Ancient Alar
The Seven from the dark: remnants of the lost Alar civilization, distinct from the ancient race itself.
In the songs of the Edema Ruh and the whispers of the University, 'Alar' is often misunderstood. While the Chandrian are frequently called by this name, the term originally refers to an ancient civilization that predates the First Empire—a race of sorcerers whose history was shattered long ago. The Chandrian are not synonymous with all Alar; rather, they are a specific group of seven individuals who may be descended from or related to this lost lineage. As Denna's haunting song recounts, it is these Seven who came from the dark to bring death, wielding terrifying powers that defy the known arts of Sympathy and Naming. Though the great civilization of the Alar is gone, the Chandrian remain active, walking the world in shadow as a living nightmare.
- Era
- Ancient Civilization (Pre-First Empire); The Chandrian are Active
- Primary Ability
- Primordial Magic (Alar) / Unnatural Arts (Chandrian)
- Current Status
- The Alar race is extinct; the Seven Chandrian are elusive and active
- Cultural Impact
- Feared as demons in folklore; central to Denna's song 'The Alar'
Lore & Background
Canonical texts distinguish between the 'Ancient Alar,' a pre-human civilization that once wielded raw, primordial magic before being wiped out by cataclysmic events, and the Chandrian. The Chandrian are strictly seven individuals who may share an origin with the Alar but are not the same as the entire race. There is no evidence to suggest the terms are interchangeable; the Alar represent a lost age of sorcery, while the Chandrian are the surviving remnants haunting the modern world.
The Edema Ruh guard secret histories of this extinct civilization, singing of its fall and the arrival of the Seven who brought death to the world's first kings. The 'breaking' mentioned in their songs refers both to the demise of the Alar magical civilization and the specific tragedies inflicted by the Chandrian. Their history is preserved through fear and song not because they are still a unified race, but because the seven hunters continue to walk among men.
In Their Own Story
The wind did not just howl; it screamed through the ruins of a city that possessed no name in any living tongue. Kote ran his hand over the cold stone, feeling a faint, wrong hum—a resonance that mocked the rigid laws he had spent years mastering at the University. Here, amidst dust that smelled of ozone and ancient blood, the air felt heavy with memory. On a fallen pillar, he found a carving: not the clean, logical geometry of Sympathy, but a swirling, chaotic pattern that seemed to shift when viewed from the corner of the eye. For a heartbeat, the shadows detached themselves from the walls, whispering in a language that made his teeth ache with a primal dread, before retreating into the darkness as if ashamed to be seen by a man who only knew how to tie knots.
Reader's Guide
The concept of the Ancient Alar is the key to unlocking the true nature of magic in the Kingkiller Chronicle. Unlike the structured, mathematical approach of modern Sympathy taught at the University, the magic of the Ancients was instinctual, dangerous, and deeply rooted in the natural world itself. This distinction highlights a tragic regression of human knowledge over the centuries.
Scholars at the University often dismiss tales of the Alar as mere superstition, preferring to categorize all ancient magic under the umbrella of 'Chandrian' influence or simple myth. However, surviving fragments suggest a complex civilization that existed before the current age of scarcity and fear.
Did You Know?
- In Denna's famous song 'The Alar,' while the term is used for the Chandrian, canonically it refers to an ancient race that predates them; there are only Seven Chandrian, not ten.
- The 'Ancient Alar' were a civilization of sorcerers who possessed primordial magic before the First Empire, whereas the Chandrian possess unique, unnatural arts that operate outside standard magical laws.
- The Edema Ruh oral traditions detail both the history of the extinct Alar race and the ongoing threat posed by the seven surviving Chandrian.
- Unlike the common misconception that there are ten Chandrian, the lore confirms there are exactly Seven who have plagued the world since before the First Empire.