Mythology
As I have created a scenario that involves Gods, albeit Greek or Roman Gods. This applies in ways to the Di Consente, I will update their status as I can. Most of the credit goes to the author, noted at the end. Keith
After reading different books about the World of Darkness, confusion can arise about the nature of the Gods. Were there simple Vampires (or other supernatural creatures) using their powers to appears a gods, as is implied in the Vampire sourcebooks? Of there is other entities, spirits that embody what we could call Gods, and which served this purpose?
I've read some of the Werewolf's book (even if I don't personnaly play the game), and my conclusion will surprise most players and Storytellers, decreasing the divine prestige of some creatures the Vampire players would like to be true gods...
I hope this will clear any doubt about the mythology.
Contents
About the Structure of the Mythology of the World of Darkness
Above everything, there is three principles, at first not even conscious forces. It is called the Triat: The Weaver, elemental principle of Order, the Wyld, elemental principle of Chaos and the Wyrm, elemental principle of Entropy. The Weaver build, putting some order where the energy of the Wyld would accept none, and thus enable life itself. To keep the balance between the two, the Wyrm destroys the work of one or other, when needed. The fact the Weaver reached intelligence (I would say in a quasi Neural-Network-style, that is: A brain!) increased the pace of construction, overwhelming the Wyrm, which became caught in the web of the Weaver, and thus, became mad and forgot its work of Balance to embody the Corruption and Oblivion. The wyld, by its own nature, was protected by the influence of the two others. Still, the Tellurian (the universe) is unbalanced, and will soon be destroyed. What was one became two, with the physical world separated from the spiritual one by the Gauntlet (Or the Shroud).
Among the spirits which were born from the Triat where the Celestine, direct creation of the Triat: The Greater Celestine were Gaia (the Earth), Helios (the Sun) and Luna (the Moon). The Lesser Celestine were spirits almost as powerful as the Greater, and most were worshipped as Gods.
Children of the Celestine, the Spirits known as Incarna were to be considered as Demi-gods. They are the Totems of the Garou, as they are gods to mortals, too. They are usually serve the Celestine who created them. Sometimes, by gathering enough spiritual energy (also known by the Garou as Gnosis), they can claim the title of Celestine.
The Jagglins are spirits created from the Incarna, and serve them. Some Jagglins serve as pack totem to the Garou. The Gafflins are spirits created from the Jagglins, and serve them. The Gafflins' power and conscience is such that sometimes they are not even considered conscious beings.
The Celestine
No God of Egypt was a Greater Celestine, or a member of the Triat. The more powerful are Lesser Celestines, or Incarna. Ra (as is Atum, Aton, etc.), as the Sun, is a Lesser Celestine of Helios. Shu, as the Breath of Life, is a Lesser Celestine of Gaia. Tefnut, the Moisture and companion of Shu, was another Lesser Celestine of Ra. Shu and Tefnut had two Incarna children, which atteigned the status of Lesser Celestine: Geb, the Earth, and Nut, the sky.
Ra, which feared the multiplication of Gods, used his powers to prevent them from having children of their own. Geb and Nut still loved each other, and soon Incarna were born, but unable to quit Nut's womb, causing her much pain.
Another Lesser Celestine, born from the Celestine Luna, Thot, used the light from the moon to help her, and so, the Gods of Egypt were born.
The Incarnas
Most Gods of Egypt were Incarnas. Osiris, Isis, Nephtys, Set and Horus the Elder were born from Geb and Nut. Anubis, Horus the Younger, were Incarna, too.
Most other Gods were also Incarnas, but their origin is mysterious: Wadjet, Nekhbet, Sechat, Hathor...
Amon was a special case: Born from a Lesser Celestine serving the Wyrm, his Celestine creator was destroyed when the Wyrm became caught in the web of the Weaver. Keeping a low profile until the New Kingdom era, he remain far from the influence of his creator...
The Jagglins (a.k.a.: Avatars)
Most Egyptian Gods decided to create mortal incarnations to serve them on Earth. They choose mortals with potential (i.e.: with the corresponding Avatar Background). The first to do that was Ra, who built the proto-Egypt whose ruins disappeared in the western desert. Ra was a Mage, with the power of True Magick, while the others were at best good warriors or sorcerers. One of them, Isis, made profit of the corruption which weakened Ra's mind to learn True Magick (or Ra Hekau) from him.
But Magick's power started to weaken, and the link between the gods and their Jagglins (or Avatars, as they called them) weakened. Most then choose to keep their mortal bodies immortal, through any means. The most known chose either Vampirism (created by another Lesser --and rather arrogant, jealous and ego-centered-- Celestine), or the Rebirth (discovered by Isis and Nephtys). But either way, these mortal bodies cheated the life and death cycles, and thus were corrupted by the Wyrm from the begining...
Apep, Egyptian incarnation of the Wyrm
Apep is known by the Garou as the Wyrm. It have been recognized as either the Defiler Wyrm or the Eater-of-Souls.
Egptian's vision of the Triat
It can be seen as irony, but Egypt was a dying land form the begining: Since the end of the last flood, the temperature of earth was increasing, and what was before green lands was slowly won over by desert. To keep surviving, Egyptian had to be organized, and thus would have favored the the Weaver over the Wyld or even the Wyrm. Note that Set would have been seen as a spirit of the Wyld, because of his raw power and violence, but not as a spirit of the Wyrm (it was Apep).
Thus, Order was more important, and Chaos led to death.
Maat
Of all the Gods of Egypt, this is the most mysterious. Believed to have been created from Ra, but considered more as a principle than a sentient being, Maat is in truth a Greater Celestine whose power decreased under the attacks of the Wyrm. Some philosophs believe Maat is the original Wyrm, or more probably the Greater Celestine, sister to Gaia, who embodies Justice and Truth instead of Life. Maat has no physical or even spiritual incarnation anymore. Instead, she is now in the heart of every sentient being. Some believe the Wyrm is at the heart of the Vampire's Frenzy (and Garou's Wolf Frenzy), and that Maat is at the heart of the Vampiric Golconda. The fact a Discipline of control of one's Beast was called Maat leads to think the contrary (the Discipline Maat doesn't lead to Golconda, or it leads there through a very twisted way).
Set & Sutekh
One must accept once for all that Set and Sutekh were not, at first, the same being. Set was the name of the original Egyptian Deity. Sutekh was a Deity brought by the Hyksos from the East. Because of politics and religious intrigues, Set and Sutekh were merged as one Deity. It was the reason Set became so unpopular in the following centuries, despite tries to give him back his old nature.
The fact Set and Sutekh are one after the 1700s BC can be seen, in the World of Darkness, as an act of diablerie. One of them, perhaps Sutekh, but more probably Set, diablerized the other.
The History of Egypt is well documented by mythos who have all in common the fact that they vary greatly. The Clanbook: Setites, the World of Darkness: Mummy and the World of Darknee: Mummy 2nd Edition have a different version of the myth. Even original Egyptian history could vary. you will find there stories particular to Uræus: Gods of Egypt.
URAEUS: Gods of Egypt
THE CREATION OF THE WORLD
Caine? This mythical Caine make me laugh... I once believed only mortals could believe such ridiculous religious dogma, but I had to reconsider: Vampires are as much victim of this as are the Kine... Let me tell you how the world was created...
The Creation
In the begining, there was nothing but four primordial principles that were all the components of the primordial universe. Each principle was divided in two symetric parts: The Male and the Female. Nun and Nunet were the male and female Primordial Ocean of Chaos, Kek and Keket, the male and female Darkness, Hehu and Hehet, the male and female infinity, and Amon and Amonet, the male and female principles of mystery. While it is believed multiple gods were born from the nothingness, one of them dreamed of creation.
It was the age of Gods, who roamed creation to further their own agendas. Among them, some dreamed of a kingdom whose power and enlightment would shine even among the creation.
Ra was kheperu, which means that he could have various and mutliple incarnations and avatars. The morning, the God was Khepri, the Rising Sun. The day, he was Ra, the Sun in All its Glory. The evening, he was Atum, the Setting Sun. Ra had power over magic, and the sun was at his command, and as a God, he ruled the Land, councelled by the Principles of Maat, and soon followed by other primordial Gods, like Ptah, or even the mysterious Amon.
Ra's power enabled him to create life itself, but unlike him, he wanted this life's power would be lesser. From his tears he created Humanity, and from his Magic, he created Shu, the Breath (of life) and Tefnut (the Moisture), his son and daughter. But if Ra was eternal and all-powerful, Shu and Tefnut were but immortal children of the God. But they could, as such, bear their own children, and so, were born Geb and Nut, being the avatars of the Earth and the Sky.
But Ra's challenges were numbers. Half the time, he had to explore the nothingness beyond the borders of creation to find and fight those who, within the nothingness, were hidden ans waiting to strike Ra's creation. And among them Apep, the Great Corrupter.
Ra, fearing for Maat, the Balance, asked that no other gods should be created. To insure this, he decided that Tefnut and Nut would not be able to give life to children in any day of the year. But Geb and Nut loved each other, and in their passion, Nut became pregnant. In pain, she had conceived in her womb five gods, but she couldn't give them life because of Ra's interdiction.
The Creation of the Lesser Gods
But from the Garden of Ptah, another Primordial God, came Thot, the magician. His power was great, but lesser than Ra's one, and Thot served faithfully his God, Ra. Seeing the despair of Geb and Nut, who was pregnant and in pain for her children were blocked in her womb. So Thot used his own power over the moon to syphon its light and to create new five days, out of the cycle of Ra. And each new day, Nut gave birth to one child, in order: Isis, Osiris, Set, Nephtys and Horus the Elder.
Ra's anger knew no limit!
By tinkering with his creation, Thot threatened all the creation: The moon's light was now dark, half the time, and the calendar, with 36 decades of 10 days, was now unbalanced with 5 new days. Angered to madness, Ra decided to restore the balance: Shu was sacrified to the air. Tefnut to the water. Geb to the earth and Nut to the sky. Thot was ritually sacrified to the magic. Thus, each god, through immortal, were exiled into the form of their element. And even the mortals were not safe from Ra's anger, for, under the rule of Geb, they succumbed to the bloodlust of Sekhmet, Kheperu of Ra's Anger.
Never the children of Geb and Nut discovered the truth. Thus Oriris, Isis, Set, Nephtys and Horus the Elder took the seat of the fallen Gods, swearing fealty to their Great-Grand-Father and God, Ra. Osiris was a sage, who would rule Humanity. Isis and Nephtys were both magicians, Set was proud warrior, who protected Ra from Apep when Ra went beyond the borders of creation, each night. And Horus the Elder was a judge.
But Maat could not be denied long, for then, creation would cease to exist, and Horus discovered the Truth. When he confronted Ra the Mad God, Ra simply destroyed the Falcon God and exiled him to the Death. Set, understanding his God's evil, succumbed to his own godly passion and attacked Ra. But Ra's power were not to be challenged, even by one of his Great-Grand-Children, and Set was exiled to the Desert, thus enhancing his own power.
Apep had succeeded, for now Ra was almost fully corrupted, and the even the sunlight gleamed with unholy light. When Ra turned to his remaining children, Osiris, Isis and Nephtys sweared once more their allegiance. But in secret, they searched to understand.
Osiris knew the immortal shell of Ra was to be destroyed, lest the immortal sun be corrupted, too, as has been its mortal avatar. Isis found the way: She tricked Ra in teaching her True Magic, Ra Hekau, by learning his Ren, his True Name, and then with the help of Nephtys, destroyed the corrupted shell of Ra.
Osiris Seizes over the Power of Darkness
They were now alone. Gods among Humanity. Osiris sent for news of other Gods, for he believed they had to exist. Ptah, who was believed to have created Thot, had disappeared, and no other God answered... Until the Stranger came.
Osiris then learned of other fallen Gods, and learned of the tyranny of others. His powers were nothing to them. Isis and Nephtys were Godesses who had power over True Magick, but he himself was but a sage. Set the red-haired warrior was dead. So Osiris tricked the Stranger. The Stranger's power could be shared, and the Stranger hoped Osiris' own power could be too. So the Stranger offered Osiris the power of Night Magic, but the price was great, as Osiris lost his power over day.
Thus, the God Osiris became one of Childer of Caine, Damned by Yaveh and Beloved of Lillith, Gods of foreign lands.
And too soon he understood: As Ra had been before him, he had been corrupted by Apep, through the power of another: He was easy prey to Sekhmet, and soon, the other gods feared his anger. But even the powers of Darkness could not remove Osiris of his Divine Rights, and the God of Fertility conceived, through his own compassion, the Love of Isis, and the Death Magick of Nephtys, a Son.
And Set came back.
At first Osiris and Set were delighted to see each other. And the Lands rejoiced of the meeting of the two Gods, the Wise and the Warrior, each with powers over darkness. Set understood Osiris' choice, and Osiris explained the corruption of Ra's body, and how, while its death prevented Ra from joining them, he was now free of the taint of Apep, as long as his healing light would shine in the sky.
But soon, Sekhmet claimed the soul of the two Kings. Osiris claimed to rule Higher Land, the Land of Set, by divine Rights, because he was Wise. Set refused, as he would not be once more the warrior protector of the King, and such was exiled once more. But, by the power of the Desert he had made his, he sweared he would come back. And he came back: With armies of men, and the Magic of the Desert. And the Lands suffered from the War.
Osiris was horrified. Something was wrong, as he was breaching Maat even as he sweared to upheld her. He believed to have tricked ther Stranger, but in truth, the Stranger had its revenge, cursing him with such passion evil was inhabiting his heart! So he remained alone, while his armies suffered defeat, thinking...
Set's Hollow Revenge
But if Osiris was Wise, Set was cunning, and searched to end the conflict. So, spies helping him enter the Palace of Osiris, he built a coffin of wood and iron, of gold and jewels with such dimensions only Osiris could lay in it. Osiris, looking the coffin with pleasure, accepted the challenge, and was pleased when he saw he fitted there exactly.
And so, Osiris was made prisonner in the magical coffin, and Set, in irony of his own exile, exiled Osiris to the waters of the Nile.
Now, it was the time for Set to think. Alone, for he had exiled Isis and Nephtys. He had seen such horror, but still believed in Maat. While his passion already influenced his heart when alive, it was for justice. Now, he wondered if, behind his claims for the right to rule, and for justice, it wasn't simple anger and hate.
Isis and Nephtys went to the Delta, searching for the body of Osiris. Each new of the potential evil of Osiris and Set, and each believed that Osiris would find a solution. But Osiris' body seemed dead, and could not be awakened, so Nephtys and Isis used once more mighty magick. And Osiris came back from the dead. Already, his son, Horus, named after the wise Horus the Elder, directed armies at Set's Palace.
Osiris arrived too late, for Horus, defeated by Set's might, was deadly wounded, his eye hurt. And in rightful anger, Osiris fought the surprised Set with all his anger, and with the power of Life of Isis, and the power of Death of Nephtys, Set was defeated.
Then, Osiris understood that even his rightful anger was but a screen to hide his evil Sekhmet. And because he had come from the Dead, and seen Maat here, he knew his soul was in peril, as Ra's had been in the past.
In the Land of the Dead, he told his brother, Souls of the creations of our Great-Grand Father are alone, without guidance, searching for his healing light, shining when night comes to the Land of the Living. Osiris had found peace in the Land of the Dead, and he felt his Sekhmet stirring within his breast when in the Land of the Living. So Osiris and Set agreed to a new Pact, the Pact of Maat.
Osiris would rule the Land of the Dead, to guide them to Transcendance, and Set would learn the way of Maat, and protect the Land of the Living from Apep. New Gods would be created, from mortals with divine potential, by mixing Osiris and Set's divine Blood enhanced by Vampiric Potence. They would lead the Mortals to Maat, thus enabling them to join the Dead in Peace and Power, and avoid the Oblivion.
It was the moment Isis and Nephtys chose to speak: It wasn't only their beast, or Apep that had led to this massacre: Like all men, they were persons of war. Yes, even Osiris, who was believed to be a sage, made his greatest mistake by learning the power over Darkness, who had led to his corruption, without even asking the advice of his wife or her sister, who were accomplished magician. Such ignorance and such arrogance were proof of Osiris and Set innate inbalance, even before they joined the Darkness. The two women added their own allegiance to the Pact, for if it meant balance, so men and women were to be equally listened to. Without the power of the Godesses, nothing could be accomplished, and never again they would keep the silence for their silence was as much guilty as Set and Osiris actions.
Set, Osiris, Isis and Nephtys then agreed to the Pact, and Set destroyed Osiris body, cutting it to pieces. Then, Isis and Nephtys used their powers over Life and Death, and tied Osiris to the Land of the Living, and to the Land of the Dead, so he could be king of the Land of the Dead. Then the flesh of Osiris was sent to all the corners of the Land of the Living, and buried, to tie the God of the Dead to it.
Uræus, Gods of Egypt
The first God was Horus, who had came back through Isis and Nepthys' Magick. Horus would be the King of the Land. The Second was Khentamentiu, who would be known as Khetamon, and would research for the secrets and powers of Maat. The third and fourth were Wadjet and Nekhbet, for their loyatly and compassion made them the Godesses of Royalty, each for one of the Lands of the Living: Wadjet for the Lower Land, and Nekhbet for the Higher Land. The Fifth was Bastet, who would summon the Shapeshifters to her side to further Maat. The Sixth was Sechat, who, with the death of Isis and Nephtys, would bring Magick to the Land of the Living, to protect it from enemies from beyond. The Seventh was never created, but still destiny tells of it.
Each was chosen among the mortals, because, despite their ignorance, each had deep in its soul, the power of Gods. And when other Vampires would come to Egypt, the Gods would never call themselves kin to them, for they were not mortals given the power over Darkness, but Gods who wrestled it from the Darkness, and used it for Maat...
Despite the claims of the Childer of Caine, we were not of them. Despite the claims of the Followers of Lillith, we do claim no blood ties to her, nor to Adam, nor to their jealous God. We are Gods created from the Magic of Ra and the Blood cursed by Yaveh and Lillith, and sanctified by the Pact of Maat between Osiris and Set.
Credit to the Author
Raoul 'paercebal' Borges paercebal@hotmail.com
