Menella

Goddess of life and creation, Menella is regarded as the being the de facto Mother of the gods, thanks to her marriage to Prota. In reality, this does little other than to engender respect from the other deities, rather than any sense of fealty to her, but that respect is heartfelt and she is one of the few deities that all of the other gods and goddesses will deign to listen to.
Her divine domain focuses on life, its creation abundance and protection, as well as creation in its own right. Whilst she is not responsible for the creation of any of the sapient species of the world, she had a major hand in the creation of untold numbers of flora and fauna. Her domain means that she is widely worshipped, especially by expectant mothers or those who have children, especially young children.

Divine Domains

• Life
• Creation

Common Worshipers

All manner of people worship Menella, but as her domain is so broad, many only do so for specific periods of their lives, or at momentous or dangerous moments. Pregnant women will often look for Menella’s protection, as to parents of young children, and often she will be invoked when people are deemed to be beyond the help of medicine, or to protect and watch over those going into dangerous situations. She is also often petitioned by people who are looking to conceive children.

Priesthood

The priesthood of Menella is widespread and those that dedicate their lives to her service are well respected wherever they go. This is principally because many clergy of Menella act as midwives and herbalists, skills that they are trained in within the temple structure. Often priests and priestesses of Menella will be itinerant, going from place to place as they feel they are called by their goddess, to offer aid to the people resident in the communities their journeys lead them through. Many mothers and babies have been saved thanks to a cleric of Menella being divinely led to the right place at the right time.

Temples

Her domains and the roles her clerics often take up means that there are temples to Menella all over the world, with most big settlements having a temple dedicated to her. Temples to Menella are large open affairs that act both as places of worship, but also as alms houses and soup kitchens, with the temple clergy ministering to the needs of the homeless, penniless and destitute.

Activities in the Divine War

In the Divine War, Menella has chosen to remain neutral, and has instead become reclusive, to the point that few of the other Divines now see her. It is thought that she wanders the Material Plane, trying to heal some of the wounds that the Divine War has left on the landscape.

Family Tree of the Divines

Family Tree of the Divines

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Divine Classification

Goddess

Species

Divines

Age

Unknown

Circumstances of Birth

As recounted in The Origin of the Divines.

Gender

Female

Related Myths

• The Origin of the Divines

Divine Sigils and Symbols

Menella is most frequently represented by the symbol of a pair of hands outstretched in welcome, though she is also represented by animals such as a dove or a rabbit.

Divine Links and Progeny

Menella is the widow of Prota
She is the sister of Astartes, Wresmella, Polephemon, Persephonell, Kroni Sagosa & Prota.
She is the mother of Gallena, Hella, Kalkari and Lormaniss.
She is the grandmother of Venstariss and Hissh.
She is the great-grandmother of Athotan.

Mortal Creations

Whilst none of the sapient species where directly created by her, many species of flora and non-sapient fauna were created by her hands and divine magic.