Aesir

Odin: Also known as: Asagrim, Baleygr, Vak, Valtam, Woden, Wodinaz,
Wotan, Ygg, and many more
Associated Abilities: Animal Ken, Art, Command, Investigation, Melee,
Occult
Associated Epic Attributes: Intelligence, Manipulation, Stamina, Wits
Associated Purviews: Death, Magic, Mystery, Psychopomp, War
Odin is the undisputed leader of the Aesir, the font of all wisdom and
warrior without peer, he who leads his people with vision and counteracts
Fate's every whim. He is a god most renowned for his incredible wisdom, but
who is also feared for his mastery of the occult arts and ability to peer into
the mysteries of the universe, letting no gain of knowledge pass him by. He is
also a god of the battlefield, and when wars rage upon the earth he rides
above them, claiming half of all the souls of fallen warriors to be taken with
him to Valhalla. Odin is consumed with planning for the prevention of
Ragnarok, the battle in which he will die and all he has carefully built will
come to naught; he searches ceaselessly for an answer or a way to cheat fate,
all the while feeling the breath of the final battle ever hotter on his neck.
Odin, Vili and Ve
When Odin and his brothers Vili and Ve were born, there was no
Midgard and no world to speak of. They were afraid of Ymir, the great frost
giant and their grandfather, and to ease their fear they fought a mighty battle
and defeated him. Between the three of them, they created the world out of
Ymir's body, that there would be a place for men to walk and all things of
creation to live, and they likewise created the first man and the first woman.
Vili gave them wit and feeling, Ve gave them appearance and senses, and
Odin gave them life and souls.
Odin and the Well of Mimir
Beneath the roots of Yggdrasil, the world tree, is the well of Mimir, an
ancient being of great knowledge. The waters of the well confer wisdom and

learning in unfathomable measure upon those who drink from them;

however, it is forbidden to drink of the well without making some form of
forfeit. Odin, who desired wisdom to rule all and know all, plucked out his
own eye and cast it into the well, and then drank deeply of the waters,
gaining great understanding. The knowledge he gained was so intoxicating
that he demanded more, however, and he cast a mighty magic before hanging
himself from the branches of Yggdrasil. For nine days he hung, pierced by a
spear, until he died; when his spell took effect and he was reborn, he was the
wisest being in existence, having drunk from the well of wisdom and
journeyed to death and back.
Frigg: Also known as: Fricka, Frige, Frigga, Frijjo
Associated Abilities: Awareness, Empathy, Medicine, Occult, Politics,
Prsence
Associated Epic Attributes: Manipulation, Wits
Associated Purviews: Magic, Prophecy
Frigg is the wisest of all the Aesir, second only to Odin in secret
knowledge; it is said that she knows all the mysteries of the universe, but she
does not tell them even to her fellow gods. She is Odin's wife, and the only
other deity who is allowed to sit in his high seat and survey the worlds; she is
also the loving mother of many of the Aesir, who view her with a mixture of
affection and awe. A goddess of motherhood and childbirth as well as of
ineffable mystery, Frigg is a powerful being - so powerful that some whisper
that she may be Vanir, while other maintain that she was born of the earth
itself and still others even suggest that she might be the real power behind
Odin's throne.
Frigg and Baldur
Baldur, Frigg's most beautiful son and beloved of all the Aesir, came to
her and told her about a prophetic dream he had had in which he was to be
murdered in time to come. Frigg herself had also seen such portents, and the
idea of Baldur dying saddened her immensely; in order to prevent such a
thing from happening, she went forth to travel the world and gained the
solemn oath of every thing, living or dead, never to harm Baldur. The only
thing in the entire world that did not make the oath was mistletoe, which was

so young and harmless-looking that Frigg passed it by. Baldur was thus
rendered invulnerable and the Aesir rejoiced; but it is still foretold that
someday he will die, killed by mistletoe, the one object his mother did not
protect him from, and this grieves Frigg more than any other sorrow.
Frigg, Odin and the warring tribes
When the Lombards and the Vandals, two warring tribes, were fighting
over new land, Odin favored the Vandals but Frigg wished the Lombards to
succeed. Odin became angry with his wife when she argued with him and
declared that he would use all his powers to grant the victory to the first tribe
that he saw upon awakening, and slept secure in the knowledge that his bed
was facing the Vandals and he was sure to see them first. While he slept,
however, clever Frigg gathered up the women of the Lombards and carefully
combed their hair over their faces to give them the illusion of being men with
beards, and placed them beside Odin's bed; when he awoke and saw them, he
mistook them for their men and was forced to cede the victory to the
Lombards after all.
Thor: Also known as: Donar, Donder, Thundr, Tonger
Associated Abilities: Athletics, Control, Fortitude, Melee, Presence, Thrown
Associated Epic Attributes: Charisma, Stamina, Strength
Associated Purviews: Guardian, Thunder
Possibly the most recognizable of all the Aesir, Thor is the god of
thunder and lightning, a force of unbridled fury as well as a figure of great
jollity. He is the quintessential Viking, brave and undefeatable on the
battlefield, inexhaustible in the bedroom and jovial over a few cups of mead.
He serves as Odin's right-hand man and is called upon by the Aesir whenever
an undesirable needs to be removed or destroyed. Carrying the legendary
hammer Mjollnir, riding across the skies in his goat-drawn chariot (often
accompanied by Loki, his frequent companion), he is larger than life in every
possible way.
Thor and Alviss
A dwarf named Alviss once presented himself at Thor's hall, claiming
that Thor's daughter, the wilful and beautiful Thrud, had promised to marry

him. Thor did not wish his daughter to be married to a dwarf, so he devised a
plan to stop the wedding; he told Alviss that since he was a dwarf he would
have to prove his wisdom in a series of tests, and asked him riddles and
questions that required great wisdom to answer. Alviss was wise enough to
answer the questions, but Thor continued to ask them for so long that the sun
rose. Alviss, being a dwarf, was turned to stone when the sun's rays touched
him, and Thrud remained unmarried.
Thor and Thrym
Seeking to force the Aesir to give him the hand of the beautiful goddess
Freya in marriage, the giant Thrym stole Thor's hammer Mjollnir and held it
in his hall, refusing to return it until he was given his bride. Though Thor and
Loki together tried to persuade her, Freya refused vehemently to have
anything to do with the giant; Heimdall suggested that Thor should wear a
wedding dress and pretend to be Freya in order to get close enough to retrieve
his hammer. Thor refused to do such a humiliating thing, but after Loki
pointed out that Mjollnir's power would allow the giants to attack Asgard, he
was forced to relent and outfit himself in one of Freya's gowns. Thor was not
very womanly, however, and Loki was forced to make up several stories to
explain his strange behavior; he told Thrym that his new bride ate and drank
so much because she had starved for eight days and nights in anticipation of
their wedding, and that her eyes gleamed like flames because she had not
slept for the same amount of time. Fooled, Thrym brought the hammer out to
present to his new bride, and Thor seized it and killed every giant in the hall.
Thor and Utgarde-Loki
When he visited the hall of the giant Utgarde-Loki along with Loki,
Thor was required to prove his prowess in order to be allowed to remain and
dine with the giant. First, Thor claimed that his servant Thjalfi was the fastest
man in the world, but he lost to Utgarde-Loki's servant in a footrace; the
servant turned out to be Thought, which no man can outrun. Then the giant
mockingly challenged Thor to lift his cat off the ground, but though Thor
puffed and panted, he could do no more than lift one of the cat's paws off the
ground; the cat turned out to be a mere illusion, and it was Jormungandr itself
that Thor had been trying to lift. Undaunted, Thor accepted the giant's
challenge to a drinking contest, but he could not empty the horn of mead he

was given to drink, which turned out to be connected to the ocean; Thor
drank so much of it that he caused the tides to change. Finally, Utgarde-Loki
challenged Thor to wrestle an old woman named Elli, but try as he might he
could only bend her to one knee; she was old age, who could never be
defeated by anyone. Thor and Loki left, humiliated, but Utgarde-Loki
revealed the illusions and applauded Thor's prodigious strength in performing
even a fraction of the impossible tasks set before him.
Thor and Jormungandr
Thor determined one day to set out and slay the evil Midgard serpent,
Jormungandr, and took with him the giant Hymir as his assistant. He used his
best fattened ox as bait and rowed his boat to the middle of the ocean before
lowering his line; no sooner had he done so than a great heave came over the
line, and Thor's mighty strength as he fought against the serpent was so great
that his feet pushed right through the bottom of the boat until he was bracing
himself against the ocean floor as he strained. He pulled Jormungandr's head
to the surface, reveling in the fearsome sight of the loathsome, poisondripping monster, but just as he hauled it in close enough to kill it, Hymir,
terrified for his life, cut the line and allowed the serpent to subside back to
the bottom of the ocean. Thor was so enraged that he knocked Hymir
overboard and waded back to shore alone.
It is foretold that Thor will fight Jormungandr at the final battle of
Ragnarok; their struggle will be fierce and rage across all of Midgard and the
sky, which Jormungandr will poison with his awful venom. Thor will finally
manage to slay the beast, but the serpent's poison will take its toll on him as
well; he will only be able to walk nine paces before he falls to the ground,
dead.
Idunn: Also known as: Idunn, Idunna, Iduna, Ithun
Associated Abilities: Awareness, Empathy, Fortitude, Integrity, Presence,
Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: None
Associated Purviews: Fertility, Health
Idun is the goddess of youth and fertility, of growing things and eternal
beauty. She is the wife of the skald-god Bragi, and his faithful companion

through all trials; she represents new growth and the endless summer of
immortality. She grows and tends the golden apples of immortality, from
which the Aesir eat to maintain their eternal youth; Idun herself is, like her
apples, young, fresh, beautiful, and beloved by all for her gentle sweetness.
Unlike most of the Aesir, who descend from the giants, she is the farremoved grandchild of the sons of Ivaldi, the dark elves.
Idun and Loki
Once Idun was spied by the giant Thjazi, who was so taken with her
beauty that he was determined to have her and her magical apples. In order to
capture her, he seized Loki and forced the god on pain of death to promise to
lure Idun out where she could be caught. Loki did so, telling Idun that there
were some new kind of magical apples in a nearby wood; when she ventured
forth to see for herself, Thjazi seized her and carried her off to his hall. While
she languished there, unable to escape, the gods began to grow old, deprived
of the apples of youth. Loki returned to the giant's home in the form of a
falcon and transformed her into a nut so that he could re-kidnap her. Thjazi
gave chase, but when they arrived in Asgard the giant was captured by the
other Aesir and burned to death, and Idun was returned to her husband.
Loki: Also known as: Loftur, Loge, Lopt, Loptr
Associated Abilities: Empathy, Fortitude, Larceny, Occult, Politics, Stealth
Associated Epic Attributes: Manipulation, Wits
Associated Purviews: Chaos, Illusion, Magic
The most infamous and complicated of the Aesir, Loki is liked by
precious few but well-known to all. As Odin's blood-brother and one of the
staunch defenders of the Aesir, he is both friend and protector, but as a halfgiant prone to playing malicious and even fatal pranks on his fellows, he is
distrusted and even hated by much of his pantheon. A shapeshifter, trickster
and illusionist, Loki nevertheless often aids the Aesir and looks after their
interests, making him an enigmatic and widely disliked figure. He is the
patron of magic and illusion, a shape-changer of incredible versatility and
creativity, and a seldom-predictable wild card.
Loki and Andvarinaut

When Loki, Odin and Hoenir went out to the falls to fish, they spied an
otter eating a salmon on the shore. The otter had a fine and attractive pelt, so
Loki threw a stone and expertly killed it, and the gods carefully skinned it
and congratulated one another on their prize. Later that night, they met
Regin, a dwarf of great cunning; when they showed him their catches of the
day, including the otter-skin, he flew into a great rage and threatened to kill
them, saying that the otter had been his son, Otr, and that they must pay him a
ransom of enough gold to cover the otter-skin or die. Loki, promising to
come up with the gold, returned to the falls while Odin and Hoenir remained
hostage; there he captured a pike, the otter's brother, with a magical net that
he has borrowed from the sea-goddess Ran. He informed the pike that he
would only allow it to live if it gave up its hoard of gold to him; the pike
reluctantly acceded, but attempted to keep one splendid ring for itself. When
Loki took the ring anyway, it told him that the ring was cursed and would
bring nothing but misfortune to its owner. Mindful of this, when Loki
returned he covered the otter-skin only in the rest of the treasure, but a single
hair remained uncovered and he was forced to place the ring there as well.
Though he warned Regin of the curse, the dwarf refused to believe him. Odin
and Hoenir were set free and the three departed.
Loki and Sleipnir
Once a giant came to the gates of Valhalla and offered to build a fine
fortifying wall to protect it from invasion; the gods wanted the wall built very
much, but the giant demanded the sun, the moon, and the hand of the goddess
Freya in repayment. Thinking that they could trick him into working without
payment, the gods agreed but stipulated that he must finish the work within
three seasons without help from any being except his horse, the stallion
Svadilfari. Much to the dismay of the gods, the giant and stallion were able to
do enormous amounts of work together, making very quick progress; three
days before the appointed time, the wall had nearly reached Valhalla and they
took counsel to decide what to do to stop him. Blaming Loki for suggesting
they allow the giant his horse, they threatened him with death unless he found
a way to delay the building. Loki, promising to do so, transformed into a
beautiful mare and enticed the stallion to run away and chase him, and led the
horse a merry chase the entire night long, forcing the giant to make little
headway on his wall. The giant flew into a rage and Thor killed him for

attacking them, but not before Loki had been impregnated by Svadilfair; he
gave birth to Sleipnir, the eight-legged steed of Odin, before he could turn
back into himself.
Loki and Logi
In the hall of the giant Utgarde-Loki, all visitors were forced to prove their
worth by performing a great feat; Loki claimed that he could eat faster than
any other man or god, and upon hearing this Utgarde-Loki called a being
named Logi to sit down across from Loki. A huge trencher of food was
placed between the two of them, and they sat on either side of it and ate as
quickly as they could, meeting in the exact middle. Loki believed that they
had tied, but then Utgarde-Loki pointed out that Loki had only eaten the meat
off the bones, while Logi had eaten the bones themselves as well. Loki was
forced to admit defeat until the giant later revealed that Logi was fire itself,
disguised with illusion, and that he could not possibly have consumed more
quickly than flame.
Loki and Sigyn
Before Ragnarok begins, it is foretold that Loki will enter Odin's hall
and roundly insult all the gods and goddesses within, accusing them of
cowardice, infidelity, incest and worse in revenge for having heard that they
are insulting him and speaking of him with malice. In retaliation for his
words, the Aesir will chase him down and punish him by killing his sons,
turning Vali into a great slavering wolf that tears Narvi apart. Odin will then
bind him to a stone in the center of the earth with Narvi's guts, and the
giantess Skadi will place a monstrous snake above him so that its searing
venom drips onto his face and burns him eternally. Loki's faithful wife,
Sigyn, will stand beside him and hold a bowl above him to catch the poison
before it can burn him, but when the bowl eventually fills up she must leave
to empty it, and in the meantime the venom drips into Loki's eyes and burns
him, causing him to thrash and scream, causing earthquakes to rock the
world.
Hel: Also known as: Hell, Hella
Associated Abilities: Command, Fortitude, Integrity, Medicine, Occult,
Presence

Associated Epic Attributes: Appearance, Stamina

Associated Purviews: Death, Health
Half-dead Hel is the ruler of Helheim, the barren, frozen underworld
with which she shares her name. At turns ineffably beautiful and mortifyingly
terrible, Hel brooks no argument within her realm and has no pity for the
sorrows or pleas of the dead souls brought to it. For her, there is no end in
sight; she is not destined to die in Ragnarok and will remain forever in her
realm, shunned by the other Aesir for her frightening looks and for being the
daughter of the infamous Loki, as cold as the ice of Niflheim around her. She
bows to no law and recognizes no authority but her own.
Hel's Descent
When Hel was born, Frigg and the other prophets of Asgard foresaw that
great disruptions and evils would occur if she and her siblings, the worm
Jormungandr and the wolf Fenrir, were allowed to grow up among the Aesir;
the giant blood of their mother would push them toward evil, but it was the
fact that Loki was their father that most concerned the gods. Odin decreed
that all three children be brought before him; when they were, he threw
Jormungandr into the seas, had Fenrir chained and muzzled, and hurled Hel
down into the underworld, where he proclaimed that she would stay forever,
bound to assist the dead.
Hel and Baldur
When Baldur is killed by his brother, as foretold in the prophecies, he
will go to Hel's hall; there she will keep him, and will refuse all requests to
release him. Even when his brother, Hermod, arrives with gifts and pleas
from Frigg herself, Hel will refuse to let Baldur go unless every living thing
in all the realms weeps for him; all of creation will do so, but Hel's father,
Loki, will not, and Baldur is forced to remain with her until Ragnarok ends.
Freyr: Also known as: Frawjaz, Frey, Ing, Yngvi, Yngwe
Associated Abilities: Animal Ken, Control, Fortitude, Melee, Presence,
Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: Appearance, Charisma
Associated Purviews: Fertility, Sun

Freyr is a fertility god, the tender of the green growing things and lands
and creatures that support men; he is the leader of all the elves and the
ancestor of the kings of Sweden, and one of the mighty Vanir, called upon by
his people for peace, pleasure and safety. He is known as a great warrior as
well, and is one of the gods destined to partake in the violent battle of
Ragnarok at the end of time.
Freyr and Gerd
One day while surveying his lands, Freyr saw in the distance a bright
light; when he peered more closely, he saw that it was shining from a
brightly-lit house, and that an incredibly beautiful woman was entering it.
Her name was Gerd and she was a giantess; hopelessly in love, Freyr could
do nothing but brood on his need for her, finally sending his servant Skirnir
to beg her to hear his suit, fearing that he might die for want of her love if he
did not. While Skirnir did so, he also took Freyr's mighty sword with him for
his own defense and lost it somewhere in the wildness of Jotunheim, and
could not give it back to Freyr upon his return. Freyr, who received Gerd as
his bride, was too elated to care about the loss of the sword, and fought and
slew his enemies with an antler shortly thereafter, but its absence has tragic
consequences; it is foretold that Freyr will fight Surtr, king of the fire giants,
at Ragnarok, and because he does not have his sword he will be slain.
Freya: Also known as: Frau, Frawjo, Freyja, Gefjun, Gefn, Horn, Mardoll,
Syr, Valfrejya, Vanadis
Associated Abilities: Animal Ken, Medicine, Melee, Occult, Presence,
Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: Appearance
Associated Purviews: Death, Fertility, Magic
Most beautiful of the Vanir who live among the Aesir, Freya's love is
frequently sought after, so much so that she must defend herself on a semiconstant basis despite already being married to her beloved absentee
husband, Od. Not only a goddess of beauty and sensuality but the keeper of
her own realm of death as well, Freya frequently rides into battle with Odin
or his valkyries and takes half of all warrior souls who die in battle to her

hall, Sessrumnir, for their eternal reward. She is also a mistress of the runemagics, a voelva without peer, and it is whispered that it was Freya who
taught Odin himself the ways of magic.
Freya and Thrym
Entranced by Freya's great beauty, the giant Thrym demanded that she
be given to him as his wife and stole Thor's hammer Mjolnir to force the gods
to acquiesce. When Thor and Loki tried to persuade her to marry the giant,
however, she refused with such vehemence that Thor was forced to
impersonate her in order to penetrate the giant's defenses, and Thrym never
gained her hand.
Freya and Ottar
When her faithful worshiper Ottar requested her aid to find information
on his ancestry so that he could claim an inheritance, Freya was impressed by
his devotion in his worship of her and went to great lengths to aid him. She
turned Ottar into a boar and road him to the hall of the giantess Hyndla, and
after tricking her, flattering her, and finally threatening to kill her if she did
not submit, Freya succeeded in prying the secrets of her servant's ancestry out
of the giantess. She turned Ottar back into a man and sent him on his way,
exhorting him to live happily and remember to continue to offer his worship
and sacrifices to her.
Freya and Brisingamen
Freya one day passed the entrance to a dwarven smithy, and within saw
that the dwarves were creating a golden necklace of exquisite beauty. She
attempted to buy it from the dwarves with riches, but they refused, claiming
that they had more than enough gold and silver; instead, they demanded that
she sleep with each of them in payment for the necklace. The jewelry was so
beautiful that Freya agreed, and spent a night with each of the four dwarves
before returning home with the necklace as if nothing had happened. When
Loki informed Odin of the way that she had gained her trinket, however, he
bade him turn into a fly and steal it from her bower; when Loki had done so
and Freya arrived to demand it back, Odin told her that she could never have
it unless she cast a great spell that caused the armies of two warring kings to
rise up again whenever they fell in battle, creating a war that could never end.

Freya cast the spell and reclaimed her necklace, which was henceforth known
in Asgard as the most beautiful treasure possessed by any of them.
Njord: Also known as: Niord, Njordr
Associated Abilities: Awareness, Control, Fortitude, Integrity, Politics,
Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: Perception
Associated Purviews: Fertility, Fire, Sky, Water
Njord is one of the ancient Vanir, the race of gods conquered by the
Aesir in antiquity and incorporated into their own pantheon; Njord was
traded to the Aesir as a prisoner of war, to live among them and guarantee
that the two pantheons would maintain good relations. The Vanir are now all
but a shadow, a forgotten pantheon, but Njord lives on among the Aesir, a
powerful god of the unforgiving sea and a ruler of the winds and flame equal
to any of the Aesir. He is not an enemy to the Aesir; far from it, he upholds
his end of the bargain with honor and never fails to come to the aid of the
others of his pantheon or to speak good counsel in times of strife. He resides
in Asgard with his children, Freya and Freyr, and awaits Ragnarok, when the
Aesir will be defeated and he can, at last, return home.
Njord and Skadi
Njord was originally married to his sister, Nerthus, a sea goddess of
equal power; however, when he was sent to live with the Aesir he was forced
to leave her behind, as the Aesir did not allow brothers and sisters to marry
the way the Vanir did. He lived alone until one day the giantess Skadi arrived
in Asgard, seeking vengeance for the killing of her father, Thjazi, who had
been burned to death as he tried to kidnap the goddess Idun. The gods gave
her various items in recompense, and when she demanded that she choose a
husband from among them they did not tell her no; instead, they hid all the
eligible men of the Aesir in wooden boxes with only their feet showing, and
told her that she could choose any one but would have to do so only by
looking at their feet. Skadi chose the man with the most beautiful feet,
thinking that surely this would be the god Baldur, but when the man emerged
from the box it turned out that it was Njord instead, and she was forced to
abide by her choice.

Njord and Skadi did not live in harmony; he loved the rushing waves
and rocking motion of the sea, while she preferred the mountain fastness of
Thrymheim, her father's home. They agreed to compromise, spending nine
nights by the sea and nine nights in the mountains, but neither was happy
with this solution; Njord could not rest in the howling darkness of the
mountains, and Skadi could not bear the constant sounds of the sea. Unable
to reconcile their differences, Skadi stormed away to dwell in her father's
house in the mountains and refused to have anything to do with her husband,
eventually leaving him entirely.
Uller: Also known as: Holler, Ollerus, Ull, Ullin, Ullr, Vulder, Wulthuz
Associated Abilities: Athletics, Fortitude, Integrity, Marksmanship, Melee,
Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: Dexterity, Perception
Associated Purviews: Frost, Psychopomp
Sif's son is an archer without compare and the god of the snowy wastes
in which the Aesir live, as at home in the ice and frost of the wilderness as he
is in the warmth of his own hall. His prowess on skis is legendary, and has
led to him enjoying a small cult following even in modern times among ski
enthusiasts. Married to the giantess Skadi after she left Njord, Uller is also a
renowned traveler and accounted the swiftest among all the mighty Aesir.
Uller and Odin
Odin's exploits as a trickster and magician, as well as the machinations
of his wife Frigg, so damaged his reputation that the other gods decided to
exile him rather than have his misbehavior reflect on them all. The gods,
however, worried that without him their own worship would decline and
sought to replace him. They elected Uller to rule over them, and the frost-god
was so dedicated to his role that he even took on the name Odin himself. He
ruled as Odin for ten years, until the real Odin returned to reclaim his throne;
angered by Uller's presumption, he banished him for his impersonation,
whereupon Uller created magical skis that allowed him to skate across the
ocean in his flight away from Asgard.
Vidar: Also known as: Vidarr, Vithar, Vitharr

Associated Abilities: Athletics, Awareness, Brawl, Fortitude, Investigation,

Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: None
Associated Purviews: Fertility
Vidar is also called the Silent God, for he seldom speaks, and many who
live in Asgard have never heard his voice. The god of the deep forests and
their untouched mysteries, he resides in Landvidi, the hall in the heart of the
forest, where he waits in silence and bides his time until Ragnarok. Vidar is a
god incontrovertibly tied to the idea of justice, unswayable from his beliefs
and unshakable in his resolve to avenge the wrongs committed before him;
those few who have encountered him caution others not to step out of line in
his presence, as Odin's most mysterious son has no tolerance for the wicked.
Vidar and Ragnarok
When Vidar rode into Asgard one day, the three Norns, prophetesses and
representatives of Fate, pronounced a prophecy upon seeing him. After his
father Odin was kiled by Fenrir, they said, he was destined to destroy the
great wolf by holding his great jaws open with his thick leather shoe and then
tearing the wolf apart. Vidar's leather shoe is constructed of all the leather
pieces thrown away in the making of other shoes; therefore, anyone wishing
to give him aid in his final struggle should throw extra leather away instead
of reusing it.
Vidar is one of the few Aesir destined to survive the battle of Ragnarok;
once the dust settles, he will build a great hall and dwell in it with his brother
Vali, and along with his brother Baldur and his nephews Magni and Modi
will begin to rebuild the Aesir from the ashes.
Sif: Also known as: Sifjar
Associated Abilities: Awareness, Empathy, Integrity, Medicine, Presence,
Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: Appearance
Associated Purviews: None
Sif is the goddess of fertility and the bounty of the earth, a beautiful,
enchanting woman with golden hair that recalls the full, nourishing harvest of

a field of wheat. Thor's wife is known as one of the sweetest and fairest of the
Aesir, though she can still be a formidable warrior woman if her temper is
roused, and she supports her husband and his fellow warriors without fail.
She is also a goddess of fidelity, love and faithfulness in marriage, and
encourages loving homes wherever she goes.
Sif and Loki
Seeking to prank his fellow god Thor, Loki once sneaked up on Sif and
shaved her head, destroying all of her legendarily beautiful golden hair.
Enraged, Thor seized hold of Loki, intending to kill him to avenge her; Loki
quickly begged for a chance to make the slight right, and went to the
dwarves, whom he coerced into making an incredibly beautiful wig of spun
gold threads for Sif to wear, mimicking her original hair exactly.
Loki and Odin have both accused Sif of carrying on an affair with Loki,
but both did so during contests of insults and trickery with Thor, so the truth
of the matter remains shrouded in mystery. Sif herself has never responded to
such accusations.
Baldur: Also known as: Balder, Balderus, Baldr, Phol
Associated Abilities: Athletics, Awareness, Command, Control, Melee,
Presence
Associated Epic Attributes: Appearance, Charisma
Associated Purviews: Sun, War
Baldur is the most cherished son of the Aesir: bright, beautiful, and
beloved. He represents all that is good in the world, and everything that
brings joy to the hearts of men or gods, the bright, beautiful and shining light
that lifts his companions' souls. He is renowned as the bravest warrior of the
Aesir, equally at home leading troops into battle or wading in himself, sword
in hand. That he is fated to die at Ragnarok is the the onset of Ragnarok is the
greatest tragedy of the Aesir, and they treat him with the utmost kindness and
respect until that day; to know Baldur is to love Baldur, regardless of his
eventual unhappy fate.
Baldur, Hod, and Nanna
The brothers Baldur and Hod both fell in love with Nanna, a goddess of

surpassing beauty and sweetness. Both vied for her love, even to the point of
violence; they met on the field of battle, but Hod could not bear to injure his
brother and instead fled with Nanna. Baldur, unable to let them go, pursued
them across all the fields of Asgard and eventually cornered them, demanding
that Nanna choose between the two. What might have happened to sway her
no one knows, but Nanna chose Baldur and became his wife, leaving Hod
forever tormented by her loss.
The Dream of Baldur
Baldur and his mother, Frigg, dreamed prophetic dreams of times to
come. They saw that in the future, the gods would be playing a game of great
sport, hurling missiles and objects at Baldur, who could not be hurt by them
thanks to his mother's protective magics. The god Loki, they saw, would give
Hod, Baldur's blind brother, mistletoe, the only thing in earth or the heavens
that could hurt Baldur; Hod would accidentally murder his brother by striking
him with it, an event that signals the beginning of Ragnarok and the doom
and mourning of all the Aesir. Though Baldur and Frigg related this dream to
Odin and the other Aesir, they could find no way to avoid seeing it come to
fruition. When Baldur dies, it is also foreseen that Hod will be killed in
vengeance and that Nanna will die of grief; once Baldur is imprisoned in Hel,
the gods will attempt to free him and send Hermod as a messenger to do so,
but Loki will once again thwart them, refusing to weep for Baldur and
violating Hel's stipulation that he will only be released if every being in
creation does so.
Baldur's Resurrection
Despite Baldur's dream and its awful portents, there is a ray of hope; it is
foretold that once the mighty battle of Ragnarok has ended and the Aesir
have been all but destroyed, Baldur will return from the dead with Hod and
Nanna, and will help to rebuild the world and his pantheon anew.
Heimdall: Also known as: Gullintanni, Hallinskidi, Hama, Heimdallr, Rig,
Vindhler
Associated Abilities: Academics, Awareness, Brawl, Fortitude, Investigation,
Medicine
Associated Epic Attributes: Perception, Stamina

Associated Purviews: Guardian, Psychopomp

Heimdall, the White God, is the guardian of Asgard; he stands upon the
rainbow bridge Bifrost and prevents any but the Aesir from entering, keeping
their domain safe and their enemies turned away. He is a god of incredible
perceptive acuity, able to hear the grass growing in faraway Midgard or the
footsteps of Hel inside her fortress if he so chooses. No man has ever passed
Heimdall without his permission, and none ever will until the inevitable
battle of Ragnarok. Heimdall is also the father of humanity, according to
Norse legend; in his travels across the earth he took three mortal lovers, and
from them were born the three classes of humanity.
Heimdall and Loki
When Odin bade Loki steal Freya's beautiful necklace, Brisingamen, he
did so with his blessing; however, Loki chose to steal the necklace again, this
time for his own gain. Freya called upon Heimdall, the eternal guardian of
Asgard, to aid her. Both he and Loki transformed into seals and wrestled for
hours in a mighty battle as he tried to prevent the theft; in the end, Heimdall
regained the necklace and returned it to Freya, but his enmity of Loki was
never dimmed from that day forward.
Heimdall and Ragnarok
It is foretold that Heimdall will wind his horn as a signal when the final,
great battle of Ragnarok begins. He will be unable to prevent the invasion of
Asgard by Surtr and his army, but he will at last be able to enact vengeance
upon his foe; he is destined to fight Loki once more, this time with deadly
weapons, and both will die at the final moment of the battle.
Tyr: Also known as: Teiws, Tiu, Tiw, Tiwaz, Ziu
Associated Abilities: Athletics, Command, Fortitude, Integrity, Investigation,
Melee
Associated Epic Attributes: Intelligence, Strength
Associated Purviews: Justice, War
Tyr, the one-armed god of bravery and fair play, is a taciturn and quiet
god, concerned with justice and the right order of things. He is Odin's son

and follows his lead, seeking to adjudicate disputes between the gods of the
Aesir (though his nephew Forseti is more skilled) as well as to safeguard
their lives and homes with the strength of his arm. Selfless, brave and
understated despite the widely-known fact that he is second only to Thor in
physical might, he is a source of quiet strength and an arm to be counted on.
Tyr and Fenrir
Fenrir, the great wolf-son of Loki, was a force too great to be roaming
abroad, so the Aesir agreed that he should be bound; however, every chain,
no matter how thick and strong, was easily snapped by the beast's great
strength, and they were unable to hold him. Finally, they enticed the dwarves
to make the magical ribbon Gleipnir for them, fashioned out of a woman's
beard, a fish's breath, a bird's spittle, a cat's footfall, the roots of a mountain
and the sinews of a bear; it appeared to be only a normal ribbon, but Fenrir
was not fooled and would not allow the gods to place it upon him unless one
of them put their hand in his mouth as a gesture of good will. Tyr volunteered
and selflessly placed his hand in the monster's mouth; the Aesir rejoiced
when Gleipnir successfully bound Fenrir, but the enraged wolf bit Tyr's hand
off, rendering him permanently impaired on that side.
Tyr and Garm
It is foretold that Tyr will do battle with Garm, one of the hounds of Hel,
in the great battle of Ragnarok at the end of the world; when he does so, both
are fated to kill one another. Some whisper that Garm is no hound but a wolf,
perhaps a child of Fenrir or even the great wolf himself, seeking vengeance
on the god who deceived him.
Forseti: Also known as: Foresite, Forseta, Fosite
Associated Abilities: Academics, Empathy, Integrity, Investigation, Politics,
Presence
Associated Epic Attributes: None
Associated Purviews: Justice
The son of Baldur and Nanna, Forseti is almost as well-loved as his
father; he is the judge of the Aesir, known universally for his firm fairness
and ability to always settle disputes and adjudicate fairly, no matter how

thorny or complicated the issue. Eloquent, soft-spoken and easy to like,

Forseti has a natural way with others, even gods, that allows him to settle
their grievances with ease; it is this very valuable trait that causes unease in
the Aesir, however, as they suspect that he would be inclined to give anyone a
fair trial, even a Titan.
Forseti and the Frisians
When the philosophers and lawmakers of the Frisians attempted to
codify their laws and arrive at a consensus by which to govern themselves,
they were unable to do so after twelve days and nights of arguing. Despite the
fact that they were trying to better their laws for the good of everyone, they
were set sail on a rudderless ship as punishment, and languished upon it until
a storm blew up. When they prayed to the gods for aid, Forseti appeared on
their ship as a mysterious thirteenth man and helped guide the boat to a
previously undiscovered island, where the lawmakers were able to disembark
safely. Forseti created a holy spring there for them to draw water from, and
then vanished without a trace.
Beowulf: Associated Abilities: Athletics, Brawl, Fortitude, Melee, Survival,
Thrown
Associated Epic Attributes: None
Associated Purviews: None
Beowulf may be the most celebrated hero in Norse history, and he is
certainly one of very few whose exploits survive (and, indeed, are intensely
studied and written about) to this day. He is the classic Viking warrior, a man
of indomitable spirit, unquenchable hungers and limitless strength, and he
never flinches in the face of danger. He is also a true leader of men, able to
inspire confidence and loyalty in his soldiers, who know that he will always
be charging in with them rather than waiting on the sidelines.
Beowulf is actually a former Scion himself, a son of Freya who rose to
godhood through a combination of his own strength and courage and the
favor of the gods. He is a roamer rather than a true resident of Asgard,
preferring to spend his time in the World despite being counted as one of the
Aesir.

Beowulf and Grendel

Beowulf's greatest exploits are the slayings of terrible monsters; the first
such triumph came when a neighboring king, Hrothgar, called for his help in
ridding their hall of a fearsome, troll-like creature that came in the night to
carry off and murder the men, holding the area in a grip of spellbound terror.
In defiance of the danger, Beowulf spent the night in the cursed hall,
springing awake when Grendel arrived to attack his men. He hurled himself
upon him and the two wrestled with incredible strength and fortitude, their
match lasting for hours before Beowulf at last managed to tear Grendel's arm
from his body. The creature fled to die in his home in the marshes, and
Beowulf hung the arm from the rafters of the hall so that all could share in his
victory.
Beowulf and Grendel's Mother
Though Beowulf had bested the misshapen monster Grendel, the next
night the hall was again attacked in the darkness, and Beowulf's right-hand
man, the warrior Aeschere, was killed. Determined to find the source of this
affront, Beowulf tracked the monster back to a deep lake in the marshes,
which he dived into in pursuit; he was seized and dragged into an underwater
cave by Grendel's mother - a creature even more terrible than Grendel
himself - who attacked him, seeking revenge for her son's death. Beowulf's
trusty sword could not pierce her hide and he threw it away, but her strength
was equal to his and he could not defeat her without it; finally, he managed to
grasp a giant's sword that she kept in her cave and used it to behead her,
ending the nightmare for good.
Beowulf and the Dragon
After gaining greatly in wealth and renown after his defeat of the troll
creatures, Beowulf returned to the kingdom of the Geats, where he became
king. He ruled for many years in peace and prosperity, but the kingdom was
attacked by a fierce dragon, which laid waste to the countryside and
threatened his people. Now old, Beowulf was still nevertheless dauntless, and
rode out to fight the dragon; his soldiers deserted at the sight of their
fearsome foe, and Beowulf was left to fight it alone with his nephew Wiglaf.
Though the two triumphed, Beowulf was mortally wounded by the dragon's
claws and poison, and left his kingdom to Wiglaf before dying and ascending

to godhood.
Bragi: Also known as: Braga, Bragr
Associated Abilities: Art, Athletics, Awareness, Empathy, Integrity, Presence
Associated Epic Attributes: Charisma
Associated Purviews: Artistry
Bragi is the skald of the Aesir, the inventor of poetry and the arts revered
by all who have come after him. So pervasive is the awe of his abilities that
the very word for poetry, bragr, is derived from his name; Bragi is renowned
for his unsurpassed musical talents, his unequaled aloquence in speech, and
his formidable wisdom, which allows him to serve as a counsellor as well as
an entertainer and immortalizer of the deeds of his pantheon.
Bragi and Loki
When Loki entered Odin's feasting hall, demanding attention and
sustenance, it was Bragi who spoke to him first; as the most eloquent and
well-spoken among them, it is his duty to greet all travelers to Odin's hall and
to make them feel welcome. Loki did not return the favor, however, hurling
insults at Bragi and accusing him of cowardice, claiming that he fears to fight
any foes and is always in the back of any Aesir charge. Bragi would have
fought him then and there to prove his worth, but despite his rage was
prevented from doing so by the rules of Odin's hall, which stated that no man
could initiate violence there. As a result, his dislike of Loki is legendary and
he bides his time, waiting for a chance for revenge.

Theoi
Zeus: Also known as: Jove, Jupiter, Tinia
Associated Abilities: Awareness, Command, Investigation, Politics,
Presence, Thrown
Associated Epic Attributes: Charisma
Associated Purviews: Justice, Prophecy, Sky, Thunder

Zeus is one of the most recognizable gods of any pantheon, anywhere in

the world; countless stories have been told and written about the king of the
Theoi, the almighty father god who controls the thunder and lightning and
possesses all he looks upon. He is the leader who liberated the gods from the
titans, the judge who presides over their squabbles and the authority, along
with his brothers Poseidon and Hades, who rules their lives. A sky god who
controls the heavens, he is best known for his many, many, nigh-uncountable
trysts with mortals and goddesses alike (much to the annoyance of his wife,
Hera).
Zeus and Cronus
The titan Cronus received an oracle claiming that his own son would
overthrow him and feared that his children might cause his death, and so as
each was born he devoured them, consuming in this way Hestia, Hades,
Demeter, Poseidon and Hera. Their mother, Rhea, wished to save her
youngest son, so she spoke to her mother, Gaia, who helped her out of a
desire to see Cronus punished for killing many of his siblings. Rhea gave
birth to Zeus but gave Cronus a rock wrapped in swaddling clothes, which he
promptly swallowed, believing it to be his new son. Zeus was raised by Gaia
in secret until manhood.
When he became a man, Zeus confronted his father and cut open his
stomach, disgorging first the stone he had swallowed and then all of Zeus'
siblings, one by one. Cronus remained much too strong to be truly defeated,
however, and Zeus and his siblings fled and marshaled their armies, finally
leading them against Cronus and the titans in the first Titanomachy. They
were victorious and Cronus and his titans were cast down into Tartarus, there
to be forever bound.
Zeus and Hera
Though Zeus had many dalliances with goddesses and Titans alike, he
was most taken with his sister, Hera, whom he tried to woo for centuries in
the hopes of winning her hand. Hera, however, knew of his wandering eye
and would have nothing to do with him. Realizing that he could not convince
her of his innocence, Zeus transformed himself into a cuckoo and flew
through her window to her bedroom, soaking wet and miserable looking;
when, in sympathy for his bedraggled state, she held the bird to her bosom,

he returned to his normal godly form and ravished her. Now compromised,
Hera had no choice but to accept Zeus' offer of marriage, and their wedding
was the most resplendent ever seen by the gods themselves, sealing them as
husband and wife and rulers of Olympus forevermore.
The Overthrow of Zeus
Though none among the Theoi would dare to challenge him at present,
Zeus lives with the heavy knowledge that his overthrow is already foretold.
Metis, goddess of wisdom, long ago foretold that she would bear a son who
would defeat Zeus and cast him down, even as Zeus had defeated his own
father. As Metis was already pregnant with his child, Zeus swallowed her
whole so that it would never be born; though the child was born inside him
and burst out, it was a daughter, Athena, and so the prophecy went
unfulfilled. Metis has never re-emerged, but the prophecy remains, a
lingering reminder that the days of even the king of the gods are numbered.
Hera: Also known as: Boopis, Juno, Uni
Associated Abilities: Empathy, Integrity, Investigation, Medicine, Occult,
Presence
Associated Epic Attributes: Appearance, Manipulation
Associated Purviews: Health, Justice
The Queen of Heaven is Zeus' sister and wife, the goddess of duty and
of fidelity and marriage. Zeus' many flings and conquests cause her
considerable pain, which she most often uses to lash out against the women
(or men) in question; despite her long history of spiteful and jealous behavior,
however, she is also a powerful goddess who protects women and represents
royalty and nobility, carrying her head high. No figure on Olympus is more
respected save Zeus, and few can argue that her awesome powers dwarf those
of even the other gods.
Hera and Io
Hera realized one day that Zeus had been gone from Olympus for a
suspiciously long time, and she descended to earth to see what he was doing.
Zeus, who had been carrying on an affair with a mortal princess named Io,
quickly transformed his paramour into a white heifer and proclaimed his

innocence when questioned. Hera was not fooled by his dissembling,

however, and demanded that Zeus give her the heifer as a present if it was
truly an ordinary beast. Zeus had no choice but to relent, and Hera
immediately ordered the hundred-eyed giant Argos to guard the heifer and
keep Zeus away from it. Zeus commandeered Hermes to kill Argos and the
heifer escaped; Hera, upon discovering this, placed the hundred eyes of the
slain giant in the tail of her peacock for his service, and sent a magical gadfly
to brutally sting the heifer, driving it to Egypt, where Io regained her human
form and became a priestess of Isis.
Hera and Echo
Wishing to conduct his affairs out from under the watchful eye of his
wife, Zeus found a nymph named Echo and instructed her to keep Hera
distracted, flattering her as much as possible. Echo spent all her time
henceforth with Hera, constantly leading her away from any place where she
might discover Zeus' indiscretions, until one day Hera realized that she was
being deceived. Furious, she cursed Echo, who was from that day forward
doomed only to repeat the words she heard others speak, never able to talk of
her own volition.
Hera and Zeus
Infuriated and humiliated by her husband's philandering, Hera
determined to leave him and traveled far away to a hidden palace, refusing to
speak to or see him again. Upon discovering that he could not win her back
with cajoling this time, Zeus began to fear she would never return and
consulted an oracle, who told him to make a wooden effigy of Hera and
parade through the streets with it, declaring that he was remarrying. When
Hera heard of this event, she was furious and traveled to the scene, ripping
the bridal clothes off the effigy; when she discovered that it was nothing but
wood and that Zeus was only attempting to win her back, her heart softened
toward him and she allowed him to take her home to Olympus.
Artemis: Also known as: Artume, Cynthia, Diana, Locheia, Phaesporia
Associated Abilities: Animal Ken, Art, Awareness, Marksmanship,
Medicine, Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: Dexterity, Perception

Associated Purviews: Moon

Artemis is the moon goddess of the Theoi, and a huntress without peer
as well. She is the virgin goddess of the wilderness, as at home chasing deer
through the countryside as she is on Olympus; her temper, especially in
regards to men who attempt to breach her aloof wall of disinterest, is
legendary, as is her faithfulness to her brother Apollo. As the goddess of
virginity and childhood, she is the patron of all who choose to stay in those
states, and as a goddess of childbirth is on hand to welcome new innocence
into the world.
Artemis' and Apollo's Birth
When Hera discovered that Zeus had been unfaithful to her with the
titan Leto, she laid a curse on her, making her unable to give birth on any
solid ground. Once Leto went into labor, there were no places on the
mainland or the islands she could go to give birth; luckily, the island Delos
took pity on her and rose into the air, becoming the only land that was not on
land itself, and there Leto gave birth to her twins. Artemis was born first, and,
already a goddess of childbirth, she became her mother's midwife and aided
her in giving birth to her brother, Apollo.
Artemis and Zeus
When Artemis was a child, she walked all the way to Olympus and
climbed onto Zeus' lap. When he asked her what she wanted, she begged that
he would grant her several boons for being his daughter; when he agreed she
asked that Apollo be always her equal and never her superior, that she should
always remain a virgin and never be given in marriage, that she be given a
choir of nine-year-old girls to be her attendants, and that the nymphs should
take care of her dogs and hunting bow when she was not on the hunt.
Laughing, Zeus agreed to all of her terms, and Artemis' place on Olympus
was assured, much to Hera's annoyance.
Artemis and Actaeon
While Artemis bathed in a mountain pool, Actaeon, prince of Thebes,
happened upon her. He was entranced by her beauty and hid in the bushes to
spy upon her while she was nude; when she discovered the liberty he had

taken, she was enraged and turned him into a stag. The stag was immediately
killed by Acteaon's own hounds, and Artemis' virtue and reputation thus
remained intact.
Artemis and Hippolytus
Hippolytus was a beautiful young man, so captivating that he caught the
eye of Aphrodite herself; however, the youth loved only Artemis and swore
himself to become her devotee, rebuffing Aphrodite's advances and pledging
himself to a celibate life of worship and hunting. Furious that he had rejected
her, Aphrodite caused Phaedra, the wife of Theseus, to fall in love with him;
when he rejected Phaedra as well, she wrote to her husband and claimed that
Hippolytus had raped her. Enraged, Theseus called upon his father for
revenge, and Poseidon sent a sea monster to frighten Hippolytus' horses and
cause him to be thrown from his chariot and killed. Artemis, grieving and
furious at Aphrodite's behavior, retaliated by hunting down Adonis,
Aphrodite's favored lover, and killing him like an animal.
Apollo: Also known as: Aplu, Apollon, Phoebus
Associated Abilities: Art, Athletics, Control, Marksmanship, Medicine,
Presence
Associated Epic Attributes: Appearance, Charisma, Perception
Associated Purviews: Artistry, Health, Prophecy, Sun
The sun god of brightness, healing and clearness of mind, Apollo is one
of the most beloved of the Theoi, the god of medicine and the arts and leader
of the Muses as well as being the keeper of the shining sun. He is the creator
of poetry and the chief god of prophecy, long ago being worshiped at many
shrines and temples where he would gift his priests and priestesses with
oracular visions. Like his sister, Artemis, Apollo is an accomplished
marksman and athlete, though he prefers the pursuits of leisure games and
activities rather than hunting, pastimes that allow him to enjoy and showcase
his perfect beauty.
Apollo and Python
After Apollo and Artemis had been born, Hera, still seeking revenge for
Zeus' affair with Leto, sent the dragon Python after her, ordering it to chase

her to the ends of the earth and kill her. Apollo, determined to defend his
mother, grew to adulthood as he chased the monster, finally cornering it at
Delphi, where it lived, and killing it with the bow and arrows that Hephaestus
had made for him. He remade Delphi as his own sacred temple and oracle,
but Python had been a child of Gaia and a great-uncle to Apollo, so Zeus was
forced to punish him for killing his kin; Apollo had to undergo a lengthy
purifying ritual and to institute the Pythian Games in its honor, over which he
eternally presides as judge.
Apollo and Asclepius
Apollo's first son, Asclepius, was a gifted god of healing, surpassing
even his father in skill; when Artemis' disciple Hippolytus was killed,
Asclepius healed him so skilfully that he rose from the dead. Zeus
immediately struck them both down for trespassing against the natural order
of things and stealing one of Hades' subjects. Furious and maddened with
grief at the death of his son, Apollo in revenge killed Zeus's sons, the
Cyclopes, who had created the thunderbolt Zeus had used to kill Asclepius;
Zeus was filled with wrath and would have thrown Apollo into Tartarus, but
Leto begged for her son's life and he was instead merely banished from
Olympus for a year, forced to work as a shepherd in Thessaly.
Apollo and Achilles
Apollo's son, Troilus, was one of the most beautiful of young men ever
to walk the earth; it was prophesied that if he lived to be twenty years old,
Troy could never fall. On the eve of his twentieth birthday, Achilles spied
him and was overcome with lust for him, but when Troilus refused to become
his lover, Achilles killed him on Apollo's altar. Troy was thus doomed to fall,
but Apollo gained his revenge by guiding Paris' arrow to Achilles' heel,
killing the nigh-invulnerable murderer of his son.
Apollo and the Niobids
Niobe, a beautiful queen of Thebes, boasted that she was a better woman
than Leto, because she had fourteen children while Leto had only Apollo and
Artemis. In revenge for her pride, Apollo and Artemis killed all of her
fourteen children; Artemis killed the seven daughters with poisoned arrows,
while Apollo murdered the sons as they were at play in athletic games. Niobe

was so devastated that she turned to stone.

Apollo and Daphne
Apollo once mocked his nephew Eros, making fun of his bow and arrow,
which he said were a man's weapons being wielded by a boy. Eros shot him
with an arrow of passion for the nymph Daphne, but he also shot Daphne
with a leaden arrow, causing her to be violently repulsed by the idea of
Apollo's love. No matter how he tried to woo her, Apollo could not change
Daphne's mind, and finally she turned herself into the laurel tree as he chased
her one day. Apollo, mourning, took some of the tree's leaves and fashioned
from them his laurel crown.
Apollo and Hyacinthus
Apollo fell in love with the beautiful Spartan prince Hyacinthus, and the two
became constant companions. The wind god Zephyrus, however, was jealous
and wanted Apollo to love him instead, so when the two were throwing a
discus one day he caused the wind to gust and drive Apollo's discus into
Hyacinthus' head, killing him. Apollo was so filled with grief that he created
the hyacinth flower from Hyacinthus' blood; he refused to ever speak to
Zephyrus again for his deed.
Apollo and Leucothea
Apollo fell in love with Leucothea, a mortal princess; he regularly
disguised himself as her mother to visit her chambers for clandestine trysts.
Her sister Clytia, however, was intensely jealous and had fallen in love with
Apollo as well, and wanted him for herself. In order to remove her sister,
Clytia revealed the affair to their father, who had Leucothea buried alive for
her transgressions. Clytia begged Apollo to love her in her sister's place, but
he scorned her for killing his lover and refused to touch her, causing her to
wither and die until he turned her into a sunflower, whose face followed the
sun with longing every day.
Apollo and Midas
When the satyr god, Pan, claimed that his music was equal to Apollo's,
the sun god agreed to a contest. While Pan's pipe music was very pleasing, it
took only a second of Apollo putting his hands to his lyre for him to be ruled

the winner. All the gods and mortals who had heard the competition agreed
except for Midas, who was a follower of Pan; Apollo was so offended by his
lack of musical taste that he turned his ears into those of a donkey to punish
them for their lack of discernment.
Dionysus: Also known as: Agrios, Bacchus, Bromios, Dionysos,
Dithyrambos, Evius, Fufluns, Liber, Lyaeus, Oeneus
Associated Abilities: Art, Empathy, Fortitude, Occult, Presence, Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: Charisma, Stamina
Associated Purviews: Chaos, Fertility, Mystery
Dionysus is an enigmatic and deeply secretive god, one whose secret
cults and mysteries are said to persist even to this day. He is the god of
wildness and abandon, madness and lack of inhibitions, and to that end he is
also the god of wine and the patron of sexual freedom. The wild, ecstatic
orgies of his followers, the Maenads, are legendary, and he may owe much of
his closeness to such primal urges to the fact that, of all the Olympians, he is
the only one to be born half-human; he made his way from Scion to godhood
and took his place on Olympus among the long-established children of the
titans. As the god of sexual freedom, he is also a fertility god, representative
not only of the act of procreation in humans and animals but also of the
renewal and bounty of the earth. He is the bringer of divine insanity, who
grants to his followers not only reckless madness but also the secret, halfglimpsed wisdom that only madness can bestow.
Dionysus' Birth
Zeus carried on an affair with Semele, a mortal princess; while she was
pregnant with Dionysus, Hera discovered his unfaithfulness and sought to
punish him. She disguised herself and whispered to Semele that Zeus, who
had also been visiting the woman in disguise, was actually the king of the
gods, and suggested that Semele ask to see him in all his glory so that she
would know the truth. Zeus, who was pleased with Semele, offered her any
one boon of her choosing; consumed with curiosity, she asked that he reveal
himself to her. He was bound by his word to do so, but the overwhelming
splendor of his godly visage was too much for her to withstand and she died
upon beholding him. Zeus quickly cut the fetal Dionysus from her womb and

sewed him into his own thigh, from whence he was born some time months
later. It is because of his double birth, once from his mother and once from
his father, that he is the most androgynous and mysterious of the
Dodekathon.
Dionysus and the Invention of Wine
After his birth, Zeus gave Dionysus to his mother Rhea to raise in order
to keep him safe from Hera. Despite his efforts, Hera discovered that he lived
and struck him with madness, cursing him to wander the earth for years.
Rhea, still trying to protect him, found him after some time and cured him of
Hera's madness, teaching him many rites and powers before releasing him
again. Undaunted by Hera's enmity, Dionysus discovered the grapevine and
plumbed its secrets, inventing wine; he embarked upon a second journey
shortly thereafter, and traveled to every part of the world, teaching all of
humanity the wonders of wine, allowing every culture to make it in some
form.
Dionysus and the Olympians
When he returned from his pilgrimage, Dionysus ascended to Mount
Olympus and presented himself before the Olympians, declaring himself to
be Zeus' son and demanding a place among them. There were already a full
complement of gods on Olympus, and none wished to step down; many,
chiefest among them Hera, disbelieved the god's claim or bore enmity toward
him and did not wish to give him a place. There was a great squabble and
Dionysus refused to leave until he was given his birthright, but the goddess
Hestia finally ended the argument, stepping down and cedeing her seat
among the gods to him.
Dionysus and Pentheus
When Semele was pregnant with Dionysus, king Pentheus of Thebes
and the women of his court did not believe her claims and banished her from
the area, ridiculing her for her delusions. When Dionysus learned of this as
an adult, he journeyed to Thebes and struck Pentheus and all the women of
his court with divine madness, turning the women into the Maenads, the wild,
drunken cannibal women who worship him most faithfully, and slowly
driving Pentheus out of his mind. When he judged that the time was right, he

convinced Pentheus to sneak into the woods and spy on the Maenads in their
revels; they caught him and tore him limb from limb, even his mother, now a
Maenad loyal only to Dionysus. His vengeance would have been sated, but
the Thebans retaliated by driving the Maenads from the city, earning his
eternal enmity.
Dionysus and Semele
When as an adult Dionysus learned what had happened to his mother, he
descended to Hades to rescue her. The stern god of the dead did not
relinquish her easily, but Dionysus finally struck a mysterious deal with him,
the details of which are known only to those who were present. Dionysus
took Semele out of the underworld with him and brought her to live on
Mount Olympus, where she became Thyone, the goddess of bacchanal frenzy
and the leader of his Maenads.
Dionysus and Midas
King Midas of Phrygia found the satyr Silenus drunk from worshiping
Dionysus, and took care of him with hospitality and graciousness until
Dionysus, who had been Silenus' student long ago, found him. In gratitude
for having taken care of his old master, Dionysus offered Midas one boon;
Midas asked that everything he touched turned should turn to gold, making
him the richest king ever to live. Dionysus warned him against this course of
action, but granted his wish; Midas was overjoyed until he found that he
could neither eat nor drink as the sustenance turned to gold at his touch, and
he accidentally turned his beloved daughter Zoe into a lifeless statue.
Appalled, he begged Dionysus to reclaim his gift, which he did.
Dionysus and Lycurgus
King Lycurgus of Thrace, concerned by the unchecked revels in his
kingdom and the sloth and bloodshed they were causing, banned the worship
of Dionysus and put all followers of the god in jail. Angered by his
presumtion, Dionysus struck the land with a horrible drought, causing the
people to slowly starve to death. Lycurgus, in retaliation, began to cut down
all of the ivy in the kingdom, knowing that it was sacred to Dionysus;
enraged, Dionysus struck the king with madness and caused him to believe
that his own son was made of ivy, causing him to kill the boy. As the drought

in the kingdom worsened, Dionysus gave an oracle a prophecy stating that

the kingdom would never be able to support life again while Lycurgus lived;
this caused the people to storm the palace and draw and quarter their king,
and Dionysus, finally appeased, lifted the drought and allowed Thrace to
thrive once again.
Dionysus and Ariadne
Ariadne, the beautiful daughter of Minos, aided the hero Theseus in
defeating the Minotaur and escaping from the deadly labyrinth; after she had
done so, however, he tired of her and abandoned her, marooning her on the
island of Naxos. Dionysus, as he was returning from the underworld with his
mother, saw her sleeping there; he had seen her before in Crete and was much
taken with her beauty, so he carried her off to Olympus as well, making her
his bride and a goddess in her own right.
Hecate: Also known as: Enodia, Hecat, Hekate, Propylaia, Triodia, Trivia
Associated Abilities: Animal Ken, Awareness, Medicine, Occult, Presence,
Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: Wits
Associated Purviews: Animal (Dog), Death, Magic, Moon, Psychopomp
Triple-headed Hecate is the witch-queen and goddess of crossroads, a
keeper of the eldritch, the occult and the unknown. An ancient queen of the
underworld, goddess of the moon and keeper of the dogs that both guard and
frighten mankind, she is an enigmatic figure more remarkable for how much
is not known about her than for how much is.
Hecate and the Titans
When the Titans led by Cronus rose up to destroy their progeny the
gods, Hecate, one of the youngest of the Titans herself, came to Zeus and
offered her pledge to aid him instead of her closer kin. Though he was
hesitant and did not know what her motives might be, Zeus accepted,
whereupon Hecate gave him all manner of information about the Titans as
well as blessing the gods with good fortune and levying terrible curses upon
their enemies. In gratitude for her surprising service, Zeus proclaimed that
Hecate should keep all of her ancient domains in spite of any of the new gods

who might wish to take them; therefore, she retains a small portion of sky,
earth, ocean and underworld each for her own.
Hecate and Artemis
Though the priestess Iphigenia was sworn to Artemis, she was also a
particular favorite of Hecate, who taunted her fellow moon-goddess with the
knowledge that her own power was older and greater and that she could
overcome her if she so chose. Stung by her barbs and unable to argue with
her points, Artemis refused to intervene when Iphigenia was killed, allowing
her priestess to die in order to spite her rival. Seeing the strife between the
two of them, Zeus ordered that they find a way to interact peacefully; from
that time forward, each temple of Artemis included a small shrine to Hecate
somewhere on its grounds.
Hecate and Byzantium
When the Macedonian kings arrived to attack the great city of
Byzantium, it was in danger of being sacked and destroyed before allies
could arrive. Seeing this, Hecate lit up the night with her torches and caused
every dog in the city to bark wildly and awaken the people, who were roused
just in time to defend themselves from the invaders.
Hecate and Persephone
Because she dwelt in the Underworld as well as in the heavens, Hecate
knew when Persephone was abducted by Hades and went at once to Demeter,
who she consoled with sweet words and encouragements. When the mothergoddess refused to be comforted, she traveled to Hades to speak with
Persephone, telling her of her mother's distress. Though Persephone could not
return (and some say that it was Hecate herself who counseled her to eat the
pomegranate seeds), Hecate became her closest companion and messenger in
the Underworld thereafter, easing Demeter's mind somewhat by bearing her
news of her daughter's welfare.
Poseidon: Also known as: Neptune, Neptunus, Nethuns, Rodon
Associated Abilities: Animal Ken, Art, Control, Fortitude, Melee, Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: Stamina
Associated Purviews: Animal (Horse), Earth, Water

The god of the sea was of incredible importance to the ancient Greeks,
whose culture and economy lived and died on the proceeds they could gain
from ocean voyages, trading, and wars. Poseidon is the all-powerful god of
the oceans, able to bestow calm seas and create convenient islands for those
who please him, or to cause fearsome storms and whirlwinds or summon up
monsters of the deep to destroy those who do not. Famously temperamental,
he was regularly pacified with animal sacrifices and prayers in his temples
from the mortals who wished to feel his favor; as a god of the earth as well,
most specifically a bringer of huge, damaging earthquakes, there is nowhere
safe to hide from him if his anger is aroused. He is also the god of horses,
associated in antiquity with the sea.
Poseidon and Amphitrite
It happened that Poseidon was wandering among the islands and saw the
sea-goddess Amphitrite there, dancing with her water-nymph attendants. She
was very beautiful and he fell madly in love with her and attempted to carry
her off, but she refused to listen to his suit and fled into the deepest depths of
the ocean, where even he could not find her. Heartbroken, he grieved and
wept so much that one of his servants, a dolphin, set out into the waves to
find her and beg her to reconsider. Amphitrite was so moved by the dolphin's
plea that she consented to return to Poseidon and become his consort, and
Poseidon placed the dolphin in the skies as a constellation in thanks for its
faithful service.
Poseidon and Cassiopeia
The queen of Ethiopia, Cassiopeia, was extremely beautiful, as was her
daughter, Andromeda; the queen was so pleased by this that she declared
before the court that the two of them were more beautiful even than the
nereids, the myriad sea-nymph daughters of Poseidon and his consort
Amphitrite. Made furious by her presumption, Poseidon sent the great seamonster Cetus to the kingdom, instructing it to destroy the city in retaliation
for Cassiopeia's hubris. He allowed them only one chance at redemption: if
they sacrificed Andromeda to the monster, it would depart in peace. Terrified,
the people did so, though she was saved in the end by the hero Perseus, who
slew the monster with the help of the other gods. Poseidon had his revenge,

however; he placed Cassiopeia in the stars, upside-down to reflect her

humiliation, where she remains forevermore.
Poseidon and Medusa
Medusa was once a beautiful maiden, a priestess of Athena sought after
by all the young men of Greece. She spurned them, remaining true only to
her goddess, but when Poseidon caught sight of her and was filled with lust,
she could not resist him and the two coupled on the floor of Athena's temple.
Enraged by this flagrant desecration of her temple and priestess, Athena
turned Medusa into a hideous monster, forcing Poseidon to abandon her and
never return to the temple.
Poseidon and Caenis
Caenis was a beautiful woman of Thessaly; Poseidon spied her one day
and, despite her protests, raped her in the fields. When he was finished, she
struck at him and demanded that he grant her a boon for having treated her so
cruelly; impressed by her courage, he agreed. Caenis demanded that Poseidon
transform her into a man so that she could never be taken advantage of so
again, and he did so, turning her into the hero Caeneus, a man immune to
weapons who later fought in the Trojan war.
Poseidon and Odysseus
Odysseus, one of the greatest of Greek heroes, sailed to the island of the
Cyclopes and disembarked with his men, searching for supplies. When he
encountered the cyclopean giant Polyphemus, he blinded him with a heated
club and fled. Polyphemus prayed to his father, Poseidon, to avenge him;
Poseidon had already hated Odysseus for failing to make a proper sacrifice
after he had saved him in the Trojan war, and he marshaled all of his abilities
to prevent the hero from returning home alive, forcing him to embark on the
thirty-year voyage of perils now known as the Odyssey.
Hades: Also known as: Aideoneus, Aita, Clymenus, Dis Pater, Orcus, Pluto,
Polydegmon
Associated Abilities: Awareness, Command, Occult, Politics, Presence,
Stealth
Associated Epic Attributes: Stamina

Associated Purviews: Darkness, Death, Earth

Hades is the undisputed lord of the underworld, the ruler of all the dead
and one part of the ruling triumvirate of the Theoi along with his brothers,
Poseidon and Zeus. Though he was feared by the ancient Greeks, who
seldom dared even to say his name, he was also respected, and was the
recipient of countless sacrifices and requests in his day. All the greatest
heroes and villains of Greek mythology dwell in his realm, and while many
have descended to his domain, an incredibly select few have ever been
allowed to depart again. He is also the god of wealth, the ruler of all the
underground earth and the precious jewels and metals that can be mined from
it, and the richness of the great hall he shares with his wife, Persephone, is
one of the least-seen wonders of the underworlds.
Hades and the Titans
After Hades and his siblings escaped from Cronus' stomach, they fought
the titans in the first Titanomachy, a colossal battle for control of the
universe. Hades, wearing his dark helmet of invisibility, was largely
responsible for the victory, as he sneaked over to the titan camp in the dead of
night and destroyed all their weapons on the eve of battle.
Hades and Pirithous
Pirithous, a Thessalonian king and the son of the infamous Ixion,
determined with his friend, the hero Theseus, that both of them would kidnap
and marry a daughter of Zeus. Theseus chose the famed beauty Helen, but
Pirithous set his sights on Persephone, Demeter's lovely daughter. The two
men descended into the realm of Hades, and there found the death god
waiting for them, offering them cordial hospitality and laying out a feast for
them. Thinking that he did not know of their plan, Pirithous and Theseus sat
down to eat, whereupon huge serpents immediately coiled around their feet
and anchored them in place. Though Theseus was later allowed to escape,
Pirithous was trapped in the underworld forever, Hades' revenge for his
attempt to steal his bride.
Hades and Orpheus
Orpheus, the greatest musician to have ever lived, descended into Hades

in search of his wife Eurydice, who had been bitten by a snake and killed on
their wedding day. Hades initially refused, but Orpheus played such
enchanting music that his heart was moved, and he allowed Orpheus to take
Eurydice on the condition that he never look back at her as she followed him
out of the underworld. Orpheus arrived almost at the upper world, but at the
last moment he feared that Hades had tricked him and he looked back; Hades
immediately reclaimed Eurydice and barred Orpheus from his realm forever,
leaving the man destitute.
Hephaestus: Also known as: Hephaistos, Sethlans, Vulcan
Associated Abilities: Academics, Art, Fortitude, Integrity, Melee, Occult
Associated Epic Attributes: Intelligence
Associated Purviews: Artistry, Earth, Fire
Hephaestus is the smith of the gods, a figure of immense strength and
endurance who crafts items even the Olympians covet: he is the creator of
such incredible things as the chariot of Helios, the girdle of Aphrodite, the
armor of Achilles and the bow and arrows of Eros. He is the patron of all
craftsmen and the son of Zeus and Hera, but he is also looked down upon by
the other gods for his physical imperfections; he is no beauty to look upon,
unlike most of the Theoi, and worse, he is a cripple, considered less than a
whole man by the rest of his pantheon. As the god of intelligence and
technology, he is well-equipped to move into the modern day, but as the god
of the lame and deformed he is often discounted or treated with derision.
Hephaestus, Zeus and Hera
Shortly after Hephaestus was born, Hera and Zeus quarreled over Zeus'
infidelities; their fight was so heated and angry that Zeus suspended his wife
from a chain as punishment, hanging her upside-down between heaven and
earth. Hephaestus, wishing to help his mother, freed her from the chain, but
when Zeus found out he hurled his son away in anger, causing him to fall
from Mount Olympus and all the way into the ocean; such was the might of
Zeus' rejection that he struck the very bottom of the sea, and his foot was
rendered forever lame in the fall. He was discovered by the sea nymph
Thetis, who took pity on him and along with her attendants raised him in the
seas. When Hephaestus had grown up, he determined to have his revenge on

the Olympians, and created a beautiful golden throne which he sent to Hera
as a gift. When she sat upon the lovely chair, it instantly sprang to grasp her
wrists and ankles, binding her so that she could not escape. The gods
entreated Hephaestus to let her go, but he refused, saying that he would show
no mercy until he was allowed to return to his rightful place on Mount
Olympus. Finally, Dionysus got Hephaestus drunk on his wine and brought
him into Olympus; he was merry with intoxication and pleased to be restored
to a place among the gods, and he released Hera as he had promised.
Athena: Also known as: Ageleia, Aphaea, Athene, Itonia, Menrva, Minerva,
Tritonia
Associated Abilities: Academics, Art, Command, Integrity, Melee, Politics
Associated Epic Attributes: Intelligence
Associated Purviews: Animal (Owl), Artistry, Guardian, War
The patron goddess of Athens is renowned for her wisdom, counted as
its very personification among the Theoi; she is the mistress of knowledge,
philosophy and tactics and a war-goddess well-known for the most wellplanned and executed of battle strategies. She is also a virgin goddess and
patron of all civic and cultural development, a dispenser of justice and a
proponent of civilization. She has been a guide and aide to many a hero, and
continues to further the cause of her pantheon wherever possible.
Athena's Birth
Zeus became lovers with the titan Metis, an ancient goddess of wisdom;
however, a prophecy was made claiming that Metis' son would overthrow
and kill his father. When he discovered that Metis was pregnant, Zeus
swallowed her to prevent her from giving birth to his usurper. Shortly
thereafter, however, he found that he had a terrible pain in his head; when the
pain and pressure would not let up, he finally called upon his son Hephaestus
to relieve him of his agony by performing a craneotomy with his tools. When
the smith struck Zeus' head, Athena burst forth from it fully formed; she had
been born inside Zeus and forced her way out, a full-fledged goddess of war
and wisdom.
Athena and Pallas

When Athena was born, Zeus sent her to his nephew Triton, who raised
her as a foster-father alongside his own daughter, the sea-nymph Pallas. The
two shared everything and grew to adulthood together, but one day they
quarreled and the argument came to blows. Both war-goddesses struck true,
but while Zeus protected Athena from all harm, he did not protect Pallas and
Athena inflicted a mortal wound on her. Athena was so mortified that she had
killed her foster-sister that she created the Palladium, a great statue
monument to Pallas, and left Triton's palace forever.
Athena and Hephaestus
Hephaestus, infatuated with Athena, once attempted to rape her; he
seized hold of her garments, but she was too nimble for him and escaped, and
his semen fell upon the ground. From it sprang forth the serpent-god
Erichthonius, whom Athena raised as her foster-son.
Athena and Poseidon
Long ago, both Athena and Poseidon wished to be the patrons of Athens,
a thriving city of great power and artistic merit. They competed and argued
endlessly over the matter, until Athena suggested that they should each give
the Athenians a gift and let the people decide for themselves. Poseidon
agreed and struck the ground with his trident, causing a spring to spring up
out of the ground, while Athena offered the people the gift of the olive tree.
Poseidon's spring was salt water, which was useless to the Athenians, so they
chose the olive tree and Athena became their patron, lending her name to the
city itself.
Athena and Arachne
Athena, the greatest weaver among the gods, once had a student named
Arachne, who became so full of pride at her skills as a weaver that she
proclaimed that she was better than her teacher. Though many cautioned her
against hubris, including Athena herself in disguise, Arachne claimed that she
wished to face the goddess in a weaving contest, confident that she would
triumph. The contest commenced and Athena wove the scene of her victory
over Poseidon, while Arachne wove images of all the infidelities ever
committed among the gods. The works were of equal skill, but Athena was so
enraged by the disrespectful subject Arachne had chosen that she destroyed

her student's loom and the tapestry and transformed her into the first spider,
whose descendents all weave tapestries that are destroyed as soon as they are
created.
Aphrodite: Also known as: Acidalia, Cerigo, Cytherea, Pandemos, Turan,
Venus
Associated Abilities: Animal Ken, Athletics, Fortitude, Medicine, Presence,
Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: Appearance
Associated Purviews: Animal (Swan), Fertility
Beautiful Aphrodite is the most stunning and universally admired of the
gods of the Theoi, a goddess of beauty and sexual allure without equal. She is
a goddess of sexuality and passion, untameable and gorgeous in equal
measure, and her charms are truly irresistable to any on whom she chooses to
turn them. It is said that anyone who looks upon Aphrodite may find
themselves instantly in love if she so chooses, and that for her favor countless
men and women have died tragic deaths. Despite her beauty and charming
air, many of the Theoi still look at her askance for her wanton behavior and
infidelity in her marriage.
Aphrodite's Birth
When Cronus overthrew his father, the great titan Ouranos, he cut his
genitals off with a scythe and threw them into the ocean. The foam that
resulted was incredibly potent and fertile, as it was filled with the primordial
god's seed, and from it Aphrodite was born after it had spent some time being
mixed with the waves of the sea. Zeus, who found her on the shore, took her
back to Olympus as one of its rightful goddesses.
Aphrodite and Hephaestus
Aphrodite's beauty was so great that all the gods instantly began to vie
for her hand; Zeus feared that the squabbling would cause them to make war
upon each other, so to keep the peace he decreed that she would be wed to his
son, Hephaestus. Aphrodite did not particularly like this pronouncement, as
Hephaestus was unlovely and lame in one foot, two conditions that made him
seem abhorrent to her; she agreed to Zeus' decree, but proceeded to cuckold

Hephaestus with nearly every god on Olympus, bearing children to, among
others, Ares, Hermes, Dionysus and Poseidon. Hephaestus, miserable and
humiliated, attempted to return Aphrodite to Zeus, claiming that he wanted
the return of her bride-price; Zeus refused to take her back, saying that only
by keeping her married to him, the least threatening of all the gods, could he
prevent war on Olympus.
Aphrodite and the Trojan War
Eris, the goddess of discord, caused the goddesses of Olympus to argue
over who was the most beautiful; Aphrodite, Hera and Athena all claimed
that they were the most desirable. They turned to Zeus to adjudicate their
dispute, but he refused to judge on the grounds that he did not wish any of
them to bear enmity toward him. Instead, he appointed the mortal Paris to
choose the most beautiful. Each of them offered him a prize for choosing her;
Athena offered incredible wisdom and prowess in battle, Hera offered
kingdoms and land at his command, and Aphrodite offered the love of the
most beautiful woman on earth. Paris chose Aphrodite, who awarded Paris
the love of Helen of Troy, whose elopement with him began the Trojan War
and occupied all the gods for the next several years.
Aphrodite and Adonis
A beautiful mortal girl was born named Myrrha; she was so lovely that
her mother claimed her to be even more beautiful than Aphrodite. Annoyed at
such presumptuousness, Aphrodite cursed Myrrha with unquenchable lust for
her father, causing her to disguise herself as a prostitute and sneak into his
bed. When she became pregnant, she gave birth to a stunningly beautiful
baby boy, whom Aphrodite took pity on and delivered to Persephone, asking
her to raise the boy. Persephone complied, but when Adonis had grown into a
beautiful young man, Aphrodite wished him to come back and be her lover;
Persephone refused to allow it, and their quarrel became so heated that Zeus
was forced to intervene and declare that Adonis should stay with Aphrodite
two-thirds of the year and Persephone the other third. Aphrodite was satisfied
with this arrangement, but Ares, her other lover, disliked that she spent so
much time with Adonis and took the form of a great boar, who gutted the boy
when he attempted to chase him on a hunt, thus returning Adonis to the
underworld for good.

Aphrodite and Pygmalion

A sculptor of great skill named Pygmalion once declared that there was
no living woman who was worthy of his love; Aphrodite, taking pity on such
a foolish man, decided to show him the true beauty of love and came to him
in a dream. He was so inspired by glimpsing her that he carved a gorgeous
statue of her out of ivory, naming the carving Galatea; he fell in love with it
completely, and prayed to Aphrodite, begging her for sucease from the wild
emotion. She told him that he must choose a woman to marry and experience
love as it should be, but he refused to choose any but the statue, eventually
declaring that she must turn him into a statue as well to be with his love.
Aphrodite took pity on him and transformed the statue into a living woman,
whom he married happily.
Aphrodite, Eros and Psyche
There was once a mortal woman named Psyche whose beauty was so
great that even Aphrodite was jealous of her, fearing that she might be her
equal. Seeking to punish her for daring to compare to a goddess, Aphrodite
sent her son, Eros, to make Psyche fall in love with the most hideous man in
the world. Eros, however, accidentally pricked himself on his arrows and fell
hopelessly in love with the girl; he began to visit her in secret, carrying on a
passionate love affair with her on the condition that she never light a lamp to
see his face, as he did not want to be recognized and incur his mother's wrath.
Psyche obeyed him at first, but her jealous sisters convinced her that he must
be monstrously ugly to hide from her so, and she lit a lamp while he was
sleeping to see the face of her husband. She was so shaken by his beauty and
by the realization that he was a god that her hand trembled and spilled hot
lamp-oil on his shoulder, wakening him, and he departed in anger, declaring
that she had driven him away with her mistrust.
Psyche could not bear life without him and began to search for him all
throughout Greece, finally praying at a temple of Demeter for aid. Demeter
took pity on her and told her that the best way to find Eros was to beg for a
favor from Aphrodite; the love goddess, however, was still angry that
Psyche's beauty rivaled her own and that Eros had disobeyed her, and when
Psyche came to beg her aid she declared that she would only give it if the girl
sorted amount of grain into orderly piles by nightfall, an insurmountable task.

Eros, watching Psyche from afar despite her betrayal, caused several ants to
sneak into the temple and help her organize the grain. Outraged by Psyche's
apparent success, Aphrodite sent her to a field of man-eating golden sheep
and told her to fetch some wool; on the way there, a disguised Eros stopped
her and told her of her peril, and counseled her to wait until the sheep had
gone to sleep before picking their wool from the trees and ground. Again,
Psyche returned successful, and Aphrodite became even angrier.
Finally, Aphrodite devised a task that Psyche could not possibly survive,
and told her that the constant difficulty and stress of caring for her son had
caused her to lose some of her beauty. She told Psyche to go to Hades and
ask Persephone for some of her beauty in a little black box, which she would
then return to Aphrodite. Psyche, not knowing how else to get to the
underworld, determined to throw herself out of a tower, but Eros sent her a
dream that told her to enter a certain cave, feed Cerberus a cake to cool his
wrath, and take coins to bribe Charon into ferrying her across the river. When
she arrived in Hades, Persephone agreed to Aphrodite's favor and returned
the box to Psyche, who went back up to the world. When she arrived, she
opened the box, thinking that if she took a bit of Persephone's beauty, Eros
would surely love her; the box in actuality contained a sleeping spell meant
to punish Aphrodite, and Psyche immediately fell into a deep slumber. Seeing
all the trials she had endured for his love, Eros awoke her from her magical
sleep and begged Zeus to make her immortal so that he could marry her,
which he did; Aphrodite was forced to accept this, and danced at their
wedding as a sign of good faith.
Ares: Also known as: Enyalius, Maris, Mars
Associated Abilities: Athletics, Brawl, Command, Marksmanship, Melee,
Thrown
Associated Epic Attributes: Strength
Associated Purviews: Animal (Wolf), War
Ares is the unbridled god of slaughter and war, bloodlust and berserking,
a force of nature unleashed upon the battlefield. He is the presider over
weapons and the destruction they can wreak, and the epitome of reasonless
courage and manhood. Unlike Athena, the other war deity of his pantheon, he
has nothing to do with strategy; he is pure, unadultered brute force, and his

children and followers are made in his mold, reckless dominators of any war.
Though largely focused on mayhem and the glory of battle, Ares was also the
defender of some cities and a supporter of warriors in times of need.
Ares and Aphrodite
Ares carried on a long-standing affair with the beautiful goddess
Aphrodite, despite the fact that she was married to his brother, Hephaestus;
once, when they were coupling in Hephaestus' house, Helios spied them and
informed her husband of the adultery. Hephaestus fashioned an invisible net
and trapped the two of them as they embraced. The other gods of Olympus
came to see the spectacle and openly mocked the caught lovers, and once he
was loosed Ares fled to Thrace for a time, humiliated and angry. Despite this
setback, his affair with Aphrodite carried on, and she bore him many children
despite bearing none to her husband.
Ares and the Aloadae
The Aloadae, two ancient giants, were encouraged by Hephaestus to trap
Ares in chains and throw him into a bronze urn, where he remained trapped
for over a year, screaming and howling in impotent rage. The giants' stepmother finally heard and took pity on him and relayed his plight to Hermes,
who interceded to free him, allowing him to escape back to Olympus and the
healing arts of his parents.
Ares and Poseidon
Poseidon had a son named Halirrhothios, who insulted the beauty of
Ares' daughter Alcippe. To avenge her honor, Ares killed Halirrhothios,
incurring Poseidon's formidable wrath. He was forced to appear at a trial of
all the gods, wherein Poseidon argued that Ares should be killed for having
taken the life of his cousin; however, Zeus, Ares' father, was presiding over
the trial, and chose to acquit him instead.
Hermes: Also known as: Mercurios, Mercury, Turms
Associated Abilities: Athletics, Empathy, Larceny, Occult, Stealth, Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: Manipulation, Wits
Associated Purviews: Magic, Psychopomp

The most multi-faceted of the Olympians fills many roles; he is the

psychopomp who guides the dead to the underworld, as well as being the
messenger who bears all the gods' missives as quick as the wind. He is the
patron god of commerce, trade, and haggling, and, perhaps ironically, also the
patron god of thieves and liars, well-known for his sly humor and quick
fingers. He protects shepherds and orators alike, known to enjoy the
countryside but to enjoy a battle of wits even more, and is the god of
boundaries and travel, a true mover between the realms and a trickster who is
nevertheless necessary to the smooth running and peace of Olympus.
Hermes and Apollo
The first day after his birth, the infant Hermes crawled away from his
mother to a nearby mountain, where he found a herd of the finest cattle in
existence. Quickly, he rounded them up and hid them in a cave; when Apollo,
the owner of the cattle, found them gone the next morning, he accused the
young god of their theft. Though Hermes' mother tried to protect him by
claiming he had been with her the whole night, Zeus agreed that Hermes was
the thief and ordered him to return the beasts to Apollo. Hermes, seeing that
the sun god was growing angrier with every passing minute, contrived to
gently strum the strings of his lyre while they argued; when Apollo heard this
wondrous new instrument, he was so enchanted that he offered instead to let
Hermes keep the cattle if he would give the lyre to Apollo. They agreed, and
Apollo received the first lyre, which he used to make the most beautiful
music the gods had ever heard.
Hermes and Pan
Hermes begot Pan with the nymph Dryope, but when he was born he
was so frightening looking with his goat-horns and shaggy fur that she ran,
afraid. Pan grew up in the wilderness, constantly shunned for his looks; in
particular, he loved the nymph Echo, an attendant of Hera, but she fled from
him whenever he tried to woo her. When Hermes saw that his son was so
lonely, he taught him the art of masturbation so that he would never feel the
want of companionship. Pan, not satisfied with being the sole possessor of
this secret, in turn taught it to mankind, who loved him henceforth.
Hermes and Aglaurus

Hermes fell in love with a beautiful priestess of Athena named Herse;

however, her older sister Aglaurus was jealous and wanted the god's love for
herself, and attempted to keep the two apart. Hermes turned her to stone, and
then impregnated her statue as revenge, so that she should bear his child but
never feel the warmth of his love.

Bogovi
Svarozhich: Also known as: Svarogich, Svarozic
Associated Abilities: Academics, Animal Ken, Art, Command, Control,
Melee
Associated Epic Attributes: Appearance, Perception, Strength
Associated Purviews: Artistry, Earth, Fire, Sky, Sun, Water
Svarozhich is the uncontested leader of the Bogovi, the god who
manages their unruly divinities and keeps the pantheon united under his
leadership and that of his appointed deputies, the four Divine Kings. A
ceaseless and tireless warrior, Svarozhich drives the chariot of the sun across
the world each day, keeping it lit and protecting it against the depredations of
the forces of chaos and destruction; as well as being the god of the heavenly
fire of the sun, he is also the god of its earthly twin below, letting the chariot
rest for the night to oversee the flames of the earth when they keep mankind
warm during the night. Though Svarozhich is stern and his laws absolute, he
is not in truth any less vibrant than the rest of his pantheon; his occasional
moments of compassion and even missteps are proof enough of that, and
those who underestimate his craftiness do so at their peril.
Svarozhich and the Creation of the World
Svarozhich was the first god created by Svarog at the beginning of the
world, and it was to him that the shaping and business of setting it in order
was left when his ancient father returned to sleep. He first carefully laid
Svarog to rest inside the shining egg of the sun, which he kept in his chariot
to carry across the sky for safekeeping, and then set about taming the
magnificent golden-maned celestial horse, which grazed sedately in the
heavens and would allow no living thing near it except for a watchful rooster

that alerted it to danger. Using his many eyes to always watch every side of
the creatures, he sneaked up on them by always remaining on the side that the
rooster's and horse's eyes were closed, until he was close enough to catch and
tame the horse for his own. Now able to travel the new world and see all
corners of it, he discovered that it was in disarray and chaos, and in order to
help provide it order he created the four points of the compass to divide the
lands and the progression of time to keep the past and present separated.
Everything else in the world he fashioned from the burning dung of the
celestial horse, and lastly he created the rest of the Bogovi, to aid him and his
brother Dazhbog in administering the world.
Svarozhich and Chmarnik
Of all the dangerous demons of the world, Svarozhich's greatest enemy
was Chmarnik, a terrible three-headed dragon of clouds and chaos that
attempted to assault him and steal the egg containing Svarog from his chariot.
Every few days, Chmarnik would attempt to attack Svarozhich as he drove
into the sky for the day, causing a cloudy, red-streaked dawn; the two then
fought a massive battle, with Svarozhich slowly lopping off the dragon's
heads while it tore fiercely at him and poisoned him with its terrible teeth and
claws. Eventually Svarozhich is always able to triumph with the help of his
horse, but he is always badly wounded and near death, and must immediately
drink the dew of the Milky Way to heal his wounds. Chmarnik, too, always
survives the battle and slowly broods beneath the horizon, waiting for his
chance to once more assault the sun-god as soon as he is at full strength
again.
Svarozhich and Dazhbog
It happened that Dazhbog fell in love with the beautiful goddess Lada,
but her father, the dreadful Tsar Mora of the sea, refused to part with her and
rebuffed his attempt to ask for her hand. Desperate to win his love, Dazhbog
came to his brother Svarozhich and begged for help; Svarozhich devised a
plan for him, and the two strew a nearby beach with treasures, beautiful
clothes and shoes. When Lada was lured up on the shore to see all the finery,
Svarozhich, who had been hiding nearby, instantly leaped out and kidnapped
her, fleeing ahead of the angry ocean in his flaming chariot. He handed her
over to his brother and blessed the marriage, and henceforth Lada remained

with the gods.

Svarozhich and Humanity
Though Svarozhich had aided in the creation of humanity, providing
souls for the bodies that Mokosh brought to life, he knew that mortal man
could not prosper with the divine interference of the gods and believed that
the gifts of the immortal deities would be too much for them to handle. He
decreed that no god should meddle with humanity, but soon found that all the
gods had done so, teaching humanity the arts of prophecy and weaving,
farming and husbandry, art and music, and that the goddess Mokosh had even
had a son with a mortal man. Furious at this defiance of the natural order,
Svarozhich punished the gods severely and repeated his edict; no god was
ever again allowed to interfere with humanity's development, and as for the
mortals themselves, he decreed an end to the carefree age of their youth and
condemned them to henceforth live the uncomfortable lives of imperfect
mankind.
Svarozhich and Pizamar
In his travels across the world, Svarozhich happened to spy a mortal
maiden named Pizamar who was exceptionally beautiful and pure. Every day
he passed over her in his burning chariot, and the more he saw her, the more
he fell deeply in love. Since it was by his own law that the gods were
forbidden to meddle with mortals, however, he could not approach her;
desperate to be with her, he resorted to shapechanging himself into various
forms, including breezes, sunbeams and showers, in order to make love to
her. Each day he visited her and made her pregnant, but each night he caused
her to lose her pregnancy, as he could not allow an illegal hybrid to be born.
Pizamar, who did not know the identity of her lover, became deeply
depressed over the situation and attempted to kill herself, but Svarozhich
prevailed upon the Sudice to make it her fate to continue living.
This unhappy state of affairs continued for some time until the moon
goddess, Chors, realized what was happening and came to him to secretly beg
him to stop tormenting Pizamar. She suggested that he turn the girl into a
goddess herself so that it would not longer be forbidden to take her as a lover;
realizing that this would solve all his problems, Svarozhich agreed and
recruited Chors to help him. He seduced the goddess Podaga to distract her

while Chors stole her mead of immortality, and then abandoned her as soon
as the deed was done; once Pizamar had drunk the mead and become divine,
he ordered Morena to erase her handprint from the wall of the Underworld,
thus ensuring that death would never find her. Pizamar became the only
mortal to become a goddess, fulfilling the role of beautiful patron goddess of
music and the arts.
Svarozhich's Jealousy
Svarozhich had gone to a lot of trouble to make Pizamar a goddess and
ensure that his affair with her would become legal, but once he had done so,
his interest in her waned and he gradually stopped visiting her, leaving her to
her own devices. Because Pizamar had once been human, she often visited
the world of mortal men and there fell in love with a handsome young
minstrel boy named Igric, who she visited disguised as a mortal shepherdess.
Svarozhich was tolerant of the situation while it looked like she was only
flirting with the boy, but when he realized that she had actually fallen in love
with the human, he was seized with jealousy. He called upon Veles and
Morena to test how much oil remained in Igric's lamp, and was overjoyed to
find that the mortal boy was destined to die soon; he immediately went to
Pizamar and taunted her with the knowledge, seeking to make her realize
how foolish she had been to love a mortal instead of him. Pizamar was
horrified at the idea that Igric would soon die, and with the help of Mokosh
sneaked into the underworld and refilled Igric's lamp to the brim with oil,
ensuring that his life would continue for many long years. She was caught on
the way out by the guardians of the underworld, however; stung that she
would continue to choose a mortal in defiance of him, Svarozhich punished
her by making her invisible and inaudible to all mortals, causing her to spend
the rest of Igric's life pining for him as she sat unseen beside him.
Dazhbog: Also known as: Dabog, Dajbog, Dazbog
Associated Abilities: Animal Ken, Art, Control, Empathy, Politics, Presence
Associated Epic Attributes: Appearance, Charisma
Associated Purviews: Sun
When confronted with the god of the dawn, beauty and youth, it is
difficult to do anything but love Dazhbog, who along with Svarozhich was

one of the first gods created to warm the world and make it livable. When not
riding his splendid diamond chariot through the skies, Dazhbog provides the
much-needed warmth of dawn to keep Svarozhich moving on his journeys
and rules over the morning quarter as one of the four Divine Kings, lord of
the east. Each day he slowly ages from a stripling at dawn until he dies at
dusk as an old man, but he is reborn every morning, a symbol of eternallyrenewing youth ready to rise again and carry on.
Dazhbog and Lada
On one of his many journeys across the morning sky, Dazhbog
happened to spy the spring-goddess Lada, an incredibly beautiful maiden
bathing and playing in the ocean. Smitten, he descended from the sky on a
sunbeam and called upon the king of the sea, Tsar Mora, to come forth and
grant him his daughter's hand in marriage. Lada was the Tsar's favorite
daughter, however, and he was so enraged by Dazhbog's attempt to steal her
from him that he ordered the great horses of the sea to trample the sun-god
unconscious. Dazhbog's cries reached the ears of Svarog, who withdrew the
rays of the sun to allow his son to escape, but Dazhbog remained obsessed
with Lada and could not rest without her love.
Realizing that he could not win her on his own, he went to his brother
Svarozhich to beg for help. Svarozhich counseled him to lay out a tempting
array of jewelry and dresses along the shore of the sea; when Lada came
ashore to try them on, Svarozhich seized her and fled in his own chariot to
deliver her to Dazhbog. Tsar Mora raged and fumed at the loss of his
daughter, but she was married to Dazhbog immediately and remained with
the other Slavic gods, far beyond his reach.
Dazhbog and Humanity
Because he flew above the world each day, Dazhbog saw that humanity
lived in uncomfortable and dank conditions, suffering from the whims of the
weather or taking shelter in cold, stony caves. Seized by the desire to help
them and thus encourage them to worship him, Dazhbog descended to earth
and taught them how to create homes and build houses, giving them the
beginning building blocks of civilization.
Chors: Also known as: Hors, Khors

Associated Abilities: Art, Integrity, Larceny, Occult, Presence, Stealth

Associated Epic Attributes: Appearance
Associated Purviews: Moon, Sun
Luminous Chors is perhaps one of the most beautiful of all goddesses, a
gentle, elegant maiden whose light is always just enough to comfort and
uplift, never bright enough to hurt. As shy and retiring as many of her
pantheons members are boisterous, she travels the sky each night,
shepherding the moon along its path while she uses its light to illuminate the
world below. To the eastern Slavs, her light was the faint, welcoming light of
the gentle sun, which she also carries safely through the Underworld when it
is not in use above. As the light in the darkness, day or night no matter how
faint and tired, she brings hope and relief to the weary traveler.
Chors, Radegast and Stribog
Though Chors was so beautiful that many of the Bogovi sought her
hand, she was in love only with Radegast, the lordly god of the stars who she
often saw when they were both shepherding the heavenly lights of the
evening. Radegast paid no attention to anything but his duties, however, so
Chors pined for his affections until one night a mysterious figure wrapped in
stars appeared in her room; believing that he at last returned her love, she
welcomed him with open arms and conceived a child. In the light of day,
however, it was revealed that it had not been Radegast at all but rather the
wind-god Stribog, masquerading as the god she loved. The divine courts
ruled that Stribog would be punished by never knowing the child he had
fathered; Chors desperately attempted to convince them not to take the baby
from her, but the justice of the gods could not be avoided. Svarozhich took
the baby girl at birth and declared that she had been only a dream, causing
her to vanish as if she had never been, and Chors spent every night thereafter
searching the world fruitlessly for any sign of her lost daughter.
Chors and Svarozhich
Chors was law-abiding and did not question her kings, but she noticed
one night in her travels above the world that there was a particularly beautiful
mortal girl who was wretchedly unhappy, and who bore the signs of having
been touched by divinity. Watching her closely each night, Chors realized

that the girl was being secretly visited by the god Svarozhich, who prevented
her from bearing any children so that no one would discover his indiscretion.
Reminded of her own sorrow and seeing the girl as the daughter she had lost,
Chors went to Svarozhich and convinced him to make her a goddess rather
than allow her to continue to suffer; when he agreed, she aided him by
sneaking past the goddess Podaga to steal some of the mead of immortality,
which was granted to the girl so that she became the goddess of music,
Pizamar.
Stribog: Also known as: Stribozh, Strzybog
Associated Abilities: Awareness, Command, Empathy, Larceny, Stealth,
Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: Manipulation, Perception
Associated Purviews: Frost, Sky
The Grandfather of All Winds is not a particularly pleasant god to be
around; he is forbidding and remote, bad-tempered and unsociable, as icily
unapproachable as the frozen wastes that are his domain. The lord of the
winds and the freezing cold they bring with them, he is also the foremost
watchman of the gods, seeing to it that none of Svarozhich's commands are
disobeyed. He is not overtly cruel, but he is utterly neutral when it comes to
these things; the god of the deepest, unthawing freeze has little compassion
for those he reports, nor much compassion for those caught out in his chilling
winds without protection.
Stribog, Chors and Radegast
Stribog fell in love with the moon-goddess Chors, smitten by her beauty
and grace, but she only had eyes for the much more handsome Radegast and
never even noticed him. Frustrated by his inability to interest her and
knowing she would never find him attractive, Stribog sneaked into Radegast's
throne-room one day and stole his cloak of glimmering stars. He waited until
Chors retired and then wrapped himself in the cloak, appearing in her room;
believing that Radegast had come to her, Chors glady made love with him
and the two conceived a daughter. When Radegast discovered the theft,
however, he had Stribog brought before Svarozhich for justice, and it was
ruled that Stribog would be punished by having his new child taken from

him. The baby girl was uncreated by Svarozhich, and Chors refused ever to
speak to or look on Stribog again.
Stribog and Mokosh
Though Stribog faithfully fulfilled his duties to the gods, humanity took
no notice of him and instead loved Perun for his powers over spring and the
mighty elements. Stribog seethed quietly with jealousy for some time, but
when he discovered that Mokosh, too, had gained a strong cult following in
her honor, he could no longer contain himself. He discovered that she had
borne a son with a mortal, and immediately went to Svarozhich with the
news; Mokosh was brought to trial, and though her son was not executed as
Stribog requested, she was reprimanded strongly enough to mollify him.
Stribog and Perun
Before humanity had learned how to use the element of fire, Svarozhich
gave Stribog the task of watching over the entire world and blowing out any
fires that started before humanity could learn about them or be threatened by
them. He did so diligently until one day an especially roaring fire sprang up
right in the middle of a mortal settlement; he was about to blow it out when
Perun hurried toward him and begged him to overlook the fire, pointing out
how small it was, how grateful the people were to have it and how it was
certain to burn itself out in short order. Stribog agreed that there would
probably be no harm in allowing it this once, but soon thereafter humans had
learned the secrets of using fire and the gods were furious over the situation.
Perun was taken to trial, but Stribog was afraid to admit that he had failed in
his duty and kept quiet; his lack of testimony caused Perun to escape
relatively unpunished.
Radegast: Also known as: Radhost, Radigost
Associated Abilities: Art, Command, Empathy, Integrity, Presence, Stealth
Associated Epic Attributes: Charisma
Associated Purviews: Darkness, Fire, Stars
The lord of the night is a dour and withdrawn figure, going about his
business with single-minded determination and devotion to his duty expected
of a god of common sense and sound thinking. He has no time for frivolity or

distractions and expects the same from everyone else around him. Keeper of
the wide-flung stars, Radegast is also the god of twilight and flame, the fires
that burn to keep humanity warm and their twins far away in the night sky.
Despite his forbidding demeanor, Radegast is not without a certain
magnetism, however; he is also the god of hospitality and feasting, and has
been known to visit the world more often than most as an anonymous reveler
who ensures that even unexpected guests are given an appropriate welcome.
As one of the four Divine Kings, Radegast is the guardian of the evening and
the western side of the world after the sun sets.
Radegast, Chors and Stribog
Though the moon-goddess Chors had fallen in love with him, Radegast
had no time for romance and ignored her advances in favor of focusing on his
work. One night, however, he discovered when he arose to make his rounds
across the evening sky that his star-spangled cloak had been stolen and was
nowhere to be found. Though he beat his servant for losing it, it could not be
located and he was forced to personally shepherd the stars one by one that
night, lacking the patterns of constellations on the cloak to show them where
to go. When he returned at the end of the night, the stars whispered that they
had seen Stribog steal the cloak and use it to seduce Chors; furious at the
theft and misuse of his property, Radegast demanded that Svarozhich punish
the wind-god despite the return of the cloak. Stribog was punished by the loss
of the child he had sired on Chors, and Radegast was able to return to his
duties in the night sky.
Radegast and the Feast
Despite his usual concentration on his duties, Radegast also loved
festivals and descended to the world to enjoy them more often than any other
god, always disguised as a traveling minstrel or wandering wizard so that he
was never recognized. After entertaining his hosts with wondrous songs and
magic tricks, they asked various inappropriate questions about the behavior
of the gods, unaware that one was among them; but Radegast could tell that
they were devout and good people, and merely emboldened by drunkenness
and merriment. When they awoke in the morning, they discovered a herd of
fat, rich oxen tethered in their village; after consulting the local priest and
finding that these were a gift from Radegast, they sacrificed one in his honor

and ever after were exceedingly kind to travelers, aware that any anonymous
wanderer might secretly be the god in disguise.
Radegast and the Temptation of the People
Radegast enjoyed a strong following of very loyal worshipers, but he
saw that many of the Slavic gods were losing their cults to the influence of
new religions and wondered if his own people were truly as devout as they
appeared to be. Seeking to test them, he disguised himself as a wandering
prophet and appeared in the center of a town dedicated in his honor, loudly
and persuasively preaching to the people to abandon his worship and take on
new gods as their patrons. Though the people listened politely, they were
reluctant to convert and only thanked him for his point of view. Determined
to truly test them, Radegast caused a dove and a hawk to fly out of his hands,
and called upon the false gods he was preaching for to protect the dove; it
flew away safely and the hawk landed peacefully, but when he did the same
without calling out to any gods, the hawk devoured the dove. He then
challenged the people to call out to Radegast to save the dove the next time,
and again the hawk devoured the dove, which he told them was proof that
Radegast could not possibly be as powerful as his new gods. Despite this
compelling evidence, the people still refused to convert, claiming that it was
too prideful for any mortal to seek to test a god; impressed that even his
powers of persuasion could not sway their love for him, Radegast then
bestowed his star-spangled suit of battle armor upon the town as a sacred
relic kept in their temple, allowing them the incredible honor of taking care
of it when it was not in use.
Svantovit: Also known as: Suvid, Svantevith, Svetovid, Svevid, Svyatovid,
Svyatovit, Vid
Associated Abilities: Animal Ken, Awareness, Command, Control, Occult,
Presence
Associated Epic Attributes: Perception
Associated Purviews: Animal (Horse), Fertility, Prophecy, War
Svantovit is one of the most beloved of the Slavic gods, the favorite of
Svarozhich himself and an often-sought companion and counselor to his
pantheon. Each of his four heads faces one of the cardinal directions,

allowing him to keep all of creation under scrutiny at once, and his skill at
reading the omens of the future (and, occasionally, revealing them even to
humanity) is unrivaled among his people. Despite these somewhat passive
skills, Svantovit is not a god who sits on the sidelines; he frequently rides
with his pantheon into war on one of the many shining white horses sacred to
him, spreading illumination when Svarozhich is otherwise occupied and
leading the bravest of charges against anyone who challenges them. He is
also one of the four Divine kings, the guardian of the daytime and the
southern portion of the world.
Svantovit and Svarozhich
All of the gods were secretly jealous of Svarozhich's beautiful goldenmaned steed, which he rode through the heavens as swiftly as the light of the
sun and as effortlessly as a breeze. Though they knew that Svarozhich would
be angry if he discovered them imitating his glory, the gods sought out the
most perfect horses of the world for their own anyway, each secretly hiding
and riding them at their most celebrated temples and their most secret
hideaways. Nothing could be hidden from Svarozhich for long, however, and
he flew into a rage at discovering this duplicity; thinking quickly, Svantovit
declared that he was merely training the horse in order to turn it over to
humanity, as he had noticed that all the other gods had given humanity gifts.
Though Svarozhich then punished the other gods sorely, Svantovit was able
to convince him that it would be all right to give mortals a small taste of his
gifts of prophecy, as they would not understand how to interpret it properly.
Henceforth, Svantovit was the only other god who was allowed to openly
keep horses to compete with Svarozhich's, and he taught his priests to
forecast the future by means of leading the horses through a field of signs and
marking which ones they chose to step over or avoid.
Svantovit's Gifts
Though he knew it was against Svarozhich's decrees to interfere with the
affairs of mortals, Svantovit's prophetic powers allowed him to see how to
help them without directly involving himself. He instructed them to lead his
snow-white horse into battle with them whenever they went to war; the horse
ran and thrashed with such vigor across the field that the mortals were sure
that Svantovit fought invisibly alongside them and were heartened by the

knowledge that he was lending them his divine aid. Seeing that they also
required help in their everyday lives, he told his priests to ensure that every
statue of him in a sacred shrine was holding a drinking cup; each year, he
secretly filled the cup with mead to tell them a glimpse of the future, and the
priests knew that if the cup were mostly empty, there would be a lean harvest,
while if it were brimming over the new year would bring plenty and
prosperity.
Veles: Also known as: Volos, Weles
Associated Abilities: Art, Empathy, Larceny, Occult, Stealth, Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: Manipulation
Associated Purviews: Animal (Cattle), Death, Fertility, Illusion, Magic
The king of the Underworld is a lordly and well-respected figure among
the Bogovi, who know that without him there would surely be chaos among
the dead. As ruler of the deceased, he has sole sovereignty over the wide
fields of the Underworld, and the living believed that not only did he receive
them at death but that he preserved them in life, helping the all-important
grain and fruits of the earth grow to feed them. He is especially fond of cattle
as well, which are his sacred animal and which he protects from harm. Veles
is also an accomplished shapeshifter and illusionist, able to fool even the
most discerning of gods and taking a wide array of shapes as various
creatures, monsters or men; this, along with his command over the eldritch
powers of fate, made him such a legendary magician in his time that his very
name became the Slavic word for sorcerer.
Veles and Humanity
Veles tended the lush, moist fields of the underworld for many years,
growing the incomparably delicious food of the dead and guarding his
borders against any invaders, while in the meantime humanity starved in their
caves and had to survive only on what meat they could catch. One day, a
human youth decided to set out for the land of Veles, which he had heard
many tales of, in order to bring back food for his people. Seeing that the boy
was intent on theft, Veles complained to Svarozhich, who ordered that the
young man be punished for his hubris; the gods caused him to age a year
every day, becoming haggard and withered, but still he continued on,

determined to find Veles' bounty. Seeing that he was determined to help his
people, the Sudice took pity on the boy, secretly aiding him to overcome
obstacles, avoid dangers and regain his youth along his quest, until he finally
reached the border of Veles' country and beheld a magnificent golden plant.
The boy stole several sheafs of the plant and journeyed home to his people to
share it; Veles was furious at this defiance, but as Svarozhich had decreed
that the gods could not directly interact with humanity, he was forced to
merely move the wondrous plant within the borders of the realm of death and
place a three-headed wolf to guard it so that no mortal could ever touch it
again. The people who had received Veles' golden grain planted, cooked and
learned to love it, and their gratitude over his gift of wheat eventually calmed
his irritation.
Veles and the Simargl
Veles and his wife Zhiva had three sons, the boisterous Porevit, Porenut
and Rugievit; they were hot-blooded young warrior gods and chafed to be
allowed to ride into battle. In order to keep them under control, Veles enlisted
the aid of the Simargl, the great bird formed from the bodies of the gods Sim
and Rygl, asking it to watch over his sons while he was busy with the
business of the underworld. The three young gods pretended to be polite and
well-behaved when their parents were nearby, but when left to their own
devices ridiculed, played tricks on and injured the Simargl mercilessly. The
great bird bore this patiently until the day that the three gods officially
became men; the Simargl departed to rest after its long efforts, and the three
brothers took advantage of its absence to sneak down to the world to test out
their new weapons as full gods of war. They slew man, beast and every living
thing in their path as well as gleefully uprooting the very plants and earth
around them, cutting a swath through the world as they went. Realizing that
there was some kind of disturbance going on, the Simargl flew down to earth
and realized that its three charges were wreaking havoc; furious at their
misbehavior, it dove and attacked them, threatening to kill them for their sins.
Veles heard the cries of his sons and rallied the gods to go rescue them, but
they were only able to pull the youngest son Porevit out of her clutches in
time; the others survived, but were permanently disfigured by the bird's
wrath.
Veles immediately took the Simargl before the court of the gods and

demanded that it be punished for attacking his children. It was decided that,
though the actions of the three brothers had been wrong, the Simargl could
not be excused for attacking them; it was then ruled that the Simargl would
become the exclusive herald of the gods, carrying their messages and guiding
their visitors whenever they needed, and that the god of remembrance,
Pereplut, would fix the horrible memory of her attack on the young gods so
that none of the other Bogovi would ever forget it.
Veles and His Sons
Though Veles loved his sons, he saw that they were contentious and
fought amongst themselves when deprived of any battle to distract them, and
decided to curtail their behavior before it got out of hand. Each day, he sent
two of the brothers off to hunt together but kept the third at home, while he
disguised himself as such fantastic creatures as a giant eagle, a mighty auroch
and a stag with magnificent antlers to tempt the hunters. Each day, the
hunters found themselves unable to catch or kill the creature, and each day
they bemoaned the fact that whichever brother had been left at home would
surely have had the skills to help them succeed. Each day, Veles mocked and
scolded them for coming home empty-handed, teasing them with their failure
as gods of mayhem. He increased his trickery more and more, causing his
sons to be lured deep into the woods to be mocked and stolen from by forest
nymphs, and eventually he could not contain his mirth any longer and
doubled over laughing when they returned shame-faced again. Realizing that
their father had been mercilessly pranking them to make a point, the brothers
made up and promised that they would work together henceforth.
Veles and Perun
Though Veles was not strictly Perun's enemy, the two shared a rivalry
over Mokosh, the earth goddess, who was Perun's wife but who often shared
Veles' bed as his lover. When Mokosh became pregnant and bore a son, Perun
was overjoyed, but Veles, believing that there was an equal chance the baby
might be his, sneaked into their home in the dead of night and stole the child
away to the Underworld. There Veles and Zhiva raised the boy as fosterparents until he grew into the god Jarilo, a beautiful, youthful expression of
springtime; seeing that he was not truly happy spending all his time in the
Underworld, Veles allowed him to return to the homes of the other gods. He

could not quite prevent himself from continuing to irritate Perun, however,
and from then on Veles made a point of occasionally sneaking into the
thunder-god's house to steal small trinkets from him, visit his foster-son or
make love to his wife before fleeing gleefully back to the underworld.
Perun: Also known as: Gromovit, Perkele, Perkunas, Perkuns
Associated Abilities: Control, Marksmanship, Melee, Presence, Survival,
Thrown
Associated Epic Attributes: Strength
Associated Purviews: Fertility, Fire, Thunder, War
Perhaps the most widely beloved by mankind of his pantheon, Perun is
the hot-tempered god of storms, the keeper of rain and the devastating arrows
of lightning, and the war leader that once led the Slavs to victory against their
enemies. While he is not particularly bright and is prone to breaking the rules
when it suits him, Perun is a staunch and courageous fighter in battle, always
ready to rally the troops and inspire loyalty. As the bringer of rain and the
herald of springtime, he is also a figure worshiped for his gifts of fertility and
prosperity throughout the year. One of the four Divine Kings who rule with
Svarozhich's authority, Perun oversees the midnight side of the world and the
dark northern reaches.
Perun and the Gift of Fire
Though it was forbidden for the gods to interact with humanity, Perun
enjoyed their attention and sought to make himself the most well-loved of all
the Slavic gods. He saw that mortals were cold and suffered in the dark of
night, so he decided to grant them the gift of fire, using his thunderbolts to
strike trees and set their crowns ablaze. At first, the mortals were terrified and
thought that Perun was punishing them for ignoring them, but after his voice
whispered out of the flames that they should come close and warm
themselves, they discovered that fire was indeed a wondrous gift. Stribog, the
god of winds, had been tasked by Svarozhich with blowing out any fires on
earth lest humanity discover its secret, but Perun took him aside and
convinced him that allowing just one would be harmless. When Svarozhich
discovered what he had done, he was furious, but Perun claimed that there
had been holes in his quiver and that some of his lightning bolts had

accidentally fallen out and started the fires. The gods would not hear of it,
however, and because of Perun's actions declared that all direct interaction
with humanity was now forbidden.
Perun and the Aesir
It happened that armies of invaders from Germany began to come to
Slavic lands, conquering the people, laying waste to the land and claiming
everything they came across as their own. The Slavs mounted a valiant
defense, but they could not win any battles because the Norse gods fought
alongside their people while the Slavic gods remained remote and only
observed. All the gods were horrified and saddened to see what was
happening to their people, but Perun challenged Svarozhich's ruling in front
of the entire court, declaring that it was unfair for the Norse to benefit from
their gods' help while the Slavs were forced to fight alone. When the king of
the gods refused to budge on his ruling, an incensed Perun marched onto the
field anyway and killed the general of the invading army with a massive
thunderbolt; he would have gone head to head in combat with Thor, but the
rest of the pantheon dragged him back away from the battle, the combined
might of many gods barely enough to contain his strength. The Slavs lost the
battle in spite of his interference, and he was banned from ever meddling in
human affairs again.
Perun and Veles
Perun was a well-liked king among the Bogovi, but his greatest rival
was the wily Veles, ruler of the underworld and his polar opposite in every
way. Veles carried on a clandestine affair with Perun's wife Mokosh, visiting
her from the underworld just as Perun visited her from the sky, and when she
bore a son Veles kidnapped him, stealing him away to raise him in the dark
reaches of the realm of death. Perun raged impotently, but he could not
invade Veles' domain and was forced to wait until his son Jarilo became an
adult and returned to the abode of the other gods of his own accord. The two
gods continue to compete and irritate one another, stealing each others'
property and constantly trying to outdo or humiliate one another.
Mokosh: Also known as: Mokosha
Associated Abilities: Animal Ken, Art, Empathy, Fortitude, Medicine,

Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: Stamina
Associated Purviews: Earth, Fertility, Health
Mokosh is the great goddess of the earth, keeper of the harvest and
sustainer of all living things that depend on it. A temperamental and easilyoffended creature, she is equally likely to heap bountiful largesse upon her
people or curse them with failing crops and poor harvests if they anger her.
Her worshipers take great care to avoid anything that might offend her, and to
observe the solemn festivals and sacrifices that ensure her continuing
goodwill. Despite her ability to ruin an entire community's livelihood without
blinking, there is a softer side to Mokosh; she is also a goddess of mothers
and children, renowned as the patron of weaving and spinning, and has been
known to safeguard the flocks and homes of those who show proper respect.
Known reverently as Moist Mother Earth in times long gone, she lingers even
in the modern day as an all-powerful symbol of national pride and protection:
Mother Russia.
Mokosh and the Birth of Humanity
After Svarozhich had finished creating the world, Mokosh found that
there was an uncomfortable burning sensation inside her that gave her no
peace, day or night. She went to her father Rod for help, and he explained to
her that she had swallowed a tiny spark of the divine fire of creation, and that
it had taken root inside of her. With his help, she endured the great pain of
forcing the new creation out of her, giving birth to a race of giants in a
cataclysmic eruption of the earth. Each successive generation of the giants
was smaller and weaker, until finally they had become the ancestors of
humankind and the giants had vanished completely. Forever after, humanity
buried their dead in the soil in order to return their bodies to the great mother
who birthed them.
Mokosh and Mokosits
Seeing that the people did not acknowledge her even though they
worshiped some of the more popular gods, Mokosh decided to descend to
earth, taking on the guise of a beautiful woman in order to seduce a mortal
man named Mitran. She conceived and bore a son to him, aided by her father

Rod to speed the pregnancy up so that he was born in one day and an adult by
evening so that Svarozhich would not notice what she had done. She named
him Mokosits and instructed him to become the first priest of the Slavs, and
he created a great sanctuary to her and encouraged the people to worship her
and provide animal sacrifices and songs in her honor. Stribog, however, spied
what she was up to and reported her to Svarozhich, who called her to trial and
threatened to execute Mokosits to punish her. She threw herself on his mercy
and Prove's, begging them to spare Mokosits, and eventually it was decided
that he would not be killed but rather banished to the borders of the
Underworld, there to guard its gates for Veles. Mokosh was punished by
never being allowed to receive blood sacrifice again, and she was henceforth
worshiped with offerings of food and drink only.
Mokosh and Kovlad
When humanity discovered the secret of working metals, they pursued
mining new ore with such zeal that they destroyed mines and tore up the
earth wherever they went, greatly angering Mokosh. Furious at their
behavior, she ordered her son Kovlad to cut off all access to the metals they
so prized and, along with the other harvest goddesses Pripalega and Zhiva,
refused to allow any crops or food to grow from the earth. Realizing that they
were being punished for damaging the body of the earth mother, the people
were torn as to how best to placate her, arguing among themselves about
what sort of sacrifices to make and which of the goddesses most needed to be
mollified. Taking pity on the hapless mortals, Mokosh's son Kovlad appeared
to their priests in a dream and instructed them to take care of and till the soil,
and in addition to sacrifice a lamb in her honor; when she saw that they
wanted to make amends, Mokosh's heart softened and she once again allowed
humans to reap the treasures of the earth.
Mokosh and Pizamar
Though she was often spiteful toward those who wronged her, Mokosh
could not help but feel sympathy for the beautiful Pizamar, a goddess who
had discovered that her mortal lover was destined to die soon. Deciding to
help her, Mokosh used her skills of wondrous weaving to create a gown that
allowed her to creep unseen into the underworld. None of the guardians of
the underworld except Mokosits saw Pizamar while she wore the magical

garment, and, recognizing his mother's work, he allowed her past to complete
her errand and save her lover.
Morena: Also known as: Mara, Marzanna, Mora
Associated Abilities: Command, Integrity, Medicine, Occult, Presence,
Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: Appearance
Associated Purviews: Death, Fertility, Frost
The grim and deathly goddess of winter and the grave, Morena is a
frightening being, as forbidding and hideous as her fellow goddesses are
beautiful. Tasked with ensuring that the lifespans of humans end at exactly
the right time, Morena spends half the year in the gloom of the underworld
and the other half in the world, drawing the silent, frozen blanket of winter
across it, leaving misery and misfortune in her wake. Despite her close
association with the end of life, Morena also helps begin it; she was also
worshiped as a fertility goddess who prepares the soil for the growing of
food, nurturing it during the cold of winter so that it becomes fruitful when
she finally departs in the spring.
Morena and Jarilo
When Morena was young and lovely, a budding goddess of fertility, she
met Jarilo, her long-lost brother, when he returned from the land of the dead
to meet the other gods. The two immediately fell in love and were married
with their father Perun's blessing, sharing two weeks of bliss before disaster
struck. Jarilo's shifting nature was tied to the phases of the moon, so as it
waned, so did his interest; eventually, Morena found that he was being
unfaithful to her, blatantly taking other lovers and displaying a total lack of
the love he had once felt for her. Driven half-mad by fury and vengeance,
Morena killed him with her own hands and retreated to the underworld,
becoming a hideous hag and the patron of winter, turning to death as she had
once been the embodiment of life. She built her home in the underworld from
Jarilo's body parts, but despite her anger she was unable to forget that she
loved him; at Veles' urging, she relented and allowed Jarilo to return to life,
accompanying him back to the abode of the gods. Each year in the spring,
Jarilo returns to life and professes his love for her anew, and each autumn she

murders him again when she discovers his infidelity.

Morena and Chernobog
Morena was lonely and longed for a child, but as a goddess of death she
was infertile and the other gods refused to help her, fearing what terrible
creature such a mother might produce. She was so determined to succed that
she went to Svarozhich himself, and her persistent demands and arguments
eventually caused him to relent and order Mokosh to make her fertile for a
single night. She was overjoyed, but Jarilo was dead at the time and no other
god would help her conceive, put off by her fearsome reputation. Finally,
only Chernobog, the black god of darkness and mischief, agreed to lie with
her as he was equally as feared and avoided among the gods; she conceived
and bore the fearsome Triglav, her only son and a god of war, blindness and
violence.
Morena and the Underworld
While Veles ruled over the pleasant paradise of Raj, Morena oversaw the
oil lamps that burned for the lives of each mortal, kept in eternal rows in her
cave beneath perfect handprints of every living being in the walls. Though
she was diligent in keeping them from being tampered with or changed in
any way, she was distracted at a crucial moment and the goddess Pizamar
succeeded in sneaking past her to add oil to one of the lamps, increasing a
mortal's lifespan. Morena was horrified and asked Svarozhich to provide her
with insurance that this would not happen again; in answer, he fashioned for
her a monstrous, hideous bat with 777 eyes and gave it to her as a companion
and guardian to prevent any more unauthorized visitors.

Nemetondevos
Taranis: Also known as: Tannos, Taranucno, Taraino, Taranuo
Associated Abilities: Command, Integrity, Investigation, Occult, Politics,
Presence
Associated Epic Attributes: Charisma, Manipulation, Strength
Associated Purviews: Justice, Stars, Thunder

Taranis is the ruling god of the heavens, the god of storms and clear
weather, of the heavenly bodies of the night and the clouds of the daytime.
He is also the lord of time, governer of the changing seasons and cycles of
life, and as such he considers himself the ruler and preeminent deity amongst
the Nemetondevos. His fellow gods do not argue, as his temper is a legendary
force and many whisper that, in response to the millenia of existence without
worship, he may even have gone mad.
Taranis and Zeus
Taranis hates Zeus, the god who stole his worshipers and led the Theoi
to influence Rome into destroying his lands, above all other beings in
existence. Though Zeus has pointedly refused to acknowledge Taranis as an
equal, the thunder-god has no hesitation when it comes to his rivalry, and
often goes to great lengths to intentionally antagonize Zeus, even to the point
of mimicking his sanctuary (with a few, key blasphemous changes) and
hunting down his Scions to take their lives.
Cernunnos: Also known as: Carnunnos, Cerunincos, Kernunnos
Associated Abilities: Animal Ken, Awareness, Brawl, Occult, Presence,
Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: Perception, Stamina, Strength
Associated Purviews: Animal (Deer, Snake), Chaos, Earth, Fertility, Magic,
Mystery, Prophecy, Stars
Cernunnos is one of the most ancient and widely revered gods across all
pantheons, a figure of incredible power and mystery even millenia after the
culture that chiefly worshiped him was destroyed. The Horned God possesses
the secrets of the universe, and knows all things, past, present, and future; he
understands the weave of the great tapestry of Fate as few even among the
gods can boast to do, and manipulates it like an artist. He is also a god of the
earth, an ancient patron of the deep forests and the bounty of the hunt; he is
the embodiment of all things natural and untouched by the hand of man, and
the knowledge that they possess. Few among the gods seek him out despite
the vast wealth of unknown knowledge he possesses; such understanding is
too great for many to bear, and the spectre of madness awaits many who
allow him to show them the unthinkable foundations of the universe through

the cracks of reality.

Cernunnos and Zeus
Though Taranis often claims sovereignty over the Nemetondevos, it is
Cernunnos they look to for spiritual leadership, and thus his failure to predict
or prevent the destruction of the Gaulish culture at the hands of Rome and the
Theoi has always been something of a mystery. The inscrutable god himself
says nothing about it except in riddles and enigmatic non sequiturs, and to the
untrained eye might seem almost to be unconcerned with the entire affair.
However, the Nemetondevos whisper among themselves that Cernunnos,
possessor of hidden knowledge, has only been waiting for the moment when
the universe is perfectly aligned, and that because of this it is he and his
possible revenge that Zeus most fears among all the gods.
Teutates: Also known as: Albiorix, Medros, Toutatis
Associated Abilities: Academics, Art, Integrity, Investigation, Politics,
Presence
Associated Epic Attributes: Charisma, Intelligence, Manipulation
Associated Purviews: Guardian, Justice
Teutates is above all other things a teacher, the god who bestowed upon
humanity all of its useful skills. He is the patron of crafts and sciences, a
lover of knowledge and study and a staunch defender of the progress of
society. The destruction of the Gaulish culture at the hands of Rome was an
especially great blow for him, as he had helped to nurture and create much of
said culture. Still, he stands as protector for all of his people and teaches
those few remaining with infinite care and wisdom.
Teutates and Hermes
When Rome conquered Gaul and began absorbing the foreign religion
into its own, they equated Teutates with Hermes and began determinedly
destroying every reference to him that did not fit this interpretation. This was
especially galling because, although Hermes is a patron of commerce and a
teacher of mankind, he is also a trickster and a thief, neither qualities that
Teutates espouses. The two gods seldom make contact, but there is little
doubt that Teutates would love to punish the God of Thieves sorely for his

part in destroying the culture he had so carefully built.

Andarta: Also known as: Andate, Andrasta, Arduina, Artio
Associated Abilities: Awareness, Command, Marksmanship, Melee,
Survival, Thrown
Associated Epic Attributes: Dexterity, Perception, Wits
Associated Purviews: Darkness, Moon, War
Andarta, a goddess of darkness and savagery, is one of the most feared
of the Nemetondevos; she represents war without quarter and slaughter
without mercy, and is the major tactician and battle-planner of her pantheon.
Called She Who is Most Bearlike for her prowess in battle and hunting alike,
she can track any beast or man and is an unconquerable force on the
battlefield, the very epitome of the Gaulish warrior spirit.
Andarta and Athena
All of the Nemetondevos hate the Theoi, whose gods conquered their
territory and destroyed their worship and their people, but Andarta is
especially vindictive, and it is toward Athena that the brunt of her rage is
directed. It was Athena who masterminded the Roman attacks and bestowed
the battle tactics that decimated the Gauls, and it was Athena that the Romans
replaced Andarta with when they set about destroying the Gaulish religion.
Andarta is known to be likely to kill any Scion of the Theoi that crosses her
path unless there is a compelling reason not to, but Scions of Athena must be
especially concerned about avoiding her wrath.
Esus: Also known as: Esumagius
Associated Abilities: Animal Ken, Art, Command, Empathy, Presence,
Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: Charisma, Stamina, Strength
Associated Purviews: Animal (Bull), Earth, Fertility, Health
Esus is Cernunnos' opposite number, a god of the fertility of the tilled
fields and man-made harvests, a bringer of bounty and caretaker of mankind.
He is also a god of the fertility of mankind itself, sowing his seeds far and
wide and producing a truly impressive number of children, many of whom

never know their father. He is revered as a nurturer of mankind, but at the

same time his temper is carefully avoided; he is as volatile and powerful in
rage as the rest of his pantheon, and he can easily and ruthlessly destroy the
gifts he has bequeathed on mankind if he judges them to be unworthy of
them.
Esus and Cernunnos
It is said that long ago Cernunnos had a lover, a beautiful goddess of
immense power, with whom he was deeply in love. Esus, while not exactly
intending to betray his fellow god and friend, was nevertheless drawn to her
irresistably by her great beauty and his own reproductive nature; the two had
a single tryst and she became pregnant, after which she vanished forever.
Relations between Cernunnos and Esus have been strained ever since, though
outwardly there seem to be no signs of outright enmity.
Belenos: Also known as: Belenus, Beli Mawr, Belinus, Belisama, Grannos,
Leucetius, Maponos
Associated Abilities: Academics, Art, Empathy, Medicine, Politics, Presence
Associated Epic Attributes: Appearance, Charisma, Intelligence
Associated Purviews: Health, Prophecy, Sun
Belenos is above all the god of light, a source of comfort in the darkness
and hope in despair. Once worshiped across all of Gaul as both himself and
as his female guise, Belisama, he granted prophecy to oracles, tended the
sacred healing wells, and taught the arts to his people, who viewed him as the
most beloved of their gods. The Celtic festival of Beltane, which endured for
centuries after his departure and is still practiced in small pockets today, was
dedicated to him, a time of purification through light and renewal through
procreation.
Belenos and the Theoi
Were it not for Belenos' calm nature and ability to see the necessity of
allies, the truce between the Nemetondevos and the Theoi would not exist; he
is the glue that holds the very tentative non-aggression pact together, and he
must frequently turn aside the wrath of others of his pantheon in order to
prevent bloodshed that might destroy it. How long he can continue to

maintain this delicate balance is anyone's guess, as the Nemetondevos can

barely contain their hatred and the Theoi seem to delight in exacerbating it.
Of all of his pantheon, he is the only god who attempts to maintain cordial
relations with any of the Greeks, though he says nothing of his personal
feelings on their ancient enemies.
Nantosuelta: Also known as: Rosmerta, Sacrobena
Associated Abilities: Art, Command, Empathy, Politics, Presence, Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: Appearance
Associated Purviews: Animal (Bee), Fertility, Guardian, Health
Nantosuelta is a mother goddess, a figure of great beauty and equally
great comfort; she is the patron of all children and families, and bestows her
favor upon those who are peaceful and most in need of it. Also a goddess of
fertility, she makes sure that the fields bear food for her people and that they
are never afflicted with drought or other natural disasters. She is the ultimate
loving mother, caring for all under her aegis with the same fervor and
devotion as if they were her own children.
Nantosuelta and Hera
While the queen of the Olympians shares many traits in common with
Nantosuelta, the latter can never forgive her for being part of the force that
caused the slaughter and defilement of thousands of Gaulish women and
children and the misery of countless more. The Romans claimed that those
worshiping Nantosuelta were in fact Hera's devotees, but the goddess of the
Nemetondevos will have nothing to do with someone who could so cavalierly
kill others for her own gain, and nurses a deep-seated need for revenge that
only a mother who has lost her children could hope to understand or emulate.
Gobnhios: Also known as: Gobenmaglos, Goibnhiu, Goibniu
Associated Abilities: Academics, Art, Fortitude, Integrity, Melee, Thrown
Associated Epic Attributes: Intelligence, Stamina, Strength
Associated Purviews: Artistry, Earth, Fire
The smith god of the Nemetondevos is a figure of immense strength and
relentless inquisitiveness, a creator among the greatest ever seen by god or

man. He is the chief armorer and inventor of the Nemetondevos, a tireless

worker at a monumental forge, from whence the sparks fly out to become the
stars. He is the possessor of many secrets of engineering and invulnerability,
but always seeks more, ready to bend his intelligence to aid the rest of his
pantheon.
Gobnhios and Hephaestus
The two smiths have seldom seen one another face-to-face, as neither's
place is in the front lines of the battlefield, but Gobnhios' worship was
replaced by Hephaestus' in the conquest of Gaul, and as a result he is his
greatest enemy among the Theoi. Surely either of them would love to test his
creating skills against the other, but so far no such confrontation has
occurred.
Sukellos: Also known as: Silvanus, Sucaelus, Sucellos, Sucellus
Associated Abilities: Awareness, Command, Integrity, Investigation, Politics,
Presence
Associated Epic Attributes: Charisma, Intelligence
Associated Purviews: Animal (Crow), Death, Fertility, Justice, Psychopomp
The Gaulish death god, Sukellos, is a creature of contradictions: he
represents death and is the master of the underworld, and it is he who judges
the souls who pass into his realm, yet he is also the god of merriment and
alcohol, the creator of ale and beer who first taught mankind the joys of
fermentation. He is a stern lawmaker and allows no unworthy souls into his
domain, but he is also the kindly guide who helps the dead find the
underworld and cheers them on their way.
Sukellos and Hades
Though he hates the Theoi at large for what they did to his culture,
Sukellos' brightest hatred is reserved for Hades; unlike the rest of the
Nemetondevos, who were able to retire in relative peace after the destruction
of Gaul, Sukellos must still guard his borders vigilantly against incursions
from the other death god, whose desire to rule all the lands of the dead is
insatiable. Though normally genial and fair in his rulings, Sukellos has no
pity or hesitations whatsoever when it comes to putting a stop to Hades or

any children he might have.

Epona: Also known as: Atanta, Atepomaros, Catona, Dibonia, Epane, Potia,
Vovesia
Associated Abilities: Animal Ken, Athletics, Command, Control, Fortitude,
Melee
Associated Epic Attributes: Dexterity, Perception, Stamina
Associated Purviews: Animal (Horse), Psychopomp, War
Epona is the maiden goddess of horses, the only one of the
Nemetondevos to continue to be revered even in the heart of Rome itself long
after the Gauls fell. She is a goddess of war and of the untameable
wilderness, and her people worshiped her as the virgin representative of the
land and the hunt, while the Romans took her as the patron goddess of their
cavalry. She is a being of wildness and freedom, a goddess of speed and
travel, and she is unyielding in her enmity against anyone who might try to
hinder her or her children.
Epona and Poseidon
While Artemis is the goddess of the Theoi who most threatened Epona's
worship when Gaul was conquered, it is Poseidon whom she hates most
fiercely. The ocean god's claim to be the master of all horses, including her
own, is infuriating, and likewise his determination to bend the noble animal
only to the whims and want of mankind she considers cruel and dictatorial,
preferring to let her herds run free. The two gods interact seldom as Epona's
domain is the plains of the landmasses, but when they do relations are
extremely strained, and she is likely to prove a formidable enemy for any
unlucky Scion of Poseidon that might encounter her.
Teotl
Huitzilopochtli: Also known as: Uitzliopochtli
Associated Abilities: Awareness, Command, Integrity, Occult, Survival,
Thrown
Associated Epic Attributes: Charisma, Strength
Associated Purviews: Animal (Hummingbird, Eagle), Death, Guardian, Sun,

War
The sun god of the Aztecs is a figure of supreme importance; it is
through his efforts that the sun continues to burn its path across the sky every
day, preventing the world from descending into darkness and finally,
irrevocably ending. If this didn't afford him enough respect to begin with, he
is also a fearsome and deadly war god who leads his people into violent,
glorious battle in the name of his pantheon. Huitzilopochtli is also the patron
god of Tenochtitlan, his special city, the ruins of which lie beneath presentday Mexico City. Notorious for being one of the most bloodthirsty even
among his own bloody pantheon, Huitziliopochtli thrives on sacrifice, using
its energy to fuel his journey across the sky each day. Warriors who die in
combat are his favored servants, and he transforms them into hummingbirds
and ghostly warriors to follow and fight with him. While the Teotl operate in
a more cooperative manner than many other pantheons, there's no denying
that when Huitzilopochtli speaks, others listen.
Huitzilopochtli's Birth
One day as Coatlicue was sweeping the top of her temple, a ball of
feathers fell from the sky and miraculously impregnated her. She accepted
this pregnancy as a miracle, but others did not agree; her daughter,
Coyolxauhqui, and her four hundred sons, the Huitznahua, believed that she
had shamed herself with an unknown man and determined to murder her for
her sin. Coyolxauhqui led the army up the steps of the temple to kill their
mother, but as they arrived at the top Huitzilopochtli suddenly sprang fullgrown from Coatlicue's womb and slew all of them, saving his mother from
certain death. The bodies of his four hundred brothers he threw into the sky,
there to become the southern stars, and he hurled Coyolxauhqui's severed
head up among them to become the moon.
Huitzilopochtli and Coatlicue
One day, Huitzilopochtli determined to lead his people from their
ancestral home of Aztlan to a new and glorious land. He went to his mother,
Coatlicue, and told her of his plan, and begged her to bless him on his way.
She busied herself in her house while he made ready to leave, and upon his
return presented him with two pairs of sandals. One pair, they agreed, was for

him to wear as he led the people to their new home; when he asked what the
second pair was for, Coatlicue told him that she had foreseen that he would
return defeated one day, and that the second pair of sandals was to see him on
his way home. Despite her warning, Huitzilopochtli still wished to lead his
people onward and departed, leaving his mother waiting patiently for the day
he will return to her.
Huiztilopochtli and Malinalxochitl
Finding that he had many matters of war and the maintenance of the sun
to attend to, Huitzilopochtli delegated leadership of his people to his daughter
Malinalxochitl. She led the people onward, but they soon began to feel that
she was too harsh; when he heard their prayers, Huitzilopochtli descended to
their aid and put her into a magical sleep, reclaiming his people and leading
them onward while she slept. When she awoke, Malinalxochitl flew into such
a murderous rage that she gave spontaneous birth to a son, Copil, whom she
sent to kill Huitzilopochtli and thus secure her revenge. Copil, though a
mighty warrior, was no match for his grandfather, and Huitzliopochtli killed
him and tore out his heart. He threw the heart into the middle of a lake and
told his wandering people that they would see a sign to tell them where to
build their city; as they traveled, they saw an eagle, Huitzilopochtli's
messenger, clutching a snake in its talons, perched upon a cactus in the
middle of the lake. It bowed to them, and they knew that they had arrived,
and built the great city of Tenochtitlan on the shores and surface of the lake.
Malinalxochitl, thwarted of revenge against her father, ran away and founded
the rival city of Malinalco, where she remained forever, brooding on her
defeat.
Quetzalcoatl: Also known as: Ehecatl, Kukulcan, Ququmatz
Associated Abilities: Academics, Empathy, Integrity, Larceny, Politics,
Stealth
Associated Epic Attributes: Stamina, Wits
Associated Purviews: Animal (Quetzal, Snake), Psychopomp, Sky, Stars
Quetzalcoatl is the greatest teacher of the Aztecs, the keeper of their
culture and illuminator of mankind. The Feathered Serpent is a god of wind
and life, of the supporting forces of the universe and the creative genius of

the gods. The son of the star god, he has close ties to the sky and is one of the
most notorious tricksters among the Teotl, but he generally uses his
shenanigans for the greater good. He is the opposite number of his twin
Tezcatlipoca, an illuminating light to his brother's mysterious darkness, but
he is no less dangerous for all of that; his temper is equal to that of any in his
pantheon, and he needs no less blood to survive than they do.
Quetzalcoatl and the Birth of Mankind
When the gods finally created the Fifth World, it was empty of humanity
as all people had been killed in the calamities of the first four worlds. They
could only be fully remade from the bones of their ancestors, but these bones
were held in Mictlan, the underworld, under the watchful eyes of
Mictlantecuhtli and Mictecacihuatl. Quetzalcoatl volunteered to go to the
underworld and plead their case, but Mictlantecuhtli refused to yield up the
bones, saying that the dead must always remain in his realm. Rather than
abide by this ruling, Quetzalcoatl stole the bones and fled up the stairs toward
the world; Mictlantecuhtli's minions gave chase, and Quetzalcoatl fell into a
great pit they had dug, dropping all the bones and shattering them into pieces.
He managed to escape the underworld, but the shattered bones could not be
pieced back together completely, resulting in human beings of many different
sizes.
Quetzalcoatl and Mayahuel
Quetzalcoatl fell in love with Mayahuel, the beautiful daughter of one of
the tzitzimime. Her evil mother, however, could not countenance her
daughter marrying one of the gods who were her sworn enemies, so she sent
the hordes of the tzitzimime to chase down the couple and punish them.
Quetzalcoatl and Mayahuel fled together and tried to hide in the branches of
a tree, but while the star-demons were unable to find him, they saw Mayahuel
glittering there and tore her to pieces. Grieving, Quetzalcoatl buried all the
pieces of her body; from them grew the first maguey plants, and his grief for
her was so strong that she was reborn as part of them, the goddess of maguey,
though she could never leave her plants and thus they could never be
together.
Quetzalcoatl and Quetzalpetlatl

One day, Tezcatlipoca decided to play a trick on Quetzalcoatl, and

secretly fed him pulque until he was very drunk. Quetzalcoatl was so
inebriated that he was overcome with lust, and had sex with the very next
beautiful woman he came across; unfortunately, in the light of the next
morning he saw that he had raped his own sister, Quetalpetlatl. Overcome
with shame and remorse for what he had done, he built a great fire and threw
himself on it; his ritual sacrifice created the Morning Star, a permanent
reminder of what he had done.
Tezcatlipoca: Also known as: Ipalnemoani, Necocyaotl, Tahil, Titlacauan,
Yaotl, Yohualliecatl
Associated Abilities: Art, Awareness, Empathy, Medicine, Occult, Stealth
Associated Epic Attributes: Charisma, Manipulation
Associated Purviews: Animal (Jaguar), Chaos, Darkness, Earth, Health,
Illusion, Magic
The god of the night sky is a mysterious and frightening figure; he is the
keeper of mysteries, the master of magics and the representative of all things
dark and shadowy. At turns as fierce and terrifying as the jaguar he can
resemble or as cool and charismatic as the most practiced of courtiers, he is
the jack of all trades among the Teotl. He is also famous for his squabbles
with his twin brother, Quetzalcoatl, but even this discord, though
pronounced, does not prevent him from cooperating with his pantheon when
it needs it most. The Smoking Mirror was also the patron god of the royal
class of the Aztecs, and their prayers and sacrifices fueled his ability to
bestow upon them hidden knowledge and esoteric blessings. No one knows
his true name, so he is referred to as the Black Tezcatlipoca or simply
Tezcatlipoca, one of the four Teotl lords.
Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcoatl
When the First World was created, Tezcatlipoca was its sun; he was
supreme in power and fueled the world, but Quetzalcoatl could not abide his
twin's dominance over him and knocked Tezcatlipoca out of the sky, plunging
the world into darkness and chaos. The world was destroyed, and when the
Second World was created Quetzalcoatl took over as the sun, claiming that he
was the truly dominant of the two. Enraged, Tezcatlipoca transformed into his

jaguar form and rampaged throughout the world, destroying everything he

came to until he knocked Quetzalcoatl out of the sky and destroyed the
Second World in turn. While new worlds were created, neither was ever able
to become the sun again, and the bitter rivalry between the two brothers has
remained to this day, despite their closeness and the fact that both help the
other when he requires it.
Tezcatlipoca and Cipactli
When the gods convened to create the Fifth World for mankind, they
found that they could not create any land; an enormous crocodile monster,
Cipactli, swam in the primordial oceans and devoured any land they
attempted to place in it. Only a godly bait could attract the creature close
enough for the gods to trap her, so Tezcatlipoca placed his leg in the oceans
to lure her; his leg was bitten off and swallowed by the monster, but the gods
captured her and after a fierce battle slew her. Tezcatlipoca and his brothers
divided her body up and used it to create land on which life could live; his
missing leg he replaced with a magical leg made of solid darkness.
Xipe Totec: Also known as: Tlatlauhca, Yopi, Youalahuan
Associated Abilities: Art, Athletics, Command, Medicine, Presence, Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: Appearance, Charisma, Stamina
Associated Purviews: Fertility
The inventor of war and bringer of food, Xipe Totec is a largely
benevolent god with a fearsome aspect: sacrifices to him have the skin flayed
from their bones whole, and his priests mimic him by wearing the skins over
their own, as if clothed in the sacrifice's very body. Xipe Totec himself has no
skin; the Flayed One is eternally raw and resplendent in representation of the
sacrifices he makes to bring food to mankind, and he is only clothed when he
wears the skin of a carefully-chosen sacrifice. He is a god of fertility and the
growing things of the earth, allowing the all-important bounty of the fields to
grow heartily to sustain his people, emerging from his flayed skin like new
growth emerging from the soil.
Xipe Totec and the First Harvest
When Huitzilopochtli had finally taken the sun into the sky of the Fifth

World and Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca had created the earth and people to
live upon it, Xipe Totec, who was the most beautiful of gods, looked upon
them and saw that they were starving, unable to capture enough animals in
their barren homeland to survive. After pondering what to do, he took a piece
of obsidian and cut his own skin from his flesh; where the drops of blood fell,
seeds took sudden root and began to grow, and as Xipe Totec emerged from
his skin so all the plants emerged from the ground to offer sweet maize to the
grateful people. Xipe Totec burned his skin, so that ever after he would
always be able to don a new one and then remove it, continuing the cycle of
growth to feed the people.
Chalchiuhtlicue: Also known as: Acuecucyoticihuati, Atlacamani,
Matlalcueitl
Associated Abilities: Empathy, Fortitude, Integrity, Medicine, Presence,
Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: Charisma
Associated Purviews: Animal (Snake), Health, Water
Chalchiuhtlicue is one of the most welcomed and benevolent of the
Teotl goddesses, the mistress of rivers, streams, lakes and all sources of water
in the desert for her people. Beautiful and normally gentle of temperament,
her nature becomes wilder and wilder the further out to sea one encounters
her, and for this reason the ancient Aztecs were hesitant to venture too far
into the salt waters. As Tlaloc's wife, she aids him by dispersing his rain
across the landscape in her running rivers and placid springs; as the patron
goddess of women in childbirth and infants too young to defend themselves,
she is a source of healing and strength.
Chalchiuhtlicue and Tezcatlipoca
After the third world had burned away to nothing, the gods created the
fourth world and Chalchiuhtlicue became its sun, vowing to put an end to the
discord wrought in the first three worlds by Quetzalcoatl's and Tezcatlipoca's
feud. She shone brightly and lovingly upon the world and treated all of the
people with kindness, supplying all their wants, but Tezcatlipoca was
dissatisfied with the fourth world and sought to replace it once again. He
whispered harsh and hurtful things to her, claiming that she was not truly

kind but rather was only behaving so in order to fool the people and the other
gods into loving her; she was so devastated by his accusations that she cried
tears of blood for the next fifty-two years, destroying the fourth world. In her
compassion, however, when she saw that the people were in danger of
drowning, she turned them into fish so that they could survive the floods.
Tlaloc: Also known as: Chaac, Chac, Chaneco, Cocijo, Nuhualpilli,
Tlamacazqui, Xoxouhqui
Associated Abilities: Animal Ken, Fortitude, Integrity, Medicine, Presence,
Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: Appearance
Associated Purviews: Death, Earth, Fertility, Thunder
The rain-god of the Aztecs is a terrifying figure to behold, with huge,
inhuman eyes, crocodile teeth, and a massive frame that often shows
elements of some monstrous turtle or other scaled creature. He is the bringer
of storms, floods and droughts, the controller of the sky and a god whose
favorite sacrifices are the blood and tears of children; yet, he is also
benevolent to his people, providing the all-important rain for their crops and
bestowing fertility and bounty the earth on which they live. He lives in
Tlalocan, the fertile heaven, where he collects the souls of those who have
drowned and with his wife Chalchiutlicue shares the responsibility of
providing water to the entire world.
Tlaloc and Xochiquetzal
Long ago, when Tlaloc was the sun of the third world, he was married to
Xochiquetzal, the goddess of youth and beauty. She was much coveted
among the Teotl, but remained Tlaloc's alone until she was kidnapped by
Tezcatlipoca, who was too taken with her beauty to accept Tlaloc's claim on
her. Tlaloc raged across the heavens and earth, but he was unable to find the
other god and his wife, and was forced to relinquish her. Miserable and angry
at his failure, he refused to allow any rain to fall upon the earth, neglecting
his duties to wallow in his loss; when the people begged him strenuously to
relent, he was so enraged by their disrespect that he rained down the fiery
bolts of the sun instead of water, incinerating the world and turning all who
lived upon it into ash.

Xochiquetzal: Associated Abilities: Animal Ken, Art, Empathy, Medicine,

Presence, Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: Appearance, Charisma
Associated Purviews: Fertility, Health
The indescribably beautiful Xochiquetzal is a jewel among the Teotl, the
goddess of carefree and joyous love, sexuality and the joy of childbearing. A
patron of womens' skills and arts, particularly weaving, she is also the keeper
of music, dance and artistic expression, freely sharing all her gifts to bring
joy to mankind. She is the source of all beautiful things from the earth, the
grower of flowers and the most beloved of her pantheon. No man can resist
her beauty and no god look on her without love; she embodies both
wholeheartedly and as effortlessly as the butterflies that are her symbol.
Xochiquetzal and Yappan
It happened that there was once a virtuous man named Yappan who
determined that he would refuse all earthly pleasures and dedicate his life
only to worship; the gods were so impressed that he refused all delicious food
and drink and did not look at even the most beautiful of women that they
discussed him among themselves, amazed by his fortitude. Overhearing this,
however, Xochiquetzal was offended by their assumption that no beauty
could overcome Yappan's self-control; though the gods immediately
apologized and confirmed that she was truly the most beautiful of goddesses,
she turned away from them and went down to the world to prove it herself.
Upon arriving at the great pillar of stone that Yappan sat atop, she told him
that the gods were impressed by him and would invite him to live with them;
however, the pillar was too difficult for her to climb, so he descended in order
to carry her up to the top. The moment he touched her, he was overcome by
her beauty and allure and instead made love to her despite his vow.
Disappointed, the gods destroyed him and turned his remains into a scorpion,
and agreed with Xochiquetzal that surely it must be impossible for anyone to
resist her.
Xochiquetzal and Tezcatlipoca
Though Xochiquetzal was married to Tlaloc, the hideous god of the

earth and heavens, Tezcatlipoca lusted after her and determined to carry her
off. Whether he stole her away or convinced her with his charms is a mystery,
but one night she disappeared from Tlaloc's home, spirited away by the god
of night, and her husband's rage and grief was so great that he destroyed the
world in his sorrow.
Mictlantecuhtli: Associated Abilities: Animal Ken, Command, Integrity,
Investigation, Occult, Presence
Associated Epic Attributes: Appearance
Associated Purviews: Animal (Bat, Owl, Spider), Darkness, Death
The Lord of Mictlan is the king of the underworld, a terrifying ghoul
who watches over his kingdom with an unyielding eye, accompanied by his
equally terrible wife, Mictecacihuatl. No one enters Mictlan but the dead, and
no one ever leaves it; these are the laws of his hall, and the dead themselves
are so terrified of him that they are as quiet and unobtrusive as possible,
desperate to avoid catching the attention of their fearsome master. Despite his
horrible appearance and iron-clad laws, Mictlantecuhtli was viewed by the
Aztecs as an absolute necessity; without his careful watch, the dead would
escape Mictlan, a terrible, dark place, and return to the earth to plague the
living, something they feared even more than the god himself.
Mictlantecuhtli's bony visage, terrifying to behold, was symbolic for the
Aztecs, who believed that bones were like seeds, portending new life; as long
as he kept them buried in the underworld, new life could flourish on earth.
Mictlantecuhtli and the Bat
It happened one day that Quetzalcoatl carelessly masturbated and threw
away his seed, from which arose the newly-created bat. Realizing that it had
no home and craftily determining to win itself one, the bat stealthily flew into
the chambers of the goddess Xochiquetzal while she was sleeping and tore
several large plants from the flesh of her vulva, fleeing before she had time to
do more than scream in surprise. Rushing down to the underworld, the bat
presented the plants to Mictlantecuhtli; pleased by the gift and the bat's
ingenuity, he allowed it to live in his domain and run his errands. The stolen
plants he kept, and they grew into the putrescent and terrible fruits and
flowers of the Underworld.

Mictlantecuhtli and Mictecacihuatl

The lord of Mictlan desired a wife, so he sent certain signs and portents
to the people to inform them of this. Hoping to please him, they took an
infant girl, newborn that day, and carefully flayed her of all her skin before
sacrificing her to the god. The baby thus arrived in the underworld pure and
untainted by life among the living, and Mictlantecuhtli raised and married
her, his perfect bride and complement in every way. The Lady of the Dead is
more than just her husband's bosom companion; she is the guardian of the
bones and, possibly more importantly, the central figure of the cult of Santa
Muerte, a mysterious underground worship that continues to this day in
Mexico and neighboring countries, feeding the two gods sorely-needed
power.
Tlazolteotl: Also known as: Ixcuina, Tetoinnan, Tlacolteotl, Tlaelquarni,
Tlazolmiquiztli, Toci
Associated Abilities: Awareness, Empathy, Fortitude, Integrity,
Investigation, Medicine
Associated Epic Attributes: Appearance, Perception
Associated Purviews: Earth, Health, Justice
Tlazolteotl, undeniably the most beautiful and sensual of the Teotl, may
also be one of the most dangerous; the goddess of sexuality is also the
goddess of filth, two concepts inextricably linked for the Aztecs. Sexual
misconduct was strictly codified and represented a defilement of all
participants, and Tlazolteotl is its presiding deity, both testing those around
her to force them to give in to temptation and then punishing them horribly if
their wills prove weak and they do so. She is a seductress without peer and a
harsh mistress to those who prove susceptible, listening to no excuses and
allowing no leeway for those who lust openly or indulge in prohibited acts.
But despite her fearsome aspect as an avenger and bringer of temptation, she
is also the goddess of purification; called the Eater of Filth by the Aztecs, she
learns the most horrible and wretched of secrets and, if her worshiper is
worthy enough, takes them into herself, leaving him clean and blameless
once more.

Tlazolteotl and Huitzilopochtli

While Huitzilopochtli was leading his people to found their new city at
Tenochtitlan, they paused to work as mercenary warriors for the Culhua, a
native people of Mexico who were less fierce and warlike than were the
Aztecs. The Culhua so respected the fighting abilities of the Aztecs that they
offered them their princess as a bride, intended to marry into the Aztec
nobility. The people would have accepted her gladly, but Huitzilopochtli
interceded, claiming that they would need her far more in a different way;
instead of allowing the marriage, he ordered that she be flayed alive and
sacrificed upon his altar. When his people, ever obedient, had followed these
instructions, Tlazolteotl arose from the sacrifice of her mortal life, a fullyfledged goddess able to see the diseased filth in the minds of men and cleanse
it with her terrible power.

Orisha
Shango: Also known as: Chango, Jakuta, Papa Shango, Sango, Xango, Saint
Barbara
Associated Abilities: Art, Athletics, Command, Fortitude, Melee, Thrown
Associated Epic Attributes: Manipulation, Stamina, Strength
Associated Purviews: Fire, Justice, Thunder, War
The Sky Father and thunder god of the orisha is an impressive figure, a
king and leader of great presence and zeal. He is the bringer of storms and of
swift, often harsh justice upon those who have done wrong, ruling
uncontested over his people and quick to vengeful anger when crossed. He
also boasts one of the largest congregations of worshipers among his
pantheon, as his veneration continues in Africa to this day as well as being
widespread in the Caribbean and Americas. He is a god of incredible potency,
whether he represents sexual virility, mental acuity or leadership in battle.
Shango's Birth
Obatala was walking one day when he came to a great river. He wished
to cross it, so he hailed Aganju, the fire god, who had recently invented boats
and was sailing around the river. He requested passage, but when he

explained that he had nothing with which to pay, Aganju refused and told him
he would have to swim. Obatala turned around and hid himself nearby, and
by use of sorcery turned himself into a beautiful woman; when he returned to
the river, Aganju did not recognize him and agreed to ferry him across in
exchange for spending a night with him. This was agreed upon and Obatala
crossed the river, but upon reaching the other side found that he was pregnant
and was forced to remain a woman until Shango, the son of two fathers, was
born, after which he returned to his natural male body.
Shango and Aganju
When, as a young man, Shango discovered that Aganju was his second
father, he was determined to make himself known to him. While he had the
reasonable mind of his father Obatala, he was also as fiery and
temperamental as Aganju, and he swore he would not return home until the
fire-god had acknowledged him as his son. When he arrived at Aganju's
house, the two gods quarreled and Aganju declared that he had no son and
had never had one, since Obatala had never told him of the pregnancy.
Shango, determined to force Aganju to recognize him, built an enormous
bonfire and threw himself on it; when he arose from it again, unscathed and
with angry, burning eyes, Aganju realized that this must indeed be his son
and welcomed him.
Shango and Orunmila
Shango possessed great natural talent for diviniation, but he had no
interest in it and preferred to have wild parties and enjoy himself. His uncle
Orunmila, the god of prophecy, was the most powerful diviner in the universe
and was severely annoyed by Shango's cavalier attitude toward his talent.
One day at a party, Shango confessed to Orunmila that he would gladly trade
all his talent for prophecy away if he could be as talented a drummer and
dancer as Orunmila; Orunmila agreed to the trade at once, and took all of
Shango's prophetic powers from him in return for granting him the skill of a
master dancer and drummer.
Shango and the Invention of Scarification
Shango had discovered who his father was, but he did not know who his
mother was, for Obatala had returned to his masculine form. He sent two of

his slaves to a neighboring kingdom, asking them to make sacrifices to the

oracle there to discover who she was, and reminding them to listen carefully
during the ritual lest they miss her name being said. One slave was faithful to
Shango and learned the identity of his mother, but the other, who was a
foreigner, did not pay attention and was unable to do so.
Furious, Shango ordered that the unfaithful slave be punished with 122
cuts on his body inflicted by sharp razors; however, when this was done, he
noticed that his wives seemed to find the resulting thin scars handsome. In
order to please them, he had scarifications performed on his flesh also, in a
pattern that he declared reserved for royalty only. Realizing that he could also
turn the new practice to his advantage, he sent messages to the kings of
neighboring lands, telling them about his new scars and how much his wives
loved them; when the kings had themselves scarred, Shango stormed their
kingdoms and easily conquered them while they were recovering from the
painful operation.
Shango and the Ascent to Heaven
Though Shango once ruled on earth, the mortals in his kingdom were
quarrelsome and complained that he was a tyrant. Infuriated by their lack of
gratitude, Shango mounted a horse and rode it away into the deepest forest.
When he did not return for months, search parties went in to look for him;
they called out to ask if he had hung himself, and heard his booming voice
reply that he had not, but that he refused to come back and would rule them
as an unseen god from heaven from now on. He had climbed the great chain
from earth to the world fo the gods and refused to ever live on earth again.
Shango and Oya
One day, Shango was in the market when he met Oya, and stunned by
her beauty he determined to convince her to marry him. He followed her
home when she left that night, but when she entered the forest he was
surprised to see her transform herself into an antelope and bound away. The
next day, he waited until she had shed her antelope skin to go to market again
and then stole it, hiding it up in the rafters of his house; he then waited until
she returned from market and searched frantically for it before informing her
that she was in his power now and should be his wife. He took her home and
introduced her to his other wives; at first they didn't mind the newcomer, but

when Oya became pregnant with twins and neither of them had yet had
children, they became consumed with jealousy. They bothered Shango
continuously to tell them where the strange goddess had come from, and
eventually he relented and told Oshun about the antelope-skin. Though
Shango had sworn her to secrecy, Oshun cunningly invented a song about an
antelope-skin in the rafters and sang it where she knew Oya would hear her;
Oya, hearing this, retrieved her skin and ran away into the forest again.
Shango pursued her for many days, and eventually convinced her to remain
his wife when she was not in the forest; to seal their bargain, she granted him
her antelope horns, so that if he beat them against one another she would hear
him calling to her.
Shango and Sere
There was once a minor goddess of gourds named Sere, who had no one
to serve and was worshiped by no one. Seeking to improve her lot, she visited
a diviner and followed his instructions to swallow a magical medicine
consisting of beads, seeds and pebbles. When next she passed by a shrine to
Shango, she threw herself down to perform the customary hail and the seeds
in her stomach rattled together loudly; Shango heard the noise, and intrigued
by it called out to her to keep making the noise. He was so impressed by its
unique sound that he began to dance around the kingdom, and everyone
marveled at Sere's power. She became the goddess of rattles, and one of
Shango's most devoted servants in charge of music and dancing.
Shango, Oba and Oshun
Shango had taken three wives, the beautiful Oshun, the crafty Oya, and
the devoted Oba. Oshun, who was beautiful and bewitching, was his favorite,
which caused Oba to be consumed with jealousy. Hoping to recapture
Shango's attention, she tried to subtly find out from Oshun how she kept him
so happy; Oshun, however, recognized her ploy and was angry and jealous
herself. She told Oba that Shango loved her the most because she was the
most accomplished cook among them, and further told her that she used a
secret ingredient; long ago she had cut off a piece of her ear and dried it, and
when she cooked Shango's dinners she sprinkled bits of the ear's powder atop
it. She claimed that this exotic spice made him mad with desire for her,
though in truth she did no such thing. Oba immediately ran home and began

preparing a stew for Shango; since a bit of Oshun's ear sprinkled in his food
made him desire her the most, she determined to make him want her even
more, and sliced off her entire ear, stirring it into the pot. When Shango
returned home that evening, he began to eat the stew with relish, but when he
saw the ear floating in it he believed that Oba was trying to poison him and,
roaring with rage, chased her from the house with his axe, causing her to
eventually fall upon the ground and turn herself into a river to escape him.
Shango and Obatala
When Obatala set out to visit Shango, he was mistaken for a horse-thief
preying on the king's horses and imprisoned in the dungeons. He remained
there for seven years, and while he was in jail Shango's kingdom sickened,
becoming prone to plagues, droughts and barrenness. At his wits' end,
Shango begged Orunmila to perform a divination to tell him what to do to
end the epidemic, and was told that there was an old man in his dungeons
who had been wrongfully imprisoned. shango immediately ransacked all his
dungeons until he found Obatala, to whom he profusely apologized and who
he ordered to be sent home with the richest gifts at his disposal, as well as
setting his slaves to build an enormous house for Obatala's pleasure. Once
this had been done, the land lived again.
Shango and Oya's Defection
Shango's youngest wife, Oya, was a fiery goddess with a temper to
match his; he cherished her quick wits and sharp tongue, and often strode into
battle with her at his side. One day, seeing that other gods were rising in the
land, he decided that he needed to increase his power and sent a message to
Eshu, the god of magic, asking for a medicine that would make him more
powerful and strike fear into the hearts of all men. Eshu agreed to make this
for him, but insisted that he send the volatile Oya to pick it up from him,
claiming that if Shango came himself and consumed the medicine he would
be too afraid to remain in his presence. When Oya arrived, he gave her the
parcel of medicine and cautioned her strongly about its power and
importance; he stressed it so much that she was consumed with curiosity and
opened the parcel on the way home and tasted a little of it. When nothing
happened, she continued home and delivered the parcel to Shango, who was
pleased to see her; when she opened her mouth to speak to him, however, the

medicine she had consumed caused flames to shoot out and Shango knew
that she had stolen some of it. Enraged, he chased her across the kingdom,
brandishing his axe and hurling bolts of thunder and lightning at her heels,
until she was cornered and turned herself into a sheep in order to hide from
him among others of a herd. The local people begged Shango not to destroy
all the sheep, who were their livelihood, so he turned and returned to his
kingdom, declaring that Oya should never set foot there again if she valued
her life. Oya founded her own kingdom, as far from Shango's as possible, and
there hid and practiced the new magics she had learned from stealing her
husband's power.
Shango, Timi and Gbonka
When Shango had ruled his kingdom for a long and peaceful time, it
happened that some neighboring tribes made war and he was forced to defeat
them. This he and his two sons, Timi and Gbonka, did easily, but they so
distinguished themselves in battle that the people began to venerate them as
much as Shango himself, who became angry at this disrespect. He sent Timi
away to a neighboring kingdom to capture it, thinking that he would die in
the attempt, but instead he captured the capital city all by himself and began
to rule there. Further angered, Shango sent Gbonka to tell him to return
home, knowing that Timi would refuse and the two would fight, hopefully
killing one another; however, the two warriors fought each other to a
standstill and Gbonka used magic to subdue Timi without killing him so that
both returned to Shango's kingdom. Furious that his plans were not reaching
fruition, Shango refused to speak to Timi, claiming that he was shamed by his
ignoble defeat; Timi immediately set forth to fight Gbonka again, but was
again put to sleep by magic. Shango told them both that their contest could
not be decided by such underhanded means, and presided over their third
fight; this time Gbonka beheaded Timi after putting him to sleep. Enraged by
this craven behavior, Shango ordered Gbonka executed, but flames could not
touch him, and the people were so afraid of him that they fled, leaving only
Shango and his wife to face him. Aware that he could no longer regain his
people by normal means, Shango departed into the woods and there hung
himself in the night, leaving his wife to run wailing back into the kingdom,
proclaiming that he had died; the people there were confused by this, but
Gbonka decreed that it was true and that he was now the rightful ruler. That

night, however, a great thunderstorm rocked the kingdom, and Shango

appeared in its midst, proclaiming that he lived and was more powerful than
ever; the people repented their disrespect and begged him to spare them, and
when he did so, Gbonka was banished forever.
Shango and the Mortal King
In order to test the loyalty of a mortal king who worshiped him, Shango
one day turned himself into a small child and went to the king's palace, where
he told him to get off his throne because he, Shango, was the true king. Not
believing that the child was a god, the mortal king attempted to find his
parents and, when that failed, instructed his servants to get rid of him by
throwing him into the river. The servants did so, but almost as soon as they
returned the child had reappeared, despite the fact that they swore they had
drowned him. The king tried again to have him killed, but now the child
began to perform miracles and feats fo acrobatics, preventing anyone from
grabbing hold of him, until finally he hung himself in the forest. The king
was pleased that the bothersome boy was dead, but no sooner had he
prepared a sacrifice to thank Shango, the boy resurrected himself again. As
soon as the king left his throne to see this marvel, the boy appeared on the
throne and refused to leave it; the mortal king had been found unworthy by
Shango, and he was banished while a mortal child was chosen to rule in his
place.
Shango and Ogun
Though Shango had no rivals among the gods and ruled as their supreme
leader, he began to hear rumors that some of the orisha preferred Ogun as
king and believed he was more powerful. Furious at this challenge to his
authority, he called Ogun to come demonstrate his power in a contest so that
he could prove to everyone his right to be king. Ogun's strength was great,
but Shango called down such enormous displays of thunder and lightning that
the heavens split and the ground caught fire. He was not paying attention to
where he struck with the deadly lightning, however, and accidentally threw it
down upon his palace, obliterating it and killing everyone inside, including
his children and less important wives. Mortified, he hanged himself; but
seeing as how he had won the contest and proven himself as king, he
resurrected himself shortly thereafter and resumed ruling.

Shango and his Wives

Shango once consulted Orunmila for advice on his future, and was told
that he must sacrifice the parrot tailfeather he always wore on special
occasions or risk losing his three most prized possessions. Shango did not
want to part with his feather, however, so he ignored the prediction. He then
held a great festival in honor of himself and some of the other orisha, which
angered his three wives because he had not invited them to be worshiped
there. In retaliation, each of them held her own festival; while all were
successful, Oba borrowed his parrot feather and wore it, and it impressed so
many of the worshipers that they began to say that she must be his favorite
wife. The other wives, hearing this, were insulted and immediately
abandoned Shango, turning to rivers when he tried to catch them as they left;
Oba, feeling terrible that she had caused such disharmony, turned into a river
herself as well, leaving Shango destitute. He then realized that his wives had
been his three most prized possessions, and was forced to spend many years
begging them to return before they would agree to live with him again.
Shango and the Dead
Though Shango was the most potent and powerful of the orisha, as a god
of life and energy he could not abide the coldness of death and avoided it at
all costs. When his wife Oya decided to force him to be faithful only to her,
she summoned up a horde of the dead and instructed them to surround his
house, making him unable to leave for fear of them. He remained trapped in
his house until one of his other wives, Oshun, noticed his predicament and
seduced the leader of the dead men away, allowing Shango to escape while
they were distracted.
Obatala: Also known as: Obalufon, Oosaala, Orisaala, Orishala, Orishanla,
Orisa-nla, Oxala
Associated Abilities: Academics, Art, Command, Integrity, Medicine,
Presence
Associated Epic Attributes: Charisma
Associated Purviews: Artistry, Earth, Fertility, Guardian, Health
Obatala is the King of the White Cloth, the first son of the great god

Olodumare and the patron of compassion, wisdom, creation and healing. It is

through him that the will of Olodumare is most strongly made known, and
though he leaves true kingship to the more volatile members of his pantheon,
he still wields an ancient authority that few can ignore. No human exists who
was not created by his hands, no land or creatures or sky that did not come
from his holy work of creation, and if he occasionally overindulges in
relaxation, he does so because his labors are that much greater than those of
most of the other Orisha.
Obatala and the Orisha
Before the other gods were born, Obatala lived alone in a small hut with
only a slave for company. Obatala loved the slave, who cooked and looked
after him, but the slave secretly hated him and plotted his death. He waited
until Obatala was walking home one evening, and when he saw him walk
into his hut rolled a huge boulder down into the house, crushing Obatala into
hundreds and hundreds of people. When Orunmila came to visit him and saw
what had happened, he was appalled and attempted to save his brother,
gathering as many of the pieces as he could find. He put all of them into a
calabash, and put the calabash into Obatala's shrine; the next day, Obatala
arose again from his scattered parts. All those lost parts that Orunmila did not
find grew up to live again themselves, and became all the other orisha.
Obatala and the Sun
When Obatala planted the first tree, a man came to live beneath it. When
he consulted the diviner to learn his fortune, he was told that he must
sacrifice to Obatala lest the tree fall on his house and kill him. The man
refused, but Obatala took pity on him and saw an opportunity to punish his
slave, so that when the tree fell it stopped before hitting the ground and
hovered in midair. The man was amazed and tried to cut the tree down to stop
it from hanging above him, but Obatala appeared and turned it at once into a
bright, sacred metal. He then called his slave to take the metal to Ogun, who
fashioned it into a richly decorated pot and a shining boat. When the slave
had returned with these items, Obatala placed him in the boat and covered
him with a brass dress, and then ordered him to travel from heaven to earth in
a single day and then back. Thus the slave became the eternal driver of the
sun, forced by Obatala's order to ceaselessly beat light down upon humanity.

Obatala and the Creation of the World

When the great god Olodumare decided he wanted the world to be
created, he summoned Obatala and instructed him to go make the land and
populate it, giving him some earth, a hen and a pigeon with which to
accomlish this. Obatala descended down the heavenly chain to the watery
vastness of the uncreated world and dropped the earth down into it, after
which he let the birds loose so that they scratched and flapped and scattered it
all over the world, creating dry land. He then planted the first palm tree to
provide leaves, shelter, food and drink for the inhabitants of the world, and
encouraged the pigeons and hens to multiply. There was work still to be done,
but Obatala, sampling the wine of the palm tree he had created, became
drunken and passed out in its shade; seeing this and disapproving, his
younger brotherqe Oduduwa sneaked down, gathered up his tools and
finished the rest of the work of creation for him before he awoke. When
Obatala woke, he was furious at Oduduwa's presumption and the two waged
a great battle against one another, shaking all of creation, until Olodumare
noticed and, not wanting them to destroy what had just been created,
intervened. He gave Obatala dominion over the creation and destiny of all
mankind, and Oduduwa the earthly power to rule and command them.
Obatala and Mankind
Before birth, each human being is shaped and formed by Obatala, who
makes them from the clay of creation and places them in their mothers'
wombs. His weakness for palm wine has remained since he invented it,
however, and once in a while he becomes drunk while fashioning new
people, which causes him to create deformed or strangely shaped people,
who are considered under his special protections. Obatala also creates the
clay heads that are the destinies of all mankind, and his workshop is filled
with them, awaiting the day that a mortal chooses one of them and embarks
upon the journey of their fate in the world.
Obatala and Shango
Obatala decided one day to visit Shango, and as was customary he first
consulted a diviner to see if this was a wise course of action. The diviner told
him that the journey would end in his death, but Obatala ignored his words,

eager to see his friend, and instead undertook a sacred vow to never
complain, retaliate or refuse anything while on the journey, by which he
could make the journey merely disastrous instead of fatal. As he traveled, he
met Eshu, who was sitting with a large pot of palm oil; he asked Obatala for
help lifting it, but as Obatala agreed Eshu poured the red oil all over him.
Obatala took a bath and replaced his white garment, but twice more Eshu
played the same trick on him, until he had no more clean clothes and was
forced to continue on soiled. When he finally arrived in Shango's kingdom,
he ran across Shango's horse, which had escaped that day, and caught it so
that he could return it to his fellow god; just at that moment, however,
Shango's servants came upon him and, believing him to be a horse thief,
threw him into jail.
While Obatala was imprisoned, seven years of misfortune and misery
befell Shango's kingdom, which was plagued with droughts, sicknesses,
barrenness and unhappiness. At a loss as to why his land was suffering so,
Shango consulted Orunmila for a divination and was told that someone was
wrongfully imprisoned in his dungeons. Determined to find the innocent,
Shango ransacked his prisons until he discovered Obatala in one of them;
horrified that his fellow god had been imprisoned for so long, he fell to his
knees and apologized, and Obatala was freed.
Obatala and Oshun
When the gods first descended to earth, Oshun was left behind by the
other gods and cursed them in her irritation, declaring that their efforts to
exert their control oevr the world would fail unless the child she was carrying
was male. Orunmila knew that she was carrying a female child, so he
persuaded her to go meet Obatala, who had already been apprised of the
situation. He merely pointed at Oshun, and the baby's sex instantly changed,
thus lifting the misfortune from the other orisha.
Obatala and the First Man
After he created the world, Obatala made the first man, who he
instructed to establish law and order and punish those who broke the rules, in
return acting as his special protector and patron. Oduduwa, however, treated
this man with disdain because he was a mere mortal, and refused to abide by
any mortal laws. In order to punish him, the first man poisoned his daughter,

who fell gravely ill; Oduduwa attempted every remedy to heal her, and
finally was forced to beg Obatala to share his healing with her. Obatala told
him to ask the man he had disrespected, and when he did so Obatala healed
the girl through him so that no one would question those he protected again.
Eshu: Also known as: Echu, Elegba, Elegbara, Ellegua, Esu, Exu, Kalfu,
Legba
Associated Abilities: Awareness, Empathy, Larceny, Occult, Politics, Stealth
Associated Epic Attributes: Manipulation, Wits
Associated Purviews: Chaos, Darkness, Health, Justice, Magic, Prophecy,
Psychopomp
Eshu is a god of many faces and endless trickery, of chaos and balance
and a little bit of everything in between. As the opener of the ways for his
pantheon, he is present at every divination ceremony and carries the prayers
and offerings of every mortal to the ears of the gods, yet he also demands
sacrifices of his own for doing so and is prone to twisting the words of the
diviners when angered or amused. He balances the forces of the universe,
ensuring that none become so powerful that they overwhelm each other, yet
he also acts as the most malicious and heartless brand of justice among the
gods, visiting vengeance on those who have erred, often far out of proportion
to their sin. He delights in mischief and mayhem, regularly vexes his fellow
gods as much as he does humanity, and is in all things a spirit of chaotic
change and danger. Eshu wears as many faces and names as most others wear
clothes, but all of them are similarly whimsical.
Eshu and the Hat
There were once two friends who lived on adjacent farms, who were so
close that they spent every day together, even wearing the same clothes. They
had been told in a divination to make a sacrifice to Eshu, but they forgot to
do so and he in turn determined to destroy their friendship. He fashioned
himself a hat that was white on one side and red on the other, and then put his
clothes on backwards and stuck a pipe at the nape of his neck before walked
down between the two farms, bidding both men good morning. The two men
began talking about the strange man who had passed by, but found that they
could not agree on what color hat he had been wearing or which direction he

had been walking. They grew so angry with one another that they came to
blows and had to be separated by their neighbors, who brought them before
the king for judgment. Both were adamant that they were in the right, but as
the argued in the court, Eshu appeared to all of them mockingly, showing off
his cap and delighting in their upset. Thereafter no one in the kingdom forgot
to make sacrifice to Eshu, and the two men remained friends for the rest of
their lives.
Eshu and the King
Eshu noticed one day that many of the other gods were kings and
decided that he wanted to rule a kingdom also. He disguised himself as a rich
merchant and paused at a king's palace, asking for shelter for the night. The
king agreed wholeheartedly, but Eshu also presented him with an empty
wooden box, inside which he said there was a wondrous treasure that must be
kept safe. The king obligingly put a guard on the box for him, but after
everyone had gone to sleep, Eshu set fire to the palace and burned half of it to
the ground. Eshu then immediately called upon the king to demand his
treasure back, but it could not be located because it was in the part of the
palace that had burned. Eshu proceeded to threaten him so soundly that he
was cowed, and lacking any money he was forced to give up the throne to
Eshu to pay him back.
Eshu and the Murders
The king of another land neglected to sacrifice enough to Eshu to
appease him, so he decided to destroy him. He went secretly to one of the
king's wives who was feeling neglected and told her that if she brought him a
hair from the king's beard, he would make her a love charm that made her the
favorite. He then also went to the king's oldest son and told him that the king
was going to march to war during the night and wanted him to bring all his
warriors and meet him. Finally, he went to the king and told him that one of
his wives was planning to kill him. When the king went to bed that night, he
indeed saw his wife approaching him with a knife, with which she had
intended to cut off a hair from his beard. He leaped out of bed and seized the
knife from her, but his son outside heard the screaming coming from the
room and rushed in with his soldiers, and when he saw his father with the
knife believed he was intending to kill his mother. The king, in turn, saw his

son burst in with armed warriors and believed he was trying to usurp the
throne, and there was utter chaos until everyone had died in the confusion.
Eshu and Shango
Shango was very powerful and enjoyed boasting to all who heard him
that there was no god he could not defeat. One day he did so within Eshu's
earshot, and Eshu cheerfully asked if that statement included him. Realizing
his error and that Eshu could make his life miserable, he immediately
apologized and explained that he had meant all other gods except Eshu, who
was obviously in a category by himself.
Eshu and the Wives
Eshu saw once that a man with two wives was living in harmony and
that all were happy, and since he found this unsatisfactory he decided to turn
them against one another. He fashioned an incredibly beautiful feathered hat
and took it to market, where he sold it to one of the wives. When she wore it,
its enchanted beauty so captivated her husband that she instantly became his
favorite, much to the annoyance of his other wife. Eshu then made another
hat, even finer than the first, and sold it to the second wife, who used it to
sway her husband's affection back toward her. Over and over Eshu did this,
giving first one wife and then the other the finest hat and completely addling
the man's senses; then, when he was sure they would never cease quarreling,
he ceased going to the market. The wives were unable to buy any better hats
and consequently began to simply argue over their husband, who could not
understand why his house had become so filled with strife.
Eshu and Orunmila
Orunmila once set out to visit the kingdom of Owo. Normally he learned
about possible perils on the road ahead of time by performing a divination,
but two attempts at learning the future had strangely told him nothing and he
was in a hurry. On the first day that he traveled, he met his friend Eshu, who
was departing from Owo; on the second day, again he met Eshu, who was
again departing from Owo. He thought it was very strange that Eshu should
have appeared again when he had been going the opposite direction, but he
was still in a hurry and ignored it, even when he again met Eshu, departing
from Owo, on the third day of his travels. On the fourth day, Eshu, who was

enjoying the sport of confusing his friend, placed some fresh fruits on the
trail leading to Owo and again passed him as if departing the place. Orunmila
had had a long and tiring journey, so when he saw the fruit he took it up and
ate it, quenching his hunger and thirst. As he was eating, however, a farmer
with a knife emerged and accused him of stealing his fruit, which he denied,
saying he had found it. The farmer did not believe him and cut his hand with
the knife in the ensuing struggle.
Saddened that he would be considered a thief, Orunmila fell asleep
beneath the stars; in the dead of night, Eshu, who had seen everything,
sneaked into Owo and cut the hands of every person who lived there. When
he again met Orunmila in the morning, the god accused Eshu of tricking him
to have him branded as a thief, but Eshu persuaded him to enter the city
anyway. The farmer who had accused Orunmila of thievery saw him coming
and demanded they go before the king to be judged; when they did so, the
farmer declared that he knew him to be the thief because of the cut in his
hand. Eshu, however, laughingly told them that by that proof everyone in
Owo was a thief. Orunmila was profusely apologized to, and Eshu went on
his way cheerfully, having tricked both his friend and an entire city.
Eshu and Olodumare
Long ago, Olodumare the greatest of the gods, lived among the other
Orisha. His son, Eshu, carried out his will; if he wished something good done
for the people, Eshu achieved it, while if he wished ill upon them Eshu
undertook to see it happen. Eshu found that the people avoided him and
thought him to be evil because of the things that he did in Olodumare's
service, however, and he went to the great god to complain. Olodumare told
him that this was something he would have to accept, since it would never
change.
Angry at this answer, Eshu overheard Olodumare decree to the people
that anyone who stole his yams would be harshly punished; in the dead of
night, Eshu put on his father's shoes and stole through the garden, taking all
the yams. In the morning, Olodumare was furious that the yams were gone
and demanded that they find the culprit, but no one's feet matched the prints
in the garden; at last, they found that his own shoes matched them, and he
believed that he had stolen his own yams in her sleep. Humiliated, he
withdrew from the people and the other Orisha for good, asking only that

Eshu remember to tell him how things were going from time to time;
thereafter, Eshu did as he pleased.
Eshu and Oshun
When Oshun possessed all the wealth of the gods and refused to share it,
Eshu rose to her challenge and determined to make her lose it all. He made
five beautiful dolls, and inviting her to his house showed her how they
magically danced, sang and played like living things. Enraptured by the
cunning dolls, Oshun was happy to pay all her money to Eshu to possess
them; but when she took them home, they became lifeless wood again, for it
was only Eshu who had made them dance.
Eshu and Orunmila's Death
Though all gods came to Orunmila for advice and divinations, he
seldom went to any others, answering all his questions by divining for
himself or calling on Eshu to help him. One day, however, he decided to buy
a new slave without consulting Eshu, and Eshu was in turn to insulted by this
dismissal that he determined to kill him. First, he waited until the dead of
night and strangled the slave to death; in the morning, everyone knew it had
been Eshu but no one could prove it, and it was thought that the matter would
be settled there. The next night, Eshu crept into Orunmila's house, intending
to do the same to him, but he found that it was impossible and he could not
convince his hands to close a rope on his fellow god's neck. Olodumare then
spoke to him from the heavens and explained that it was impossible for him
to kill the god of divination; the two of them were linked together for all
time, and anything that happened to Orunmila would also happen to Eshu.
Eshu was forced to forget his grievance and become friends with Orunmila
again.
Orumila: Also known as: Fa, Ifa, Orula, Orule, Orunla, Orunmilla
Associated Abilities: Academics, Awareness, Command, Medicine, Occult,
Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: Intelligence, Perception
Associated Purviews: Magic, Mystery, Prophecy
The second son of almighty Olodumare, Orunmila is the wisest of all the

Orisha, the god of hidden knowledge, second sight and the destiny that rules
the eventual fates of all men and gods. He and he alone possesses the secret
knowledge of things to come, revealing it in glimpses to those diviners who
use his sacred divination tools to ask for his aid. He grants this enlightenment
only to the worthy, working in concert with Eshu to deliver the divine to
mortal ears, and it is to him that the other Orisha look for guidance, aid and
wise advice. As the only living being who knows the secret names and
forbidden words of all of creation, he is the ultimate defender against witches
and other magical threats.
Orunmila and Eshu
At the beginning of the world, Orunmila held all the wisdom of the
universe, but he did not know how to share it and could not help the other
gods or mortals when they struggled. He searched everywhere for a way to
share his knowledge until he one day met Eshu, who promised to teach him
how in return for receiving a portion of all the sacrifices made to Orunmila's
diviners. Orunmila agreed and Eshu instructed him to fetch palm nuts from
the trees and sand from the ground; when he had done so, Eshu taught him
the art of divination, so that he could pass it on to mortals who could use it to
call on his wisdom. Orunmila was overjoyed and declared that he and Eshu
would never be parted, and from that time forward one could never be called
upon without the other.
Orunmila and the Stolen Fruit
Once when Orunmila was traveling from place to place to perform
divinations, he found himself thirsty and hungry on the road and took a fruit
from a nearby tree to satisfy himself. The owner of the tree, however, saw
him and attacked him, believing him to be a common thief. Orunmila
escaped, but his palm was cut open in the struggle, and the man went at once
to the king to demand that all the men in the city have their palms examined
to discover the thief. Orunmila, afraid that he would be caught, went at once
to Eshu's shrine and made double the normal sacrifice to call down his friend
for help. Eshu, pleased, then took a knife and in the dead of night cut the
palms of every single person in the town. In the morning, the king was unable
to identify any thief because everyone was identically marked; Orunmila then
rose up and demanded recompense from the king for the unjust treatment

everyone had received and was hailed as a hero.

Orunmila and Iwa
Orunmila was married to Iwa, the goddess of integrity, who was very
beautiful and faithful but who had no children of her own. While he was
away, she went to a diviner to ask what to do, and was told that the only way
she could have a child was to go to a faraway kingdom and marry the king
there. At once, she traveled far away and married the king and immediately
gave birth to a son, but Orunmila, who could hear all divinations, knew
where she had gone and pursued her to bring her home. When Iwa saw him
coming, she was afraid and ran away again, escaping to another kingdom
where she again married the local king and bore him a son. Orunmila
continued to follow her and she escaped to finally wed the god Orungan, but
as soon as she had done so, her former husband arrived at the palace.
Orungan prepared to fight for Iwa, but Orunmila calmed him and explained
that he had not come to take her away. He loved her too much to be far from
her, he said, and therefore would follow her wherever she went; realizing that
they could not escape the god of wisdom, Orungan made a room for him in
his palace so that Orunmila could live near Iwa even though she had become
another man's wife.
Orunmila and Oshun
It happened that one day Olodumare called all the orisha to come attend
a great feast, but on their way to heaven they were waylaid by a pack of
bloodthirsty cannibalistic witches, who used their dark magic to capture and
devour the helpless gods. Orunmila, who had foreseen this calamity, ran at
once to the camp of the cannibals, where he met the goddess Oshun who was
planning to escape. He bade her help him and hid inside a drum; when the
cannibals returned, Oshun pretended to have captured and cooked him for
them, and offered them some roasted goat as a decoy. The cannibals were
fooled and fell asleep after devouring the goat, and Orunmila and Oshun
were able to escape together. Orunmila was so grateful to Oshun that he
rewarded her by becoming her husband, and he crafted for her a system of
divination of her own, used only by her worshipers, as a wedding gift.
Orunmila and the Elephant

One day, Orunmila decided to plumb all the secrets of the long-lived
elephant by entering his anus. The elephant attempted to flee, but Orunmila
caught up to him and crawled into him from behind. Orunmila's disciples
were worried when he didn't re-emerge after several days and at a loss as to
what to do with the elephant, so they called upon Ogun and Oshosi to come
help them. The two gods cut the elephant into pieces, but to everyone's
surprise, Orunmila was no longer inside it, and instead they found a divining
tray and sixteen palm nuts that could help foretell the future. Orunmila had
vanished and gone to live permanently in heaven, but he had left behind the
tools of divination to help struggling mankind.
Orunmila and his Worshipers
Orunmila went one day to test his worshipers' wisdom by coming
among them; they were frightened of the god's presence and attempted to
hide from him, but he called them out and posed them many questions. They
were not able to answer all the questions to his satisfaction, some giving
wrong answers while others answered too simply; irritated, Orunmila lifted
his right hand and commanded two hundred people to fall, and then did the
same with his left. Four hundred of his worshipers died instantly, and the rest,
terrified, pledged to acquire more knowledge to use in the service of his
worship. Appeased, Orunmila lowered first one hand and then the other, and
the four hundred dead men came back to life and stood. From that time
forward, no mortal has ever dared question Orunmila's wisdom or
instructions again.
Olokun: Also known as: Ague, Agwe, Olo-Okun
Associated Abilities: Animal Ken, Art, Control, Medicine, Melee, Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: Appearance
Associated Purviews: Magic, Mystery, Water
The god of the silent depths and untamed majesty of the ocean, Olokun
is one of the first primordial gods to claim dominion over the world and its
inhabitants. Olokun is as fluid and changeable as his awesome domain,
appearing as any sex or shape that strikes his fancy, at turns a beautiful
goddess of the waves or a terrible fish-legged lord of storm and sea. He is the
god of all things lost and hidden, the nameless deeps of the ocean and all

things that are dropped into it, never to be seen again; and he is also the god
of the African slaves who were taken forcibly from their homes into slavery,
receiving those who did not survive the journey into his watery bosom. He
governs all fortune, chance and wealth, master of the untold buried treasures
of the sea, and those who earn his goodwill may find riches heaped upon
them while those who anger him perish under the raging surf.
Olokun and Obatala
In the beginning before the world was finished being created, there was
only the sky, where Olodumare and the other orisha lived, and the ocean,
which was Olokun's domain. When Obatala descended to create the earth, he
covered up a great portion of the ocean and greatly angered Olokun by
recklessly reducing and stealing his domain from him. In retaliation, Olokun
caused massive flooding to overtake the edges of the land, drowning
everything on the surface in his bid to reclaim his territory. Panicked by the
destruction, Obatala appealed to Olodumare for help; though he could not get
permission to assault Olokun because the ocean god was a necessary part of
the world, he descended into the ocean and bound Olokun to his palace
beneath the waves with seven chains. Thrash though he might, the god of the
seas could not break free; he could no longer flood the entire world, and
thereafter his agitations could only cause tsunamis and tidal waves of normal
size.
Olokun and Olodumare
Olokun was well known as the most splendid and colorfully beautiful of
the Orisha, and he was so sure of his splendor that he claimed Olodumare
himself could not compete with it. Olodumare heard the challenge and agreed
to a contest between them, but at the appointed time sent down a celestial
chameleon to act as his messenger and bring Olokun forth to compete. When
Olokun appeared, resplendent and divinely beautiful, the chameleon
immediately took on the same colors, causing the god to be startled that he
had been so well-matched. Three times Olokun went back into his home and
dressed himself in ever richer and more perfect weaving and cosmetics to
enhance himself, but each time the chameleon mirrored him. Believing that if
Olodumare's servant was so colorful that there was no hope that he could
defeat the god himself, Olokun sullenly conceded the contest and sent the

chameleon home, accepting Olodumare as his ruler.

Olokun and Oko
While Olokun was in female form, she happened to spy the god Oko
while he came to pick herbs by the sea and fell in love with him from afar.
However, because her legs were scaled and fish-like, she was ashamed to tell
him or anyone else because she was afraid that she would be mocked for her
deformity if she dared to become involved with another one of the gods. Oko,
however, found her enchanting anyway and promised to never let anyone
know about her condition as long as she would be his wife. They carried on
together for quite some time, but the other gods grew suspicious about why
they never appeared together in public, and after getting Oko drunk on palm
wine they managed to pry the knowledge of Olokun's deformed legs out of
him without his realizing. When the other gods mocked Olokun for it, she
immediately knew she had been betrayed; she divorced Oko at once and
returned to her male form, and declared that Oko's fields would be flooded if
he ever dared plant them too close to the sea.
Olokun and Oya
When Oya quarreled with her husband Shango, he took up his axe and
chased her through the countryside, intending to slice her head off. She fled
to Olokun and begged her brother to save her; when Shango arrived to attack
her, Olokun rose up out of the ocean and joined battle against him. For three
days the two gods raged against one another, neither ocean nor sky able to
overcome the other, until finally Shango realized that Oya had escaped in the
furor. he abandoned the battle to chase after her again, and Olokun, having
saved his sister, subsided again into the waves.
Oshun: Also known as: Erzulie, Ezili, Ochun, Osun, Oxum, Oxun
Associated Abilities: Art, Empathy, Larceny, Medicine, Presence, Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: Appearance, Manipulation
Associated Purviews: Health, Magic, Water
Clever Oshun is one of the jewels of the Orisha, a goddess of incredible
beauty and vibrant life who leaves ripples behind her wherever she goes. She
represents joy, love and sexuality unfettered and free, and is as happily

wanton with her favors as she is with the good fortune and joy she grants to
her followers. Oshun is love as some gods are warriors, and few in her
pantheon are able to resist her charms as a result. She is also goddess of the
waters, specifically the mighty rivers that bring lush life to the landscape
behind them, and is as flexible and fluid as her watery domain.
Oshun and the Orisha
When the world was first created, Oshun was one of the first gods to
descend to it, along with sixteen others. They immediately moved to settle
the place they found and built a strong village for themselves, but they
ignored Oshun and built nothing for her, believing that since she was a
woman she would be useless to them. Because all the gods were leaving
Oshun out, however, they were struck with grave misfortune and nothing
they attempted to do was successful. They tried to call upon all the other gods
for help, but they would not ask Oshun for help, because they were prideful
and did not believe she could do anything. Finally, they went to Olodumare
himself to ask for help, and when he asked them what was wrong explained
that nothing they were trying to do was successful on earth. Olodumare then
asked them where their seventeenth member was, and when they admitted
that they had snubbed Oshun informed them that everything they did was
doomed to fail until they appeased her. Shamefaced, the gods returned to
Oshun, who magnanimously agreed to help them once they had convinced
her they were sorry.
Oshun and Orunmila
Olodumare once summoned all the gods to attend him in heaven, but on
their way several of the gods were waylaid by a group of evil and
cannibalistic witches, who started to kill and eat them as they pursued them
through the forest. Orunmila was about to be caught when he ran into Oshun,
who promised to hide him and save his life. Thinking quickly, she hid him
inside a drum and cooked a goat, handing out the goat's meat to the cannibals
so that they would think they were consuming him. Orunmila was so grateful
to her that he married her, and created for her a simplified divination system
like his own to be used by her worshipers.
Oshun and Death

It happened that a devout king was lying on his deathbed, with Iku, the
god of death, hovering at its foot to take him. His people were desperate to
save him and consulted an oracle to learn how Iku could be driven away, and
they were told to make a great sacrifice to Oshun and beg her to intercede.
Oshun, touched by their concern for their leader, accepted the sacrifice and
went to the king's house, where she ordered Iku to leave. He refused, and
when she would not stop asking him began to make lewd suggestions to her.
Oshun was not frightened, however, and came right up close to caress him,
confounding the other god. As she did so, she found his talismans of power
and stole them from him, and, powerless and ashamed, Iku was forced to
agree to leave before she would return them. From then on, it was understood
that Oshun alone had the power to cheat death.
Oshun and Ogun
When Ogun was living in the forest alone, the other gods repeatedly
tried to encourage him to come out and stay with them, but he constantly
refused, living like a wild man. Oshun was intrigued by his strength and
mysterious refusal to come live with them, so she smeared herself all over
with delicious honey and went into the forest to find him. She searched and
searched until she was sure he was watching her, and then began to perform a
sensual dance, which so mesmerized Ogun that he forgot he was hiding and
came out to see it. She continued her performance, hypnotizing him with her
beauty, and slowly danced back toward the home of the gods, feeding him
honey all the time. When they had reached the edge of the forest, the other
gods seized him and brought him out with them, and from then on Oshun
acted as Ogun's wife and convinced him to lend his skill with iron to god and
man alike.
Oshun and Oba
Oshun had married the volatile Shango and charmed him with her
beauty and grace, but his obvious preference for her angered his other wives,
who became jealous and unhappy. Oba, the senior of the wives, came to
Oshun to ask her how she held Shango's interest so well; knowing that Oba
would replace her if she could, Oshun lied, telling her that she had long ago
cut off part of her ear and dried it, and that she sprinkled a bit of the ear into
Shango's food as a love charm. Oba rushed home at once to make Shango a

pot of stew and sliced off her entire ear to put into it, thinking that giving so
much more would make him love her far more than Oshun, but when Shango
saw the ear he believed she was trying to poison him and chased her out of
his house with his axe. Oba turned into a river to escape him, and Oshun kept
her position as favored wife.
Oshun and Shapona
Shapona, one of the gods, was a renowned lecher who loved women of
all shapes and sizes. When Orunmila pronounced in a divination that no one
should have sex during that day for it would be an insult against Olodumare,
he paid no mind and slept with one of his concubines. At once he contracted a
terrible disease and was covered in running sores; the other gods attempted to
convince Olodumare to let him live, but he refused and the god died of his
infection. Oshun, however, was upset that other gods were putting restrictions
on sex that she had not approved, so she went to Orunmila and persuaded
him to smear a batch of magical honey she had made on the walls of
Olodumare's palace. Once Olodumare tasted it, he was overcome by how
delicious it was and begged her for more, but she refused to grant him any
unless he brought Shapona back to life. Olodumare at once resurrected the
god of plagues, and Oshun was satisfied and granted him her honey.
Oshun and Oya
Because Oshun was Shango's favorite wife, Oya was terribly jealous and
attempted to force him to pay attention only to her. Waiting until Oshun was
not home, she summoned up a horde of ghosts, knowing that Shango could
not abide the dead, and bade them surround the house so that he could not
leave. Shango remained trapped until Oshun, realizing that her husband had
not come to see her in some time, came to visit him; when he explained his
plight, she went outside and began to flirt outrageously with the leader of the
dead horde, offering him rum, honey and her own body to entice him away.
The ghost promptly abandoned his post, and Shango was able to slip away
while Oshun distracted him.
Oshun and Aje Shaluga
When Shango killed himself, Oshun fell into despair and destitution, for
she had no one to care for her family and missed her husband terribly. The

river god Aje Shaluga saw her weeping at the shore and was enchanted by her
beauty; he immediately bathed her in soothing waters and offered her the
glowing gems from his riverbed so that she could afford to feed her children.
She was so grateful to him that she married him, and even after Shango's
return Aje Shaluga remained steadfastly in love with her and denied her
nothing.
Erinle: Also known as: Erele, Erin, Erule, Eyinle, Inle
Associated Abilities: Animal Ken, Athletics, Medicine, Occult, Politics,
Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: Wits
Associated Purviews: Animal (Elephant), Earth, Water
The great Elephant of the Earth, Erinle is a god of the natural forces of
the universe. As the god of the earth he is a masculine and powerful god,
huge and imposing, solid and unyielding; as the goddess of the waters he is a
swift-flowing and life-giving feminine deity, switching between the two
states as needed to serve his people. As ponderous as the elephant that is his
namesake and as beloved as the water that he brings to his parched people,
Erinle is one of the most changeable and fiercely celebrated of the Yoruba
gods.
Erinle and Ogun
Erinle was a hunter, and since he had no wife or family to live with, he
built himself a hut in the heart of the forest, where he lived and hunted the
local monkeys. To amuse himself in his solitude, he began to chant and sing
to himself, which was discovered by some local medicine men who followed
him home from market to find out where he lived. Enchanted by his lively
chanting, they spread his fame as an artist until Ogun heard that there was a
strange man who was equal to him in hunting magics. Ogun also found his
chanting impressive, and offered to teach him the art of drumming in
exchange for being taught the art of chant. Thereafter the two hunters were
great friends and could seldom be separated, roaming the forest together as
brothers.
Erinle and Oshun

Because they were both gods of the rivers and Oshun was intrigued by
his easy transitions between male and female, Erinle and Oshun fell in love
and were married. They had many children together, both gods and great
watery serpents, but Oshun grew dissatisfied that Erinle always spent half the
year on land away from her, and furthermore that he encouraged some of
their children to do likewise. She went to a diviner to alleviate her sadness,
and was told that the only way was to sacrifice five chickens and five
calabashes; when she did, she appealed to Olodumare to dissolve their
marriage, and she left Erinle with their children, disavowing all of them.
Erinle and the Hunting Village
Erinle once met a mortal hunter in the bush who was especially swift
and skilled, and was impressed by him. They became friends and hunted
together, and Erinle eventually became so close to the man that he revealed
his divinity to him, explaining that he was no human and that he lived in a
palace deep beneath the crust of the earth. After allowing his awed mortal
friend to visit, he granted him the good fortune of transforming his modest
hut in the forest into a great village, which Erinle accepted as his to protect;
forever after, whenever anyone threatened the people of the village, Erinle
would respond to their call and save them from the danger.
Erinle and Oba
It happened that Erinle one day saw a beautiful goddess at the river and
fell madly in love with her, but she was Oba, the first wife of Shango, and he
could not approach her. He watched her in secret, infatuated with her beauty,
but became convinced that Shango did not treat her well and that she would
be better off with him as her husband. In all his glory, he marched into
Shango's palace and demanded that he give her up; enraged, Shango
immediately attacked him and drove hm before him, hurling lightning and
fire. Erinle was forced to run for his life and turn himself into a river to
escape the onslaught, and was never able to approach Oba again.
Erinle as an Elephant
Though Erinle was well-respected as a hunter, most humans still did not
properly respect him and he set out to ensure that they did. Using his
knowledge of woodcraft and lore from the forest, he became a powerful and

famous medicine man, known far and wide as Elephant for his enormous
size. Once he had gathered all the awed mortals around him, he declared that
he would return to the forest; he transformed into a massive elephant and
then sank into the earth, vanishing forever from human sight.
Oko: Also known as: Orisa Oko, Orisha Oko
Associated Abilities: Animal Ken, Fortitude, Medicine, Melee, Politics,
Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: Charisma
Associated Purviews: Animal (Bee), Fertility
Oko is the god of farming and tilling, the master of the earth who
convinces it to give up its bounty and feed struggling humans and glorious
gods alike. He is a source of the fertility of humanity, as well, and his
enormous sexual organs and ability to cause life to burst forth anywhere
illustrate this power. A natural force for good who sees to it that the just are
well-fed and the wicked go hungry, he constantly renews and tends the fields
and fruits of the World, aided by his armies of honeybee messengers to keep
the world green and growing.
Oko and the Invention of Farming
Though Oko was well-respected by his community, it happened one day
that he contracted leprosy, and in fear for their lives the people drove him and
his wife away to live in the forest. They scraped by, hunting and foraging to
live and relying on Orisha Oko's brothers Oshosi and Ogun to bring them
meat, until Orisha Oko discovered by accident that if he ate a fruit and threw
away its seeds, they grew into more fruits. He grew great forests of fruit trees
and ate them to regain his strength, and then used the medicinal herbs of the
jungle to heal himself of his leprosy. Then, being noble-minded, he returned
to the village that had cast him out, and not only forgave them but also taught
them the secret art of growing food from the earth.
Oko and the Blackbirds
a plague of blackbirds once descended upon the land, devouring all the
crops and leaving the people starving and desperate. The birds returned every
year, gobbling up all the peoples' hard work, and no arrows could harm them,

nor could they be caught to stop the famine. In desperation, the people
appealed to Oko for help; he then prepared a powerful medicine from secret
herbs known only to him, and it drove the birds away so that the crops were
saved. The people rejoiced, but soon began to fear him, wondering if he
would use the same medicine against them in turn, and though Orisha Oko
gave them no sign that he would turn on them, they eventually demanded that
he leave and take his frightening powers with him. No sooner had he done so,
however, than the birds returned and destroyed the crops, and the chagrined
people were forced to find his hut in the forest and beg him to come back,
offering to make him king if he did so. He refused, disgusted by their
fickleness, but granted them his sword, telling them that if they were ever in
true danger, they had only to plant the sword in the ground to call upon him.
He then disappeared into the earth, and the sword was kept in his shrine from
that day forward.
Oko and the Witch
It happened one day that a witch was discovered among the people, and
they wished to cast her out, but being crafty she blamed an innocent woman
for the crime and no one could decide which of them was truly guilty. In
order to settle the matter, they brought them to Orisha Oko's shrine and
prayed to the god to send them a sign. Oko instructed his priest to give each
of the women a calabash, and to then keep the calabashes for three days to
see the truth of the situation. The calabash held by the innocent woman
remained white and milky, fit for eating, but the calabash held by the witch
turned black and sour, and the people were able to drive her away.
Oko and Olokun
One day, Oko was planting crops near the seashore when he spied an
incredibly beautiful woman, which was Olokun in his female form. He was
stricken with lust, but Olokun refused to consider an affair, claiming that as
her legs were deformed and she could not leave the ocean the other orisha
would mock her. Oko promised that he would never speak of her deformity to
the other orisha as long as she would be his lover, and she consented. For
some time they were happy together, with Oko growing many fine crops and
Olokun selling them by the seashore for him, until one day he became drunk
on palm wine and mentioned her deformed legs to several other orisha. At

once they began to laugh and mock Olokun down by the sea, and she was so
enraged that she informed Oko that she would forever despite him, and that
land and sea would never be one and she would flood his fields whenever she
pleased.
Oko and the Vow of Chastity
Although he was excellent at coaxing crops from the earth, Orisha Oko
noticed that the more he searched for a wife to comfort him, the more he
neglected his duties and the plants accordingly suffered. Wondering how to
solve this dilemma, he consulted a diviner, who informed him that the
fertility of the earth came from his powers and that giving any of it away to
women diluted them. He therefore instantly took a vow of chastity, swearing
to save his potent powers for the earth alone, and thereafter his testicles grew
so enormous from chastity that hung all the way down to the ground, and his
penis remained permanently erect and untouched.
Osmosi: Also known as: Ochosi, Ochossi, Oshossi, Ososi, Oxossi
Associated Abilities: Art, Awareness, Investigation, Marksmanship,
Medicine, Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: Dexterity, Perception
Associated Purviews: Fertility

Oshosi is the dour and solitary god of the hunt and the deep forest, the
tireless tracker who knows every plant and tree in the forest and whose
arrows never go astray from their intended target. His effortless prowess on
the hunt makes him the patron god of all who depend on the wilderness for
their livelihoods, and even the other gods respect him as a provider and
keeper of the secret wisdom of the forest. He accepts no excuses and abides
no trickery or dishonor; Oshosi's instinct for truth, like his arrows, never
misses its mark.
Oshosi and Olodumare
Olodumare was impressed by Oshosi's incredible hunting ability and
asked him to become the official hunter of heaven; whenever Oshosi killed
his prey in the forest, he sacrificed its blood so that it would feed the gods

and took home only the bloodless body. At Olodumare's request, he told no
one of his role in order that humanity should not learn the secret of sustaining
the gods. His wife Oshun, however, became curious as to why all the meat he
brought home was always dry and bloodless, and pestered him constantly to
tell her why it was so. Oshosi refused to divulge the secret, so the next time
he went into the forest to hunt, Oshun followed him secretly to satisfy her
curiosity. She saw him spill an antelope's blood and learned what he was
doing, but Olodumare spied her in the forest and told Oshosi that she had
followed him. Furious at her presumption, Oshosi called upon Olodumare to
curse her and all other women with menstruation, claiming that if she was so
curious about blood she would see it all the time for the rest of her life.
Oshosi and Ogun
Long ago, Oshosi lived with his mother Yemanja, his brother Ogun and
his uncle Eshu. Eshu was constantly playing tricks and disrespecting
Yemanja, so much so that eventually she threw him out of the house to avoid
having to deal with him anymore. Ogun and Oshosi took care of their mother
by providing food from hunting and gathering, but Yemanja worried that
Oshosi might be in danger because he never did anything but hunt and took
greater and greater risks in his pursuit of prey. Upon consulting a diviner, she
learned that Oshosi should not go out to hunt anymore or he would be in
danger of being captured by Osanyin, the lame god of the wilderness; she
tried to warn him, but Oshosi refused to give up the hunt. Shortly afterward,
Osanyin did indees see Oshosi, and impressed by his abilities decided to keep
him with him as a companion and provider, concocting a potion that stole his
memories and identity. Oshosi was gone so long that his brother Ogun went
into the forest to find him and bring him back, but Yemanja was so insulted
that he had ignored her instructions that she refused to allow him to move
back in. Upset by his mother's callousness, Ogun returned to the forest with
Oshosi, and none of them ever came back to Yemanja's house again.
Oshosi and Yemanja
Olodumare one day decided that he required a pheasant to eat, so Oshosi
set out into the bush to catch one for him. He found the most magnificent
pheasant in the world and carefully trapped it so that he could present it to
Olodumare alive; upon reaching home, he built a small cage for the bird

outside his house and then went to tell Obatala to send a message to
Olodumare that the bird was ready. While he was gone, his mother Yemanja
happened to pass by and saw the delicious bird, and thinking that her son
would not begrudge her one bird from his hunting trips, she took it home to
cook it. When Oshosi returned, he was dismayed to discover that the bird had
vanished. Furious at the theft, he shot an arrow into the air, declaring that it
would seek out the thief and punish him for his theft; but after hearing a
woman's scream nearby, he was heartbroken to discover that his arrow had
flown true and pierced his mother through the heart. Devastated by his action,
Oshosi retreated to the forest and swore never to live with the other gods
again.
Ogun: Also known as: Gu, Gun, Oggun, Ogoun, Ogou, Ogu, Ogum
Associated Abilities: Animal Ken, Art, Control, Medicine, Melee, Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: Perception
Associated Purviews: Artistry, Earth, Justice, War
Ogun is the war leader of the Orisha, a fierce and indomitable fighter
with a mind and fist of iron. He represents a cool head and reliable leadership
on the battlefield, but at the same time also embodies the insane bloodlust of
war and violence. As one of the very first of the Orisha to descend to the
world, he is a leader among his people and the patron god of industry and
craft, a metal-worker of great skill and the god of iron as well as one of the
most highly-praised hunters among the Orisha. Unlike many of his brethren,
Ogun is known to occasionally receive blood sacrifices, which are offered to
him to ensure that he continues to provide the bounty of the hunt and the
harsh but fair judgment that governs the lives of mankind. In modern African
courts, those who worship Ogun swear not upon the Bible but on a scrap of
the iron that he possesses. He is a precisely-controlled source of violence,
sometimes tempering his half-brother Shango's unruly fury, but also as much
of a source to be reckoned with and feared when he succumbs to the dreaded
battle fever.
Ogun and the Invention of Iron
When Ogun and the other gods first descended to the earth, climbing
down the divine spiderweb that reached the ground, they told their people to

settle and prosper. The people were unable to do so in the numbers they
wished, however, because they needed to clear the forest and plant fields and
their soft tools made such a thing slow and impractical. Ogun, seeing their
plight, visited Orunmila and from him learned the secret of iron. He created a
great axe, with which he cleared the forest so his people could settle, and then
taught them the secret arts of metal-working and forging.
Ogun and Olure
At the beginning of the world, the goddess Olure was created to be
Ogun's wife, but she had no interest in him and refused to travel with him.
She tried to descend to the world on her own, but discovered that her way
was blocked by a massive tree that she could not get around. She was forced
to return to Ogun for help, and while he was cutting down the tree a chip of
wood flew from his energetic blows and entered her vagina, where it caused
her great pain. She begged Ogun to remove it, which he agreed to do only
after she consented to be his wife, and he cut the piece of wood out of her
with his machete, leaving behind a scar but relieving her of the pain. They
returned to live as husband and wife, but Ogun could not get her pregnant
because his sperm would not come out quickly enough. He therefore cut off
the tip of his penis to allow him to impregnate her, and thus invented both
male and female circumcision.
Ogun and the King
Ogun was the mightiest warrior among all the gods, and as a result his
father sent him to make war and collect bounty from all the neighboring
kingdoms. Ogun destroyed many of them and gained a great deal of booty
and wealth, and finally at the last kingdom cut off the rival king's head and
put it in a sack. When his father heard about this, however, he was convinced
by his advisors that Ogun meant to kill him, for it would be a great
misfortune for any king to ever see another king's severed head. He quickly
sent a delegation to convince Ogun to give up the head before he entered the
city, and then pronounced that Ogun should leave forever and be king over
some faraway land where he could not threaten him. Ogun departed, never to
return.
Ogun and Yemanja

Although the goddess Yemanja was very beautiful, she was also secretly
ashamed because she had only one breast, and therefore would not allow any
man to court her for fear he would expose her secret. She was bemoaning her
loneliness one day when she walked through the forest, and Ogun overheard
her, and feeling similarly lonely about his lack of wives, he seized her and
asked her to marry him. He was very terrible to behold and Yemanja was
afraid, but the two agreed on the condition that ogun would never touch
Yemanja's breasts, and Yemanja would never mention Ogun's terrible bloodfilled eyes. They stayed together for quite some time, until one day,
attempting to please Yemanja, Ogun tried to cook her some soup. He had no
talent for it and broke the pot, spilling the soup all over the floor, and
Yemanja, awoken by the clatter, cried out that someone with bloody eyes was
ruining her kitchen. Furious at her mention of his appearance, Ogun struck
her a mighty blow and knocked her down, but he then felt remorse and tried
to comfort her by stroking her breasts. Betrayed, Yemanja turned into a river
to escape him, and Ogun decided that it was impossible for him to live a life
of gentleness or happiness, returning once more to making war upon the
countryside.
Ogun and Oshun
Ogun lived in the forest for a time, and when wanton women would
sneak into the trees looking for him he would have violent intercourse with
them and then banish them forever. The beautiful goddess Yemaja heard tales
of this, and her curiosity was piqued; she disguised herself as a normal
woman and ventured into the forest, where she met Ogun. He treated her just
the same, but being a goddess she was able to keep up with him; afterward,
when he ordered her to leave, she begged to be allowed to stay with him.
Angry at her presumption, Ogun chased her out of the forest and she went
sobbing to her sister Oshun, asking for help to win his love. Oshun agreed to
help her and made a batch of magical honey, which she smeared all over her
body before venturing into the forest. When Ogun saw her, he was overcome
by her beauty and gave chase, but whenever he tried to grasp her the honey
made her slip through his hands, eluding him. She led him a merry chase
through the forest until he was unwary, and then she poured some of the
magic honey on him, enchanting him. The two then made love in the forest,
and Ogun was so enraptured that he asked her to be his wife. She agreed but

told him that they should go to her house, where she had left Yemaja; when
they arrived, she slipped away, and Ogun laid with Yemaja in the dark,
thinking it was Oshun. When he discovered the deception in the morning,
however, he beat Yemaja so fiercely for her behavior that she fled from him
forever, and he waited until Oshun returned to claim her as his rightful bride.
Ogun and the Chain
Ogun was a restless warrior and conquered and destroyed many
neighboring kingdoms in his endless thirst for battle, so often that when he
returned many years had passed and his people no longer recognized him. He
happened to arrive during a religious ceremony that forbade its participants to
speak, and asked if he could have some palm wine that he saw sitting on the
ground. No one spoke because of the ritual, and he was so furious at their
inhospitable behavior that he drew his machete and rampaged through the
city, killing most of its inhabitants. After he had calmed down, he realized
that these were his own people nad was overcome with remorse, so he took a
long iron chain with him as he left in sorrow and left the last links above
ground, and told the people that if ever they needed him to defend them they
had only to pull on the chain's end and he would come. The people were
relieved, but as time wore on the youngest of the men began to doubt that
Ogun would return, and one day one of them pulled on the chain as a test,
believing that nothing would happen. With a great shout, Ogun burst out of
the ground and decapitated the boy before murdering many more of the
people, believing they were the enemy he had been summoned to fight; when
he realized what had happened, he left in sorrow and took the chain with him,
vowing never to return to such unfaithful people again.
Ogun and the Orisha
Ogun was adept at war and bloodshed, so much so that his rampages
were legendary and even the other gods feared him. The orisha offered to
make him their king when he first cleared the way into the world for them,
but he refused, claiming he preferred the forest. Once each year they sent a
messenger to offer him the option to become king, grateful for his help and
afraid of what he might do if not placated, but each year he refused, leaving
the throne to his equally volatile brother Shango. Finally, he descended to
them wearing his fiercest warrior's clothing, covered from head to foot in

blood, to terrify them into leaving him alone. His gambit worked and they
fled, but soon they returned again, begging him to appear in a less frightening
aspect and rule them.
He finally agreed to act as king, and led many successful battles until
one day Eshu appeared to offer him some enchanted palm wine during a lull
in the fighting. He became so intoxicated that he fought even more
masterfully, but he could no longer tell friend from foe and murdered not
only the enemy but all of his own soldiers as well. When he realized what he
had done, he immediately abdicated his throne and fell on his sword in his
anguish, after which he retired once again to live apart from his brethren.
Ogun and Olokun
Ogun once dwelt near a large river, and because he was a hunter instead
of a fisherman became a great friend to the fishes, crocodiles and whales that
lived there, who considered him their king. Because of this, whenever anyone
refused to offer him or anyone else passage across the river in a boat, he had
only to lift his hand, and the crocodiles swarmed and devoured the faithless
boatman. He did this for many years until one day he crossed the river to find
a beautiful woman of pale whiteness, which was the sea-god Olokun in
female form. Enamored of Ogun, she called upon her people to honor him,
carrying him around in a litter and providing him with all the treasures of the
sea. Ogun was so flattered that he stayed with her as her husband for three
years, and thus caused all black people in Africa to fear the white people - for
if a white woman could ensnare Ogun himself, they believed they had no
chance of succeeding against them.
Oya: Also known as: Iansa, Iasan, Oia, Yansan
Associated Abilities: Athletics, Larceny, Occult, Presence, Stealth, Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: Appearance
Associated Purviews: Chaos, Death, Illusion, Thunder, Water
Oya is the goddess of volatile emotion and its expressions in nature:
destruction and fluctuation, whirlwind and hurricane, raging river and death
itself. As warlike in temperament and behavior as her kingly husband
Shango, Oya is famous for surging into battle, uprooting the landscape and
guarding the gates of the next life with such burning passion that her people

imagined her as bearded like a fierce male warrior, heralding destruction and
rout. She is the mistress of the howling stormwinds and hurricanes as well as
of the mighty Niger river. Her passions often cause her as much difficulty as
advantage, especially when they bring her into conflict with her fellow gods,
but she is always a force to be reckoned with. She is a symbol of passionate
strength and feminine power more than a match for any other god who
confronts her.
Oya and Oshun
Oya was intensely jealous of Shango's other wives and begrudged him
any time he spent with them. Therefore, she devised a plan to keep him all to
himself, and the next time he visited she commanded a horde fo the dead to
surround the house, knowing that he was a god of life and could not abide
death near him. Every time Shango tried to leave the house, the ghosts would
crowd around him and force him to retreat, and Oya was able to happily
monopolize his attention. Unfortunately, when she had gone to market one
day, her fellow wife Oshun happened by and lured the dead away to allow
Shango to escape. Oya was forced to share his attention again, and spent
much of her time bitterly plotting against Oshun and Oba.
Oya and the End of the Kingdom
When Oya was married to Shango, she enjoyed the prestige of being the
wife of the king and supported him in his rulings. However, when Shango's
sons turned against him and stole the worship of his people from him,
Shango went into the forest and killed himself. Oya was so ashamed of
Shango's weakness that she decided to leave the world permanently; she sank
into the ground without a sound and refused to return, and thus was not able
to witness Shango's resurrection.
Oya and Shango
Realizing that some of his opponents might attempt to challenge his
power, Shango determined to head them off by acquiring new magical
powers. He ordered a supernatural medicine from the magician Eshu, but
since he was fearful that his kingdom would be attacked if he left, he sent his
wife Oya to fetch it for him. She traveled to Eshu's house and fetched the
bundle of medicine, which he warned her not to look at; however, she was

curious about its powers and tried a taste of it, hoping to make sure she
remained a powerful match for her husband. She wrapped it back up and
delivered it to him as if nothing had happened, but when she opened her
mouth to speak to him, flames shot out from the medicine she had consumed.
Furious, Shango attempted to kill her, but she fled through the countryside
until she reached the home of her brother Olokun, who fought Shango long
enough for her to escape. She founded her own kingdom and buried the
remaining medicine to hide it from Shango, and forever after her whirlwinds
ran ahead of Shango's storms to escape him.
Oya and Ogun
Ogun was out hunting in the bush one day when he saw a particularly
fine water buffalo and determined to stalk her for his prize. While he was
secretly following the beast, however, he saw her enter a river and come out
as a beautiful woman who laid her buffalo's hide out on the shore to dry. He
waited until she had left and quickly seized the skin, and quickly ran home to
hide it in the rafters of his house. He then returned to the river and waited for
her to return, and stepped out to catch her as she returned, demanding that she
marry him because he had captured her skin. Oya agreed, stricken by his
strength and determined to regain her shapeshifting power, and became his
wife, bearing him children for many years. Ogun kept the skin hidden for a
long time, but eventually when he was drunk he shouted at his children one
day not to build the fire so high or they would singe the skin hidden in the
rafters. The children, wondering about this strange command, spoke about it
where their mother could hear, and Oya at once retrieved it and turned back
into a water buffalo, racing off into the wilderness. She left behind one of her
horns, however, so that whenever her children needed her they could blow
into it and summon her to them.

Kami
Amaterasu: Also known as: Ohiru-menomuchi-no-kami, Omikami, Tensho
Daijin
Associated Abilities: Art, Awareness, Empathy, Integrity, Politics, Presence
Associated Epic Attributes: Appearance, Charisma, Strength

Associated Purviews: Fertility, Sun

Amaterasu is the supreme Queen of the Heavenly Plain, the reigning
goddess of the Kami and commander of heaven's armies and courtiers alike.
She is the goddess of the sun, sharing her light and splendor with the
deserving, and the goddess of royalty and rightness as well. Nowhere else
among the gods does a court as splendid or as regimented by politics and
behavior exist as Amaterasu's, and she recognizes no rival to her right to rule.
Also a weaver goddess and patron of jewelcrafters, she represents perfection
and exquisite beauty and expects the same of all who wish to be associated
with her.
Amaterasu and Susano-o
Amaterasu's younger brother, Susano-o, constantly challenged her rule
and caused great disturbances and riots across the plains of heaven. She
frequently threatened him with banishment or worse, until one day he came
to her and said that he wished to make amends. He proposed a contest, saying
that each of them should give birth to gods and that whomever produced the
most male gods would win. Amaterasu agreed to the contest, and, borrowing
a sword from him, broke it into three pieces which became three goddesses;
Susano-o in turn took her hair ornaments and transformed them into five
gods. When Susano-o claimed that he had emerged victorious, Amaterasu
pointed out that the male gods had been created from her hair ornaments,
meaning that she was the true victor, since Susano-o's sword had created only
women. Enraged, Susano-o refused to accept this verdict and went on a
rampage across heaven, destroying the fields, defecating in Amaterasu's
territories and houses, and finally skinning one of her horses and throwing it
through the roof of the house in which she and her ladies were weaving,
killing one of Amaterasu's attendants.
More furious than she had ever been, Amaterasu withdrew to a great
cave on the other side of heaven and hid herself inside it, closing it off with a
great stone. Heaven and all the world below plunged into chaos, for without
Amaterasu there was no sunlight, and the people began to starve and beg for
mercy of the gods, who could do nothing for them. Many gods went to the
cave mouth to beg Amaterasu to emerge, but she refused, saying that the
insult that Susano-o had done to her was too great to be forgiven. The gods

tried to tempt her with apologies, rich gifts, and the crowing of many
roosters, but still she refused, saying she would never come out again and the
world would perish in darkness. Finally, the gods held a great meeting to
decide what to do; they hung a magical mirror in the branches of a tree and
called Uzume, the goddess of beauty, laughter and song, to dance before the
cave mouth while they threw an enormous party there. Curious about the
noise of the many gods making merry, Amaterasu asked what they were
celebrating, and was told that they had discovered the most beautiful goddess
in all of heaven. Amaterasu could not resist peeking out to see who this might
be; when she did so, she caught sight of her own reflection in the magic
mirror, and was so enchanted by the vision of loveliness that she emerged
from the cave. Immediately, the mountain gods leapt upon the cave mouth
and closed it, preventing her from retreating again and restoring the sun's
light to the world. Amaterasu agreed to remain, but on the condition that
Susano-o was punished for his crimes; the gods deliberated upon his behavior
and finally banished him from heaven, never to return.
Amaterasu and the Imperial Line
When Amaterasu looked down upon the earth and saw that it was filled
with chaos, she ordered her son, Oshihomimi, to descend to earth to rule it.
He refused, however, saying that he wanted no part in such disarray. Angered
by his refusal, Amaterasu went to his son, Ninigi, instead, and dispatched him
to rule over the earth. He obeyed her and his grandson became the first
emperor of Japan, so that all emperors can trace their ancestry and divine
right to rule back to Amaterasu herself.
Susano-O: Also known as: Susano-o-no-mikoto, Susanoo, Susanowo
Associated Abilities: Awareness, Brawl, Craft, Fortitude, Melee, Presence
Associated Epic Attributes: Strength, Wits
Associated Purviews: Chaos, Psychopomp, Thunder, Water
Susano-o is among the most rambunctious of the Kami, a god of
strength and chaos with little regard for the set order of things and a much
greater interest in what might prove entertaining or exciting at the moment.
He is a thunder god, unleashing fierce blows when the mood takes him or
merely roiling the clouds for lesser storms if he so chooses. He is so great a

disruption that he has been banished from the court of the Kami more than
once, but he always returns; as one of Izanagi's three children, he is still a
prestigious figure, and his many great deeds reinforce his larger-than-life
reputation.
Susano-o and the Yamata-no-Orochi
After Amaterasu banished him from heaven for his insults, Susano-o
descended to earth and wandered among its people. He happened to come
across an elderly couple one day who were weeping beside the road. When
he asked them what was wrong, they explained that a terrible eight-headed
dragon, the Yamata-no-Orochi, lived nearby and demanded a maiden
sacrifice for each of its heads. Seven of their daughters had already been
devoured, and only Kushinada, the youngest and most beautiful, remained.
When Susano-o beheld Kushinada he was filled with desire for her and told
the old couple that if they granted him Kushinada as his bride, he would slay
the dragon. They happily agreed, and Susano-o transformed Kushinada into a
comb which he placed in his hair, so that he could safely take her to witness
the battle.
Instead of attacking the dragon head-on, Susano-o devised a plan; he
built a great structure with eight openings in it, and before each opening
placed a large tub of sake. Smelling the enticing alcohol, the Yamata-noOrochi slithered forth and stuck its heads through the eight openings,
drinking the tubs of sake dry before falling asleep, drunk. Susano-o was then
free to chop off the eight heads at his leisure, which he did. For good
measure, he chopped the rest of the dragon to pieces as well; when he cut into
its tail, he discovered a fabulous sword hidden within it, the famous
Kusanagi. He returned to the heavens with his bride, Kushinada, and humbly
presented the sword to Amaterasu as a peace offering, which she accepted,
allowing them to stay.
Tsuki-yomi: Also known as: Tsukuyomi, Tsukuyomi-no-kami, Tsukuyomino-mikoto
Associated Abilities: Academics, Awareness, Investigation, Empathy, Melee,
Politics
Associated Epic Attributes: Charisma
Associated Purviews: Darkness, Frost, Moon, Psychopomp

The moon god is a cold and forbidding deity, seldom seen in the
daylight; more often he is spreading the moon's pale light over the fields or
withholding it, letting night's true darkness take hold for a little while. He is
one of the three heavenly siblings born of Izanagi, a god of mirrors, darkness,
and the mysteries of the night; he is also a god of duty and respect for one's
betters, and above all of observing the rules of hospitality.
Tsuki-Yomi and Uke-Mochi
Uke-Mochi, the goddess of food, was well-known for her amazing,
mouth-watering edibles; she held a great feats one day and invited
Amaterasu, but she was held up with her duties at court and unable to attend,
so instead she sent her brother, Tsuki-Yomi, to represent her. Curious as to
how Uke-Mochi created such amazing food, he sneaked into her lands ahead
of time and hid himself so he could observe her preparing the feast. When
Uke-Mochi prepared for the feast, she turned to the ocean and spat out
several fish, which she then caught and broiled into succulency. She dropped
to all fours and every kind of game raced out of her anus, and she hunted the
deer and birds and made delicious meat dishes out of them. Finally, she
anchored herself to the ground and became a rice paddy, vomiting up
perfectly prepared rice in enough quantity to feed all of the gods. Though the
food was as delectable-looking as always, Tsuki-Yomi was so disgusted by
the manner of its preparation and furious that she would have fed it to him
that he arose from his hiding place and cut her down with his sword. When
Amaterasu learned what he had done in her name, she was so furious that she
banished him to the other side of the sky, declaring that she would never look
upon his face again, dooming sun and moon to be forever separated.
Izanagi: Also known as: Izanagi-no-mikoto, Izanaki
Associated Abilities: Academics, Awareness, Fortitude, Medicine, Melee,
Presence
Associated Epic Attributes: Charisma, Strength
Associated Purviews: Health, Psychopomp, Sky
Izanagi is a figure of great reverence among the Kami, the father of the
ruling gods and a much-honored ancestor. He is a god of the sky and clouds,

riding the air around Japan and keeping it temperate for the people below,
and he is further the co-creator of the islands and their people. He is a restless
traveler and watches over his people from the skies, and is as distant and
uninvolved in most affairs as he is benevolent.
Izanagi and Izanami
When Izanagi and his sister Izanami came into being, they were the first
of the gods; in time, they found that they loved one another and wished to be
married. They created the first island by stirring the churning sea with a
magical spear, and then on it they built a palace for themselves, in the center
of which they erected the Pillar of Heaven. Circling the pillar in a solemn
ceremony, they met at the other side as husband and wife; entranced by
Izanami's beauty, Izanagi said nothing, so she spoke first, inviting him to be
her husband. Unfortunately, because Izanami, the woman, had spoken first,
their union was not blessed by heaven and their two children, Awashima and
Hiruko, were born deformed. Seeking to right this wrong, the two renewed
their marriage at the pillar; this time Izanagi spoke first, and their marriage
was blessed. Together, they conceived and gave birth to the eight islands of
Japan.
Izanagi's Children
After his disastrous trip to the underworld, Izanagi emerged feeling
soiled and miserable, and went to clean himself in a heavenly stream. His
strong feelings of misery were such that, as he cleaned himself, he
spontaneously created three children of great goodness and respect to help
him make the world a better place; Amaterasu, the sun goddess, was born
from his left eye, while Tsuki-Yomi, the moon god, was born from his right
and Susano-o, the storm god, was born from his nose. Heart-sick from his
ordeal, Izanagi gave stewardship of Japan over to them and ascended to the
heavens, there to remain unless they should need him.
Izanami: Also known as: Izanami-no-kami, Izanami-no-mikoto
Associated Abilities: Brawl, Command, Fortitude, Integrity, Occult, Stealth
Associated Epic Attributes: Appearance, Charisma
Associated Purviews: Darkness, Death, Earth

The Queen of Yomi is a terrifying and tragic figure, a rotting reminder

of the inevitable death that awaits all living things. Once a carefree and
loving goddess of creation and life, she is now the goddess of death and of
the impenetrable darkness, and she rules her joyless underworld realm with
no compassion or hesitation. Despite her gruesome appearance and horrible
domain, she is nevertheless treated with the greatest respect by the other
Kami; after all, with a very few exceptions, she is the mother of all the other
gods.
Izanami and Izanagi
Izanami and Izanagi were happily married, and after they had given
birth to the islands of Japan they further created together all the gods of
heaven. One day, however, Izanami brought forth the fire god Kagutsuchi in
childbirth, and his fierce flames and violent nature were such that she was
mortally wounded giving birth to him. With her dying breath she delivered
the other child in her womb, the water god Mizuhame, and then expired of
her greivous burns. Furious and grieving, Izanagi immediately struck off
Kagutsuchi's head and threw his body from heaven for the crime of having
taken his wife from him.
Izanagi was afflicted with terrible sorrow and grieved so sorely that he
could not concentrate on anything else; eventually, he decided that he would
descend immediately to Yomi to retrieve his wife. The journey downward
was long and perilous, and the darkness became more and more frightening,
but he persevered until he found her in the deepest, darkest room of the
underworld. He could not see her in the darkness but embraced her, begging
her to return to the world above with him; in a sorrowful voice she told him
that she could not, as she had already been tricked into eating the food of the
underworld and could never leave it again. He refused to leave her behind,
and finally, when she had fallen asleep, exhausted, made a makeshift torch
out of his comb and set it ablaze. The light allowed him to see that Izanami,
once the most beautiful of goddesses, was now a horrible, rotting creature,
infested with maggots and hideous to behold. Shocked and disgusted, he
cried out and immediately fled the underworld; Izanami awoke and, realizing
what had happened, chased him, crying in rage and shame that he had looked
upon her when she had asked him not to. He was faster than she and escaped
to the world above, shoving a huge rock into the mouth of the opening to

prevent her from following him.

Izanagi never returned again; when, in her anger, Izanami cried that she
would cause a thousand of the humans he had created to die each day for the
pain he had caused her, he retorted that he would half again as many to be
born each day, and departed forever.
Marishiten: Also known as: Marichi, Marici, Marishaten, Molizhitian
Associated Abilities: Command, Empathy, Fortitude, Integrity, Larceny,
Stealth
Associated Epic Attributes: Appearance, Dexterity
Associated Purviews: Animal (Boar), Illusion, Sun
Marishiten is an odd woman out among the Kami; she is a convert to
Buddhism, something that most of the Shinto deities view as a great treason
against them. Nevertheless, the sun goddess's prowess in war and
unprecedented powers of illusion make her too valuable a member of the
pantheon to simply banish, and her calm, unruffled nature allows her to take
their heavy disapproval in stride. A patron of the samurai clans, she is a
goddess of honor and fair play, and as a goddess of prosperity her abundance
and healing light are revered by Buddhist and Shinto worshipers alike.
Marishiten and the Hunter
One day, a hunter was walking when he spied a boar the size of a bull,
pure white and beautiful. He did not know that this was Marishiten in the
form of a boar, and he declared that he would kill the boar and take it home
for his family's dinner. The boar warned him that to kill a heavenly boar
would anger the gods, but the hunter declared that if he met such a god he
would merely kill him, too. The boar then led the hunter a chase to the top of
a mountain; Marishiten's divine skin could not freeze, but an ice storm
whipped up that froze the undevout hunter's flesh in place, and he died still
staring at Marishiten's beautiful white hide.
Hachiman: Also known as: Daibosatsu, Ojin, Yawata-no-kami
Associated Abilities: Animal Ken, Athletics, Command, Marksmanship,
Melee, Science
Associated Epic Attributes: Charisma, Dexterity, Wits

Associated Purviews: Animal (Dove), Fertility, Guardian, War

Hachiman is a warrior god, the patron of the honor-bound and ancient
brotherhood of the samurai; he is the protector of the weak and the innocent
and the slayer of the unjust, a figure of incredible charisma and strength on
the battlefield. He is also a god of protecting his people in times of peace,
helping to provide crops to survive on and shelter from the vagaries of wind
and weather and often sending messages of hope and instruction through his
messengers, the noble doves. He abides no underhandedness and ignores no
evil, and is the very epitome of the code of bushido, which he handed down
to his followers.
Hachiman and Buddhism
Though a god of war, Hachiman is also a diplomatic being and
representative of peace, and he was one of the first (and still few) gods of the
Kami to acknowledge the rise of Buddhism in their territory. Though he did
not convert to the new religion and continues to be a staunch defender of the
Shinto deities, Hachiman is nevertheless known to pay his respects at
Buddhist temples occasionally and to treat Buddhist devotees as equally
deserving of protection, habits that cause many of the more traditional of the
Kami to wonder about him ever so slightly.
Ryujin: Also known as: Owatatsumi, Rinjin
Associated Abilities: Athletics, Brawl, Fortitude, Occult, Politics, Presence
Associated Epic Attributes: Appearance, Stamina, Strength
Associated Purviews: Animal (Jellyfish, Turtle), Moon, Water
The god of the oceans is a fearsome sight to behold, usually in his
preferred form of a massive, terrifying dragon, rising up out of the depths he
calls home. He is the controller of the seas and is placated and prayed to by
every sailor and fisherman wishing for a favorable catch or a safe voyage
home; they are wise to do so, as his temper is equally dragonish and those
who anger him meet a swift demise.
Ryujin and the Jellyfish
Ryujin created the first jellyfish to be his servant, a robust and hearty

creature. It happened one day that Ryujin stumbled into a stinging reef and
suffered from a horrible rash because of it; his court soothsayers said that the
liver of a monkey would cure him of his ailment, so he sent the jellyfish to go
fetch him one. The jellyfish made its way onto land and captured a monkey,
but it was not very bright and believed the monkey's story about keeping its
liver in a jar in the woods for safekeeping. The jellyfish let the monkey go
and searched the woods fruitlessly all night before realizing what had
happened; ashamed, it returned to Ryujin, who was still stinging fiercely, and
explained that it had lost the cure. Ryujin flew into a rage and beat the
jellyfish so fiercely that he crushed all its bones into powder, which is why it,
and all of its descendents, have no bones to this day.
Ryujin and Hoori
A young fisherman named Hoori once borrowed a fishhook from his
brother, Hoderi, and then accidentally lost it. He apologized, but Hoderi
demanded that he find the fishhook and return it to him, so to appease his
brother he jumped into the ocean to seek the hook along its bottom. He
became lost and stumbled upon an enormous, beautiful palace at the bottom
of the sea, and met at its doors a princess so lovely that he at once begged her
to marry him. She agreed, but her father burst forth from the back of the
palace; it was Ryujin, and Hoori, though terrified, had to beg the dragon god
for his daughter as well. Ryujin was reluctant to let his daughter go, but when
she begged him he relented and allowed her to marry Hoori on the condition
that they remained on the ocean floor in his palace. They lived happily thus
for several years, but one day Hoori found the fishhook he had lost and began
to yearn for his life on the surface again. He took his wife with him and went
to the land, where he made peace with his brother and moved into his old
house. His wife, about to give birth to their first child, cautioned him not to
look into her chamber while she was in labor, but he was curious as to what
she might be hiding and disobeyed her wishes. He beheld her in her true form
as a sea dragon, and, shouting in fear and disgust, ran from the room; full of
sorrow, she returned to Ryujin in the ocean, never to return, and Hoori was
never able to set foot near the sea again for fear of being killed by his
vengeful father-in-law.
Raiden: Also known as: Kaminari, Narukami, Raijin

Associated Abilities: Athletics, Brawl, Fortitude, Marksmanship, Presence,

Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: Appearance, Dexterity, Wits
Associated Purviews: Guardian, Thunder
Without a doubt the greatest wild card among the Kami, Raiden is a
sight to behold, a towering blue- or red-skinned ogre riding the clouds,
striking air, land and living thing alike with his thunder and lightning and
laughing uproariously. Formerly merely a monster like his ogre brethren,
Raiden now serves Amaterasu and the other gods, at least in theory, though
he's much more likely to be found doing whatever entertains him than what
he probably should be pursuing. He is a god of thunder and rules the unruly
skies along with his brother Fujin, the wind god; between the two of them,
they can make the skies all but impassible even for the other gods.
Raiden and Bellybuttons
As if he were not generally frightening enough, Raiden has an enormous
fondness for bellybuttons and loves to steal and eat them whenever possible,
particularly the bellybuttons of children. Whenever the thunder rolls outside,
Japanese parents remind their children to hide their bellybuttons with their
hands to avoid attracting his rapacious attention.

Tuatha de Danann
Nuada: Also known as: Airgetlam, Elcmar, Lludd Llaw Eraint, Nechtan,
Nodens, Nudd
Associated Abilities: Athletics, Command, Integrity, Occult, Politics,
Presence
Associated Epic Attributes: Appearance, Charisma
Associated Purviews: Justice, War
The High King of the Tuatha is a figure widely renowned under many
different names, a fearless leader in war and a fair and just governer of his
people in times of peace. It is he who led the Tuatha to the promised land of
Ireland, and despite the many trials that faced them it is he who established

their kingdom there and made them the rightful rulers. He is a god of fairness
and equality, of honor on the battlefield and even-handedness in the court,
and his people follow him with an adoration seldom seen even among the
gods.
Nuada and the Fir Bolg
When he had been High King of the Tuatha for seven years, Nuada led
them forth to discover Ireland, a fertile land that they yearned to populate.
The land was already tenanted by the Fir Bolg, an evil race of rapacious
beings who varied from startlingly beautiful to hideous in appearance; Nuada
met their king under a flag of truce and requested that the Tuatha be allowed
to settle on half of the isle, but the Fir Bolg refused rudely. Insulted and
determined to find his people a safe haven, Nuada went to war with the Fir
Bolg; the fighting was fierce and terrible, and in the great battle of Mag
Tuired he faced Sreng, the greatest warrior of the Fir Bolg. Their battle raged
throughout the night, but eventually, tiring, Nuada was wounded terribly and
lost his hand, forcing him into retreat. The Dagda and Nuada's other sons
defended their father until the battle ended in a draw, but Sreng returned,
demanding that Nuada fight him in single combat again. Nuada declared that
he would do so if Sreng tied one arm to his side out of fairness, but the Fir
Bolg warrior refused, afraid that he would be defeated; the Tuatha then
charged the remnants of the Fir Bolg forces and conquered them, taking
rightful possession of the land. Nuada judged that, as a result of Sreng's
cowardice, the Fir Bolg would be granted not half the island to dwell on, as
he had originally offered, but a quarter of it.
Nuada and Bres
Nuada had lost an arm in the battle with the Fir Bolg, and the laws of the
Tuatha forbade any man who was not whole in body and mind to rule over
them; he was forced to abdicate his throne to Bres the Beautiful, a halfFomorian prince. All seemed well for a time, but it was soon revealed that
Bres was a wicked taskmaster, oppressing the Tuatha and favoring his
Fomorian brethren; Nuada had a replica arm made of silver made and thus
restored retook the kingship from him. Bres called upon his father, the
Fomorian king Balor of the Evil Eye, to aid him in overthrowing Nuada by
force; the war that ensued was even more bloody than the preceding one, and

Nuada finally ceded his kingdom temporarily to Lugh, placing it in his hands
to defeat the Fomorians. Once Lugh had done so, Nuada retook the throne
from him and reigned henceforth as the High King.
Nuada and Midir
Nuada's daughter Englec glimpsed the beautiful god Aengus one day,
and fell madly in love with him. Day after day she lingered where she
thought he might walk, and as she did so she caught the eye of Midir, a son of
the Dagda, who was very taken with her beauty. Eventually, he succumbed to
hs passion and abducted her from the woods where she waited for Aengus,
carrying her off to be his. When Nuada discovered what he had done, he
descended upon Midir in fury and beheaded him, avenging the rape of his
daughter.
The Dagda:Also known as: Dagda, Daghdha, Dagodeiwos
Associated Abilities: Art, Fortitude, Melee, Occult, Presence, Thrown
Associated Epic Attributes: Charisma, Intelligence, Stamina, Strength
Associated Purviews: Fertility, Sun, War
The Dagda is a figure whose strength and power are as legendary as his
instinctive wisdom. Unbeatable in combat, unsinkable in competition and
always cheerful when not sunk in the red mist of bloodlust, the Dagda is not a
particularly refined god but certainly one who leads the charge battle with no
lack of courage. He served as High King for a brief stint while Nuada was
being healed of his injuries, but he is more of a follower than a leader; he
prefers to enjoy the rush of combat and the rewards of victory without the
worries of the crown. No war god can hope to do more than match his
strength or keep up with his stride.
The Dagda and Boann
The Dagda once fell in love with Boann, a beautiful river goddess; he
attempted to resist his feelings, because she was his father's wife, but when
he found that she loved him as well he was powerless to resist her. The two
carried on a clandestine affair until Boann became pregnant; fearing that their
relationship would be discovered when Nuada returned the next day, the
Dagda grasped the sun and held it in place for nine months until Boann could

give birth to a beautiful baby boy, Aengus, the only person ever to have been
conceived and born in only one day. When the sun went down, Nuada
returned, but the Dagda had already spirited the child away for safekeeping,
and he never learned of his wife's unfaithfulness.
The Dagda and the Morrigan
When the Dagda went forth to battle with the Fomorians, he met the
Morrigan on the way, waiting for him by a river. She prophesied his doom
and frightened him with her omens of blood and defeat, but she promised that
if he kept a tryst with her she would provide him with battle plans that could
not be defeated. He agreed to this and they coupled beneath the trees, after
which she promised to send all the magicians and sorcerers to aid him,
turning the tide of battle.
Aengus: Also known as: Aengus Og, Angus, Aonghus, Mac ind Og, Mac
Og, Maccan, Maponos, Oengus
Associated Abilities: Animal Ken, Art, Athletics, Awareness, Brawl, Occult
Associated Epic Attributes: Appearance, Manipulation, Perception
Associated Purviews: Animal (Swan)
Aengus, often called the Young, is one of the least aged of the Tuatha,
and will always remain so; a fresh-faced youth of incredible beauty, he is the
god of love and beautiful inspiration, youth, happiness, sweetness, and all
things pleasant. As carefree and benevolent as any god can be, he is also a
courtier who stays ahead of his stronger fellows through careful
manipulation; he is the most rapturously beautiful of gods, and as such is
beloved by the entire pantheon.
Aengus and the Dagda
Aengus was raised in secret because of his illegitimate birth, but once he
achieved manhood he set out to find his father, the Dagda, and demand his
birthright of him. The Dagda had that very week divided up all his lands
among his children, but he had not saved a portion for Aengus, who was
disappointed and angered by his lack of consideration. Soulful and sad,
Aengus asked the Dagda if he would then let him stay in the magnificent Bru
na Boinne valley, which the Dagda had kept for himself, for a day and a

night; the Dagda agreed, but the ancient Gaelic language had no indefinite
article ("a"), so Aengus interpreted his assent to mean that he ceded the valley
for day and night, henceforth forever, and so won his birthright from his
father anyway.
Aengus and Caer Ibormeith
Aengus occasionally had prophetic dreams, and in one such he saw the
face of a beautiful woman, lovely beyond compare. She appeared in his
dreams for several nights in a row and he fell in love with her and set out to
find her, wherever she might be. Even though his parents aided him, he was
unable to find her for three long years before Bodb Derg finally located her in
Connacht and discovered that she was a princess named Caer Ibormeith. She
and her 149 sisters were under a curse that caused them to become swans
every day of the year but one; Caer Ibormeith's father, however, told Aengus
that he could have her only if he could pick her out among the other 149 girls
while all were in swan form. Aengus chose her successfully, and, changing
himself into a swan as well, flew away with her and married her when the
curse broke.
The Morrigan: Also known as: Anann, Badb, Fea, Macha, Mor-Rioghain,
Morrighan, the Morrigna, Morrigu, Nemain
Associated Abilities: Animal Ken, Awareness, Empathy, Occult, Presence,
Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: Appearance, Manipulation
Associated Purviews: Animal (Corvids), Chaos, Death, Prophecy, War
The most fearsome and mysterious of the Tuatha, the Morrigan is an
enigmatic figure, a goddess reveling in slaughter and bloodshed yet blessed
with knowledge beyond the normal ken even of gods. She is a deeply
mysterious figure, often thought to be one and the same as her two sisters, or
to be a triple goddess who somehow encompasses all three. The Phantom
Queen is a creature of battle and death who strikes fear even into the hearts of
her allies, but she is also a powerful sorceress and seer of the future, and
through her fierceness and destruction often comes new life, born of the soil
watered with the blood she spills. Few of the Tuatha enjoy her eldritch
company and fewer still wish to, but none dare to offer her insult; to do so

would be the most foolhardy act of one's immortal life.

The Morrigan and Cu Chulainn
Cu Chulainn, the hero of Ulster and a son of Lugh, once encountered the
Morrigan driving her cattle through the fields. He insulted her, thinking she
was but a poor peasant, and she prophesied that one day soon he would die in
battle. He did not believe her and threw himself headlong into at war with
Queen Medb of Connacht; though he was always victorious in battle, the
Morrigan harried him at every turn, tripping him, injuring him, and
frightening and derailing him with her powers. She told him that, if he
wanted her to let him live, he could give himself to her as a peace offering,
but he refused. On his way to the final battle, he saw her by the ford, washing
his bloody clothes in the river; it was a powerful omen of his impending
doom, and, indeed, he was mortally wounded in the battle and forced to tie
himself upright with his entrails to keep fighting until his last breath. When
he had finally died, the Morrigan sent crows to roost upon his body, so that
all on both sides of the battle could see the price of defying her.
Manannan Mac Lir: Also known as: Manannan, Manawydan
Associated Abilities: Art, Control, Empathy, Occult, Politics, Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: Manipulation, Wits
Associated Purviews: Death, Illusion, Magic, Prophecy, Psychopomp, Water
Manannan mac Lir is the son of Lir, an ancient ocean god believed by
many to be of an older generation than the other Tuatha, born of some longlost line of Danu or even a sibling or close relation to her. Indeed, his son
certainly seems different from the other Tuatha; Manannan is the god of the
sea that beats against the rocky shores of Ireland and of the restless dead, a
figure of dread, confusion, and mystery. Despite the dark realms he moves
through, he is an honorable god and is often sought for the fairness of his
rulings, a fact that seems at odds with his occasional decision to act as a
trickster to open the eyes of his fellow deities. He makes travel possible,
whether by sea or atop a land steed, and often seems to possess an answer
when no others can solve a problem without his knowing help.
Manannan mac Lir and Fand

Manannan mac Lir's beautiful wife, Fand, met Cu Chulainn one day and
found him so handsome that she ran away with him, accompanying him as
his new lover. They were chased across the countryside by Cu Chulainn's
wife, the jealous Emer; Fand would have destroyed her for she was a mere
mortal, but when Emer finally cornered them she realized that the woman
was worthy of her husband, and furthermore that she missed her own. She
called out to Manannan to come back to her; he appeared and surrounded
them with mist so that Cu Chulainn could never meet her again, and took her
back to his palace, there to remain for good.
Manannan mac Lir and Aodh Dubh O'Donnell
A jester once came to the court of Aodh Dubh O'Donnell, and there
spoke in riddles and confused the court sorely. The jester was dirty and
somewhat rude, and O'Donnell sent for his gatekeeper to chide them man for
letting him in, but he swore up and down that the jester had never entered
through the gate. In apology for his behavior, the jester played music on a
harp that was so beautiful that the entire court was enraptured; he refused any
payment for it, but O'Donnell feared the jester would leave and, not wanting
to be deprived of the music, posted an armed guard about him to keep him at
the court. The jester refused to stay, and confounded his guards with music
until they killed one another instead of touching him, whereupon he
demanded a hefty fee to raise the men from the dead. O'Donnell scoffed, for
he did not believe that the jester could do any such thing, but then the jester
revealed himself to be Manannan mac Lir and the O'Donnell gladly
apologized and paid his price to see his men resurrected.
Lugh: Also known as: Ildanach, Lamhfhada, Lonnbeimnech, Lu, Lug,
Lugus, Macnia, Samhildanach
Associated Abilities: Art, Empathy, Marksmanship, Medicine, Survival,
Thrown
Associated Epic Attributes: Charisma, Strength
Associated Purviews: Artistry, Sun, War
Lugh of the Long Arm is a true generalist; he is the god of skill and can
seldom be defeated in any contest, being as multi-talented and versatile as
some gods are hidebound and restricted. He is a renowned war general, a

famous archer, a clever magician, a quick-witted trickster, a glorious god of

brightness and a thousand other things, each talent presented at just the right
time when it is required to aid the Tuatha.
Lugh's Birth
The king of the Fomorians, Balor of the Evil Eye, had a beautiful
daughter named Ethniu who was so comely that every Fomorian and Tuatha
for miles around sued for her hand in marriage. Balor received a prophecy,
however, which claimed that Ethniu's son would one day kill him, so to keep
her from ever meeting a man he locked her into a high tower and refused to
allow any to see her. One day, Balor happened to discover a magical cow of
great health and attractiveness whose milk never ran dry; he wished to
possess it, so he stole the cow, frightening its caretaker, Samhain, and
absconded with it. The cow belonged to Samhain's brother, Cian, a son of
Dian Cecht, who was so furious when he learned of Balor's theft that he
called upon the Morrigan for help. She spirited him to the top of Ethniu's
tower and Cian conceived with her; Balor intercepted her triplet infants when
they were born, however, and hurled them out the window into a whirlpool to
drown. Two of the three babies met their ends, but the third was rescued by
the Morrigan, who delivered him to his half-brother Gavida to be fostered
and raised.
Lugh and the Tuatha de Danann
When Lugh became a man, he wished to join the other Tuatha and
journeyed to Nuada's court, where he asked to be allowed to join his fellows.
Nuada's doorkeeper asserted that he could not enter unless he had some
amazing skill with which to serve the king, whereupon Lugh offered all the
skills he knew of. He offered to be a poet, a warrior, a crafter, a sorcerer, a
smith, a musician, and several other services, but each time the doorkeeper
refused, saying that the Tuatha already had a god who provided that
particular service. Finally, Lugh asked him if there were any among the
Tuatha who could do all of those things; he was forced to admit that there
was not, and Lugh was allowed to join the court.
Lugh and the Sons of Tuireann
Tuireann's three sons were out walking and saw a pig, which they killed

for sport. The pig was actually Lugh's father, Cian, whose body returned to
normal when he died; afraid of his retribution, the three brothers chopped the
body up and scattered the pieces, hoping that he would not find out, but Lugh
saw through their ruse. In recompense, he demanded that they travel the
world and complete nine incredibly difficult tasks for him, even sending them
as far as Persia to gather legendary weapons for the war effort. They did this,
but were fatally wounded in completing the last task; when they returned to
Ireland they begged Lugh to heal them of their wounds, but he refused,
condemning them to die for the murder they had committed.
Lugh and the Fomorians
When Balor of the Evil eye marched his armies of Fomorians against the
Tuatha, Nuada saw that Lugh's many skills would be invaluable in war and
asked him to take over as the leader of the Tuatha for the duration of the
fighting. Lugh led the Tuatha into battle and in the fierce fighting met Balor
face to face; Balor tried to kill him with the horrible power of his evil eye,
but Lugh shot it out with a sling, blinding him, and slew him on the
battlefield. The Tuatha were victorious, and afterward Lugh found the tyrant
Bres fleeing the scene of the battle and forced him to apologize for his deeds
and work for the Tuatha forever after. Bres did so, but Lugh, still angered by
his treachery, made three hundred cows of wood and filled them with
venomous poison, which his servants then milked and offered as a drink to
Bres. The half-Fomorian prince, who was under geas never to refuse
hospitality, was forced to drink it and died of the poison.
Ogma: Also known as: Oghma, Ogmios
Associated Abilities: Academics, Art, Command, Melee, Occult, Thrown
Associated Epic Attributes: Manipulation, Strength
Associated Purviews: Mystery, Psychopomp, War
Ogma is the right hand of the High King, equally skilled as a warrior
beyond compare and a treasured advisor. Well-known for his uncanny battle
acumen, his unrivalled eloquence and persuasiveness and his ability to cut
right to the heart of the matter, he is also a fighter of enormous strength and
endurance, never straying far from his liege's side in combat. He is also a
keeper of esoteric knowledge, the inventor of the Ogham alphabet and a

psychopomp who leads the dead to their final destination.

Ogma and Lugh
When Lugh came to Nuada's court and demanded a place, Ogma,
knowing that Lugh might wish to usurp him as advisor to the throne,
challenged him to a throwing match. He took up a flagstone of Nuada's castle
so heavy that eighty oxen would have to strain to pull it, and threw it all the
way out of the castle into the courtyard; to the wonder of the court, however,
Lugh managed to throw it back, proving himself an equal in strength.
Impressed, Lugh did not attempt to take Ogma's place, and in return Ogma
fought as his champion in the war against the Fomorians.
Dian Cecht: Also known as: Canta, Cainte
Associated Abilities: Awareness, Empathy, Medicine, Melee, Occult, Politics
Associated Epic Attributes: None
Associated Purviews: Health
The god of healing is a surprisingly fiery and temperamental figure, the
father of uncountable children and a being infamous for his temper. As one of
the oldest of his pantheon, he is treated with respect and gratitude by the
Tuatha, who often find themselves in need of his healing arts, but even they
recognize that his behavior occasionally goes outside the pale. Forceful,
intelligent, and above all demanding of the respect due him, Dian Cecht is a
god who brooks no contradiction; he is the caretaker of the wondrous well of
Slane, whose healing waters can cure any wound or illness save total
decapitation or death.
Dian Cecht and Miach
When the High King Nuada lost his arm in battle, the laws of the land
dictated that he cede his crown to another as he was no longer whole; when it
became apparent that the Tuatha were suffering under the rule of the tyrant
Bres, however, he sought out Dian Cecht and asked him if something could
be done to heal him. Using all the healing secrets and skills at his disposal,
Dian Cecht crafted a silver hand that he attached to Nuada with such cunning
that it acted exactly as a real hand, allowing him to once more take the
throne. Unknown to Dian Cecht, however, his son, Miach, also wished to

help the High King, and after many nights of toil discovered a way to
regenerate Nuada's own hand, regrowing him a hand of true flesh and blood.
Nuada was overjoyed at the return of his hand, but Dian Cecht flew into a
towering rage at this affront to his pride, and in a fit of jealous rage slew his
son for daring to be a greater healer than he. When Miach was buried, his
sister, Airmed, wept over his grave; she, too, was a goddess of healing, and
where her tears fell grew all the healing herbs of the world, which she began
to collect. Furious that she, too, would thus compete with him, Dian Cecht
struck her and scattered the herbs to the four winds, leaving humanity to
never be able to find all of them again.
Dian Cecht and the River Barrow
The Morrigan, the fierce and warlike goddess, bore a son of the Dagda's
once; when he was born, he was so terrifyingly hideous that the other gods
took him to Dian Cecht to ask the physician what might be done or what
might be wrong with him. Dian Cecht, no less repulsed by the baby's
appearance than they, immediately declared that it was a creature of evil and
that it must be destroyed before it could grow up; he tore its chest open and
sliced open its heart, and from the heart sprang three venomous snakes that
attacked him. He slew the serpents and burned their bodies, and then threw
the ashes into a the nearby river Barrow and caused it to boil forevermore,
finally declaring that the baby had been purged and was no longer a threat.
Brigid: Also known as: Breo Saighead, Brid, Brig, Brigantia, Brighid, Brigit
Associated Abilities: Art, Empathy, Fortitude, Integrity, Medicine, Presence
Associated Epic Attributes: Appearance
Associated Purviews: None
Brigid, the Fiery Arrow, is the goddess of the creative spark, an
inspiration to creators of every kind. She is a goddess of fire, keeper of the
eternal sacred flame, making the arts of the smithy possible, and a goddess of
wisdom, providing the knowledge to create stories and music, and a goddess
of sufficient beauty to inspire the most uninspired of painters and sculptors.
Her temper is equally fiery, and as one of the youngest of the Tuatha she is
quite a handful for her peers and elders to handle, always inspiring passion in
those around her.

Brigid and Bres

In order to strengthen the ties between the Tuatha and the Fomorians
while they were at peace and to please the current High King, Brigid was
married to Bres the Beautiful, the half-Fomorian prince. Soon he began to
oppress the Tuatha, however, and when his reign was overthrown he called
upon Balor to aid him in warring against the throne. Brigid fought on the side
of the Tuatha, though she avoided her husband on the battlefield; their young
son Ruadan, however, fought for his father and was killed in the fierce battle.
Brigid invented the art of keening in her wild grief over his death.

Deva
Brahma: Also known as: Berahma, Berma, Piraman, Prajapati, Thada Phrom
Associated Abilities: Academics, Art, Awareness, Fortitude, Occult, Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: Intelligence, Stamina
Associated Purviews: Artistry, Illusion, Magic
Brahma is the great creator god of the Deva, self-born out of
nothingness in order to create the rest of the world and all the beings in it. He
is a god of order and benevolence, seldom meddling in the affairs of mankind
but always revered as its ultimate originator. He is a god of serenity, of peace
and wisdom, and of constant bounty; as the first god of the Trimurti, he
creates that which Vishnu maintains and Shiva ultimately destroys, part of the
neverending cycle of the universe. He is the master crafter of reality, but
more importantly of unreality: as the world and all that populates it is but an
illusion that humanity cannot see through, so it is Brahma who spins these
stunning illusions from nothingness to provide form and function to that
which cannot be understood without it.
Brahma and the Gods
It happened that several demons had begun to worship Brahma devoutly,
and in doing so they gained such great power and righteousness that the gods
could not defeat them in battle. Seeing this and recognizing that it could not
go on, Vishnu disguised himself and went among the demons, loudly

denouncing Brahma and convincing them to cease worshiping him in favor

of a lawless existence. Once they had done this, they lost all the power of
Brahma's favor and were easily defeated by the gods, but Vishnu had done
his work too well, and Brahma was henceforth worshiped very little on earth,
even by devout mortals, which is why he has so few temples and worshipers
when compared to the other gods of the Trimurti.
Brahma and the Many Universes
It is said that Brahma is so far above the marching of mankind's days
that even time moves differently for him; every day for Brahma stretches
more than four billion years on earth, and he lives for one hundred days,
trillions of years in human terms. At the end of each awesome day he closes
his eyes and lies down to sleep, and the world is destroyed without his
creation to balance it out; each morning he rises and creates it anew, thus
perpetuating the cycle of the universe. When at last the unfathomable
hundred years of Brahma's life have ended he will die, and in another
hundred years cause himself to be reborn to create a new universe from
nothingness.
Vishnu: Also known as: Bisnu, Tirumal, visnu, Wisanu, Wisnu, Yajnapati
Associated Abilities: Animal Ken, Awareness, Command, Empathy, Melee,
Presence
Associated Epic Attributes: Appearance, Charisma, Intelligence, Stamina
Associated Purviews: Guardian, Mystery, Sun
Vishnu is the Great Maintainer, the second member of the Trimurti and,
many of his worshipers believe, the most critically important for mankind's
prosperity and happiness. It is he who maintains and supports that which
Brahma makes, carrying the world and all its myriad forms of life until it is
time to deliver them to Shiva for their ultimate destruction. He is omniscient,
wise and kingly, the great father and protector of humanity, the source from
which all good things spring, and his power among his devotees is such that
even today there are countless heavily-frequented temples and shrines in his
honor, millions of worshipers clamoring for his blessings and attention. An
ancient god of light, his radiance is too much for mortal eyes to bear or the
mortal mind to comprehend. Though all things are created by Brahma and

destroyed by Shiva, it is Vishnu who cherishes and maintains them through

their brief lives on earth, and he is thus one of the most highly revered and
beloved by mankind of all the Deva.
Vishnu's Avatars
Whenever the world or humanity is threatened by insurmountable
dangers or challenges, Vishnu is said to incarnate himself as an avatar in
order to save them. When a great flood threatened to destroy the first human,
Manu, Vishnu became Matsya, the giant fish, and towed his ship to safety.
When the gods churned the Ocean of Milk and it seemed that there would be
no safe land to stand upon, Vishnu became Kurma, the giant turtle who
carried land safely on its back. When the demon Hiranyaksha stole the earth
and dragged it to the bottom of the ocean, swearing never to return it, Vishnu
became Varaha, a monstrous boar that battled the demon for a century and
finally defeated him. When Hiranyaksha's brother Hiranyakashipu attempted
to kill him in revenge by gaining great powers from Brahma, Vishnu became
Narasimha, a half-lion god who tore him to pieces despite his many boons
and protections. When the evil tyrant Bali gained control of the world,
Vishnu became Vamana, an unprepossessing dwarf who convinced the king
to grant him whatever land he could cover in three steps and then took three
enormous strides that encompassed the entire world. When the priests of the
gods were oppressed by the fierce Kshatriyas, who refused to allow them to
worship, Vishnu became Parasurama, a beautiful and clever young man who
defeated the soldiers and set the priests free. When the great demon king
Ravana threatened to overwhelm the world, Vishnu became the warrior Rama
and fought him long and hard, finally defeating him. When demons overran
the earth, Vishnu became the revered Krishna and defeated them for an entire
lifetime, also spreading the teachings of the Deva as he went. And when
mankind began to doubt the gods and turn away from their worship, Vishnu
became the philosopher Buddha and inspired humanity to create an entirely
new religion.
It is said that Vishnu's tenth and final avatar, Kalki, the lord of time who
rides on a white horse, will finally come forth at the end of the world,
abolishing the cycle of misery and sickness that is samsara and ushering in a
new age of harmony and peace.

Shiva: Also known as: Chandra-Sekhara, Civan, Nataraja, Rudra, SadaShiva, Shib, Siva, Siwa
Associated Abilities: Art, Fortitude, Integrity, Melee, Occult, Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: Dexterity, Stamina
Associated Purviews: Chaos, Death, Health, Thunder
The third member of the almighty Trimurti, Shiva is the god of
destruction and transformation, the one who takes the things created by
Brahma and maintained by Vishnu and destroys or remakes them in new
ways. A fearsome sight to behold, he is a bone-thin ascentic with ash-smeared
skin, a glaring third eye, matted, tangled hair and a mottled blue throat; he is
one of the most univerally feared of all the Deva, and, indeed, of all the gods
of every pantheon. While his mastery over space and time and his terrifying
visage and destructive tendencies are truly frightening, he is also understood
to be a benevolent god and part of the natural order of things; he effects
necessary change and prevents stagnation, and without destruction the natural
cycle of creation could not continue. He is also the lord of the dance and the
god of delight and happiness, representing his gentler side, and his steps are
unmatched anywhere else in the universe.
Shiva's Birth
In the beginning, Brahma and Vishnu were the only members of the
Trimurti, and they quarreled as to which was the more powerful; Brahma
claimed that it was he, since he wielded the vast power of creation, while
Vishnu contended that he was the more powerful since it was only through
his power that Brahma's creations survived. Coming to a massive pillar that
ran between earth and the heavens, they each resolved to best the other and
win the argument; Brahma turned into a goose and flew to find the top of the
pillar while Vishnu turned into a boar and dug down to find its bottom, and
they agreed that whomever found the end of the pillar first would be the
victor. After many days and nights, however, neither could find the pillar's
end, and they returned, discouraged, to where they had first begun searching.
With a great blazing light, the pillar cracked open and Shiva emerged, and
when he had demonstrated his power the other two realized the futility of
their argument and agreed that, along with Shiva, they were a triumvirate of
equal strength and importance.

Shiva and the Ganges

The Ganges, most sacred of rivers, once flowed only through the
heavens, and the earth below was parched and miserable for lack of its
healing waters. A wise sage, wishing to aid his suffering fellows, sneaked
into heaven and toppled a great stone to divert the river's flow; while this did
indeed redirect the river to flow on earth, it also caused it to leap its banks,
becoming an uncontrollable flood that threatened all life on earth. Seeing
humanity's plight, Shiva stepped forward and stood at the river's fall, letting it
flow through his hair and leave it matted and tangled so that it would be
calmed by the time it reached earth.
Shiva and Vasuki
When the gods had successfully churned the ocean to make the elixir of
immortality, they used Vasuki, the king of all serpents, as a rope; in doing so,
however, they pulled him so tightly that he vomited up some of his poison
into the oceans. The gods were dismayed and frightened by this, as Vasuki's
poison was incredibly potent and could end all life on earth if allowed to
spread. Vishnu suggested that they appeal to Shiva for help; when they did,
he agreed to save mankind and knelt to drink all of the poisoned oceans,
holding them in his throat so that they would not be let free to poison others.
The poison was so strong and deadly that it turned the flesh of his throat blue
forever after.
Shiva and Sati
Sati, a beautiful and graceful goddess in human form, was born at the
behest of Brahma and grew tall and lovely, worshiping Shiva above all other
gods. As she grew to womanhood, she set her heart on marrying Shiva,
though she had never met him, and refused all other suitors that her father,
Daksha, presented before her. Rejecting his entreaties for her to marry a king
or a god of high standing, she instead went into the forest to live, fasting and
praying to Shiva and soon giving up all food and sleep in her devotion.
Moved by her dedication and love for him, Shiva rescued her from death's
doorstep and consented to marry her.
Though Sati was ecstatic and she and Shiva were very happy together,
Daksha was furious at her poor taste in men and all but disowned her from

her family. Seeking to mend their relations, Sati went to a party at her father's
house despite Shiva's attempts to discourage her, and there was forced to
listen as Daksha slandered Shiva before all his guests, calling him unkempt,
weak, and a vagrant. When he turned his insults further on Sati herself, she
was so miserable and mortified by the unbearable shame and pain of his
words that she went to his courtyard and immolated herself, crying out to
Shiva as she died.
When he discovered what had happened, Shiva's wrath was so terrible
that the very earth itself shook; he burst into Daksha's house with his demon
servants and slaughtered all within, decapitating Daksha himself and grinding
his body into the dirt. Then, mad with grief, he took Sati's charred body in his
arms and wandered the world with it, speaking to no man or god in his
misery. Seeing that this could not continue, Vishnu caused Sati's body to
break into fifty-one pieces which scattered throughout the world, and Shiva,
restored mainly to his senses, resurrected many of those he had killed, all of
whom became his devoted worshipers.
Sarasvati: Also known as: Benzaiten, Biancaitien, Gayatri, Hamsa-vahini,
Saraswati, Satarupa, Savitri
Associated Abilities: Academics, Art, Awareness, Empathy, Presence,
Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: Appearance, Charisma, Intelligence
Associated Purviews: Artistry, Water
The consort of Brahma and one of the major river goddesses of India,
Sarasvati mirrors his creator-god role on a subtler scale, embodying
inspiration, creativity, knowledge and the arts. The patron of both secular and
divine knowledge, Sarasvati grants mortals a deepened understanding of the
world, whether that understanding takes the form of scientific breakthrough,
artistic perfection, or philosophical unity. Due in part to her role as a divine
scholar and muse, Sarasvati has a special tie to the four Vedas, which are
symbolized by her appearance (one arm for each Veda) and by the relics she
carries, which represent poetry and the pursuit of knowledge, prose,
meditation and spirituality, music and emotion and the power of knowledge
and the arts to purify human thought. She is also associated with the lotus,
representing absolute truth, and with the color white, representing pure

knowledge. To her Buddhist devotees, Sarasvati is a powerful guardian

goddess, safeguarding the faithful while they learn all she has to offer and
progress along the path to enlightement.
Sarasvati and Brahma
Brahma, the creator of all things, gave birth to a goddess of great beauty
and splendor named Sarasvati. Seeing her perfection and charmed by her
beauty and cleverness, he immediately sought to marry her, but she did not
wish to become his bride and attempted to avoid him; however, no matter
where she went Brahma would grow a new head facing in that direction so
that he could always see her. Frustrated, she fled to Vishnu and asked him to
marry her; however, she soon became jealous of Lakshmi and cursed her for
holding Vishnu's attention. When he discovered what had happened, Vishnu
cursed Sarasvati in turn and gave her to Brahma for his wife, where she
remained henceforth.
Lakshmi: Also known as: Jaladhija, Laks, Laxmi, Loka-mata, Lola, Padma,
Prandayini, Sri
Associated Abilities: Empathy, Integrity, Occult, Politics, Presence, Stealth
Associated Epic Attributes: Appearance, Charisma, Intelligence, Perception
Associated Purviews: Magic
While her beloved husband Vishnu protects the world from supernatural
threats, Lakshmi uplifts the world with gifts of fertility, wealth, and good
luck. Loving and merciful, Lakshmi intercedes on behalf of mortals, asking
for gentle treatment from her stern-faced husband on their behalf. When
asking for forgiveness from the gods, mortal supplicants often pray to
Lakshmi in hopes that she will take up their cause. She gives generously of
her wealth (and is often depicted with coins and other riches spilling out of
her hands), but her fickle nature brings low the mighty when she turns her
attention elsewhere. She is associated with and often accompanied by
elephants, who symbolize wealth and royalty, and by a great owl, who
represents penetrating sight and who serves as her mount. When she chooses
to wear red, she represents constant, vigorous activity; when her garments are
golden to match her golden complexion, she represents the fulfillment that
results from hard work. Lakshmi hears the prayers of all the devout and visits

them in their suffering no matter what caste or people they belong to, and so
she is one of the most beloved and widely praised of benevolent goddesses.
Lakshmi's Birth
Long ago, the gods undertook to create amrit, the divine nectar of
immortality; in order to do so, they were required to churn the Kshirsagar, the
great Sea of Milk. Vishnu supported a great mountain with his shoulders and
gods and demons alike helped wrap the serpent Vasuki around it and push
and pull him to churn the oceans. As the water grew more and more agitated,
many objects and creatures began to be brought up from the depths; finally,
as they reached the point of achieving their aim, a ravishingly beautiful
maiden, Lakshmi, arose from the waters, churned up from the palace of her
father, the king of the Sea of Milk. Brahma immediately recognized her as
the perfect future wife for Vishnu and sent her to him; he fell instantly in love
and married her, and the nectar of immortality came up out of the ocean as
soon as she departed it.
Lakshmi and Vishnu
There was once a woman of the lowliest caste, the untouchables, who
was a fervent worshiper of Lakshmi, and her prayers and offerings so
touched the goddess that she descended from heaven and visited the woman
at her house. When Vishnu heard of this, however, he declared that Lakshmi
had defiled herself by consorting with an untouchable and barred the doors of
her own temple to her, refusing to allow her to return. Hurt and miserable
because of this treatment, Lakshmi returned to her father's palace beneath the
ocean. Soon after, however, Vishnu discovered that his wealth began to
dwindle at an alarming rate, and soon he had not even enough to purchase
food and was forced to begin begging in the streets for his meals. He
wandered the world begging until he eventually found himself at the door of
the palace of Lakshmi's father, where he apologized to his wife and begged
her to return and restore good luck and happiness to him.
Lakshmi and Bhragu
The great wise man Bhragu once undertook a pilgrimage to visit the
three gods of the Trimurti; however, Brahma dismissed him and Shiva could
not be pried from Parvati's bed long enough to attend him, and when he

arrived at Vishnu's house and found the god sleeping he was so angry that he
struck him in the chest. Lakshmi had been lying on Vishnu's chest, however,
and was so hurt and offended by the blow that she fled from her husband's
house, feeling that he no longer loved her. Bhragu, when he saw how this
distressed Vishnu, resolved to bring her back and followed her path down to
earth, where he found that she had disguised herself as a herd of cows.
Quickly, he donned a cowherd's clothes and began beating the cows viciously
so that they cried out; hearing this, Vishnu descended from the heavens in
wrath and smote him many times with his mace for his cruelty. Lakshmi,
touched that her husband had come to her rescue after all, returned to her true
form and allowed him to take her home.
Parvati: Also known as: Ambika, Apama, Bhavani, Chandi, Gauri, Lalita,
Mahagauri, Nang Uma, Parvathy, Parwati, Shailputri, Shakti, Shivakamini,
Shyama
Associated Abilities: Awareness, Empathy, Fortitude, Integrity, Medicine,
Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: Manipulation, Stamina, Wits
Associated Purviews: Earth
Born from the rocky earth of the very mountains themselves, Parvati is
the great mother goddess of the Deva, the epitome of all that is good and
desirable in a woman, wife or mother; she is beautiful and pleasant, patient
and giving, balanced and serene, and capable of protecting and nurturing all
those under her care. A goddess of the family and the home, she extends her
influence over all of her people, providing the calm necessary to balance her
husband Shiva's destructive nature and the loving largesse needed for her
worshipers to prosper. The devotees of Parvati believe her to be the ultimate
living expression of shakti, the divine feminine energy of the universe, and
thus venerate her above all other goddesses. It is only she who can overcome
Shiva's stubbornness and suborn his rages, whether she chooses to do so with
loving caresses, stubborn suggestion or even angry insistence that he cannot
ignore.
Parvati and Shiva
When Shiva's wife Sati killed herself and Vishnu forcibly took her body

from him, he succumbed to grief and depression and disappeared into the
mountains, vowing never again to have anything to do with the world.
Without the third member of the Trimurti, the world began to become
unbalanced, lacking in the ability to change and destroy what was no longer
needed, and the gods soon begged him to return. He responded to none of
them and remained in his cave, immobile, neither eating nor drinking. The
imbalance of the universe was so great that Yama, lord of the dead, instructed
Sati to return to the world, and when she saw Shiva's state she agreed, moved
by her husband's pain. She could not return as herself, however, so she was
reincarnated as the goddess Parvati, born to Himavan, the mountain god.
When Parvati had grown to womanhood, she was an exceptionally
beautiful and talented young woman, and though she did not remember her
past life her love for Shiva was undimmed. Encouraged by the other gods,
she visited his empty cave in the mountains every day, sweeping the floor,
cleaning him tenderly, and offering him foods, drinks and cheerful
decorations in the hopes that he would soon love her back; Shiva, however,
still sunk in his misery over the loss of Sati, did not so much as open his eyes
to look upon her, and she grew more and more distraught as the days passed.
Finally, she used her magics to transform the cave into a beautiful garden of
pleasures and delights, filled with soft grasses, birdsong and sensual scents,
and begged Kama, the god of love, to aid her. Kama appeared and shot Shiva
with the arrows of desire, but Shiva was so furious that the other god should
try to give his heart to another that he opened his fearsome third eye and
blasted him to ashes with its baleful gaze.
Seeing this, the gods despaired, for now there was no love in the rapidly
deteriorating world, either. Parvati, however, declared that she would find a
way to force Shiva out of his grief, and that once he loved her Kama would
be reborn. Seeing that the only thing left that might move him was ascetism
and penance, she took herself into his cave and began to fast and endure
every hardship herself, refusing to eat, sleep, or in any way receive comfort.
The heat of her resolve was so great that it burned throughout heaven,
making the other gods uncomfortably hot, and again they appealed to Shiva
to open his eyes and consider Parvati. Impressed by the great lengths to
which she had gone, he finally looked upon her and found her beautiful;
however, to make sure she was as sincere as she appeared, he disguised
himself as a wandering sage and came to her, speaking about the many

atrocities Shiva had committed and exhorting her to find a new husband.
When Parvati replied that she felt that in some way she was already married
to Shiva and that she could never marry another, he finally saw in her the
ghost of Sati and rejoiced, taking her to his home and finally returning to the
world.
Parvati and Brahma
It happened that Shiva one day teased his wife, pointing out her dark
skin and comparing her to Kali. Angered by his cruelty and worried that he
might truly find her skin unattractive, she immediately left home, leaving
Ganesha to stand watch in case Shiva should try to be unfaithful with any
other women while she was away. She meditated and prayed for many days
and nights until finally her devotion caught Brahma's attention; he descended
and asked her what she wanted, and when she explained her wish he
transformed her so that her skin was now beautiful and golden. Rejoicing, she
returned home, where she convinced Ganesha that she was his mother and
presented herself to Shiva; her husband was so impressed that she had made
such an effort to please him that he took her to bed for several straight years.
Parvati and Andhaka
After they had been making love one night, Parvati sneaked up behind
Shiva and put her hands over his eyes, giggling at her jest. The world was
immediately plunged into darkness and the gods cried out in annoyance, so
Shiva opened his third eye to restore some of his sight; the heat of that
terrible eye so close to Parvati's hands, however, activated some of Shiva's
seed that remained on them and caused her to suddenly bear a hideous child
named Andhaka, a demonic-looking being of grotesque form. Parvati was
unconcerned with his ugliness and cared for him lovingly as if he were any
other of her children, and Shiva tolerated his presence for some time;
however, when Andhaka achieved maturity, he conceived an unnatural lust
for his mother and plotted to catch her bathing and have his way with her.
When Shiva stumbled across him attempting to put this plan into action, he
tore him to pieces in a rage, and despite Parvati's tears refused to ever speak
Andhaka's name again.
Kali: Also known as: Bhavatarini, Durga, Kala, Kalaratri, Kalika

Associated Abilities: Art, Athletics, Brawl, Melee, Occult, Presence

Associated Epic Attributes: Appearance, Strength
Associated Purviews: Chaos, Darkness, Death, War
Kali is the fearsome goddess of war, a terrible being who leaves death
and destruction in her wake and cannot be leashed or controlled, even by the
other gods. Black as night and horrible to behold, she is the goddess who
destroys and the harbinger of chaos, the supreme goddess who devours all
things in her path; she is also the goddess of salvation, as only through the
violent destruction of mankind's sins and misconceptions can they ascend to a
higher state of understanding. She is the terrible mother who slays her
children and the demonic soldier who clears the battlefield, and only her
husband, Shiva, can hope to rein her in even for a little while. When Kali
takes the field, enemies fall in drove and blood runs like a river; when she
dances her dance of destruction, the world's foundations themselves tremble.
Kali and Raktabija
When the terrible demon Raktabija menaced the gods, Parvati girded
herself for war and, along with her servants, attempted to halt his progress
and kill him. Much to their horror, however, they found that every drop of his
blood that spilled onto the ground turned into another demon, so that he was
incredibly numerous and undefeatable. Desperate and unable to defeat him,
Parvati called upon Kali, who appeared out of the darkness, terrible to behold
and awesome in her power. She slew all of Raktabija's minions and
swallowed all the copies of himself he had made, and when he turned to run
she seized him and sucked the blood from his body so that he could not
reproduce himself when she finally tore off his head. Victorious, she danced
in bloody splendor on the battlefield, and Parvati and her servants,
recognizing that they had succeeded and that they could not banish Kali now
that they had called her, withdrew.
Kali and Shiva
When she had destroyed all those on the battlefield, Kali rampaged
through it, drunk on the blood of her victims and dancing a terrible,
dangerous dance, trampling all the bodies underfoot. Alarmed by the violence
of her dance, Shiva laid down on the battlefield to absorb its terrible tremors

and cried out; when she realized that she had almost stepped upon and
injured her husband, Kali was ashamed and stuck out her tongue and bit it in
penance before helping him return home. She returned to the battlefield,
however, and again her terrible dance was so destructive that the gods began
to fear she would crack the earth; they called on Shiva to control her, so he
took the form of an infant version of himself and sat in the midst of the
battlefield, crying in distress. Kali, finding her husband as a child, calmed
herself and fed him tenderly from her breasts, and the gods were able to
repair the damage she had caused.
Kali and the Lord of the Dance
Kali once took possession of a forest, and the natives of the area were
thoroughly terrorized by her presence, even to the point that some of Shiva's
followers were distracted, causing them to pray to him for help. He came
down from heaven to ask Kali to calm herself, but she refused, taunting him
and claiming that it was her nature to be so violent. Though Shiva was wellknown to be the Lord of the Dance, Kali's fearsome and destructive dances
were legendary, and she challenged Shiva to a contest, saying that she could
dance more awesomely even than him. The two danced with such fervor that
they shook the very foundations of heaven and earth themselves, until finally
Shiva danced the Tandava, the dance of all creation, life and death in the
universe, and Kali was unable to keep up with his steps. She conceded that
Shiva was the winner and departed for heaven with him, leaving the earth as
it was. The gods, shaken by the awesome fury that had occurred when both
Shiva and Kali danced at the same time, resolved never to allow them to
dance together again lest the world be shaken apart.
Ganesha: Also known as: Gaja-Anana, Ganapati, Ganesh, Ganesa, Pillaiyar,
Vighnesha, Vinyaka
Associated Abilities: Academics, Art, Awareness, Fortitude, Occult, Thrown
Associated Epic Attributes: Intelligence, Perception, Stamina
Associated Purviews: Animal (Elephant), Magic, Psychopomp
The Lord of Beginnings and Endings and Remover of All Obstacles is
perhaps the most recognizable of all the Deva, a widely-worshiped and
beloved figure with an elephant's head and a beneficent, generous attitude

toward mankind. He is a god of order and encouragement, removing

obstacles from the paths of the faithful (or placing them there in order to
teach them to overcome), and also the god of wisdom and the lord of
learning, patron of students, writers and others who prize intelligence highly.
Jovial but ineffable, he boasts millions of worshipers (whose cries, prayers
and begging for auspicious paths he hears daily through his enormous ears)
and administers to them with even-handed, mysterious equanimity.
Ganesha's Birth
When Ganesha was born, he was a baby boy of exceptional beauty and
perfection. Parvati left him at the door of her house to play while she went
within to take a bath, telling him not to let anyone disturb her. While she was
bathing, Shiva returned home and would have entered, but the infant Ganesha
refused to allow him to see his wife. Enraged that his baby son should try to
separate him from Parvati, Shiva cut Ganesha's head off and removed him
from his path. Parvati, however, saw this and cried out in inconsolable grief;
regretting his hasty action, Shiva resurrected the boy but could not find his
severed head, and instead replaced it with the head of an elephant.
Ganesha and Parvati
As a child, Ganesha one day happened across a large cat, sleek and
beautiful. It rubbed against his hands and purred with happiness to see him,
but he was thoughtless as he played with it and pulled its tail and whiskers,
hurting it and rolling it across the ground. The cat eventually escaped and ran
away, and Ganesha forgot his afternoon of fun. When he returned home that
night, however, he found his mother Parvati dirty and covered in bruises;
when he demanded to know who had done this to her, she explained that she
had been the cat and that it was his own thoughtless actions which had pained
her. Filled with remorse, Ganesha begged her forgiveness and henceforth
promised to harm no living animal without due cause.
Ganesha and the Fruit of Wisdom
Ganesha and his brother Skanda once quarreled over a beautiful, plump
fruit which grew in their parents' garden. Shiva and Parvati explained that the
fruit contained all the wisdom of the world, and that only one person could
eat it; they suggested that the two boys compete to see who could win it, and

told them that the first of them to circle the world three times and come back
would win. Skanda left at once, riding his swift peacock mount through the
skies, praying to the gods for success the entire way; Ganesha, pot-bellied,
rotund, and mounted upon a rat, took only a few steps toward the courtyard
door. Instead of racing his brother, he dismounted and declared that his
parents contained the wisdom of the entire world, and that therefore there
was no need to travel such long distances. He walked around Shiva and
Parvati three times, and, pleased by this answer, they awarded him the fruit of
wisdom.
Ganesha and Kubera
Kubera, a god of wealth and plenty, was so proud of his great houses
and sumptuous feasts that he invited all the gods to come sample them as his
guests. When Shiva and Parvati arrived with their son, Ganesha began to eat
at the banquet table; in his prodigious hunger, he devoured all of his food and
even the food of the others at the table, and still he could not be satisfied. He
devoured everything in the house and Kubera, terrified that he would be
eaten next, begged Shiva to restrain his son. Shiva offered Ganesha a handful
of simple grain; once he had eaten it he ceased to rampage immediately, his
appetite easily soothed by wholesome fare from a loving hand rather than by
the empty, prideful delicacies he had been consuming.
Ganesha and the Moon
One day, Ganesha had gorged himself so thoroughly on cakes and
candies that, as he was riding home on his rat, his stomach burst open when
the creature tripped over a snake and dropped him to the ground. Not wishing
to waste such fine cakes, Ganesha collected them and placed them back into
his belly, and, capturing the snake which had caused his fall, he tied it around
his stomach to keep it from opening again. The moon, who had been
observing all this, thought the scene was so funny that it burst out laughing so
that all the countryside could hear it. Angry and offended by its mirth,
Ganesha broke off his right tusk and hurled it at the moon, severely injuring
it so that it no longer rose in the night sky, and returned home to commence
digesting his food.
Soon, mankind was filled with trepidation and concern over the missing
moon, and the tides and rhythms of their bodies ceased to behave as they

should without it. They appealed to Ganesha to remedy the situation, and,
realizing that humanity could not survive without the moon, he allowed it to
return to the sky, but decreed that it could no longer shine every night and
must wax and wane over the course of the month.
Surya: Also known as: Aditya, Arka, Bhanu, Bhaskar, Divakar, Grahapati,
Pusha, Ravi, Savita, Vivasan
Associated Abilities: Awareness, Control, Integrity, Investigation, Medicine,
Presence
Associated Epic Attributes: Perception
Associated Purviews: Fire, Health, Stars, Sun
The sun god Surya sees all things that transpire in the World as he looks
down from his golden chariot. Though stern and angry, Surya is the closest to
mortals of all the Deva; he makes himself visible to them every day. Goldenhaired and golden-skinned, Surya in his golden chariot is ever-visible in the
sky as the sun. His chariot is pulled by a horse with seven heads; he observes
every living thing in the World, and his two sons Shani and Yama judge the
deeds of mortals and assign appropriate consequences. Surya embodies many
conflicting characteristics; his gaze is scorching and dry, but he is also
viewed as the friend of mankind for his solar life-giving properties. He is
associated with willpower, courage, and fatherhood, with the healing of ills
and the fertility of the human body.
Surya and Saranyu
Though Saranyu, Surya's wife, loved him and wished to please him, his
scorching heat and fire were too much for her to bear for long; making love
to him was a terrible ordeal, and bearing his children, though she loved them
as well, was not much better. Fearing for her life if she continued to enjoy so
much of his attention, Saranyu created an exact duplicate of herself from her
shadow named Chhaya, and fled to nurse her burns elsewhere. Surya was
fooled by the excellent illusion of his wife and fathered two more children on
her, but Chhaya began to cherish these, her own children, and to neglect
Saranyu's children. Finally, Saranyu's son Yama, the death god, threatened to
punish Chhaya for her behavior; when he did she cursed him, and seeing that
she had taken violent action against one of their sons Surya realized that she

was not the real Saranyu. He threatened her with death if she did not reveal
the truth, and once she did he banished her from his house and searched the
heavens until he found Saranyu. When he angrily reproached her for
abandoning him, she wept and told him that she could not bear his
overwhelming heat, and so he promised to divide his light into the stars at
night so that she would be able to abide his presence.
Surya and Kunti
The mortal princess Kunti was taught a mantra that allowed her to
summon any god and conceive a child by him by a passing sage. Not
believing that the mantra would work, Kunti tested it out on Surya, but when
he actually appeared, she became terrified and begged him to leave. Surya
was bound by the mantra's spell and could not leave before fulfilling its
requirements, but at her request he used magic to cause Kunti to conceive
without compromising her virginity. Kunti named this son Karna, who grew
up to be a hero renowned for his generosity.
Surya and Hanuman
Though originally stubbornly opposed to the idea, Surya was eventually
convinced to teach his wisdom to Hanuman, the monkey-god (who some say
might even be Sun Wukong on his travels), who had sought him out because
he considered him to be all-knowing. So pleased was Surya by his pupil's
aptitude and persistence that he was reluctant to charge Hanuman any fee for
his instruction, although he eventually requested that Hanuman return the
favor by serving his son Sugriva as an advisor.
Indra: Also known as: Meghavahana, Parjanya, Purandara, Sakra,
Svargapati, Vajri, Vasava, Verethragna, Vrsan, Vritrahan
Associated Abilities: Athletics, Command, Control, Marksmanship, Melee,
Presence
Associated Epic Attributes: Charisma, Perception, Strength
Associated Purviews: Death, Thunder, War, Water
Indra is an ancient Vedic god, one-time ruler of the Deva before the rise
of the Trimurti; even his rivalry with Agni may predate many of the other
Deva. At the height of his power, Indra was such a commanding leader that

his name was incorporated into the titles of kings; more hymns in the Rig
Veda (approximately 250, about one fourth of the total hymns) are addressed
to Indra than to any other god. Powerful, confrontational, and direct, Indra is
a war-leader of the Deva, and is able to revive fallen allies on the battlefield
and take deceased warriors to live eternally in his palace. He is famously
skilled with all types of weapons, but is best known for carrying Vajra (the
thunderbolt, crafted from the spine of the sage Dadhichi, whose purity and
self-sacrifice is a bane to asuras) into battle, and for wielding Indradhanush
(the rainbow) for his archery. His net, sparkling with dewdrops, symbolizes
the vastness of the entire cosmos as well as the emptiness of all things; the
thousand eyes that cover his entire body represent his ability to see all that
occurs in his domain.. Indra is typically portrayed as mighty, but arrogant and
unsubtle. He lacks humility and covets power and wealth, he often acts out of
jealousy (especially where worshippers of the other Deva are involved), and
frequently displays an unwarranted sense of entitlement. More than any of
the other Deva, Indra displays humanlike vice and weakness.
Indra and Vritra
The greatest grudge match of the Deva is the recurring battle between
Indra and Vritra. Indra cut open the belly of Vritra to free the waters and
return them to the world; Vritra later retaliated by swallowing Indra whole,
requiring the rest of the Deva to rescue him (eventually, by inducing
vomiting). When the powerful Vritra, in a new and disguised form as the
demon Namuci, secured a blessing that made him impossible to kill by day or
by night, invulnerable to any weapon made of wood, metal, or stone, and
immune to any weapon wet or dry, Indra decapitated him with seafoam at
twilight.
Indra and Indrani
Indra happened across an incredibly beautiful maiden one day named
Sachi, and found her so pleasing to the eye that he demanded that they
become lovers. Awed by Indra's very presence, she agreed and the two had a
very happy tryst, but eventually Puloman, the demon king of the area and
Sachi's father, discovered the affair and was consumed with rage. He charged
at Indra to punish him for deflowering his daughter, but Indra unleashed the
full splendor of his appearance and the sight smote Puloman so soundly that

he fell down dead, whereupon Indra married Sachi, who changed her name to
Indrani to reflect her devotion to her new husband.
Indra and Diti
Diti, a powerful earth goddess, gave birth to many sons with her
husband, Kashyapa, but she was filled with lust and greed and an impure
vessel for children, so they were always born as demons, ready to oppose the
gods at every turn. Because of this, Indra made a habit of slaying them
wherever he encountered them, which earned him Diti's undying enmity.
When Indra had killed all her children, she became pregnant again but this
time used magical arts to keep the child from being born, casting many spells
of strength and health over it and keeping it in her womb for a century, so
that it would be born even stronger than Indra. Indra, however, divined what
she was up to and waited patiently for her to give birth; at the moment she
was about to, he arose with a great shout and shattered the fetus in her womb
into forty-nine parts with his thunderbolt. Each part became a lesser storm
god who could not compete with Indra, and he remained the supreme god of
the skies.
Indra and Mayadenawa
There was a cruel king on earth named Mayadenawa who possessed
great powers of evil magic, and who used them to oppress and inflict
suffering on his people. His depredations grew so unsupportable that the
priests prayed to Indra for help, begging him to come kill the king, which he
agreed to do; however, Mayadenawa learned of the attack through his dark
arts and had time to marshal his army, and the battle raged on for many days.
When Mayadenawa saw that he was losing, he sneaked into Indra's army's
camp in the dead of night and created a great pool of poisoned water, which
caused the army to sicken and begin to die when they had drunk of it. Seeing
what had happened, Indra created a second pool of water, this time clear and
delicious, which cured his troops of all their ills, and they marched
victoriously back into battle, winning the day as Indra chased Mayadenawa
down and slew him.
Indra and Ahalya
Indra desired Ahalya, the wife of the Maharishi Gautama, and disguised

himself as Gautama in order to have sex with her. When the Maharishi
discovered this, he placed a powerful curse upon Indra, to doom and
humiliate the god. The curse caused Indra's body to be covered with a
thousand vaginas, though Brahma later interceded and convinced Gautama to
reduce the severity of the curse, substituting a thousand eyes.
The curse also stipulated that Indra's throne would be insecure forever,
and allowed various asuras to defeat Indra in battle; after capturing Indra and
dragging him, bound in a rope, all over the city of Lanka, Ravana's son the
prince of Lanka earned the name Indrajit ("defeater of Indra"). The Trimurti
paid Indra's ransom by giving Ravana and Indrajit celestial weapons, and
Indra was later avenged by Vishnu's avatar, Rama. To mitigate the effects of
the curse, Indra had to step down as ruler of the Deva and had to worship all
three of the Trimurti, who succeeded him as rulers of the gods.
Agni: Also known as: Abhimani, Atar, Brihaspati, Dhananjaya, Dhumektu,
Pavaka, Saptajihva, Vahni, Vitihotra
Associated Abilities: Fortitude, Medicine, Occult, Politics, Presence,
Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: Charisma, Intelligence
Associated Purviews: Fire, Psychopomp
One of the most ancient of the Vedic gods, Agni is the deification of fire,
and is the twin brother of Indra. While Indra served the ancient, Vedicdominated Deva as a king and warrior, Agni serves as the pantheon's priest
and messenger to this day, in a capacity as undimmed as his daily-rekindled
flames. Agni accepts and consumes sacrifices on behalf of the Deva,
transmitting power and prayers to the rest of the pantheon in the form of
smoke, the link between the earthly world and the divine. Agni's priestly
duties include presiding over ceremonies and sacrifices to the gods, cleansing
impurity with flame, and disposing of corpses and sending the dead to Yama
by means of the funeral pyre. He also serves as the guardian of the family
hearth and the Lokapala of the Southeast. He is a fearsome figure: bright red,
with sparks flickering through his black eyes and hair. His two faces
symbolize fire's dual nature, both a useful tool and a destructive force, and
his seven tongues lap up burning fuel. The flame of divine knowledge,
understanding of self and true inner wisdom is his gift to mankind, and he is

beloved by all because he bestows his flames at every hearth, regardless of

caste or creed.
Agni and the Gods
Exhausted from the constant sacrifices and calls from the other gods to
act as a messenger, Agni one day resolved to rebel and ran away, breaking his
body into a million pieces to hide in the reeds along a riverbank. The other
gods, frantic at his absence, searched high and low for him, but it wasn't until
Yama saw the faint glowing in the reeds that they found him. The gods
begged him to return and take up his duties again; initially he refused, saying
he was happier living among the reeds than dying of exhaustion, but they
continued to cajole him until Yama offered to allow him eternal life, so that
no matter how hard he was worked he would never die. When Agni heard
this, he consented to emerge again in a blazing wildfire, and the gods were
relieved that he once again took up his duties.
Agni and Indra
Agni once found that he had performed so many rituals and received so
many sacrifices from the devout that he was totally exhausted, unable to do
anything else. Descending to earth, he hid in a forest; when the hero Arjuna
discovered him there, he explained that he could regain his strength by
burning down the entire forest and consuming it, but that his twin brother
Indra, king of the gods, had forbidden it and constantly caused rain to fall on
it and put out the flames. Though Arjuna was Indra's son, he took pity on the
fire god's plight and asked for a weapon with which to fight his father; Agni
gave him the indestructible bow Gandiva, and, while Arjuna and his
companion Krishna fought Indra to a standstill, Agni consumed the forest in
flame and regained his strength once again.
Agni and Svaha
One day as Agni was walking he happened across a group of seven
beautiful women bathing; they were the Krittika, the wives of the seven sages
of heaven. He watched them at their bathing and soon fell hopelessly in love
with them, but could not approach them as they were married women, and
soon departed to wander the forest disconsolately. As he walked further, he
happened upon another woman, less beautiful but very friendly; this was the

goddess Svaha, who instantly fell in love with him when she saw his fiery
form. Agni ignored her advances, his mind filled only with the Krittika, so
Svaha disguised herself six times, each time as one of the Krittika, and
tempted Agni so sorely that he laid down with her. When the sages heard of
this, they believed that their wives had been unfaithful to them and cast them
off into the sky, where they became the Pleiades; only the seventh sister,
whom Svaha had not impersonated, remained with her husband. Though
Agni was surprised to discover Svaha's deception, he forgave her when she
bore his children.
Yama: Also known as: Antaka, Bhimasasana, Dandadhara, harmaraja,
Krtanta, Pasi, Pretaraja, Pitripati, Samana, Yamaraja, Yan
Associated Abilities: Awareness, Empathy, Integrity, Investigation, Occult,
Presence
Associated Epic Attributes: Appearance
Associated Purviews: Death, Justice, Psychopomp
Yama achieved his status as the god of Naraka, the underworld, because
he was the first man to die, but his great dedication and meticulous
organization make him well-suited to the job. Yama runs Naraka strictly by
the book, deciding whether the deceased are to be reincarnated into greater or
humbler forms, and using the terrible torments of Naraka to scourge the dead
of their shortcomings between lives. Yama is stern and cold, but not cruel; he
is merciless not because he enjoys others' suffering, but because the
unpleasantness of the Deva' Underworld is necessary medicine, required to
cure those souls of the imperfections that keep them trapped in the cycle of
samsara. He is the youngest son of Surya, and, along with his sister, the only
one actually borne by Surya's wife Saranyu; his hideous, ogre-like
appearance only serves to cause humanity to fear him more, but he continues
in his duties unshaken despite their lack of understanding.
Yama and Shiva
There was once a great sage who was a devout worshiper of Shiva, and
his praises so pleased the god that he offered him a choice of boons; he
would give him either a son who was incredibly brilliant and gifted but who
would not live long, or a son who would be dull-witted but who would have a

long life. The sage chose for his son to be brilliant, and soon he welcomed a
son named Markandeya. Markandeya, though destined to die on his sixteenth
birthday, still praised Shiva constantly throughout his entire life, and was
praying to the god on the very day of his death; Yama's servants were afraid
to disturb him while he prayed to the god of destruction, and so they returned
to their master and explained that they could not kill him. Yama rose up to the
world himself to collect the boy's soul, but as he reached to throw his noose
around Markandeya's neck, he stumbled and accidentally threw it about the
neck of the statue of Shiva the boy was praying to instead. Incensed by what
he perceived as an attack against him, Shiva erupted out of the statue and
battled Yama until he slew him. Seeing this, the other gods were distraught,
for no more men or beasts on the earth could die and soon chaos reigned.
They begged Shiva to forget his rage and bring Yama back to life, which he
eventually agreed to; his anger appeased, he resurrected the death god but
made him promise not to take the devout boy to the realm of the dead,
granting Markandeya eternal life for his devoted service.
Yama and Vishnu
There lived an evil man named Ajamila, who had committed many sins
and cruelties throughout his lifetime; as he was lying on his deathbed and
Yama was coming to claim him, he cried out the name of his youngest son,
Narayana, in fear. Narayana was also another name for Vishnu, however, and
the god came to his side, believing that the man had repented and asked for
his blessing, which he gave. Yama protested the mistake, but to no avail;
Vishnu decreed that Ajamila be released, and Yama was forced to return to
Naraka without being able to punish his soul for the wrongs it had done.
Yama and Yami
Yami, Yama's twin sister, aided him night and day in his duties, and one
day she saw how hard-working and righteous he was and fell in love with
him. She begged him to marry her over and over, claiming that they had been
placed in the womb together because they were destined for one another, but
he refused, reminding her that incest was a sin and that she must find a
husband other than himself. She continued to try to seduce him mercilessly
until, afraid he would give in to her demands, he finally called upon the fire
god Agni and offered her to him as a bride; frightened by Agni's ever-burning

fire, Yami begged her brother not to give her away and henceforth ceased to
ask for his love.

Netjer
Ra: Also known as: Amun, Amun-Ra, Atum, Atum-Ra, Re, Tem-Ra
Associated Abilities: Awareness, Command, Integrity, Medicine, Politics,
Presence
Associated Epic Attributes: Charisma, Perception
Associated Purviews: Animal (Falcon, Ram), Justice, Sun
Ra is the great sun god of the Egyptians, the source from which all life
sprang and the great, all-seeing eye from which no action, good or bad, can
be hidden. He guides the sun across the sky each day, and each night
descends with it into the underworld; he is a god of merciless justice and
benevolent creation in the same measure, and the father of the rest of the
Netjer, who seldom forget their origins.
Ra and the Creation of Man
When Ra was born he was alone; he and his wife had created
themselves from nothingness and existed in the primordial waters with no
companions. Lonely, Ra created the earth and the land from his sweat, and
from his tears of loneliness created mankind, that the gods would never be
lonely again.
Ra and the Journey of the Sun
Each day, Ra shepherds the sun across the sky in Mandjet, the solar
barque; each night, however, he must accompany it as it descends into the
underworld, sailing through the darkness of Duat in Mesektet, the boat of the
underworld. Every night when he travels the underworld's river, the great
serpent, Apep, attempts to devour the sun and plunge the world into darkness
forever; Ra's faithful guards, Horus and Set, beat back Apep's attacks and
preserve the sun for another day.
Ptah: Also known as: Petah, Tanen, Tatenen, Tathenen, Tatjenen
Associated Abilities: Academics, Art, Awareness, Empathy, Investigation,

Occult
Associated Epic Attributes: Charisma, Intelligence, Perception, Stamina
Associated Purviews: Artistry, Earth
Ptah, the lord of the primordial ground, is a god of earth and of shaping
it, the patron of all craftsmen, particularly those who work with stone and
ores. He is an ancient creator god, a peer of Ra and a being of incredible
wisdom and intelligence, possessing the secrets of the cosmos at his
fingertips. He is a giver of knowledge to mankind and a creator of material
and living things, and as the personification of the sleeping underworld sun is
a powerful ally to Osiris. Ptah is also the keeper of the ka, the eternal,
undying spirit of each being.
Ptah and the Divine Order
When mankind was created, they were quarrelsome and the world was
chaotic, and Ptah desired that there should be order created out of the
madness. Ptah took the first men and made their tongues able to speak and
their hearts to beat hotly, and he gave dominion over the body to the hearts
and tongues, so that they should always control all its other parts. Thus
mankind became ruled by their hearts and tongues, by what they said,
thought and felt; Ptah was satisfied that he had created order for them and
retired to the lands of the gods, never to meddle in their affairs again.
Sekhmet: Also known as: Nesert, Sachmet, Sachmis, Sacmis, Sakhet,
Sakhmet, Sekhet, Sekmet
Associated Abilities: Animal Ken, Brawl, Integrity, Marksmanship,
Presence, Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: Dexterity, Strength
Associated Purviews: Animal (Lion), Health, Sun, War
Sekhmet is the bloodthirsty and implacable goddess of vengeance, the
hand of Ra himself who hunts down the deserving and dispenses justice with
claw and tooth. Savage and ruthless as the lion she is so closely associated
with, she is also a goddess of the sun, a daughter of Ra and expression of his
light in its most searing, blinding form. She is the ancient protector of the
pharaohs, leading them in war and defending their borders against invasions

and incursions, and an especial patron of women, who become blood-soaked

warriors once a month in her honor. She holds the power of disease and
plague in her hands and may inflict them without mercy, but she is also the
source of all cures should she feel benevolently toward a supplicant. She is
the Scarlet Goddess, the Mistress of Dread and the Lady of Slaughter, who
washes away crimes in an unending flood of the blood of their perpetrators.
Sekhmet and Ra
Mankind one day plotted against Ra, who saw their doings from his
omniscient position as the sun. Angered by their presumption and lack of
gratitude, he sent his daughter, born out of the flame of his all-seeing eye, to
punish them. Sekhmet rampaged throughout the land for days, killing every
human she met and destroying the landscape, until the very Nile itself ran red
with blood; seeing the rampant destruction, Ra attempted to call her off but
found that she would no longer listen to him, her mind clouded and crazed
with bloodlust. When he saw that she drank the blood from the Nile's waters,
he sent his servants to pour beer that had been dyed red with pomegranate
juice into the river near where she was stalking; when she saw that the river
ran heavily with what she thought was blood, she drank so much of it that she
was rendered too drunk to continue her killing spree and slept for three days
on the bank of the river.
Sekhmet and Ptah
After Sekhmet had been calmed and fallen asleep, Ra saw that she
would need a calming influence or resume her rampage upon awakening. He
appealed to the other gods, asking one of them to volunteer to take charge of
her and control her violent urges, but none stepped forward, all of them
fearing her savagery and might. Finally, Ra turned to his brother Ptah and he
agreed to take on the responsibility; he descended to the earth and waited
patiently beside Sekhmet as she slept, and upon waking he was the first thing
she saw. Still slightly drunk and impressed by his godly demeanor, Sekhmet
immediately fell in love with him and consented to become his wife, and his
wise and calming counsel henceforth kept her rage barely in check.
Bastet: Also known as: Baset, Bast, Ubasti, Wadjet-Bast
Associated Abilities: Animal Ken, Athletics, Awareness, Empathy, Occult,

Presence
Associated Epic Attributes: Dexterity, Wits
Associated Purviews: Animal (Cat), Guardian, Moon
Goddess who guarded the Pharaohs and their soft-footed pets alike,
Bastet is one of the most well-known of the Netjer deities; her cult, which
encouraged all Egyptians to revere cats above all other creatures, was
widespread and enormously influential, leading both to joyous revels and
even to death penalties for those who might dare to kill a feline. She is also a
moon goddess and serves as the opposite number of her sun god father,
reigning over the cool, secretive silences of the night.
Bastet and Ra
Though Bastet was a daughter of Ra, she quarreled with her father, and
rather than accept his wishes she exiled herself to wander in the desert.
However, in spite of her disobedience, Ra still cared for his daughter's wellbeing. When Bastet, while walking among the desert dunes, was stung by a
vicious and enormous scorpion, she cried out to Ra to save her as the poison
coursed through her veins. Taking pity on his daughter, Ra descended to earth
in the middle of the day, bringing the sun to the ground for a few moments,
and burned the poison out of her, rendering her well again.
Bastet and the Priest
It happened that a priest of Bastet had become corrupted, using the
temple's worshipers for his own ends instead of serving his goddess.
Disguised as a beautiful woman named Taboubu, Bastet descended to the
earth, and the priest was struck immediately by her allure so that he could
think of nothing but her. He begged her to become his love, but she
demanded first that he sign a deed giving her all his possessions and allow
her to kill his children and feed them to her cats. Blinded by his greedy
infatuation, he agreed to everything she asked, but as he leaped at her to take
her in his arms found himself suddenly alone in the midst of a public
highway. The goddess had returned to heaven, and the priest, disgraced and
deprived of his family and belongings, died a beggar.
Hathor: Also known as: Bat, Hesat, Hesahet, Hesaret, Mehet-Uret, Mehet-

Weret, Mehturt, Mehurt

Associated Abilities: Animal Ken, Art, Empathy, Medicine, Politics,
Presence
Associated Epic Attributes: Appearance, Charisma
Associated Purviews: Animal (Cow), Fertility, Health, Stars
Hathor is one of the most beloved of Egypt's goddesses, a benevolent,
understanding and stunningly beautiful figure responsible for all artistic
endeavor and happiness in the world. The goddess of joy, celebration, music
and art, she presides over festivals whose sole purpose is to bring joy to the
participants; she is also a goddess of the family, and is known to protect
children, provide their mothers with new siblings and to heal their small ills
with infinite care. The star-spangled Heavenly Cow who looks down from
the sky upon her people, Hathor is also a bringer of life-giving vegetation and
bounty so that her myriad children may eat, and is renowned as one of the
most beautiful and loving goddesses ever to reach out to mankind.
Hathor and Ra
It came to pass that Ra, having long ago created the world, became tired
of its constant noise, mess and disobedience and declared that he would
dissolve it back into nothingness, taking the time to rest before attempting to
recreate it anew. The gods were afraid that he would make good on his threat
and destroy all of existence for good until Hathor, resplendent and smiling,
called on her father; she lifted up her garment to expose the full glory of her
beautiful body, whereupon Ra laughed heartily and declared that he could
never destroy anything so beautiful, relenting and overturning his decision.
Thoth: Also known as: A'an, Djehuty, Jehuti, Tahuti, Techu, Tehuti, Tetu,
Thot, Zehuti
Associated Abilities: Academics, Art, Athletics, Integrity, Investigation,
Occult
Associated Epic Attributes: Intelligence
Associated Purviews: Animal (Baboon, Ibis), Justice, Magic, Moon,
Mystery
The ibis-headed god is the scribe and preserver of secret knowledge, the

god of intelligence and learning whose scrolls encompass all the spells and
secrets of the universe. As the impartial arbiter, he is called upon to give the
final say in judgment when Anubis weighs the hearts of the dead against the
feather of Ma'at, Thoth's own wife and the goddess of justice; as the god of
the secret silences of the night, he is associated with the moon and with the
calendar that revolves around it, measuring out time for mankind. The creator
of all religions, sciences, arts and writings, Thoth is an ancient contemporary
of Ra himself and his word is never ignored among his peers.
Thoth and Nut
In the beginning of time, the year was only 360 days long; this was not
enough time for Nut to bear children in her endless coupling with her
husband, Geb, and so for a long time the two were sterile. Seeing that the
other gods must be born, Thoth ascended to the moon and offered to gamble
with it, asking as stakes that it grant him one seventy-second of its light (or
five days). Using all his skill and cunning, Thoth won the gamble; he added
the additional five days to the calendar, and during those days Nut was able
to give birth, bearing Osiris and his siblings into the world.
Thoth and Setne
Once, a young priest initiate named Setne heard that Thoth had placed a
book in the tomb of a man named Naneferkaptah. Thirsting for the
knowledge he believed he could gain from the book, he broke into the tomb
and met Naneferkaptah's wife's ghost, who told him that her husband had
learned that the book contained the secrets of communication with all living
things and of travel to the worlds above and below. Naneferkaptah had sailed
for three days down the Nile until he found the place where the book was
hidden, and, slaying its snake guardian and breaking the casket open, he had
read all of its spells aloud and learned everything that he had been told he
would. Thoth, however, was angry at his thievery and caused first his son,
then his wife, and finally Naneferkaptah himself to be washed overboard and
drowned. Setne was not daunted by this story and demanded the book;
though the ghosts of Naneferkaptah and his wife attempted to prevent him, he
stole it and fled the tomb. To punish him, Thoth caused him to suffer from
hallucinations in which he traded his wife for a courtesan, killed and ate his
own children, and finally came to his senses naked and aroused before the

Pharaoh, who immediately banished him from the priesthood. Humbled and
afraid of further retribution, Setne returned the book and fled the city.
Geb: Also known as: Keb, Qeb, Seb
Associated Abilities: Command, Empathy, Fortitude, Integrity, Politics,
Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: None
Associated Purviews: Earth, Justice
Geb, one of the oldest among the Netjer, is the god of the earth; he is the
lord of the ground and all that lies beneath it, and it is he who makes it
possible for the land to become fruitful and sustain humans or to become
barren and inhospitable at his whim. He is the judge of the younger gods and
carries out justice where they require it, representing its earth-like and eternal
nature, and is frequently associated with the bearing of crops and the return
of the dead to life, allowing the ground to disgorge what it has taken.
Geb and Nut
Long ago, at the birth of the world, Geb and his sister Nut, the sky
goddess, were married and so consumed with love and passion for one
another that they laid in their marriage bed constantly, never rising or
separating in their eternal lovemaking. They remained so close together that
no life could live on the earth, for Geb and Nut allowed no space to come
between earth and sky lest they be separated even a little. Seeing this, and
knowing that the other gods wished for life to commence on earth, Shu, their
father, blew a mighty wind and forced the two of them apart, creating a
barrier of air between earth and sky so that life could be created on it. Geb
and Nut were separated and never allowed to touch one another again, able
only to see one another from their respective domains for eternity.
Geb and Shu
Geb, angry and bitter that his parents had separated him from his wife,
staged a rebellion and seized the throne of the gods from Shu, ordering his
mother Tefnut to say nothing to oppose him and violently guarding the palace
from all who might dare to enter. If he took all of Shu's power, he knew that
he could remove the barrier of air between himself and Nut, and so he

petitioned Ra to receive the regalia of the king of the gods, planning to take
the title from his father once and for all. Ra, seeing that Geb had taken the
throne from Shu in violence, agreed but cautioned him that the regalia itself
would decide the true ruler; when Geb placed the ornaments on his body, the
fiery golden snake of the crown bit him, causing him to become ill almost
unto death. Shu reassumed the throne and Tefnut nursed Geb back to health,
whereupon he departed his parents' house forever.
Isis: Also known as: Aset, Ese, Esi, Sopdet, Usat
Associated Abilities: Empathy, Integrity, Medicine, Occult, Politics,
Presence
Associated Epic Attributes: Charisma, Manipulation, Wits
Associated Purviews: Guardian, Health, Magic, Stars
Isis is the celestial caregiver, a goddess of family and the perfect
epitome of faithful wife and loving mother, defending her family to the last
and, through them, all of Egypt's people. She is also a goddess of magic and
the mysteries of the unknown and a bringer of the bounty of the harvest,
particularly because she controls the stars and their light, which inform
mankind of the right times to plant and harvest. She is also a goddess of great
cunning who proves ruthless in her schemes to protect and advance her
family's fortunes, and despite the fact that her husband is no longer the king,
the other gods of the Netjer know that they ignore her at their peril.
Isis and Osiris
When Set had killed Osiris and cut him into fourteen pieces, Isis
mourned his death so thoroughly that her tears caused the Nile to flood for
the first time. She set out to find the many pieces and searched near and far,
finding thirteen of them; the final piece, Osiris' phallus, she was unable to
find as it had been swallowed and digested by a fish. She desired a child by
her husband sorely, however, so she fashioned a replacement phallus out of
gold for him and used her magical arts to animate it; soon she was pregnant
with Horus, and fled to the far marshes to give birth to him out of sight of his
possible enemies.
Isis and Ra

Isis, wishing to become the mistress of all magics, coveted Ra's power
and wanted to steal it from him. She persuaded the cobra goddess Wadjet to
sneak up on Ra and bite him, pumping him full of poison; when he cried out
to Isis for healing, she refused to aid him unless he told her his true name, the
secret of all his power. Ra initially refused, but as he felt his strength ebbing
from him and knew that he was going to die, he had no choice but to give in.
Armed with Ra's true name, Isis usurped all of his magical powers and
disseminated them as she chose among the other gods of the Netjer; Ra was
healed, but never forgave her for her conniving.
Isis and Min
Though she had restored her husband to a semblance of life in the
underworld, Isis was lonely and seldom saw him, for he was busy with his
kingdom and she spent all her efforts on aiding her son. One day, she saw
him striding through the fields and went to him gladly, seducing him with
sweet words and dancing; after she had lain with him, however, she found
that she had mistaken the fertility god Min for her husband. She swore him to
secrecy to avoid Osiris' wrath, but as a god of potency he was irresistable,
and she returned to be his clandestine lover occasionally from that day
forward.
Osiris: Also known as: Asar, Asari, Aser, Ausar, Ausare, Ausir, Banebdejet,
Sepa, Serapis, Usir, Usire, Usiris, Wesir
Associated Abilities: Awareness, Command, Integrity, Occult, Politics,
Presence
Associated Epic Attributes: Charisma
Associated Purviews: Death, Fertility, Justice
The King of the Living rules over Duat, the underworld, where the
blessed dead who were worthy in life receive a new and more glorious life
under his auspices. Osiris is the law of the underworld, and only those who
survive the gruelling trials and are judged to have worth ever come within his
domain. He is also, paradoxically, a god of fertility, vegetation and the
harvesting of the earth, his very half-resurrected existence symbolic of the
constant death and resurrection of the plant life upon which humanity
depends. So beloved was he by his people that the story of his death and

eternal parting from the world was re-enacted again and again in festivals
every year for millennia.
The Passion of Osiris
Osiris was the king of all the gods, a vital being of life and authority
who must be obeyed in all things. His brother, Set, was jealous of his power
and built an incredibly beautiful sarcophagus, which he tailored to exactly
Osiris' measurements. Set threw a party and offered the sarcophagus as a
prize to anyone who fit in it perfectly, but none who tried it did; finally, after
the other guests had left, Set offered the sarcophagus to Osiris to try. As soon
as his brother entered the box, Set slammed it closed and sealed it with lead,
and he threw it into the Nile.
When Osiris' wife, Isis, discovered that he was missing, she scoured the
earth until she found the sarcophagus, but it was too late; Osiris was already
dead. She went away to mourn, and when she did so Set happened upon the
sarcophagus and saw that Osiris had been found. Enraged, he tore the body
into fourteen pieces which he scattered to the winds; when Isis returned, she
had to find all fourteen pieces in order to attempt to reconstruct her husband.
She found all but the phallus, which had been eaten by a fish; determined to
give Osiris life again, she fashioned a replacement phallus out of gold and
cast complex magical spells to bring him to life again.
Isis' magics were powerful and Osiris awoke again, but because he was
missing his phallus he could no longer return fully to life, and as he was dead
and imperfect he could no longer rule over the other gods. Horus and Set
divided up his kingdom and he was relegated to Duat, where he became
sovereign over the dead.
Nephthys: Also known as: Nebethet
Associated Abilities: Awareness, Empathy, Fortitude, Integrity,
Investigation, Medicine
Associated Epic Attributes: Perception
Associated Purviews: Darkness, Death, Guardian, Health
The goddess of mourning, Nephthys is a dark mirror of her twin Isis;
barren, bitter and withered as her desert home, she has little in common with
the beautiful goddess of life, instead bending her talents toward the aid and

succor of the dead. It is said that no dead person, no matter their station or
wisdom, can hope to traverse Duat without the protection of Nephthys, who
unstintingly guards the deceased as they make their long journey. She is also
a healer of great power, second only to Isis, and she bestows her aid to
women who call upon her, granting them the children she herself is seldom
able to bear. As goddess of the night, she is the mistress of the blackness
beyond man's reach, but acts as a helper and guide in the abyss, unerringly
guiding worshipers through the darkness safely and revealing the secrets that
it keeps so well-hidden. As Set's wife, she is faithful and complements his
violence with cool reason.
Nephthys and Osiris
Though Nephthys wanted children of her own, Set was injured and lost
one of his testicles in the struggle against Horus, and try as she might she
could not interest him in her sexually. At her wits' end and afraid that he must
find Isis more attractive, Nephthys disguised herself cunningly as her sister;
however, her disguise was so convincing that Osiris, happening to pass at that
time, mistook her for Isis as well and, believing her to be his wife, took her to
bed despite her protests. It was not long after that the god Anubis was born,
but none among the Netjer have ever been able to truly say whether his father
is Nephthys's true husband, Set, or whether he might be born of her one illfated tryst with Osiris.
Nephthys and Isis
When Set had killed Osiris, Isis's wailing was so strident that all the
gods came to see what the matter was, including Nephthys. When she saw
what had been done to her brother, she made a keening cry of such sorrow
that none of the gods had ever heard its like; she had invented mourning, and
thereafter it was decreed that all mankind should emulate her custom and
mourn their dead after their passing. Once she had recovered, Nephthys
helped Isis prepare Osiris's body for death and served as a fellow mourner in
her sister's grief.
Nephthys and Horus
After the birth of Horus, Isis immediately hid lest Set discover her in her
weakness and attempt to murder her to prevent her from opposing him. The

infant Horus set up a loud clamor, such that Nephthys came to see what the
matter was; seeing that there was no one there to take care of him, she set
him to her own breast and nursed him as if he were her own. She returned
him to his mother when Isis came out of hiding, but forever after was
considered at least half mother to Horus despite his actual parentage.
Set: Also known as: Setan, Seteh, Seth, Sheth, Sutekh
Associated Abilities: Athletics, Command, Fortitude, Integrity, Melee,
Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: Stamina, Strength
Associated Purviews: Chaos, Earth, Guardian, Thunder
Set is a frightening figure, the god of darkness, storms, and the empty
wastes of the desert, representative of chaos and the breakdown of
civilization; even his visage is terrifyingly uncertain, a typhonian beast that
cannot be easily identified as any animal known to man. Yet he is also a god
of protection and maintaining the natural order, defender of the sun and
protector of Egypt and its pharaohs; He is the only living being with the
strength to stand up to Apep, the great serpent of darkness, and it is only
because of his steadfast service that Ra's journey through the underworld
always ends in a new dawn. His complicated loyalties to others of his
pantheon are as twisted and contradictory as his rivalries with them.
Set and Ra
Set and Horus defended Ra's barque each day as it sailed down the river,
keeping the servants of Apep at bay; one day, however, Set was called away
to oversee the birth of his child and Horus was forced to defend the barque
alone. Sensing this weakness, Apep rose up out of the waters and overcame
Horus, swallowing the sun and plunging the world into the midday darkness
of an eclipse. Hearing Ra's call for help and the cries of the people of earth,
Set returned with a great shout and smote Apep's mouth with his sword,
cleaving it open and causing the sun to come spilling back out. The great
serpent withdrew to nurse its wounds, and Set returned to his post as guardian
of the sun.
Set and Osiris

Osiris took power as the king of the Netjer, and ruled happily alongside
his wife, Isis; Set was jealous of their happiness and power, however, and
angered by his brother's presumption in taking the throne. He waited until
Osiris was walking alone one day and waylaid him in the wilderness,
attacking him with a sword and cleaving his body into fourteen parts, which
he scattered to the winds. Osiris was never able to become king again, and
Set was free to contest the throne with his son, Horus.
Set and Isis
Though Isis wished her son to be the king of the gods and follow in his
father's footsteps, she could not abide violence against her brother Set and
continually thwarted it whenever she saw it. When Horus and Set competed
by turning themselves into hippopotami and submerging themselves to see
who could remain at the bottom of the Nile the longest, Isis feared that
Horus, who was younger and not as strong as Set, would lose; she fashioned
a copper harpoon and threw it into the water to strike Set, but hit Horus by
mistake. One her second cast she speared Set, but her brother reviled her for
her behavior and begged her to withdraw the spear, which she did, ashamed.
Horus was so angry that his mother had thus betrayed him that he leaped out
of the river and beheaded her, running away into the hills with what he
believed to be her head, though she had in fact turned herself into a statue at
the last moment and was still alive. Set appealed to Ra for this crime and
received permission to punish Horus for attacking Isis, and wounded Horus
grievously in his sleep in recompense for the attack on his sister.
The Followers of Set
Set, the mighty god of the deserts, once had many followers, both man
and beast, but Horus called upon his mother and sons to tear them from him,
weakening his power. First Horus cursed all donkeys, Set's sacred beasts, for
walking upon the ground where his body had lain, sentencing them to be
beaten for eternity; then Thoth read a great spell of power and struck Set with
it, forcing him to take his human shape and weakening him so that he fell to
the ground. Anubis, who had been convinced to aid Horus, tied his father up
and skinned him; when Set's followers, enraged at this treatment of their god,
attempted to rise up, Horus and the other gods slaughtered them. Set was too
strong to be contained and escaped, however, healing his wounds and

gathering new followers in the hills and deserts; Isis, Hathor and Horus
pursued him and changed themselves into great beasts who again killed all of
his worshipers, declaring that he would never be worshiped as fervently as
themselves again.
Set and Hathor
Set one day happened upon the goddess Hathor bathing in a river; her
beauty was such that he was overcome with desire and he threw himself upon
her, ignoring her cries for him to stop. Hathor was a goddess of fertility and
life, however, and as he raped her she sent her seeds to take root in his head,
growing within his skull and causing him immense pain and suffering.
Distraught that her husband was dying, Nephthys went to her sister, Isis, and
begged her to aid them; Isis, by means of magical spells, removed the seeds
from Set and cured him, and he was restored after she warned him sternly not
to antagonize Hathor again.
Set and Nephthys
The sea of the northern shore of Egypt was a greedy being and
demanded constant tribute; the gods sent several emissaries to provide it with
choice offerings, but it was greedy and still demanded more. Angered by this,
Nephthys, Set's wife and sister, went down to the sea and gave it tribute, but
mocked and insulted it when she did so, claiming it did not deserve their
placation. The sea was furious at her words and demanded that the gods give
it Nephthys herself as tribute in repayment. Geb ruled that she should be sent
to the sea, but Set went down to the shore with her and fought the very ocean
itself, finally defeating it and forcing it to promise never again to encroach on
land or to seek out his wife.
Horus: Also known as: Hamerty, Haru, Heru, Hor, Horos, Nekheny, RaHorakhty, Shed
Associated Abilities: Command, Empathy, Politics, Stealth, Survival,
Thrown
Associated Epic Attributes: Manipulation, Wits
Associated Purviews: Animal (Falcon), Sky, Sun, War
King of the gods and lord of the sky, Horus is the falcon god, a figure

renowned for his bravery in battle and his just rulings in his land. The young
king is a god of the sun, taking strength from his great-grandfather, and a
fiercely loyal and implacable judge when it comes to the deeds and misdeeds
of those under his rule. As a war god, he is no stranger to the defense of his
land, and in Egypt's heyday flew above the banners of his warriors, spurring
them on to greater glory.
Horus and Set
Horus, the patron of Lower Egypt, and Set, his uncle and the patron of
Upper Egypt, fought with great ferocity over who should be the ruler of the
gods and the land they controlled. For many years they waged war, neither
able to overcome the other; Set lost a testicle in the fighting, rendering all of
his deserts infertile, while Horus lost his left eye, making the light of the
moon which it represented wane feebler in comparison to the sun. Horus then
attempted to assassinate Set, hoping to end the conflict quickly, but his
mother intervened, refusing to allow him to kill his uncle so underhandedly
and even wounding him when he attempted to throw her aside.
Tired of the fighting, Horus called Set to his home to settle the question
of dominance once and for all. Set laid with Horus in sexual intercourse, thus
proving his dominance, but Horus managed to twist about and catch his
semen before it entered him, throwing it into the river. He then secretly
spread some of his own seed on a plate of lettuce, which he fed to Set, who
was still a guest in his home. When the two then went before Geb to claim
their rights to the throne, Set claimed that he had mounted Horus, but when
Geb looked for his seed he found it in the river and did not believe him.
Horus, in turn, made the same claim, and this time Geb found his semen
within Set's body and ruled him the victor.
Refusing to give the throne to Horus for his trickery, Set insisted that
they find another way of adjudicating the struggle, or he would wage war
again. Horus suggested that they both race down the nile in boats made of
stone; Set agreed, and both of them crafted their vessels and set out to race.
Set's boat struggled valiantly but was slow and eventually sank, the stone too
heavy to float; Horus' boat, however, was secretly made of wood that he had
only painted to look like stone, and it skimmed down the river and won the
race with ease. Set was forced to step aside for Horus, despite his protests,
when the other gods claimed they were weary of the struggle, and Horus

became the king of the Netjer.

Anubis: Also known as: Anpu, Anupu, Ienpw, Inpu, Yinepu
Associated Abilities: Animal Ken, Awareness, Empathy, Investigation,
Medicine, Occult
Associated Epic Attributes: Perception
Associated Purviews: Animal (Jackal), Death, Justice, Psychopomp
Anubis is the god of preparation and death, he who presides over the
process of mummification and prepares the dead to journey into Duat and
face their final judgment. He is the patron of undertakers, morticians and
embalmers, and he represents the inevitability of death and the inevitable
judgment that follows it, delivering the dead either to new life or to oblivion.
His affinity for the jackal symbolizes this, as the jackal is known to dig
corpses up from graveyards to see the light again or to devour those of them
that prove unworthy. He is the god who sees all from below and above, and
no transgression can be hidden from him when it comes time for the final
reckoning.
Anubis and the Judgment of Ma'at
The Egyptians believed that when each person died, he must be properly
preserved and mummified in order to embark on the perilous journey to the
underworld. Once this was done, he would stand and be judged; Anubis
would weigh his heart against the feather of Ma'at, goddess of justice and
balance. If the sins of the heart weighed too heavily, the deceased had failed
the test and would be fed to the terrible monster Ammit; if his heart was as
light as the feather, Anubis would judge him worthy and permit him to pass
on to a new life.
Anubis and Bata
It happened that Anubis' younger brother, Bata, found that he had
nowhere to live, and he came to Anubis and his wife, Anput, and begged that
he be allowed to live in their house. Anubis agreed and allowed his brother to
stay in exchange for herding and taking care of his cattle while he went about
his duties. All went well for some time; Bata shepherded the cattle well and
Anubis and Anput treated him like a son as much as their own daughter,

Kebauet. One day, when it was time to plow the fields, Anubis and Bata were
hard at work and discovered that they had run out of grain. Anubis sent Bata
back to the house to fetch more, and while he was there Anput brushed her
hair seductively and attempted to convince him to sleep with her. Angry and
ashamed that she would consider such a thing, he struck her and told her
never to touch him again; he returned to the fields with his grain, but told
Anubis nothing for fear of his brother's sorrow at this news. Anput, fearful
that Bata would tell her husband, drank grease to make herself sick and laid
herself on the floor, shivering and vomiting, clutching the bruise on her
cheek; when Anubis returned home early and rushed to her side, she wept and
claimed that Bata had attempted to force himself on her, and had beaten her
when she refused. Furious that his brother would attack his wife, Anubis took
up a spear and waited in the barn for Bata to return; the cows, however, saw
him there and called out to Bata to run. Anubis pursued him across all the
plains of earth and heaven until Bata begged Horus to intercede, which he
did, placing a huge lake of crocodiles between the two brothers. Horus
demanded that they both tell their sides of the tale, and it soon became clear
what had happened. Bata, heartbroken that his brother would believe his
wife's lies over him, cut off his own genitals and died on the shore of the
lake; in anguish, Anubis returned home and slew his beloved wife for her
crimes.
Sobek: Also known as: Sebek, Sochet, Sobk, Sobki, Soknopais, Suchos
Associated Abilities: Animal Ken, Awareness, Brawl, Fortitude, Integrity,
Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: Stamina, Strength
Associated Purviews: Animal (Crocodile), Fertility, Guardian, Water
The powerful, frightening Sobek is the master of the Nile, the Lord of
Crocodiles and ruler of the waters in which they swim. He was regarded with
no small amount of fear and respect by the ancient Egyptians, and prayed to
fervently to prevent the depredations of crocodiles upon their boats and
family members. Not exclusively a being of terror, however, Sobek is also a
god of the fertility that the Nile brings to the otherwise barren land as well as
the mighty protector of the Pharaoh and his people, and he is the god of
righting wrongs, a deity who finds injustices and rights them through his own

efforts.
Sobek and the Hands of Horus
Angered by his disobedient behavior, Isis once cut the hands of her son
Horus off and threw them into the Nile. Horus was rendered helpless and
unable to rule; Ra, the all-seeing sun, saw what had happened and ordered
Sobek to retrieve the hands from the river. Though he searched for them,
Sobek was unable to find the hands on his own; it was not until he devised a
clever trap that he dangled off the back of his boat and dredged along the
bottom that he caught something. Looking into the trap, he found the hands
along with the thousands of teeming fishes of chaos; Horus' hands were
restored to him, and Sobek ate all the fish in his net, thus freeing the river of
their chaotic influence.
Sobek and the Sons of Horus
After Horus had tricked Set and thrown his semen into the river, he
masturbated above it and ejaculated into the waters as well. He departed, but,
unbeknownst to him, the semen of the two gods had impregnated a great
lotus flower, which rose up from the depths of the Nile and gave birth to four
sons, disgorging them into the waters. They would have drowned, but Sobek,
ever-vigilant, saw them in the river and caught them in his net, presenting
them to their father unharmed.
Kebauet: Also known as: Kabehchet, Kebechet, Khebhut, Qebehout, QebHwt
Associated Abilities: Academics, Animal Ken, Art, Fortitude, Medicine,
Occult
Associated Epic Attributes: None
Associated Purviews: Death, Water
Kebauet is the goddess of embalming, the mistress of the purification
and cleansing that must occur before a body can finally be consigned to
eternity. It is to her that ancient Egyptians prayed for the safekeeping of their
organs and the freshness of their bodies, and she aids her father, Anubis, in
these duties, a mysterious figure whose arts are second to none. All but
forgotten for millenia as the world ceased to observe the proper funeral rites,

Kebauet is nevertheless a powerful goddess who was widely worshiped at her

peak, and the power of purification is still held in her ineffable hands.
Kebauet and Anubis
As the only daughter of Anubis and Anput, Kebauet is her father's helper
and assistant, preparing the dead for his expert ministrations and chasing
away corruption before it can touch him. She even goes so far as to take over
his duties completely when he must be occupied with the weighing of the
hearts, and Duat, though dusty and seldom-used in the modern era, would be
in severe disrepair without her.

Shen
Guan Yu: Also known as: Guan Di, Guan Gong, Me Ran Gong, Wu Sheng,
Zhuangmou
Associated Abilities: Command, Control, Fortitude, Integrity, Melee, Politics
Associated Epic Attributes: Charisma, Manipulation, Stamina
Associated Purviews: Guardian, Justice, War
The god of war is a commanding figure, an ancient warrior and leader
who achieved such great deeds as a Scion that he ascended to godhood and
joined the ranks of the Bureaucracy. Stormy and intimidating, he is a god of
order and justice, a protector of the weak and a forbidding foe to all those
who seek to use their might to overpower the helpless or for their own selfish
gain. He is worshiped by Buddhists, Taoists and Confucionists alike, and is
considered patron to all who obey a strict code of laws and ethics in their
dealings; he is the god of policemen and gangleaders in equal measure, and
the current Jade Emperor of the Celestial Bureaucracy, a position that, while
mostly administrative, nevertheless affords him more power with which to
enforce righteousness in those around him.
Guan Yu and Hua Xiong
As Guan Yu's army attempted to take Sishui Pass during the great wars,
they lost many of their most powerful generals and warriors at the hands of
Hua Xiong, a warrior reputed to be invincible and so powerful that no man

could defeat him. When he heard of the deaths of the generals, Guan Yu came
before his commander and volunteered to duel Hua Xiong alone; the leaders
of the army wanted to refuse, believing that he would only fail, but he
promised that if he were defeated they could kill him in retaliation. When
they had assented, Cao Cao, one of the leaders, poured a cup of hot wine for
Guan Yu and invited him to take his last drink, but Guan Yu refused and
simply walked away; only a few minutes later he returned with Hau Xiong's
head, and enjoyed his wine while it was still warm.
Guan Yu and Hua Tuo
In one particularly fierce battle, Guan Yu was wounded by a crossbow
bolt upon which had been smeared a deadly poison. Refusing to retreat and
cede the day, Guan Yu continued to command his troops and sent for the
famous doctor Hua Tuo to treat him on the battlefield. By the time Hua Tuo
arrived, he saw that the poison had penetrated all the way into Guan Yu's arm
and declared that he would have to cut the arm open and scrape it off of the
very bone within; he ordered that Guan Yu be blindfolded and bound because
of the intense pain of the operation, but Guan Yu refused, ordering him to
perform it immediately just as he was. Hua Tuo had no choice but to perform
the bloody surgery; all those around Guan Yu fled in horror at the terrible
sight, but Guan Yu himself remained calm and showed no hint of fear or pain,
and continued to serenely play a game of go with his advisor until Hua Tuo
had finished and sewn him back up. Hua Tuo was so impressed by Guan Yu's
bravery and tolerance that he refused to accept any payment for the surgery.
Guan Yu and Chi You
When Guan Yu had finally ascended to heaven, the emperor showed him
that a great saltwater lake upon which the locals depended for their salt trade
had begun to gradually cease to produce any salt, becoming a mere
freshwater lake. The emperor's spies had learned that this was the doing of
the rain and war god Chi You, a perennial enemy of the other gods, who was
eating all the salt. Guan Yu set forth to the shores of the lake and fought a
fierce, many-day battle with Chi You, at the end of which he defeated him
and sent him running away, allowing the lake to return to normal. As a
reward for this service, the emperor officially invited him to dwell in heaven.

Fuxi: Also known as: Fu Hsi, Fu Xi, Paoxi

Associated Abilities: Animal Ken, Art, Awareness, Craft, Integrity, Occult
Associated Epic Attributes: Intelligence, Perception, Stamina
Associated Purviews: Fertility, Prophecy, Sky, Sun
Fuxi, the male dragon-serpent and complement to his sister and wife
Nwa, is an ancient god of learning and life, one of the first beings to come
into existence even before the Bureaucracy became the powerful, sprawling
collective it is today. The god of knowledge and skill, he invented the art of
writing and taught humanity most of its most treasured skills, including
cooking, hunting, fishing and farming the land for sustenance. He is also the
discoverer of the secrets of the I Ching, and provided them to mankind that
they would be able to see a glimpse of their fortunes.
Fuxi and Nwa
Before the world was finished forming, a huge flood came up and
washed everything away except for Fuxi and his sister, Nwa. The two took
solace in one another and soon wished to marry; however, they were afraid
that this was a shameful desire because they were brother and sister, so they
went up to the top of the tallest remaining mountain and Fuxi built a fire. He
asked heaven to send them a sign through the fire's smoke; if it flew up and
away from them, he would know that the union was not to be, but if it
gathered in a cloud around them he would know that they were blessed. The
smoke gathered low around them, and, rejoicing, they were married.
Fuxi and Mankind
After Nwa had created mankind, Fuxi looked down upon them and saw
that they were behaving like beasts, wasting their resources, fighting one
another, and wearing only the most primitive of clothes. He consulted the
heavens for a solution, and then descended to earth to teach them all the laws
of man, giving them a society and regulations to allow them to grow into
intelligent beings.
Nuwa: Also known as: Nu Gua, Nugua, Nu Kua, Nu Wa
Associated Abilities: Academics, Awareness, Craft, Integrity, Investigation,
Science

Associated Epic Attributes: Intelligence, Stamina, Wits

Associated Purviews: Fertility, Magic, Moon, Psychopomp, Water
Nwa is the greatly revered creator goddess, a being who predates the
Bureaucracy itself and is credited with the creation and maintenance of the
world in the earliest times. She is a goddess of the firmament, particularly the
moon, and a gentle caretaker of not only mankind but every living thing in
creation; she is a cosmic mother, creator, and creature of ineffable mystery
and wisdom, whether she appears as a woman or in her true dragon-serpent
form. She is also the goddess of marriage, and listens closely to prayers
offered by husbands or wives.
Nwa and the Creation of Man
When Nwa looked down upon the earth for the first time, she saw that
it was full of life but empty of creatures. Seeking to create some, she took
handfuls of yellow clay from the banks of the rivers and molded beings from
them, first creating all the animals and finally beginning work on humans,
forming them with clever hands and feet and minds. She found that the clay
was not strong enough to remain erect, so she reinforced it with carefully
woven ropes spread throughout their bodies. However, once she had created
all the animals of the world and begun work on mankind, Nwa became tired
and no longer wished to form each one individually; instead, she dipped a
great rope in the mud and began flicking it, causing drops of the clay to spin
off and form humans on their own. These were the common people of the
world, and those she had created with her own hands became the nobles. She
breathed life into all of them and gave them the ability to bear children, and
henceforth mankind began to populate the earth.
Nwa and the Wall of Heaven
Long ago in the beginning of the world, a great wind of chaos and
calamity swept through the heavens and toppled the four pillars that
supported the universe. The earth began to crumble from lack of support, the
sky began to blow away from lack of an anchor, and fires, floods, and great
dragons and monsters rampaged across the world, destroying helpless men
and beasts. When she saw what was happening, Nwa descended into the
roiling oceans and found the great turtle Ao, whose feet she cut off to make

new bases for the four pillars; she righted them and the world was once again
able to support itself. She hunted the greatest of the great black dragons that
menaced the world and slew it, and poured water over the fires and ash to
stop the flooding. Once the world was restored, she saw that the sky was
damaged from the chaos; ascending to the heavens, she melted down five
colored stones and used them to repair it, allowing it to once again cover all
of the earth and letting the moon and stars resume their motion.
Yanluo: Also known as: Emma, Enma, Yan Wang, Yen Lo, Yomra
Associated Abilities: Empathy, Integrity, Investigation, Occult, Politics,
Presence
Associated Epic Attributes: Manipulation, Perception
Associated Purviews: Darkness, Death, Justice
The terrible king of the underworld is a sight to behold, as monstrous
and forbidding as death itself. He is the judge and jury for all souls who pass
into his realm, enumerating their sins and choosing their punishments,
granting resurrection and favorable reincarnation to those who have lived
virtuously and torture and miserable reincarnation to those who have not. He
knows the date and time of each person's forecasted death, and takes his
duties extremely seriously, never letting an evil-doer slip by without
punishment or a virtuous man go unrewarded.
Yama and Guanyin
One day, as a holy man was praying quietly in his cave in Tibet, a band
of thieves broke in and began taunting him, stripping him of his goods and
threatening his life. He begged them to spare him, but after terrifying him by
beheading a bull and chasing him about, they cut his head off as well and left
him to rot. When Yanluo heard from the man what they had done, his wrath
was so great that he burst forth from the earth in the murdered man's body
and destroyed all of the thieves, drinking their blood from their skulls in his
righteous wrath. Believing that all the people of Tibet must be as corrupt as
the thieves, Yanluo resolved to destroy the entire country; in mortal terror, the
people prayed to Guanyin, who saw Yanluo's rampage and descended from
heaven to counter it. She took on a form identical to Yanluo's, so that as she
entered battle with him he saw only himself everywhere, and was so

confused that he ceased to fight and allowed her to persuade him to cool his
rage.
Xiwangmu: Also known as: Amah, Hsi Wang Mu, Niangniang, Seiobo, Xi
Wang Mu, Xi Wangmu, Wangmu
Associated Abilities: Animal Ken, Awareness, Brawl, Integrity, Occult,
Presence
Associated Epic Attributes: Dexterity, Stamina, Wits
Associated Purviews: Animal (Panther, Tiger), Health, Justice, Magic
The Queen Mother of the West is one of the most ancient among the
ranks of the Bureaucracy, a ferocious goddess of beasts who also oversees
immortality, royalty and life itself in her more benevolent moments. A
goddess who especially represents and protects women, she resides in her
beautiful palace on Mount Kunlun and graciously allows it to double as
meeting place and court of the gods, feeding god and lucky mortal alike on
the peaches of immortality that grow there. She is a patron goddess of heroes
and heroic deeds and a oversees all from her lofty mountain home, judging
their worthiness in case they ever come to her for aid, and the author of the
Tao Te Ching, the laws and advice that all of mankind should follow.
Xiwangmu and Mu
King Mu, a great ruler of antiquity, once decided to take all of his eight
war chargers and ride them to all the corners of his kingdom, visiting each
parcel of his land to prove his divine right to hold the throne. When he had
done this, he became lost in a fog and found himself at the roots of a great
mountain, atop which stood Xiwangmu's palace. When she came out to greet
him, he fell in love with her beauty and the two became lovers; hoping that
she would grant him immortality, Mu gave all the treasures and important
artifacts of his reign to her. She taught him carefully all the wise sayings and
thoughts she knew, but in his impatience he finally left her to return to his
mortal kingdom and rule there. Xiwangmu, who had been about to grant him
the peaches of immortality, mourned his loss and shut her palace's doors to
him forever, and he died like all other unwise men.
Shennong: Also known as: Than Nong, Yan Di

Associated Abilities: Awareness, Command, Fortitude, Integrity, Medicine,

Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: Intelligence, Perception, Stamina
Associated Purviews: Fertility, Fire, Health, Prophecy
The Divine Farmer is the god of agriculture, the benevolent deity who
taught his people to grow food from the earth instead of chasing down
hapless game in the forest. He is the god of the burning wind that punishes
men for transgressions, and a mystic who learns from the very font of
knowledge itself, using his wisdom to aid mankind in their constant struggle
for survival.
Shennong and Mankind
Long ago in antiquity, Shennong looked upon the earth and saw that the
people were dying. They were sickly and ill, hungry and wanting, and they
fought and cried amongst themselves like beasts. Hoping to relieve their
suffering, he embarked on a quest across the world, eating every plant in
existence in order to learn all of its properties and uses; despite the many
poisons and thorns he endured swallowing, he finished one of every plant and
herb in the world and thus learned all their secrets. He returned to mankind
and showed them the plow, a new invention, and soon taught them to till the
earth for their food. Once they had learned these skills, he healed them of
their diseases and ascended to the heavens once again.
Sun Wukong: Associated Abilities: Athletics, Brawl, Fortitude, Larceny,
Melee, Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: Strength, Stamina
Associated Purviews: Animal (Monkey), Chaos, Illusion, War
The Handsome Monkey King is one of the most well-known and
beloved of gods in the eastern world, a trickster and bringer of humor as well
as an incredible warrior and enforcer of the emperor's laws. An acrobat,
fighter and creature of great playfulness, he is also evenly matched with the
rest of heaven's warriors and is in constant, fluid motion, transforming
himself into other creatures or objects as the situation demands, calling upon
his powers over the elements as needed. Though once a Titan-aligned menace

to the gods of the Bureaucracy with an unrestrained nature and penchant for
disrespect and trickery, he has since settled down somewhat, becoming part
of the order represented by the other gods and keeping the peace in his own
way; he is not, however, any less of a wild card, and many of the other gods
have yet to forgive him for his wild pranks and chaotic behavior. It is
whispered that he may be the same deity as the Deva Hanuman, though on
this subject no one is quite sure.
Sun Wukong and Bodhi
Sun Wukong was born from a stone that had been formed by the very
ancient essence of chaos itself; he burst forth whole and uncontained and
proceeded to race across the world, doing just as he pleased. He discovered a
clan of monkeys and so impressed them with his great abilities and keen
mind that they crowned him their king; however, he was not content to
remain a mere king of monkeys and departed, traveling across all of the lands
of humanity until he learned human speech and behavior, looking for the
secret of eternal life. Eventually he found Bodhi, a wise man of great
intelligence, and demanded that he be taught all of his secrets. Bodhi could
tell that Sun Wukong was not human and hesitated to allow him into his
house, he was so persistent and charming that he gave in and Sun Wukong
began to climb to the top of his class, learning many secrets and the art of
magic from the old sage. He was so pleased with his many spells and abilities
that he boasted of them to the other students, and Bodhi, ashamed that he had
allowed such a creature under his roof, cast him out after making him
promise never to tell anyone where he had gained his powers.
Sun Wukong and Yanluo
The Monkey King rampaged across all of the earth, invincible with his
new magical powers; he eventually happened across the great magical staff
the Ruyi Jingu Bang and, seeing that it began to glow in recognition of his
arrival, took it as his own. It was an incredibly powerful artifact able to grow
to any size and to fight even without its master wielding it, and the gods
began to be uncomfortable and fear the amount of power Sun Wukong had
amassed. Hoping to curtail his disruptive activities, they called upon Yanluo,
king of the underworld, to collect Sun Wukong's soul and hold it there;
however, he not only eluded Yanluo's grasp but ran all the way into the

underworld and scratched his name and the names of all his monkeys out of
Yanluo's great book of all souls so that they could never die.
Sun Wukong and the Jade Emperor
Hearing all the things that Sun Wukong had been doing, the Jade
Emperor decided to invite him to heaven, reasoning that such a powerful
demon was better off as one of his servants than running wild across the
world. Sun Wukong, believing that he would be given the same status as the
gods, agreed, but when he arrived found that the Emperor was planning to
make him the stableboy. Furious, he loosed the Emperor's horses and
demanded that he be given equal status with the gods. Though they could see
that he was powerful, the gods still thought he was too disruptive and instead
offered him the job of heavenly gardener. This insult, combined with the fact
that he was not invited to the great banquets of heaven, caused Sun Wukong
to again turn against the gods, this time stealing Xiwangmu's peaches, Lao
Tzu's pills and the wine of the Jade Emperor himself before returning to
earth, where he gathered all the demons of the world to act as his army.
Sun Wukong's strength was so great that even when heaven's armies
marched against him he was undefeated. He defeated all of their celestial
warriors, and when the god Nezha came against him defeated him, too.
Finally, the most powerful of the gods came against him on the battlefield
and he was captured, but he proved too difficult to execute despite their best
efforts. They tried imprisoning him in a cauldron in order to render him down
over the sacred fires, but after seven weeks he emerged from the cauldron
stronger than ever, and in despair the Jade Emperor appealed to the Buddha,
who came from his temple to speak to Sun Wukong. He offered Sun Wukong
a bet, declaring that the Monkey King would be unable to escape his palm if
he placed him in it; knowing his own prodigious speed and strength, Sun
Wukong arrogantly agreed. Once he stood in the Buddha's palm, he made a
single great leap and came to an empty place where only five pillars stood;
assuming he had come to the end of heaven itself, he scrawled his name on
the pillars, urinated at their bases, and leaped back in triumph. To his
amazement, however, he found that he had never left the Buddha's hand; the
five pillars had merely been the Buddha's fingers, and he was imprisoned
beneath a mountain for five hundred years for his behavior.

Sun Wukong and Guanyin

Guanyin once called throughout heaven for any disciples or bodyguards
who would be willing to protect a certain pilgrim that she served as patron for
while he journeyed west through China and into lands unknown. Sun
Wukong, desperate to escape his prison, volunteered; Guanyin's heart was
softened by his plea and she agreed, but she was not foolish enough to let him
run rampant and tricked him into putting on a magical headband, which her
pilgrim could cause to constrict and cause him much pain if he began to
misbehave. Sun Wukong, pleased to be free, accompanied the pilgrim
through many lands and protected him faithfully, and was so repentant and
well-behaved upon his return that he was again allowed to ascend to heaven,
this time to become one of the gods in truth.
Guanyin: Also known as: Avalokitesvara, Guanshiyin, Gwan-eum, Kanjizai,
Kannon, Kanzeon, Kuanyin, Kwannon, Kwun Yum, Quan Am, Quanyin, Tara
Associated Abilities: Academics, Awareness, Empathy, Investigation,
Medicine, Presence
Associated Epic Attributes: Appearance, Charisma, Perception
Associated Purviews: Health, Mystery
Guanyin is a complicated and secretive figure, a goddess much beloved
by her worshipers yet one whose nature is a subject of constant debate.
Though all sources agree that she is a goddess of peace, prosperity, beauty
and serenity, she may also appear as a graceful maiden watching over the
world or as a quiet, stern figure, meditating on the mysteries of the universe.
It is whispered that she may even have once been a man, though none who
saw her unearthly, womanly beauty could believe such a claim. A goddess
revered in equal measure amongst the Taoists and Buddhists (and even
known among the Hindu, who worship her as a minor Deva), she is a
benevolent being of great power and often prayed to for aid in daily life. She
is particularly well-known for aiding women who have trouble with their
health, healing sicknesses and bestowing children upon the barren.
Guanyin and Miao Chuang Yen
Guanyin's father Miao Chuang yen, wishing to marry her for his own
benefit, one day came to her and told her that she would be marrying a

certain rich man he had selected. She told him that she would agree, but only
on condition that the marriage eased three misfortunes in the world. When he
asked what these misfortunes might be, she told him that the marriage must
ease the suffering of those who age and become old, ease the suffering of
those who become ill, and ease the suffering of those who die. Her father
could not imagine what kind of person could do all these things, and when he
told his daughter it was not possible, she explained that a doctor could do all
of these things and that she would wed only a doctor or become a nun
forever. Enraged by her refusal, her father beat her, restricted her food, and
forced her to work at very hard labor, but she refused to capitulate to his
demands, every day asking politely if she could now be allowed to become a
nun. He constantly refused, though he allowed her to do all the most painful,
difficult work at the temple anyway, hoping it would discourage her. When
her back bent under the load of work, however, the animals of the
surrounding area came to her aid and did much of the work for her. Furious
that she should continue to defy him, Miao Chuang Yen attempted to burn
down the temple, but she merely covered the flames with her hands and put
them out.
Realizing that he could neither control or hurt his daughter, Miao
Chuang Yen became afraid of her and ordered that she be put to death. When
the executioner attempted to kill her with an axe, it shattered into a thousand
pieces; so, too, did his sword, and no arrow shot could come anywhere near
her. Finally, the executioner was forced to strangle her with his bare hands,
and Guanyin forgave him and allowed him to kill her, not wishing for her
father's wrath to descend upon his head. At the very moment she died, a
great, fearsome tiger appeared and bore her upon his back, carrying her off to
the underworld; when she arrived, however, she played such beautiful music
and was such an enchanting presence that flowers bloomed and the creatures
of the underworld were amazed to discover that they now lived in a paradise.
When she saw how the dead suffered here, she released a huge number of
them to flee to heaven and earth, and Yanluo, king of the dead, ejected her
from his realm lest she destroy it.
When she returned to the earth, Guanyin learned that her father had
fallen deathly ill and that no healer had been able to save him; a prophecy
had been made, saying that he could only be saved by the willing gift of an
eye and an arm from someone who bore him no ill will or anger. She

willingly offered up her body to make the medicine which cured him; when
he discovered that it was his own daughter who had saved him, he begged her
for forgiveness and bid her farewell as she ascended to heaven.
Guanyin and the Thousand Arms
Guanyin once vowed that she would never rest until she had rescued all
of humanity from misery and ignorance. She worked tirelessly, yet she found
that for every person she saved there were two more who continued to suffer.
She struggled so mightily to divine her attention between so many humans
that her head finally split into eleven pieces; when the Buddha saw this, he
aided her by turning each piece into a separate head, that she would have
sixteen ears with which to hear the cries of her people. Now that she could
hear and understand all these people, Guanyin immediately tried to reach out
to them, but her arms tried to go in so many directions at once that they
shattered; once more, the Buddha took pity on her and turned each of the
thousand pieces into a new arm, so that she could always reach out to
someone who called to her in need.
Guanyin and Shan Tsai
A crippled boy, Shan Tsai, once resolved to find Guanyin and learn from
her all the secrets of the universe. He traveled far and long, despite his
crippled legs, until he finally found her meditating on an island. He begged
her to teach him and she agreed, but after she had taught him the
fundamentals she wished to test his resolve and conjured up an illusion of
three bloodthirsty bandits chasing her with swords. She ran to the very top of
a cliff, and Shan Tsai, seeing that she was in danger, cried out in fear and
attempted to give chase to rescue her, climbing painfully and slowly all the
way after her. Guanyin leaped off the cliff, and the illusions followed her;
when Shan Tsai reached the top, he crawled to the edge and hurled himself
off the cliff as well without hesitation, still hoping to rescue his teacher.
Guanyin, seeing his faithfulness, caused him to float gently to the ground and
cured him, turning him into a handsome, strong young man.
Guanyin and Long Nu
One day, one of the Dragon King's sons was swimming about in the
form of a fish and was caught by a fisherman; when he had been hauled onto

land, he could not resume his dragon form and was afraid that he would die.
Neither he nor his father could do anything while he was on dry land, so they
cried out in dismay; Guanyin heard their cries and quickly sent her disciple to
the market where the fish was to be sold. The fish was very large and
handsome and was still living hours after being taken out of the water, and
the local people believed it would grant them immortality, so they all wished
to buy it and easily overpowered the disciple's cries for the fisherman to spare
its life. Guanyin's voice suddenly cried out loudly in the square, condemning
those who would ignore the disciple's cry and saying that those who wish to
spare life should always come before those who wish to end it. The fish was
set free and returned to his father's palace beneath the waves, and the Dragon
King, in gratitude, sent Guanyin a beautiful jewel called the Pearl of Light
and his daughter, Long Nu, to be her new disciple.
Huang Di: Also known as: Wong Tai Shin
Associated Abilities: Academics, Awareness, Command, Integrity, Melee,
Politics
Associated Epic Attributes: Intelligence, Manipulation, Stamina
Associated Purviews: Earth, Guardian, Mystery, War
Huang Di, the Yellow Emperor, is one of the most revered figures in
Chinese mythology, the ancestor of humanity and creator of the medical arts
as well as being a protective warlord defending his kingdom. He is the
inventor of martial arts, calendars and the mysteries of time-keeping, and one
of the most celebrated and benevolently wise divine rulers in the
Bureaucracy's history; even though he no longer holds the post of emperor,
his words are always heeded and his serene wisdom always very sought-after.
Huang Di and Yan Di
Yan Di, Huang Di's older brother, was the successor in line to rule the
kingdom, but Huang Di was favored by their father and the people and it
soon became apparent that he would inherit instead. Furious, Yan Di took up
arms and led an army against his younger brother, who in turn raised his own
army and met him on the field of battle. The war raged for many years until
Huang Di trained a great number of fearsome animals to fight for him and
finally turned the tide at the Battle of Banquan, where he defeated Yan Di,

who was forced to flee. His pride stung, the Flame Emperor returned again to
fight his younger brother, and this time Huang Di executed him and took sole
control of the kingdom.
Huang Di and the Bai Ze
One day as he patrolled his kingdom, Huang Di happened across a
strange and fearsome beast atop a mountain; it was huge and covered in
white fur, with many eyes and horns but the face of a man. Huang Di
captured and subdued it, and in order to placate him it gave him an account of
all of the monsters and demons of the earth and how to defeat them, which he
dictated to his scribe to create the legendary Book of Bai Ze. The book,
however, was lost, and so Huang Di remained the only being in existence to
know the names and powers of all the monsters of creation.
Huang Di and Chi You
When Huang Di's kingdom had lived in peace for some years after the
defeat of Yan Di, the half-bull war god Chi You looked up on it with avarice
and raised up an army to take it from him. Huang Di, recognizing that his
kingdom alone could not defeat such a powerful opponent, called upon the
eight neighboring kingdoms to also rise up with him, giving him an army of
equal potency. The armies fought for two straight days, and neither could
overcome the other; Chi You then stood upon the battlefield and breathed a
thick, heavy fog over it, blotting out the sunlight and throwing Huang Di's
forces into disarray. Huang Di, in return, created the wondrous SouthPointing Chariot and used it to lead his army out of the fog. When he saw
this, Chi You bellowed and called down a great storm to lash his enemies
with rain and lightning; Huang Di, however, prayed to the other gods of
heaven, and they blew the stormclouds away from the battlefield. Deprived
of his magical abilities, Chi You was defeated and executed by Huang Di, and
this demonstration of his might so impressed the armies of the eight
neighboring kingdoms that they begged him to become their emperor as well.
Nezha: Also known as: Nata, Nataku, Na Zha, No Cha, Zhongtan Yuanshuai
Associated Abilities: Athletics, Brawl, Control, Larceny, Melee, Thrown
Associated Epic Attributes: Dexterity, Strength, Wits
Associated Purviews: Fire, Sky, War

Nezha is the boy-god of fire and the sky, a youth of a tender age who
nevertheless wields enormous destructive power. Temperamental, impulsive,
and somewhat prone to playing pranks, he is a fiery personality and his
moods are as mercurial as the fire he represents. Nezha is well-known as a
warrior and a force of destruction, and he has been known to use his power
over the winds to occasionally benefit mankind, though he is often more
likely to blow up a storm or frighten the populace with unfettered winds.
Though he is as old as some of the other gods of the Bureaucracy, in some
ways he remains a child, and the other gods keep a wary eye on his antics.
Nezha's Birth
When Lady Yin became pregnant, she found to her dismay that her time
came and went and still she did not give birth; she was pregnant for three and
a half long years before she was finally able to deliver her child. When she
did, it was not a baby but a smooth, round ball of flesh; thinking that it must
be a demon who had occupied his wife's womb, Li Jing struck the ball with
his sword, but when it was cloven in two Nezha sprang out, a full-grown boy
of fourteen who could speak and walk immediately, much to the amazement
of his parents.
Nezha and the Dragon King
Nezha began to make a habit of playing roughly in the rivers near his
house, shaking the waters and earth so that the vibrations were felt even in
the undersea palace of the Dragon King. Irritated by the commotion, the
Dragon King sent his general, Li Gen, to confront Nezha and ask him to stop
the violent shaking. When Li Gen took Nezha to task for his actions,
however, Nezha insulted him and mocked him, calling him a dog who
obeyed his dragon master. Enraged, Li Gen attacked him with a steel trident
but was struck dead by Nezha's magical bracelet.
When he heard what had happened, the Dragon King's anger was
terrible and he sent his son, the rain god Ao Bing, to stop Nezha. When Ao
Bing arrived, he shouted to Nezha in rage, but Nezha denied any
responsibility and retorted that he was not sorry that he had killed Li Gen.
The two embarked upon a duel, and though they were more evenly matched,
eventually Nezha scorched Ao Bing with a great fireball and then smashed

his head in with his foot. In death, Ao Bing reverted to his true form as a
dragon, and the people of the countryside fled in fear when they realized
what had happened.
Nezha thought this was fine sport, but the Dragon King rose up out of
the oceans and flooded the countryside, bellowing in rage; he ascended to
heaven and brought his suit before the Jade Emperor himself, demanding a
trial. The Emperor agreed, but when Nezha was brought there for the trial he
attacked the Dragon King and beat him so severely that he bled, and he was
forced to flee from heaven before the trial had concluded. In revenge, he
flooded the countryside again and threatened to kill Nezha's parents; seeing
that his helpless parents might die because of his behavior, Nezha finally
repented, flayed himself alive and disemboweled himself to avert the Dragon
King's anger. Moved by his dedication, the Dragon King spared Li Jing and
Lady Yin.
Nezha and Li Jing
Li Jing was greatly incensed by all the trouble and heartbreak Nezha had
caused his family and the people of the countryside; his wife, Lady Yin, had
built a shrine to Nezha's memory, and in his wrath Li Jing burned it down.
Nezha's ghost was so angered by this action that he reincarnated himself and
came home, where his father, horrified to see him return, rejected him and
told him to cause no more trouble. Nezha leaped on his father and attacked
him, but Li Jing soon realized that his son possessed godly power and fled
from him, wounded nearly unto death. As he ran he came across his second
son, Muzha, Nezha's older brother, and told him what had happened; furious
that his brother would treat their father so, Muzha waited for Nezha to appear
in pursuit and exchanged harsh words with him, refusing to allow him to
continue on and finally duelling him to prevent him from chasing Li Jing.
Though he fought valiantly, Nezha crushed him beneath a golden brick and
continued to chase after his father. Li Jing, seeing his second son defeated,
attempted to take his own life, but a great and wise sage interceded and
instead offered Li Jing sanctuary in his cave, preventing Nezha from
following him. He bestowed upon him a magical golden tower to carry on his
back, and taught him to use it to control Nezha, for it was the one object in
the world that could contain him; thereafter, Nezha was forced to treat his
father with respect lest he be imprisoned.

Houyi: Also known as: Yi, Yiyi

Associated Abilities: Athletics, Command, Craft, Marksmanship, Stealth,
Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: Dexterity, Perception, Strength
Associated Purviews: Guardian, Sun
Houyi is the god of archers and savior of mankind, a brave and widelyrenowned warrior whose actions often save humanity, both in times of
trouble and when he chooses to rule over them directly. He is a guardian of
the natural order of things and one of the strongest arms among the gods of
his pantheon, and, if he has occasionally been reprimanded for his illconsidered behavior, he is nevertheless a steadfast and faithful warrior; even
those of the Bureacracy itself may find themselves subject to his stern
reprimand if they step out of line or infringe too greatly upon the mortal
world.
Houyi and Chang'e
Houyi was walking on earth one day when he came across a huge river
which had burst its banks and was violently flooding the surrounding area.
Guessing that this must be the work of an unruly water god, he shot an arrow
into the river in challenge; when a white figure on a watery horse rose up out
of the river, he attacked him and wounded him greatly, putting out one of his
eyes. The water god fled, leaving behind his minions; Houyi was about to fire
at the next of them, but then he realized that she was a defenseless girl and
turned his arrow aside at the last moment, causing it to pass only a hairsbreadth from her head. She was the water god's daughter, Chang'e, she
explained, and her beauty and grace were so great that Houyi was
immediately smitten and begged her to be his wife. She accepted, impressed
by his bravery and decision to stand up to her tyrannical father.
Houyi and the Ten Suns
Dijun, the god of the east, once had ten three-legged sunbirds as sons,
whose light and fierce flaming were immeasurable. While they were usually
content to cross the earth one at a time, one day the ten decided that they
were tired of this restrictive rule and that they would all ten fly above the

earth at once. The terrible heat and blinding light upon the earth when they
did so wreaked havoc, as crops shriveled, lakes dried up and people and
animals went blind and died. The emperor of China prayed desperately to
Dijun to call back his suns, but the god found that they would no longer obey
him and merely laughed and played in the scorched skies.
Seeing that he could not let things go on as they were, Dijun called upon
Houyi to go shoot arrows into the sky around his sons, frightening them into
submission so that they would no longer disobey him. Houyi agreed, but
once he descended to earth and saw the suffering of the people there, he was
so filled with wrath that instead he shot nine arrows into the hearts of nine of
the birds, killing them; the emperor prayed to him to spare the last one so that
humanity would keep one sun, and he agreed, allowing the tenth bird to live.
Though humanity hailed him as a great hero, Dijun and the other gods were
furious that he had killed nine of the divine birds and stripped him of his
immortality, banishing him and his wife Chang'e to live upon the earth
among the mortals they so loved.
Houyi and Fei Lian
Once Houyi had been banished to the earth, he and his wife were taken
in by Emperor Yao, who was grateful that the archer had saved humanity
from the depredations of the sun-birds. It soon became apparent, however,
that all was not well in the emperor's kingdom, and he once again begged
Houyi to save his people, this time from the fearsome storm demon Fei Lian,
a monster who took the shape of a one-eyed, serpent-tailed bull. Houyi took
to the skies and followed the winds until they led him to the demon's home;
seeing that the archer was coming for him, Fei Lian was frightened and hid in
a sack. Houyi, however, saw at once where the demon was hiding and shot an
arrow into the sack, bursting it open; when Fei Lian attempted to run, he shot
him in the leg and secured his promise never to destroy crops and houses
with his storms again.
Houyi and Feng Meng
Heartbroken over the loss of his wife after she ascended to the moon,
Houyi became bitter and sullen, sinking into depression. His archery students
became restless at his change in personality, and his star pupil, Feng Meng,
became so angry at the fact that Houyi could still defeat him without even

trying that he resolved to murder him, reasoning that no one would miss such
an unhappy, unpleasant man. When Houyi had taken his students on a hunt,
Feng Meng attacked him from behind with a club, and the students aided him
in beating Houyi to death.
When the other gods saw what had happened, they cursed Feng Meng
and his companions terribly for daring to commit murder against a divine
man, and raised Houyi up to return to heaven, granting him ownership of the
remaining sun and all of his former powers and abilities. Though he dutifully
took up the mantle of divinity again, he remained morose, forever separated
from Chang'e in her nighttime domain.
Chang'e: Also known as: Chang-ngo, Chang'o, Heng'e, Heng-O
Associated Abilities: Awareness, Empathy, Integrity, Investigation, Larceny,
Presence
Associated Epic Attributes: Appearance, Wits
Associated Purviews: Frost, Moon, Mystery
The beautiful, tragic Chang'e is the goddess of the moon, a lady of
silence and mystery who lives in solitude with her companion, the lunar
rabbit. Quick-witted and intelligent as well as famous for her beauty, she
interacts seldom with the other gods, even with the rest of the Bureaucracy;
she remains in her palace on the moon, influencing the tides and the moods
of mankind from afar and avoiding the company of other gods, especially
those associated with the sun, wherever possible.
Chang'e and Houyi
After Chang'e and Houyi had been banished from heaven, she mourned
for her immortality and was often miserable, believing she would soon grow
old and ugly and lose her husband's regard. Seeing how unhappy she was,
Houyi resolved to go on a quest to regain their immortality; he traveled for
many perilous months and fought many terrible monsters before finally
arriving at the palace of Xiwangmu, who gave him a pill, cautioning that only
half of it was required to make a single person immortal. Thus armed with a
pill that could restore both of them to heaven, Houyi returned home.
He carefully put the pill away in a case before leaving to respond to an
urgent summons from the emperor, warning Chang'e not to open it. Her

curiosity and excitement to be cured of her mortality were such, however,

that she did so anyway and put the pill in her mouth, intending to bite off half
of it. Houyi, however, returned at that moment and she was so frightened of
his anger if he caught her that she accidentally swallowed the pill whole.
Immediately, buoyed by the overdose, she began to float into the air; she
cried for help, but floated away too quickly for Houyi to catch hold of her, no
matter how high he leaped. He steeled himself and aimed his bow at her,
intending to shoot her down to keep her from floating away, but he could not
bear to hurt her and in the end was unable to do so. Chang'e floated higher
and higher until she landed on the moon, where she remained henceforth with
only the Jade Rabbit for company, mourning her own foolishness and the loss
of her husband.

Yazata
Mithra: Also known as: Mehr, Mihr, Mithras, Mitra
Associated Abilities: Athletics, Brawl, Command, Integrity, Melee, Presence
Associated Epic Attributes: Charisma, Perception, Strength
Associated Purviews: Guardian, Justice, Sun
Mithra, the god of light, reason and order, is the warrior and judge who
leads the Yazata, a keeper of the right and defender of the weak. Chief and
most respected among the Yazata save for Ahura Mazda, he was by far the
most widely worshiped among them, venerated even by the Romans, as a god
of prowess in battle and brotherhood among men, and the Hindu, as a god of
honesty and solemnly sworn oaths. He is the conqueror of the sun, the enemy
of evil, and the ever-honorable defender of mankind, shepherding his fellow
Yazata to the best of his formidable abilities.
Mithra and the Sun
In the beginning of the world, the sun was a burning orb whose bright
light and oppressive heat made life on earth unbearable for mankind. In
response to their cries for relief, Mithra was born whole and adult from the
stones of the earth itself, and rose up into the sky to do battle with the sun.
Their struggle was fierce, but in the end Mithra subdued it and taught it to

help mankind rather than hurt them; he heard the sun's solemn oath to bring
life to the earth instead of death and crowned it with its golden rays,
declaring that it would be his friend and follower henceforth.
Mithra and the Heavenly Bull
When Ahura Mazda created the great heavenly bull, a creature of
extreme majesty and kingliness, he instructed Mithra to pen it in a cave to
prevent it from running free. Mithra chased down the wild creature and, after
a long struggle, wrestled it into submission and dragged it into the cave,
barricading the entrance. The bull, however, was so strong that it charged the
barricade once Mithra had departed and shattered it, and proceeded to
rampage across the earth. Seeing what had happened, Ahura Mazda sent a
crow to Mithra bearing the message that he must pursue the bull and this time
kill it. While he did not wish to destroy such a magnificent creature, Mithra
nevertheless sought out the bull and, after a mighty battle, stabbed it to death.
The bull, in its death throes, resigned itself to its fate and was placed in the
sky as reward; from its blood sprang all the plants of the world that are
beneficial to humans, every healing herb and food source granted in one
stroke.
Anahita: Also known as: Aban, Anahid, Anahit, Anaitis, Ardvi Sura Adwisur
Associated Abilities: Academics, Control, Empathy, Integrity, Investigation,
Medicine
Associated Epic Attributes: Appearance, Intelligence
Associated Purviews: Fertility, Health, War, Water
Anahita is the goddess of life and the surrogate mother of mankind,
providing them with her favor and the endless waters at her command in
order to let them flourish. All the plants of the earth depend on her largesse
for survival, and crops and fields grow lush and fertile under her care. Her
waters represent not only the life-giving liquid granted to humanity but also
the fertility and purity of the human body; she is at once a virgin goddess and
a mother figure. An ancient being who was worshiped in Persia long before
the rise of the larger religions, she is also a warrior maiden who rides into
battle to protect her charges and a wise counsellor who warns of evil, a friend
of her people in every aspect.

Anahita and the Supplicants

When Anahita was born, Ahura Mazda presented her to the world and
instructed its people to worship her and provide her with sacrifices because of
her great beauty and holiness. The people agreed and began to offer up
sacrifices, each begging a boon of her in return. A shepherd sacrificed all of
his horses and oxen to her and begged her to make him the ruler of the earth,
and, seeing that he had given her all he possessed, she agreed. Seeking to ruin
the shepherd's new happiness, Ahriman, disguised as a simple druj, came to
Anahita and offered her the same sacrifice, asking that she empty all the
countries of the world of men, but she saw through his deception and refused
his sacrifice, leaving him angry and bitter. To punish him for attempting to
work such evil, Anahita agreed to help a brave warrior who made a sacrifice
and begged her for her aid in stealing away the beautiful wives of the evil
god. Ahriman's wrath shook the heavens when he discovered his concubines
were gone, but Anahita was so skillful in war that he dared not pursue them,
and they vanished to earth with the warrior, hidden away from him for all
time.
Ard: Also known as: Ahrishwang, Ashi, Ashi Vanghuhi, Ashi Vanuhi
Associated Abilities: Awareness, Empathy, Fortitude, Occult, Presence,
Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: Appearance, Charisma
Associated Purviews: Fertility, Magic
The goddess of good luck is a beautiful and carefree deity, mischievous
but never harmful, always willing to lend a sympathetic ear to pleas for her
help. She represents the good favor that can be bestowed upon those who
follow heaven's laws, and plant life is also her province, as she can entice the
earth to bring forth its bounty and ease the suffering of its people. One of the
deities for whom the Persians had the most fondness, Ard is also the goddess
of wealth and prosperity and is almost always an ally and friend to others, but
heaven help the unwary human (or deity) who angers her so sorely that she
inflicts the terrible curse of poor luck upon him or her.
Ard and the Fire God

Ard, who was carefree and loved to roam the earth, came one day upon a
fire god dancing alone in a clearing. His skin was very dark and the flames
danced upon it like living things, and he was so beautiful that she fell
immediately and hopelessly in love with him. She immediately ran home and
made herself beautiful, putting on her best robes, smearing cosmetics on her
face to enhance it, and softening her skin with butter; when she returned to
beg him to love her, however, she found that he had vanished and that
nothing remained but the blackened ground where he had stood. Desperate,
she searched far and wide to find out who he might be, but learned only that
he was unknown to all the other gods. To this day, she continues to search for
him, peering into the eyes of every god she meets to see if flame lurks in their
depths.
Sraosha: Also known as: Sorush, Srosh, Sroshdatak
Associated Abilities: Athletics, Integrity, Investigation, Melee, Occult,
Presence
Associated Epic Attributes: Appearance, Dexterity
Associated Purviews: Guardian, Justice, Psychopomp
The god of obedience is a towering figure of incredible beauty and rockhard conviction, a deity who refuses to bend in any dimension. Sraosha is an
enforcer for his pantheon, making sure that the laws are followed and that
those who break them are subjected to their just deserts. He is also a god of
open paths, carrying messages and laws from the heavens to mankind and
aiding the dead in finding their way to the underworld and their final
judgment once Vayu releases them. He is earnest, steadfast, and never sways
from his purpose, which is always in service to his pantheon's ideals and
rules; when he is not actively fighting evil he wanders the earth, spreading
the knowledge of his pantheon to those who might not know them.
Sraosha and Ahriman
Sraosha is the greatest of the soldiers who sally forth against the minions
of Ahriman; three times each day he is sent down to earth to combat them
with his might and faith, and three times each day he defeats many and sends
them howling home to their master. It is foretold that, at the end of time, it is
Sraosha who will face Ahriman himself, and that he will finally defeat him

for good with the help of Ahura Mazda.

Sraosha and Ard
Though he is ever-vigilant on behalf of his entire pantheon, Sraosha has
a special fondness for his younger sister, Ard, who as the goddess of fortunes
and blessings always lends him her aid when he sallies forth against the
forces of evil. He is most zealous about guarding her maidenly innocence and
protecting her from the depredations of lustful men, for only in matrimony,
the Yazata believe, can any woman (human or divine) attain true happiness
with her mate.
Atar: Also known as: Adar, Adur, Ataksh, Atarsh
Associated Abilities: Command, Fortitude, Integrity, Occult, Presence,
Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: Intelligence
Associated Purviews: Fire, Justice, Mystery
Atar is the Ever-Burning Flame, the god of holy fire and source of all
light and heat; it is he who burns away the lies and impurities of the world,
revealing the truth for all to see, and also he who burns away sicknesses, ills
and curses from those worthy few brave enough to beg his help. As the
bringer of light, he is also the bringer of enlightenment, sharing the glow of
wisdom, knowledge and learning with any who choose to see it, and through
the unflinching flame of his gaze strips away all untruths and injustices
through the power of his scorching heat.
Atar and the Dragon King
When the Yazata strode forth to battle the evil three-headed dragon Azhi
Dahaka, it happened that in the heat of the struggle Mithra slipped and fell
beneath the monster's blade, mere moments from death. Seeing this, Atar
heroically sped between the two of them and ordered the monster to depart.
Dragon and god struggled bitterly, Azhi Dahaka claiming he would
extinguish the Ever-Burning Flame forever if he attempted to stand between
him and his prey, but Atar created a flame that licked the ground around them
and singed the dragon's loins. He warned Azhi Dahaka that he would create a
fire so hot that it would travel up through his genitals and spew forth from his

mouths, burning everything in its path; cowed by the thought of the god's
unbearable flame in his most tender places, the dragon slithered away,
allowing the Yazata to come to Mithra's aid and rally for the next battle.
Mah: Also known as: Maonghah
Associated Abilities: Animal Ken, Empathy, Integrity, Politics, Presence,
Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: Appearance, Charisma
Associated Purviews: Animal (Cattle), Moon, Stars
Mah, the moon goddess, is the graceful, lovely patron of the night sky,
called the Queen of the Night and the most beautiful among goddesses; her
handmaidens are the stars, who follow her as her attendants and do her
bidding as her servants. She is known to be an opportunist and occasionally
opposes her staid pantheon's aims, but she also provides necessary balance,
representing the lighter, more secretive night, as opposed to Mithra's harsh,
unforgiving day. She is also a helpful deity, aiding the seasons in their turning
in order to keep the plant and animal kingdoms fruitful and predictable for
mankind, and protects the herds of cattle that are the livelihood of man.
Mah and the Heavenly Bull
When Ahura Mazda created the great heavenly bull, Mah thought its
beautiful flanks and high-spirited antics were refreshing and entertaining, and
she often goaded it on when it sought to escape the confines Mithra placed on
it. She clapped for joy when it finally escaped and ran across the world of its
own free will, but soon Mithra arrived and, at the behest of Ahura Mazda,
killed it with a dagger. Mah was so grieved by the death of the bull that she
appealed to Ahura Mazda, who agreed that the bull had been a magnificent
creature and allowed her to take its spirit into the sky to be her aide and
confidant; she loved it so much that she created the bulls of earth in its image,
and forever after considered them her favorite of all creatures.
Vahram: Also known as: Bahram, Behram, Vahagn, Verethragna, Vram,
Wargaran
Associated Abilities: Athletics, Brawl, Fortitude, Marksmanship, Melee,
Thrown

Associated Epic Attributes: Dexterity, Strength

Associated Purviews: Animal (Boar), Fire, Magic, War
The Smiter of Resistance is the god of victory, a warrior of incredible
prowess and glory and an impetuous bringer of potency and excitement. He
is Mithra's right hand, a god ever-ready for battle and often praised by the
other Yazata for his success in keeping the eternally rapacious evil of
Ahriman at bay. He is also a fire god, associated with fire that purifies and
cleanses as it destroys, and he represents the flame of victory, proclaiming
success and immolating the defeated at the same time. As the god of the
greatest martial prowess, he is also the protector of travelers and the patron of
warrior kings. Though he is most often seen in battle as a great boar,
destroying his enemies with wild abandon, he is a shapeshifter of incredible
range and versatility and is frequently seen as a youth, a warrior, one of any
number of animals, or even blowing through the land as the wind itself.
Vahram's Feathers
One day, Zoroaster found himself afflicted by a horrible curse laid upon
him by the servants of Ahriman. He prayed to Ahura Mazda for relief, and
was told that he should find Vahram and gather up one of his feathers. After a
long search, he found Vahram rushing across the world, his feet trailing fire
behind him; like flame, his shape was constantly changing and shifting. He
appeared first to be a bull with golden horns, then a white horse, then a
sweet-faced young boy, then a wild ram, a great stag, a bird of prey, a great
boar, and finally a fearsome warrior holding aloft a golden sword. Zoroaster
feared getting too close to the god, but he gathered up one of the feathers that
had fallen from Vahram's wings when he was in the form of a bird. Instantly,
the curse was turned back upon the evil ones who had cast it and Zoroaster
found himself cured; he kept the feather with him forever after as protection
against any other evil-doers.
Tishtrya: Also known as: Tir, Tiri, Tishtar, Tistrya
Associated Abilities: Animal Ken, Athletics, Brawl, Integrity, Occult,
Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: Strength
Associated Purviews: Animal (Horse), Fertility, Stars, Thunder, Water

Tishtrya is the benevolent and beloved god of rain, he who first created
the lakes and rivers and now provides water to the earth so that it may grow
and support life. He is associated with fertility and with bounty offered to a
deserving people; in addition, he is also a guardian god, constantly patrolling
the heavens and earth to keep any evil from threatening his people and
driving it away in the form of a great and powerful stallion wherever he
encounters it. He is also the god of the north star and from its vantage point
surveys the earth, as vigilant as the star itself.
Tishtrya and Apaosha
Once, when Tishtrya was dutifully spreading the rains over the earth, the
terrible demon of drought, Apaosha, arose and sucked the life out of the
earth, creating a vast wasteland in which men and beasts died by the
thousands. Seeing this, Tishtrya immediately set out to do battle with the
demon, appearing in the form of a pure white horse that reflected the purity
of his intentions and the strength of his will. Apaosha, in turn, transformed
himself into a coal-black horse and met him in the midst of a vast plain, and
there the two battled for three days and three nights, neither able to overcome
the other. But the men of earth had lost faith in Tishtrya's ability to free them
from the terrible drought and had ceased to offer him prayers and libations,
and so he weakened and weakened until it seemed certain that Apaosha must
overcome him. Seeing this, Ahura Mazda intervened, offering his own
prayers and sacrifice to bolster Tishtrya, who was strengthened enough to
defeat Apaosha and banish the heinous drought from the earth, never to
return.
Vayu: Also known as: Ram, Vata, Vayu-Vata
Associated Abilities: Empathy, Fortitude, Medicine, Occult, Politics,
Presence
Associated Epic Attributes: Charisma, Wits
Associated Purviews: Death, Sky
Vayu is the god of the wind, the lord of all air and the keeper of life. He
is the bestower of life when a baby draws its first breath, and he is the bringer
of death when an old man breathes his last death rattle. Like the winds he

controls, he is capricious and unpredictable, often taking actions or making

decisions that have no outward reasoning, exasperating and angering even the
others of his pantheon. Nevertheless, he is absolutely necessary; without
breath nothing can live, and it is his wind that blows Tishtrya's rain across the
earth and moves the clouds to allow Mithra's friend, the sun, to shine down
on the ground. He is above all a god of change and shifting, things that his
worshipers (few, even when compared to the other Yazata) maintain are
necessary for the balance of all things.
Vayu and the Gods
It happened that the gods one day decided to determine which of them
was most necessary for mankind to live, and they chose a man to be their test
subject. Mithra withheld his light from the man and he became blind; Mah
withheld her cunning and he became stupid; Ard withheld her fortune and he
became unlucky, Vahram withheld his fire and he became meek and Tishtrya
withheld his water and he became parched. The gods quarreled, still unable to
choose whose attribute was of most importance to the man, until Vayu stood
and withheld the man's breath. The man was unable to live without breath,
showing that Vayu was by far the most necessary of the gods; furthermore,
the other gods began to feel the breath leeching from their lungs as well as a
powerful wind whipping up around them, and they realized that Vayu had
power even over them. They never contested their strengths among
themselves again.
Zam: Also known as: Zam-Armatan, Zam Yazad, Zamyad, Zamyat
Associated Abilities: Command, Fortitude, Integrity, Occult, Presence,
Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: Stamina
Associated Purviews: Death, Earth, Fertility
The earth goddess is a stoic figure, as solid and unnoticed as the planet
itself. She represents the foundation without which no life could grow, who
allows plants, animals, and mankind to flourish on the earth without any
selfish gain. Through her eternal link with the earth, she is looked to both to
help the plants grow from its fertile soil and to contain and succor the dead
who rest within it. She is respected as the often-overlooked support upon

which the other gods depend, and she never fails in those unchanging duties.
Zam and the Creation of the World
When Ahura Mazda decided to shape the world for human habitation, he
first formed Zam, who arose splendid and firm and moved to help him do so.
First she made the mountains, causing them to grow up out of the surface of
the flat earth to circle the world; then she grew the primordial tree, the first
plant to flourish on earth, and from it created all other plants and set them to
growing in the earth's surface. Finally, she aided Ahura Mazda in shaping
mud into the great heavenly bull, first among animals, and when it died
created all other animals from its body.

Anunna
Marduk:Also known as: Mardochaios, Marutuk, Merodach
Associated Abilities: Command, Control, Marksmanship, Melee, Politics,
Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: Charisma, Perception, Strength
Associated Purviews: Fire, Guardian, Justice, Sky, Thunder
The king of the Anunna has ruled undisputed for millennia, inheriting
the throne from his father Enki and holding it against the forces of chaos even
into the present day. The god of storms, thunder and lightning, he is a
fearsome figure to his enemies and an awesome one to his people, never
afraid to sally forth and destroy those who might oppose the pantheon.
Marduk has little time for politics, instead acting as the guardian of the World
and the slayer of monsters, spending more time in the field than he does in
the Overworld; aware of his temper and occasional lapses of wisdom, the
other gods are only too happy to let him continue to do so.
Marduk and Tiamat
When Tiamat waged war on the gods, her monstrous creatures and
implacable hatred besieged them on every side so that they feared for their
lives. They called a great council of all the gods and asked who could defeat
her; Marduk, a young son of Enki who had never before spoken in council,

stood and volunteered to kill her. Impressed by his bravery, the gods agreed
that if he could succeed he would take the throne as king of the gods.
Marduk armed himself for war with lightning and storms as well as
fierce weapons and magic spells, and sallied forth to fight the great monster.
Trapping Tiamat in a net he had made to hold her, he blew the many winds of
the world into her until she could not contain them and then pierced her with
an arrow, causing her to burst. The scattered parts of her body he used to
form the world and the heavens, making them from the body of the oncegreat mother goddess.
However, Tiamat's son and general Kingu heard of her death and
brought his army to challenge Marduk in revenge, wielding the terrible Tablet
of Destinies. Their battle was long and grueling, but in the end Marduk
wrested the Tablet from his enemy and defeated him, taking him before the
other gods to decide his fate. When they decreed death, he killed Kingu then
and there and ascended to the throne of the Anunna.
Marduk and the Salmu
Marduk's salmu, his sacred statue, was kept in Babylon and he often
guarded it, making sure that no unscrupulous thieves or unjust men attempted
to tamper with it. However, because it was his favorite statue, he allowed it to
be stolen by invaders three times in order to see the far-off lands they might
carry it to. He traveled with it to the land of the Hittites to see their strange
and foreign gods, and then traveled with it to the land of the Assyrians to
bless them and encourage them on the path of righteousness. When he
traveled with it to Canaan, however, the other gods were so curious about his
strange absences that they laid in wait and followed along with him, going en
masse to experience the wonders of a far-off land. While the gods enjoyed
themselves immensely, the lands of Babylon fell into disrepair and were
raided in their absence, and Marduk was forced to decree that no more
journeys could take place unless a king of sufficient strength to hold the
empire together without its gods should appear.
Enlil: Also known as: Ellil
Associated Abilities: Awareness, Command, Integrity, Politics, Presence,
Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: Manipulation, Perception

Associated Purviews: Fertility, Justice, Sky

Son of Anu, the most mighty father of all the Anunna, Enlil is a kingly
figure indeed, having led his pantheon for many centuries before stepping
down in favor of his brother. The god of air and life-sustaining breath, he is
the lord of winds, source of all rain and the celebrated bringer of fertility to
all-important crops, teaching mankind the use of tools to till the soil. No
other god of the Anunna has created more of the world with such infinite
care, nor provided such stern and unyielding discipline as was seen during
the time of his rule.
Enlil and Humanity
During the time that he was king of the Anunna, Enlil began to gradually
notice that mankind had multipled to ever larger and more boisterous
numbers, until finally they made such a constant noise in the world that he
was no longer able to think in peace. Irritated by the unceasing din, he
resolved to wipe humanity from the face of the earth by means of a great
flood, thus returning order and quiet; however, his brother Enki, wishing to
preserve human life, saved one family from the waters. Though Enlil was
furious at this disobedience, he was persuaded by many offerings from the
remaining humans and Enki's counsel to instead send predators and natural
disasters to keep the human population in check and at a reasonable volume.
For his devotion, he granted the surviving human, Utnapishtim, immortality.
Enlil and Ninlil
Though he had been king for many years and was strict in enforcing his
own laws, it happened that one day Enlil saw a beautiful maiden named
Ninlil bathing in a canal and was stricken by her charms. He tried to convince
her to become his lover, but despite his protestations of love she refused,
saying that she would be shunned by her family for such behavior. Frustrated
and mad with desire, Enlil took her by force, and when his deed became
known abdicated the throne to his brother and banished himself to the
underworld in disgrace.
Ninlil, however, impressed by his penitence and pregnant with his son,
followed him down into the dreary Underworld. At first he refused to see her,
fearing she had come to trick him or remind him of his sin, but she spoke so

passionately of her desire to become his legal wife that he relented and the
two were reunited, returning to the home of the gods.
Enki: Also known as: Ea
Associated Abilities: Academics, Art, Empathy, Politics, Stealth, Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: Charisma, Wits
Associated Purviews: Chaos, Health, Water
King in his own right after his brother Enlil, Enki is quite different in
character, being first and foremost a trickster with a certain fondness for
mankind and its fractious ways. He is the lord of Apsu, the realm of fresh
water that supplies all of the earth, and furthermore the god of human
fertility, master of the waters of the very human body. As the god of waters,
he is the cleansing force among the Anunna, a responsibility that they
sometimes wish he took more seriously. Though he thwarts the plans of his
fellow gods, he almost seems to enjoy being made the fool in return, and
more than a few of his fellow deities were relieved when he handed his
leadership duties over to Marduk millennia ago.
Enki and Apsu
Though the gods had once labored industriously and quietly in the
world, once mankind and the lesser gods had been created they no longer
needed to work and were able to enjoy their leisure, hosting noisy parties and
feasts that shook the heavens with their merriment. Irritated by his offspring's
noise and poor work ethic, Apsu, their ancient ancestor, threatened to flood
the entire world if they did not stop. The gods were terrified of his might, but
Enki used his own mighty powers over water to invent irrigation and canal
systems, using them to trap Apsu's previously untamed waves and channel
fresh water permanently for the use of gods and humans alike.
Enki and the Language of Men
In the beginning, there was only one language and it was spoken by all
men and gods so that everyone could understand one another. Enki, however,
disliked this state of affairs and decided to end it by reaching into the mouths
of mankind and twisting their tongues, causing them to speak many different
languages, thus assuring that different peoples could never again clearly

understand each other.

Enki and the Flood
When his brother Enlil was angered by humanity's constant noise and
threatened to destroy them, Enki was saddened, for he enjoyed humanity's
antics and wanted to preserve them. For twelve hundred years he inflicted
famine and drought on the people, but each time Enki taught them how to
survive until finally Enlil forbade him to do so again, planning to unleash a
massive flood. Though he had promised his brother not to tell any living soul
about the coming deluge, he sneaked down to earth and loudly proclaimed
his woe to a wall he found there, telling it all his sorrows about the calamity
to come. The people living on the other side of the wall, Utnapishtim and his
family, overheard this and built a large boat, thus surviving the disaster and
ensuring the continuation of mankind.
Ninhursag: Also known as: Aruru, Beletili, Mami, Mamma, Ninhursaga,
Ninkharsag, Ninmah, Ninmenna, Nintu
Associated Abilities: Animal Ken, Art, Empathy, Medicine, Presence,
Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: Charisma
Associated Purviews: Animal (Fox), Earth, Fertility, Health
Ninhursag is the great mother goddess of the Anunna, the giver of life
and most revered provider for her children; unlike fiery Ishtar, she is a source
of comfort and plenty, a calming influence much respected by the rest of her
pantheon. As Enkis wife and Marduks mother, she enjoys a position of
power by proxy amongst the Anunna, and she was long ago worshipped
fervently by humanity, who knew her as their creator. She was often
considered the special patron of kings, and many a royal hymn was dedicated
to the Lady of the Mountain in order to call upon her favor, their prayers
carried to her ears by the soft-footed foxes that serve her.
Ninhursag and Humanity
In the beginning, the lesser gods served the greater by doing all the work
on heaven and earth. Eventually they grew tired of this and staged a
rebellion, claiming that as divinities they had as much right to rest and enjoy

leisure as the other gods. Hearing this, Ninhursag took the slain body of the
rebellion's leader and mixed it into clay, which she then fashioned into seven
pairs of breeding creatures; at the end of nine months, they gave birth to the
first of mankind, who thenceforth worked so that the gods could rest.
Ninhursag and Enki
After a particularly langorous tryst, it happened that Ninhursag gave
birth to a baby girl named Ninsar before departing to work on the earth,
ensuring fertility and health among the people. Amorously seeking his wife,
Enki happened across Ninsar instead, and, stricken by her resemblance to
Ninhursag, seduced her. She had another daughter named Ninkurra, just as
lovely, and again Enki seduced his own granddaughter and made her
pregnant. When his great-granddaughter Uttu was born he attempted the
same again, but she was frightened and searched out Ninhursag to ask what
she should do. Disgusted by her husband's behavior, Ninhursag took Enki's
semen from Uttu's womb and planted it in the ground, growing eight plants
that she instructed his servant to give him to eat. When Enki did so, the plants
impregnated him and caused him great suffering; since he had no womb, he
could not give birth and instead begged Ninhursag to forgive him. Softened
by his plea, she swallowed his seed back into heself and gave birth to eight
gods of healing who eased his afflictions.
Ninurta: Also known as: Ningirsu, Ninib, Ninip, Ninur
Associated Abilities: Athletics, Brawl, Control, Fortitude, Melee, Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: Stamina, Strength
Associated Purviews: Thunder, War, Water
The god of floods and fields is a figure of warlike intensity and
frightening power, reined in only by the good counsel of the older gods of the
pantheon. Ninurta is the war-god and charioteer that protects his pantheon,
the first line of defense against the Titans; unlike hot-blooded Nergal, he is
aware of his duties and strives to always put the pantheons good first. He is
the subduer of the great lion-eagle Anzu, who now pulls his chariot and
accompanies him into battle. While his rampaging storms and floods are
barely contained by his fellow gods, in the heat of battle even they often
cannot prevent him from breaking loose to wreak unimaginable havoc on

enemies (and, indeed, the entire landscape).

Ninurta and Anzu
After the great war with Tiamat, the gods relaxed because their enemy
was defeated and even their king let his vigilance droop. Seeing his chance to
seize power, the great lion-bird Anzu rose up and stole the Tablet of Destinies
from the gods, fleeing with it across land and sea. Immediately harnessing his
chariot, Ninurta rode after him with fierce intent; Anzu sent many monsters
against him, including a dragon, a bison, a snake and a six-headed ram, but
Ninurta slew all of them and rode onward bedecked in their treasure.
Realizing that there was no escape, Anzu roosted at the peak of the tallest
mountain and waited for Ninurta's arrival; the two fought a spectacular battle
across the heavens, but finally Ninurta struck the beast with the great mace
Sharur and conquered it. Defeated, Anzu drew the victorious god's chariot
back to the heavens to present the Tablet to Enlil for safekeeping.
Ninurta and Asag
While the gods were eating and drinking at a feast, Ninurta's magical
mace suddenly saw from afar that a great creature called Asag had been born,
a bird-like monster from the mountains that was devastating the land. The
gods were greatly worried by this, but Ninurta volunteered to go forth and
slay the beast, and they agreed to allow him to try. In his first sally against
Asag, however, the creature dashed the mace from his hand and stirred up a
hurricane, causing Enlil and Anu to call out to Ninurta to stop the fight lest
the chaos destroy mankind. Ninurta, however, was enraged and rampaged
through the mountains after it, terrifying all who saw him and eventually
grasping the Asag and pounding and tearing it apart with his bare hands.
After he had washed himself and retrieved his mace, he was lauded by all the
gods and created a gentle flood of water to bring fertility back to the ravaged
landscape.
Sin: Also known as: Nanna, Suen
Associated Abilities: Animal Ken, Fortitude, Integrity, Investigation,
Presence, Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: Appearance, Charisma
Associated Purviews: Animal (Cattle), Justice, Moon

Sin, the almighty god of the moon, is one of the most revered and
respected among the Anunna and one of the most widely worshiped in his
time. Keeper of the moon, whose phases govern the tides and the allimportant growth of crops, he is also the patron god of cow-herders and one
of the judges of the underworld, descending into it at the dark of every moon
to sit in state and judge the wrongdoings and merits of the souls that come
before him. A light in the darkness and hope in dire straits, he is a benevolent
figure well-known for his fair rulings and loving treatment of his wife and
children.
Sin and Enlil
One day Sin saw that his city was languishing under ignorance and
poverty, unable to compete with the splendid grandeur of the cities where
other gods were worshiped. Determined to better the lot of his people, he sent
out emissaries to gather the finest offerings and materials from the nearby
land and loaded them into a boat, which he set sail in until he reached the
temple of his father. Enlil was so impressed by the rich offerings that he
threw a feast in Sin's honor and asked what he might wish in return; mindful
of his peoples' plight, Sin asked that they be granted prosperity and good
fortune equal to the rest of the land. Enlil thereafter blessed the area with
fertility and fortune, and Sin returned home to inform his people of the good
news.
Sin and Ningal
Though Ningal lived in the marshes and reeds of the world, she watched
the moon make its progress across the sky and fell in love with its beautiful
silver light. Sin, in turn, saw her bathing in the reeds each night and was
enchanted by her beauty. When he heard her sigh with longing for him, Sin
called out to Ningal to come to him secretly the next evening so that they
could meet without their families' knowledge, too smitten with her to wait
properly for marriage. Though he planned to marry her, the gods noticed the
secret affair and scolded him for taking a lover out of wedlock and ruining
her chances to marry. Chastened, Sin traveled to Ningal's house to profess his
love and ask for her hand from her family, and they were married without
delay.

Sin and the Eclipse

Sin's brightly shining face irritated the demons of darkness, who wished
the night to be black so that they could go about their evil business, and
consequently they plotted to discover how they could banish him from the
sky. Using sweet words and misdirections, they went to Sin's children, the
mighty Ishtar and Ishkur, and convinced them that their father had insulted
them and deserved to be punished. Full of rage, the two gods waged war on
Sin, attempting to put out the moon with their thunderbolts; seeing this and
knowing the cause, however, Enlil sent Marduk to fight at his side and
subdue the two until the situation could be explained.
Ishtar: Also known as: Inanna, Innin
Associated Abilities: Art, Athletics, Command, Empathy, Melee, Presence
Associated Epic Attributes: Appearance, Charisma, Manipulation, Wits
Associated Purviews: Chaos, Stars, Thunder, War
The Queen of Heaven, Ishtar is a living conundrum, a powerful,
nurturing and regal figure and at the same time a fractious, fiery source of
conflict. Goddess of the stars and night sky, she is also a storm-bringer like
her forbears, liable to unleash her destructive fury in hurricane winds when
angered (and, unfortunately, it is not difficult to upset her). She is also a
martial goddess, a figure prayed to by ancient warriors to sow confusion and
distress amongst their opponents on the battlefield; yet she is above all things
the goddess of love and pleasure, patron and protector of lovers, prostitutes
and anyone else who seeks the delights of the flesh without remorse. Despite
her quicksilver temperament, Ishtar is well-loved by the rest of her pantheon
(especially Tammuz and the great Anu himself, her two husbands), and they
are quick to take her side in her many quarrels, more often than not.
Ishtar and Tammuz
Seeing that she was unruly and hoping that marriage would tame her,
Ishtar's brother Shamash encouraged her to marry Tammuz, the god of
shepherds, who was smitten with her beauty. Ishtar, however, spurned
Tammuz in favor of a farm-god, claiming that he was more refined and richer
than the humble Tammuz. When he heard this, Tammuz told her forthrightly

that his blood was every bit as noble and divine as hers and that she should
not say such things; Ishtar was intrigued since no man had ever spoken back
to her in such a manner, and after further encouragement from her mother
agreed to marry him. Tammuz took Ishtar to his home for their wedding night
and their lovemaking was so fertile that it caused all the lands for miles
around to burst into sudden, lush life.
Ishtar and Enki
Though Ishtar could have any man she wished, she had never been able
to seduce her father-in-law Enki because of his great wisdom and power.
Irritated by this failure, she perfumed and dressed herself and went to his
house to conquer him; being wise, Enki knew what she had in mind and
refused politely, instead providing her with wine and beer to make her
pleasantly drunk and forget her errand. Enki himself drank with her and
became drunk, but Ishtar cleverly avoided becoming too tipsy, and once she
saw that the god was reeling she spoke sweetly to him. In his drunkenness,
Enki gave Ishtar his me, the powers of his civilization, and as soon as he
passed out she ran to her home city and bestowed all of his powers upon the
humans there. Enki was distressed when he awoke to find that she was now
equal in power to him, but since he had given her his power of his own free
will, he was forced to admit that she had gotten the best of him in order to
convince her to return it.
Ishtar and Gilgamesh
When Ishtar spied the hero Gilgamesh, she was impressed by his
prowess and handsomeness and descended to earth in all her glory to ask him
to be her husband. She was shocked when he refused, and furious when he
said that he would never be so foolish since every man she took as a lover
met with grief. Returning to heaven, she went before Anu and demanded that
he give her the Bull of Heaven, Gugalanna, so that she could punish
Gilgamesh; Anu pointed out that she had provoked the hero in the first place,
but she threatened to destroy the gates of the Underworld if he did not relent.
She immediately sent Gugalanna to destroy Gilgamesh, but he and Enkidu
killed the bull-god and insulted Ishtar, saying they would do the same to her
if they were able. Shocked by her failure, Ishtar cursed Gilgamesh to a tragic
end and retreated.

Ishtar and Ereshkigal

Though she had caused the death of her sister's husband, Ishtar refused
to apologize and instead determined to journey to the Underworld and take its
throne, proving to its mistress that she was the greater of the two. She was
successful in threatening the gatekeeper to let her in, but as soon as she did
she was slowly stripped of her powers and garments by Ereshkigal's servants,
finally arriving in the throne room naked and weak. Infuriated by such
treatment, she threatened and insulted her sister, but realized too late that she
could not overcome her in her place of power and was killed. At her death, all
sex and procreation on the earth ceased, all living things no longer able to
take joy in it now that Ishtar was gone.
Seeing this and concerned for the future of mankind, the gods consulted
with Enki, who created a servant named Asushunamir to descend to the
Underworld and plead for Ishtar's release. Knowing that she would not agree,
Enki also sent the Water of Life with the servant, who surreptitiously
sprinkled it on Ishtar and restored her to life. Ereshkigal was furious at this
duplicity but, under pressure from the other gods, was forced to release
Ishtar; she stipulated, however, that Ishtar must find someone to take her
place in order to remain free of the realm of death, and sent an army of
demons from the Underworld with her to ensure that she made a decision.
Humiliated and upset by the incident, Ishtar ascended back to the
heavens, but every person she met in her journeys extolled her beauty or
spoke to her lovingly, causing her to be unwilling to choose any of them to
consign to the Underworld. Finally she reached her own house, and when she
entered found Tammuz there, sleeping peacefully with the remains of his
meal nearby. Furious that he was apparently not mourning her loss, Ishtar
struck him and gave him to the demons to take her place in the Underworld
to punish him.
Ereshkigal: Also known as: Irkalla
Associated Abilities: Command, Empathy, Integrity, Occult, Politics,
Presence
Associated Epic Attributes: Appearance
Associated Purviews: Death, Guardian

The fearsome and terrible queen of the underworld, Ereshkigal is in

many ways a dark mirror of her twin sister Ishtar: beautiful yet terrible to
behold, she is the warden of the dead and strictly enforces the boundaries of
the lightless citadel in which she dwells. None who enter Ereshkigals realm
ever leave again save the gods themselves, and even they know they are out
on parole rather than truly released. Ereshkigal almost never leaves her
realm, tasked as she is with the containment of all those who have died in the
vast millennia of her life, and so the few children she manages to bear are all
the more precious to her.
Ereshkigal and Kur
In the beginning, there was no ruler of the Underworld; it was a barren
and empty place and the dead cried out for order and safety. The great dragon
Kur, one of the banished sons of Tiamat, was stirred by their wailing and
determined to end it by slithering into the home of the gods and pleading
their case. The gods agreed that there must be a ruler and gave Ereshkigal to
him to take back to the Underworld, but Enki marched into Irkallu after them
and battled with the beast in an effort to rescue her. Though he was
victorious, Ereshkigal never returned to the heavens with him; she remained
below at the order of the pantheon, becoming the dread queen of the dead.
Ereshkigal and Ishtar
When Ishtar sent Ereshkigal's husband Gugalanna forth and he was slain
by Gilgamesh, the death goddess mourned for him and blamed her sister for
his demise. Ishtar herself descended into the Underworld shortly thereafter,
claiming that she wished to comfort her sister, but Ereshkigal saw that she
was not repentant and instructed her gatekeepers to strip the goddess of all
her power. When Ishtar appeared in the throne room and complained of this
treatment, Ereshkigal struck her dead and hung her body on a hook in her
throne room for all to see, refusing to release her until the gods offered up
Ishtar's own husband in permanent trade.
Tammuz: Also known as: Dumuzi, Dumuzid, Duzu
Associated Abilities: Animal Ken, Empathy, Politics, Presence, Stealth,
Survival
Associated Epic Attributes: Appearance, Charisma

Associated Purviews: Animal (Sheep), Fertility

Tammuz is one of the youngest of the Anunna, and also one of the
gentlest; a shepherd and god of vegetation and the renewal of the earth, he is
a figure associated with springtime and life, love and joy. Though he
safeguards livestock and grain and aids the fruitfulness of the earth, his most
major role is to offer himself up to death; every year, he the World is swept
by the barren sadness of winter during his absence. His resurrection each
spring heralds the end of famine and the return of the gentler seasons.
Tammuz and Ishtar
When he was merely a humble shepherd-god, Tammuz was approached
by Shamash as a possible match for his sister Ishtar, famed throughout the
heavens for her incredible beauty and equally impressive temper. Determined
to win her, Tammuz brought her many gifts of grain, livestock and milk, but
she scorned all of them, claiming that he was clearly ragged peasantry and
beneath her. Upon hearing this, Tammuz retorted that his father Enki had
been king of the gods and that he was at least as royal as she, if not more so;
impressed that he had the nerve to talk back to her, Ishtar agreed to marry
him and the two enjoyed a passionate love affair that was the envy of all
other gods.
The Death of Tammuz
When Ishtar went down into the Underworld to challenge her sister
Ereshkigal, Tammuz remained above, performing his usual functions as the
god of fields and grazing livestock. When she returned, seeking someone to
take her place in the underworld, she discovered him asleep with the
remnants of a recently-eaten meal nearby; furious at his apparent lack of
mourning for her, she called upon the underworld demons to seize him and
drag him, struggling and calling her name, down into Irkallu in her place. He
would have been trapped there indefinitely, but his sister Belili, knowing his
innocence and wishing to spare her brother some of his torment, begged that
she be allowed to take his place. From that time onward, Tammuz spend the
wintry half of the year in the dreary Underworld and the warm, summery half
in his beloved fields, thanks to his sister.

Nergal: Also known as: Erra, Irrigal, Nirgal, Nirgali

Associated Abilities: Animal Ken, Command, Fortitude, Medicine, Melee,
Stealth
Associated Epic Attributes: Stamina
Associated Purviews: Chaos, Death, Health, Sun, War
One of the most feared of his pantheon, Nergal is the fierce god of war
and pestilence, a lion-featured warrior who accepts no surrender and shows
no mercy in the face of his foes. The embodiment of the scorching desert sun,
he leaves a path of destruction, plague, disease and wasteland in his wake
wherever he goes except for his sojourns to the underworld, which he
oversees along with its dark mistress, his wife Ereshkigal.
Nergal and Ereshkigal
Though the gods were pleased that Ereshkigal had accepted the
responsibility of ruling the Underworld, she could never leave it again and
could not attend the feast they announced in her honor. Instead, she sent her
servant in her place; all the gods stood to honor him because he represented
her, but Nergal refused, remaining seated and brazenly eating while he
snubbed the guest of honor. When her servant reported this back to her,
Ereshkigal was furious; seeking to avoid upsetting her, Enki suggested that
Nergal should bring her a peace offering.
The gods agreed to this and Nergal spent many days felling wood to
create a magnificent throne for the death-goddess, painting it so that it
sparkled as if covered in gold. Forewarned by Enki not to accept any gifts or
eat any food while in the Underworld, he traveled there to present the throne
to Ereshkigal. Though he refused all her offers of gifts and hospitality,
Ereshkigal also offered him her own body; Nergal initially refused, confused
and wary, but when he saw her strip to enter her bath was overcome with
passion and made love with her for six days. At the end of this time, realizing
that he would be trapped forever in the Underworld if he did not leave soon,
he fled while she was sleeping, telling her gatekeepers that she had sent him
away.
Upon awakening and finding her lover missing, Ereshkigal sent a
wrathful message to the gods, demanding that he be returned to her, but her
messengers could not find Nergal, who had disguised himself as a bald old

man in order to hide from them. All the gods joined in the search when
Ereshkigal threatened to release all the dead from the Underworld if they did
not return Nergal to her, and when he was finally found hey rebuked him for
his cowardice.
Realizing that they were correct, Nergal armed himself for battle and
strode back into the Underworld, fighting his way through Ereshkigal's
guards until he reached the throne room. He seized her by the hair, intending
to kill her and free himself, but was so overcome with lust that instead he
made love to her again and agreed to accept his fate as a god of the
Underworld.
Nergal and Marduk
One day as Nergal was making love to his wife, he was interrupted by
Marduk and a party of warriors who called on him to join them in setting out
to slay some dangerous beasts that menaced the landscape. More inclined to
stay at home and enjoy himself, Nergal instead convinced Marduk that he
was an ideal choice to be left in charge during his ruler's absence, and that he
could use the opportunity to polish Marduk's crown jewels for him. Thinking
this an excellent idea, Marduk departed; now given full authority over the
world, Nergal immediately caused war and chaos to run rampant across the
earth, pitting human against human in bloody battle and glorying in the
slaughter. When Marduk returned, the other gods complained of the carnage
and demanded that he be put on trial; Nergal, however, pointed out that as a
war god it was in his nature to encourage strife, and they were forced to
concede that this was true.
Shamash: Also known as: Utu
Associated Abilities: Awareness, Command, Control, Empathy, Integrity,
Investigation
Associated Epic Attributes: Perception
Associated Purviews: Guardian, Justice, Prophecy, Sun
Unlike his venerable father, Sin, Shamash is a judge more than a mentor
and a warrior more than a helper. The sun-god, though fair in his rulings, is
nevertheless as hot-tempered as the daystar itself and allows himself no rest
until wrongdoers are punished; his name is so synonymous with justice that
those who were innocently or wrongfully killed in ancient times cried his

name as they died, knowing that he would avenge them. He extends his aid to
the underworld as well, descending like his father into its depths during the
night in order to help judge the dead, and returning to burn brilliantly in the
sky during the day.
Shamash and Ishtar
Though Shamash loved his younger sister dearly, he could see that she
was fractious and unpredictable and worried that she might bring some harm
to herself or the rest of the pantheon if no one took her in hand. Seeking to
find her a calming influence, he approached the shepherd god Tammuz and
described her loveliness; Ishtar, however, would not hear of allowing
Tammuz to court her and instead set her heart on a young farmer. Using all
his powers of persuasion, Shamash cleverly convinced her to consider the
young man's suit and proudly brought her bridal linens to her in person on
her wedding day, causing the most volatile of goddesses to settle down in
wedlock.
Shamash and Tammuz
It happened that Tammuz, his brother-in-law, called out to Shamash
from the earth one day while he was resting; looking down, Shamash was
appalled to see that bandits were pursuing him, threatening to kill him for his
belongings. Coming quickly to his rescue, Shamash turned him into a snake
so that he could hide in the tall grass, and then into a gazelle so that he could
run more fleetly than his pursuers. His pursuers were too persistent, however,
and Shamash was forced to rescind his protection when Tammuz appeared
before them and voluntarily delivered himself to death.
Nanshe: Also known as: Nazi
Associated Abilities: Academics, Awareness, Empathy, Investigation,
Occult, Politics
Associated Epic Attributes: Intelligence, Perception
Associated Purviews: Animal (Fish, Pelican), Justice, Prophecy, Water
Known since the earliest times as a goddess of the rivers and the fish
that live in them, Nanshe is the counselor of the Anunna, the keeper of
esoteric knowledge and wisdom and the wise voice in times of trouble. The
first of the Anunna (and, perhaps, any gods anywhere) to receive the gift of

prophecy, her sight is far-reaching, particularly when she uses her special arts
of reading and divining through dreams. Though she often seems remote,
portioning out her counsel to the gods only when asked, she is also a crusader
for justice, particularly for the disenfranchised in any society the orphans,
homeless, and downtrodden.
Nanshe and Nindara
After Enki had seduced his daughters and Ninhursag punished him for it
with painful sicknesses, she relented at his request and bore eight children to
ease his afflictions. The eighth daughter was Nanshe, who healed him of the
pain in his neck. Tasked with assigning all things in the world to their proper
places, Enki then bestowed upon her dominion over the Persian Gulf and the
rivers that lead to it. However, she was lonely and Enki sought out the most
faithful of men as a match for his daughter, finally discovering Nindara.
Though he was not an important god, Enki elevated him by granting him
control of the abundance of the sea, giving him the strength to faithfully
support Nanshe.