Myrtha
Great Priestess of the Mother Myrtha (a.k.a. Mere' Janas)
Myrtha, or how she's more commonly referred to, Sa Mere' Janas, is the High Priestess of the Cult of the Mother, the spiritual belief that most Janas embrace. Her age is unknown, but she was surely already in charge in the XIV century, when the first report of her existence was recorded.
The Jana and the Heir
The first account of Myrtha's life is the one that made everyone in Onfalu aware of her presence and immortalized her in the history of the island.
In 1387, Federico, first son of the Juighissa Eleonora d'Arborea and holder of the title, fell ill with the plague. The Juighissa consulted several doctors and wise women, but all failed to help until an old istria suggested she knew a priestess tha could save the life of the young Juighe.
Myrtha is the Great Priestess of the Mother, a title that she inherited from her mother centuries ago. On top of the usual craft of her race and their magical abilities, she is the eminence in the knowledge of the ancient rites and history of the Mother Goddess, in all Her forms. Through the link with the Juighissas lineage, she imbibed the Christian cult with the ancient veneration of the Goddess, de facto superimposing the practices of her religion to the Marian cult.
She lead the Juighissa and the boy in a secret grove during the night and there Myrtha and Eleonora met for the first time.
The two women discussed all night over the feverish body of the child.
They must have recognized in each other the love for their children and for the land they were assigned to protect, because Eleonora agreed to follow Myrtha in a long and dangerous travel to the heart of Supramonte, for a ritual that would purify the body of the Juighe of all ailments.
For three night the Janas chanted while Federico laid unconscious on the stone.
At the first lights of the third day, the fairy maidens immersed the child in the spring and cleaned his body of the mixture.
With the mother surprise, the signs of the disease were vanished under the poultice and his skin was again pink and healthy.
The boy took a deep breath when the cold water touched his bare skin and started climbing back up the stones and reaching for his clothes.
Eleonora, grateful for the unexpected miracle offered all the treasure of the reign to Myrtha, but she was not interested in mortal gold.
What she asked was for Eleonora to let her second son Mariano wed, once he was of age, one of the Janas.
She also asked for the tradition of marrying the second in line to the throne to be repeated every generation, so that the lineage of the Janas and of the Juighes could be kept linked.
Despite not disdaining to intervene in the human's affairs, her foremost motivation is the conservation of Onfalu and all its creatures, both magical and not. If pushed to choose between them, though, she will always side with her charges: the Janas and the other creatures of the Mother. She's an highly charismatic figure of volitive character, capable to show both deep compassion, in particular towards children, and ferocious anger. Her political intelligence has shaped the last centuries of history of the island, and she's been often consulted by both Juighissas and clergy about politic or religious matters. Despite this, she never takes direct credit of it, letting the humans bask in their ephemeral glory.
Species
Age
Appears like a woman in her forties, but was alive seven centuries ago.
Date of Birth
unknown
Children
Gender
female
Eyes
Dark grey, slightly almond shaped. When in fairy form, the iris eats most of the visible part of the globe giving her an alien aspect.
Hair
Hip lenght, straight and raven black.
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Pale, with silvery undertones.
Height
1.56m (in human form)
Weight
50kg in human form.
I really love what she asked in return. Such a clever idea to link their two peoples. :)
She is very clever and she had a lot of time to study humans. Thank you!