Orkanan Mythology

Orkanan Mythology is the body of myths related to the Orkanan religion. Within Orkanan, there is a huge degree of difference between the role and content of the myths. In more modern interpretations, the myths are a folkloric narrative with a religious background used to explain how the world and humankind came to be in their present form. In other, more conservative interpretations, the myths are considered religious content and taken more literally. The difference is most clearly seen in the use of the scriptures, which are seen as metaphors in modern Orkanan, while a more conservative approach sees them as actual written accounts of divine manifestations. There is also a wide variation in myths and mythological creatures. Orkanan has a large geographical distribution, and local folklore has been interwoven into the Orkanan belief system. Even in the Orkanan homeland of Stoldavia, there are large differences due to the bottom-up culture within the original religion and its animistic heritage. However, some concepts and characters are universal in most interpretations.

Major Mythological Figures

According to present-day insights, only the mythological figures presented in the scriptures are considered major figures. The distinction, however, is not entirely clear since different branches of Orkanan use different combinations of scriptures. Therefore, there are figures considered Sternwards in some branches who are labeled as Ru in others. However, all the major figures are always part of the entities created by Vind before mankind.

Giants or Ettar

Giants (Juäktar, Juöttnar, Ettar, Riese) are usually anthropomorphic representations of abstract concepts. All giants are creations of Vind designed to help him co-create this particular world. There are roughly three types of giants:

1. Fire Giants (Eldiättar, Feuerriesen): Creations of Vind who have taken up a responsibility for what are today called minerals and chemical reactions. They tend to have an urge to rule over mankind in order to create Vind's realm and execute his master plan. "You may try to lord over man, but that will only accomplish my perfection." The Fire Giants' realm is Hel, and they have introduced death.
2. Friendly Giants (Iättevänner): Giants that have not followed Wald and his Fire Giants towards Hel. They do not share their contempt for mankind, which the Fire Giants look upon as too liberated and creative compared to themselves. Even non-anthropomorphic creatures fall into this category, which resides in Sike. According to the scriptures, many plants and animals were already present before the creation of mankind. Some of these animals have been mentioned in the scriptures, like the Trunkbull, Alb Gid and Rot, the giant crab Vesk, and the eagle Hoffir. These named giant animals (Iättediur) often depict an abstract concept that could not yet be explained, like gravity or the orbits of planets. The animals clearly have a different, more autonomous, and not so much conscious presence in Orkanan mythology.
3. Sternwards: Creations of Vind which have defined a role as helpers of mankind by themselves. In the long history of the world, it is formulated as follows: "Sigu said I will be a friend of man, be their eyes when they do not see Vind, and be Vind's tongue when they do not hear Vind." The Sternwards are said to be responsible for the creation of all living things except mankind and the way they interact with each other. Direct interaction between Sternwards and mankind is rare; Sternwards choose their exemplars carefully or decide to use intermediate bodiless spirits like Ru instead. The Sternwards' realm is Samman, although some interpretations mention that they are present in Sike as well.

Minor Mythological Figures

Minor figures are usually not part of the canonical scriptures but regional additions to the written standard work of Orkanan. However, there are certain Snoes and Rus being mentioned by name in the older books of the scriptures, like the Queens of the Silver Age.

Sno

A Sno is an evil spirit, most often a wandering soul on its way towards Sike or having temporarily escaped Sike. One of the main punishments in Sike is loneliness and isolation. If a soul is not eligible to go to Samman, it might try to avoid eternal loneliness by wandering on Gotha's surface or harvesting some company. Sno is the northern Stoldavic term for this group of mythical creatures, which can manifest themselves in different forms. Other words used are "Nick" or "Klauer." Each village with a strong Orkanan tradition will have its own Sno. Stories about him or her are used to warn of common dangers. It is not uncommon that deceased persons who were considered cruel or evil return in folklore as local Snoes. A well-known Sno is the water ghost, which goes by names like "Nücke," "Nökke," "Nykur," "Necker," or "Bäckahäst" (Siren, Kelpie). This particular Sno lures people into treacherous waters like deep lakes or fast-flowing rivers. The Sno wants to kill people so it can take their souls as company. This folkloristic story is told to warn, especially children, about the dangers of water.

Rå and Rådare

A Rå (also Rå, Rho, Rhoa, Road, or Raa) has the same background as the Sno but its motives are completely opposite. A Rå is a wandering spirit who, by means of indirect signs or interventions, tries to avoid misfortune and disasters. Most Rås are protectors or guardians of a particular place, geographic feature, person, lineage, or occupation. Despite their good intentions, most Rås are ambivalent in their behavior. There are reasons why they haven't been allowed into Samman yet, which makes them unpredictable. New Rås pop up in literature, folklore, and urban legends all the time. A particular new group is formed by the Quarryroas, guardians of miners. Manifestations of Rås are not as clear as with Snos. This is explained by the fact that it's easier to act on self-interest than it is to be generous and make sacrifices. Rås appear most often in a female form; male Rås are called "Rådare" instead. They tend to be naked and usually appear as hybrids with other divine manifestations like animals (squirrel tails, horse's hind legs, etc.), flora (bark, lichen, leaves, etc.), fire, and ice. They vary in length from well over man-size to half man-size. In northern Stoldavic languages like Wortsproke, the words for advice (Råd) and raw (Rå) are connected to this group of mythological figures. Even "Raw" and "Rho" are clearly related, indicating that these spirits are considered not ready, insufficiently processed, or immature for Samman.

Exemplars

An Exemplar should not be confused with a Rå, which usually is not a mythological creature. Exemplars are deceased Orkanan people of high esteem who are allowed by Vind to manifest themselves to guide people on his master plan. It is, therefore, obvious that exemplars are common in the interventionist Mellanhand branches of Orkanan, while they are almost non-existent in the branches of Mennity Orkanan. However, written accounts of ancient exemplars can have been influenced by fiction, literary condensation, and exaggeration. Some of them can be considered more like mythological persons or legends than historical figures. Even here, it is difficult to separate Rås completely and definitely from Exemplars, but as a thumb rule, Exemplars are human, while Rås and other mythological creatures are not.

See also: List of exemplars

End of the World Myth

Cydhlig Orkana

Dyddiwedd (pronounced "deeth-ih-weth" in the Penrish language) means "the final day." It is a relatively recent myth in Cydhlig Orkana, which predicts that the end of the world will be brought about by a currently unknown future technology. Early industrialization and increased pollution led to a rise in this belief, and it has since been popularized in Penrish literature. In fictional accounts of Dyddiwedd, the world is destroyed variously by the testing of a chronomobile (time machine), an army of steam-powered metal men, and a powerful magnet that causes Gotha's arc to fall down.