Dol Blathanna known also as the Valley of Flowers in Elder Speech, was a kingdom and now an allod to Aedirn. It is bordered on the north by Kaedwen and the Blue Mountains to the east. It belonged to the elves for ages, until humans came and laid claim to the land about one hundred years ago, and the elves fled to the mountains.
History
The region was led by Filavandrel aén Fidháil, but the elves struggled to survive as they had no knowledge of agriculture; among them was Toruviel.
After Nilfgaard invaded the Northern Kingdoms, Emperor Emhyr var Emreis gave Dol Blathanna to the elves who had helped him and his empire. He also made Francesca Findabair the queen of the elves' new state, though she still consulted with Filavandrel. After the Peace of Cintra, she was forced to swear fealty to Demavend and Aedirn, reorganizing it as an allod: a land that belonged to its ruler and was free from paying any sort of tribute to other kingdoms.
Heraldry
The coat of arms for Dol Blathanna is never actually described in the books. This particular coat of arms was designed by our resident heraldry and Witcher expert Mboro.
Places
People
The Witcher
In The Witcher computer game, in Chapter III, Dandelion reminds Geralt about how he got his current lute, referring to the short story The Edge of the World. In Chapter IV, Toruviel makes a similar reference. The glossary entry for elves also refers to Dol Blathanna, going as far as mentioning Dana Méadbh.
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
Dol Blathanna is a mentioned location in The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings. Iorveth claims that his people have no future there, despite being home for over 2000 elves for the last 5 years since its formation into an elven state. Only a little over a dozen elven children have been born so far in it, because most of its inhabitants are old and sterile, and Francesca Findabair is forced to abide by the Nilfgaardian emperor's rules, which ordered her to sacrifice the Scoia'tael to their execution at the hands of the other Northern monarchs. This is the main reason behind Iorveth's support for Saskia, the Virgin of Aedirn. He believes that the Pontar Valley might be the first suitable place for elves to flourish and not be persecuted.
A book available for purchase entitled The Valley of the Flowers provides this glossary entry in Geralt's journal.
Strangely enough, the game constantly refers to Dol Blathanna as an independent kingdom rather than an autonomous duchy in Aedirn.
Journal entry
- In the elven tongue Dol Blathanna means the Valley of the Flowers. Anyone who sees this land with their own eyes would admit to the aptness of this poetic name. Once the southeasternmost province of the Kingdom of Aedirn, it became the sole and sovereign realm of the Free Elves following the last war against Nilfgaard, when Emperor Emhyr var Emreis gave the elves these lands in return for their wartime service. Dol Blathanna is ruled by the elven sorceress Francesca Findabair, known also as Enid an Gleanna, the Daisy of the Valley. It remains a thorn in the side of neighboring realms, even though its queen has been forced to distance herself officially from the guerrilla war waged by the Scoia'tael.
Notes
- The short story The Edge of the World mostly takes place here, chronologically before the war.
- The area is incorrectly placed on the World map created by CD Projekt RED.
- Dol Blathanna is the setting for the seventh episode of the The Hexer, "Dolina Kwiatów".
