With so many High Lords in theA Court of Thorns and Rosesseries, it can be hard to keep track of who rules over which court and what powers they gave tonew Night Court High Lady Feyrewhen they Made her. With a world as sprawling as the one created by Sarah J. Maas in theCourt of Thorns and Rosesbooks, it’s understandable that a few of the High Lords have been more prominent and centered while others have played more background roles, and thus, we know less about their powers.
There’s no doubt that certain supportingcharacters need bigger roles in the nextCourt of Thorns and Rosesbook, and that’s certainly the case for theHigh Lords who rule over Prythian’s Fae courtswho have thus far not been fleshed out at all. Even though we may not know much about them, though, we do know that they are incredibly powerful thanks to their status as the rulers of their realms and their connections to their lands. With each of them having distinct powers tied to their realm and giving a drop of that power to Feyre, it can be hard to keep track of what powers they have, exactly, and which ones they inadvertently bestowed upon Feyre.
1Rhysand
Night Court
Rhysand, of course, is the highest of High Lords, the most powerful High Lord that the fae lands of Prythian have ever seen. That’s thanks to his rather unique lineage; rather than being born to two noble High Fae parents,Rhysand is half-High Fae and half-Illyrian, so he has the incredible powers of both. Like all High Lords, Rhysand has the power to winnow and the ability to shapeshift into a bestial form, but he also has quite a few other abilities, too.
A Court Of Thorns & Roses' Evil Rhysand Theory Would Have Worked 3 Books Ago, But It’s Too Late For It Now
Rhysand’s character development in A Court of Thorns & Roses by Sarah J. Maas is a source of contention, spawning dark theories about his true nature.
Thanks to his Night Court background, Rhysand has the ability to manipulate darkness and shadows, which he can wield in so many ways, from turning them into blades of darkness to cloaking an area in the invisibility of full darkness. However, Rhysand’s really dangerous ability may be his Daemati powers, granting him the ability to walk into someone’s mind, scan their memories, and control them. He’s also shown the ability to turn his enemies into mist, essentially vaporizing them, and, thanks to his Illyrian heritage, he has Illyrian fighting abilities and can also conjure Illyrian wings, which he uses to fly.
2Helion
Day Court
In all fairness, Rhysand may be the most powerful High Lord, but Helion is a close second thanks to the powers granted him from his ties to the Day Court lands, the opposite and balance of Rhysand and Feyre’s Night Court. With Helion’s powers being associated with the sun, he has the ability to wield light in some incredibly useful ways, notably in his magic neutralization abilities and ability to break spells and see through glamours, giving him his moniker of Hellion Spell-Cleaver. While it’s not direct healing, Helion lifting curses or spells negatively impacting a person can be seen as a form of restoration.
Books In The Court Of Thorns & Roses Series In Order
2015
2016
2017
2018
A Court of Silver Flames
2021
Helion’s spell-cleaving abilities also manifest in other ways. For example, Helion was able to touch the heads of two strange Autumn Court soldiers and diagnose that they had been enthralled by the powerful artifact, the Crown, and also determine that he could neither break the hold nor restore their broken minds. He also used that same ability to send images into Rhysand’s mind when holding his hands. And, of course, he has his combat abilities related to the sun, notably wielding light to burn things to ash and cut like a laser.
3Thesan
Dawn Court
IntheCourt of Thorns and Rosesbooks, Thesan is the biggest cipher when it comes to the High Lords of Prythian’s courts. Very little is known about him, and while he’s flashed some of his abilities, there hasn’t been much. What is known is that Thesan does have true healing abilities and it is powerful. It’s extremely likely that Thesan has other powers he simply hasn’t revealed yet, though they’re sure to be unleashed in a futureACOTARbook.
It’s extremely likely that Thesan has other powers he simply hasn’t revealed yet, though they’re sure to be unleashed in a futureACOTARbook.
Currently, Thesan’s real strength lies in the ingenuity of the people of the Dawn Court. His people are the inventors and alchemists of Prythian, incredibly skilled with mechanical works and science. It was one of Thesan’s people, for example, who formulated the faebane antidote for use against Hybern’s army. He also has a small army of winged Peregryn soldiers, and while their army isn’t as vast as the Illyrians, they’re still formidable fighters.
4Tamlin
Spring Court
He may be disgraced right now, but as the High Lord of the Spring Court, Tamlin is still one of themost powerfulACOTARcharactersand wields an array of impressive abilities. While all the High Lords can shift into a bestial form, Tamlin is the one who wields that shapeshifting ability the most effortlessly, able to shift back and forth with ease and often spending time in his feral beast form, and he can also change the shape of other fae and himself to mimic others. That form also lends itself to his immense and superhuman strength - pound for pound, Tamlin is arguably the physically strongest of the High Lords.
Feyre Doesn’t Need To Forgive Tamlin In The Next Court Of Thorns & Roses Book, But I Hope One Character Finally Does
At this point, Feyre has no reason to interact with Tamlin further, but I do have hopes that one character will reconcile with him in a future novel.
However, Tamlin has shown he has other abilities that aren’t just related to his beast form and strength, though they are perhaps not as strong or well-developed. He does have the ability to wield glamour magic and to create strong illusions and false memories in humans, though it’s not known if that ability is as effective against High Fae. He has also manipulated wind in the books, and also indicated to Feyre that he has the power to heal significant injuries, though it’s likely not as strong as Thesan’s healing abilities.
5Tarquin
Summer Court
Tarquin is the youngest of the Fae High Lords, as well as the newest, so it’s entirely possible that the young ruler of the Summer Court has not yet fully come into his own regarding the scope of his powers. Like Thesan, Tarquin only appears to have one major power outside the ones all High Lords are granted. In his case, that’s water manipulation, and while on the surface it doesn’t appear to be that impressive, Tarquin’s water manipulation abilities are vast, with him able to whip up ocean waves to bring down entire enemy fleets and drowning whole armies. It will be interesting to see if other powers manifest as Tarquin ages in theCourt of Thorns and Rosesbooks.
6Beron
Autumn Court
As the oldest and cruelest of the High Lords of Prythian, the Autumn Court’s Beron Vanserra is a formidable enemy to have. He has the usual powers of the other High Lords, but, thanks to his ties to the lands of thebrutal and violent Autumn Courtand their eternally fiery fall foliage, Beron’s specialized power is his ability to wield and manipulate fire. Interestingly, Beron doesn’t really have any great displays of his fire powers inACOTAR, which makes some sense - Beron is always keeping his cards close to his vest, unwilling to let any of his potential enemies know the full extent of his power. Still, he’s ruled the Autumn Court with a calculating and brutal fist, and it’s unlikely that he would have been able to maintain that hold were he not incredibly powerful.
7Kallias
Winter Court
It’s an obvious thing that the ruler of the Winter Court, Kallias, would have powers associated with ice and snow, and so he does. As the High Lord of the northernmost of the seasonal courts, Kallias rules over a land of snow, ice, and evergreen, and his realm is well-suited to his powers. As an ice wielder, Kallias can manipulate and shape ice, even creating it out of thin air. It’s not clear just how far Kallias' powers extend inA Court of Thorns and Roses, but it’s fair to assume that if there is any sort of water or water vapor present, Kallias could likely freeze and manipulate it in some way.
