• [View]

Esæri

Before the Mortal Aeon, Esæri was the goddess of dawn and caretaker of the sun. She would later become the goddess Neruð.

Contents

1. Overview
2. History
3. Worship

Overview

Esæri was the eldest daughter of the chief god Adinn and his wife Vrin. She is described as golden-haired, with a beauty more radiant than the sun. Appropriately, the sun itself was created by Adinn in celebration of her birth, and placed in the celestial sphere above Jord to bring light and warmth to the world. The girl was said to have a spirited personality, sometimes almost to the point of rebelliousness. However, she always held her parents in the highest esteem, and their admiration brought her the most joy. Adinn would later lament that they had perhaps spoiled their daughter too greatly in her early life.

History

Not long after Esæri, another daughter was born to Adinn and Vrin, whom they named Miireya. She was pale and raven-haired like her mother, and possessed a quiet and thoughtful demeanor. To mark her birth, Vrin set the celestial sphere of Jord into motion, creating the cycle of day and night. These things sparked Esæri to jealousy, and she began finding means to compete with her sister for their parents' attention.

As the young goddesses passed into adulthood, Adinn presented them with a great honor and responsibility: He lent them his own Staff of Creation, and tasked them with creating beautiful things to fill his world. Esæri was eager to take charge, and Miireya offered little complaint, instead working to expand on each thing her sister made. When Esæri created flowers, Miireya made mighty trees. When Esæri rolled the land into hills, Miireya fashioned tall mountains. Esæri became upset, however, as she saw her sister's actions creating shadows across the face of Jord. Unhappy with her younger sister's explanations, Esæri made the sun burn brighter in an attempt to drive out the darkness. Miireya saw that this was killing the life they had helped to create, and begged her sister to stop. When Adinn appeared to investigate the commotion, Esæri relented, apologizing and attempting to fix the damage she had done.

Hoping to establish peace between his daughters, Adinn assigned them to different parts of Jord. Esæri was to work on the places of the world that were in daylight, while Miireya was given the night. This seemed to settle the matter well, and the two sisters continued with their work. While Esæri painted the fields and hills with color, Miireya carved great basins into the earth and filled them with rivers and oceans. Esæri was once again angered at the blemishing of Jord, until Miireya showed what she had done with all the earth that was removed: She had formed it into a great white orb, which she hung in the celestial sphere, to reflect the light of the sun into the night. Esæri was moved by the gesture, and it seemed that the sisters were finally reconciled.

However, Esæri soon discovered her sister's most dramatic creation: The Viðla race. She confronted her sister to demand an explanation, as they both knew that their father was already planning a people to populate Jord. Miireya described her creation as a reflection of mankind, designed in their image as the moon was to the sun. Esæri was furious, unsure whether her sister was lying, or if their father had shared his designs with her younger sister and not herself. She accused Miireya of mocking their father's creation, marring everything they had made, and overstepping the boundaries of what they were given to do. Miireya tried to calm her, but Esæri had never given up the years of jealousy. Driven to rage, she picked up the Staff of Creation and struck Miireya across the face. It shattered into pieces and her sister fell to the floor, apparently dead.

Esæri, stunned at what she had just done, turned and saw their mother, who had come running at the sound of the argument. Gripped with fear and resentment, Esæri fled, passing through the gates of Aldri and leaving the gods, and her family, behind.

After a long search, Vrin traced Esæri to her hiding place in Dolheim. Vrin assured her that Miireya still lived, and that their family only wanted their lost daughter to return home. With an unsettling calm, Esæri replied:

"The child of the sun has ended, as all shall end when the cycle turns again... For I am Neruð." (That is, "the end's beginning.")

With those words, she opened a fissure behind her using the remnant of the Staff, closing it behind her and vanishing into Ažgar.

Worship

[TODO]

---