The Old Gods

The Old Gods of the north are numberless and everywhere. Spirits dwell in every grove, hill and stream; they haunt the menhirs and boundary stones. Every village has its own gods, and it is the duty of the druids to know them, to divine their wills, and avert their wrath.

Above all others are the High Gods, the lords of the spirit world. Only the High Gods transcend locality, and they are honored foremost at every great temple.

Shaulk, the Judge of the Heavens

Shaulk is the creator, and the distant ruler of the world. He treads the heavens each day, and his eye is the sun. In myths, Shaulk is the arbiter of the other gods, but never interferes in mortal affairs. The giants and ancient cyclopes are thought to be his children.

Shaulk is honored in a festival at the winter solstice, when worshippers lament his cruel inattention, and call on him to return his gaze to the earth. He is rarely depicted in statues; more often his presence is invited into a temple with the inclusion of sunlight.

The yearly cycle of the sun-god's attention is mirrored in the cycle of time. At the end of time, Shaulk shall perish, and all light and heat vanish from the earth. The earth and the gods themselves shall die in the endless night. But time is circular, and he shall be reborn from darkness to remake the earth.

Gasa, the Earth-mother

Gasa is the dweller in the earth, the mother of gods and mortals. From her all life springs, and to her it returns. She weaves the souls of mortals in her home within the earth, and when men die, she unweaves them. The souls of mortals not properly buried sometimes do not find their way to her, but walk the earth as abominations.

Parents pray to Gasa for healthy children, and the dead are buried and appeased that they might swiftly find their way back to her loom. Miners, jewelers, and metalworkers make offerings to Gasa in exchange for their theft; displeased, she can shake the earth or stoke mountains with fire.

Gasa's presence is never invoked with images; offerings to the Weaver must be made in caves, or buried beneath rich soil.

Diada, the Silver Maiden

Diada is the goddess of water and the moon, the nourisher and protector. She protects mortals against monsters and evil spirits, watching over the earth when Shaulk's eye is elsewhere. In tales, she grants insight to heroes through cryptic visions. Those gifted with wisdom are said to have been touched by Diada.

Her statues are always carved from white stone, and she is depicted as a maiden with long hair and a sword. She is honored with festivals in the spring and fall, and her symbol, the crescent moon with points facing upward, is said to be a talisman against evil. Warriors often offer the arms of their enemies to Diada, casting them into rivers and lakes.

Tiroc, the Pale Man

Tiroc is the god of death and winter. He chills the bones of old men, covers the land with snow and ice, and ends the lives of mortals when their time is up.

Tiroc's gaunt statues are carved without faces, for it is said his face is known only to the dead. People pray to Tiroc for mild winters, but it is said that no prayer or offering can ever shift one's appointed time.

The debt or price due to Tiroc is a common idiom, with a dual meaning. "He paid Tiroc's price" could mean that he died, or that he suffered the ravages of winter (to his person or his property).

Somun, the Whisperer

Somun is the goddess of sleep, dreams, and prophecy. She brings on sleep, and haunts the minds of sleeping mortals. Seers are said to be blessed by Somun, and madmen cursed by her. Tales say that Shaulk first granted his eye to Ylgal, and gave it to Somun when Ylgal angered him.

Mortals pray to Somun for true visions of the future, and relief from madness and delirium. Her statues depict a hunched old woman with a third eye upon her brow. Birds are all servants of Somun, and sometimes bear messages for her. Owls are her harbingers.

Ylgal, the Wanderer

Twin brother of Somun, the god of exiles, wanderers and criminals. Of all the gods, he is the greatest lover of humankind. According to myth, Ylgal was blessed with the gift of prophecy by Shaulk, and instructed to keep the first men simple and obedient. But Ylgal defied Shaulk, and took pity on mankind. He gave man knowledge of fire and metal, and the first secrets of magic, and mankind grew stronger and no longer lived in fear and darkness. When Shaulk discovered his treachery, he took back his eye and cast Ylgal from the ranks of the gods, to wander the earth for all time.

Ylgal's statues depict a weak and weary traveller, blind and scarred. They are never raised within a temple or shrine, or even under a roof; holy groves shade his statues from the light of Shaulk. Ylgal is honored before journeys and on safe returns.

It is said that Ylgal favors those who are kind to guests.