Bosmeri Pantheon

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Violet
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Joined: Mon Apr 30, 2018 11:07 am

Bosmeri Pantheon

Post by Violet »

Terminology:

Central Figures are the major figures in the Pantheon. The current head, the past head, the major antagonist, and the record keeper. All other deities belong in the other two categories.

"Early Figures" != Figures only around in the earliest parts of Bosmeri history, but instead are non-central deities introduced in the earliest parts of Bosmeri history, typically through early cultural exchange or being grandfathered into the pantheon from their Aldmeri roots. The only deity whose active worship died out in general is Z'en, the others are common though not as common as the Central Figures or the Gods of The Now.

Gods of The Now are minor deities whose major worship have caught on during The Now, or the time of the Green Pact as some like to refer to it. This does not include deities who were grandfathered in from their Aldmer days, nor does this include deities whose worship is on the decline or has died down significantly. Deities whose worship has died down but is now on a resurgence are on this list as well.

Central Figures:
Spoiler
Y'FFRE

Y'ffre, God of the Forest, The Law Maker, The Storyteller, Father of The Silvenar, and The Spirit of the Now, is the chief deity within the web of Bosmeri myths and beliefs. As the Aldmeri settlers wondered the Valenwood forests and jungles, they were stricken with plagues and diseases, most merely died off, while others changed shapes with indescribable severity. It was by Y'ffre's hand and song that The Silvenar came into being at The Ooze, and with him the Bosmer came into a stable form as well, establishing the laws of the land to Nirn once again, though through his teachings Bosmer can revert to the times of many-shapes, becoming mindless colossi whose only motivation is destruction - a motivation the Bosmeri peoples have long since abstained from unless under imminent threat. This revertion, known as "The Wild Hunt", has lasting ramifications however, as the beasts can't be transformed back into their original shapes, and they only gain some semblance of sentience when the hunt is over and all that stands among them have been slain by their own claws and fangs.

Y'ffre may be a regular god in the eyes of Altmer, but in the eyes of the Bosmer he is the crown among them, and is venerated as the father of the sacred Graht Oaks, a claim that is made by none other than The Silvenar himself. In Betony, parts of Hammerfell, and a particular Tong in Morrowind, he is known as Jephre, the master of song whom all Bardism stems, though his presence there is not felt quite as impactfully as is in Valenwood. His song-weaving and word-smithing is far above the comprehension of mortals, even The Silvenar can not describe the beauty of his poetry.

AURIEL

TO BE WRITTEN

LORKHAN

TO BE WRITTEN

XARXES

The Record Keeper, the Poet of Records, Flesh God and Scribe of the Ooze. Xarxes is the God of Knowledge and Flesh, as well as Patron Deity of Scribes and Golem Architects. Xarxes was the scribe to Auri-el for the Aldmer, and father-husband to Oghma. In Bosmeri mythology, Xarxes (sometimes Sarks'e or Xarsei) was reborn within the Ooze. Just as he had weaved his wife from spoken word to flesh-script, so too did he weave himself into The Now. It's said today that King Camoran Eplear was advised by an avatar of Xarxes, who then shed his flesh in mourning along the Silirceln River in modern day Lynpar Floodlands to be one with the Ooze, where he to this day acts as grand scribe and historian of the events of The Now. The Khajiit tell a different tale, a tale of an Elven demon who was finally defeated when Rajhin stole his skin.

He bares the most influence on the Valekyl Tribe of Haven, whose nomadic tendencies led to the creation of their wandering manors. All Elden-Orators of the Sylvan Orators are said to read from Xarxes' sacred records upon being selected by their chosen Graht Oak, giving them the knowledge to become the mortal avatar and speaker for that Graht Oak's will. Silvenar City's Xarxes temple walls are lined with ancient runes in all unknown languages. Xarxes is seen as a tragic god, and many give condolence prayers along with offerings of ink, quills, and freshly killed strips of meat to shrines across Valenwood.

OGHMA

Lady Flesh, The Forbidden Book, the Woman Bound in Word, all these and more have been used to refer the goddess Oghma in Bosmeri myth. Wife and counterpart to Xarxes, Oghma is considered the Goddess of Knowledge and Flesh. She was a collection of Xarxes' knowledge, bound into his flesh and made separate and whole by unknown means to be his wife, to be solely read and recited by him. When Xarxes was reborn into the Ooze, he brought Oghma into Y'ffre's Garden along with him so that his mortal avatar could teach the elves, apes, fairies, and centaurs all the secrets not shared with the past. Though he was forbidden to share Oghma's words with the cats who hated them, and the satyrs that rejected them. It's said that Oghma had chosen to rebel against Xarxes and betray The Storyteller. Oghma took upon herself a new shape, and revealed herself to the Satyran Tribes. This forbidden knowledge allowed for the Satyrs, who had lost their elven heritage and nobility long ago, to retain their current shape and learn hidden truths that would drive even the most stable of scholars to madness.

Upon revealing herself to the Satyrs within Y'ffre's sacred grove, she offered herself to them in spite for Xarxes. By the break of dawn, her divine flesh had been cursed and stripped from her spirit. Her spirit would once again become trapped in the form of a book, which would be known as the Oghma Infinium, would grant knowledge to all those who read her, but would disappear soon after, never allowing anyone enough time to learn enough of the world's secrets again. Her flesh would rot, and become one with the soil, though never quiet. It's believed that one can still hear her un-knowable whispers in certain root-caves and under-towers of Valenwood. Queen Fylilyf Valekyl, a Changeling Fey who was briefly the Queen of Haven Kingdom of the Early 3rd Era, had claimed she was the daughter of Oghma, and the Valekyl Tribe of Haven is the only major tribe who still venerates the goddess, though she still has shrines in many temples dedicated to Xarxes. Offerings to Oghma include damp soil and blank pages.

Early Figures:
Spoiler

RIANA

Riana, Lady of the Mists and Matron of Rain, is a minor deity within the Altmer, Bosmer, and Maormer pantheons. A small collection of temples dedicated to her conclave exist throughout Tamriel, though few in number and isolated from both each other the south-eastern elven institutions and orthodoxies. She is the goddess of impenetrable fog and the sprinkler of morning dew. Her devoted worshippers are few, but her presence is seen by all Bosmer and Altmer by her smiling face in the dancing clouds in the sky, and her wrathful gaze is observed by the thick, black clouds of heavy rainfall. Her followers in Summurset often seek her blessings of peaceful rain, as opposed to tropical storms, through crystaline fountains, bending the atmospheric light around the calm, rippling waters. Her followers in Valenwood, however, seek her praise among the waterfalls and springs of the wilds, making beautiful works of dance and paint. The Maormer of Pyandonea, however, see her as a queen of the highest order and the chief strategist of the gods. The ever present mist that surrounds the archipelago-kingdom is known as her wall, and only those who have earned her favor may enter its gates.

Z'EN

TO BE WRITTEN

JONE

TO BE WRITTEN

JODE

TO BE WRITTEN

MARA

TO BE WRITTEN

Gods of The Now:
Spoiler
HERMA-MORA

(POSSIBLY NEEDS REWRITING) Herma-Mora, Goat-Man of Tri-horned eyes, The Vines of Entry, The Ghost in the Canopy, is the keeper of knowledge within the Bosmeri pantheon. Commonly believed to be a loan god from early Colo-Nordic myths, he is, according to The Silvenar, a wise sage who taught the Bosmer Wood-Magicks. As such, he is venerated by the Wood-Mages across Valenwood, in similar fashion to Syrabane of the Altmeri pantheon. He is the Y'ffre's favorite lover, and while at first glance his resemblance may suggest he has a similar role to Satyrs as Morihaus has to Minotaurs, the connection ends with shallow appearances. Herma-Mora is the god of the mastery of the mind, his influence is greatly felt in the architecture of Valenwood, as his followers practice the sacred art of divine placement. Shrouded in mystery, none dare claim to know his true intentions, as the meaning behind his words matter little when his words themselves are worth all the gold in Old Ehlnofey.

ARKAY

TO BE WRITTEN

SHAGRATH

Shagrath, the god of spiders or "the one who bleeds poison", is a deity found only in Valenwood. Many have speculated that he is a Bosmeri equivalent of Sheogorath, Prince of Madness, or Mephala, the Webspinner, but there has been no evidence by either those who've pledged to his cause or those who've been left to mend their wounds in his wake. Bosmer believe him to be the Aedra who taught the Bosmer how to extract and mix all manner of poisons throughout the harsh jungles of Valenwood. In one dubious tale, he impregnated a common giant spider, his seed spawning the origin of the Rothgor Spiders, a deadly arachnid seeping with poisons and diseases varying from all eleven of its hooked fangs and whose size is comparable to that of a minotaur. His followers devote themselves to destruction and anarchy. Usually attacking and raising those who hold sway or power within the Kingdoms. He, along with his followers, despise the Green Pact and wish to put an end to it, often defiling the sacred rite of consumption by raising those loyal to the Pact, making them twisted amalgamations of bone and rotting flesh. Even if they were to be put to rest, the Shagrathi Cultists have assured that the Bosmer can never be given a proper Green Pact funeral. Because of these actions of both the god and his cultists, Shagrathi worship has been banned by The Silvenar, since the Eplear Dynasty. A ruling that is steadfastly held by King Elisgorn Camoran today. Despite this however, Shagrath worship is on the rise, due in large part to Selene's assault on Eldenroot during the early Imperial Simulacrum.

STENDARR

TO BE WRITTEN

BAAN DAR

TO BE WRITTEN

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