Gáðæn (GOW.thine)
Gáðæn is considered by most mortals who know of him to be foremost among the family of Creation gods known as the Nostín (NOHS.teen; sing. Noste, NOHS.teh). He was responsible for the actual physical creation of Gæðí, hence his epithet among the Wylden, "Worldfather".
Divine Domains
As maker of the physical world, Gáðæn represents crafting, building, and physical creation. Though he is not a war god, strictly speaking, he did lead the Armies of Creation in The Godswar, and is considered foremost among the gods in such matters.
Artifacts
Binnigðúm, the Spear of Gáðæn- At the end of The Godswar, the Worldfather took one of the two fragments that had broken at the Cleaving from the World Axe Ræðbjand, and he fashioned it into a mighty spear, which he named Binnigðúm. With this spear, forged in the heat of the world wherein the Unmaker is imprisoned, Gáðæn then bound the Frost Queen Ísje to her icy domain on Icewall Glacier, diminished and constrained.
Personality Characteristics
Motivation
As one of the gods who created the world, Gáðæn is motivated by a desire to experience their creation. In times long past, he would on occasion take a human form and walk among the mortal races of the world, and during The Godswar, he actively led the Armies of Creation against the Únðárín. After the Godswar, and Íðæn's Balance, he, like the rest of the gods, mainly confines his experience of the world to communion with the Great Spirits.
Representation & Legacy
Symbols of Gáðæn include: a smith's hammer; a spear; the triad of Gæðenfös, Víske, and Rígge; raven, owl, and/or eagle motifs; spearhead talismans, often with runes or bindrunes of protection.
Among the Wylden of Hrafnawyld, it has historically been popular to make some of these talismans and symbols with volcanic glass and rock, representing Gáðæn's victory over the Unmaker.
Social
Family Ties
Father of Væð the Enduring, Mother of Ravens
Mannerisms
Gáðæn is generally warm and kindly to mortals he meets, though in cases of those he has cause to find distasteful, he might seem more distant. He can be stern in war, but has a rather fatherly aspect otherwise.
Hobbies & Pets
Though not exactly what one would call 'pets', he has three companions: Gæðenfös the raven, Víske the owl, and Rígge the eagle. Each was the first of their kind, living when life first bloomed and time first began, and they represent what the Wylden believe to be the cleverest, wisest, and noblest of all birds.
Worldfather, Worldsmith, Runelord
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