Get all the Fourth Wing characters explained here. I read the first book in this romantic fantasy series twice and share all my notes with you in this reading guide.
There is a multitude of characters named in this book set in school. Add to that all the dragons and signets, and the reader can get overwhelmed by reading the Fourth Wing series in order!
My goal is to help you through this fantasy book. There are necessarily some spoilers, including dragon bonds and signets. Still, I don’t reveal major plot points like significant character deaths, and I generally placed all the characters in order of appearance in each section, so you can scroll as far as you choose.
Let’s “fire” it up!
Quick List of Fourth Wing Characters With Dragons and Signets
| Rider | Name of Dragon | Type | Signet |
| Commanding General Melgren | Codagh | Black | Ability to see a battle’s outcome before it happens |
| Dain Aetos | Cath | Red swordtail | mind-reading by touch |
| Garrick Tavis | Chradh | Brown scorpiontail | |
| Jack Barlowe | Baide | Orange scorpiontail | |
| Liam Mairi | Deigh | Red daggertail | farsight |
| Lilith Sorrengail | Aimsir | Brown | storm wielding |
| Mira Sorrengail | Teine | Green | weaving wards |
| Professor Kaori | Smachd | Projecting what he sees in his mind | |
| Ridoc Gamlyn | Aotrom | Brown swordtail | ice wielding |
| Rhiannon Matthias | Feirge | Green daggertail | summoning |
| Sawyer Henrick | Sliseag | Red swordtail | metallurgy |
| Soleil | Fuil | Brown clubtail | |
| Violet Sorrengail | Andarnaurram (“Andarna”), Tairneanach (“Tairn”) | Golden feathertail, Black morningstartail | gift of stopping time, lightning wielding |
| Xaden Riorson | Sgaeyl | (Navy) Blue daggertail | shadow wielder |
Related Posts: Fourth Wing Signets | Fourth Wing Dragons Iron Flame Characters | Onyx Storm Characters
More Details on Fourth Wing’s Main Characters
Violet Sorrengail is the 20-year-old protagonist, who is pale, short, frail, and has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. She was entering Basgiath War College as a Scribe, but her mother ordered her to attempt entry as a Rider. She has long brown braid that ends in silver tips and light hazel eyes of varying blues and ambers. She is smart, cunning, fierce, and courageous.
Dain Aetos is Violet’s overprotective friend and a second-year leader for Second Squad, Flame Section, Second Wing. He has soft brown eyes and a beard with a scar peeking from it.
Xaden Riorson is a 23-year-old third-year Fourth Wing wingleader whose father was Fen Riorson, the Great Betrayer. He is tall with black hair, dark brows, a strong jaw, warm tawny skin, a muscular upper body, dark stubble, gold-flecked onyx eyes, and a diagonal scar that bisects his left eyebrow and marks the top corner of his cheek. He has a rebellion relic and his dragon Sgaeyl’s navy blue mark takes up his entire back, which has silver scars. He is one of the best fighters in Fourth Wing.
Rhiannon Matthias is Violet’s friend, who she meets on the parapet. She has a twin (Raegan) who is married and having a baby, and she is dating Tara.
Jack Barlowe is an arrogant rider in the Flame Section of First Wing who is always after Violet. He has icy blue eyes with a red rim.
Imogen Cardulo is a second-year with half-pink hair and pale green eyes, considered one of Fourth Wing’s best fighters. Violet’s mother executed her mother and sister, so she has a rebellion relic. She has a crush on Garrick.
Liam Mairi is Violet’s friend and the strongest first-year Fourth Wing, Second Squad, Tail Section, who later joins Dain’s command. He is tall and massively built with spiky, light blond-hair, a prominent nose, blue eyes, and a rebellion relic. He was fostered with Xaden.
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Minor Fourth Wing Characters
Jesinia Neilwart: a deaf first-year curator of the Scribe Quadrant with long brown hair who is Violet’s friend
Commanding General Lilith Sorrengail: Violet’s mother who rules Basgiath War College and has sheared golden-brown hair; previously a rider and instructor
Lieutenant Mira Sorrengail: Violet’s 26-year-old sister who is like their mother. She is a confident and naturally gifted rider who is tall and muscular with brown eyes and hair. She received the Order of the Talon for taking out the battery behind enemy lines at Strythmore.
Mr. Sorrengail: Violet’s father; a scribe who died from heart failure a year earlier
Fen Riorson: the Great Betrayer and Xaden’s father. Lilith captured him and oversaw his execution. He killed Violet’s brother, Brennan.
Brennan Sorrengail: Violet’s older brother, who was a brilliant strategist and died in battle
Colonel Aetos: Dain’s father and one of Lilith’s most trusted advisors with warm brown eyes
Tara: Tail Section of First Wing from Morraine with jet black hair and curves
Aura Beinhaven: Her section was moved to Second Wing.
Sawyer: a tall, lean, wiry cadet with a light complexion and freckles. He’s a repeat cadet who didn’t bond and the last threshing.
Ridoc: a rider who has floppy brown hair and brown skin and is on the smaller side.
Garrick Tavis: Fourth Wing leader of Flame Section (Violet’s superior above Dain), who is considered to be the best fighter in Fourth Wing and has hazel eyes and broad shoulders
Bodhi: Xaden’s cousin and a handsome second-year tail section executive officer with tawny brown skin, strong brow line, brown eyes, and black curls (looks like a softer, more approachable version of Xaden)
Oren Seifert: tall blond in First Wing
Quinn: tall second-year with blond curls, round cheeks, hooped piercings that line her ears, green eyes; has a girlfriend in Claw Section
Soleil: a brunette third-year rider with brown eyes, a nose ring, green fingernails, and a rebellion relic
Gods
- Malek: God of Death
- Amari: Queen of the Gods
- Zihnal: the God of Luck
- Dunne: Goddess of Strength and War
Basgiath War College Professors
- Commandant Panchek: wants Lilith’s and Melgren’s jobs
- Captain Fitzgibbons: scribe with silver eyebrows who reads the death roll
- Professor Devera: captain who co-teaches Battle Brief; short purple hair, black brows, deep-brown skin
- Professor Lewis Markham: co-teaches Battle Brief and wrote An Unedited History
- Professor Emmetterio: a black bearded combat teacher who intimidates Violet
- Professor Kaori: an illusionist who teaches about dragons and has dark eyebrows and mustache
- Professor Carr: the terrifying wielding professor with white hair and bushy white brows
Political Leaders
- Commanding General Melgren: commands all Navarrian forces
- King Tauri: Navarrian leader whose son died during threshing
Characters Briefly Mentioned
- Major Gillstead: trained Violet to become a rider
- Dylan: dies on the parapet
- Raegan: Rhiannon’s twin, who is married and expecting a baby.
- Major Afendra: wrote the Guide to the Riders Quadrant
- Colonel Kaori: wrote the Field Guide to Dragonkind
- Nyra: brunette with wide shoulders and a scarred sneer; senior wingleader of the quadrant and the head of the First Wing
- Elena Sosa: on the death roll
- Brayden Blackburn: on the death roll
- Jace Sutherland: on the death roll
- Dougal Luperco: on the death roll
- Simone Casteneda: on the death roll
- Amber Mavis: Third Wing wingleader with strawberry blond hair and Dain’s close friend
- Luca: catty first-year in Violet’s squad with long brown hair
- Aurelie: black eyes, brown hair, and built like Mira; from the border of Cygnisen
- Cianna: Violet’s squad’s executive leader
- Tynan: first-year in Violet’s squad with a stocky build, blue-black hair, angular features, and a big ego.
- Major Frederick: wrote the Modern Guide for Healers
- Winifred: a grey-eyed healer who is the best Basgiath has
- Nolon: an 84-year-old healer who is married to Winifred, walks with a cane, and has bright white teeth and brown skin
- Helen: a middle-aged healer
- Captain Lawrence Medina: wrote Effective Uses of Wild and Cultivated Herbs
- Naolin: Tairn’s previous rider, who died when he attempted to use his siphoning power to resurrect Brennan and depleted himself in the process
- Rayma Corrie: Third Wing
- Chase: Rhiannon’s brother in the Southern Wing
- Pryor: a shy cadet from the Krovlan border region
- Trina: the quietest and most reserved in Violet’s squad
- Calvin Atwater: a cadet from Fourth Wing’s First Squad, Claw Section; on the death roll
- Newland Jahvon: a cadet from Fourth Wing’s Second Squad, Flame Section; on the death roll
- Major Rorilee: wrote the Guide to Appeasing the Gods
- Doria Merrill: on the death roll
- Kamryn Dyre: on the death roll
- Arvel Pelipa: on the death roll
- Michael Iverem: on the death roll
- Heaton: thickest third-year in Violet’s squad with red flames cut and dyed into their hair
- Emery: third-year in Violet’s squad
- Colonel Daxton: wrote the Guide to Excelling in the Scribe Quadrant
- Cadet Pierson: a first-year scribe
- Cadet Nasya: a scribe working in the Archives
- Jeremiah: an inntinsic
- Belden: Second Squad, Tail Section
- Vaugh Penlet: leaves Dain’s command
- Tyvon Varen: executive officer for Second Wing
- Nadine: first-year who hates marked ones; from a northern village on the provinces of Deaconshire and Tyrrendor
- Nyra: First Wing leader
- Septon Izar: Second Wing leader
- Isaac Mairi: Liam’s father, who was executed at their family house
- Duke Lindell: fostered Liam and Xaden in Tirvainne
- Sloane Mairi: Liam’s sister, who is a year younger and entering the quadrant next year; strong, quick, and has good balance
- Julianne: the youngest one with a rebellion relic (almost age six)
- Lamani Zohar: becomes wingleader for Third Wing
- Sharla Gunter: on the death roll
- Mushin Vedie: a Second Wing, rumored to be one of the best, on the death roll after his signet manifested during class and he burned himself to death.
- Mikael: beaten by Liam on the mat
- Major Kallista Neema: an executive officer of the Southern Wing
- Lieutenant Colonel Alyssa Travonte
- Major Quade: gives a tour of the outpost at Montserrat
- Major Potsdam: recommended Mira for the Star of Navarre
- Ciaran
- Syrena: a gryphon rider
More Fourth Wing Guides
If you liked this post about Fourth Wing, then read these posts about the Empyrean series by Rebecca Yarros next:
- Fourth Wing Summary by Chapter
- Fourth Wing Ending With Spoilers
- Fourth Wing Map
- Fourth Wing Book Review
- Fourth Wing Book Club Guide
- Fourth Wing Quotes
- Fourth Wing Spicy Pages
- Fourth Wing iPhone Wallpaper
remember, it’s a good day to read a book. – jules
Hello, Thank you for this helpful guide. Violet’s name is listed as Violent a couple of times within the post. While that made me chuckle, it should probably be corrected.
Mira Sorrengail – Violent describes her as being confident.
Tairn – He bonded with Violent because she is the smartest and most cunning of her year.
Hi there. Usually I am embarrassed by mistakes, but I kind of have to laugh at this one too given her nickname, which was probably somehow sneaking through my brain as I typed. I sincerely appreciate you taking the time to let me know and will fix it all right now.
Love this guide! I don’t see a mention of Xaden’s cousin, Bodhi though?
I’ll probably add him 🙂 I debated how deep to go into the character lineup and didn’t have much to say about him at the time.
A few small corrections and forgive my spelling as I’ve only listened to the audio book (which is fabulous, by the way.)
Bodie is Xaden’s cousin, not Garrick, but the 2 are often together.
Sawyer had a celebratory night with Rhiannon, but my impression is it was a one night thing as Rhiannon also had a thing for a female cadet.
Imogen’s signet is the ability to erase a recent memory (Ch 25)
Thank you for the guide! I hope this helps.
This does help! Thank you so much! I appreciate you taking the time to share it here so we can all benefit from it.
I need this cheat sheet printed as I am reading!
Absolutely loved this book, I’ve been looking for something like this since finishing the last ACOTAR series book. I can’t recall tho, is there any clue about Imogens signet? I noticed she was not included on the list above
Not that I’m aware of. I took hundreds of detailed notes as I read, then transcribed them all into this post. I tried to be as comprehensive as possible, so if something is not included, that means I didn’t personally find any clues or hints.
@Carolina, in Ch 25, she writes that Imogen’s signet is erasing recent memories.
Thanks for the Guide, helps a lot.
You’re welcome!! 🙂
I find it interesting that few people have spotted that all of the dragons names are Scottish Gaelic words – and their names offer clues to their personalities and plot points.
Ooh I love this observation! I now need to research the names more. Fourth Wing is like a gift that keeps giving 🙂