Heroes of Azeroth
Sylvanas Windrunner: Ranger, Banshee, Queen, Warchief
Sylvanas Windrunner was the Ranger-General of Silvermoon, the middle of the three famous Windrunner sisters. She made Arthas fight for every step of his march on Quel'Thalas. He killed her and tore her soul from her body to make her a banshee slave. Once free, she founded the Forsaken in the ruins of Lordaeron and brought them into the Horde. She went on to become Warchief, order the burning of Teldrassil and ally herself with the Jailer. She now serves her penance in the Maw, freeing the souls trapped there.
Video: Sylvanas Windrunner's story
The Ranger-General
Sylvanas grew up at Windrunner Spire in Quel'Thalas, between her older sister Alleria and her younger sister Vereesa, and she also had a little brother, Lirath. Her mother gave her a bow when she was young. Sylvanas earned her name fighting the Amani trolls and rose to command the Farstriders as Ranger-General. Against the objections of Halduron, Lor'themar and even Prince Kael'thas, she welcomed the human ranger Nathanos Marris into their ranks. Rumours spread of a romance between them, and later sources call him her lover.
When the Horde burned the forests of Quel'Thalas in the Second War, Lirath died. Sylvanas was crushed and swore to punish whoever had trained him to fight.
The fall of Silvermoon
During the Third War, Arthas Menethil arrived at the borders of Quel'Thalas with the Scourge. Sylvanas told the death knight to turn back. When he would not, she fought him gate by gate. She destroyed the bridge to the second elfgate, evacuated Fairbreeze Village and made a last stand east of it. Frostmourne shattered her weapons and impaled her. When she begged for a clean death, Arthas replied that the last thing he would give her was the peace of death.
He tore out her soul and made her a banshee. She was bound to his will but kept her awareness, so that she would watch herself help destroy her own people. She was there when Anasterian Sunstrider fell and when the Sunwell was used to raise Kel'Thuzad.
Queen of the Forsaken
As Ner'zhul's power faded, Sylvanas broke free of the Lich King's grip. She recovered her body and her bow, and she wounded Arthas with a poisoned arrow, but he escaped. With her banshees she took control of the creatures of Lordaeron, defeated the dreadlords Detheroc and Balnazzar and forced Varimathras to serve her. Then she proclaimed that the free undead would rule as the Forsaken. They claimed the catacombs beneath the ruined capital, the Undercity.
Seeking allies, she brought the Forsaken into the Horde. After Arthas fell, she tried to end her own existence, but the val'kyr brought her back. She struck a bargain with them that let her keep raising new Forsaken and, unknown to the others, saved her from the Maw.
Warchief
After Vol'jin's death on the Broken Shore, Sylvanas became Warchief of the Horde. In the Fourth War she launched the War of the Thorns, and the World Tree Teldrassil burned on her orders. She then used the Blight in the battle for Lordaeron. Varok Saurfang secretly turned against her, and in their mak'gora before Orgrimmar she killed him. She then abandoned the Horde.
At Icecrown she shattered the Helm of Domination and tore open the veil to the Shadowlands, revealing that she served the Jailer, Zovaal. In the Shadowlands she bound Anduin with Kingsmourne. In the end she refused to give up her free will, broke free of the Jailer, and helped the Maw Walkers defeat him.
Judgment and penance
In Oribos, Uther showed that her soul had been split: the Ranger-General and the Banshee Queen were one person. At her trial, Sylvanas gave herself up to Tyrande Whisperwind's judgment. Her sentence is to free every soul trapped in the Maw, sending each one to be judged with compassion until she alone is left, watched over by Dori'thur. She still hopes to find the soul of her "beloved Nathanos".
- Dragonflight: she sent a message of regret to the Forsaken and recognised the Desolate Council as their rightful leaders.
- The Warning: her nephew Arator found her in the Maw and asked her to come home. She refused because her task was not finished.
- Midnight: she came out of the Maw to save Vereesa and Arator from Xal'atath at Quel'Danas, then went back to continue her sentence.
Windrunner family tree
Mermaid source of the family tree
%% Sylvanas Windrunner – canonical family tree (The Tirisfalen)
%% Dashed = not a marriage / exact link uncertain
flowchart TD
GM["Alleria (elder)<br/><i>Maternal grandmother</i>"]
LI["Lireesa Windrunner<br/><i>Mother · Ranger-General</i>"]
VE["Verath Windrunner<br/><i>Father</i>"]
AL["Alleria<br/><i>Eldest sister</i>"]
SY["Sylvanas"]
VR["Vereesa<br/><i>Youngest sister</i>"]
LR["Lirath<br/><i>Brother · d. Second War</i>"]
TU["Turalyon<br/><i>Alleria's mate</i>"]
RH["Rhonin<br/><i>Brother-in-law</i>"]
AR["Arator<br/><i>Nephew</i>"]
GI["Giramar<br/><i>Nephew</i>"]
GL["Galadin<br/><i>Nephew</i>"]
NA["Nathanos<br/><i>Beloved · champion</i>"]
ZE["Zendarin<br/><i>Cousin</i>"]
GM --> LI
LI --- VE
LI --> AL & SY & VR & LR
AL -.- TU
AL --> AR
TU --> AR
VR --- RH
VR --> GI & GL
RH --> GI & GL
SY -.- NA
LI -.- ZE
Canon note: both parents are canon; Verath was only named in Christie Golden's Sylvanas novel (2022). Alleria and Turalyon are life-mates rather than a formal marriage, so their link is dashed. Zendarin is a cousin, but the wikis cannot say whether he is Lireesa's nephew or her nephew-in-law, so his link is dashed. Nathanos was her lover and champion, not a spouse. An older source (War of the Ancients) gave the sisters two brothers who died to the Scourge; that was retconned, and Lirath is now the only brother. The timing of her parents' deaths is also inconsistent: some sources place it in an Amani attack before Lirath's death, while Tales of the Hunt places Lireesa's death at the start of the Second War.
Related heroes
FAQ
Who killed Sylvanas Windrunner?
Arthas Menethil, with Frostmourne, just east of Fairbreeze Village while she defended Quel'Thalas. He then raised her as a banshee.
Why did Sylvanas burn Teldrassil?
In the Fourth War she ordered it burned as part of the War of the Thorns. Her deeper reasons are bound up with her secret pact with the Jailer, which was revealed in Shadowlands.
Is Sylvanas still alive?
She is undead and still exists. She is serving her sentence in the Maw, freeing trapped souls, and briefly came out in Midnight to save her family.
Who are Sylvanas's sisters?
Alleria Windrunner, the eldest, and Vereesa Windrunner, the youngest. Their brother Lirath died in the Second War.
Did Sylvanas love Nathanos?
Yes. Nathanos Marris was her pupil and later her lover in life. After his death and undeath he served as her champion, Nathanos Blightcaller. In the Maw she still seeks the soul of her "beloved Nathanos".
What was Sylvanas's punishment?
Tyrande Whisperwind sentenced her to free every soul trapped in the Maw and send it to be judged, until she alone remains.
Why did Sylvanas kill Saurfang?
Varok Saurfang challenged her to a mak'gora before Orgrimmar to end her rule. She killed him, and then she abandoned the Horde.
Who are Sylvanas's nephews?
Arator (son of Alleria and Turalyon) and the twins Giramar and Galadin (sons of Vereesa and Rhonin).
Sources
- Christie Golden, Sylvanas; Arthas: Rise of the Lich King; War Crimes; Before the Storm.
- Christie Golden, Edge of Night; Micky Neilson, Blood of the Highborne.
- World of Warcraft: Chronicle, Vol. 3; Windrunner: Three Sisters (comic); Tales of the Hunt.
- Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos and The Frozen Throne; World of Warcraft from Wrath of the Lich King to Midnight (incl. Old Soldier, Eternity's End, The Warning).
- Community wikis cross-checked: Warcraft Wiki – Sylvanas Windrunner, Wowpedia – Sylvanas Windrunner, plus their pages on Lireesa, Verath, Lirath, Alleria, Vereesa and Nathanos.
Illustrations: original artwork by The Tirisfalen. World of Warcraft and Warcraft are trademarks of Blizzard Entertainment. This page is fan content and is not affiliated with Blizzard.