“He to whom we sing our praises; the king of the skies and the lord of the earth. He to whom we lift our hearts; with rapturous ardour and zeal we covet his name. He who in both the heavens and earth is mightier, caller of the stars and wielder of thunder and lightning, we praise. Deathless and conqueror of death, grant us strength, O Kinmorunddraver, so that we may sing of thee again.”
- - Ancient prayer
Kinmorunddraver is a god revered as the lord of thunder, skies, seas and stars, and is a prominent deity of a number of religions in Principaria. An auspicious and ancient deity, Kinmorunddraver has been acknowledged as a deity since time immemorial in Principaria and other realms. Though few religions worship Kinmorunddraver in his most ancient renderings (instead favouring more culturally associated depictions), his iconography, typically his association with avian creatures, is a common feature that has developed among cultures as a sign of strength and immortality. Despite being associated with the weather, Kinmorunddraver has historically been invoked as a war deity, often to pray for victory in battle.
Name[]
Kinmorunddraver is a scholarly transliteration of the Proto-Antaelevian script kn-m-nj-rv; the exact translation (and transliteration/pronunciation) of which has been lost to time, though there are multiple suggestions of a reconstructed definition. kn-m is suggestibly translated as high, though mountain has been offered as a translation; the Old Antaelevian phrase kenēmā, or a close derivative, is a commonly used term to define the mythical mountain on which Kinmorrundraver lives. nj-rv is much more abstractly defined; Middle Antaelevian's closest term, drāve- is an honorific prefix, which has led some to believe that the name 'Kinmorunddraver' means 'sacred mountain'. Other scholars disagree, based on the commonly accepted term of jv-kn-m as a reference to Kinmorunddraver's abode.
History[]
Kinmorunddraver is one of the oldest attested deities on Principaria. Proto-Antaelevian ruins dating to over ten thousand years ago depict relief sculptures of stylised deities, one of which depicts an early rendering of Kinmorunddraver. As far as it is understood by Principarian archaeologists, Kinmorunddraver is the oldest known Proto-Antaelevian deity and was the singular deity of the earliest stages of the Proto-Antaelevian religion. He is later associated with Soldalatel and Tlahlavra as the fully-fledged trinity of the ancient Antaelevian religion before its diversification into what is now known as the Old Terusian religion, beginning around six thousand years ago.
The complete image of Kinmorunddraver in the Proto-Antaelevian religion is uncertain given its extreme antiquity. What is known is that Kinmorunddraver was a deity of both the earth and skies, and lived in the mythical abode of the 'five-peaked mountain'; this belief later translated to what is now known as Mount Kanmaeus. As part of the trinity with Soldalatel and Tlahlavra, Kinmorunddraver was the masculine personification of the night sky, the moon, seas and weather. The exact relationship with Soldalatel is uncertain; the commonly accepted belief of the Antaelevian religion was that Kinmorunddraver and Soldalatel were the same being, changing form with the cycle of day and night (Soldalatel representing the feminine personification of the day, the sun and fire). Tlahlavra, a late development, represented a 'formless and genderless' Kinmorunddraver, representing time, death and cosmic nothingness. Some suggest that Tlahlavra is a rendering of the Black God, though many scholars refute this claim in favour of Tlahlavra being an early death god. By the advent of the Old Terusian religion circa six thousand years ago, an abundance of deities were acknowledged. The original trinity, uncountably ancient even by this period, were elevated to a position of quasi-primordiality, while more tangible and 'mundane' gods were worshipped in their stead. The additional Terusian mythology alters the ancient narrative of Kinmorunddraver; instead of the trinity being three-in-one, Terusians acknowledged them as separate deities and thus Kinmorunddraver and Soldalatel were consorts that sired generations worth of deities. Some Terusians claimed (and still claim) direct lineage from Kinmorunddraver as a result.
Kinmorunddraver is suggestibly the oldest and possibly original rendering of the thunder god narrative on Principaria; any potential older rendering has long since been lost to time. However, Kinmorunddraver's role of the thunder god has engendered multiple equivalents both in the Terusian religion and in other religious narratives on Principaria and other realms; he is worshipped as the god Maras in the demon religion, as a deity of both war and inclement weather.
Characteristics[]
Appearance[]
Kinmorunddraver's most ancient (and consistent) depiction is that of an avian-headed man with dark blue skin; the animal that the head represents is uncertain, though many scholars assume it is either the regional mountain eagle of Terusia, or that of a phoenix. His skin colour is arguably representative of the clear evening sky, or possibly the sea. More classical and artistic depictions of Kinmorunddraver tend to use gold as a colour of prestige and divine authority, though others suggest this may evoke the colours of a golden moon. Regions of Principaria which have subsumed Kinmorunddraver's bestial appearance typically display him as a man with an eagle on his shoulder.
Iconography[]
The Spear of Tempests
Kinmorunddraver's extreme antiquity as a deity has given way to multiple iconographic depictions; he is commonly associated with eagles (as per his head), and often sculptures of eagles are dedicated to him and are used as votive offerings. Depending on the region of Principaria (or even other realms), eagles are changed in favour of more commonly associated regional birds, including ravens and in more supernatural contexts, phoenixes and rocs. As a thunder god, Kinmorunddraver is strongly associated with clouds and lightning bolts; metal rods hammered into the shape of lightning bolts are also common votive offerings.
A popular depiction of Kinmorunddraver in the Terusian religion usually includes that of a spear which scholars often name as the Spear of Tempests - the spear itself is typically named as a lightning bolt in Terusian mythology, though more detailed accounts of the weapon are given in sacred texts (written c. 4000 - 5000 years ago);
“From the heavens, mighty and peerless Kinmorunddraver appeared; parting the clouds of Mount Kanmaeus with his right hand, and in his left, bearing the supreme power of his celestial authority; a great weapon, a spear forged from the stars of heaven. To whom bore witness to the visage of great and terrible Kinmorunddraver, the darkness and light of his spear clashed in vicious battle; its countenance turned away all mortal eyes, and ripped the skies asunder.”
Later mythology tends to alter this depiction to a bow (especially in the context of Soldalatel as a spear-wielder), from which Kinmorunddraver fires bolts of lightning;
“The great Kinmorunddraver unleashed his bow; fashioned from sun and moonlight, his arrows the dreadful bolt of lightning. 'None shall squander the mercy of my children', declared the mighty Kinmorunddraver, and in warning, struck the mountain with his arrow, cleaving its northern face in two. From there, incandescent rock spilled from its wound, bathing the earth beneath in fire.”