A Pantheon of the Ascended
Halfling deities follow closely in the tradition of many elvish deities in that the deities were originally mortals, according to myth- folk heroes that rose into godship due to their magnificent deeds on earth. As such, they are seen as flawed beings with intense personalities, likes and dislikes, and varying levels of engagement with halfling-kind. Because of this, many halflings see them as far removed members of their family. Different communities have a plethora of different stories about these god’s triumphs and mishaps and most myths have multiple versions. Some may accept that their deities may be the same from other pantheons but with a different name, but Halflings consider the other versions to be adaptations of
their original god (a sentiment also clung to by many stubborn elves). Two deities- Fion and Aberdan, are true gods in their own right, because they are the mother and father of all halflings and it was they who rose all the others into the divine based on their deeds. Though Halfling-Kind does not generally have large proper government nor seats of royal power, those who ascend to the realms of the divine are often offered a title of Lord or Lady. For all their myths and heroes, in actuality, only Galatea and Goewyn are properly ascended gods. The rest were stories formed around already divine beings to make them easier to connect with. But don't you dare tell a Halfling that of course.
| Aberdan |
Tradition & Rules |
Order, Knowledge, Forge |
LG |
| Fion |
Plants & Agriculture |
Nature, Tempest, Grave |
NG |
| Nerys |
Beasts & Wilderness |
Nature, Light, Twilight |
CG |
| Pelenei |
Travel & Heroes |
Peace, Twilight, Trickery |
NG |
| Arloh |
Illusion & Deception |
Trickery, Arcana, War |
CN |
| Galatea |
Family & Responsibility |
Life, Peace, Protection |
LG |
| Goewyn |
Beauty & Passion |
Life, Twilight, Trickery |
CN |
The Halfling Gods
ABERDAN
Archetype: The Judge
Portfolio: Tradition, Rules
Alias: Father of All Halflings, Lord or King of Townships
Symbol: Sun surmounted by a hill with smoke, beaver
Aberdan is a very ancient deity among halflings- considered by them to be the father of their race. He is the deity of fathers and heads of houses- of community leadership, diplomacy, preservation of tradition, and the consequences rule breaking. He is the balance of ordered civilization in contrast with the chaotic wildlands that Fion oversees. He is a protective deity, and some see him as a god of defensive war and he is also the patron of blacksmiths and armorers. He is stern but fair and he seeks to raise his kind to be responsible, capable, and honorable. He is also a god of husbands and marriage and is said to be married to Galatea, the protective halfling goddess of motherhood. According to some halfling myths he fell in love with her when she was a mortal and when she sacrificed herself to save her people he raised her up to the status of a deity to be his wife, should she so choose him, and she did. He is often symbolized by the Sun and he has associations with truth and virtue. He is drawn to halflings with a commitment to community and duty. He does not have a strong association with death as The Judge often does in other pantheons, as that is the domain of the deity Fion in their eyes. His affairs are fully encompassed in the world of the living. Aberdan has an association with beavers who are known for building nice homes and mating for life.
FION
Archetype: The Gardener
Portfolio: Plants, Agriculture
Alias: Mother of Halflings, Lady or Queen of The Fields
Symbol: Tree with Deep Roots and a full and empty moon, honeybee
Fion is the mother of halfling-kind and at least partially responsible in the creation of the world. She is said to have created them to be the caretakers of E'ahna. She presides over the growth of flora and the natural cycles and food chains of the beasts. She is the chief deity of agriculture and animal husbandry. Though her domain is that of Nature, she understands that this garden of plenty was placed here for the sentient, and the sentient are a part of nature. She may choose to punish halflings for grave disrespects to her beautiful natural world, but she does not place the protection of beasts and plants over the protection of people either. She is wild and moody by nature and can be unpredictable which results at times in bestial dangers, drought, famine or intense storms, but she is always apologetic afterwards and never means real harm to her favored people. She is often symbolized by the honeybee- a creature that can produce wonders like honey and pollinate the world- but she still has a hell of a stinger on her as well. She is the most important, most respected of all the halfling deities and she and Aberdan are the only of this pantheon that is not ascended from mortals. She and Aberdan chose their favored and raised them into godship in the early days of the world. Fion is also a goddess of the Grave and death, said to ultimately choose when a halfling life must come to an end. Halflings are interred back to the earth and generally some kind of plant or tree is grown there as a grave marker- in that way they can continue the sacred cycle of life and death. Halfling cemeteries generally look like orchards and small forests as a result.
NERYS
Archetype: The Ranger
Portfolio: Beasts & Wilderness
Alias/es: Walker Among the Wilds, Lord or Lady of the Wilds, Leige of the Wilds
Symbol: Walking Staff with flowers growing out of it, rabbits
Nerys, believed originally to be an exarch of Fion or potentially the deity the elves call Elyra and the gnomes call Baerna. They are a deity that protects the gentler aspects of wild nature- especially small creatures and prey animals. According to the most popular myth, as a mortal they were of one of the first great halfling explorers and a naturalist- one who mapped much of ancient Hywela and documented all the beasts and plants they found. They discovered which fruits and plants were edible and how to use natural herbs to heal and relieve pain. Their followers act as wilderness guides and as healers of injured animals or sick areas of the forest. The vast majority of halfling druids follow in the name of Nerys, often called their flock of wild shepherds. There are conflicting myths over whether or not Nerys was male or female and this is sometimes hotly debated between certain rural halfling communities. Nerys is considered by many to be controversial by nature, much like Pelenei. They are a deity worshiped by hermits and those who reject civilized life as a part of the halfling community.
PELENEI
Archetype: The Wanderer
Portfolio: Travel, Heroes, Friendship, Taverns, Freedom, Good Deeds
Alias: The Lady (or Maiden) of Many Faces
Symbol: Feather (pegasus feather)
Pelenei was, according to various myths, associated with the deity Nerys. Some say she was her exarch, some say she was related to her in her mortal life- even a daughter. Some say she was the daughter of Arloh as well. What is true across all stories is her wanderlust. She left the safety of her home early on in life and did not return until she was on her deathbed. She traveled the world, and her gregarious personality invited scores of other travelers to follow in her stead- those with adventurous hearts and curious minds. She had a particularly large following of gnomes as well as elves and dwarves who she tempted out of the familiarity of their home forests and mountain fortresses. She is the only halfling deity to have widespread worshipers among most other races and she was a unifying and diplomatic force during her time. She was also notorious for her mischievous nature- often using various identities and changing her appearance often depending on who she was with and where she was traveling. This is why the dwarves call her Bruselle (she likely traveled with them as one of their own) and the elves called her Mythelea. Pelenei was notable in many tales for winning the companionship of her steed, a pegasus, and she has long been symbolized with them or simply their feather. This partially represents her winning her freedom from the shackles of halfling society and propriety.
ARLOH
Archetype: The Charlatan
Portfolio: Illusion, Deception, Pranks, Humor, Lies
Alias: Lord of Mischief
Symbols: Black starred mask, racoon
Arloh is a different sort of deity among Halflings. For one- there are so many different myths of who he was as a mortal that there might as well be none. No one knows who he was in life to be ascended into full diety-ship by Aberdan or Fion. Most suggest that if people knew the real myth he wouldn't be a very good deity of deception and pranks. He's not one that many in a proper halfling society might approve of. He is the patron of liars and tricksters. He is a deity of illusion and magic- not typical staples of peaceful rural communities. He sows discord wherever he goes- both among his fellow divinities and among mortal communities. His peers consider him harmless but annoying but some halfling societies greatly fear his influence. Halfling societies can be notoriously similar to dwarven ones- they stand on a strong foundation of traditions and rules of behavior that are not to be broken lest that individual face some measure ostracization from the community. Few halfling towns have need of prisons or jails- the cold shoulder is the best method of punishment for most. Arloh promotes all the kinds of behaviors that would be resented in these communities. Their followers may spread false gossip to watch the drama, pilfer crops and leave false tracks, or something more disruptive like releasing everyone's hogs in the middle of the night. Loud boisterous music, flashy magic, lewd displays, pranks, crude humor, chicanery, and outlandish drinking can all be attributed to his influence. While you would expect there not to be that many worshipers to a deity such as this- you'd be surprised. Most halflings go through 'an Arloh phase' where they break all the rules. While most eventually reach the end of the phase and move on to more mature deities, some get a real taste for it. These jokesters exist in halfling societies to keep everyone on their toes and to keep life from becoming too boring. These halflings are often traveling charlatans, performers, magicians, comedians, or even thieves. They have a higher calling and it is to not allow any one halfling town to become too comfortable and complacent. Variety is the spice of life, after all. Arloh has strong associations with Pelenei, deity of wanderers, and in some myths they have and on-and-off relationship. Arloh is also a deity of warfare, oddly enough. Though most halfling communities are peaceful and without strife- there are also worg-riding goblin raiders to contend with. Halflings aren't much for combat, but with the help of Arloh's followers, much confrontation can be avoided with tricks, traps, and illusions.
GALATEA
Archetype: The Mother
Portfolio: Family & Responsibility
Alias: Lady of the River
Symbol: A river of stars, a swan
According to myth, Galatea was one of the earliest Exarchs of Fion, who the halflings see as the creator of all things- at the very least of the halflings. Originally a mortal mother and housewife, after her husband and children died she became a cleric and grew to near demi-god status due to her fierce protection of her kind in the face of many wars ravaging the ancient world. When the halfling people were faced with a massive and bloody human invasion of their ancestral lands, Galatea guided them into the hills- and gave up her life in order to erect a powerful divine barrier that only small people could cross. Like a mother protecting their child in the ways she couldn't, she was willing to forfeit her existence to preserve theirs. This act of sacrifice by Galatea prompted Aberdan to intervene- making her barrier permanent and raising her to godhood. She became the deity of motherhood- of protection of children and the home and an antithesis to the war and violence that destroys families. She also eventually became the wife of Aberdan, who was so moved by her fierce and protective nature and bravery. She was often symbolized by a swan- beautiful but fearsome when it came to defending her territory and her babies.
GOEWYN
Archetype: The Paramour
Portfolio: Beauty, Passion, Happiness
Alias: Lady of the Lilies
Symbols: Lute surmounted by lilies, Robin
This deity in their mortal life was the most gorgeous of all halfling women- she was beautiful and entrancing, an incredibly skilled musician and artist, and an inspiration to any lucky enough to meet her. Due to this origin story, many believe her to be the same deity as the elvish Sylanna. Such a great following she had that they followed her from town to town just to listen to her music and poetry and gaze at her loveliness. Her favorite flower was reportedly lilies and she was showered with them by adoring fans. These followers transitioned into cults that attested that her beauty and charm and talent had to be the result of the divine. Though many sought her hand in marriage, Goewyn was married to her creative pleasures. Though she was courted many times by lucky individuals, she saw them as passing fancies and never married so that she might continue her life of travel and seeking self actualization and fulfillment. She ascended to godhood as a deity of the arts, of beauty, of love, and passion and is the patron of beauty and love in all its forms. Her lessons teach halflings to leave their comfort zone from time to time- to seek out joy and let their passions drive them- even if others look down on them for it.
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