Bowynn Gods: Hemwey

To Begin

Meave us to start with some very simple Bowynn words you may find throughout my blog:

Mystra: (Magic / Magick) The arts of the witch.

Myst: (Witch) A Myst pertains to anyone that practices the mystical, arcane, esoteric arts.

Baear: (Altar) The sacred table/tablet where one prays to the divine and leaves offerings.

Tymon: (Shrine) A smaller and more secure form of a Temple and Altar all in one.

Alm: (God) Male deity

Almaea: (Goddess) Female deity

I will leave it here for now. in future posts I will insert other words throughout my text within Brackets { } At some point I may include and dictionary depending on whatever time is allotted to me.

BOWYNN GODS: RUNA

Runa  (Rew-nah)  The Runa are the Kii (spirits) of the woodlands, wood working and crafting in other suct articles like horn, antler and bone. They are kii of human size, so it is said and reside in the woodlands, either in trees or in hidden homes in the forest. Being woodland spirits, they are protectors of the trees, making sure that no harm befalls them till they are mature enough to harvest for crafting. Some of the Runa will follow a tree to the home of those that chop them down, to make sure they are treated well. There, they become spirits of wood crafting. A small band of devoted Runa are said to accompany the god Kalen, the god of wood working and architecture. 

Bowynn Gods: Mano

Mano  (Man-oh)  God of hate, jealousy, tricks, evilness, all that is wicked, war and destruction. Mano is the only god in the Bowynn faith that is of negativity and after his confinement and destruction by the gods, he said to be never invoked again. Even in the Hall s of gods, Mano is not spoken of nor his image depicted. Despit this Mano is still listed in the Pantheon of the Bowynn gods, as a sever lesson to be learns and avoided..

     Mano was the bastard son of Phoenix and Sumon and hated his cousins Brand, Brenda and Kord. Spending so much time with them as kids, Mano became jealous of his cousins and started to play tricks on them. This led to Mano's enviousness to spread to all the gods, He saw them all as prefect and himself as flawed. Though he tormented other gods as well, he seemed to target his two cousins the most, and later on started to fancy Brenda, who was the goddess of love and beauty. As the years went by, Mano's tricks became more and more malicious and destructive; stealing, harmful and in some cases physically painful. What exactly caused this jealousy is unknown, as Mano had just as much beauty and gifts as his cousins. Whatever the reason, the tricks escalated to a point where Mano was reported to Anhur for kidnapping his cousin Brenda and it took Brand and Kord days to find her. He also started to teach mortals how to behave wickedly to each other. He encouraged theft and destruction,

Needless to say, Anhur punished young Mano. This sat wrong with Mano and the malicious god started to outright battle with Brand and Kord. But his rage blinded him so much that the twins always defeated him, sending Mano running. In turn Mano finally had enough, stole the sword "Nilwynn" from the war god Tirren and used it to slay his cousin Brand as he slept in a field. This was possible only because only an immortal weapon can kill a god. When Kord discovered his twin brother dead, he vowed revenge and a great war started between the two. Kord, being much stronger, caused Mano to even the odds by creating an army, the malicious Tii spirits. However, Kord created the Kii, to battle them. The battle raged for months and in the end, Kord defeated Mano, chained him and brought him before the gods for judgment. Anhur cast the final verdict and decreed Mano be stripped of all godly hood and gifts and changed him for eternity in a cave in the ocean.

At some point Mano had been able to and took on Anhur's son, the demi-god Allon. Their own battle was just as destructive till Allon slew the anti-god, casting his body into the sun, so that it would never soil the earth again.

     Like all gods, Mano has two forms; in his godly form, Mano is a young handsome god, with jet black wavy hair. Divine law dictated his image never to be depicted in any form, so not to manifest him nor his ways back into existence. And he is certainly never invoked. In his godly form Mano used to take the form of a Woodpecker, Lion Shark and Octopus.

Bowynn Gods: Kalma

Kalma (right) sitting in Daunnat with her beloved Chumash

Kalma  (Kal-mah)  Queen of the Daunnat, divination and oracles. She is the consort of Chumash, the king of the dead. Unlike many faiths of the ancients, Daunnat is not a place of damnation or fear. It is a most blessed place. And it was Kalma who made it as such. By her will she let the great fields grow green and orchards filled with eternal and ever plentiful foods and valleys carpeted with wildflowers. Kalma is the daughter of Phoenix and Sumon and the sister to Rhya and Kauldra.

     Amongst Kalma's duties as queen of the land beyond is that of calming the soul and spirit, showing there is no need for fear death nor the beyond. Her very name means 'Calm'.

     Kalma and sisters were charmed by the three kings of the immortals and in particular it was Chumash that wished Kalma to marry her. But Kalma refused his hand unless Chumash proved his love. Of all the gifts Chumash bestowed on her, its was acrown of nettles that Kalma loved the most. She finally accepted his hand only after Chumash promised her equality as Queen of Duannat.

     Kalma is seen as a mother-like goddess in appearance; she is elegantly dress and wears a crown of nettles made of gold on her head. Other times, it is a plain crown, like that if her sisters. Being a queen, she is seen most wise, bearing a small scepter in her hand. Kalma very rarely leaves the comforts of Daunnat. Yet when she does, she will often appear as a cat, her totem animal. Sacred gifts offered to Kalma are that of flowers, incense and votive images of cats.

BOWYNN GODS: RHYA

Rhya  (Ry-ah)  Queen of the gods and goddess of women’s rituals and psychics in the Bowynn pantheon. She is the daughter of Phoenix and Sumon and the sister of Kalma and Kauldra. When it comes to all things of feminine arts and persuasion, Rhya is the goddess to look to. She is the goddess that initiates girls into the temples when they are of age.

      In many ways Rhya is much like her Mediterranean counterparts Juno and Minerva, in that she is the queen of the holy family. But that’s where the similarity ends. Rhya is a most loving and devoted wife but also a motherly goddess, not just to her own children but to all of the Akua. Thus, Rhya is a patron of not just queens but mothers.

     The most epic tale of Rhya is that of her being wooed by Anhur. The handsome young go fell in love almost instantly. As did Anhur’s brothers fall for Rhya’s sisters. But Rhya refused to be taken in by fancy talk and demanded that Anhur show how much he loved her. Anhur brought Rhya the most glorious gifts from all over the earth. But each one Rhya turned down. This continued for a long time till the god was exalted and there were no other gifts on earth to bring Rhya. Finally, Anhur simply pledged his love, truly and unconditionally. This what Rhya was waiting to hear the whole time, and she accepted his hand in marriage.

     Rhya is seen in her immortal form as a well-formed woman of a motherly look. She has raven black hair that is crowned and veiled, depicting his queenly statue. Her garments are of pure white and silver. Other times it is of a lavender color and accented in some manner with a votive image of a peacock. During times where her presence is seen at weddings ceremonies, she is accompanied by the god Dhonan. Together they sanctify the couple being wed. Being that her totem is a peacock, she will take this form when in the presence of mortals. Sacred to her is the crown, staff and votive image of a peacock or its feathers.

Happy Harvest Day!!

Bowynn Gods: Kara Jarra

The Sister's Jarra

Kara Jarra  (Khar-rha Jar-rha)  Karra Jarra, or just Kara is the Bowynn goddess of health. In particular, she is the goddess that précised over the arts of physical healing, such as Massage, Reiki, Gateway healing and reflexology. She is the daughter of the god Owenn and one triplet daughters, often called 'The Sisters Jarra," meaning the sister healers. He is the patroness of nurses, physical therapists and those that practice such healing arts that are attributed to her.

     Karra and her sisters have no real sacred stories of their past deeds, save for the 7 sacred days they spent with the first tribes of mankind, sharing with them, their knowledge. Karra in particular showed the tribes how to heal damages to the body by massages and reiki, how to turn use pressure points to relieve pain and how to treat the body while it is healing When not at her father's side, Karra is seen in temples, houses of healing, and sweat lodges helping as she can the injured. Karra is often seen with the goddess Nyalla Bua in sauna and sweat lodge shrines.

     As with all three Sisters Jarra, Kara is a young goddess in appearance, with white-ish blond hair braided back with ribbons. Simple clothing and a fillet wrapped about her brow. She is often seen with a small slender board in her hands called a "Peer" which is used as a massage implement. Infact a traditional offering to Karra by those healing by such means will offer an elaborate Jeer that is wrapped with fillets and ribbons. Naturally incense is a most honored offering and votive birds also make the best gifts.

The Sister's Jarra The Sister's Jarra and father Owen

Bowynn Gods: Arn

Arn  (Arn)  God of the North wind and the lord of the north. In some respects also the god of winter. He is often called “The Winter Wizard.” He is the eldest of the wind gods and as such, he is sometimes considered their watchers. Arn is the god that the goddess Myliea wed on the holiday of Kymeliea (also known as Candlemas and Imbolc). Their home resides in the far north and he accompanies Myliea on her first appearance on the winter solstice. In some ways, Arn is seen as a Bowynn version of Father Christmas and Santa Claus; On Winter Solstice eve Arn visits the homes that are decked in winter finery and have a candle lit in the window. If content, Arn will knock his staff on the doors and shutters, blessing the house and leaving a small gift at the door. Often these are in the form of foods; nuts, dried fruit and for kids, candy is left. Much like his contemporary, Arn has a stable that houses 12 great elk, which serve as his mounts.

     Arn is seen as an elderly man, sometimes adorned with white bird wings. His garments are of blue color, a wreath of holly on his head and in his hands, a staff with lantern on top, shaped like an acorn. When not in his godly form, he will appear as a white wolf or cardinal. Both of which are sacred to the god. On his side is a shoulder bag which holds the gifts to mankind. Arn is sometimes seen accompanied by the older winter mammoth god, Yormell, who also bears the same title of “The Winter Wizard.”

     Sacred gifts and offerings to Arn often consist of milk, fresh water, elk, wolf, feathers, cardinal, snow and white flowers. Pretty much anything winter and north wind related is sacred to him.

Bowynn Gods: The Golderae

Golderae   (Gold –ah-ray)   Kii folk that live in the sky and rule over the storms, particularly lightning and electricity. Of all the Kii, Bowynn legend describes them the most clearly. They are said to be diminutive in size with no wings. But they still fly because their bodies are filled with lightning which propels them. They have black hair and gold-like skin and their eyes are bright with light. Most tales seem to make them only male, as no female golderae are ever mentioned. Of course that does not mean they may not exist. These electric Kii are patrons and watchers of places blessed by lightning, as well as places like power plants or any utility business that brings power to homes.  

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS: Skyclad

QUESTION: Is Nudity practiced in the Bowynn Tradition?

ANSWER: No. At least not among all of us ritually as a group. While we love and respect the human body, it is impractical for us to practice in the nude, as we hold most rituals in woodland. The amount of insects, blackberries, thorns and other haphazards just make it impossible. And honestly, we see no need to hold any gathering in the buff. HOWEVER, what one does in the privacy in their own home is up to them. We have several females that will fulling sun and moon soak and I personally have a love for skinny dipping when I am alone at the shore and lake.