This is a discussion I found on Reddit and I wanted to share with you guys. It seems to be a rather popular theory apparently and I found it to be decently argumented. I think it would give the story a nice twist if it was true.
There’s been a discussion on Elune on a frontpage post, so I figured this is as good a time as any to outline the many reasons why I believe that Elune is the Winter Queen.
- The Winter Queen is an as of yet UNNAMED female figure. It’s likely she does have a name, especially as even the Jailer seems to have one. This is also part of the reason why the Arbiter is a potential candidate.
- The Winter Queen has a humanoid appearance. Why is this so important? In ancient times, Elune mated with Malorne, the White Stag. Their offspring was Cenarius. If Cenarius is part stag due to his father, then logically the humanoid element would come from his mother. Hence, it stands to reason that Elune would have a humanoid appearance.
- Elune traditionally has a strong connection to nature and the night elves. This aspect of her is arguably the most defining, and long predates her in-game connections to the Light (keep in mind that Priestess of Elune Magic = Holy Light was only made canon by Legion). If they want to maintain this connection, the Winter Queen is an obvious candidate.
Ardenweald:
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Tyrande appears Ardenweald. Her story is confirmed to be a continuation of the Night Warrior arc (and we will in fact see a flashback involving the first Night Warrior), and Elune would therefore obviously be involved in some capacity.
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One of the questions Tyrande is aiming to answer is: why did Elune abandon her people? Why didn’t she help them more in their time of greatest need? One answer would be that she isn’t omnipotent and her ability to intervene is limited (like any “god” or divine being in the Warcraft universe).
Another (additional) answer is the anima drought. If Elune is the Winter Queen, her power would be waning. -
Ardenweald prominently features Wild Gods. As said before, Elune had sex with a Wild God.
Cosmic Alignment :
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A lot of people seem to think Elune created the Naaru, and is a being of either the Light or the Void of both. The former is conjecture, even in-game. She doesn’t necessarily have a connection to the Light, either: it’s a faith-based power, after all. In fact, it would explain why the Priestesses of Elune did not feel like Elune’s powers have been diminishing. They don’t actually use Elune’s power. Again, she is a being related to Life first and foremost.
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The whole Night Warrior powers and aesthetics don’t seem to directly correspond to any known magic school (although the black/blue does vaguely resemble Drust magic, which is tied to the Shadowlands…). It’s “new”, just like Sylvanas’ new appliance of death magic was stated to be “new”. We already know the connection will be made in Shadowlands, but again: the Night Warrior is clearly related to the Shadowlands. And for the reasons stated above, so is Elune, aka the Winter Queen.
Edit:
One major argument why Elune is not inherently connected to Azeroth :
Remember the planet Eonar was hiding on, Elunaria, almost certainly named after Elune? There’s been much speculation on why this is the case - but what is really important is the implication. Elunaria is proof that Elune is not a being inherently tied to Azeroth, but instead a cosmic being whose existence is known and felt beyond Azeroth . This fact supplements the view that she is tied to the Shadowlands, which transcends Azeroth, considering it is the afterlife for all worlds .
Edit 2:
Another argument is her power level. In one of the crafting quests added in 8.2, it is mentioned that Elune’s power is greatly drained by the Night Warrior ritual:
With Tyrande donning the mantle of the Night Warrior, much of Elune’s power is taxed. Asking for another favor is not insignificant, but I must try.
If the Night Warrior ritual really required so much of Elune, then it’s quite obvious that she is not on the near-omnipotent level of power some people imagine her to be.
