#but for now... :3

[northern-passage]

The Northern Passage Pantheon & Miscellaneous Lore

I wanted to make a post that compiled all the gods together, with their descriptions and role in the pantheon, as well as some visuals just for fun :-)

The three wolves-- the Wolfmother, the Sun, and the Moon, form the top pyramid of the pantheon. While the Wolfmother is the head, the twins are equals as the foundation.

The Wolfmother

The Wolfmother was the "surrogate" mother for mankind (the imagery of The Capitoline Wolf inspired me a lot with her). When mankind first stumbled out of the sea, the Wolfmother took them in alongside her three children, and gifted them their own realm, ensuring humanity's survival. She is both the god of mercy and cruelty, and is linked to life, motherhood, and the home. She is also seen as the one who brings the change of the seasons-- initiating the "turn of the wheel" and guiding the twins on their journey through the sky each day and night.

The Wolfmother is always depicted as a golden wolf with golden eyes.

Imagery: a wolf, tree of life, the Mercy Sword

The Sun

The Sun is one of the Wolfmother's twin children. There are variations on both her's and her sister's myth, where the sun is sometimes depicted as her eye, and other times where she is depicted as chasing the sun up and down the sky in tandem with her sister and the moon. She is the god of the harvest and flame, as well as war and peace. The Sun is also linked with curiosity and naivety, and is considered the "younger" twin.

The Sun is always depicted as a black-brown wolf with golden eyes.

Imagery: the sun/sun discs, fire, sprouting seeds, sickle and scythe

The Moon

The Moon is one of the Wolfmother's twin children. There are variations on both her's and her sister's myth, where the moon is sometimes depicted as her eye, and other times where she is depicted as chasing the moon up and down the sky in tandem with her sister and the sun. She is the god of transformation and the hunt, as well as vengeance and forgiveness. The Moon is also invoked when a traveler is in need of guidance and safe passage; her moon and stars are said to guide many of the lost back onto their paths. She often clashes with the Stormbringer over the tides.

The Moon is always depicted as a black-blue wolf with grey eyes.

Imagery: the moon/phases of the moon, stars, ocean waves, compasses, white flowers, bow and arrow

The Firstborn

The Firstborn is not included in the pantheon, and when they are depicted with the other wolves, they are always placed beneath them. They are a shunned god, cast out and locked beneath the sea after they became jealous of mankind.

In the creation myth, it is believed that the Wolfmother formed the earth, and the Firstborn dug out the sea. When the twins were born, the Sun warmed the water while the Moon churned the tides, and the world became lush and green. From the foam of breaking waves humans were born, crawling out of the sea and shedding their water-skins in awe of the world the wolves had created.

It is said that over time, the Firstborn became bitter, flooding the world and fighting with their siblings, until the Wolfmother was forced to cast them out.

(There are variations of the creation myth where humans are more directly linked to seals-- inspired by the selkie-- but it is not a widely accepted belief and often frowned upon due to the Stormbringer's potential connection with the Firstborn. It is more popular in Gael than in Adrania or Yulan.)

The Firstborn is always depicted as a white wolf with golden eyes.

Imagery: the Firstborn does not have a lot of iconography; most often, they are invoked with images of chains

Fun sidenote: I designed the wolves with coastal/sea wolves in mind. They tend to have a variety of warmer brown coats with a lot of unique variations. The image I used for the Wolfmother is actually a coastal wolf, taken by Paul Nicklen. They live semi-aquatic lifestyles and have diets largely consisting of seafood.

The Stormbringer

The Stormbringer rose from the sea after the fall of the Firstborn. She is one of the more "ambiguous" gods-- she will just as easily curse a man as bless him. While she is often linked to the tides, she is a god of the wind and sky, unpredictable and dangerous out on the sea. Many sailors pray to the Stormbringer for safe passage, and offer sacrifices such as food and gold and specially crafted ritual weapons before embarking on their travels.

She is often depicted as a rival to the Moon, fighting over the tides and the hunt. She is a violent god, and many question if she is connected to the Firstborn in some way, due to the timing of her arrival and her appearance-- she is considered the "wolf" of the sea.

Many worship the Stormbringer out of a mixture of fear and reverence. Her places of worship crowd ports and fishing towns-- anyone who has to face the wrath of the sea.

The Stormbringer is depicted as a naked woman with the head of a leopard seal. In Yulan, she is depicted with a wolf-eared serpent's head, instead. The Kópakonan statue of the Faroe Islands inspired me with her.

Imagery: crossed axes, lightning bolts, ocean waves, sea serpent

The Messenger

The Messenger is the god of omens and death. Another ambiguous god, it is seen as more benevolent in northern Adrania and Gael, but more malicious down south. It is the duty of the Messenger to speak to humanity, to deliver their omens as well as bring them their deaths. The Messenger is also a shapeshifter, and often shifts between the favored shapes of crow, wolf, and antlered deer. In the south, a person who glimpses an omen is considered cursed; while in the north, it is considered a blessing to be warned by the gods. The Messenger has been a part of the world for as long as the Wolfmother-- it is her companion and confidant among the pantheon.

The Messenger has a sort of cult following-- those who worship death. It is considered a fringe religion and is not recognized within Adrania, though there are well-established cloisters if you know where to look.

The "true" form of the Messenger is an anthropomorphic crow with many arms and many eyes. Unlike the others, this god is almost always referred to as it.

Imagery: crows, ravens, antlers, black wings, feathers, green flame

The Traveler

The Traveler is a trickster god, the god of mischief and wayward souls-- and the only one who was supposedly once mortal (this is debated). Clementine will tell the hunter his story in game: a lone traveler, mauled by wolves and left to die, saved only by the small bell in his pocket. Now, the Traveler watches over those who would walk alone and moves freely between realms; when the Messenger brings death, the Traveler comes close behind to ensure the souls of the dead find their way home (but only after tricking them three times).

Similar to the Messenger, the Traveler has his own followers, and is especially worshipped by more nomadic groups who live on the road and in the flatlands.

The Traveler is depicted as a man with the head of a coyote, wearing a long, dusty, hooded brown cloak. The Messenger's story was heavily inspired by the biker superstition of guardian/spirit bells.

Imagery: bells, coyotes and dogs, walking stick, flute (different variations carry different instruments)

Sidenote: Due to magic being derived from nature, the people in the TNP world also participate in a lot of nature worship; it's not a coincidence that their gods are all animals.

The Vel

The Vel separates mankind's realm from all the other realms beyond, erected by the Wolfmother to keep humanity safe. The gods can pass freely through the Vel, but humans cannot. Only hunters who have gone through the Ladder can safely access the magic of the Vel, though there are many people who still try, and as a result are corrupted by its power. The Vel was created through blood magic, a dark magic that is now forbidden from practice and punishable by death.

When the Vel is damaged (it tends to thin around areas that have seen a lot of violence and death) it can result in creatures from the other realms slipping through, or the Vel's magic manifesting into something malevolent. Wraiths, as an example, are people that have died in violent ways, both spirit and Vel becoming wounded and festering together.

Spirits

The spirit realm is supposedly one of the realms beyond the Vel, and where it's said the Traveler guides the dead once their business here has been concluded. Spirits are common throughout the world, from nature spirits to more traditional "hauntings"; spirits are fully capable of being malicious even without being corrupted by the Vel, though they are easier to deal with this way. People across all three continents have different burial traditions, but it is widely believed that a proper burial will allow a spirit to rest.

In Gael, the dead are buried, but in Adrania, they are burned on a pyre. In Yulan, they are buried in large family crypts, and ancestors are worshipped at altars along with the gods.

[izzythedemigod]

I just found the funniest font ever

Like. What is this. Why is this. Who is the target audience of this?

[bitchfitch]

writing advice for characters with a missing eye: dear God does losing an eyes function fuck up your neck. Ever since mine crapped out I've been slowly and unconsciously shifting towards holding my head at an angle to put the good eye closer to the center. and human necks. are not meant to accommodate that sorta thing.

[bookwyrminspiration]

god I would be UNSTOPPABLE if I was capable of consistently initiating tasks. just you wait. you'll be waiting a while but just you wait

[penissuperfluous]

You all disappoint me. Not one (1) drawing of a personified tumblr mourning the lifeless corpse of 4chan? Not ome? They were our rivals you sick fucks. Nary a whiff of 1 (one) fix-it AU? Im going to hibernate now..youve pirssed me off

[kenapiece-main]

Can you believe I'm having to make this meme even after successfully finishing up taxes and applying to job

[sepiamestus]

You guys should read thepromised neverland

[redrat-cheesy]

THIS DELETED SCENE DRIVES ME CRAZY

[stealingpotatoes]

tried to tell my faithful eunuch Tucker that he was basically tumblr famous, but he was too focused on defending the homestead to care

[blueskittlesart]

every time you he/him kris in my comments another one of these spawns on my computer

[iri-desky]

Hello Deadpool and Wolverine fandom

I'd like to bring this golden post back in light of the Honda Odyssey scene

[kiryuing]

[nathaniacolver]

arcane ships be like

i love a show that teaches equality (😭😭😭)

[ryanthel0ser]

My vocabulary will be forever altered now

[t1mmytim]

*Right before going to bed in Chapter 4*

Introducing Tututim my very original and very cool soulsona.