52 pages • 1-hour read
The Lost Heir
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Symbols & Motifs
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death and child death.
Story as Legacy and Eggs as Change
Royal succession is a major element of the plot and world building of the Wings of Fire series. Succession is thus symbolized in two different ways in this novel: Queen Coral’s stories as legacy and her eggs as change. Every queen leaves behind a legacy, which is often depicted as a story. For Queen Coral of the SeaWings, this is literal—she is a prolific writer and creates many books, and she even has a councilor in charge of her writing and publishing. While these stories may seem like mere fairy tales (Tsunami loved The Missing Princess but considered pure fiction), for the SeaWings, these works are “required reading” (44), much like propaganda. In this way, Coral seeks to ensure the longevity and stability of her reign; by forcing her subjects to read her work, she symbolically remains both an unavoidable part of their lives and an influential figure spun in whatever image she desires, both of which are to her benefit. In contrast, Tsunami’s rejection of her books, both as required reading and as material for her Aquatic lesson, reflect her rejection of Coral as a queen and as her parent: Though Tsunami never disowns Coral, by the end of the book, she leaves the SeaWing kingdom and abandons her royal birth privileges, distancing herself from both the queendom and its subsequent legacy.
Eggs are a constant motif in the series and a symbol for change. The dragonets of destiny were stolen as eggs in order to fulfill the prophecy and end the war. This is an oft-repeated motif, signaling both the dragonets’ importance and the change they bring to each place they visit. On a smaller scale, this symbolism is also prominent, as a major plot arc revolves around the murders of Coral’s eggs. The eggs are particularly significant because of the process of royal succession: Daughters challenge their queen mothers for the throne and fight to the death for it, and the victor either keeps or ascends her throne. Coral’s oldest daughter, Orca, challenged her for the throne, lost, and died, leaving the queen anxious and paranoid about subsequent challenges to her rule, especially since the current war is also related to succession. Although Coral never kills her own offspring—apart from Orca—the subsequent loss of her eggs is a constant reminder about the suddenness of change and its potentially devastating consequences. Coral attempts to keep change at bay by harnessing Anemone and keeping her a controlled captive, but Tsunami’s arrival (another lost egg) only proves that change is both inevitable and uncontrollable. Rather than seeking to avoid it, it is better to prepare and face it head on. Only then will one’s true legacy be revealed—that which is written in the hearts of the people, not as propaganda.
Animus Magic as Self and Power
So far in the Wings of Fire series, magic has only been mentioned briefly. Anemone’s animus magic is thus a new world-building element but also a symbol of herself and its potential for power. While true animus magic was believed to have died out, and the NightWings’ remaining preternatural powers are but a pale remnant of a once-great legacy, Coral’s assertion that animus magic runs in the SeaWing royal family makes this magic at once more mysterious and more banal. Anemone is fleshed out as a character before her animus powers are revealed to Tsunami, effectively rendering Anemone (much like Peril in The Dragonet Prophecy) on a similar level of mundane intimacy as the dragonets of destiny rather than putting her on a pedestal, despite the fact that her power could turn the tide of the war, much like how Anemone views herself: as just another dragonet under her mother’s controlling thumb.
On the other hand, animus powers are also the key to her autonomy. While Coral and Blister want to use Anemone’s animus magic to win the war, only Anemone can control it, and only she knows the true extent of her abilities. By keeping them secret, she can protect herself and her free will: If she is deemed useless by Blister, she won’t have to fight and can use her magic on her own terms, such as when she curses a spear to find Whirlpool. This symbolism is reinforced by SeaWing royal history: Although Orca didn’t ascend the SeaWing throne, she challenged her mother out of her own free will; thus, her cursed statue continued murdering Coral’s offspring even after Orca’s death. On the other hand, an animus who was forced to push himself too far with his magic (usage of which canonically also causes the animus to “los[e] a bit of herself” [209]) had a mental health crisis because of the overextension. Thus, Anemone’s animus magic not only symbolizes herself as an individual, separate from her mother, but also emphasizes the potential and importance of self-empowerment.
Language as Identity
As in Intrinsic Culture Versus Belonging, culture and cultural identity are important elements in The Lost Heir. It thus follows that language is used to reflect cultural identity in this novel. Thus far, the dragons have presumably used some form of common spoken language. Scavengers also have their own language, though it is unintelligible to the dragonets. However, when the dragonets of destiny visit the SeaWing kingdom, cultural differences begin to be more fully explored. Most SeaWings, apart from speaking the common tongue, also use a language called Aquatic, which can only be communicated via gestures and fluorescence, a trait that only SeaWings have. This creates a separation of identity between in- and out-group members: In-group members (SeaWings) have an extra layer of communication, which they can use for both banal and secret messages that out-group (non-SeaWings) dragons may see but won’t understand, distancing SeaWings from other tribes.
Tsunami, however, is a SeaWing who, despite being physically capable of communicating in Aquatic, never learned the language because Webs chose not to teach her. She thus represents a nexus of identities that other dragons don’t understand. To SeaWings, her lack of Aquatic knowledge precludes her from a true SeaWing identity, evidenced by Whirlpool’s lack of a teaching attempt and Tsunami’s repeated blunders with SeaWing court etiquette. On the other hand, Tsunami’s dependence on the common tongue but willingness to learn Aquatic symbolize her own intertribal identity—she depends on her adoptive (non-SeaWing) siblings, the dragonets of destiny, while forging a connection with her own birth family (Anemone and Auklet) and her lost heritage. In this way, like her reclamation of Aquatic, Tsunami chooses to create her own identity, separate from the ones expected of her.
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