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Aaravos is introduced as an ancient and mysterious Startouch Elf, an ancient type of universal elfin races that connects to the magical cosmic/celestial/heavenly energy of the stars and is extremely rare. Trapped in a mysterious realm behind a magic mirror, he comes into contact with dark High Mage ], one of the series' main antagonists, and eventually forms a partnership with him in order to ensure his long-awaited release from his prison. Aaravos is introduced as an ancient and mysterious Startouch Elf, an ancient type of universal elfin races that connects to the magical cosmic/celestial/heavenly energy of the stars and is extremely rare. Trapped in a mysterious realm behind a magic mirror, he comes into contact with dark High Mage ], one of the series' main antagonists, and eventually forms a partnership with him in order to ensure his long-awaited release from his prison.


Ultimately, he disregards Lord Viren, merely using his overly eager and highly talented dark mage daughter Claudia as another pawn, and has set his sights on his main target: Seventeen-year-old Callum, the very first human archmage to fully access and freely wield pure primal magic (presently only the sky and moon arcanum) at such a young age, their identical jawline, and that Callum holds his ]-shaped mystical Key, of which the latter has been so obsessed with since childhood. Ultimately, he disregards Lord Viren, merely using his overly eager and highly talented dark mage daughter Claudia as another pawn, and has set his sights on his main target''':''' Seventeen-year-old Archmage Callum, the very first human or elfin archmage to fully access and freely wield pure primal magic (initially the sky and moon magics at present) at such a young age either in human or elf years.

And as such, fans strongly theorize that due to their shared and unique link to all primal sources along with their identical jawline, and that only Callum was entrusted with his ]-shaped mystical Key, which Callum has been so obsessed with since he was a toddler living with his mother and royal stepfather.


==Storylines== ==Storylines==

Revision as of 00:49, 30 June 2023

Fictional character in The Dragon Prince Fictional character
Aaravos
The Dragon Prince character
Promotional still of Aaravos
First appearance"Echoes of Thunder" (narrator)
"Smoke and Mirrors" (cameos)
"Fire and Fury"
Created byAaron Ehasz
Justin Richmond
Voiced byErik Dellums
In-universe information
AliasThe Fallen Star
The Midnight Star (formerly)
The Great One
NicknameAaravdos (misspelled)
Amber Nose
SpeciesStartouch Elf
PositionElven Wizard
Archmage
Grandmaster of All Six Primal Sources
AffiliationDragons & Elves (formerly)
Team Viren
WeaponDark Magic Staff (formerly)
Significant otherUnknown Human Woman
RelativesFellow Startouch elves
OriginHeaven
NationalityXadian

Aaravos is a fictional recurring character who serves as the true main antagonist in the American–Canadian fantasy computer-animated web television series The Dragon Prince, which has been aired on Netflix since 2018. The character was created by the show's co-creators Aaron Ehasz and Justin Richmond, and is voiced by Erik Dellums.

Aaravos is introduced as an ancient and mysterious Startouch Elf, an ancient type of universal elfin races that connects to the magical cosmic/celestial/heavenly energy of the stars and is extremely rare. Trapped in a mysterious realm behind a magic mirror, he comes into contact with dark High Mage Viren, one of the series' main antagonists, and eventually forms a partnership with him in order to ensure his long-awaited release from his prison.

Ultimately, he disregards Lord Viren, merely using his overly eager and highly talented dark mage daughter Claudia as another pawn, and has set his sights on his main target: Seventeen-year-old Archmage Callum, the very first human or elfin archmage to fully access and freely wield pure primal magic (initially the sky and moon magics at present) at such a young age either in human or elf years.

And as such, fans strongly theorize that due to their shared and unique link to all primal sources along with their identical jawline, and that only Callum was entrusted with his cube-shaped mystical Key, which Callum has been so obsessed with since he was a toddler living with his mother and royal stepfather.

Storylines

Background

Aaravos is one of the very first elves to exist in either Heaven or Xadia, making him approximately five millennia old when the show begins. He is the one-and-only eleven grandmaster of all six of the Primal Sources of pure elemental magic, as well as the giver of "the seventh source" of dark magic, which he himself bestowed onto humanity as a gift. At one point, he shared undisclosed magical gifts to humans and saved some Elarion's citizens from King Sol Regem's genocide.

Despite this, he was present when humanity was banished to the Western side of the continent. 700 years later, Aaravos, for mysterious and unknown reasons, is imprisoned inside a mysterious prison by the alliance of Elven archmages and Archdragons. While being checked through the mirror, Aaravos remained supervised within the magical undersea prison by the late Dragon King Avizandum and his fellow Archdragons of the Ocean, Earth and the Sun alongside the Orphan Queen, a human archmage called "the Jailer" and a Tidebound archmage. The Startouch Elf remains trapped there for the next three centuries. Some time ago, he had allegedly fallen deeply in love with a certain human woman, and she with him.

Book One: Moon (2018)

Aaravos narrates the prologue of the series premiere, explaining how humanity was banished from Xadia by the elves and dragons.

Aaravos's hand also appears in the credits of the eighth episode "Cursed Caldera" due to Lord Viren's close success to breaching the enchanted mirror's power to reveal the inside of the hidden undersea prison.

Book Two: Sky (2019)

When Lord/High Mage Viren finally manages to see into the library-like realm behind the magic mirror, a cloaked Aaravos comes into view. Lord Viren realizes the elf cannot see him, but Aaravos eventually casts a spell allowing him to see Viren as well. Because they cannot hear each other, Aaravos gestures to Viren to gather specific items for a blood ritual of communication and servitude. Before the last step, however, Lord Viren stops and leaves to think, unsure if he can trust such a mysterious being. Meanwhile, Callum learns that the cube his father led him to find originally belonged to Aaravos. After Viren's failed attempt to rally the other kingdoms, he follows through with the elf's instructions. The spell teleports from inside the mirror a small purple caterpillar, which crawls to Viren's ear and allows the two to speak.

After some convincing, Aaravos finally introduces himself. When Lord Viren tries searching for information on Aaravos in the royal library, the words magically disappears from the scrolls and books. Lord Viren demands to know what's going on and why he should trust the mysterious elf; Aaravos replies that he shouldn't at the moment. When Viren admits that the leaders of the other human kingdoms refuse to listen, Aaravos agrees to help him. First, he has Lord Viren chant a dark spell to create ghostly versions of elven assassins to terrorize the other four monarchs into taking a stand against Xadia. When castle guards try to arrest him, Aaravos casts sun spells to help Lord Viren fight them. Upon being surrounded and outnumbered, Aaravos orders Lord Viren to stop and the latter reluctantly obliges. Aaravos promises to stay with Lord Viren, and the caterpillar crawls into his ear.

Book Three: Sun (2019)

In a dungeon, Aaravos encourages a despairing Viren not to give up. When Viren's children visit him, and Claudia demands to know why he ordered Soren to kill Callum and Ezran, Aaravos warns Viren that an honest answer will cost him her loyalty, thus subtlety manipulating him into deceiving her. With two monarchs dead and a third severely injured, the latter's son, Prince Kasef, works with Viren to wage war on Xadia. Aaravos's caterpillar weaves silk over Viren's right eye, allowing him to see an apparition of Aaravos's true form. That evening, Viren declares to his subjects that they will march on Xadia. On the way to Xadia, Aaravos asks how Viren slayed the Dragon King, and Viren tells the tale, delighting the Startouch elf. Aaravos reveals that Avizandum is the one who trapped him in the magic mirror, though he doesn't know where his prison is because the Dragon King never told him.

As part of the plan to conquer Xadia, Aaravos has Viren enter Lux Aurea, the home of the Sunfire elves. Queen Khessa's attempts to purify Viren of the essence dark magic gives him and Aaravos access to the Sunforge, the very source of all of their solar magic. Aaravos's caterpillar (now considerably larger) bites the Sunfire High Priest, corrupting not only the latter's Sun staff, but the Sunforge as well. Due to the bite, Aaravos is able to possess the body of the High Priest, and sadistically whispers to Queen Khessa the fate of her grandmother, Queen Aditi, before disintegrating her into ash with a mere touch of his finger.

Using the tainted Sunfire Staff, Viren transforms his soldiers into aggressive lava monsters with super strength. As they clash with the elf-human alliance at the base of Storm Spire Mountain, Viren uses the distraction to ascend to the peak, where Aaravos's caterpillar (now the size of a snake) chants a spell to harvest the Dragon Prince's power for Viren. Before the spell can be completed, Rayla tackles Viren and Aaravos over the Spire's edge. Callum rescues her, but Viren falls to his death, Aaravos separating from him mid-descent. Claudia finds and revives Viren with her dark magic, and subsequently reveals Aaravos's caterpillar has entered a cocoon, metamorphosing into something else.

Book Four: Earth (2022)

The show, now renamed The Dragon Prince: Mystery of Aaravos for its second and final saga/story arc, more of Aaravos's devious plans and mysterious history are revealed somewhat by Queen Zubeia. Aaravos continues to set his release in motion currently using a resurrected Lord Viren and his overly eager dark mage daughter Claudia as his pawns, with his caterpillar familiar now a butterfly-winged Startouch creature guiding them to clues that will lead to his prison.

After learning of Aaravos's impending return from Ibis, the Skywing archmage, Queen Zubeia reveals to the main protagonists (King Ezran of Katolis, Crownguard Soren, Primal High Mage Callum, Rayla, an their animal companions Sunfire glowtoad Bait and Startouch cuddlemonkey Stella) that Aaravos was originally loved and respected by all Xadians until it was discovered by a young human girl (the Orphan Queen, King Ezran's paternal great-great-great grandmother)) that he had orchestrated every major crisis the world had ever faced, including the death of the Archdragon of the Moon, and dragon queen, Luna Tenebris, and the disappearance of Sunfire elfin Queen Aditi. Working together, the six Archdragons and Elven Archmages outwitted Aaravos and trapped him in a secretive magical prison, of which Aaravos is not aware of its location nor those who saw to his supposedly permanent incarceration.

As they returned the mirror and opened the window pane under cover of darkness, Aaravos makes brief contact, utilizing his ancient dark powers to take control of Primal Archmage Callum's body to communicate with the only "champions" Queen Zubeia had gathered against him, as he cannot be heard from his prison. He mocks the group, reminding each of their own weaknesses and insecurities, and believes they do not stand the slightest chance against him, being mere children. He destroys the mirror effectively to prevent any further communication, freely enabling him to do so through Archmage Callum at will, as he seems to feel and/or share a mysterious connection to the young human who has become the very first primal archmage in both human and Xadian history without the requiring primal stones, as he can, which is probably one of the reasons why he has made Callum his main target rather than Claudia.

Book Five: Ocean (2023)

Book Six: Stars (2024)

Development

Characterization and progression

Aaravos is described by the series' creators as a complicated character with a good side and a bad side. He is described as "mysterious and charismatic," as well as "secretive, yet charming." He is also stated by the creators to be manipulative in a "very slow and seductive way", and the fact he is able to manipulate a person as "brilliant" as Viren is a great example of this.

Regarding the character's fascination with humans and the mysterious gifts he shared with them, Ehasz stated that it is partly out of genuine kindness and generosity, and partly out of a desire to be "worshiped" and "revered."

Despite his secretive and manipulative nature, Aaravos has stated that he never tells a lie, which both Ehasz and Richmond have confirmed, stating that he is "manipulative without being deceptive" and "always tells the truth."

Powers and abilities

In the world of The Dragon Prince, only magical creatures can use magic, as they have magical energy within them. All magic originates from one of six Primal Sources: the Sun, the Moon, the Stars, the Earth, the Sky, and the Ocean. As a Startouch Elf, Aaravos is naturally connected to the stars, but due to being a "fallen" member of his race, he can only access a fraction of his former power. He has also somehow mastered the other five Primal Sources, and his abilities related to them are seemingly limitless. Because of this, he is referred to as an "Archmage." An example of Aaravos's mastery is that he is able to perform spells without speaking the required incantations.

Aaravos is also a master of Dark magic, a corrupted form of magic that is fueled by the essence of magical creatures. Aaravos can perform a dark magic spell without speaking an incantation, but at least once says the spell he wishes to perform in reverse. He knows a number of spells which Viren, an expert in the practice himself, does not.

Aaravos has a familiar, a purple caterpillar-like creature that is not native to the world of Xadia. It heavily resembles a real-life Dragonhead caterpillar, which is the larval form of the butterfly Polyura athamas. Starting in the second season, Aaravos uses this caterpillar to communicate with Viren by channeling his voice through it. He can also perform spells through the form and channel them through Viren's staff to help him defeat enemies. The caterpillar evolves with the ongoing story; initially the size of a regular caterpillar, it grows to the size of a snake throughout the third season, and enters metamorphosis in the season finale.

Reception

Aaravos's character and Dellum's performance has been generally praised by critics and fans. Particular attention has been given to Aaravos's interactions and relationship with the human dark mage Viren. The Daily Dot's Gavia Baker-Whitelaw called his relationship with Viren "intriguing".

Praise continued into the third season. Hypable praised Aaravos and Viren's relationship and the contrast between the goals and actions of these two characters and those of Callum, Rayla, and Ezran. Nelson also reacted positively to the relationship between the two characters and how Aaravos "preys on Viren's ambition and desperation to fulfill his own mysterious, malevolent goals". Kain also took note of how Aaravos was contributing to Viren's descent into villainy.

References

  1. Director: Villads Spangsberg; Writer: Aaron Ehasz & Justin Richmond (November 22, 2019). "Heart of a Titan". The Dragon Prince. Season 2. Episode 15. Netflix.
  2. Director: Giancarlo Volpe; Writers: Aaron Ehasz & Justin Richmond (September 14, 2018). "Echoes of Thunder". The Dragon Prince. Season 1. Episode 1. Netflix.
  3. Director: Villads Spangsberg; Writers: Aaron Ehasz & Justin Richmond (September 14, 2018). "Cursed Caldera". The Dragon Prince. Season 1. Episode 8. Netflix.
  4. Director: Villads Spangsberg; Writers: Devon Giehl & Iain Hendry (February 15, 2019). "Smoke and Mirrors". The Dragon Prince. Season 2. Episode 3. Netflix.
  5. ^ Director: Villads Spangsberg; Writer: Neil Mukhopadbyay (February 15, 2019). "Voyage of the Ruthless". The Dragon Prince. Season 2. Episode 4. Netflix.
  6. Director: Villads Spangsberg; Writer: Devon Giehl & Iain Hendry (February 15, 2019). "Heart of a Titan". The Dragon Prince. Season 2. Episode 15. Netflix.
  7. Director: Villads Spangsberg; Writer: Devon Giehl & Iain Hendry (February 15, 2019). "Fire and Fury". The Dragon Prince. Season 2. Episode 7. Netflix.
  8. Director: Villads Spangsberg; Writer: Aaron Ehasz & Justin Richmond (February 15, 2019). "The Book of Destiny". The Dragon Prince. Season 2. Episode 8. Netflix.
  9. ^ Director: Villads Spangsberg; Writer: Aaron Ehasz & Justin Richmond (February 15, 2019). "Breathe". The Dragon Prince. Season 2. Episode 9. Netflix.
  10. Director: Villads Spangsberg; Writer: Aaron Ehasz & Justin Richmond (November 22, 2019). "Sol Regem". The Dragon Prince. Season 3. Episode 1. Netflix.
  11. Director: Villads Spangsberg; Writer: Devon Giehl & Iain Hendry (November 22, 2019). "Ghost". The Dragon Prince. Season 3. Episode 3. Netflix.
  12. Director: Villads Spangsberg; Writer: Aaron Ehasz & Justin Richmond (November 22, 2019). "The Midnight Desert". The Dragon Prince. Season 3. Episode 4. Netflix.
  13. Director: Villads Spangsberg; Writer: Aaron Ehasz & Justin Richmond (November 22, 2019). "Heroes and Masterminds". The Dragon Prince. Season 3. Episode 5. Netflix.
  14. Director: Villads Spangsberg; Writer: Aaron Ehasz & Justin Richmond (November 22, 2019). "Thunderfall". The Dragon Prince. Season 3. Episode 6. Netflix.
  15. Director: Villads Spangsberg; Writer: Neil Mukhopadbyay (November 22, 2019). "Hearts of Cinder". The Dragon Prince. Season 3. Episode 7. Netflix.
  16. Director: Villads Spangsberg; Writer: Aaron Ehasz & Justin Richmond (November 22, 2019). "The Final Battle". The Dragon Prince. Season 3. Episode 9. Netflix.
  17. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Season 3, Runaans Plan, and Aaravos Speech! The Dragon Prince Interview with Creators. YouTube.
  18. "Character Reveal – Aaravos". 20 February 2019. Archived from the original on June 16, 2019.
  19. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: The Dragon Prince Season 3 Interview at San Diego Comic-Con 2019 with the Creators!. YouTube.
  20. ^ Kain, Eric (February 14, 2019). "'The Dragon Prince' Creators Talk Magic Systems, The Video Game And What To Expect From Season 2". Forbes. Integrated Whale Media. Archived from the original on February 14, 2019. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
  21. "The Dragon Prince - Learn about the World, Primal Stones, Dark Magic,..." Wonderstorm. Archived from the original on June 25, 2019. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  22. "All Magic Incantations From The Dragon Prince Season One". Wonderstorm. November 21, 2018. Archived from the original on June 25, 2019. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  23. thedragonprince (2019-12-17). "Sightseeing in Xadia: Little... Bug Pal?". The Dragon Prince. Retrieved 2020-09-16.
  24. Director: Villads Spangsberg; Writer: Aaron Ehasz & Justin Richmond (November 22, 2019). "The Final Battle". The Dragon Prince. Season 3. Episode 9. Netflix.
  25. Schick, Michal; Abramo, Sonya (February 8, 2019). "'The Dragon Prince' season 2 review: A soaring and compelling continuation". Hypable. Archived from the original on June 16, 2019. Retrieved June 16, 2019. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; June 15, 2019 suggested (help)
  26. Baker-Whitelaw, Gavia (February 8, 2019). "Netflix's 'Dragon Prince' expands its fantasy world in season 2". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on February 13, 2019. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
  27. Schick, Michal (November 15, 2019). "'The Dragon Prince' season 3 is like graduation day with magic and violence". Hypable. Archived from the original on December 19, 2019. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  28. Nelson, Samantha (November 19, 2019). "Dragon Prince's heroes are fighting the same battles as the fans". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on November 20, 2019. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  29. Kain, Erik (November 21, 2019). "'The Dragon Prince' Season 3 Review: One Of The Best Fantasy Shows On TV". Forbes. Whale Media Investments. Archived from the original on July 27, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
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