Mael

Mael [MAIL]Gardens of the Moon - Chatting with Steven Erikson, part 2 - Claudia Iovanovici - As pronounced by Steven Erikson at 1:58:55 (likely as in maelstrom) was the Elder GodMemories of Ice, Glossary, UK MMPB p.1186 of the Seas.House of Chains, Glossary His warren was Denaeth Rusen.Reaper's Gale, Chapter 15 
As an Elder God, he was called by many names. The colonists from the First Empire made their sacrifices to the salty seas in the name of Jhistal. The Tiste Edur knew the god as Mael, and their warriors in their war canoes opened their veins to feed the foam, and this red froth they called Bloodmane.Dust of Dreams, Chapter 21 The Jheck who lived upon the ice called the dark waters beneath that ice the Lady of Patience, Barutalan. The Faraed knew him as Mael, Elder God of the Seas, the Dweller Below.Midnight Tides, Chapter 6, US SFBC p.192 The Shake spoke of Neral, the Swallower. On Quon Tali one aspect of Mael was known as Chem, the Thousand-fold God, God of the waters, God of all the seas, God of a Thousand Moods, a Thousand Faces, and a Thousand Names.Return of the Crimson Guard, Book 3 Chapter 1, US HC p.564
In his normal form, he was described as wide and squat with deep blue skin which faded to gold at the throat and bared belly. He had lank blond hair which hung down from a broad, almost flat pate and amber eyes.Midnight Tides, Prologue, US SFBC p.24
Worshippers on Quon Tali cast folded leaves, flowers, and garlands into the water as offerings and prayers to Mael.Return of the Crimson Guard, Book 3 Chapter 1, US HC p.564-565 Grisly blood rites of sacrifice were also an ancient tradition for attempting to gain the god's favour.The Bonehunters, Chapter 7, US SFBC p.353-354
Sharks were Mael's chosen beasts of the sea.House of Chains, Chapter 3, US SFBC p.186
Those of Tarthenal blood were drawn to Mael because of an event in their ancient history during the time they had lived upon the water.Reaper's Gale, Chapter 18, US HC p.540
==In Midnight Tides==
Shortly after the sundering of Kurald Emurlahn, Mael observed the invasion of the Malazan world through a violent rent by the combined armies of Silchas Ruin's Tiste Andii and Scabandari Bloodeye's Tiste Edur. After the invaders defeated the army and Skykeeps of the K'Chain Che'Malle and Scabandari betrayed Silchas, Mael bargained with Gothos to preserve the destruction within a layer of ice. In return Mael would owe the Jaghut a debt. Mael also made an alliance with Kilmandaros from the other side of the invaders' gate to bring down Scabandari and scatter his people.Midnight Tides, Prologue, US SFBC p.24-25 
In modern times, Brys Beddict travelled to part of Mael's realm while working with the Ceda Kuru Qan to determine if Mael had been enslaved by Hannan Mosag. While there, he encountered the Guardian of the Names charged by Mael to protect a sanctuary of numerous Forgotten Gods. Without Mael's protection these gods without worshipers would have vanished and died, although Mael himself had not visited in thousands of years. After discovering one of Mael's charges had indeed been stolen by the Tiste Edur, Brys donated his own blood to recharge the strength of the sanctuary's Guardian.Midnight Tides, Chapter 6, US SFBC p.194/203-205
It was revealed that Mael was secretly posing as Bugg, Tehol Beddict's manservant in Letheras. He was also Tehol's frontman in his business endeavours and proprietor of Bugg's Construction.
While posing as Bugg, he was described as an old man, bald,Reaper's Gale, Chapter 18, according to the Advocate Sleem: Bugg '[...] I cut a sliver [...] to pay for a haircut' / Sleem: 'You have no hair' with a wizened face and a grizzled head who squinted often.
During the Tiste Edur invasion of Letheras, Bugg worked furiously to blunt a Convergence of powers gathering in the city. He recruited Iron Bars and his squad of Crimson Guardsmen and led them to the hiding place of The Pack so it could be slain. This prevented B'nagga and his horde of Jheck from ascending and creating an empire of Soletaken with the Pack as their god.Midnight Tides, Chapter 24, US SFBC p.700/705-708
Bugg then immediately directed Bars to the city's dead Azath Tower to delay the Seregahl who were attempting to escape their earthen prison. Bars was able to hold his own long enough for Silchas Ruin to make his own escape and dispatch the five formidable Tarthenal gods.Midnight Tides, Chapter 24, US SFBC p.708Midnight Tides, Chapter 25, US SFBC p.737-739 He also aided Kuru Qan and a Jaghut Huntress in capturing and freezing the ancient sea-god that the Edur had bound to their service.Midnight Tides, Chapter 24, US SFBC p.710-711
But Bugg's success in dealing with these threats came at great personal cost. He arrived too late to save Tehol from a group of Tiste Edur warriors tracking Mayen through the city and killing any Letherii in their path. Theradas Buhn and his warriors murdered Tehol's Shavankrats bodyguards and were in the process of kicking and stomping Tehol to death when Bugg came upon them. The manservant murdered the Edur with magic in rage and grief, then carried Tehol's body away.Midnight Tides, Chapter 25, US SFBC p.719-724/729-730 
Bugg took Tehol to a crypt below the Lether River and healed him as best he could, even replacing one of his eyes. Bugg then revealed himself to be Mael and told Tehol that their association had been an unceasing delight after an eternity of boredom. He claimed Tehol had resurrected in him the pleasure of existence then noted he would have to remove his master's memories of the conversation.Midnight Tides, Chapter 25, US SFBC p.747-750 The Guardian of the Names carrying Brys' body soon found Mael and the unconscious Tehol and passed Brys' knowledge of the names of the Forgotten Gods to the still living brother.Midnight Tides, Chapter 25, US SFBC p.757-758 
When Tehol awoke, the city had been conquered by the Edur. He thanked Bugg for allowing him to remember his servant's true identity and giving him the opportunity to grieve.Midnight Tides, Chapter 25, US SFBC p.766-767
Afterwards, Mael paid a visit to the Crippled God's island to punish him for inciting the war between the Tiste Edur and the Kingdom of Lether, and the latter's subsequent capitulation. While doing so, he rescued Withal and Sandalath Drukorlat who were captive on the island.Midnight Tides, Epilogue, US SFBC p.769-771
==In The Bonehunters==
Smiles recalled how her twin sister had been sacrificed to Mael. Her small village in Itko Kan resorted to old rituals when their nets failed to pull fish from the sea. The priests bound, weighted down, and drugged her sister with Durhang oil, then left her at the waterline to be taken by the tide and hungry crabs.
Mappo Runt, Iskaral Pust, and Spite travelled the Otataral Sea by ship. Mappo noticed Spite standing at the prow amidst a mud-brown haze conversing with seemingly no one. A gleeful Pust identified it as an intruding spirit that Mappo thought smelled of warm, dry, grasslands.The Bonehunters, Chapter 19, US SFBC p.759-760
After hours of arguing, the conversation was over and the Eres'al went on her way. Bottle later noted that the Eres'al's eerie wind was speeding Adjunct Tavore Paran's fleet home to Quon Tali through Mael's realm and there was nothing the "crusty barnacle" could do about it.The Bonehunters, Chapter 19, US SFBC p.770
Later, when a dozen suns fell from the sky towards Otataral Island, Ganoes Paran hurriedly drew a card from the Deck of Dragons to find a god who would help save the world. He meant to call on Mael, but quickly realised he had mistakenly called on Hood.The Bonehunters, Chapter 20, US SFBC p.780-782
==In Reaper's Gale==
In the aftermath of the Tiste Andii invasion, Mael and Kilmandaros battled and subdued Scabandari. Before the Elder Goddess could deliver the mortal blow, Mael convinced her to allow Gothos to ensnare Scabandari's soul within a Finnest. Otherwise the Tiste Edur would retain the majority of his power. Gothos tricked both Elder Gods into letting the Jaghut retain possession of the Finnest afterwards. Kilmandaros and Mael argued over whether the dying and fragmenting Kurald Emurlahn was worth saving, with the Goddess arguing that "the death of one realm is a promise to every other realm."Reaper's Gale, Prologue
thumb|left|200x200px|Bugg by [https://www.instagram.com/shadaan_studios/ Shadaan]
In the present day, Mael, in his guise as Bugg, helped Tehol to bring down the Letherii economy by creating a false shortage of finance and then flooding the markets with coin all at once. He was appointed Chancellor, Ceda, and Treasurer to Tehol Beddict when the latter was crowned King of the Lether.
==In Toll the Hounds==
Traveller journeyed to Darujhistan to slay Hood, but his ship was wrecked off the coast of Genabackis near Morn. He was soon met by Shadowthrone and Cotillion, who provided him supplies to continue his journey. The two gods denied having any part in the destruction of his ship and the deaths of his crew. They did not tell him that it was Mael who had wrecked his ship in an attempt to delay Traveller's march towards Hood. Shadowthrone and Cotillion knew that Mael's actions were misguided as Hood had no intention of running.Toll the Hounds, Chapter 4, US SFBC p.117-120Toll the Hounds, Chapter 6, US SFBC p.196-202
==In Dust of Dreams==
Mael, again held the disguise of Bugg, standing by Tehol's right hand. He, along with Pinosel and Ursto Hoobutt, defended Seren Pedac and her unborn child during Fiddler's reading of the Deck of Dragons.
Notably, while meeting with the other elder gods Mael held to the elderly appearance of Bugg. He banned Errastas from Letheras and threatened to drown him if he should ever return there. Among the Elder Gods, Mael was still held in a position of power, having a High Priest in the position to take the Malazan Throne.
==In The Crippled God==
Mael brought the body and soul of Heboric Light Touch to K'rul upon his request. He also told him about the Bonehunters' battle with the K'Chain Nah'ruk.
He, along with K'rul, greeted Kaminsod upon his release and took him to Heboric. They watched as the two rechained Korabas.
==In Return of the Crimson Guard==
Mallick Rel, the Jhistal priest, bound Mael through a blood ritual and used the God's power in his efforts to gain the Malazan throne. He compelled Mael to speed the journeys of the fleets of Urko Crust's Talian League secessionists and of the Crimson Guard to Quon Tali fanning the flames of civil war.Return of the Crimson Guard, Book 1 Chapter 3, US HC p.107
However, the prayers of Mael's new-found followers served to break these bindings, though Mael restrained himself from killing Rel in punishment.Return of the Crimson Guard, Book 3 Chapter 1, US HC p.564-565
==In Stonewielder==
As Greymane passed through the Warren of Ruse on his mission to destroy the Stormwall, Mael presented him with a reminder of the cost of his efforts. Ruse became a flooded plain awash with pale drowned corpses stinking of death. Although pained by the warning, Greymane was not dissuaded from his task.Stonewielder, Chapter 11, US HC p.541-542
==In Blood and Bone==
While T'riss and Ina were travelling to Jacuruku, Mael showed up to have a conversation with T'riss. He was described as a "squat man, mostly bald, with a bulbous nose and a sack of a face," with "broad humped shoulders and wide gnarled stonemason's hands." Mael stated that he and the others would not be able to interfere when T'riss arrived at her destination, and asked that T'riss visit with him after. Ina realized that Mael likely had far more empathy for humans than other Ascendants.Blood and Bone, Chapter 10, US HC p.391-392
== In Forge of Darkness==
Mael was said to have fled across the sea and formed his own realm.Forge of Darkness, Chapter 16, UK HC p.501-2
==In Fall of Light==
(Information needed)
==In Forge of the High Mage==
(Information needed)
==Author's comment==
In a 2020 interview, author Steven Erikson said "Mael is a reluctant god in the sense that he does not appreciate what most of his worshippers are up to."
==Trivia==
*For the relationship between Bugg and Tehol, Erikson was inspired by the performances of Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie in Jeeves and Wooster.Ten Very Big Books podcast - Midnight Tides As pronounced by Steven Erikson at 29:15
==Notes and references==
de:Mael
Category:Males
Category:Elder Gods
Category:Azathanai