This Week in Gods (Part 2) · 10:43pm Aug 12th, 2014
You know what I haven't done in a little while?
Discuss the deities of the Skitchverse! So, let's do some of that again.
Last time on this little corner of my blog, I touched upon the Skitchverse's deities of the seasons. Borea, Zephyra, Satillia, Wenta and their dead father, the storm lord Ra-Den. This time, however, I'd like to step outside the pony related deities for a moment, and touch upon some of the gods that guide some of the other races of equis.
Predators and the Divine (Part 1)
The Skitchverse version of Equis has multiple sapient predatory species. Aside from the griffins that we've seen in the actual show, lions, tigers, wolves and coyotes also walk the world and have since its early days. However, there are few records of the predator species preying upon the herbivorous races. This legend speaks to why.
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Once, two wolf brothers, their names lost to the ages, travelled the snowy tundras of the world. They lived off the natural bounty of the land, fish, fowl and small wildlife. They were close, the eldest quite skilled at talking his brother into taking risks and exploring the dark and hidden places of the world. Then, one day a thought crossed the mind of the eldest.
"Brother." He said to the younger. "I wish to eat a pony."
"Brother!" The younger admonished. "They think and dream like us! What you speak of is an atrocity!"
The elder let it go for now, the two returning to their journeys. But, a month later, as they wandered the mountains, the elder broached the subject again.
"Brother. I wish to eat a pony. They are soft and weak. Their flesh would be delicious."
Again, the younger rebuked the elder.
"I will not listen to your madness! If you try, I will stop you! No more will you speak of such horrors!"
But the elder's mind was set. That night as they slept, the elder snuck away and into a near by pony village. There he stalked and slew the village's oracle of the moon, dragging her body into the night. In a shallow cave set into a mountain, he satisfied his dark appetites. But no sooner had he finished and licked the blood from his muzzle, when a sound reached his ears.
A howl of deepest rage was being carried on the wind.
Smirking and sitting back on his haunches, the eldest shouted into the night. "Do not be so angry dear brother! The taste of pony is amazing! Come, we will find one for you."
But as a pair of burning red eyes emerged from the falling snow, his bravado died in his throat. A great white wolf, twice his size stalked forth, lips pulled back in a snarl. The elder knew that he was doomed, for he was facing the lord of blizzards, the huntmaster, the fang father, Ulrich. The great alpha stalked around the trembling mortal, eyes burning like coals as he began to question the elder.
"Why did you take this pony? Are the bounties of the natural world insufficient? The birds of the air? The fish of the streams? The woodland creatures? Can none of them satisfy your ravenous greed?"
"I was curious fang father! They looked so-"
"SILENCE CUR!" Ulrich roared. "You insult me by your actions! You wound your plant eating brothers and sisters! You have damaged my relationship with The Moon and you are unworthy to do more than crawl though the dirt like the spineless worm you are!" He raised a paw, magic coiling about his form. "And, it is for that, and your transgressions, that I curse you!"
The elder whined and thrashed, in the grip of the curse, his coat turning black as night. His form grew gaunt and emaciated, an everlasting hunger burning in his belly.
"Forever more shall food and drink turn to ash on your tongue." Ulrich growled, his eyes still blazing with fury. "No more shall you find succor or comfort among your packmates. I banish you, now and forever, to the depths of Tartarus."
Chains of black iron and fire erupted from the ground, pulling the furious brother into the depths of the underworld. "I will have my vengeance upon you Ulrich! If it takes the rest of time, I shall have my revenge upon you!" And then he was gone, leaving Ulrich alone with the remains of the moon oracle. With a heavy heart, Ulrich threw back his head and howled a mournful howl.
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Ulrich
While Borea is the goddess of winter in the general, Ulrich is the fury of a blizzard specifically, swooping down upon the unwary traveller. But he is also the lord of the hunt, the master of stalking through the tundra to catch a prize or a hearty meal. Despite his legendary fury when roused, Ulrich has a code of honor as well. To prey upon those who can think is the highest insult and to stalk the followers of The Moon an even higher one still and woe to those who are foolish enough to do so.
He is also known as The Fang Father, The Huntmaster, and The Great White Wolf.
Fenrier
The wolf that broke the covenant remains in the depths of Tartarus to this day, chained to the bones of the earth. Still full of anger and resentment, Fenrier, as he came to be known by mortals, would give anything to break loose and feast upon the living. But the bonds that keep him locked in place are strong and none of the other deities, not even his erstwhile ally Tirek, have any desire to let him out.
However his legacy remains in the form of the shape shifting, flesh craving undead that bear his curse. While they are known by many names, to many cultures, they are most commonly known by what the buffalo tribes have named them. The Wendigo.
He is also known as The Ever Hungry, The Bloody Maw and the Stalker in Darkness.
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Yeah. Wolves that aren't timber in nature. I went there.
As for where Timberwolves come from? Well, that's a post for another day.
Well, when a wolf and a tree with a knothole love each other very much, or get into Princess Luna's moonshine....
This is really cool. It's so neat to think about religion and deities in world-building.