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Fortune's Daughter

Summary

The myth chronicles the life of Queen Marigold Windsor, wife of Torland's twelfth king, Rodrick Von Alterbury, and the supposed daughter of Roulette, god of luck. In fact it starts with the early days of Roulette, and his courtship with Marybeth's mother, Duchess Eliza Windsor of Avolin. From there it goes onto describe Marybeth's extraordinary gift for divination, her twelve day march across Scyllica, and ending with her tragic death on the road to here mother's home of Avolin. But it's her prophecies that are the highlight of the myth, for it is because of her these that King Rodrick's military campaigns were so successful, and some of her prophecies even prevented many disasters from falling upon Torland. Also, throughout the myth, the number twelve, and the number six, are a significant motif in the myth, as twelve is the luckiest number, and the highest ranking in the celestial authority; six, meanwhile, is considered unlucky, and is the most chaotic in the celestial authority.

Historical Basis

Though this myth has a historical basis, this is one of the few cases where it's easy to distinguish myth from legend, for it has long since been proven that this myth is an obvious romanticization of the life of Marigold Windsor. In fact this myth spawned from three specific instances in Torland's history when Marigold predicted events with stunning accuracy: the Scyllica's war against Juelmeisterkin, the famine of 1245, and Marigold's involvement in Rordik's military campaigns. The first two could be explained by the fact that Marigold had was good at reading current events--tensions between the scyllic's and the meisterkin were brewing for awhile, and by 1245 Torlan'ds population had become unmanageable. And when it came to her husbands military campaigns, her advice wasn't based on divine foresight, but on genuine knowledge of military strategies, and the geography of warring countries--something taught by her mother and step father. Additionally there is no concrete evidence of her having any sort of supernaturally ability, let alone divination.

Spread

The myth is so widespread amongst colonies and formerly occupied territories of Torland that it's ingrained in the peoples head, though now it's become little more than a fairy tale--so much so that many forget that Marigold Windsor was even a real person. Another factor in the myth's popularity is the aforementioned campaigns of King Rodrick, but in the lands brought to heel under Torland they have given her new names and faces, and not all of them are kind.

Variations & Mutation

Along with the variations from one conquered land to another, Scyllica and Juelmeisterkin have their own versions of Marigold Windsor, though these interations came much later. The scyllics have a golden haired, golden skin woman called femjur au yojo les cristal, or "the crystal eyed woman," while the meisterkin have "the looking glass maiden." But even in Torland itself the myth has variations, one stating that Marigold was a witch, and that she consorted with outer forces for her powers, while another states she was the lover of Roulette, and he granted her divination as a gift.

Cultural Reception

If the story of Marigold hadn't been sensationalized by this myth, it might've been seen as a tale a woman with a cunning mind and keen eye, but instead it has become a variety of different things for a variety of agendas. Loyalists have used it as way to demonstrate the power of the crown as a way to quall rebellion in conquered lands, while those using less favorable versions of the myth have used it as a way to justify bigotry towards magic users.

In Art

One painting of note is one simply titled "Fortune's Daughter," depicting Roulette standing above his supposed daughter, while she sits upon a golden thrown, looking regal and composed.
Date of First Recording
23rd of Tvindeir, 1278 A.E.
Date of Setting
12th of Ylir, 1212 A.E. to the 6th of Solmanar, 1266 A.E.

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