| Spark | |
|---|---|
| About | |
| Names | Spark of life[1][2] Spark |
| Associated With | |
| Heroes | Dazzle Death Prophet Keeper of the Light |
| Races | Stars |
| Gods | Verodicia |
| “ | ▶️ My spark...fades...
— Leshrac's last words before he loses life
|
” |
The spark is a vital essence in the lore of Dota 2.
Description[]
Based on the lore about the spark of life scattered throughout Dota 2 before piecing them together, the spark of life is an ethereal light inside one's heart. Its glow is both a sign of life in a being and the very vitality of a being–if the heart glows with light from within, then that heart's owner is alive. Like a candle, the spark grows dim when one's life is about to fade until it is snuffed once life has perished. It can be passed down to one's descendants, so it's also a sign of kinship between individuals if they have the same spark.
In Dota: Dragon's Blood[]
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Not so fast!
This article contains spoilers!
This article contains spoilers about Dota: Dragon's Blood
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I don't feel right about this…
This article contains lore that's exclusive to Dota: Dragon's Blood and may not be canon with the main continuity
The spark returns in the animated series Dota: Dragon's Blood. It appears to be exclusive to the divinities in this series and not a universal element, unlike Dota 2's version, so it's actually the “divine spark” in the series. The divine spark of Mene is the center of the conflict between the usurper goddess Selemene and the former (and her mortal reincarnation Fymryn who eventually has to reclaim it and her lost divinity with it), because of the divine power it holds. Whoever holds Mene's spark will become the moon deity, allowing them to become immortal, draw power from their faithful and give them power, and have access to divine powers. Unlike Dota 2's version, the spark cannot be shared in any way, which is why both Selemene[3] and Mene (in the form of Fymryn[4]) had to wrest it from each other to become the one and only moon goddess.[5]
Like Dota 2's version of the spark, however, the series' version of spark is also a being's vitality and perhaps a sign of their life. Both Selemene and Mene died when the divine spark that they held was taken from them.[6] Speaking of life, Mene's spark was essential in her reincarnation. Although she was slain by Selemene who stole her spark, Mene remained in the hearts of her faithful Coriel'tauvi, she was not forgotten. Fuelled by intense yearning and love for Mene, they continued their rituals for her, but their sacred lovemaking was another essential factor to her return, for it is a powerful magic and the highest form of worship even without a deity to receive it. Selemene may have had the spark, but it was still Mene's as a part of her being, so her spark answered their love for her. Eventually, her answer came in the form of a Coedwen child born after many generations to reclaim Mene's spark.[7]
As revealed by Filomena, God Empress Mirana also had a divine spark, which connects her and the Pillars of Creation with each other.[8]
Users[]
Here is a list of beings and whatnot who can manipulate or exploit the spark of others or themselves.
Heroes[]
Dazzle's Shallow Grave is a rite of preventing death that can only be performed properly by a seasoned acolyte of the Shadow. No matter how close to death its recipient is, the ritual preserves the spark of life so that it may restart a faltering heart at the edge of death.[1]
The Death Prophet's many deaths have dimmed the spark in her heart. And yet, its light is bright enough to draw mothlike spirits from the realm of death to this beacon, causing an eerie Exorcism of mothlike spirits that feast upon the essence of the living.[2]
Known as the spark of endless and ancient stars, the Keeper of the Light is the origin of all stars and their life in the universe.[9][10][11] Using his staff, he sparked the fire and life of many stars.[12][13] To aid him in bringing life and light to many stars, he channeled his gift to create a winged equine herald whose luminous charge set fire to many stars like he did.[14]
Bearing the spark of the Children of Light,[15] Phoenix inadvertently used his inherited spark to fuel an ancient energy forge owned by the Children by simply passing by it. With the forge alight by an echo of the Children's light, it reawakened the Dawnbreaker.[16][17]
Gods[]
Before Nature's Prophet's seed was sown and sprouted, his mother—the woods-goddess Verodicia—infused a sapphire gem with a spark of her essence. Meant to be left in the wastes of a war-torn land, the vital essence in this gem makes it a fail-safe against the event that the cycle of life is broken in said lands by restoring its life.[18]
Resources[]
According to the Pangolier, the restorative Regeneration rune contains a spark of vitality.[19]
Notable Holders[]
All creatures that are alive and not completely dead have a spark. The non-exhaustive list below shows some notable examples of living beings who still have a spark in their heart.
Heroes[]
Even atavistic entities like the Arc Warden have the spark of life.[20]
Existing on the brink of life and death,[21] Clinkz still has a spark of life within him, albeit it is always on the brink of dimming out because of his aforementioned existence.[22]
Ember Spirit has a spark of life.[23] In the next life of his resurrection, he still retains his old spark.[24] He seeks out those who still carry his spark to further spread his teachings.[25]
Leshrac holds a spark of life in his heart that will fade when he dies.[26] He knows the sparks of his victims are snuffed out when they die by his hand.[27]
Proof of the Night Stalker's life isn't light but rather darkness in his heart. He must eat to feed it, and in return it sustains him through the daylight that killed all of his kin.[28][29]
Races[]
Stars are known to inherit the spark of those who conceived them, creating vast families of stars united by sharing the same spark. One example is Phoenix, who inherits the spark of the Children of Light, implying that he's one of their descendants.[15] Star lineages like the Children of Light were able to use their spark to fuel their creations with life, such as the star-forged Dawnbreaker.[16][17]
Items[]
The Aegis of the Immortal can restore the spark of life in a dimmed heart, resurrecting them.[30]
Trivia[]
- The spark may have been inspired by the divine spark found in Gnosticism. Pictured as a light within a human, the divine spark is a piece of the Gnostic God or his divine realm that resides within all humans and has fallen from its source and into the perishable material plane. It is up to the human to reunite this piece (and themselves with it) with God, in line with escaping the material plane to achieve true eternity.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Graveheart Staff description.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Temptation of the Mothbinder description.
- ↑ DOTA: Dragon's Blood, Book 1, Chapter 8: A Game of Chess (18:25)
(Unscathed from the barrage of searing moonlight, Terrorblade gets back on his feet)
Terrorblade: Selemene. The Usurper. You may take the spark, but you will only ever be a simple thief. - ↑ DOTA: Dragon's Blood, Book 3, Chapter 1: The Wind Under the Door (19:27)
(Ignoring Fymryn's plea to unite their faithful, Selemene seizes her by the hand and forcefully pulls her towards her)
Selemene: Speak the words. Do you love me?
(Selemene kisses Fymryn's forehead, marking it with a glowing crescent moon. Fymryn begins to turn purple and crack)
Fymryn: Goddess? Something is...
(Fymryn screams in pain as her cracks glow with lunar light before she shatters, baring her dark and naked form. The moon behind Selemene eclipses)
Selemene: You will remember none of this, little Coedwen. You will remember only renewed, intense love for me.
Fymryn: No! No.
(Selemene is shocked. Fymryn recovers and stands against her)
Selemene: (gasps) He sent you to me. You lied to me.
Fymryn: I believed there could be good in you. I didn't want him to be right.
(Enraged, Selemene conjures an incorporeal blade and rushes at Fymryn, but she catches her hand)
Fymryn: Enough.
(Selemene's blade dissipates and her divine spark follows)
Selemene: The spark. It's mine. You will not take it from me. No!
(Fymryn's form is restored as she gains the last of her spark, glowing with reclaimed power)
Selemene: No! No!
(Selemene falls to her knees, drained and weakened)
Selemene: It's mine. Please, it's mine. - ↑ Tweet by @ashmasterzero
Fan: “Okay, but I need to know more about that Mene/Selemene plot... Could they both exist as goddesses somehow?”
Miller: “Yes…sort of… but they both can’t be immortal and grant/draw power to and from worshippers (along with a bunch of other divine abilities). That’s the “divine spark” that Selemene is so obsessed with. But it’s also why Fymryn can have weakened versions of her own divine abilities” - ↑ DOTA: Dragon's Blood, Book 3, Chapter 1: The Wind Under the Door (23:31)
Selemene: My time has passed. The spark has returned to you. Soon, my life will slip into the void...forgotten. - ↑ DOTA: Dragon's Blood, Book 2, Chapter 7: The Violet Hour (9:19)
Invoker: Beliefs change. Trust breaks. Faith endures. For a thousand years, the exiled Coriel'tauvi knew darkness. Mene was gone. Slain. Yet her people still worshipped. They loved. They offered faith to dark shrines in remembrance of a dead goddess. But love is a powerful magic. It is the highest form of worship. Divine. Even in the absence of a deity. Love for our goddess found echo in the sparks Selemene had stolen. Over time, Mene's echo took form. It became manifest. A physical expression of pure, collective will. Need. Love. It became a child. It became you.
Fymryn: I just...I have abilities.
Invoker: The goddess' abilities. Weakened to be sure, but they are hers. - ↑ DOTA: Dragon's Blood, Book 3, Episode 8: Consider Phlebas (16:27)
Filomena: You are the Eye. Literally the Sun over our heads. A constant in the universe, linked to all stars, linked to all universes. You remember what existed before, and your divine spark connects you to the Pillars of Creation. The Eye carries innate knowledge of things my father took thousands of iterations to learn. - ↑ Enigma response: ▶️ Though you spark suns to shine, you cannot escape me.
- ↑ Enigma response: ▶️ So dies the spark of endless suns.
- ↑ Elder Titan response: ▶️ So dies the spark of ancient suns.
- ↑ Spiral Staff of the First Light description.
- ↑ Empowered Staff of the Gods description.
- ↑ Wings of Daybreak description.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Dawnbreaker response: ▶️ r The golden ones would marvel at you, young lord. You carry their spark in you still.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Dawnbreaker's biography: There she rested, dormant, until the presence of a wandering young star gave fuel to an ancient energy forge — a relic of the Children's that, like her, lay buried for countless ages beneath a blowing red waste. Now, with a small measure of her former powers restored by the forge, Valora wakes to a land beset by war and the unrelenting forces of chaos.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Dawnbreaker “Awakening” monologue
▶️ When I awoke here, I knew not where I was.
▶️ My dreams spanned millenia, and my eyes opened into darkness.
▶️ But somewhere on this world an ageless beacon flared to life.
▶️ A solar forge set alight by a wandering star -- one much too young for me to know its name.
▶️ And from this forge I began to draw some echo of the Children of Light --
▶️ Whose very breathes formed the first essence of my life. - ↑ Monarch of the Sapphire Glen description.
- ↑ Pangolier response: ▶️ A spark of vitality.
- ↑ Centaur Warrunner response: ▶️ Arc Warden, your spark goes out.
- ↑ Burning Army lore: Existing on the brink of life and death, Clinkz has learned to temporarily bridge the gap between the two.
- ↑ Clinkz response: ▶️ My spark isn't so dead as it may seem.
- ↑ Abaddon response: ▶️ We've stamped your spark out, Ember Spirit.
- ↑ Ember Spirit response: ▶️ Still the same spark!
- ↑ Order of the Wandering Flame description.
- ↑ Leshrac response: ▶️ My spark fades.
- ↑ Leshrac response: ▶️ Out with you and your spark.
- ↑ Night Stalker response: ▶️ I feed the darkness and the darkness feeds me.
- ↑ Night Stalker response: ▶️ The darkness in my heart sustains me through daylight.
- ↑ Axe Unleashed response: ▶️ A dark heart rises.