Myths of Yndyre

Welcome again to yet another compendium piece to the wonderful world of Yndyre. We're pleased to announce that after putting our heads together, we finally have some mythology to go with our fantasy world. Take a peek at the myths and tales that are a part of Yndyre's culture and beliefs. This work is also semi-collaborative. If you have earned a spot on our list of Top Contributors (i.e. your name is on that front page of Legends of Yndyre), you may submit any myths you would like to add to this collection. Just send an email to Trampltrum or myself with your myth idea, we'll look over it, edit it, and post it in here for all to see. Thank you for being a part of the development of the world of Yndyre.

-GodofRevels and Trampltrum

Creation

From the primordial chaos four gods were born: Faldir, Ciros, Nilheia, and Yva. Almost immediately, they set to work to create a new home for themselves. Faldir began by creating the sky, the atmosphere around the world to protect and surround their new home. With the sturdy walls of the skies, the gods were safe to continue their work uninterrupted by the endless chaos beyond their borders. Ciros, the shining one, took some of his own golden, shining presence and placed it in the sky so that the gods could have light as they built their home. It became the sun. Upon the first light of the sun, the first shadows were cast: the shadows of the gods. They were twisted inverted beings who were a mockery to the gods' presence. They were evil and destroyed all the gods tried to create. Eventually, Faldir had had enough and trapped the shadows into a cave, never to be released. The gods resumed their work.

Still, despite all their hard work, the gods longed for rest, and Ciros made it so that the light of the sun would only be held in the skies for a time before darkness could resume and the gods could rest. Yet, they did not want total darkness. Nilheia took some of her own silvery presence and shaped it into the moon, though she did not as much as Ciros, and the moon was not nearly as perfect as his sun. It would sometimes fade and shine. But it was enough to have a small bit of light in the darkness. Yva was the most eager to build their new home. She shaped and molded the earth, transforming it into the land. she built mountains, hills, valleys, and all manner of landscape. She willed beautiful plants and trees to grow upon this new earth, and Nilheia helped her by creating the waters and the oceans (this is why the moon controls the tides) to give the plants life. Thus, the world began.

The Creation of Man 1.0

Despite how wonderful and perfect this new world was, it was incredibly lonely for the four sibling gods. Yva first tried to solve this problem by creating animals that lived upon the earth. While delightful pets, they weren't exactly conversational. Faldir suggested the notion of creating a being similar to them, but perhaps not as powerful. They wanted company that would respect them. They created man. Because man was rather small and plain, he did not have a shadow like the gods. Faldir did not have to worry about him. First Man was given to Yva as a mate to populate the world with people, who would continue to love and respect the gods as their creators. Ciros and Nilheia had chosen to mate together, and Faldir chose not to involve himself in the act of procreation.

Ciros and Nilheia had two sons: Omes, god of war, and Meremok, the messenger. Because these two were fully divine, they had shadows like their parents, and Faldir trapped these two before they could wreak havoc. Between the two sons, they would be able to solve all conflicts between the creations belonging to First Man and Yva. Yva bore twins: Ardoid and Enkoia. Because these were half-divine beings, they too had shadows, though theirs were not fully formed. Ardoid was a strong son and gifted hunter, who first discovered how to cook meat, and how to burn the bones and fat as offerings to the gods. Enkoia was a wonderful nurturer, who took care of her mother's animal creations and loved the waters that nourished them. Nilheia taught Enkoia how to master the use of the waters, and together, they created the fish of the seas and rivers.

Still, all was not to be so perfect. Eventually, First Man grew bored of the world and grew bored of Yva. Instead, he grew lustful for the beautiful Nilheia, and tried to make her his own. Not only did the moon goddess reject his advances, but she also told her sister goddess what had happened. Angered, Yva sought to destroy man and any evidence of his existence. She transformed First Man into a stag, and told her son, Ardoid, that he would be permitted to hunt down the creature, should he ever leave Yva's side. She told her daughter, Enkoia, that she could cause drought and not allow him to drink should he ever leave Yva's side. Since then, he has forever been dependent on her. Yva begged Faldir to remove the human from her two children, so desperate to remove any trace of First Man's existence. Using his own divine essence, Faldir made her twins fully divine, and their shadows fully formed. He collected these and sealed them away with the rest. The gods vowed never to create others like them again.

The Creation of Man 2.0 (The Golden Age)

As the gods grew accustomed to their world, they began to have new ideas, new desires, and that created new gods. As the gods came to understand their new world and the feelings they had about it, their collective thoughts formed the gods Araris and Aphenar. Araris was wisdom embodied and Aphenar was love embodied. These two managed to convince the gods to try again at creating man, or rather beings who would be obedient worshipers to the gods. "Each of us has gifts unlike any other. We shall share these gifts with our creations."

Each of the gods set to work creating their own idea of "man." Enkoia created a race of fish-like beings and gave them the gifts of breathing underwater and curiosity. Aphenar created a strong and sturdy race of bull men, capable of only the greatest compassion. Araris created a race of goat-men, sure of foot and wise beyond their years. Yva made a race similar to that of First Man, but she argued that it was completely different. Their pointed ears were different and they knew better how to keep the earth protected. And so on and so forth the gods created races upon races of creatures, giving each of them some special gifts.

Faldir still believed that First Man could be improved upon, and so he made another man and a woman. However, the gods had used up all of their gifts on the other creations. There was nothing left for these new humans. Still, Faldir gave them the gift of hope, thinking that would be enough.

In time, all of these races lived in harmony upon the earth. They were pious to the gods and honest to each other. And, as time went on, Omes had a daughter of his own, Zolneas, goddess of fire, who gave the races the gift of fire, not just for cooking and sacrifices like Ardoid had discovered, but the fires to warm homes, build and smelt crafts, and other such things to make civilization possible. Araris and Aphenar also had a child, a son called Damus. When the world started to become too crowded, Damus let his family's creations eventually find rest in an afterlife by creating death.

Release of the Shadows

Until now, Faldir had done everything in his power to lock away the shadows of all the gods, preventing their reign of destruction. He collected them and guarded the cave in which they remained captured. Eventually, as all these new gods assembled and as the races began to form their society, it became apparent that a king would be needed. While most of the gods would have readily accepted Faldir as king, Ciros too had a significant following who wanted him to rule the gods. The two agreed to a challenge. Each would choose an animal champion to represent them. Faldir chose the swift hawk and Ciros chose the mighty lion. For three days the two creatures fought, the lion eventually besting the hawk. Ciros was named king and Faldir was banished to the skies, never to be seen again. This left the cave unguarded. Eventually, a handful of the mortal races found this cave, and could hear the cries and moans from within. So distraught at such a development, they were indeed curious. They called to the beings in the cave, and at last Cicifus, the shadow of Araris, spoke. Such sweet words did he speak, that the hearts of the mortals went out to the entrapped beings. Together, they worked to open the cave, and they released the shadows. Much as the gods had given each of the races their respective gifts, the shadows, now alive to become their physical form as the demons, gave their own gifts to the mortals. To the minotaurs, they gave rage. To the satyrs, they gave frenzy. To the elves, they gave prejudice. Glustra, the shadow of Yva, even gave mortals pain during childbirth, taking the joy out of Yva's gift to mortalkind. And so on, they gave the world its vices. Now free to roam the earth, the demons still walk among mortalkind to tempt, destroy, and wreak havoc. From then on, Damus gave the mortals their own shadows that would haunt and follow them for all eternity to forever remind them of their folly. The golden age of mortals had ended.

The Birth of the Succubi

Despite Faldir's best efforts to make his second creation of man honorable, he was just as prone to failings as First Man. The demon, Dulate, the shadow of Aphenar, came to man soon after the release of the shadows. She easily seduced him from the arms of his wife, and through him, she conceived a child of her own. Despite the intense pain her future offspring caused her, she reveled in this pain, and gladly brought forth a new race: the succubi. To this day, succubi honor their demon heritage by making mortals miserable with their seductive ways, yet still long to connect further to their demonic parentage.

Ardoid Curses the Werewolves (Mainstream Myth)

Ardoid was very much a god of the people. He discovered the cooking of meats. He discovered burnt offerings. And when Damus gave the races mortality, he was tasked with seeing to it that they died peacefully. Many times did the god of the hunt walk among men in disguise. But, one night, long after the shadows had been released, Ardoid discovered a warband who had won a triumphant victory. They were celebrating by eating the flesh of their fallen victims. This disgusted the god so much that he revealed his godly form to them and told them that if they wished to eat like animals, they would become animals, and that he would be their hard master. The men were instantly turned into wolves, and carried their curse with them always, granting it to those sinful few who could not contain the beast within.

Ardoid Blesses the Werewolves (Werewolf Myth)

Ardoid sought brave and strong warriors to serve as his hunting dogs. He wanted men and women who could run free, fight with a tenacious spirit, and trounce all foes. Spying among the mortals, he found a warband who embodied all of those qualities. He spoke to their leader and promised them a great gift in exchange for their devotion to him. Willingly, they agreed. He blessed them with the gift of becoming strong beasts. To this day, only the truly gifted are given this blessing and can hunt with the ferocity of the god of the hunt himself.

Manniaq Curses the Vampires

Manniaq, the shadow of Damus, was rather amused by how the mortals feared their own deaths. Damus would see to their eternal rest, so why worry? Still, he decided to have some fun with their fears. Manniaq made a promise to the mortals that he would grant them everlasting life, in exchange for his worship. Many mortals had, by now, learned of the dangerous nature of the demons, and avoided his offer at all costs. Still, some humans wished to partake of this offer, and devoted themselves to him. This pleased him, and he made his new servants drink his own blood. They were transformed into pale, fanged creatures who craved only more blood for sustenance. These beings became the Lamina and the Noble Vampires. Despite their gift of eternal life, their lust for blood still drives them mad. Manniaq couldn't be happier with these consequences.

Jynera Joins the Gods

Upon hearing of the suffering that the mortals endured after the release of the shadows, a new goddess seemed to come with the winds. She was Jynera, goddess of revels. At first, the gods did not welcome her among their flock. But, Jynera did not care about the feelings of the gods. She cared about the mortals, and she gave them the joy of revelries. To eat, drink, and be merry was the way to forget about the troubles of the world, and Jynera saw to it that everyone was in high spirits. She even hosted a party for the gods. Though at first they doubted her powers, by the end of the festivities, so much wine, food, and laughter had passed from the lips of the gods that they welcomed her with much joy. Because Jynera came after the shadows had been released, her own shadow already had its freedom and walked on the earth among the demons, never having known captivity.