GODS
of
AENYA
Zoë
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The Goddess of Nature takes many names. Among the Ilmarin people, she is Alashiya, or simply the Mother Goddess. In the Hedonian Empire, Aea, Tyrnael, and Yefira, she is called Zoë. As the embodiment of the world itself, she is also known as Aenya.
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HISTORY: After centuries of cruelty and oppression, disparate human tribes band together to rebel against Septheran rule (circa 9800 BGM). The resulting civilization adopts the name "Zo," in celebration of life. Centuries pass before the collapse of the Zo Empire and the Great Cataclysm, leading to a decline in worship of the Goddess in favor of male warrior gods such as Solos, Sargonus, and Strom.
On the island nation of Aea, Zoë represents Wisdom and Balance. She stands in judgment between her sisters, Irene (Goddess of Love, Lust, and Peace) and Maki (Goddess of Justice and War).
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In the Ilmarin creation myth, Alashiya is the daughter of Anu and Eru, two primordial gods who traverse the Cosmos, making love continually, birthing new worlds. Her brother is the Sun God, Solos, who gifts her with the ilm flower. The Goddess personifies life itself and is part of all living things. She can be sensed in natural phenomena, like in the wind and sunlight. On rare occasions, she appears in physical form. Her avatars include the unicorn, phoenix, archenelk, and sometimes even an "ilma" or human. In the fable of the Tyrant, the meat-eating saurian's descendants are turned into chickens by the Goddess in punishment for its insatiable appetite.
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Appearances: Ages of Aenya, The Princess of Aenya, The Feral Girl.
Sargonus is the god of the Sea, chief deity amongst the coastal states of Hedonia, Thetis, and Thalassar. His pyramid temple, located in Hedonia, is widely regarded the greatest architectural achievement of the modern age. Worshippers worldwide flock to the city to pay their respects to the temple and the idol housed within it. Sometime after 5000 AGM, when settlers from Aea colonize the Coast of Sarnath, Sargonus's statue is built atop the ancient idol of Gulgola to commemorate humanity's conquest of the merquid who originally occupied the area. The statue is sculpted from a single slab of green marble with eyes of pearl.
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Sargonus is venerated in other parts of Aenya but is of lesser importance. In Northendell, he is mentioned in The Song of Strom as the brother of the Delian chief god, Strom the Thunderer, God of Storms.
Appearances: Ages of Aenya
Skullgrin is universally revered throughout the rural regions and city-states of Aenya. He is commonly referred to as Death, but also as "The Taker," as in "he who takes life" or "he who takes those you love." Evoking his true name is taboo and thought to bring about misfortune. While the Taker is dreaded by the young and healthy, to the sick, dying, and decrepit, he is the most merciful god. To the fearful, he appears as a horned skull, while to those who have accepted the inevitable, he appears as a kindly old man wearing black, tight-fitting clothes and a simple skull-faced choker.
In The Princess of Aenya, Radia tells the story of her distant ancestor, Prince Kormin, who journeys to the Underworld to rescue his recently deceased wife. While a guest in Death's domain, Kormin makes a remarkable discovery about life.
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Appearances: Ages of Aenya, The Princess of Aenya, The Feral Girl.
Solos is venerated wherever the sun rules the heavens. The blazing celestial body ruling the day is often called the Eye of Solos. In the Great White Flat, the Dead Zones, and the desert Ocean dominating the Western hemisphere, Solos is a cruel overlord who desiccates every living thing. In the more hospitable regions of the Twilight Boundary, his adherents rely on him to nourish crop fields, while in the Dark Hemisphere, his influence is practically unknown.
According to Ilmarin lore, Solos is responsible for the first life form to develop on Aenya: the ilm flower. Seeing his sister, Zoë, lonely and in want of children, he takes up his hammer, Gravity, and forges Light. His Light washes over the barren landscapes of Aenya, allowing the earliest forms of vegetation to sprout. (The myth reinterprets the science of star formation taught to the Ilmar by Kjus).
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Centuries later, the most beloved of Zöe's children, the ilma (humans), lose respect for their mother and defile the Goddess (razing her forests, polluting her waters, and suffocating her atmosphere). Watching from above, Solos flies into a terrible rage, immolating the sky and the land below and everything in it. The only ilma to survive the Cataclysm are those she protects in her womb below the earth. (This myth most likely refers to the historical period, c. 0 BGM, when the sun expands into a red giant, resulting in a mass extinction event during which 99% of all species perish.)
Mentions and appearances: Ages of Aenya, The Feral Girl
Strom
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Like all the Gods of Aenya, the Thunderer is worshipped throughout the world and is responsible for all weather phenomena. Farmers pray to him to bring rain to their crops or be delivered from the devastation brought upon by tornadoes, floods, and lightning strikes. To the Delian people, Strom is chief among the gods, brother to Sargonus, and represents "manly" virtues like strength, bravery, and prowess in battle. Strom is proud, boastful, and quick to take offense. In song, he is called Red-Bearded and Red-Knuckled.
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While Delians show little interest in literature, they love a good story told in song. The Song of Strom is the most famous of these tales. Often recited by a skald at weddings, funerals, and by King Frizzbeard in his mead hall at Hoarfrost, the Song of Strom plays a pivotal role in the creation myth of the Delian people. ​
Mentions and appearances: Ages of Aenya
Irene is the goddess of peace, love, sex, and beauty. On the matriarchal island nation of Aea, Irene is one of three primary gods, alongside her sisters, Maki and Zoë. Her temple features prominently in The Ballad of Titian and Midiana. While Maki's priestesses swear an oath of celibacy, the clerics of Irene engage their congregants in sacred orgies. While the goddess is popular among the coastal states, foreigners from more conservative regions find her adherents' wantonness morally repugnant. Irene's most significant role, however, is to balance the violent whims of her sister, Maki, while Zoë, the eldest of the three, stands in judgment between the two extremes.
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Mentions and appearances: Ages of Aenya, The Ballad of Titian and Midiana / The Gorgon's Lover.
Maki is the goddess of war and justice. She is worshipped on the island of Aea as one of three primary gods but is venerated throughout the coastal regions of the One Sea. In The Ballad of Titian and Midiana, Maki is enraged when her celibate priestess, Midiana, is seduced by a male lover, Titian. As punishment, Maki transforms Midiana into the dreaded gorgon.
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Appearances: Ages of Aenya, The Ballad of Titian and Midiana / The Gorgon's Lover.