Bowynn Gods: The Aetennii

BOWYNN GODS: TENNAR

Tennaer (Ten-Naer) Home of the gods of the sea. This was the home built by Tane for him, his beloved Kauldra and all the sea gods, after growing tired of travelling from Alaway to the sea every day. While no mortal can visit Tennaer, it has been seen by a rare few mortals, such as Allon. It is described as being in the shape of a giant spiral shell, much like and Auger. Inside it is very warm and dry, just as Alaway is. It is described with walls of wood, inlayed with abalone and pearls, depicting sea life and shells on the floor are laid in mosaic fashion. In the central court is a great hearth tended by Sannua Kii, Kii of the seas and oceans. There is said to be a grand stairway that leads up to sleeping quarters.  Despite the sounds of it, Tennar is not a watery domain. it is dry, warm and most comfortable.

Happy Halloween

Blessed Solstice

Bowynn Gods: The Mammont

Mammont (Mam Mont)  The Mammont are the name for the ancient giant gods, that presided over the world and all, before the reign of Anhur and the other gods. Only the gods Brea, Unthar, Sumon, Phoenix, Paut and Tya were were before them. Mammont literally means “Mammoth” in Bowynn. The Mammont were the creation of Brea and the Mammont siblings, the Vadell (Giants.)

     During the reign of the Mammont, there were many of them, residing in tribes all over the planet. Like the gods they had special places and attributes. The eldest of them all was the long white bearded Mommont, Ehrlich, whose wisdom guided them all. After Anhur took the title as King of the Gods, he and the others disbanded the Mammont for their positions. This did not go well at all and a war ensued between the Gods and the Mammont and Giants. In the end most of the Mammoths were disbarred of their immortality. Only a rare few were given a chance of redemption.   

     Those Mammont still attending the court of Alaway are: Ehrlich (Wisdom), Yormell (Winter) Vae (Seed), Tarm (Invention), Sheli (Bravery), Oken (Strength), Issen (Summer).

My Prayer to Deanna, of Abundance

O Deanna, Radiant Goddess of the Harvest, I humbly approach you, cradle of the earth’s abundance, as your golden light bathes the fields in warmth and fertility. Daughter of Anhur and Rhya, you are the seed planter, the nurturer of life, who graces our world with fragrant blooms and nourishing grains. In the cycles of nature, I seek your guidance and blessings, that our labors may reflect the beauty of your divine gardens. O Benevolent Deanna, I beckon the spirit of growth to envelop my endeavors, teaching me the sacred arts of planting, tender care, and reaping the fruits of my toil. In your sacred stories, I find inspiration; for through your wisdom bestowed upon the first clans-folk, humanity was gifted the sustenance needed to thrive. Let your teachings echo through the earth, reminding me of the profound bond between all living things. With sincere heart, I present before you a bounty from my table—grains, fruits, and herbs borne of my labor. May these humble offerings serve as tokens of my reverence for the gifts you provide. As I gather the harvest, let me honor the sacred connection between soil, seed, and sustenance, acknowledging the sacred divine that breathes life into every grain and petal.

O Divine Deanna, bless our homes with the warmth of your daughter Io, the hearth of nurturing, and the artistry of your son Hyu, who brings sustenance to our tables. May their grace flow through my kitchen, enriching my meals with love and wisdom. As I partake in the blessings of your cornucopia, let each bite be a celebration of the cycles of life and the interconnectedness of all beings. In your presence, I pledge to honor the earth and respect the gifts bestowed. May I tread lightly upon the soil, cultivating harmony between humanity and nature. O Deanna, I am forever in awe of your intricate dance of life, and I vow to share your wisdom with those around me, ensuring that the knowledge of harvest endures through generations. So shall it be, in reverence and love for Deanna, the cherished Goddess of the Harvest, forever nurturing and guiding the fruitful paths of our existence.

Syember!

Bowynn Gods: Enya

Enya  (Ehn-ya)  Goddess of the morning and the dew. She is the daughter of Saul and Shayla and the sister of Treya, goddess of the dusk. Raven-haired goddess Enya is the goddess responsible not only for waking up the gods that decide to sleep in Alaway but also, she is in charged for the waking up mortals. At the same time, she is the goddess that flies ahead of the sun of the day, turning the sky from night to day and blessing the ground with morning dew.

     Very little sacred tales are known of Enya. However, it is said her song and voice if what breaks the shroud of night and brings forth the day. As she travels across the world, the vessel she carries spills out and blankets the grass with morning dew. She guides the sun across the sky till it descends in the west. In one sacred tale it is said that Enya and Treya fought over who would be leading the sun in the morning and the evening. Anhur was asked to make the ruling but even he could not decide. Finally, he called in the two goddesses individually to plead her case. His final judgment came not by wisdom but by the color of the dress they wore. Enya wore a dress that reminded the king of the gods of the gentle morning. And so, his judgment stands to this day.

     In most Boywnn villages there was always a “Morning Wailer.” It was their job to wake all up as they started a song throughout the villages at the top of her voice. These songs would be hymns to Enya and Treya was the patron of Morning Wailers. Of which is a most honorable and elite profession. Becoming a Morning Wailer would be devoting oneself to the Priesthood of Enya

     Enya was also one of the loves of the sun god Herne, prior to his wedding Morrighynn. Their love however was short lived when his eyes fell on the lady of the night. Despite the rejection, Enya still remains devoted to Herne.

     Enya is described as a most lovely lady, clad in a dress that matches the morning sky with red lips and short cut black hair. Sometimes she bares the wings of a bird, sometimes not. Other times she is depicted as merely flying on her own accord on the wind with morning birds accompanying her. The vessel she carries the morning dew is often shaped like a spiral shell. Sometimes Enya will take the form of a morning bird like a sparrow; the sparrow being her totem animal.

     Sacred offerings to Enya come often in the shape of bowls and cups of water, flowers, votive images of sparrows and birds and of course incense.   “Matenerm” or holy meals are left to her as a special gift.

Bowynn Gods: Istra

Istra  (Is-tra)  Istra is the Goddess of the 3 fold law, respect, retribution and lawful vengeance. She sits on the left hand of her mother Rhya; her father being Anhur. Istra is the sister of Ion and together they guard over the sacred laws of Bia and the laws of their father, given to mankind. She is not a vengeful nor destructive goddess. In fact, she is rarely seen, only stepping forward to people who call to her help who have suffered great injustice by the acts of others. If the mortal asks her to help them, they must be completely innocent and have been wronged by others. Istra will then seek out those that have hurt said person unjustly and bring balance to the damage that was done. However, if the person who calls to her is lying, Istra will see through the person and purge him with ill times.

      Istra is something of a huntress. But instead of animals, she hunts wrong doers. It is said her sword and arrows do not kill. They have been blessed by Bia and so, when her sword or arrows strike her target, the arrows bring about the justice so fitting the person's crime. Tales of Istra’s justifiable powers are endless. Yet none ever talk about bringing about death. To Istra, death is a coward’s way out of receiving the 3-fold law. Even those that commit murder. If death does come to a person that Istra is asked to hunt, it is not by her doing. Some question if the goddess every does what others pray to her for, when it seems people get away with so much bad things. To this the goddess Istra said that justice will always come in time.

      Despite her attributes, Istra is not a fearsome goddess. In fact, those that have been graced by her divine presence, describe her as most beautiful, long jet black hair and emerald green eyes. Her garment, bow, arrows and circlet are golden. When not seen in her immortal form, she takes the form of a butterfly, her totem. All truly offered gifts are welcomed by Istra: food, flora, flame, votive and more. It is also highly suggested that receive Istra's help, that it be followed up with a plethora of offerings and a card or script of thanks.

QUESTION & ANSWER: Rites of Passage

QUESTION: What rites of Passage do Bowynn celebrate and ceremonialize? Can you share them with us?

ANSWER: Bowynn tradition has several rites of Passage:

Newborn Blessing

RIte of Childhood

Rite of Adulthood

Rite of Marriage

RIte of Eldering

Rite of Death

Rite of 7 Nights

There are also other rituals that deal with being indoctrinated into a clan/circle. While I cannot go into details to these rites for the reason of cultural preservation, I will start posting the general to each in a few days after Ky'Kora is over.

Aelles Briathenaet

Today (July 15th) is the first day of the holiday Briathenaet, the celebration of the first tribes to have migrated across the Bosphorus into Europe proper. Briathenaet is THE holiday for the month. The Migration was lead by the goddess Briathenaea and God Mask, and ended with blessed by the goddess Aleglea. It is a celebration of deliverance, freedom, survival, liberty and the escape from starvation. It is the time renewal, change, taking new paths, release and the formations of the first 7 tribes. And its is a time to honor and remember our ancestors, those that made the Migration, eons ago.

Day one of the holiday is spent fasting, in honor of those ancestors that had little to no food, many starving to death along the route. It is a time of thanks and remembering our ancestors. There is a silent candlelit ceremony led by two torch bearers, representing Brianthenaea, Mask and the ceremony is led by a priestess, representing Aleglea. Homes are cleaned and cleans on the first day. Then decorated in colors of red, white and yellow. Symbols of apples, Lilies, yellow flowers, butterflies and masks abound.

The second day is dedicated to ceremony with a great procession of people carrying either images of their ancestors or statuettes, representing those original people that made the migration. What follows is a feast and folly. And also great games are held, where the winners are given crowns made of apple wreaths and flowers, entwined with ribbons of holiday colors. These games last till the end of the 3rd day of the holiday.

Despite all the frivolity, it is a very serious and blessed holiday. A time to reflect on our freedoms, our liberties and those that sacrificed themselves to allow is to live as we do now. A time to give thanks to Briathenaea how shielded our ancestors along the way from the elements and gave us the apple orchards to feast on and gave us shelter. A time to thank Mask, the god of travels, who gave our ancestors safety and strength to carry on. And to Aleglea who awaited on the western back, embracing and blessing every ancestor that made the journey, blanketing the landscape with fertile fields, orchards, forests, fields and shelter.

Needless to say, the food of the holiday have a very apple theme to them: Pies, Cakes, stuffed and glazed meats and poultry.

Bowynn Gods: Brand

Brand (Brand)  Brand is the god of music, prophecy and oracles. Brand is the son of Anhur and Rhya and the twin brother to Kord and brother of Brenda. His very name means “Light.” Not physical light but Light as in “Enlightenment.”

     There was always a special friendship and bond between Brand and his brother Kord. This was clear from their birth. So close were the two that their cousin Mano became enraged with jealousy. Often Mano would pick on the brothers. Brand in particular for Brand was considered the most handsome of the male gods. So, it was more than often that Mano would play practical jokes on the two. This went on for many years. However, one day, one of Mano’s jokes went too far and backfired on himself. So enraged, Mano wanted revenge on Kord and Brand more than ever.  He took Brand’s sister Brenda, the goddess of love and hid her in a cave and trapped her there. This started a long war between the three young men. Then one day while Brand was sleeping in a field, Mano attacked and slew him. Kord in the meantime, not knowing this, snuck into Mano’s home and freed Brenda.

     When they got back to Brand, it was too late, the handsome god was dead. While Brenda wept for her brother, Kord went on a mad hunt and after a long battle, defeated Mano and imprisoned him. Back at his brother’s side, Kord and Brenda wept and begged the gods of the world of souls to bring Brand back. Anhur said that to bring Brand back, Kord and Brenda would have to go to the underworld and bargain with Chumash. This Brenda and Kord did and the god was taken back with Brenda's plea that Chumash brought Brand back to life.

      It was also during this war against Mano that Brand and his brother Kord created the Kii in order to protect the land that battled on and mortals. Some of the Kii they created were small and others large, depending on the attribute they were bestowed to protect. Not to be outdone however Mano created the Tii, spirits of ill repute.

Since Brand's resurrection Brand took up less of a role as a warrior and more of a god of wisdom. He built, with the help of the god Kane, the first Vlanato Thanto {Oracle's Temple}, blessed and sanctified the first Vlanatos {Oracles} and gave instructions on the design for Bowynn Thantos {Temples}. He also created the strict codes by which all vlanstos need to live by. By taking the Bowynn alphabet he devised a divination system for people to use.

      Together with his brother Kord, the two represent the epitamy of brotherhood and friendship. One being the defended and protector and Brand being the thinking and voice of wisdom. The two together see over friendship and the rights of blood-brother making. They guard well over such friendships. Brand’s harp and voice is said to be that which brings such friendships together.

     Brand is considered of all the gods, the most handsome. This beauty is called ‘radiant’, and some say his presence and beautiful radiance has a sort of hypnotic power. Brand and Kord’s deep friendship are considered the very symbolism of true brotherhood. In art and in visions Brand is at most times depicted as a handsome young man, clean shaven, with light colored hair and carrying either a lute or flute. Brand has two immortal golden gryphons as steeds, which are his companions. Their names are Amber Wind and Honey Wind. Sacred to Brand are the Gryphon, Cattle, the harp, flute, amber stone and wreath of oranges or limes.

Kord and Brand Bronze of Brand