Welcome to the Codex! Every Friday, we will focus on one topic from one of the upcoming books, or one of the books that have been published. The Codex will review what is commonly known about that topic in the world, even if just at a scholarly level. There will still be mysteries, but if you are interested in learning more about something you read in the book or in another blog post, the Codex is the way to go.
The Lady of Souls is a deity worshipped in the lands of northern Teidar, and part of the Ilelorn pantheon which is the chief pantheon in Brightland, Ailund, Erkanth, Meverne, Ningwalrond, and Argilin. She may be known under other guises in other pantheons.
In the Ilelorn pantheon, it is said that she came from Outside at the beginning of time and found only the Void. Weary after her mysterious journey, she fell asleep, and from her dreams sprung the cosmos in all its glory, from the farthest stars in the sky to the smallest blade of grass. Some legends claim she still dreams, and when she wakes up, the cosmos will end; others, that she awakened already, and this had no effect on the cosmos, but she still watches over it like a mother would a child.
During the Third Age, the Lady of Souls fought the Trienorn for the future of the Twin Worlds. Such battles changed the face of the worlds themselves, and in the end, the Trienorn were forced to enter an enchanted slumber so that they could force the Lady to sleep as well. It was their plan to then be awakened by the Ledhrorn, their children, so they could return to reign uncontested over the Twin Worlds while the Lady was trapped in her slumber. But the Ledhrorn failed to awaken them, either because they were eager to claim the power and authority of the gods for themselves, or because they weren't sure that the Trienorn, if awakened, could still keep the Lady asleep.
Even the Ledhrorn did not know the true nature of the Lady, and they were told by the Trienorn that she was a bloodthirsty, dominating goddess. At the end of the Fourth Age, Hethner saw signs which a prophecy claimed indicated her awakening, such as the creation of the Lake of Blood. In his concern, he asked the wyldervay to travel to Dorwyn and awaken the Trienorn, since they were the only ones who could oppose her.
But in their journey along the Path of Carmad, the wyldervay encountered the newly awakened Lady of Souls, and discovered she was neither bloodthirsty nor dominating, but kind and sorrowful, representing death, yes, but death as a guide, not death as a judge. The wyldervay switched their allegiance to her, and in the last battle of the War of Saints, they defeated Trienorn and Ledhrorn, allowing her to fully return. She became one of the three Greater Ilelorn, the new pantheon arisen in the wake of the War of Saints, and she continues to be the goddess of death and repose, a gentle guide to the afterlife.
The Lady of Souls is often associated with ravens, including her herald, Sohah. She is typically depicted as a strikingly beautiful woman of somewhat short stature, with skin the color of dark ashes, eyes resembling orbs of swirling mists, long white hair, and dressed in a simple black dress. Her smile is tinged with the sadness of someone who has witnessed the sorrow of ages, yet retained her compassion and kindness throughout her ordeal.
In Ilelorn mythology, the Lady of Souls is the partner of Faelar, the god of life, creating a duality. They are said to have at least one child, a daughter called Anorië, also called the Daughter of Life and Death. There is also a theory that the combination of the two gods is Qismet, the innkeeper of the Violet Moon Inn.
The Lady of Souls is believed to play a pivotal role at the end of Time, according to the Sevenfold Prophecy, and some associate her with the "Last Unicorn" described in the Prophecy, leading the survivors of the final war away from the dying worlds. She is one of the Walking Worm's greatest nemeses.
Interestingly, no one knows her real name, if she even has one. It is even possible she herself may have forgotten.
Comments