L'wna

L'wna is the Hamalfite goddess of the moon and ultimately of life. As with her sister both the traditional cults and the modern cult hold her as neccesary and powerful as C'lestia. Though likewise the traditional and modern view on her birth differs, with the old cults proclaiming she was born at the universe's conception to combat emptiness, darkness, and druj and the modern cult proclaiming she predates the universe.
==Origin==
As with C'lestia, worship of L'wna evolved out of primitive sky worship. It is possible that in the evolution of Hamalfite theology that L'wna and C'lestia were the same functioning God. But for some purpose were split to symbolize the two respective periods of the sky: night and day. L'wna getting representation in the night sky. There is some early writing that exists that calls out L'wna by a number of different names, some of which may still be in use as alternative names. L'na, Loon, La-wa, and Lua being the most prominent names mentioned in respect to a being of similar description.
The early worship of L'wna was most likely akin to her sister: unlikely to rely on dedicated holy places. Thus leading to the suggestion that she was a deity whose followers believed could be universally located, and not to certain geologic areas. Scholars in the Ayba'dhja Asiaha'wabha suggested that L'wna's domain - like C'lestia - is a wordily, inclusive temple where sacred prayers and rites can be practiced wherever.
The purpose of worship of L'wna early on is unknown at best. Magi and scholars suggest that L'wna's main function as a Goddess would have been a representation of the night-sky, useful in navigation across the desert during more comfortable periods. Or simply someone to look up to in defense of those that stalk the desert night.
The evolution into a semi-centralized worship arised in the central Hamalfite kingdom of Aul or Nur who had built a sandstone temple decorated in her honor. It has been abandoned however and swallowed by the sands.
===Dietific Origins===
The origins of L'wna has evolved as Hamalfite religion has evolved, and with the centralization and concentration of previous dieties into C'lestia and L'wna themselves so has the context of their origin.
====Traditional Hamalfite view====
To the followers of the old cults, C'lestia and L'wna were born on the first breath of the universe with the procreation of two spirits, Nir and Innan. The product of their copulation releasing on the single breath the seeds of the universe, which mixed and fertilized to bring forth life. In the instant after C'lestia and L'wna materialized, the strongest of the spirits created by the two. Nir and Innan sacrificed themselves to L'wna and C'lestia merging themselves with their daughters whose power expanded to create more.
In the explosion of magical energies and the light of the stars their power pierced the heart of emptiness and forced it to bleed, creating the physical realm as they built the heavenly kingdom above. On the physical plain life grew and C'lestia and L'wna took many to be companion gods in the Kingdom of Heaven, and to allocate the powers of creation to combat emptiness and the darkness.
====Creation according to the Ayba'dhja Asiaha'wabha====
The Ayba'dhja Asiaha'wabha dismisses the claim that C'lestia and L'wna were made as a final act of creation and sacrifice of two earlier spirits. The Magi of the Celestia Cult claim that instead C'lestia and L'wna have existed always, if in a catatonic state before they initiated the passage of time. In reference to the old story of the God's creation they claim that Nir and Innan were merely early avatars of C'lestia and L'wna in a more child-like or adolescent stage.
Originally the act of procreation had been overlooked by the early Magi. And on the Fourth Succession of the Ayayba'dhja to Isir al-Haisoni the Cult re-examined the early myth and their own interpretation over concerns of promotion of incest, re-drafting their creation and the universe's as being a spontaneous act of creativity by both C'lestia and L'wna independently.
==Worship==
Worship of L'wna differs between region, period, or cult adherence. The old Hamalfite Cults hold a great deal of respect for L'wna and often times hold L'wna as being the God in command of their own diety, as a king commands a noble. Elsewhere she may be regarded as equal to other gods and prayers made to her must be made out directly to her, as she has the power to only fulfill requests made to her if related to her power. Where as in the other respect the other gods act as a conduit to receive and send the prayers to L'wna if not made directly to her.
Though L'wna was considered a God who has no one house to worship there are few shrines dedicated to her. The oldest known structures or locations dedicated to her are only roughly 4,800 to 5,000 years old with the oldest structure being the Ziggurat of Nur.
===Ziggurat of Nur===
The Ziggurat of Nur was commisioned by King Aul or Nur in honor of the Goddess L'wna and C'lestia in his forgotten city of Nur. The city of Nur itself was lost to the decay of time and destroyed by his nomadic rivals, the pyramid he dedicated remains as the only testiment to the city's existence. Buried by the sands it was preserved as the oldest standing structure dedicated to C'lestia and L'wna.
The Ziggurat itself is considered to be haunted by the ghosts of the Aul's subjects and is avoided.
===Shrine al-Suramid===
The small shrine at Suram marks the approximate location to where Mombadin recieved the word of C'lestia and L'wna to rally the Hamalfite people 800 years ago. Given the demographic of the region the shrine has remained small as a reflection of how much money enters the area. Its importance is merely supported by the Magi as the location where the doctrines of C'lestia were first passed down.
===Masjd al-Haisonid===
The larger Masjd in Haison serves as the largest dedicated structure to the sister goddesses in use. Serving as the seat of the Ayayba'dhja and the Celestial Cult it is the most prestigious and politically important religious structure of the Celestial Cult.
==Representation==
L'wna is often represented as a horse with a dark blue coat and a mane as black as the night sky; though some artists include star maps into the mane and tail. Additionally, she may come in the form of a black or dark-blue woman of slender build, carrying a silver moon and star in her hands.
More abstractly, she is often given the symbol of the moon - itself popular as dynastic iconography - or stars.
==Fifty Names of Divinity==
1. Saeti ib-Asra
2. Budur
3. Busra
4. Fiddah
5. Futun
6. Il-Hafha
7. Lu'lu
8. Ib-Luja
9. Lamya
10. Lulwa
11. Majidah
12. L'wna
13. Leila
14. Laylali
15. Il-Isra
16. Il-Hazar
17. Suraa
18. Shahrazad
19. Saeti-Ba'ith
20. Anahita
21. Arashi
22. Banu
23. Dilshadi
24. Esfiri
25. Ester
26. Esta
27. Esther
28. Faruzi
29. ab-Farzini
30. Saeti-baqi
31. Saeti- Hakim
32. Hester
33. L'na
34. Loon
35. La-wa
36. Lua
37. Jaleh
38. Mahtab
39. Minu
40. Kohinoor
41. Nahid
42. Parisa
43. Parisha
44. Roksana
45. Roshnaki
46. Roxanne
47. Yasmin
48. Esther
49. Saeti-Kahbir
50. Saeti-Malik
Category:New Voldrania Category:Haisonuuna Category:Religion