Secrets of the Atlas Theory

Hello Exiles!

I've been playing PoE for around 6 years now and never really got into the lore but when PoE2 came out that completely changed. I got really invested in this complex and fascinating universe and ended up doing a lot of research to try and unveil PoE's biggest mysteries.

A few days ago I released my first video, a small theory about Eagon's identity and an alternative to who the Originator might be since GGG teased in a post last week that it might not be Zana and I wanted to share it with everyone here :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYS4Dhk19PY

For those who'd rather read than watch a video, here's a wall of text!

We start by looking into Eagon and Zana's interactions.

Eagon: Sister, please... Let me help you.
Zana: Sister, please... Let me help you.
Eagon: What...? What do you mean?

Later on...

Eagon: She said... she is not my sister? Then... who am I? None of this makes any sense. My life continues to be an unsolved mystery.

The theme of the Secrets of the Atlas expansion is centered around memories.

Both the expansion and Eagon's misconception about who he is are reminiscent of the Synthesis League.

The lore of Synthesis was centered around fragmented memories and it featured Cavas, a spirit who's memories were distorted.

After recovering his memory, we learn that Cavas is actually Venarius and that he's able to manipulate the fragmented memories (which is what makes him so dangerous).

Following this pattern, I believe that Eagon is not a new character, but instead a distorted version of someone we already know.

Another dialogue from Zana gives us insight into their relationship.

Zana: You mean... much to me. More than you could ever know. And that is why, it must all be destroyed.

We only know of two people who were dear to her, Valdo Caesarius, her father, who we also know as the Shaper, and Sirus, her close friend who unbeknownst to Zana was in love with her.

Both Valdo and Sirus were corrupted by the Atlas and subsequently killed by us. The Godslayer.

However, considering the mystical nature of the Atlas, I would not assume that they are truly dead, at least, not in the traditional sense of the word.

This would explain why Zana is hiding the truth from Eagon, as we heard directly from her.

Zana: There is nothing to say, You will not understand. You must not understand.

If he was previously corrupted by the Atlas, she wants to prevent him from recovering his memories at all cost.
After all, she was there with us during the Synthesis league when Cavas, a seemingly gentle spirit turned back into the High Templar Venarius who then regained his brutal, yet justified ambition along with his memories.

Unfortunately for us, there's a really good case to be made for both Valdo and Sirus being Eagon.

So let's start with Sirus :)

Sirus' case is based on Etyomology.

There are a few potential origins for the name "Eagon" (AY-gun).

The first one is an alternative spelling of "Egan" (EE-gun), an Anglicized version of the Irish surname "Mac Aodhagáin" (AY-uh-gawn).

The second one is an alternative spelling of the name Eoghan (Awn), an Irish Gaelic name.

The last one is also an alternative spelling but of the German name "Egon" (EH-gon)

Considering Path of Exile is partly based on the history, languages and mythology of the Celts, especially the Irish, Manx and Scots as seen in the Ezomytes, druids, witches and the Triple Goddess/Draiocht.
It is very likely that Eagon is a slight variation of the Irish name Egan or Eoghan.

Which brings us to the meaning of those names.

Eoghan simply means "Of the Yew tree" or "noble-born".

Egan as mentioned before, comes for Aodhagáin, which is a diminutive of Aodh, an old Irish name meaning "Fiery One", "fire" or "burning".
Unlike Eoghan, Aodh wasn't just a regular name, he was an Irish Celtic deity tied to fire and the underworld.

With this information, we're finally able to make a link between Eagon and one of Zana's dearest.

Sirus

Not only is he tied to fire through his iconic voiceline:
You want the Atlas? Take it. It's yours. But Oriath? Oriath I will burn to the ground. Perhaps the suffering of my fellow citizens will finally stir something.

He is also tied to fire through his abilities and their respective voicelines.
Glorious flames!
Everlasting fire!
Rain of stars!

You might think this is a stretch, so let's take a look at the Origin of Sirus' name too.

There are two possibilities for this one.
One is of old Persian origin 𐎤𐎢𐎽 (Kūruš) (KOO-roosh), the original form of Cyrus the Great's name which was later adapted by the Greeks.

The old Persian meaning is thought to have been "sun-like" or "radiant" while the Greeks interpreted it as "lord" or "master".

The other one is of Greek origin, Σείριος (Seírios) (SEH-ree-oss).

Or in English, Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, which, just like Aodh, was personified as a Divine Entity.

In Valdo's case, it comes from a simple question.

Could someone other than Zana be the Originator?
After all, GGG themselves teased this being a possibility in an official post last week. So why not entertain the idea?

What if Eagon was the Originator of those memories?
Maybe Zana is simply trying to destroy them.

If that's the case, there's really only one person who those memories could belong to besides Zana. considering they're all centered on both Valdo and her.

Though this is mostly conjecture, there is a hint that this could be the case.
The symbol on the Secrets of the Atlas logo, which I personally interpreted as being the Originator's symbol, just happens to be present on Eagon's gloves.

In either case, we have two characters who are dear to Zana, whose mind and memories have most likely been corrupted by the Atlas, whose personalities are mirror opposites, just like Cavas and Venarius.

For Sirus' potential link to Eagon, we have two characters whose names have been slightly obfuscated and picked from different languages to hide the fact that they both represent divine entities related to fire. While in Valdo's case, he's pretty much the only option if Eagon is the originator instead of Zana.

Thanks for reading/watching!

Let me know what you think and if you have alternative theories!

If you enjoyed, please consider subscribing as to not miss my future videos :)

I'm working on a sort of "Grand Unified Theory" and plan on releasing new videos every few weeks.