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Tiamat, the goddess of the oceanic abyss. Tiamat was one of two primordial gods, with the other being her mate Abzu. Tiamat embodied the salt water of the sea of chaos. Together with Abzu Tiamat bore their children Lahmu and Lahamu, becoming the first ancestors to all that existed. Many generations of gods were born, all descended from Tiamat. These gods became so plentiful that the rowdiness of these young gods disturbed and annoyed Tiamat’s love Abzu. Abzu planned to kill all the younger gods to achieve quiet peace once more, however, Tiamat refused to participate in his quest for annihilation. One of the younger gods, Enki, caught wind of Abzu’s plan and killed him in a bid to save his brethren. Tiamat flew into a rage at her lover’s death, swearing to kill every last of the gods and creating an army of monster to do battle with them. Enki’s son Marduk stepped forward as the younger generation’s champion, slaying Tiamat and defeating her monsters. From Tiamat’s corpse Marduk fashioned the earth and the sky.

Tiamat was the primordial mother goddess of the ancient Akkadian and Babylonian mythos. Distinctly, Tiamat has been often described as the first dragon with a serpentine body as described in the Enuma Elish. Congruent with this Tiamat’s appearance varies greatly, splicing animal parts in and out and having different levels of anthropomorphism. However Tiamat isn’t the first monster, being proceeded by the Sumerian monsters like Humbaba and Lilith. Tiamat was often called the mother of monsters, creating the likes of Ugallu, Uridimmu, Umū Dabrūtu, Mušhuššu, Ušumgallu, Girtablullǔ, Kusarikku, and Kulullǔ. Tiamat’s battle against Marduk is one of the many examples of the Chaoskampf archetype, seen in many myths such as Ra’s fight with Apep, Lugh battling Balor, and even Saint George’s slaying of the dragon. Tiamat and Abzu’s stances as two primordial dualistic forces links them to several other dualistic gods of other beliefs, like the Irish Danu and Donn, and the Vedic Purusha and Prakriti. Tiamat herself is believed to have grown out of the Sumerian primordial mother goddess Nammu. Tiamat’s name however can be tracked to ancient Proto-semetic, developing alongside the biblical chaos, Tehom. Tiamat’s archetypal battle could’ve grown out of a proto-semitic battle between Baal and the sea god who would eventually develop into Yam, alternatively possibly owing her origins to Asherah. Tiamat was known as Ummu-Hubur, meaning “Mother Watercourse” and was praised as the “One Who Bore them all”.

Original design and profile

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Daramulum, the roaring lord of the sky. Darmulum manifests as a giant man with the bottom half of an emu and only one leg, his mighty voice thunders across the skies of the world. To those who worship him, Daramulum created the lands and planted the trees upon the earth, all the beasts that walked across it came from his hands as well. However, when a flood ravaged the earth, Daramulum turned the animals that drowned into humans and bestowed upon them their laws and way of life. During initiation rituals Daramulum would show himself to those coming of age, revealing his booming voice to them. However those who break Daramulum’s creed are punished. After teaching them Daramulum left for the skies with his wife or mother Ngalalbal. Among the worshippers of Baiame, Daramulum is his son with Birrangulu, making him the brother of the crow god Wahn. Usually Daramulum was worshiped to bring about rain and was believed to live within the earth with his Emu wife Ngalalbal. But among the Wiradjuri it’s said that Daramulum used to be the one who initiated and taught young ones on the laws imposed by Baiame by magically rebirthing them, or at least that’s what Daramulum told his father. But after numerous young men disappeared during their initiation, Baiame began to investigate. Upon asking the surviving boys about the disappearances they began to shrink away in fear. Baiame softly coaxed the young men, reassuring them. Eventually the boys relented and informed Baiame that Daramulum had lied, in truth there was no rebirthing process, Daramulum simply took one of their teeth as false evidence that he had done the deed. But that was not all, occasionally during the ceremony, instead of pulling out the tooth, Daramulum would tear off the face of the initiates and eat them alive. Enraged at his son’s crimes, Baiame swiftly destroyed him in battle, shattering his essence and scattering it across the trees of the forest where you can hear his still conscious voice roar out.

Daramulum is one of many examples of the Australian “Sky Father” or “Sky Hero” archetype, consisting of a primordial sky deity who creates the world and teaches humanity their laws and customs before retreating to the sky world. This archetype is prominent among eastern Australia, seen in many such gods like Baiame, Bunjil, Altjira, and Mungan. Their worshippers would even conflate them, as seen in them using each other’s terms and concepts like the worshippers of Daramulum using the wording of the Bunjil worshippers to explain Darmulum. These cults have even been known to view the other “sky fathers” as one and the same deity as their own. Among the sky father cults, including Daramulum’s, the term Biamban is commonly used in reference to their deity, with Biamban meaning “master”. Daramulum’s connection with Baiame is complex, according to some the two are brothers instead of father and son, this could be a result of conflation however. Which of the two came first, whether Daramulum was originally a son of Baiame or was adapted into the Baiame cults from interactions with the Daramulum cults, is unknown. According to some the name Daramulum is actually plural, and refers to all of Baiame’s children, though this is a seemingly minority sentiment. The mythos surrounding Daramulum was kept a tight secret among his worshippers, as women and uninitiated men weren’t allowed to learn his myths or even know his name, only knowing him as the chief spirit in the sky and referring to him as Papang, meaning “father”. There are many variations of Daramulum’s name, such as Daramulun, Darhumulun, Dharramaalan, Dhurramoolun, Tharamulum, Tharumulum, Yibai and Nurundere. The name Daramulum translates to “one legged” and sometimes “leg on one side” referring to his prominent monopedal trait. Daramulum is greatly associated with stars and Australian Aboriginal astronomy by the Kurinnggai, being said to be represented by the southern cross while his wife, like the god Bahloo, is represented by the Emu in the Sky. An important aspect of Daramulum’s worship is the use of the bullroarer, an instrument said to have been created by Daramulum, that when used creates a loud booming outcry that’s believed to be the very voice of Daramulum. Daramulum’s worshippers used the Bullroarer during initiation rituals to promote the presence of Daramulum. Like the other sky fathers, Elders described Daramulum as omnipotent and omnipresent, able to “do anything” and “go anywhere” with abiding by the natural laws created by himself. Daramulum’s worshippers say that with this omniscience Daramulum is always ready to strike those who break his laws with death illness and misfortune, however if one continues to follow his laws it’s said he becomes more lax overtime.

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El Sombrerón, the shadowy enchanter. As the cloak of night begins to spread at dusk the spirit El Sombrerón roams the land. El Sombrerón appears as a short man, cloaked in dark clothing while a large hat sits upon his head. When the full moon is raised in the sky, El Sombrerón goes on the prowl for young women to enchant and spirit away. There was once a woman with long hair and large eyes, and on the night of the full moon she was called out to the balcony by El Sombrerón. El Sombrerón, attracted to her beauty, began to play a serenade with his silver guitar. Every night onwards he played her his song, however she began to lose energy, unable to sleep or eat food as it was covered in dirt. To fix this her parents brought a cut of her hair to their local church, with the priest dousing it in holy water and offering her a blessing. As a result El Sombrerón left his hold on the parent’s daughter, leaving for lands unknown. El Sombrerón travels with horses or Mules and is known to regularly braid their hair, however sometimes he’ll braid the hair of local dogs instead.

Alongside La Llorona, El Sombrerón is one of many “boogeyman” folklore spirits in Guatemala and Latin America. His story is used to scare young women from leaving the house at night, however it is also used as a warning to women of toxic relationships and behavior used by men with ill intentions. The name El Sombrerón means “the hat man” in Spanish. El Sombrerón goes by many other names as well, such as Tzipitio, Tzizimite, and the Goblin. The identity of El Sombrerón varies, mainly he’s a nocturnal spirit that emerges at dusk, while in others he’s a demon, sometimes said to be the devil Lucifer.

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Here’s my third redesign of Inanna, this time in digital!

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Here’s my redesign of Saint George! Check out the breakdown twitter thread of his design here:

Original design and profile

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Check out my redesign for Cybele, I have a full breakdown of its design on my twitter here:

Hope you enjoy it!

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Mirai | human form | casual clothing

After the events in Japan, Mirai tells Mio that the only clothes he own is for his school uniform. Pitying Mirai, Mio takes him shopping. Using her passion for fashion, Mio attempts to find something Mirai would like. After an exhausting search, Mio is able to find some clothing that Mirai enjoys wearing.

Prioritizing comfort over fashion, Mirai prefers to only wear soft and comfortable clothes. During battle however, when Mirai transforms, he takes off his shirt and sweater, exposing his markings.

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Mirai | human form | school uniform

Before the sky fell apart, Mirai went to school with his friend Himawari Kega. Unlike Kega, Mirai was an outcast at his school, avoided and ignored. He was the target of constant bullying and shakedowns by the school thugs, even with Kega trying to help him.

One of the reasons for Mirai’s ostracism was his demeanor. Coming off as weird and stoic, people steered clear from him despite only seeing his surface. In truth, Mirai doesn’t express or feel his feelings the same way most people do, leading to his quiet and reserved nature.

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Armazi, the Georgian bronze god. Not a single shred of the mythology surrounding this deity survives, leaving them in the obscurity of mystery. The only evidence of their existence comes from the later traditions of Armazi’s fall from worship. Said to have been erected by the first king of Kartli, Armazi was the chief god of Caucus Iberia. The Christian saint Nino was once invited to a feast held by Armazi’s worshippers. They took Saint Nino to the Idol of Armazi, it was a tall and imposing bronze figure, draped in chainmail armor, eyes of emerald, on top his head lead a helm of the crescent moon, and in his hands he gripped a sabre of lightning. As the feast began, Saint Nino began to pray, causing the statue to be struck by lighting and destroyed by hail. In another rendition it’s described that Armazi had a potent conflict with the Chaldean god Itrushana also known as Itrujan. In their battles it was described that Armazi fought with the sea as his weapon. However it was Itrushana who destroyed Armazi’s idol. Either way the destruction of the statue lead to the death of Armazi’s worship, supplanted by Christianity.

The history of Armazi’s worship is incredibly muddled and difficult to track from the lack of records. Armazi himself is not the only Georgian chief god, as the sky god Ghmetri was worshipped in the rest of Georgia. Ghmetri was the supreme creator god, who fathered the sun and moon. Armazi himself most likely grew out of that moon god mentioned previously, absorbing and taking some of the aspects of Ghmetri as he became the chief god. However, Armazi also holds deep ancestry to foreign gods as well. Armazi and by extension the original Georgian lunar god, may have been the Georgian rendition of the Hittite deity Arma. A lunar god as well, the deity Arma shares the same etymology with Armazi. Armazi is also theorized to have been connected to the Zoroastrian chief god Ahura Mazda, similarly to Arma, Armazi shares etymology with the divinity, with evidence of the presence of Zoroastrianism in Georgia as well. Armazi isn’t the only descendant of that Georgian moon god, as under the name Tetri Giorgi, Saint George also holds ancestry with the god. Now the patron of the moon and storms, Saint George’s reverence in Georgia synchronized with the moon god’s worship, leading to him to now be a successor of the Georgian mythos.

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Cironnup-kamuy, the sacred Ainu trickster. One of the myriad Kamuy, Cironnup-Kamuy’s Ramat manifested the World’s Foxes, Racoon dogs and the other tricky mammals of the land. However during the land’s infancy, while the Kamuy still proliferated their Ramat across the earth, the Kunne-Kamuy emerged from the ground, ascending from the Mire of Tenei-pokna-moshiri. The two groups of Kamuy fought over who would inherit the earth, ultimately the two settled on a contest, whichever group spotted Tokapcup-kamuy rising in the morning first would rule over the land. All the gods sat together eagerly awaiting the sun, however, Cironnup-kamuy of the good Kamuy faced away from them all. Eventually Cironnup-kamuy shouted “I see the sun!” Causing all the kamuy, evil and not, to look over to where he was, distracting them from the true rising sun, leaving Cironnup to be the first one to spot the sun, cementing the virtuous Kamuy’s rule over the world. In Ainu moshiri, Cironnup-Kamuy was well known as a trickster, often times getting the better of people through sly means. From overturning boats to whipping up storms, Cironnup-Kamuy even pestered the great hero god Okikurumi, though he also served as a companion as well. Cironnup-Kamuy isn’t strictly a troublemaker, as when a disaster is fated to strike, Cironnup-Kamuy will manifest and cry out to warn those in the vicinity.

The word “Cironnup” translates literally to “those who we kill”. Though used to refer to the fox god, This term refers to more than just foxes, as it can refer to many other small carnivores that the Ainu hunted, like raccoon dogs and otters. The word “Sumari” is directly meant for foxes. As the god of foxes, Cironnup-Kamuy has three separate manifestations, the virtuous black fox: Shitumbe-Kamuy, the majestic white fox: Upas-cironnup-Kamuy, and the trickster red fox: Cironnup-Kamuy. The white and black foxes are seen as righteous and helpful, while the red fox was seen as a trickster. Despite them sharing a similar to name Cironnup-Kamuy, the demonic Iwan-sapa-eus-Cironnup is unrelated to the fox god, with the Kunne-Kamuy ultimately being slain by Okikurumi. The Ainu would regularly use fox skulls to ward off ill energy, usually pairing them with their Inau, lining the outside of the village. The fox itself was also the subject of Iyomante rituals, capturing a wild fox, rearing and caring for them, before killing them. This ritual was believed to bring favor with the Kamuy, as the dead fox travels back to Kamuy-Moshiri to deliver the villager’s presents to the fox Kamuy.

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Connolly Mio

Mio is a young woman and classmate of Mirai. Though seen as a popular student by those on the outside, in truth her popularity is nothing more than a sham, as she’s ignored for looking more Caucasian than Japanese, despite her being half Japanese.

With the breaking open of the sky, her talent for Spiritual Energy control is awakened. With her newfound power and the wielding of a Spirit Weapon, she journeys with Mirai to find herself in the new world open to her.

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Apep, the serpent of discord. Long ago, when the only constant was the primordial waters of Nu, there arose the Benben. Atop the primeval mound sat a lotus flower, and when it bloomed, out emerged Ra. However another being was birthed from Nu’s waters, the serpent of chaos, Apep. Ra and Apep were polar opposites, two rivaling forces in constant combat. While Ra was light, order and creation incarnate, Apep was the embodiment of darkness, chaos and destruction. Apep’s mighty roar shook the universe itself and his dark gaze paralyzed all to their core. Despite being slayed by Ra in the form of a cat, Apep’s being transcended the concept of death, continuously returning to threaten Ra and his creations. However Ra was able to eventually seal the dastardly Apep beyond the horizon in the underworld. Now Every night Apep awaits in the furthest abyss of Duat, and once Ra’s bark crosses the horizon into Duat, Apep strikes. But every morning, Apep is slain and Ra’s bark once again emerges from the horizon to light the day once more.

Apep was the foremost antagonistic force in Egyptian mythology. Apep was not seen as beneficial in some ways like other gods, Apep was regarded as the embodiment of evil and the opposition to the Egyptian concept of Maat, truth and order. The prayers Egyptians offered Ra every day were thought to empower the god for his nightly combat against Apep. Egyptian priests would hold an annual ritual in which they’d construct a sculpture of Apep before burning it, they believed this burned the darkness and evil across Egypt and helped protect the populace for another year. When reciting the battles between Apep and Ra, worshippers would construct a wax statue of Apep which they would degrade by fettering, stabbing with knives and spears, stomping, and spitting upon the figure all the while chanting spells that aided Ra in his fight against Apep. Depictions of Apep were always accompanied by another positive deity who would engage them in combat, as the very image of Apep could bestow him with power, so the Egyptians would depict him alongside another god who’d slay him and stop the transfer of power. In the underworld Apep was viewed as a devourer of unguided souls. Apep was commonly depicted alongside creatures of the ocean and desert, in these depictions Ra would often hunt these creatures alongside slaying Apep, possibly meaning that Apep commanded these creatures. The Egyptian god Set was originally believed to accompany Ra’s bark as it traveled into the night, with Set fighting against Apep himself before Set’s demonization. When Apep would cross into the mortal world, their battles with Ra and or Set was believed to cause the raging thunderstorms across the earth. Apep’s role as the bringer of chaos is exemplified in the Chaoskampf archetype, seen in deities such as the Slavic Veles, the Vedic Vritra and the Irish Balor who all fight the storm god of order. Apep may have been one of the oldest deities in the archetype, possibly being one of the gods to originate the archetype alongside the Semitic Baal, Yam and Mot. Apep may have influenced or had been influenced by the Semitic Mot, both being the direct opponents of order and the bringers of chaos. Apep may have also influenced the creation of Tiamat alongside the Semitic Yam as well, with Apep and Tiamat both being serpents of Chaos who war against the gods. Later, Apep’s role as the Egyptian bringer of Chaos was replaced by Apep’s now demonized opponent Set. The Egyptians referred to Apep as “the Enemy of Ra”, his other epithets included “Lord of Chaos”, “the Serpent from the Nile”, and “the Dragon”. The greek name for Apep was Apophis.

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Urcuchillay, the llama lord. In the highlands of South America, among the beasts of the steppe a deity was revered. Urcuchillay, the Incan god of the wild. He appears as a rainbow wooled llama and was said to watch over all animals.Those who worshipped him prayed to him for the protection and proliferation of their herds, the prevention of storms and even sometimes to bring about rain. Urcuchillay was believed to embody the constellation Lyra, with the Incas believing it to be the divine flame of Urcuchillay. Urcuchillay’s origins have not been preserved, but it’s practically certain he was considered a descendant of Viracocha. Some have posited that he could’ve been a direct son of Viracocha, as Viracocha was believed to have been the one who created the stars in the sky, possibly meaning that he created Uruchillay as the constellation Lyra. But these assumptions are merely conjecture and are likewise inconclusive.

Urcuchillay was the foremost god worshipped by the Incan shepherds. His form as a llama attests the Incas reverence for the creature, as the Llama served many integral functions for Incan society. Their use of Llamas as not only work animals, but also their main source of clothing and even sometimes food, lead to the Llamas and alpacas to be held in high regard. Due to his popularity among herders, Urcuchillay was also bestowed with a weather god aspect, likely originating as a prayer to keep their animals safe from harmful weather, their worshippers possibly tried to extend the gods influence. Among the Incas, constellations often coincided with different gods and represented certain trades the god held control over. The constellations were also considered manifestations of the gods themselves, interconnected with the gods very being, this is directly seen in Urcuchillay’s connection with the Lyra constellation, as the Incan name of the constellation is Urcuchillay with the two being considered one and the same.

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Side view of my OC Mirai.

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Here comes Joyboy! I didn’t originally intend to make a redesign for Joyboy but I couldn’t help but improve a few things.

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Hun-Ixim, the great sustainer of mesoamerica. Dubbed the “Maise god” by scholars, Hun-Ixim was a ubiquitous figure in mesoamerica, though mainly localized in the Maya peoples. The Kʼicheʼ Mayans told of Hun-Ixim’s grand participation in creation. Known to them as Hun-Hunahpu, he was tricked by the spirits of Xibalba and was slain. However his sons, the hero twins Hunahpu and Xbalanque challenged the lords of Xibalba to a ball game for revenge for their father. The two were able to beat the spirits of Xibalba and resurrect their father as the Maize god. After his resurrection Hun-Hunahpu helped the Kʼicheʼs creator god Q’uq’umatz create humanity by using corn dough to sculpt them. However it was among the classic and pre-classic Maya where Hun-Ixim truly reached his apex. Though strewn across wordless art and cryptic messages, Hun-Ixim’s role can be reconstructed. Before any world was created, the first father, Hun-Ixim lay afloat on the primeval sea. During this timeless age the sky and sea lay on top of one another as a single form. That was until Hun-Ixim created three stones with which he used as a hearth and raised the sky away from the sea. Next the god raised the great world tree, its roots creating the underworld as its trunk reached into the sky. Using this tree Hun-Ixim climbed into the sky and built his home upon the apex of the heavens. From his home the god caused time to start, dictating the stars to move across the sky. When a world cycle comes to an end and the universe dies, Hun-Ixim calls upon the other gods to gather the three hearth stones once more. The Jaguar and Stingray paddlers find the Jaguar throne stone, the Black-house red god finds the snake throne stone, and Itzamná finds the shark throne stone. Each of them set the stones at the edges of the world, causing the universe to begin anew.

In mesoamerica, maize or corn was a vital crop for the indigenous peoples. With Maize making up a vast majority of the diet of these peoples, it became an integral part of their culture, exemplified by Hun-Ixim the. maize god. The maize god represented civilization and prosperity, being considered the god of scribes and artists as well. A consistent theme of the Maize god is his rebirth through a turtle shell, in the older Mayan practices this could’ve been seen as Hun-Ixim being reborn with the creation of a new world. Originally the inscription that detailed the three stones of creation only referred to the overseer as the ‘Six Sky Lord’, however later researchers would reconstruct the cosmogony and were able to place the Maize god as the Six Sky Lord. The Itzamna mentioned in the three stones creation myth was the chief god and primordial creator of the Yucatec Maya. Itzamna shares many aspects with the Maize god, such as his role as a creator god, their connection with scribes and artists, the turtle motif, and both of them being associated with maize. Their connection is further reinforced by the Yucatec themselves, as they often depicted the Maize god alongside Itzamna, despite his relative absence in their myths. Because of this it could be possible that Itzamna could’ve evolved from the worship of Hun-Ixim, but at the very least both gods were conflated with one another, with Hun-Ixim likely being a representation of a younger Itzamna by the Yucatec. The Maize god himself is one of the oldest gods among the mayans and even mesoamerica itself, originating in the Olmec culture predating the Mayan civilization. With the only surviving record of the Olmec religion being their wordless art, it’s impossible to reconstruct anything of significance of the mythos. At most it’s believed that the Mayan mythos likely descended from Olmec mythology, so it is possible that Hun-Ixim held a creator role like he did among the Maya but it’s impossible to know for now. The later Aztecs also held descendants of the Maize god as well, like Centeotl and Xipe Totec, despite his influence diminishing the Maize god still held great importance to their mythology. The name of the Maize god is an incredibly complicated subject, the name I chose, Hun-Ixim “Maize Grain”, is a relatively new name posited by researchers. The name Hun Hunahpu appears in the Ki’che’ Popol Vuh, other names like Uac Chuaac Nal “Six Tall New Corn” and Zac Uac Nal “White Six New Corn” appear in the Chilam Bilam. The Maize god’s epithet of ‘first father’ is used frequently as well.

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Eve during Adam’s exile

TRIGGER WARNING

In Kabbalist and Midrashic literature, in the throes of grief, Adam separates and exiles himself away from Eve after the murder of Abel by Cain. Shortly after, Adam is kidnapped by Lilith and in the Zohar Naamah as well, who repeatedly force themselves on Adam. The demons give birth to the hordes of Lilim, succubi like demons. In the texts it’s mentioned that this goes on for 130 years, however they never mention how Adam escapes.

As a victim of SA myself I’ve always wanted to write about this, in particular in the eyes of Eve. Having a narrative in which male SA is explored respectfully is already a rare occurrence, but I’ve never seen one that has the dichotomy of focusing on both the victim and the victim’s female significant other. The only thing I can do for now is draw this design as I continue to better my writing.

The designs itself is already based on my original design for Eve (one I’m planning to redesign in the future with Adam). I’ve always felt like my original design focused to hard on the modern feminine “norms”, something I’ve come to really dislike. Even back then I had imagined the two as being more of a role reversal couple rather than one of the gender norms of today. I’ve always loved the idea of Eve being the physically strong one of the two while Adam was the more innocent and animal loving one. After the fall the two stay in these roles but with the influence of the fruit’s evil the two begin to show negativity. Eve embraces her strength and becomes the hunter and builder of the two while Adam is the one who focuses more on the farming and the flocks.

However after Eve learns of Adam’s fate during his exile she becomes an unstoppable force, a beast that rips and tears the forces Lilith sends her way, embracing the darkness the fruit gave her to save her husband.