A Study of Comparative Philosophy
by acolyte Nadalia Shurihov, in the service of Ioun
omparative Philosophy, as presented in Professor Allio’s curriculum, describes the process of researching several cultures’ thoughts on the same topic in hopes of finding a more complete picture. With her guidance, I was able to conduct five dozen interviews over the last two years, seeking to bring together the beliefs and insights of humans, elves, eladrin and dwarves with respect to the known non-evil deities of the realm. In order to get maximum utility from so few interviews, I sought out “colleagues” in other institutions of religious education, in hopes that they like the Prime Academie presented at least basic instruction on the entire pantheon regardless of whom they most venerated.
I originally sought to maintain elves and eladrin as separate cultures, it being documented in other instances that the two have parted ways. In matters of religion, however, I was able to find but the slightest and most insignificant of differences. Thus I regretfully report that I can really compare only three races instead of four.
It need not be said that these writings form an incomplete picture. First, I have omitted commonly known aspects or tales of these gods, that I may more completely focus on what is not redundant. Second, five dozen interviews barely scratches the surface of even one culture, let alone three or four. Third, there are still several more races that could be interviewed. Fourth, one can hardly expect a complete picture of a culture’s view when speaking only with fellow religious scholars. Lastly, for reasons of personal safety I was not allowed to inquire about evil deities. I pray that it does not reflect poorly upon me if I harbor no taste for addressing that particular issue.
Avandra
Bahamut
n researching Bahamut, I was blessed to have a small measure of insight into yet another culture, for it seems that mankind quite willingly adopted the beliefs of the Dragonborn when adding Bahamut to their pantheon. After the First Dragon, Io, was cloven into Bahamut and Tiamat, Tiamat made her lair at the bottom of the Western Great-Sea. Bahamut followed her there and defeated her in battle, banishing her to the Outer Planes and winning mastery over the power of the oceans. In their legends, Bahamut establishes his reputation as a defender of honor – especially of women – when he hears of Melora’s engagement to a warlord she does not love and who has a strong reputation for mistreating his women. Bahamut visits Melora, and gives to her his mastery of the ocean’s power to serve as a “dowry” with which she might find a more suitable husband (she ultimately weds Kord). Bahamut is frequently petitioned by soldiers about to leave their homes to go to war, or by others leaving on long travels alone, that the god might watch over their wives and children in their absence.
Elves and eladrin resonate more with Bahamut’s somewhat looser demands of honor and doing the right thing than they do with Moradin’s fierce cleaving to laws. They laughingly reject any suggestion that Bahamut has any draconic heritage, insisting that he was merely a mortal human before he ascended. They often speak of the god as “The Paladin”, and any who genuinely feel called to the life of a paladin are usually venerating Bahamut. However, such are still relatively unusual among their people, as especially the elves are quite fond of stories in which heroes need to do less than honorable things to ultimately bring about noble ends. Elves and eladrin are romantic sorts, though; their favorite stories of Bahamut are those of his chivalric romance, where he repeatedly defends the honor of a young woman, even though he cannot allow himself to love her lest his attachments to one soul keep him from going where and doing what is most needed of him.
The dwarves respect Bahamut’s sense of honor and his many legends of defending friends and worthy strangers alike. None of my contacts knew of any dwarven clerics or paladins of Bahamut, their greatest fervor reserved for their creator Moradin, but The Paladin’s servants among other races are most frequently the ones to leave favorable impressions on any dwarves whom they meet. And at least per one contact with whom I spoke, dwarves have perhaps the most interesting take on Bahamut’s nickname of “Platinum Dragon”. They too believe that Bahamut was at first a mortal man, and that during his life he had pale blond hair and pale blue eyes, a look referred to as “platinum” during the human Empire of Nerath.
Corellon
s a rule, the humans I interviewed seem to be rather indifferent to Corellon, though one or two mentioned coming from settlements bordering the Summerhall Forest and the Etevert Forest (home of respectively the major eladrin and elven nations), and that humans there will give polite recognition to the god out of respect for their neighbors (or occasionally their half-elven children). Hunters and simplers, who rely upon those forests for their livelihood, are likely to be a bit more strongly devoted, but even then the most common prayer cited to me was for protection against unwittingly annoying any fey citizens (elven, eladrin, or – most feared – other). In summary, the general attitude of humanity toward Corellon is that he belongs to the fey and not to them.
Unsurprisingly, Corellon figures most prominently among the elves and eladrin. An overwhelming majority of clergy in those races are his, and it is not unusual for anyone in either culture to venerate no one else besides “The Father and Son”. The most common story among both races is that Corellon used to be married to the Queen of Faerie (always vehemently distinguished from the ruler of the Summerhall Elves, even though the title is the same), but that she died, and then Corellon traveled to this world to bring aid and comfort and teachings in the ways of magic. Apparently some of the elder eladrin still refer to Corellon as “His Majesty”.
I was surprised that the dwarves went beyond humanity’s indifference to Corellon, harboring a healthy distrust of the god. This is made particularly puzzling because there has never been a history of hostility between the two races, nor are there any known records of disputes between Corellon and Moradin. In typical dwarven nature, those with whom I spoke were reluctant to discuss it save to mention it stems from a connection to the Raven Queen, whom they dislike intensely (see below).
Erathis
Ioun
Kord
wo very clear factions emerged among the humans when I spoke with them about Kord. The rift seems to arise from varying interpretations of the the god’s history as a soldier who ascended to divinity. One faction touts stories of Kord actively working to protect soldiers and claims him as a patron of the military. The other points to several instances where Kord chose not to attack, and claims that the “true strength” Kord embodies is that of a superior position where one does not need to attack. Both factions do, however, agree that Kord’s power over storms is related to his connections with Melora, whom they consider his wife.
The elves and eladrin call Kord the Singer of Harmony, and give testament that while he is a god of strength, he is not the god of war. While most of those interviewed believed in and respected Kord’s reputation for violence as a last resort, it is apparently very rare for an elf or an eladrin to actively venerate Kord, even alongside other deities. I pressed this matter further during my last few interviews, and was told only that the god prefers it that way.
The dwarves place the most value on stories reflecting Kord’s military tactics, something their oft-besieged kingdom can greatly appreciate. They also respect the god because of the self-discipline required to be a soldier, and for his fabled stance of not fighting unless it is necessary, but when it is necessary striking with everything one can muster in order to claim a quick and decisive victory. It is perhaps a close race between Bahamut and Kord as to which is the “second favorite” god among the dwarves.
Moradin
oradin boasts a surprising amount of popularity among humans, even in settlements weeks away from the dwarven kingdom of Bas-Litha. Smiths of all sorts are apparently known to keep at least a small shrine to the god. He is also regularly invoked for protection among civic police; even among humans, Moradin has a strong reputation for upholding law.
The elves and eladrin also see Moradin as a strong upholder of law, though as always they believe this is a liability rather than an asset. The common theme of my interviews here seemed to be that they appreciate his good intent, but that it foolish to try and invoke legal authority against someone who has already expressed disregard for the law by committing a crime.
Naturally, the dwarves have the strongest love for Moradin, whom they also call the Soulforger. (Their mythos states that Moradin created the dwarves, including his wife Mya, because nothing yet alive was strong enough of heart or mind to face down evil and not be corrupted by it.) While dwarves might honor other deities in addition to Moradin, it is unthinkable for a dwarf to reject Moradin outright in favor of another deity – as has been documented elsewhere, the cleric who sealed away Kath’Karos was a dwarf in Pelor’s service, and it is for that reason she no longer had a name. The dwarves invoke Moradin at every relevant moment in their lives, that they might remain mindful of the high standards to which they must hold themselves lest they fall away like their weaker kin. It is also through Moradin’s lawful nature that dwarves come by their insistence on written contracts even for seemingly minor agreements. A dwarf’s word is his bond, nigh unbreakable, and to them it is reasonable to ensure that the other party is as clear on and committed to the agreement as they are.
Melora
Pelor
The Raven Queen
t was humans who gave this name to the goddess, and it is humans who ascribe to her the commonly known aspects of death and winter as well as darkness. (A malevolent deity also has darkness ascribed to him, but the popular thought among humans is that his darkness is tied more to ignorance, as he is the god of dark secrets.) They portray her as a figure detached from mortal concerns, reaping souls as inexorably as men reap the harvests of grain. She is reputed to have a strong hatred for undead creatures, particularly intelligent undead such as liches and vampires, because they are seen as a defiance of the finality of death. Perversely, it is the darkness which is the safest haven for such foul creatures, and servants of the Raven Queen often have to defer to the daylight of Pelor in order to actually bring about an undead’s destruction.
The elves and eladrin speak of her as “the beloved Lady of Night”. To them, she embodies darkness and the night, but without any morbidity whatsoever. In sharp contrast to human opinion, they view her as a loving and almost romantic figure, emphasizing the peace and rest that can be found in the nighttime hours. This is made more unusual by the fact that neither elves nor eladrin actually need to sleep. They also claim that the Raven Queen’s hatred for undead stems from the danger they pose in the darkness.
Sadly, I was able to get almost nothing out of the dwarves about the Raven Queen, though the one thing they did share was fascinating in its stark contrast. While they recognized the human name for the Raven Queen, not a single dwarven contact with whom I spoke was able to truly tell me anything about her or her history. It seems that the dwarves for centuries have refused to even acknowledge the one whom they call “the Maker and Unmaker”, let alone allow their people to study her. They do, however, reject the notion that the Raven Queen abhors undead, and claim that she has a vampire for a lover.
Sehanine
new but increasingly popular trend among human religious scholars is to posit that Sehanine and Ioun are sisters. This is likely brought about by tales of a now-dead exarch named Kelien, who herself was quite the repository of information. The main difference between Kelien and any of Ioun’s exarchs (and thus, it is suggested, between the two goddesses) is that Ioun seeks out knowledge for its own sake and to increase her understanding of the world, while Sehanine is more likely to crave information that can be quickly and easily turned to her benefit (or used against someone else). The moon symbology connected with Sehanine is then claimed to refer to the dark places and extreme measures some people traverse in order to recover “useful” bits of information.