Shxw'qw'elahł (ʃɪˈʊʔɬax̝̪ɬ)
"Our ancestors were taken from the old world, made for us by Sqwáłəqen and ruled by Q'awə́łən, into this new world of Xʷáyələqən and Q'əsáwələq. It is a good world, but not our true home." - Sxʷəyáʔəm, a tale-keeper of the T'iselek
The Shxw'qw'elahł are the gods and spirits of the T'iselek people of S'Chaanee. They arose from the Dream via the action of the Egregoric Force as all Numina do, and are anchored in the water, land, and sky of the Northwestern Region, mostly near S'Chaanee.
Old Gods and New
The Shxw'qw'elahł are divided into two major groups - the Tł'eláʔəxʷ and the Təqʷə́mʔənəxʷ. The Tł'eláʔəxʷ are the gods of the first world, where the T'iselek originated, and while they are distant and diminished in this new place, they are still revered and important members of the Shxw'qw'elahł. The Təqʷə́mʔənəxʷ are the gods of this world, who were known to the T'iselek from before they arrived here, but have become more present and powerful than they were in the old world. Neither group of gods and spirits is seen as inherently good or evil, but the Təqʷə́mʔənəxʷ are given more attention in the ceremonies of the T'iselek, since they hold more power and sway over the world they find themselves in.
Major Figures
While there are thousands of gods and spirits associated with the Shxw'qw'elahł, four figures are more prominent than the rest, two from each of the major divisions. For the T'iselek, these gods represent the underlying nature of their respective worlds, and understanding them is key to living harmoniously in the world.
- Sqwáłəqen: The greatest of the Tł'eláʔəxʷ, Sqwáłəqen was the creator of the old world and of the T'iselek people. He lived beneath the earth, crafting and creating all that would emerge into the sunlit world above. He was kind and caring, but believed that all people must have the freedom to do good or ill as they would. When he saw that some of his people were being pulled from his world to another, he did not try to hold onto them, but he did send the Xwsalalam dog to be their companions in the new world. He is still interested in and concerned for his distant children, and practitioners of Sqwəlqʷén often seek him out in dream-quests for guidance.
- Q'awə́łən: The rain-bird, who rules over the old world in Sqwáłəqen's name. Q'awə́łən is a god of justice and is much sterner than Sqwáłəqen, and is responsible for the distribution of rain to the people of the old world. All the weather is in Q'awə́łən's power, and he could bring wind and storm to those communities who transgressed the laws of the world. An echo of Q'awə́łən has formed in the new world, but his power is much more limited, only having the power to change the weather over S'Chaanee, and even that in a limited fashion unless he can secure the cooperation of other sky gods.
- Xʷáyələqən: The most powerful of the Təqʷə́mʔənəxʷ, Xʷáyələqən is the lord of the seas around S'Chaanee. He is also the god of wealth and prosperity, and raised the island out of the waves as a place for the T'iselek to live. Due to the nature of this world, his power is more limited than his echo in the old world, but within the seas around S'Chaanee, he reigns over all.
- Q'əsáwələq: The three-headed sea-serpent who serves Xʷáyələqən and is his agent and messenger. Q'əsáwələq has a head on each end of his body, and a third midway along his length. The middle head resembles a Human, and is the talking head - the other heads do not speak. Q'əsáwələq carries messages and instructions from Q'əsáwələq, and will sometimes carry out violent attacks in his name, or provide support and protection if an endangered community has appropriately honored Q'əsáwələq and Xʷáyələqən.
- Tł'eláʔəxʷ: /tɬʼeˈlaˀʔəxʷ/
- Təqʷə́mʔənəxʷ: /təqʷəˈmˀənəxʷ/
- Sqwáłəqen: /sqʷáɬəqɛn/
- Q'awə́łən: /qʼawəˈɬən/
- Xʷáyələqən: /xʷá-jələqən/
- Q'əsáwələq: /qʼəˈsáwələq/
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This article was originally written for Spooktober 2024. You can find all of my Spooktober Articles at Spooktober Central.
This article was originally written for Spooktober 2023. You can find all of my Spooktober Articles at Spooktober Central.
Interesting pantheon - I always love when there are thousands. Q'awə́łən is most interesting to me, I think.
Explore Etrea | March of 31 Tales
Thanks! At some point the major gods will all get their own articles.