Nyphros
The Sweet Paramour
Nyphros is a fey deity that is often linked to the Heavenly Council through a syncretic relationship with the goddess Elenea. Nyphros is considered to be a god of sex, love, male virility, unmarried men, trysts, pleasure, youth, and music. Nyphros is not a member of the Heavenly Council, but is featured prominently in myths contained within the Heavenly Council's canon, such as the Fox and the Maiden's Cock. He is considered a member of the Seelie Court and a kind of fey deity or Archfey. He is considered a wild, impulsive, and emotional being; which ties in nicely with his behavior as displayed in mythology and his association with the fey.
Divine Domains
Nyphros is the god of sex, love, unmarried men, male virility, trysts, pleasure, adventure, youth and music. His domains are Life, Nature, and Trickery.
Holy Books & Codes
Nyphros is mentioned in the Heavenly Codex's "Book of Elenea and Book of Qingu. He is a primary character in the famous legend of "The Fox and the Maiden's Cock."
Divine Symbols & Sigils
Nyphros's divine symbol is either a purple rose or a maiden's ribbon intertwined with a lad's bow. His sacred colors are violet and rose.
Holidays
Nyphros is celebrated along with Elenea on the Day of Fortunes, or the Spring Equinox.
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
Nyphros is typically depicted as an idealized youth. Sometimes his skin is pale, like birch bark or light brown like an autumn oak leaf. He often is scantily clad and wears a purple rose above his right ear and an ermine coat.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Nyphros is the child of the Lavender Queen and the Scarlet Prince, the enigmatic rulers of the Feywild's Seelie and Unseelie Courts. Once, Nyphros was thought to be unscrupulous and wild. At the same time, the Gloriae of the Heavenly Council, the gods Uriah and Porcia had a sickly, but beautiful daughter, the Ever Devoted Elenea. They went to Myurdin, the goddess of prophecy to learn what would become of their daughter. Myurdin foretold that she would live and be remembered forever but only if she married Nyphros. Nyphros was known for having an unscrupulous nature and so the Gloriae refused. Inexplicably, across all of Holos, the world’s crops withered and the animals died. Some say this was the doing of Nyphros’ parents, the Lavender Queen and the Scarlet Prince, gods of the Feywild. So Uriah and Porcia gave in because of their love for the world. Nyphros was allowed to marry Elenea so long as for three months she stayed out of the Feywild and stayed in the Celestial Mountains where the Council resides. During this time, Nyphros runs wild, taking lovers in the Feywild and causing the rest of the world to wither and die in the winter months. But when Nyphros is with Elenea, the world blossoms and there is harmony in nature.
This agreed upon cosmology does not perfectly match with the famous myth of Nyphros in "The Fox and the Maiden's Cock," wherein Nyphros and Elenea are tricked by Qingu the god of fortune in the middle of winter. Some claim that on occasion, Elenea snuck back to the Feywild without informing Winter of her actions, and that is how the myth squares with the cosmology reported within the Heavenly Codex. However, it is equally likely that the truth has been muddled over the course of a millennia of retellings and now the myth preserves some half-truths.
Divine Classification
Deity / Archfey
Religions
Alignment
Chaotic Good
Current Location
Realm
Honorary & Occupational Titles
The Sweet Paramour; the Violet Prince; Spring's Lover;
Birthplace
Feywild
Children
Current Residence
Feywild
Eyes
Bright and terrifying
Hair
Long and black
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Pale, like birch bark or light brown like an autumn oak leaf
Aligned Organization
Other Affiliations
Related Myths
Hallowed Arms:
The Rose Bow: a bow made of rosewood. It also includes two sets of arrows, one made from the stem of a violet and one made from the stem of a rose. The violet arrows cause anyone struck by them to fall in love with the next person they see, while the rose arrows cause anyone struck by them to be repulsed by the next person they see
Holy Orders:
Acolyte: Companion
Cleric: Paramour
Many brothels double as shrines to Nyphros or have altars to Nyphros hidden inside them
Animal Harbinger:
Rooster
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