Alqawen

Alqawen (Ash: Swan-mother) is the most beloved of the Aze-Ashani, the deities worshiped by that people. Her veneration and sacred sites are found wherever the Ashani have lived for any significant period of time but is centered in the sacred Ashani town of Yarathera, where the faithful are led and shepherded by the Selviliya, greatest of the priestesses of the faith.
Alqawen's worship is centered around still pools, lakes, and springs; the presence of swans and great natural beauty is fundamental to the establishment of such locations as her sacred places.
While the Aze-Ashani are considered equals, with all four elements needed to create and sustain life, Alqawen occupies a position of prima inter pares among them, being most beloved of them all. Of the four, Alqawen's service is the most mystical, rivaled only by that of Ramanath. The Ashani possess many mystical interpretations for water in all its forms, and for the mirrors that, they say, are reflections and images of still water. It's role as a gate between worlds is central to these understandings.
Artistically she is most often portrayed in one of three forms. The first is a Silashani woman, with very pale or white blond hair, a silver crown, and a white dress in a watery setting. The second is as a swan, being her most prominent symbol. The third is as a spring of water, frequently flowing out into barren land to which it brings life.
Category:Ashani
Category:Ashani Religion
Category:Aze Ashani
Category:Religions