Are the Archeron Sisters descendants of Ironteeth Witches?
In the Throne of Glass world, Ironteeth Witches are a species of witch created by the mating of Valg and Fae. Ironteeth are immortal, have blue blood, a retractable set of iron teeth and nails, and a clear eyelid for flying.
Ironteeth greatly resemble human women in shape and many are beautiful. Ironteeth are all female. Ironteeth culture is ruthless and rigid and based on raising their witchlings to be heartless, loyal, and bloodthirsty warriors.
Ironteeth worship the Three-Faced Goddess. Ironteeth Witches are able to build magical objects – including witch mirrors and enchanted ironwood brooms they used to fly. Some Ironteeth witches are oracles, and have seer abilities. The only magic the Ironteeth can unleash is called the Yielding, which unleashes from her in an ebony wave.
We do see a descendant of the Ironteeth who is mortal – Elide. Manon can smell her witch blood, but Elide despite her lineage, Elide has red blood, no iron teeth or nails and no other "witch" powers.
Evidence of Witchling Archerons
If we look at the publishing order, Heir of Fire, where the Ironteeth witches become a main POV was published on September 2, 2014. The next book for SJM to publish was A Court of Thorns and Roses on May 5, 2015.
From songs sung to us as lullabies over our cradles, we all knew from
infancy that faeries hated iron.
From Chapter 1 or ACOTAR we are shown that humans believe faeries hate iron. When we go to Prythian we discover iron has no effect on the fae...so why do humans believe this?
“Iron?” I managed to say. “Doesn’t do us a lick of harm. Only ash, as you well know.”
In the TOG world, the fae's powers can be nullified with iron. Including this false lore links the new series back to the TOG world and heavily hints at a connection between ACOTAR and TOG.
The Archeron sisters sleep in an ironwood bed. "Ironwood bed" is mentioned twice in Chapter 2 and is the only thing they have left of their mother.
The room was large enough for a rickety dresser and the enormous
ironwood bed we slept in. The sole remnant of our former wealth, it had been ordered as a wedding gift from my father to my mother. It was the bed in which we’d been born, and the bed in which my mother died. In all the painting I’d done to our house these past few years, I’d never touched it.
There was nothing left of her in the cottage beyond the ironwood bed— and the vow I’d made.
Ironteeth witches only have female offspring, while Crochan witches have both male and female children. All three Archeron's are females, which doesn't prove anything but it does fit with what we know about Ironteeth witches.
Three is also an important number to the withes in TOG. They worship the Three-Faced Goddess – Mother, Maiden & Crone. The Ironteeth have three witch clans – the Blackbeaks, Bluebloods & Yellowlegs.
When all three Archeron sisters are transformed from "human" to High Fae, they become very powerful. Is this because they already have immortal lineage?
An Analysis of Each Sister
Nesta has the most witch evidence surrounding her character.
Throughout the series, iron and Nesta are heavily intertwined.
Tamlin, a High Lord of Prythian, is unable to glamour the mortal Nesta. While I do think this is mostly due to Nesta's metaphorical "iron will," witch blood would help to counteract the glamour.
“Your beast’s little trick didn’t work on me,” she said with quiet steel. “Apparently, an iron will is all it takes to keep a glamour from digging in." -ACOTAR
Clotho huffed a laugh. She has a will of iron. -ACOSF
Nesta's mental shields are unsurprisingly described iron.
“She never lowered her shields. Her shields are …” “A fortress of solid iron,” Rhys murmured, eyes on Nesta. -ACOSF
Ironteeth culture is ruthless and rigid and based on raising their witchlings to be heartless, loyal, and bloodthirsty warriors. This sounds a lot like Nesta's early upbringing when she discusses both her mother and grandmother.
My Nesta. Elain shall wed for love and beauty, but you, my cunning little queen … You shall wed for conquest. -ACOSF
Nesta had been seven when the stern-faced dame who had insisted on being called Grandmamma had beaten her palms raw with a ruler for missteps in her dancing lessons. -ACOSF
But what Feyre does with paint, that’s what Nesta did with music and dance. Our mother saw it when we were children, and honed it into a weapon. -ACOSF
Nesta is described and shows loyalty throughout the series. From hiring the mercenary to go after Feyre in ACOTAR to saving Emerie and Gwyn in ACOSF.
“Nesta is many things, but she’s certainly loyal.” -ACOWAR
The Ironteeth witches drink blood. They do not need it to survive but rather liken it to wine. Now Nesta never drinks blood, but it is joked about.
“I’d say Nesta rivals Amren for sheer bloodthirstiness.” -ACOWAR
“Perhaps Nesta will take up the blood-drinking habit, too. I certainly believe her threat to rip out my throat.” -ACOWAR
The witches in TOG are said to "hear the song of the wind." Nesta is tied to the wind a few times in the series, and her home is the House of WIND.
The Bone Carver claims: “How the wind moans her name. Can you hear it, too? Nesta. Nesta. Nesta. -ACOWAR
“We heard about you down here. You are the one the sea and the wind and the earth whispered of.” - ACOSF
And then she moved, and it was like watching a river, like watching the wind cut through a mountain. -ACOSF
Wanted her body to come apart like a cracked egg, wanted what was left of her soul to drift away on the mountain wind. -ACOSF
Ataraxia sang the heartsong of the wind as it whipped through the air. -ACOSF
With the wind as their song, Nesta and Emerie found their rhythm. -ACOSF
Nesta is seen to scry in both ACOWAR & ACOSF, and is able to do this because of her connection to the cauldron.
When Nesta asks about the three stones and four bones used for scrying, Amren says: “Three stones for the faces of the Mother” -ACOWAR
In TOG, Ironteeth witches cannot summon and wield magic, but for once in a witch's life she can summon great power to unleash upon her enemies. The cost is that she is incinerated in the blast, her body yielded to the Darkness. As the Ironteeth witch yields life to the Darkness, its power fills her and unleashes from her in an ebony wave, a manifestation of what lies in their souls.
When Nesta claims not to have any special magical abilities, Amren says, “When you erupt, girl, make sure it is felt across worlds.” -ACOWAR
Nesta refers to herself as a witch multiple times in the series. It is usually to get a rise out of people. But other characters also call her a witch.
Devlan: “Is she a witch.” I opened my mouth, but Nesta said flatly, “Yes.” -ACOWAR
“What is the difference,” she asked none of us in particular, “between a faerie and a witch?” “Witches amass power beyond their natural reserve,” Mor answered with sudden seriousness. -ACOWAR
“What’s her business here?” Nesta gave him a secretive smile. “Witchcraft.” -ACOSF
Tamlin: “Put that finger down, you witch.” -ACOSF
Lanthys inhaled. “What are you?” “A witch,” she breathed. “From Oorid’s dark heart.” -ACOSF
Elain's mental shields are also described as solid iron. While this material choice was pretty obvious for Nesta whose mind is likened to iron from early in book one, Elain is never likened to iron.
The gates to her mind ... Solid iron, covered in vines of flowers -- or it would have been. The blossoms were all sealed, sleeping buds tucked into tangles of leaves and thorns. -ACOWAR
In TOG the Blueblood witch clan are the clan associated with seer powers. Manon calls them oracles, mystics, zealots. Baba Yellowlegs, former matron of the Yellowlegs clan, was also a powerful seer.
When the Inner Circle realises Elain is a seer, they assume it was a gift from the cauldron. It could have simply been a random gift from the cauldron. There are some alternatives:
The cauldron chose the gift of sight for Elain because it was a power tied to her witch bloodline.
The seer power was latent in her bloodline, and was amplified by the cauldron when she became immortal.
Of the three sisters, Feyre is the one least associated with being a witch. Nesta and Elain were "made" by the cauldron, while Feyre was "made" by the High Lords. The IRON cauldron might have brought out their witch bloodline, while Feyre dying and being resurrected by the High Lords might have dampened hers.
The Ouroboros, also known as the Mirror of Beginnings and Endings, is a powerful object that shows the looker who or what they truly are. The Ouroboros belonged to the Weaver/Stryga. It came into the possession of Mor's family at some point.
Ironteeth Witches are able to build magical objects – including witch mirrors. Witch Mirrors are mirrors with immense power that have various uses depending on the type of mirror in question. Some witch mirrors can be used to see the future, past, and present. If you have the sister-glass of a witch mirror, you can use them to communicate. There are rare silvers whose forging demands something vital from the maker. Witch mirrors are not easily destroyed.
Feyre is the only person known to have successfully claimed the Ouroboros. Her ability to claim this mirror was down to self acceptance, but what if it was also because it is a witch mirror and Feyre is a witch descendant.
Did I miss any evidence that the Archeron sisters are witch descendants?
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