Matazel the Lonely

The Father, The World, The Last and First

Matazel the Lonely by Aijxjx

First and last
He is what always was
What will always be.

— Fragment, 491 A.A

Matazel the Lonely is the first and oldest of the Saohri gods. In the unmoving and cold waters of the Eternal Sea, Matazel lay quiet still. There was no time or movement, no thoughts or light to break the unending nothingness. Then from the mind of the Father sparked a thought, and that thought became light, and that light became the Nara'in Kuul.

The first thought set the world in motion, and time came to existence. From his radiant eyes, Matazel made the Sun and Moon, and placed them in the sky. From his flesh he made the land his creation would live in, and from his blood he made the seas and rivers. He crafted mountains from his bones, and used his breath to bring to life his creations of earth and blood.

Saohri myths describe several consecutive cycles of creation, and within each of them Matazel births new creatures. One of the most note-worthy episodes tells about how one night, as Matazel slept, he dreamt of a hungry beast who would devour all that existed. And from the same power that had birthed all that is good and pure came Almayot and with it, illness and chaos. Matazel was too old and weakened to fight the creature, and as he breathed and thought Argus the Protector came from his lungs, and chased away the beast with his thunderous voice and lightning sharp spear.

Origins and Myths

Matazel is the only god amongst the Saohri Pantheon to have never been born, and who shall never die. He contains all of existence. All is him, and he is all. Only Aher the Green, metaphysical incarnation of time, exists beyond him, though debates fuse between theologians as to whether Aher should not instead be considered an extension of Matazel. The god is mostly present in Saohri creation myth. After he created Samara, the last of the major gods, it is said he fell into a deep slumber, exhausted from all he had done to make the world.

When the world will shake and the gods will die, when Almayot will escape the chains that bind it- then will Matazel awaken, to bring an end to the great beast and create a golden world once more!

— Priest of Matazel

Worship

Matazel is the only god of the major Saohri pantheon to have no Adegho. He is a totality, and as such cannot be made of multiplicities. His existence contains all, and as such he has no different aspects under which he is known. Still, in an effort to keep their worship uniform with that of the others, priests of Matazel gave him three epithets, to mirror those of the Adegho of the other gods.

Temples of Matazel are usually built of dry brick and earth, though larger temples will be built out of stone and painted in earthy colours reminiscent of the god. Temples of Matazel were built based on the architecture of shrines local to Arda Almyed, which explains the architectural difference with other Saohri temples.

Funerary Rites

Traditional Danatelians funerary rites will see the body of the deceased either returned to the eart or to the sea. During the ceremony, the body is returned to the Father, as prayers are recited to Kirïal the Silent and other gods of importance to the life of the deceased. The body is usually accompagnied with offering for the gods, such as food, drinks, incense and so on, depending on the wealth of the deceased.

The First Day

One of the most important rites held by the Danatelians is the celebration of the First Day, which is supposedly the day on which the world was created. The celebration occurs once every hundred years or so, when the sun and moon meet in the sky. Large feasts are held, and people dance to the beat of drums, feet thumping the earth to the rythm of the music to honour the work of Wahyü.

Names: Matazel the Lonely, the Father, the World, the Last and First, Wayhü

Dedicated Town: Ménès

Appearance: Matazel is typically depicted as an old man with a long, white beard. His skin is dark and crackled like old earth. Most often, he will be shown with a shining, floating eye above his head.

Divine Symbol: A single eye, either opened or closed.

by Ronan Furuta