Maelvorna, The Crimson Mother
Etymology:
Mael- , (as in Maelstrom) derives from: *melə-, Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to crush, grind," with derivatives referring to ground or crumbling substances and crushing or grinding instruments. -vorna, derives from: vē̆rnus, Latin word meaning "Spring" (feminine vē̆rna, neuter vē̆rnum modified to also resemble the word "vorō" (devour; I eat greedily; ie: voracious).Overview:
Maelvorna is a Chaotic Evil deity whose spheres of influence spread over several domains. They include but are not limited to: Fire, Destruction, Rebirth, Fungi, Parasites, Childbirth and Lust. Given her dominion over such a broad divine spectrum, she is worshipped by a plethora of evil aligned creatures. Maelvorna is also, rightfully called "Woebringer" as she is, directly or indirectly related to the creation of most evil creatures as well as most of their dark religious practices. Other names for Maelvorna include but are not limited to: "Crimson Whore (derogative) or Crimson Mother (amongst worshipers), The Womb of Horrors and the Scarlet Queen." The Woebringer abdicates all of the First Flame's creations and wants to set forth a new era of death and rebirth amongst the embers of the old world. However, her children are either parasitic or fungal and need another form of life for sustenance and procreation. For the aforementioned cause, the subjects of the Scarlet Queen take a copious amount of slaves, whom serve as manure for her horrible spawn to flourish.Worship and Clergy
Although wicked and destructive, the followers of Maelvorna are anything but unorganized savages. There's a strict segmentation in the ranks of her followers, including high clergies, armies and farms. Maelvorna's reach is incredibly broad and compelling, as offering eternal life and pleasure in exchange for service is an appealing premise to most. Although, naturally, it's mostly inherently evil creatures that worship some facet or avatar of Maelvorna, there's quite a lot of other races amongst their ranks too. The manifestation of Maelvorna's power usually includes crimson flames and parasitic vines or fungi engulfed in said flames. Her devout followers bear a characteristic mark on their bodies, resembling the Symbol of the Crimson Flame. Some even bear the sparks of said flame in their eyes. Said marks are a direct outcome of the ritual one has to endure in order to be cleansed by the Crimson Flame and join the ranks of the Goddess. Maelvorna's followers either appertain to the Sisters of the Catawomb which is Maelvorna's high clergy, or to the Crimson Swarm, which serves as her tactical army. The high clergy is comprised solely of exceptionally attractive females. Those high clerics must be able to sustain childbirth and are expected to beget several followers during their service. Lower rank clerics can be of either gender. Members of the Crimson Swarm are expected to burn, pillage and destroy any and all places of worship dedicated to other gods. Furthermore, they are expected to frequently copulate amongst their ranks or with members of the clergy, giving birth to more followers. Finally, in an act of horrible divine calumniation, her Generals and High Clerics are expected to forcefully mate with the clergy of other deities, thus giving birth to Children that bear the Mark of the Crimson Flame. Those Children, in one way or another find their way inside the ranks of Maelvorna's clergy, becoming Generals or High Clerics themselves. Those born with the Mark are amongst the most devout of followers and naturally have incredible prowess and power. Female clerics of other deities, are often aware of that horrible fact, and commit suicide in case of such an unwanted pregnancy, in order to stop those children from ever being born. To better understand the worship of Maelvorna, one has to first understand her alien minded goals. Maelvorna has witnessed the end of time when she first bore the symbol of the Crimson Flame, given to her by Erēmos, her mother, and thus beheld an unprecedented abyss. Her fiery temperament made her unable to condone to the vanity posed to her by her Mother and she requested audience with Queen Ignis to discuss the inner workings and nature of the first flame. Ignis accepted her request only to inform her that the nature of the flame was absolute and final; it couldn't be modified or recreated therefore the ultimate fate of all was nothingness. Maelvorna didn't take kindly to the prospect of non-existence, and wouldn't idly anticipate her's and her children's final demise. Thus she decided to contrive a flame of her own. Using the fundaments of this flawed existence, Maelvorna beget the Crimson Flame, a substance synonymous to the very essence of her spark. Contrary to the First Flame, the Crimson Flame wasn't pure, as such, it couldn't bear life and thought in on itself and required fuel. However, creatures that bore the Crimson flame in their souls experienced an endless cycle of death and rebirth. The flame taps on the uncontrollable entropic forces released during phenomena of destruction and channel said forces back into stable forms, giving birth to new life where old life is destroyed. As such, Maelvorna's worship is centered around rebirth and creation, albeit very dark and distorted.Inspiration:
Kali
Kali (/ˈkɑːliː/; Sanskrit: काली, IAST: Kālī) or Kalika is a major Hindu goddess, she is associated with time, doomsday, and death in Shaktism. Kali is the first of the ten Mahavidyas in the Hindu tantric tradition. Kali's earliest appearance is when she emerged from Durga. The goddess is stated to destroy evil in order to defend the innocent. Over time, Kali has been worshipped by devotional movements and Tàntric sects variously as the Divine Mother, Mother of the Universe, Principal energy Adi Shakti. Shakta Hindu and Tantric sects additionally worship her as the ultimate reality or Brahman. She is also seen as the divine protector and the one who bestows moksha, or liberation. Worshipped throughout India but particularly in Kashmir, South India, Bengal, and Assam, Kali is both geographically and culturally marginal. Kali has various forms and depictions many of whom present a dark warrior who transcends the concept of death and time. She is also called Kali Mata ("the dark mother") and also kālī which can be read here either as a proper name or as a description "the dark or black one".Morana
Morana or Marzanna, is an ancient goddess associated with winter's death, rebirth and dreams. In ancient Slavic rites, the death of the Goddess Marzanna at the end of winter becomes the rebirth of Spring of the Goddess Kostroma (Russian), Lada or Vesna representing the coming of Spring. Marzanna functioned not merely as a symbol of winter, but also as a Slavic goddess. Marzanna's later association with death (in some regions Marzanna is called Death Crone) trivialized the importance of the goddess, who was the lady of not only death, but also life, and commanded the natural world.Phoenix
The phoenix is an immortal bird that cyclically regenerates or is otherwise born again. While it's part of Greek mythology, it has analogs in many cultures such as Egyptian and Persian. Associated with the sun, a phoenix obtains new life by rising from the ashes of its predecessor. Some legends say it dies in a show of flames and combustion, others that it simply dies and decomposes before being born again. In the Motif-Index of Folk-Literature, a tool used by folklorists, the phoenix is classified as motif.Slan (Berserk)
Slan is a member of the God Hand and a major antagonist in Berserk. She takes on the form of a succubus with black leathery wings and vine-like hair. She is a sadomasochist who thrives on cruelty and the effect it has on those who observe it. Slan influences a cult, making converts out of the disillusioned. Her followers worship her as the "Goddess of Flame" and act in her name when holding cannibalistic orgies. Slan also holds dominion over the realm of Qliphoth, where she can endlessly conjure monsters such as Trolls and Ogres out of thin air.Malenia (Elden Ring)
Also known as Malenia the Severed and the Goddess of Rot. One of Marika's children through Radagon and twin sister/bodyguard to Miquella. Along with her rival Radahn, she's famous across the Lands Between as one of the Golden Order's greatest warriors. Malenia, goes through a cycle of death and rebirth, after which she has control over Scarlet Rot, an Outer God whom manifests as a dangerous sickness that eats away life like a vicious plague. It corrupts men and beasts who come into contact with it, deforming their bodies and eating away their wits, driving them to madness and causing them to act like wild animals. Those afflicted with the Scarlet Rot such as Millicent also suffer from nightmares due to the affliction. Areas afflicted with Scarlet Rot sprout fungal growths or flower buds. As such, this plague is associated with the birth of a new form of life and the destruction of a previous one.The Frenzied Flame (Elden Ring)
The Frenzied Flame is a major antagonist in the 2022 game Elden Ring. It is a chaotic Outer God that desires the unleashing of chaos upon the world to destroy all that the Greater Will and its Golden Order has created. While little is known of the Flame's true nature, it is known that it dwells within the eyes of its followers, turning them a bright yellow before replacing them entirely with its flames and granting them the power to use the Flame as a weapon. This Flame appears to be able to spread like a virus, as its influence can be forced upon others through magic or by consuming the plucked eyes of Frenzied Flame followers. The Frenzied Flame's ultimate goal is to revert the world to its primal, Chaotic state.Zuggtmoy
Zuggtmoy (pronounced: /ˈzʌgtmɔɪ/ ZUG-tmoy), The Lady of Rot and Decay , was the Demon Queen of Fungi, but not considered a true patron of fungi. She was merely the embodiment of the death and virulence that fungi represented, and fully willing to subvert the natural order for her own ends. Despite technically engaging in the many facets of mortal life, much like her artificial form, this was a soulless parody of such existence. Zuggtmoy was alien in both body and mind, her only desire being to infect living creatures with her spores, turning them into her mindless slaves before they were reduced to naught but rotting and decomposing hosts for her fungi, mushrooms, and molds. Ultimately she sought to become the master of all life, the dominant mind of one great organism melded from all other living things.Relationships
SIGIL
Divine Rank:
Greater Deity (5)Symbol of Power
The Great Rune of LifeDomains
Life, Fire, Destruction, Rebirth, Fungi, Parasites, Childbirth, Motherhood and Lust
Spouses
Lumenor, The Lord of Light
(spouse)
Siblings
Children
Related Myths
Comments