If you’ve read Fourth Wing, Iron Flame, or Onyx Storm, you already know one thing: venin and wyvern are not just old stories from forbidden books. They are real, terrifying, and deeply tied to the biggest secrets in Rebecca Yarros’ Empyrean series.
Venin and Wyvern — Quick Answer
What are venin in Fourth Wing?
Venin are humans who channel magic directly from the earth instead of receiving it through a dragon or gryphon bond. This forbidden power corrupts the soul and turns them into dark wielders.
What are wyvern in Fourth Wing?
Wyvern are two-legged, dragon-like creatures created by venin through rune magic. Unlike dragons, they are not bonded companions with their own riders — they are powered and controlled by the dark wielder who made them.
Spoiler Warning
This article contains major spoilers for Fourth Wing, Iron Flame, and Onyx Storm, including Xaden’s storyline, Jack Barlowe’s reveal, and the expanded venin hierarchy.
Contents
At first, venin are treated like folklore — the kind of monsters cadets whisper about but don’t actually expect to meet. Wyverns are mentioned in the same breath: two-legged dragon-like creatures from children’s fables, supposedly created by venin and used in their dark army.
But by the end of Fourth Wing, everything changes. Violet Sorrengail learns that venin and wyvern are not ancient myths. They are the real enemy hiding beyond Navarre’s borders — and maybe even inside them.
What Are Venin in Fourth Wing?
Venin, also called dark wielders, are humans who take magic directly from the source — the earth itself. That is what makes them so different from dragon riders and gryphon fliers. Riders channel magic through their bonded dragons. Fliers channel through their gryphons. Venin bypass that bond completely. They reach directly into the ground and steal power for themselves.
The problem is that this kind of channeling is not neutral. It corrupts. The more someone draws from the earth, the more they lose pieces of their soul. Over time, they become addicted to the power and begin to crave more of it.
This is why venin are not simply another magical group in the Empyrean series. They represent the most dangerous version of magic: power without balance, without a bond, and without limits.
In Navarrian folklore, venin appear in the story of the three brothers. One brother bonds with dragons, one bonds with gryphons, and the third becomes jealous. Instead of bonding with a creature, he draws magic directly from the source and loses his soul. That old fable turns out to be much closer to the truth than Navarre wants anyone to know.
How Do People Become Venin?
A person becomes venin the moment they channel magic directly from the earth. That is the terrifying part: it does not require a long ritual or an obvious transformation at first. One choice is enough. Once someone draws power from the ground, they become an initiate — the lowest rank of venin.
However, not everyone reaches that point the same way. Onyx Storm makes it clear that riders and fliers may be especially vulnerable because they already understand the flow of magic. They know what power feels like. They know how to wield it. So when they reach for the earth instead of their bonded creature, they can channel more easily than someone who has never wielded magic before.
That does not mean ordinary humans are safe. Jack Barlowe suggests that someone without experience can still be taught to channel from the earth. So while riders and fliers may have an easier path into venin magic, they are not the only ones who can fall. The important point is this:
Venin are not born venin. They become venin by choosing to take power directly from the earth.
And so far, the series has been very clear about the cost of that choice.
Is Becoming Venin Reversible?
So far, no.
This is one of the darkest parts of the venin storyline. In Iron Flame, Navarre’s research suggests that there is no cure — only control. In Onyx Storm, the irid dragons make the answer even more devastating: the soul is not simply traded away and waiting to be returned. It is destroyed piece by piece.
That means becoming venin is not treated like a wound that can be healed. It is more like a death of the soul over time.
This is especially important for Xaden’s story. Violet spends much of Onyx Storm searching for a way to save him, but the more we learn, the less hopeful the answer becomes. Xaden himself understands this. He does not plan as if he might be cured. He plans for what happens when he loses control.
Venin Ranks in Fourth Wing Explained
The venin hierarchy is based on age, experience, and how far someone has progressed in their corruption. By Onyx Storm, we know of four main venin ranks: Initiate, Asim, Sage, and Maven.
Initiate
An initiate is the lowest level of venin. This is the stage someone enters after first channeling from the earth. At this point, the physical signs may come and go. Initiates can have reddish rings around their eyes, especially after draining power, but those signs may fade depending on how often they channel. This is the stage Xaden enters at the end of Iron Flame after he channels from the earth to defeat the Sage and protect Violet.
Asim
An asim is a more advanced venin. Their eyes fluctuate in different degrees of red, and their veins become more pronounced when they are angry, provoked, or using power. By the end of Onyx Storm, Xaden appears to have moved beyond initiate status. Whether he is fully an asim or even further along is still open to interpretation, but he is clearly no longer in the earliest stage of venin corruption.
Sage
Sages are powerful venin who can be responsible for initiates. Their eyes are permanently red, and the red veins around them become more visible and spiderwebbed with age. The Sage, later known as Berwyn, plays a major role in Xaden’s storyline. He torments both Violet and Xaden through dreams and becomes the venin figure most closely associated with Xaden’s fall.
Maven
Mavens are the highest known rank of venin. They are compared to generals, but the series still keeps them mysterious. A Maven has never been captured and studied, which means we know very little about what they look like or what they can do. Violet assumes Theophanie may be a Maven in Onyx Storm, but this is not fully confirmed. Theophanie also seems to answer to someone else, which raises an even bigger question: is she really a Maven, or is there another rank above Maven that we have not seen yet?
What Do Venin Look Like?
Venin are most recognizable by their eyes. Their eyes become red, often surrounded by red veins that branch outward across the skin. The more advanced the venin, the more permanent and severe these signs appear to be.
Lower-ranked venin may only show reddish rings around the eyes after channeling. More advanced venin have red eyes and distended veins that do not fully fade. Sages are described with permanently red eyes and veins that spread toward the temples.
Venin are also associated with different types of clothing. Some are seen in robes, while others appear in fighting leathers. The series often connects them visually with red, purple, and dark magical imagery.
But the most important physical marker is always the same: the red eyes and veins reveal the corruption caused by drawing too much power from the earth.
Venin Powers and Abilities in Fourth Wing
Venin are dangerous because they are not limited to one ability. They channel raw power from the earth, and that allows them to use several terrifying forms of magic.
Fire Wielding
Venin can wield fire, but it is not the same as a rider’s fire-wielding signet. Their fire appears to come from their stolen power rather than a dragon bond.
This is one of the first signs that venin magic does not follow the same rules as rider magic.
Pain Projection
Jack Barlowe’s ability to force pain into Violet was originally treated like a signet, but it is later understood as a venin power. This matters because it shows how easily venin abilities can be mistaken for rider abilities — especially when the venin is hiding in plain sight.
Gravity Manipulation
Venin can manipulate gravity, lifting opponents off the ground or forcing them down. This power is especially frightening because venin need contact with the earth to channel, while they can use that same relationship with the ground against their enemies.
Shields
Jack Barlowe demonstrates the ability to create a shield strong enough to deflect Xaden’s shadows. This suggests venin can use stolen power defensively as well as offensively.
Destruction and Disintegration
Venin can destroy objects, cause rockslides, and disintegrate magical tools. Their power is not just personal combat magic. It can affect the battlefield around them.
Fighting Adaptation
Venin also seem able to adapt quickly to fighting styles. That makes them extremely difficult to defeat in hand-to-hand combat or repeated encounters, because they learn from how their opponents move.
Resistance to Dragon Fire
One of the most terrifying things about venin is that normal dragon fire does not kill them. Dragons are usually the most powerful beings in the series, but venin are not easily destroyed by them.
This is part of what makes Andarna so important. Her fire appears to affect venin differently, which may be connected to her unique nature and the deeper magic surrounding the irid dragons.
How Can Venin Be Killed?
Venin are difficult to kill, but not impossible. So far, there are a few known ways to kill or weaken them.
Alloy Weapons
The most established way to kill venin is with the same alloy that powers Navarre’s wards. This alloy can be forged into weapons, especially daggers, and used against dark wielders.
However, these weapons appear to have limits. A dagger can only strike so many times before it loses power.
Violet’s Lightning
Violet’s signet can kill venin because she does not simply wield lightning in the ordinary sense. Her power is repeatedly connected to raw or pure power. That makes her one of the most dangerous weapons against venin.
This is also why venin are so interested in her. They know she is not just another rider.
Andarna’s Fire
Andarna’s fire can harm or kill venin in a way normal dragon fire cannot. This is one of the biggest clues that Andarna’s magic is fundamentally different from other dragons’ magic.
After Onyx Storm, this becomes even more important because Andarna’s origin and abilities may be central to the war against venin.
Removing Ground Contact
Venin draw power from the earth, so separating them from the ground can limit their ability to channel. This is why magical suspension, certain containers, or materials already drained of magic can be used to weaken or contain them.
Serum and Control
Navarre has experimented with a serum that can block venin from channeling. This does not cure them, but it can restrict their access to power. This distinction matters: blocking a venin is not the same as saving them.
What Do Venin Want?
Venin want power.
At the simplest level, they are addicted to channeling from the earth. The more they take, the more they want. That hunger drives them to seek out places rich in magic, especially the hatching grounds and the Vale at Basgiath.
But their goals are not only about survival or hunger. The venin are organized. They have ranks. They have leaders. They create wyvern. They infiltrate Navarre. They target Violet. They understand strategy.
That means the venin are not just corrupted individuals wandering the Barrens. They are an organized threat with a long-term plan.
And after Onyx Storm, it is clear they are playing a much larger game than Violet originally understood.
Known Venin in The Empyrean Series
Jack Barlowe
Jack Barlowe is the first major confirmed venin hiding inside Basgiath.
His survival after Violet drops a building on him becomes much easier to understand once we know he is venin. Jack’s reveal also proves something horrifying: venin can exist inside the wards, hide among riders, and even remain bonded to dragons.
One of the biggest questions is when Jack became venin. Many readers assume it happened sometime after Threshing, but there is also a strong theory that Jack entered Basgiath already connected to venin knowledge.
His strange awareness of feathertails, his fixation on Andarna, and his role in bringing down the wards all make him one of the most suspicious characters in the series from the beginning.
Xaden Riorson
Xaden becomes venin at the end of Iron Flame. During the battle at Basgiath, Violet is willing to sacrifice herself to imbue the wardstone. Xaden senses her intention and knows he cannot defeat the Sage quickly enough with his own power. So he reaches for the earth. That choice saves the moment, but it costs him part of his soul.
In Onyx Storm, Xaden spends most of the book fighting the pull of that power. He is painfully aware that control may not last forever. He prepares Violet, Bodhi, and the others for the possibility that he will eventually turn fully. By the end of Onyx Storm, Xaden gives in to the power in order to protect Sgaeyl. His transformation becomes one of the biggest turning points in the entire series.
Berwyn / The Sage
Berwyn is the Sage who haunts Xaden and Violet and plays a major role in Xaden’s fall. Xaden believes he kills him at the end of Iron Flame, but Onyx Storm reveals that Berwyn survived.
His ability to summon Xaden is especially important because it shows that venin are connected to one another in ways initiates and asims may not be able to resist.
Theophanie
Theophanie is one of the most important venin introduced in Onyx Storm. She was once a priestess of Dunne, and she is connected to storm-wielding.
Violet assumes Theophanie may be a Maven, but that remains uncertain. Theophanie appears to report to someone else, and she expects to be rewarded after delivering Violet and Andarna. That suggests she may not be the highest authority among the venin.
This makes her one of the most interesting pieces of the venin hierarchy puzzle.
What Are Wyvern in Fourth Wing?
Wyvern are two-legged, dragon-like creatures created by venin.
They are often described as similar to dragons, but there are several major differences. Wyvern have two legs instead of four, lack front legs, and use their membranous wings to help them move when landing. They have razor-sharp feathers along their necks and poison-barbed tails.
They are also usually larger than dragons, with some wyvern even appearing larger than Codagh.
But the biggest difference is not their appearance. It is how they exist.
Dragons are living, bonded creatures with their own magic and will. Wyvern are created through venin magic and powered by the dark wielder who made them.
How Are Wyvern Created in Fourth Wing?
Wyvern are created by venin using rune magic. Inside a wyvern is a runed stone, often associated with onyx, that acts like its heart. Venin channel power into the wyvern, forcing stolen magic into it and bringing it to life. This is the opposite of how dragon bonds work. A rider channels power from their dragon. A venin channels power into a wyvern. That reversal is one of the clearest examples of how venin magic corrupts the natural order. Dragons bond. Wyvern are made. Dragons choose. Wyvern are controlled.
Do Wyvern Have a Hive Mind?
Yes, wyvern appear to share a collective consciousness with the venin who created them. This makes them extremely useful in battle. Wyvern can patrol, gather information, and coordinate without their venin creators being physically present. That means venin can use wyvern like extensions of themselves. It also explains why wyvern are so dangerous in groups. They are not just wild monsters attacking randomly. They are connected, coordinated, and controlled.
What Happens to Wyvern When Their Venin Dies?
When a venin dies, the wyvern they created die too. This is one of the most important tactical details in the series. Killing individual wyvern can help in battle, but killing their creator can destroy all the wyvern connected to that venin. That means the real target is often not the wyvern swarm — it is the venin behind them.
Wyvern vs Dragons: What’s the Difference?
Wyvern are also harder for dragons to detect properly. Dragons can sense that something is wrong, but they cannot always identify wyvern clearly from a distance. Andarna describes their scent as stolen magic, which fits what they are: creatures animated by power that should never have been taken.
| Dragons 🐉 | Wyvern ⚡ |
|---|---|
| Four-legged | Two-legged |
| Living magical creatures | Created by venin |
| Bond with riders | Controlled by venin |
| Riders channel from dragons | Venin channel power into wyvern |
| Have their own will | Share a collective consciousness |
| Can sense magic, but struggle to detect wyvern clearly | Carry stolen magic |
| Dragon fire usually cannot kill venin | Wyvern fire can be extremely dangerous |
Types of Wyvern Fire
Wyvern can breathe different colors of fire, and each type appears to have different effects.
This part of the lore still feels like it has more to reveal. The different fire colors may become more important as the series continues, especially if wyvern types are connected to different venin powers or creation methods.
| Fire Color 🔥 | What We Know |
|---|---|
| Blue | One of the known wyvern fire types. |
| Green | Associated with faster wyvern. |
| Cherry red | Another known fire type seen in the series. |
Why Venin and Wyvern Matter So Much After Onyx Storm
By the end of Onyx Storm, venin and wyvern are no longer just the enemy outside Navarre’s borders. They are connected to almost every major question in the series.
Xaden is now venin. Jack was hiding in Basgiath. Theophanie suggests a larger venin hierarchy. Berwyn is alive. Wyvern can be created, controlled, and sent into battle through rune magic. And the hatching grounds remain one of the most important sources of power on the Continent.
The war is not just about defeating monsters anymore. It is about understanding how deeply venin have infiltrated the world Violet thought she knew.
Navarre’s leadership hid the truth for centuries. The scribes erased history. The wards protected Navarre but left Poromiel vulnerable. And now the consequences of those choices are impossible to ignore.
Biggest Venin Theories After Onyx Storm
The canon around venin is already huge, but the theories are where things get really interesting. These are not confirmed, but they are some of the most important questions after Onyx Storm.
Is Naolin Venin?
Naolin is one of the strongest venin suspects in the fandom.
He was Tairn’s previous rider and a siphon like Sloane. We know he supposedly died after saving Brennan, and Tairn does not like speaking about him. The phrase that saving Brennan “cost him everything” feels especially suspicious now that we understand what channeling from the earth can cost.
One theory is that Naolin did not simply burn out while saving Brennan. Instead, he may have reached for power from the earth and turned venin in the process.
This would also explain why Tairn reacts so strongly to venin and why the Naolin/Brennan story still feels unfinished.
Who Turned Venin at the End of Onyx Storm?
The ending of Onyx Storm leaves readers with a major question: did someone else turn venin?
Xaden’s transformation is the obvious focus, but there are hints that another character may have crossed that line too. Bodhi is one of the strongest suspects, especially because of his closeness to Xaden and the political consequences if Xaden is truly gone.
This is still theory territory, but it is one of the most important questions going into the next book.
Is Theophanie Really a Maven?
Violet assumes Theophanie is a Maven, but that is never fully confirmed. The problem is that Theophanie seems to answer to someone else. If Mavens are supposed to be the highest known venin rank, then who is above her? Is she actually a Sage? Is there another rank we have not learned about yet? Or is the venin hierarchy more complicated than Navarre’s limited knowledge suggests?
Could General Daramor Be the Top Venin?
General Daramor is repeatedly mentioned in the history of the Great War. He nearly destroyed the Continent with his army, and the Barrens are closely tied to venin destruction. Because venin can live for centuries, it is possible that Daramor is not just a historical figure. He could still matter in the present timeline — maybe even as the highest-ranking venin we have not met yet. This is not confirmed, but it would fit the series’ pattern of hiding major truths inside “old” history.
Venin and Wyvern in Fourth Wing FAQ
Are venin human?
Yes. Venin are humans who become corrupted after channeling magic directly from the earth.
Are venin born or made?
Venin are made. A person becomes venin when they choose to draw power directly from the source instead of channeling through a dragon or gryphon bond.
Are wyvern dragons?
No, wyvern are not dragons. They are dragon-like creatures created by venin. They have two legs instead of four and are powered through rune magic.
Who creates wyvern?
Venin create wyvern by channeling power into them through rune magic.
Why do wyvern die when venin die?
Wyvern are connected to the venin who created them. When that venin dies, the wyvern tied to them die too.
Can venin be cured?
So far, no. Iron Flame suggests there is no cure, only control, and Onyx Storm makes that answer even more final.
Is Xaden venin?
Yes. Xaden becomes venin at the end of Iron Flame after channeling from the earth, and his condition worsens throughout Onyx Storm.
Is Jack Barlowe venin?
Yes. Jack Barlowe is confirmed to be venin and was hiding inside Basgiath.
Can dragon fire kill venin?
Normal dragon fire does not appear to kill venin. However, Andarna’s fire is different and can harm or kill them.
What kills venin?
Known ways to kill venin include alloy weapons, Violet’s lightning/pure power, and Andarna’s fire.
