Thalsian, accredited his discovery of blood magic to the Old God Dumat, and his power led to the foundation of the Tevinter Imperium. Dragon imagery and iconography was equated with Imperial power all throughout the Imperium. Holidays were popularly celebrated in tribute to the Old Gods, namely the Festival of Urthemiel, which spanned an entire week.

What the Old Gods actually are and their relation to the Maker is very mysterious. It is unknown if one predates the other. The Old Gods are not creators and although they exist outside the Chantry's pantheon, the people of ancient Tevinter do attribute the creation of the world to the Maker, although by a different name. The Chantry teaches that the Old Gods were false deities. They turned mortals from worship of the Maker, an act recognized as the "First Sin". As a result, the Maker imprisoned them underground. Their minds continued to roam the Fade like any other dreaming individuals' mind would, and they were able to contact the Magisters and teach them to use magic in hope that the magisters might free them. It was for this reason that the magisters entered the Golden City in a failed attempt to usurp the Maker's throne, inadvertently causing the First Blight.

The event of the First Blight led to a crisis of faith across the Imperium, shaken at the devastation their own god relentlessly championed. Several temples were razed by betrayed believers, slaughtering priests to the Old Gods as retribution for their unheeded prayers. Today, cults devoted to the Old Gods are rumored to still exist in some places, but the religion has since been for the most part replaced with the monotheistic worship of the Maker. Qunari interpretation Edit

The Tome of Koslun also mentions the Old Gods and how they were worshiped in the ancient Tevinter. According to Sten, it explicitly says that "the Old Gods were like unto dragons, as the first human kings were like unto ordinary men".