Seûln the Mother

She Who Cries

The stars about the lovely moon
Fade back and vanish very soon,
When, round and full, her silver face
Swims into sight, and lights all space.

— Sappho, Fragment on the Moon

Two moons shine in the Danatelian sky, chasing one another through the endless dark. The Mother and the Child, forever united. And just as she watches over her kin, so does she watch over the mortals down below. From the shadows of the night she listens to the sorrows and secrets of the people when society will not. She is the ever faithful companion, who promises to love and care for all like a mother.

Origin and Stories

The Danatelians have a few iterations of their cosmogony, which detail the creation of the world and of the natural order. In most versions, Seûln was created at the dawn of time by Matazel the Lonely like all of the other major gods of the Saohri pantheon. From one of his eyes Matazel made the moon, and from the other he made the sun, and placed them both up in the sky.

From high up Seûln watched as Matazel shaped the earth from his limbs, turned his bones intro trees, and breathed life into the world. She watched as Aher the Free created all living things, and as Deïmon the Bright taught the mortals how to use fire to create. For most of her life Seûln was content to simply watch the world below, until she grew lonely in the night sky. She longed for the love she saw amongst families down below, and the desire for a child of her own grew day after day.

And so the Moon went to see Love, and asked her for a child. Love could not give her one, but she told the Moon where she could find what she most desired.

— Extract from Tales of the Moon

Under a weeping willow Seûln found a child, abandonned by their mother. She took them to the sky and named them Laykan. They grew among the gods like one of their own, until one fateful day as they came to pass as they explored the realm of mortals. Many iterations of stories and myths exist regarding death of Laykan, but most see them killed by some monster or fearful mortal. Heart-broken, Seûln goes to fetch their child from the hellish depths of Almayot itself, and thus Laykan returned from the dead, forever to live among the sky.

Names: Seûln the Mother, the Silver Eye, the Neverseen

Appearance: Seûln is typically depicted as a woman, wearing a large lunar headpiece. Her skin is deep blue and covered with stars, and she wears layered and flowing robes.

Domains: Grave, Life (the Mother), Death, Twilight (the Neverseen), Knowledge (the Silver Eye)

Symbol of Seûln

Cult of the Moon

Seûln the Mother by Aijxjx

Seûln's qualities are threefold: first, she is a mother, second, she is a confidant, and third, she is vengeful. This mutlifaceted personality has established itself through centuries of worship, and the various qualities of the goddess are exibited throughout various myths, legends and sacred texts. These various aspects of the goddess are typically distinguished through an array of titles and denominations, the most common being the following: the Mother, the Silver Eye, and the Neverseen.

The worship of Seûln the Mother predates the Danatelian Conquest. Her cult is one of the oldest of the Saohri Temple, though it has known many changes throughout history. Historically, the figure of the moon as always been considered a motherly one, as Danatelians have always considered the two moons to be child and parent. It is interesting to note that while the figure of Seûln is designated as a mother, she, like all of the Saohri gods, escapes the concept of gender as it traditionally exists within Danatelian society.

Seûln is often romantically paired with Deïmon the Bright, the Saohri solar goddess, and as a result it isn't unusual for the moon to be considered the divinity in charge of weddings and lasting relationships. During weddings, it is common to invoke her name, in addition to Samara the Lover, to send blessings to the newly married couple and wish them luck in their future life together.

I feel this emptiness, this gaping hole in my chest, a pitch black void that nothing seems to fill. It drains me of all happiness, of all love for the world, and I fear I too will soon fall to the dark.

— A lonely person talking to the Moon

Seûln is also known as the keeper of secrets, patron saints of the lonely and thiefs. The Silver Eye sees all, it pierces through the lies of men like lightning. Yet no matter what she sees, she remains quiet, though one must not forget they are never alone. The origins of this particular aspect of Seûln have been hard to date- it is generally admitted this side appeared around the Danatelian conquest, likely due to the absorption of another culture's belief, but due to a lack of proper chronicling the origins of this aspect seems to have been lost.

The Aspect of the Neverseen finds its theological origins in the story of the death of Laykan the Child. Following the tragic killing of their child, and the subsequent events in which she had to free them from Almayot, the Goddess developped a resentment of mortals, antagonistic to the love she held for them. This dualist hatred manifested itself through the new moon, where the Goddess would turn her back on those she swore to watch over.

Worship

Seûln is one of the seven major deities of the Saohri Pantheon. Her largest temple is in the city of Nissain, though places of worship and shrines can be found throughout the Danatelian Lands. She is worshipped primarily in times of need and mourning, or in times of isolation. Occasionally, Seûln also acts as the patron goddess of thiefs and spies, and all things generally associated to the night.

Under the Open Sky

Temples of Seûln will usually comprise of three major elements. The main place of worship, present in all religious buildings, will be built under an open roof, so that followers of the goddess may gaze up to her on a clear night. Then, they will comprise of an underground area, where priests conduct monthly rituals to appease the anger of She Who Resents Us. Finally, almost all temples of Seûln contain a small shrine dedicated to Laykan the Child. As with most Saohri temples, the insides are decorated with an abundance of fresques and geometrics paintings depicting myths and legends. The ceillings are painted a deep blue and covered in painted stars.