Antiphon
Antiphon is the Marvellan god of oration, rhetoric, and the written word. He is also the patron deity of politicians, writers, and pedagogues.
His month in the Anatomical Calendar is Of His Mouth.
He is most prominently worshipped by Flavians, as it is the state religion of the kingdom. One of the few requirements to be the Ruling Magistrate is to be a devout follower of Antiphon, as it is he who chooses successor generations to the Flavian throne. He is also highly worshipped by dwarves, as he pulled the first dwarves from the earth in the Sylva Briar.
Holy Books & Codes
Of both the major and minor pantheons, Antiphon has the most extensive series of holy books that have been disseminated amongst his followers since the Creation. However, these aren't exclusively tenets that the god demands his followers follow to the letter - rather, the majority of them are books on philosophy and rhetoric that provide advice to his subjects on how to ensure that the life they lead is fulfilling.
Divine Symbols & Sigils
Antiphon has three major symbols that can indicate whether an individual follows in the footsteps of the Voice.
As with all Marvellan deities, the anatomical aspect of a mortal that represents Antiphon most is the Mouth. He is the god of oration and rhetoric, and with his spoken word, he can raise and fell entire cities.
His representative color is gray, as it is the perfect midpoint between black and white. Antiphonal worship requires a balance of the self to be the best thinker and orator one can be, and thus gray serves his needs the best.
Finally, his representative animal is the hawk - a creature understood for its stellar perception and its self-justification.
Holidays
On the 30th day of the second month lies the holiday of Soczsche, which stretches over six days. In the Magisterial Kingdom of Flaviae, these days are full of public feasts and revelry where the community attends speeches by esteemed members of their locale. However in Azuria and Vermilius, the holiday of Soczsche takes a somewhat darker tone. Rather than the lighthearted activities held in Flaviae, these days are full of public protests (in Azuria) and establishing underground communities disliked by the Vermilisian throne.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Antiphon was the sixth deity borne to the world of Marvelo, created in the union of Nunura and Agatha. Amidst the Creation, he was the second of the "Mortal Trio" to emerge from the mythic Sylva Briar - a garden within the Markéd Mountain Range where the first life sprang.
At the Sylva Briar, he created the first dwarves. He coaxed the roses of the Briar into blooming, yet his voice travelled beyond the Flower and into the Earth itself. A strange fuzzy root had grown out of the soil, and so Antiphon decided to harvest the odd plant. He pulled and he pulled, and so emerged the first dwarves of the Briar's soil, pulled by their extravagant beards. Rumor has it that one dwarf remains as caretaker of the Sylva Briar, as the rest have long since dispersed to the Vermilisian and Flavian landmasses to begin their own lives and cultures. In the modern day, dwarves are often stereotyped for their steadfast diplomacy in wake of their Antiphonal worship.
His gift to mortals was the ability to speak and form rational thought. Where Astaphaios was beholden to pure knowledge and Maudaräe was beholden to raw emotion, Antiphon managed to balance the two. He created the arts of rhetoric, oration, and philosophy - logic driven by sentiment.
The first temple to Antiphon was constructed in 820 BM, and remains the oldest functioning religious structure in Marvelo. It's beheld as the centerpiece to the oasis city Sabbia D'oru, the oldest inhabited city in Marvelo.
Divine Classification
God
Species
Church/Cult
Children
Aligned Organization
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