WoE: Mythology

I would like to help here

Some common characters in tales of this world (by no means complete):

Inari: The trickster figure, akin to Anansi, Coyote, or Rabbit in our world. She manifests as a small nine-tailed fox.

Mat--the equivalent of the Jack character in this world, he usually is the fool that is smarter than everyone thinks he is, and uses his wits and heart of gold to go on many adventures and (usually) save a princess on the way.

Balas--These cute clown-like fairies are said to protect children and inspire minstrels--in fact, a minstrel that bonds with one is said to be blessed with happiness, and will always have a song to sing. Their best known feature is their large round noses (akin to a real clown nose in our world), which glow depending on the bala's mood. This is why some clowns and acrobats use bright foam noses in this world--so they can channel the charm and child-like wonder of a bala

 

Common folktale of Eda: The Boxes

(From the writings of Noel Talamor)

The basic bones:

A woman, usually poor, has an only daughter, (usually named Anna, Maria, and sometimes Annie, Annemarie, Marin, or Anna Maria), One day, as the girl is going to school, she meets an old man, who asks her for something to eat. As she is very kind, the girl gives him what she would have had for lunch (although some versions make it breakfast). As the old man departs, he gives her three boxes, telling her not to open them until three years have passed.

Three years pass, the mother dies, the father remarries, and the girl gains a wicked stepmother, who mistreats her and calls her names. One day, she is asked to make a garment that shines like the sun. (or the moon, in some versions) She remembers the boxes, opens one, and there is the exact garment requested. Next, the girl is asked to spin a linen garment, thin enough to fit through a ring. Second box has this exact garment. For her third task, the girl is asked build a castle all of glass, as high as the highest mountain. Third box holds this castle. When the stepmother sees it, she meets her demise either on the way to or inside the castle. A prince meets the girl, they are married, and they live happily ever after.

Known variants

--Sometimes the hero is male, and meets a princess in the end. Mat will usually play this role, but other names for male heroes include Martin (a variant of the female Marin?), Larkin, Brian, Locke, or Andrew.
--Other variants of the boxes are magic jewels, berries, apples, and bundles. There is a similar tale type where three animal helpers fill the role of the boxes. (Usually a fox, a deer, and a hawk, but different animals are not unheard of)
--In some versions, the hero has siblings, who may or may not try to hinder the hero--these are more common in the animal subtype. Some variants with siblings have the siblings try to help the hero.
--The stepmother and possibly the hero's siblings may also meet their demise by the combined fury of the three animals
--The three tasks may also differ, or be more elaborate (in which case the royal is encountered during the third task, usually captive by a troll or dragon and needing to be freed.
--Many variants require the magic items be invoked--some incantations are simple, and some take up four lines or more.

 

Common folktale of Eda: Mat the Herder

(From the writings of Noel Talamor)

The basic bones:

A man has a son named Mat (he sometimes has siblings). Mat goes into the world to seek his fortune and after helping one of the gods in disguise as a mage, or a great sage, who gives him a magic whistle in return for his kindness, comes to a great city. He learns that the king wishes to give his daughter in marriage to the one who completes a challenge (sometimes more challenges)

The challenge is to take care of several hundred rabbits, If even one is missing at the end of the day, it is his life in exchange. (some versions see the unsuccessful suitor in the dungeon or simply sent away.) Mat tries to keep up with them, but when he tries the magic whistle, the rabbits return. The princess and the queen (sometimes the king) come to him in disguise, but when Mat plays the magic whistle, all the rabbits return, including the rabbit Mat gave away.

After three days, Mat and the princess are married and they live happily ever after

Known variants:

--Sometimes the plot is set in motion by bringing a gift to the castle. If Mat has siblings, they will claim their gift is something else, which the god transforms into what they claim. Mat, however, tells the truth, and receives the magic whistle.
--If more than one challenge is involved, Mat may meet several animals, which then assist him when Mat calls them

 

The Writings of Noel Talamor

This is the authority on all of Edda's folklore--its folklore, its songs, and its stories. Compiled as Noel and her faithful bala Odoroki traveled across Edda, it is often considered "the folklorist's holy book", due to its extensive (but by no means complete) information on different songs and folktale types--the bones of the story (or the most common lyrics), and known variants of the song or story. If a new variant is discovered, that song or story's entry will update itself automatically

 

I've just posted something which bleeds through Mythology and Astronomy - if any of you have any ideas on how to improve it, please message me!
http://lakevalor.net/forums/index.php?/topic/3542-woe-astronomy/

 

What you have so far looks pretty good--i'd love to fill in the missing ones, but the chart is hard to see.

 

If you click 'download' on the right of this next link you can see it in full detail.
http://onebleedinglotus.deviantart.com/art/The-World-Above-Eda-447841215

 

Thank you--already sent a PM with a few ideas

 

Looks good--are those the only deities, or are there more

 

Magnius is the chief god of magic. He is believed to be the one responsible for teaching Eda's first inhabitants how to use magic in all of its various forms through his Disciples. He is a giver of knowledge to those who seek it, so some cultures also view him as the god of knowledge. His mastery over magic is believed to be infinite, though he does not demonstrate his control over it without good reason. Legends say he created the Seven Scepters, a set of powerful magical artifacts that he gave as gifts to Eda's earliest rulers. The whereabouts of the Scepters are varied; two of them are confirmed to have been found, while a third is rumored to reside within the catacombs underneath Endymion's College of Magic. Each Scepter is extremely powerful alone; if brought together, their power would be unspeakable. He, like most of Eda's other deities, has fallen dormant, and master mages far and wide have sought a way to bring him back.

The Legend of the Ice Maze
A common tale told in Aquilus is the Legend of the Ice Maze. As is commonly known, a massive glacier covers most of the Great Northern Continent, standing hundreds of feet high. However, some who have observed the glacier report finding a massive network of tunnels carved right into the ice, each with perfectly-shaped vaulted ceilings and void of any support structures. Etchings chiseled into the walls, while unreadable, serve as guides of sorts. Several groups have tried to navigate the tunnel network; none have returned. Either those teams became lost within the icy labyrinth, or something dwelling within claimed their lives. Regardless, the tunnels became known as the Ice Maze, and mystery of the tunnels has drawn many adventurers and scholars into them. The mystery deepens with each lost expedition team. The elders of Aquilus believe the tunnels, and even the glacier itself, are artificial creations of an ancient race. Furthermore, they believe that the sculptors of the Ice Maze reside in the heart of the glacier.