Occa

The ocean being

It's no surprise that the ocean is a crucial part of the Iraian culture and that Irai would be a difficult place for humans to survive without it.
Generally referred to as she (though Occa isn't specified as a person more as a being, and therefore it is up to interpretation how the people that worship Occa, what he/she/they/it is.), Occa is the ocean being,

a protector and a friend to the people of Irai and the rest of the world.

Different interpretations

The protector

Most people that worship Occa would agree that she is a protector of the people - a guardian of life. She is seen as a shield, protecting against starvation and death.
Often pictured as large waves in the ocean, and the rivers that run through the country, with this interpretation Occa is a fighter, and she is large, fierce and strong.

The mother

A mothers love for her children are stronger than anything. For many, Occa is like a mother-figure, a warm persona that always looks over her children. Like a large blanket, she covers the entirety of the planet with a big warm hug, reaching out from time to time with her waves and rivers. In this depiction, she is described as one large entity, she is the ocean.

The element

In Irai the elements what is most often worshipped; almost like gods, but they are seen as more a friend and protector rather than a divine thing. Occa, for many, is just the element of water - lively, wild, warm and strong, giving life and taking life. Rain, rivers, lakes and the ocean are all a part of Occa.
The elements are seen as an energy source and a way to learn the magic of nature, and here, Occa is a the one to teach you the magic of water and strength.

The goddess

Occa is rarely referred to as a goddess, but there are those that see her as such. This type of worshipment is mostly found in rural communities around the coast of Irai. Though it's a more rare occurrence, this interterpertation is worth mentioning. Here, Occa is prayed to for good harvest, and safe travels on the waters. She is also said to be walking the earth at times, and there are those that believe she was a human originally that ended up as a goddess of the seas.

Information

Area of worship

Mostly Irai but she is also found around the coastal areas of Lakai and Seiwania.

Interpretations

A woman of water

Waves

The water element

A goddess

A mother

The entire ocean

A protector

First appearances

The name Occa can be traced back many thousands of years, and old paintings have been found depicting a woman of the ocean on stone tablets around the ruins of Irai.
She has been mentioned many times throughout historical documents, and has even been found on Islands in the Oriann Sea - far from the mainland of Irai.
She is believed to have first occurred around the eastern coast of Irai, with old documents describing how a woman rose from the seas to replenish the lands and make Irai a place of life. And she gave them rain and rivers, and food in the oceans.

Mythology

Like the many different interpretations of Occas being and what/who she is, the mythology behind her existence varies a lot. Those that see her as the goddess of water and ocean, speak of how she came from the heavens before Aewyn had oceans and water.

She fell from the stars as a single drop, filling the barren lands of the world, with a large ocean and plenty of rivers.

People that interpret her as the ocean itself, and the waters surrounding them, she is the element itself. She came to be, after a long battle between the earth on Aewyn, battling for a place to be. The earth and the sea, being two very different elements, finally came to a time of peace, and a deal was struck. They gave each other the room to expand and reduce, but only within reason. And thus, they live in balance, right up against each other; the waves slowly eating the coasts, and the mountains slowly rising and forming new islands.