Symbols Fall of Ruin and Wrath Jennifer L. Armentrout

The Symbol of Sōls in Fall of Ruin and Wrath

What Are Sōls?

In the world of Fall of Ruin and Wrath, sōls (pronounced “souls”) are tiny, glowing orbs of light that Thorne, a Hyhborn prince, can summon at will. The Pronunciation Guide defines the term simply as “souls,” but Thorne later clarifies that they are not the souls of mortals. Instead, he explains that sōls are the essence of everything around us—the tree, the grass, the blossoms. They represent the vitality and spirit of the natural world, and they are intimately connected to the Hyhborn, because, as Thorne says, “We are a part of everything that surrounds us. They are a part of us.”

Physically, sōls appear as buttery-gold or soft spheres of light that drift through the air. They respond to Thorne’s voice; when he hums a gentle, melodic sound, they descend from the trees. They also react to praise: when Calista calls them beautiful, their light grows brighter, indicating that they can “understand” and appreciate the compliment.

Where Sōls Appear

Sōls recur in several key scenes, always in garden or nature settings. They first appear in Chapter 10, when Thorne summons them to show Calista after she apologizes for the violence in the gardens. They reappear in Chapter 26, when Calista sees them glowing in the distance while speaking with Thorne about the Great War. Later, in Chapter 33, Calista follows two sōls that are “circling one another” through the gardens, leading her toward another vision and the attack on Archwood. In Chapter 9, she is drawn out of the solarium by an urge and sees sōls dancing in the trees, which propels her toward a confrontation between Hyhborn.

How the Meaning of Sōls Changes

Initially, sōls are presented as beautiful, harmless lights that Calista admires. They seem to be decorative or mystical elements of the garden. Their meaning deepens when Thorne reveals their origin: they are the soul-essence of nature itself, and he can call them because he is part of the same world. This connects sōls directly to Hyhborn power and their ancient role as protectors of the land.

As the story progresses, sōls become a symbol of Thorne’s dangerous allure and Calista’s growing entanglement with him. In Chapter 10, after summoning them, Thorne ties Calista’s robe and warns her to stay silent, establishing a bond that is both intimate and threatening. Later, in Chapter 33, sōls lead Calista to a vision of bloodshed and then to the attack on Archwood, transforming them from peaceful guides into omens of destruction. By the time Thorne speaks of them in Chapter 26, sōls have come to represent the ancient, forgotten history of the Hyhborn and their connection to a world before the Great War—a knowledge that is both beautiful and dangerous.

Character Connections

Prince Thorne is the only character shown summoning sōls. They are a direct expression of his Hyhborn nature and his link to the natural world. When he calls them, he demonstrates his power, but also his gentleness. The sōls respond to his voice, suggesting a harmony that contrasts with the violence he is also capable of. For Calista, the sōls are one of the first things that make her feel a pull toward him, even as she fears him.

Calista is drawn to sōls repeatedly. Her intuition leads her to follow them, and she finds Thorne or danger each time. The sōls mirror her own growing awareness of the hidden world—she is a ny’seraph, an unbound being whose essence is different from both mortals and Hyhborn. Her attraction to the sōls foreshadows her own connection to the ancient forces of the world.

Theme Connections

  • Power Dynamics and Class Hierarchy: Sōls underscore the divide between Hyhborn and lowborn. Only Thorne can command them; Calista can only observe. Their beauty is a privilege of the elite.
  • Intuition, Fate, and Free Will: Calista’s intuition leads her to follow sōls, aligning her fate with Thorne’s. Yet she chooses to follow, blending agency with destiny.
  • Forbidden Knowledge and History: The true nature of sōls as the souls of nature ties into the hidden history of the Hyhborn and the Great War, knowledge that is deliberately forgotten.
  • Consent and Autonomy: Thorne summons sōls without Calista’s request, demonstrating his control over the environment and subtly reinforcing his power over her.

Study Questions and Answers

1. How does Thorne describe the relationship between Hyhborn and sōls?

Thorne says that Hyhborn “are a part of everything that surrounds us” and that sōls are a part of them. This suggests a symbiotic, almost pantheistic bond: Hyhborn are not separate from nature but are its living guardians. The sōls respond to his voice and lighten when praised, reinforcing that they possess a form of consciousness tied to the Hyhborn.

2. What role do sōls play in Calista’s journey?

Sōls repeatedly guide Calista. In Chapter 9, they lead her to a Hyhborn confrontation, marking her first direct involvement with their politics. In Chapter 33, following them brings her toward the attack on Archwood. They function as both attractions and warnings, embodying her intuition and her dangerous path toward Thorne.

3. Why does Thorne’s clarification that sōls are “not souls of mortals” matter?

It prevents readers from assuming the lights are literal human souls. Instead, they are the essence of plants and the living world. This distinction emphasizes the Hyhborn’s role as caretakers of the earth, and it deepens the worldbuilding: the “soul” word is used metaphorically to describe the life force of nature, not sentient beings.

4. How do sōls relate to the theme of forbidden knowledge?

Sōls are remnants of the ancient world before the Great War. In Chapter 26, Thorne connects them to the forgotten history of the Hyhborn, saying that sōls exist as part of the world that was reshaped by war. By following them, Calista gains glimpses of that hidden past—knowledge that is dangerous and kept from lowborn.