Thestia
In the days after the stars had found their place in the sky, and the fires of the earth-forge had cooled, Bodaiya grew her forests mountains tall and forests deep. She let Haepheron embrace her, and let the seas flow. All was wild and wilderness and life thrived unabashed.
But deep within her groves, Bodaiya nurtured a special fruit, one she ripened alone and bore alone. Thestia, Goddess of the Hunt and Watcher of the Wood, the earthmother's own daughter, created by her own will and set to protect and guide the course of the wilderness. In giving her daughter this purview, Bodaiya did not forsee what a spirited child she was creating, for Thestia has all the fierceness of the greatest of beasts, yet lacks none of the cunning or wisdom of the more thoughtful creatures. Though she is often called Brash Thestia, for she can be quick to anger and quick to act, once she tames her temper she is known to be calculating an comtemplative, as patient as any spider in its web.
Worshippers
Thestia is often invoked by hunters setting out on a hunt for luck, and thanked at the opening of a meal involving food not farmed. (Harvest is Bodaiya's area.) This has come to include things gathered as well as animals hunted, so even strict vegetarians are known to pay homage to Thestia. Her archery skill means prayers are sent to her over Arké when a important matters of aim or more generally precision. She is the favoured patron of weavers due to her affiliation with spiders and their webs, and most weavers guild houses will have at least a small shrine to Thestia. Similarily, due to her connection to both speed and brash action, many a scoundrel setting out on a night of daring action has been known to invoke her name, hoping for a little luck. After all, a thief is willing to borrow a blessing from whomever will bestow it. Druids may worship Thestia under her guise as the guardian of the wood. Priests dedicated to her worship tend to be located in rural areas where hunting and gathering is an important part of survival.Depictions
Thestia is usually depicted as a young woman running through the woods, bow in hand, often running down a stag and surrounded by other animals.
Divine Domains
Nature, Life
Divine Symbols & Sigils
Bow and Arrow, Spider, Hart
Holidays
The first new moon of Haudaim marks the beginning of the Great Hunt, the greatest of Thestia's festivals. It is a time when children are brought through to adulthood, often whether by joining actual hunts or through more regulated contracts and apprentiships. Sacrifices are made in the goddess's honour in hopes that she will bestow fortune on all those who consider themselves hunters, whether of beast or business.
Comments