The Earth Mother, Mother Nature, the World spirit
Description: Danann is the land, the spirit of nature and the world. She is the personification of nature and, as such, holds an important place in the beliefs of all the peoples of Alfaysia. She is usually regarded a manifestation of the world itself — the earth is her flesh, the rivers her veins, the wind and fog her breath, and the rain her tears. She inspires every living thing to grow, nurtures them with blessed rain, and calls them to herself when it is time to die. Disasters that cause widespread destruction are agony to her.
According to her followers, all living creatures and plants are her children and she cherishes them without distinction of race or morality. Alternatively, the actions of individuals are of no consequence unless they threaten Oerth.
She is the core of the The Old Faith. She is a distant but caring goddess, even from her clergy, and little concerns her except the fate and prosperity of the entire world. Her care for life and nature is all-encompassing, and her wrath is that of a mother bear or the fiercest of storms. She is also distant from other deities, even those who share a similar interest, and it is possible her connection to the world consumes her attention. Her name is well known throughout the lands, and even the alfar venerate her as Mother Nature, Melora or the Wildmother.
The Temple of Danann is one of the few organizations that has developed worship of the Earth Mother as a goddess. Clerics of Danann are contemplative and spend much of their time communing with nature. They often associate with druids, who naturally share similar views. The clergy defers to oldest and wisest for guidance. Priests tend to be slow to act, as they try to see the 'greater picture', but once roused they are direct and focused on the solution. They wander to feel the different experiences of the world and use their powers relieve the earth's pain where it has been wounded.
The Tuathan Church also worships Danann as the goddess Danu, the mother of the Tuatha de Danann.
Dogma
The vast majority of the worshipers of are peasants. They pray to Danann especially to ask her for good harvests and abundant rain. In the most civilized regions, the worship of the Earth mother is more reminiscent of folklore than a true religion. On the other hand, in places of strong druidic influence, Danann (Danu) is a major goddess respected by everyone, from the city dweller to the mountain dweller, the rich as well as the poor.
Despite this, people that pray to the Earth Mother for what she really is are almost as rare as her druids. These discerning worshipers are hermits, sages, and philosophers. They are found everywhere in Alyndrica where they work discreetly to defend the nature, the earth, and the established order of her life cycles.
The Earth Mother's followers teach that the world is made up of many different aspects, each important to the whole. Nature can be beautiful and compassionate, or ugly and destructive. Newborn deer and rabbits can live peacefully in quiet forests, or they can be burned by forest fires or drowned in a floods. They use metaphors such as these to show how matters of good and evil are frequently less important than ensuring that the natural balance itself remains intact. The actions of individual persons and nations are of less concern than the long-term health of the world as a whole.
Adversaries/History
References to the Earth Mother and the Old Faith stretch back as far as recorded history, mainly as way of life for the nature orientated peasants, farmers, and those who live in harmony with the land. A simple rustic lifestyle, that has apparently survived the ages in the lives of the normal folk.
Danann is enduring, and considers many threats to just be part of the course of nature. Opponents of the Earth Mother are those who would subvert nature, and destroy the cycle of life. Her child Talos desires destruction and ruin, and "claims" to be no part of any cycle. He has angered her on occasion, at which point he gets smacked down and licks his wounds for a while.
Tenets of the Faith
Live in Balance with Nature
Respect the cycle of seasons and the natural order of life
Undead are a defiance of the natural order and should be destroyed wherever found
Good and Evil are not as important as the continued well being of the world
Related Faiths
Servitors
nature spirits
manifestations of the natural world (earth. air, fire, water)
Artifacts
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The world turns, life lives, and flourishes. The world grows. The world turns, life dies, and returns to the world. The world turns, life lives.
