Gurthil

Gurthil (Ang: Osyman) is the Lord of the Dead, and God of Fate.
==Other Names==
Hagar (Normearc), Arfwn (Cymuria), Ki’nana (Mizania), Ema-o (Shintai), Amu-Osi (Aega), The Oracle, Lord of Time, Master of fate, Bringer of Death, Reaper of Souls.
==Aspects==
Time, Death, The Future, Grief, Man, Fate.
==True Form==
Gurthil appears as robed and hooded figure, carrying a large scythe. His face is never seen, though he is often represented with two orbs for eyes. When on Gaiana, he often has a skull for a face.
==Other Forms==
Hagar: A skinny old man with frost on his beard and bluish skin, with a serpent wrapped around his neck.
Arfwn: A man with red hair and black skin, wearing strange and exotic clothing.
Ki’nana: A man with a lion’s head and tail, wearing an impossibly-high crown of stone, and carrying a net.
Ema-o: A fat golden man, with a sword sticking in his chest.
Amu-Osi: A man with a snake’s head and wings, carrying a hook and a flail.
==Myth==
Gurthil is the lord of Time, and keeper of the Dead. He can see the future and knows the fate of all Men and of Gaiana. As the Elves were not a part of creation, he cannot see their fate, and as they don’t die he has no interest in them. For this reason, Gurthil is worshipped very little by Elves, as even Time has little reason for them.
Gurthil is married to Melina, the goddess of life. The story of her seduction of him is legendary; she took over a thousand forms and gave him a thousand different types of pleasure, just to see him smile. Eventually he smiled, a grin which lasted a year, and no creature died that year. Yet, teasing, she fled him. He then spent a century trying to woo her, saving the lives of those creatures she held most dear. Eventually, the two were wed. On their honeymoon it is said that Melina gave him so much pleasure that time stopped for a century. Gurthil is a sad soul, whose knowledge of the future has made him solemn, yet Melina is a joy to his life.
Guthil lives in the roots of the Tree of Life, in the Halls of Hadina. It is here where the souls of Man and other demi-humans go when they die, whilst awaiting judgement. Should he judge them worthy they will go to dwell in the Garden for all time, otherwise they will be sent to the void forever. His Halls are filled with the spirits of the dead, resting here till their ultimate fate is decided.
Gurthil maintains time, and can also see the ultimate future. As such, he is the God of Fate, who men both abhor and accept. His messengers arrive upon a Man’s death to guide the soul to his Halls. He has nothing to do with Elves, whose souls linger in the world, or in the Garden for those who make the journey by sea. Gurthil is sometimes unfairly mistaken for the God who brings death- that is incorrect, as Death is the Gift of the Universe, and part of the Song of Creation. Gurthil merely collects and judges those souls whose time has come.
Gurthil’s favoured creatures are snakes, and they are said to be a sign of imminent death by those who worship the Tolton. Guthil can see the future but, unlike his brother Dral, will not reveal any of this fate except to his strongest worshippers, and even then often with a sacrifice (the reading of entrails or bones are associated with his prophecies).
==Other Manifestations==
Hagar- The lord of those who are not chosen by Vunor upon their deaths. They include mainly cowards and traitors, or the wives of such men. His halls, Hagheim, are punishment for those who feared battle or betrayed their lord. No food or bead or carnal pleasures exist here, only constant work- grinding of corn, ploughing fields or working looms........forever.
Arfwn- Arfwn is lord of the Otherworld. Little is known about him, though many heroes of lore have managed to find entry into his kingdom and had strange adventures. He is an enigmatic entity, sometimes helpful sometimes evil. He has little to do with death, though he keeps the Doors of Spirit, which souls pass through upon death, awaiting resurrection.
Ki’nana- The Mizanian god of death; Ki’nana is the Lord of the Spirit World, and the Keeper of ancestors. His land overlaps that of the mortal realm, though unseen. The Ki’nana gathers all the Gor’nana (Tribal Spirits) and ancestor spirits to him, and rules them. Those he finds unworthy are tortured, and outcast, and wander the world as ghosts. Ki’nana is the highest spirit in the Mizanian Pantheon, and the greatest of the Gods, yet he is never worshipped or prayed to, as that is considered to be a dangerous sin. Only his lesser spirits are communicated with.
Ema-O: The Shintai lord of the cursed dead. All those who died with no honour, or lived a life of dishonour are sent here. His halls are filled with fire and pain.
Amu-Osi: Amu-Osi is the god of the Underworld in Aega. He guides the barge of the Dead through the Gates of Night, carrying those who died to Paradise. Amu-Osi himself apparently only guides Kings and Queens, who he takes to the Land of the Gods. Normal mortals are guided by his servants, Ba-Su (birds with human faces), to dwell in Paradise forever.
Category:Gods
Category:Tolton
Category:Reapers
Category:Religion
Category:Gurthil