Creation Myth: The Cardinal Souls

Creation:

Before there was the physical realm there were simply the souls. Innumerable, the souls encompassed all things from the feeling of rain falling through leaves to the sound of a storm over the ocean. Each soul was both alone and surrounded by their brother and sister souls. In this realm the souls grew restless and began to create.   First, the Soul of the North discovered the ability to create physical things. They brought forth shape. Star after star, planet after planet, they began to create and set in motion. They brought forth the universe. They are the Soul of the Stars, the Mother Soul, the Soul of Creation. Depending on the people the Soul of the North is given different names but they largely revolve around their role of creation. They are depicted with the color white, and with the element of Earth.

Second came the Soul of the South, enticed by what the Mother Soul created, but without their ability they began to shape the worlds that the Mother Soul had abandoned. On Edith they created mountains and valleys, rolling hills and expansive oceans, and then they flooded the world with water. They are the Ocean Soul, the Soul of Beauty, for through them all things took shape. They are often depicted with blue, and with the element of water. Second came the Soul of the South, enticed by what the Mother Soul created, but without their ability they began to shape the worlds that the Mother Soul had abandoned. On Edith they created mountains and valleys, rolling hills and expansive oceans, and then they flooded the world with water. They are the Ocean Soul, the Soul of Beauty, for through them all things took shape. They are often depicted with blue, and with the element of water.

The Soul of the East lingered on Edith, trailing behind the Northern and Southern Soul, for in it they saw a potential their sister and brother soul had not. They lingered, and from the energy of the stars and planets the North Soul had created, and the water of the South Soul, they brought forth life. They created every plant, every animal, every thing to which we attribute life, and they loved them all. It is said the Soul of the East remained on Edith, never following their sibling souls across the cosmos, continuing to bring forth new lives. They are depicted with yellow and the element of air.

The Soul of the East had a sibling, the Soul of the West. Jealous of all the souls before them the Soul of the West followed in creation with no ability to bring forth, only to change or destroy. As they watched their sibling soul create they saw only perfection, the animals able to live to easily, the plants able to grow unhindered, and they thought it unfair. They created hunger. They created thirst. They brought forth fire and storms and earthquakes. They brought forth Death. They also brought forth discovery, surprise, and innovation. From them Edith became what it is known as today. They are the Chaos Soul, the Soul of Change, and are depicted in red and fire. They last soul was a new soul, born from the life the Soul of the East had brought forth, and the change the Soul of the West initiated. From these Elements the People of the world were born as we know them, curious, powerful, and capable of creation in a capacity less than the Souls, but notable in it's own right. This soul is the People's Soul. They are the Soul that guides all things between the humans, the faeries, and the demons. They oversee things particular to people, such as marriage, succession, earthly creation, magic. They are known only as the People's Soul, with no element of their own. They are depicted often with the color black.  These Five Souls are the Cardinal Souls.

This is not to say that these are the only souls present on Edith. Everything has a soul, every person, animal, thing and phenomenon has a soul that guides it. But all minor souls on Edith answer to the Cardinal Souls, no matter their own power.

Cardinal Souls:

Soul of the North: Creation; Earth; White

Soul of the South: Shape; Water; Blue

Soul of the East: Life; Air; Yellow

Soul of the West: Chaos; Fire; Red

Soul of the People: People; Black

Common Minor Souls of Edith

• Soul of Birth
• Soul of Death
• Soul of Marriage
• Soul of Famine
• Soul of Oceans
• Soul of Magic
• Soul of Wheat
• Soul of Song
• Soul of War
• Soul of Medicine
• Soul of Vengeance
• Soul of Lust

The Temple:

The temple members all pledge to a Soul. Most members pledge both to a minor soul and a cardinal soul, and do their work as the will of those souls. Within the temple there are five who lead and direct the Temple throughout the countries south of the Barrier Mountains, these are the Heads of the Temple, one for each cardinal soul, North, South, East, West, and People. The Cardinal Souls will appoint a person to the Temple to take their place and lead, sometimes they appoint a new one within a few years, while the head on record for the longest term was the Sothern Soul of War: Calisto, who held their position for over 200 years during the war between humans and Fae.