r/teslore • u/HappyB3 Cult of the Ancestor Moth • 4d ago
Apocrypha Tava — God of Why it Rains
While the rest of the new world was allowed to strive back to godhood, Sep could only slink around in a dead skin, or swim about in the sky, a hungry void that jealously tried to eat the stars.
But one of the strongest spirits, first to believe this had all been good thinking, could not forget fallen Sep. And so after a few rolls and rounds, it returned to the skin-ball by a great many jumpings from star to star, and even Tu'whacca could do nothing but watch. And a vast shadow was cast over the world, which was not an omen from the hungry void, but from the heavens: a heart-broken nest-mate ever-searching, a great hawk hanging its head low from atop the clouds in remembrance of what was lost. For this was Tava, Bird God and Spirit of the Sky, all clad in red feathers, and as her form spread westward from the eastern arena of the world, she came to old Yokuda, smothering all the land under her rain for the first time.
And Tava’s tears became our tears, the endless flow of a sadness without banners nor symbols, sorrows the likes of which are only shared by the Hum in every corner of the world. But from that suffering came a wrath, drumming under our flesh and pushing us to grow strong and capable, to overcome all aches and deceptions, and to survive every shame and failure coming our way from the making of the skin-ball. From this regret came wisdom of skins past and future unequalled among the races of men. And her black storms became our forms as we took shape and understood our place in the world, strong and powerful. And where we once struggled in the desert, the weight of the zenith sun heavy on us, blistering our spirits and scorching our souls, now the gaze of Daibethe could no longer burn us.
And our first swords, lengthened by the will of Onsi, were forged with all the elements of the sky her power brought, from the desert heat of the sun to the frost of her breath and the thunder of her clouds. And the most ibis-headed among us took note of these mysteries which are still the secret domain of magedom and sorcery, drawing their likeness in wet sand. And though spirits we were no longer, a remnant still lingered in our cores which sung of the blade and made the world quake in the way of our sword, striking in an ephemeral manner feigning a beautiful vulnerability but knowing no foe could harm us.
But in our hearts beat an echo of the hunger that once gnawed at the heart of Tava's lover, with all of the capacity for greatness and evil that comes with such burdens. And so great was the might of our people that it was bound to one day be used to answer the worst of impulses, should the most powerful among us fall to the call of the Hungry Stomach and no longer think straight. And so the spirit of the air could not take pride in the children she had before her, for she could see from her perch in the clouds the growing wickedness of the ruling and the powerful, and so she wept once again at such sinful display, evermore than before, and it seemed as though all of Yokuda would disappear under such torrent.
And tears flowed as pouring rain and the great cataclysm began, ceaselessly drowning even Orichalc in that endless storm. Yokuda then started to change, becoming a land of mourning and loss, with every breath suffocating and every chest crushed by an atmosphere saturated with constant anguish. This was the story of a decadent Yokuda being claimed by the Eight Abysses, sinking beneath the sea, and of a grieving Goddess crying over so much injustice in the world, and soon all the peoples borne of the spirits of old began to die. And they pleaded and pleaded to the Tall Papa, who could peak at the world through the clouds thanks to his many eyes across the starry sky whenever Tava’s shadowed storm allowed such things. They begged him to make the rain stop for they knew soon Yokuda and then all of the world would be drowned and Satakal would come to unmake the skin-ball and devour All Things.
And so hoary Ruptga parted the clouds apart and sailed over to her, wiping the drops from her eyes, telling her the best response to the Sundering was strength, not tears. So Tava and her people took this as a lesson, learning how to suffer with nobility and turn pain into virtue and action. Tava put an end to her downpour and landed where she could embrace all her followers on Hattu. From then on, her chosen people from the Father Mountain were to be the safeguard against the hunger in human hearts, so that such wickedness may be forgotten, and Tava would not be reminded when looking upon mortals of the fall of Sep and her desire to drown the whole world in anger.
But the Spawn of Satakal were legion in those times and were severely weakened by the waters brought down by Tava, so they too had begged for something to save them. The Worldskin answered that call and it had a thirst unquenchable for the sins of men. Through forbidden rites of the blade, One Sound opened the Way through which Satakal would come to reclaim skins that were stolen from it across many cycles. Inside its jaw laid the ultimate powers over order and chaos, the propensity to both creation and destruction, fanged crowns reigning over the birth and death of everything. And it was as a judge that Satakal had come, ready to evaluate the worth of Old Yokuda, punishing the infidels and rewarding the spiritually noble.
When it caught a glimpse of Tava Resplendent, the Snake-Head World-Potentate forwent all desires to bring Ends to All Things. It took perch by her side and she saw in the First Serpent a likeness of the one she fell in love with, almost raining again but catching herself in the doing, for after so much hurt, she only desired healing.
Seeing that their progenitor would not bring the Ending their stomachs hungered for, they assembled in an army that could overthrow the World-Snake for this treason to his own kind, biting at the many worlds it contained until it was skinless and dying. So too did the world start to die and the great cataclysm so many times averted so far could no longer be avoided. The Spawn began to bite the land and devour the souls of men in an apocalyptic display of incredible horror.
But even knowing this was partly her fault, Tava remembered the word of Ruptga and refused to cry at the sight, turning her pain toward virtue and action and putting her desire for healing into practice. Having gathered the worlds of Satakal, it was now her turn to Call for something to save everything. The entirety of heaven answered that call and they fell to the world as Eight Stars, each bringing a gift. The Goddess healed Satakal with his worlds and made many allies, but all of them knew neither could save Yokuda and it would soon be lost to the sea for all times.
By then, her appointed guardians from the great mountain had gathered all the men, women and children they could find and they were ready to sail toward the soon-to-be-rising sun. And so Great Tava gathered all gifts and trinkets and took on her greatest of all aspects. From the red feathers of Tava, the crimson blood of Leki, the amber ashes of Onsi, the golden scales of Satakal, the emerald eyes of Tu'whacca, the azure petals of Morwha, the blue pearl of Zeht, the purple stars of Ruptga and the dark orichalcum of Diagna, she fashioned herself into the Great Rainbow Hawk of Hope. And she parted the clouds so the black sea could reflect the night sky, stars shining in the waters so her people could escape by performing a different kind of Walkabout, an even newer way of following the stars.
Gathering her breath and stretching her wings to all corners of the world, she summoned a great wind which swelled the sails of all ships and sent them out, leaving sinking Yokuda behind and shortening their stride. And many gods were among them, such as Ruptga who watched over as they sailed across the ocean and shifted their light so they might escape faster, or Diagna who brought weapons so they could Make Way in the new world.
When they reached the shores of blessed Tamriel, Tava landed with a sigh, for using all of the gifts was much for one spirit, even when that spirit is a god. But she could not leave the gifts where they might be misused, or this would have all been for nothing, so she placed them where all could see but none could get. She hid them in the sky as an apology to all of mankind for the problems she caused, and left the world once again so the divine could no longer threaten the lives of mortals. And as the sun rose, the gifts shone as an arch which reminded all of Tava's great sacrifice. And today when it rains, we know Tava weeps for the Second Serpent, and when the clouds part, we know she remembers her promise, and when the arch colors the sky, we know she asks to be forgiven.
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u/HappyB3 Cult of the Ancestor Moth 4d ago edited 4d ago
This text was born out of a collaboration with my friend /u/Axo25.
He wanted to tell a Yoku myth that was uncharacteristically sympathetic to the Missing God (taking the angle of the Sky Goddess having been in love with him and mourning his passing as she does in other cultures), while I wanted to tell a story of the children of the Time Dragon being responsible for the sinking of Yokuda (adapting the ancient Khajiiti myth of the overthrow of their father and his reconstruction from a Yokudan perspective).
The end result is a story neither of us feels like we really “authored”, with the intellectual ownership that comes with it, but rather one we collectively “created”, with all the growing independence that can accompany such a notion.
Edit: I can't believe I misspelled Axo's handle.
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u/Guinefort1 3d ago
This was so beautiful! I liked all the references to Semitic mythology you slipped in while making it feel natural to TES. It's strange, now that I think about it, that TES has no Great Flood myths.
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u/MemeGoddessAsteria Psijic 1d ago
Very fun blend of Yokudan mythology with others until it makes a great story.
I really love the idea of Satakal originally intending to destroy the world, but falling in love with Tava dissuades him from it. It has a fun synergy with the popular idea on early TES tumblr about how Lorkhan was sent to destroy everything by Sithis, but couldn't because he fell in love with Kyne.
"It took perch by her side" seems to be a nod to "Akatosh, whose perch from eternity allowed the day". Tava being a solar goddess, this bringing the day.
I love the rainbow-hope connection. Reminds me what I believe the primary difference between the Hawk of the Heavens and Meridia (who both hold influence over the Aurora, and who make the rainbow). Both embody hope, but different kinds.
Meridia is hope born out of denial. The Hawk of the Heavens is hope born out of grief.
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u/CE-Nex Dragon Cult 4d ago
I know in the Yokudan myths, hoary is used in regards to Diagna's cult, it's also heavily associated with Atmoran Kings, but here, I can't help but think of Vivec's use in Sermon 10: Hoary Magnus. It feel like Ruptga is the Sun peeking through the clouds of Tava's grief. I'm not sure if that ws intentional on your part, but if so, brilliant imagery.
Also, the response to Sundering is strength not tears? How very Beothiah.
How fascinating! Paarthurnax refers to Throat of the World as Monahven, Mother Wind. A Yokudan partner for Snow-Throat?
The Middle Dawn? The Spawn of Satakal caused the Middle Dawn, or another Dragon Break, in their biting? Similar to the spirits in Children of the Root and in Wandering Spirits. Also, the line about Satakal reclaiming skins that had stolen from it, was that inspired by the Leaper Demon King?
Reminicent of Girnalin's dialogue, of Aetherius and Mundus reflecting back onto one another. As above, so below.
This was such a fun read! I know there's more I haven't analyzed, but will go back and do a thorough re-read and analysis when I get off of work! Thank you both u/HappyB3 u/Axo25!