ESHU – Power of Luck, Well Being and Personal Wealth

Status:  2nd Generation Elder God

Level:  5000

Avatar:  Barint

Originally Eshu was the god of Trickery, dishonesty and deviousness which is found in all societies. However cunning is not always used for evil needs. It was because of his good nature that Eshu wound up becoming a god concerned only with himself and his own personal happiness.

At one time Eshu was a notable character and was able to change his shape at will. The poet and sorcerer Hakawu describes him thus’ ‘His Tibbit form is as vast as a mountain and as tall as a colossal tower, whenever he chooses. His complexion is yellow and glowing like molten gold, a marvellous sight when he dashes from place to place (some say even rivalling Vladivar). His enormous tail is so long that the end is hard to find. He roars like thunder, flies among the clouds with a rushing noise, and disturbs the surface of the ocean as he speeds by.’

Eshu had under his command an army of monkeys who he used to rescue the wandering goddess Shen Lui. Shen Lui was wandering in the chasm recesses of the lower world when the Daemon prince Tavana the ten headed and twenty armed abducted her.  The Wiley Eshu followed her trail to a nearby Island called Kalliaed (which lies off the southern coast of Kalladoria).  He then called Feng Po. To help Feng Po cross the water Eshu commanded his monkey army to build a bridge by linking arms and tails. But agile Eshu mearly leapt across the straits. However, his spectacular action did not go unnoticed. As he leapt across the water, a female relative of Tavana named Surassa seized his shadow and pulled it under the sea, dragging Eshu with it. Surassa then tried to swallow Eshu whole. To escape, Eshu had to force his body to increase its mass way beyond its normal ability to change. This forced Surassa to open her mouth enormously. Unfortunately Eshu could not stop growing and Surassa’s head exploded, and Eshu was permanently changed in size and weight ruining his dextrous form for evermore.

With Eshu’s distraction, Feng Po was able to land on Kalliaed and was able to deal a mortal blow onto Tavana and fired her capital city. Tavana crept back to her Father Astaroth and was killed by him for failing in her task.

Feng Po rewarded Eshu for his help and gave him Shen Lui’s hand in marriage (totally against Shen Lui’s wishes for Eshu was now terribly bloated and fat) and commanded her to look to his every whim.

Whilst Shen Lui lived with Eshu she refused to lay with him until they had been together for 5 years. Eshu agreed commanding Shen Lui to always look beautiful in his presence and to make sure his food was always bountiful. Shen Lui endured Eshu’s company for a year and a day, after which time she could bear his grotesquely bloated body no longer. She ran to her mother, Tsien Amerasu, and begged for sanctuary from her husband, and annulment of the marriage contract. Tsien Amerasu seeing how distraught her daughter was agreed to hide her until she could persuade Feng Po to agree. Feng Po refused his wife’s pleading and dragged his daughter back to Eshu. From that point forward Shen Lui refused to serve her husband, saying only that for each demand he made of her, she would adventure a year away from Bifrost. After another year and a day Shen Lui left Eshu to travel. On her return to Bifrost she designed, with her mothers help, a sanctuary on the edge of Bifrost, where Eshu could not tread. She never returned to Eshu’s side, their marriage never having been consummated or annulled. Eshu could never be bothered to make her return, she had been far too much effort as a wife.

Eshu is a fat well to do God who sits on a throne of rice bales and carries a sack of ‘acquired’ goods slung over his shoulder. He also holds a hammer in his right hand.

It is said that when Eshu’s hammer is shaken money falls out in great profusion, this is the sum of all the monies his disciples have ‘borrowed’.

SYMBOL

     

Hammer of fortune or  A Gold Coin

WORSHIP

Worship is a haphazard affair, but generally Eshu is invoked when a turn of luck is required, often by spinning a gold coin. Eshu is selfish, chauvinistic, self centred and always looking for the ‘easy’ way out, as are all his followers. This means they will always look to live off the backs of others and get the most for doing very little work.

TEMPLES

Eshu has no set temples, however every priest has his own shrine.

HOLY DAYS

Eshu has no set holy days as his priests are generally too busy with their own wealth gaining schemes, which is OK with Eshu, as he really can not be bothered with what his priests are up to anyway.

FRIENDS AND ENEMIES

Eshu priests do not get on well with the cult of Shen Lui especially their oath of Celibacy, which annoys them. The priests actively seek to break the Shen Lui priests vows in recompense of her leaving their own deity forcing him to look after himself.

CULT REQUIREMENTS

Any male who has proven themselves to be able to thieve or con others out of money may join. Females are forbidden as priests but they may join as slaves to serve the male priests every whim.

STRICTURES

• Never risk your own life to save another
• Never turn down the opportunity to let someone else do the/a job for you (unless there is a good chance of personal gain).
• Never turn down the opportunity to make self-wealth.