I had to think about this for quite some time, but I’ve managed to come up with 22 headcanons explaining how I think Grimwalkers function. Remember this is only opinion, not fact, my word isn’t law, for this that right belongs to Dana Terrace. But please if you’re curious enjoy!

Please like and reblog, it helps a bunch!

-Madame

Okay so first as you know Grimwalkers are made up of a set of ingredients, those ingredients being A Galdorstone to function as the heart and power source, Palistrom wood and Selkidomus scales, making up the body, Stone-sleeper lungs for the lungs, and a bone of Ortet to help the Grimwalkers resemble the ortet the bone is from. With that out of the way we will start with my personal headcanons.

1. When a Grimwalker is made all that has to be done is placing the collected magical ingredients and placing them in a certain order in the ground. Then the ingredients are buried and covered up by the soil and the titan essence flowing within the ground and soil will do the rest, it takes 5-7 years for the Grimwalker to form into a fetus like organism or possibly an infant depending on where the plantation took place, and they’d have to wait possibly longer if the Grimwalker has to be a certain age before emerging, (which is likely why Belos had Hunter, “hunt” for his replacement’s ingredients because it takes so long for a Grimwalker to form)

2. Grimwalkers despite looking like their Ortet, actually only shares 5-10% of their actual DNA, they are still their own person and the only real thing they share with their Ortet is the bone, it creates a genetic silver lining for the Grimwalker, and aids in keeping the body stable, along with the titan essence.

3. Grimwalkers are not clones. Which is why they cannot look exactly like the Ortet they’re trying to replicate. Grimwalkers aren’t cookie cutters or molds of their Ortet, each one comes with their own distinctive personality as well as personal likes and dislikes.

4. Despite being made up of magical components from many different creatures and objects, once they are fully formed and ready to be harvested, (depending on the master’s timing) their body becomes organic depending on their Ortet’s origins

5. Grimwalkers are entirely different to magically conceived witches, Grimwalkers are made up of magical ingredients of many different components, as well as being harvested from the ground, and are supposed to resemble their Ortet uncannily, while magically conceived witches are formed from a spell and carried by their parent for the duration of 9 months and are supposed to share similar qualities as well as 50-75% of their DNA from the parent, while the other percentile is left up to ancestry genes within the parent that are otherwise recessive.

6. Grimwalkers were more common in the dark ages, many of them were used for servitude when helping an especially powerful witch, in modern times Grimwalkers are almost unheard of, many believe them to be ancient myth or legend

7. In modern ages, books on Grimwalkers are rare, and when seen many of their books are registered and regarded as mostly or entirely untrue or even fiction based (likely thanks to Belos) a lot of the times especially among many modern teens conspiracies and rumors about Grimwalkers are spread as just that fable, conspiracy, and even occasionally ghost stories.

8. Despite the conspiracies of Grimwalkers having jagged or even fanged teeth, Grimwalkers have a set of teeth matching that of their Ortet’s set of teeth.

9. Like a cat’s Grimwalker’s eyes are reflective and can bring in more light, therefore being able to be seen shining in the dark.

10. Grimwalkers are somewhat immune to boiling water as well as acid rain due to the use of the selkidomus scales. I say somewhat because while they won’t melt or condense into nothing it can cause burning and slight blistering at most, like a sunburn.

11. Due to the stone-sleeper lungs, Grimwalkers are heavy and slow breathing sleepers, and can possibly have a deep bellowing snore, when in that deep sleep.

12. Grimwalkers are able to understand Palismen on another level than many witches and can understand more than just their Palisman, since they are made from the same special type of wood, Palistrom wood.

13. Grimwalkers are harvestable at infancy, and it’s actually when they are supposed to be harvested, but some will wait longer or even try and speed up the process. But speeding up the process, something as delicate as creating life of any kind can lead to instability physically and mentally.

14. Grimwalkers can handle most food but not without a built up tolerance to some foods, as it can lead with stomach issues if not handled and exposed carefully, soft food from the demon realm or light food from the human realm or human realm esc food is recommended especially if the Ortet was human.

15. While not being fully explored, Grimwalkers are just as capable of traditional reproduction as any other species. And are fully able to reproduce with witches, humans, and other Grimwalkers. If a Male Grimwalker has children with a female witch or human, the offspring will be entirely organic. If two Grimwalkers have children they would have to be made as a Grimwalker is made, and a female Grimwalker would have to either have a partner willing to use the magical conception spell or create a Grimwalker child with a male witch or human, same rule of the female Grimwalker would apply to same gender couples.

16. Grimwalkers are less likely to tire since they’re made from magical components. They have a longer stamina than witches and humans. So they can spend hours doing the tasks they are assigned to do, or the things they enjoy doing.

17. While not explored much, Grimwalkers eyes are a vivid magenta color, only changing when ridding themselves completely of their master(s), or when a loyal friend gives up their own life for them.

18. Depending the Ortet used in creating the Grimwalker in question, actually bases on whether or not Grimwalkers have power, the Galdorstone is able to produce power as a witches Bile sac could, (Hunter couldn’t produce power naturally because his Ortet (Caleb) was human) but if the Ortet was say, a witch, they could indeed produce power naturally. (DNA silver lining comes into play with that.)

19. Grimwalkers revel in sunlight, since a part of their body is made from plant based material (Palistrom wood). They also enjoy being in water, (Selkidomus scales), with two of these natural elements, they will thrive, and even become more energized. Some say when the sun reflects off of them or they’ve been in the water, their skin as a slight glisten or glow.

20. Grimwalkers are often graceful and agile, similar to how palismen move or fly/glide when in the air, as Palistrom wood is sturdy but beautifully flexible and almost whippy.

21. While Grimwalkers emerge into the world having a little resemblance in personality to their Ortet, they share about only 20-30% of it while the rest of the 70-80% is up to them as they grow and socialize once above ground.

After the Veil, I’m sure any creature with even a trace of the old world could sense there was something unusual - even dangerous - about Solas. But what I've been pondering on is that I don't necessarily think they would fear him. It would be fascinating to imagine what animals might reveal if we could glimpse their thoughts when he was near, especially those species that existed before the Veil, like the halla, and even the wolves. We know the wolves existed pre-Veil, given that Solas was named by Elgar’nan himself as 'Wolf'. (That in itself is fascinating - what were the wolves like at the time for Elgar’nan to give such a name to Solas? Did Solas and the wolves already share a bond that others recognized? And where did the wolves come from in the first place - were they Ghilan’nain’s work, or did they exist long before her creations? We know werewolves exist - how did they first come to be? How might Solas be connected to werewolves? He does shape shift into the Dread Wolf himself. So many questions that will require another post down the road.)

As the codices say, the halla have their own god, their own will, and will not suffer insult. They are proud, independent, and answer only to those they choose to trust. In that, they are not unlike Solas - fiercely self-governing, unwilling to bend to another’s will, yet capable of loyalty but only on their own terms. That tie to ancient times means that even now, after the Veil, they might recognise him with weary recognition rather than instinctive fear.

And there is this codex: on the second day of Ghilan’nain’s culling, when she turned to drown the giants of the sea, she spared those too well-wrought because Pride stayed her hand. If that Pride was Solas, then the great sea-beasts of that age owed their survival to him. What modern sea life in Thedas might still carry some faint instinct of that memory?

It’s before the Veil that really sparks my curiosity. If Solas could unite both elves and spirits in his rebellion against the Evanuris, it’s not far-fetched to think he might also have rallied the great creatures of the time. The Evanuris’ hunger for power and disregard for life not under their domain would have threatened far more than their own people and spirits - it would have endangered the beasts of that ancient age.

We know the Evanuris exploited and altered their own kind, binding some into service as lyrium knights. If they were willing to bind and alter elves in such a way, who’s to say they didn’t also try to bind animals to them in the same manner? The great war-beasts of their age could have been targets for domination, their strength twisted into another weapon of the court. That possibility makes the survival of other creatures even more significant. If the halla fought beside the Emerald Knights and their wolf companions later in history, it might have been part of a much older tradition, one rooted in creatures who refused the Evanuris’ chains and instead chose their allies. (Not me just wanting a big huge battle with elves, spirits and creatures battling against the Evanuris and their ilk - like the battle from The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe).

The Veil fractured so much - the world, its magic, and Solas himself. Perhaps that's why, during DAI, the wolves are driven mad more so than other animals we're shown in the game. They aren't just reacting to the Breach, being vulnerable to demonic control - they are so closely tied to the Dread Wolf, who in that moment is more disconnected from everything than he has ever been. Interesting symbolism. And how sad to think the halla may retain a collective memory back to these ancient times when they fought alongside wolves, but the wolves in their fracture, don't.