LORINTHIEL – The Earth Mother; High and Wild Elves Patron Goddess

Status:  1st Generation Elder God

Level:  75000

Avatar:  Barint

The High Elves were the first Great Race in the time before time. Created by Lorinthiel, according to Ome-te Llest’s visions, they were the most fair of races ever to grace the face of the earth and grew to be a glittering adornment to the world and the other Gods praised Lorinthiel’s creation. She created the Elves from the youngest and most subtle of saplings before filling their veins with the fresh dew collected under the silver moonlight of the first ever moonrise.

Lorinthiel and Grond were instructed by Marnarka to create the High Elves. They argued as to their appearance and constitution and Grond stormed from Bifrost to his Great Mountain, Grundergon, leaving Lorinthiel to create the first elves. Thus it became that Lorinthiel created the elves in the likeness of the Gods with the characteristics of the most wonderful of plants, tall like the pine, yet slim like the most fragile of flowers. Despite this appearance the elves are unquestionably the most powerful individuals on the earth slim and fair as the trees, yet able to be harsh as nature these elves were later to become the High Elves or Naladore.

By Ome-te Llest’s whims the elves were allowed to roam all the great forests and it was here that they made their home, living in harmony with the forests’ creatures.

The Earth God, Grond, who had now become a rival to Lorinthiel, was moved by jealousy and worked secretly in the depths of the earth to make a race of his own. He made their bodies from rock and ore and filled their veins with magma, so that they were solid and strong and filled with the virtues of stone and metal. They were beautiful to him and he loved them.

After many centuries Grond showed his new race to the Gods. The gods especially Lorinthiel only laughed. Lorinthiel said unto Grond that his dwarves were malformed, clumsy and ugly and they could not be compared with the beauty and sophistication of her elves. Disappointed and embittered Grond gathered up the first dwarves and left the company of the Gods, never to see nor speak to them again.

In the ages that passed, word passed of the dwarves great skill. The trickling of streams beneath the ground brought word to those above and the gods wondered if they had not been to hasty in judging Grond’s creation. Marnarka ordered a gathering and asked the entire pantheon to come to Grond’s halls to awaken him. Lorinthiel refused to go as she would never walk in the dark folds of the earth as it was not her way She was Lorinthiel, the mistress of the plants and the trees.

After the gods returned from the Dwarven depths they were excited about creation and with Lorinthiel’s help the gods created the rest of the elfish nations. Creating elves that correspond to each God’s adopted element; Tanarsa created the Beltir, or Light Elves; Marnarka the Sylmanie or Air Elves; Daunam the Aquine or Water Elves; Ro’Azarkh The Eltinder or Fire Elves. The Abukir, Gnomanie and Drow were not amongst their number.

It was many years later that Lorinthiel (out of pity?) created the Gnomanie on behalf of Grond.  Moradin immediately considered this exceptional bad form and a malignant smear on Grond.  He breaks of all trade and embargoes with the elves and thus begins the age-old animosity between the elves and the dwarves, or the first and second born which lasts to this very day.

Lorinthiel is the deity of all plants, trees and music and the patron deity of wood elves and druids, as well as minstrels. She symbolises nature and is responsible for the fertility of crops as well as being patron of music, poetry, dancing and wine. As a protector of wild creatures she becomes distressed whenever hunters kill animals or have them captured and tamed. However she is indifferent to the fate of domesticated animals that might perish in her forest wildernesses.

She appears as a High Elf of surpassing beauty, in whose eyes a slight tear is always trying to escape. She carries with her a silver harp (a gift from her mother Tanarsa) with which she sings the woes of the woods and the killing of nature, beasts and plants.

SYMBOL

A stylised harp

WORSHIP

Given Lorinthiel’s love of music, nature and plants, worship takes the form of singing and the playing of instruments, especially the harp or flute. All her priests wear varying shades of brown or green, which they believe is both attractive to their Goddess and helps them blend in with the harmony of the forest.

TEMPLES

Lorinthiel has no stone constructions as temples, her temples are always open to the air and are situated in the most bewitching of the forests with an alter made of deer antlers, taken from deer’s that have died naturally.

HOLY DAYS

There are no particular holy days. Lorinthiel’s followers hold regular feasts to her honour in thanks for her blessings. These are especially frequent around autumn and late summer when most will offer thanks for the harvest.

FRIENDS AND ENEMIES

Lorinthiel’s followers are friendly to all genuine lovers of nature. Being openly hostile to all the defilers of the forests as it is wanton or pointless destruction, which excites their anger. Everyone else is treated with neutrality except clerics of Grond and Moradin with whom they suffer a long running animosity. This makes them very distrustful of any of their priests.

CULT REQUIREMENTS

All eligible adults may join the priesthood. The only requirement is that a priest has never killed an animal for any reason other than self-defence or essential food.

STRICTURES

• Never harm an animal, except in self-defence or for essential food.
• Never permit another to harm an animal, except in self-defence or for essential food.
• Never allow wanton destruction of plant life.

LORINTHIEL AND THE KANKORAN

The Kankoran (druidic Wolfen) also worship Lorinthiel, but under the name of Ninurta. (See description under Ninurta for details).