Hor

**Hor** was a household god, later turned minor deity of the Neo-Norduren Pantheon. He is most famous for being the household god of King Korev the Great.

## History

Little is known of Hor prior to the Conquest of the North. He is mentioned only twice in pre-conquest material: once on a devotional bone offering found in the remains of a temple in Higd and another as a member of a divine procession on the side of a bowl north of Isgerdia. This latter find depicts him similarly to how the early Korevnans would: as a bearded man wearing a tall cap with long hair, his right hand clutching a sword, with boots and an exposed erect phallus. This latter element would entirely disappear by the 15th century AE.

Korev the Great claimed Hor as his household god, a personal divine protector sacred to his family for generations. When he returned to Ogna to build his fortification, he also constructed a temple to Hor which was in use until it’s conversion into a Justainian chapel in 972 AE. Worship of Hor spread after the settling of Korevna, especially surrounding Isgerdia. He was seen as the patron deity of Isgerdia itself, then called Ognavid.

From the 18th to 15th centuries AE, Hor would replace the deity Curn in Isgerdia, eventually becoming considered a major deity in the latter half of the 15th century, continuing until the rise of Justainism in the 10th century. Several temples were built for him in and around Isgerdia and amulets bearing his image were made in such great numbers that they are still found when plowing fields.

Justainism reached Korevna very quickly after it’s founding, replacing the Neo-Norduren Pantheon fairly swiftly. By the 980s worship of the deities in cities had vastly decreased and in the 970s to 940s many temples were destroyed or converted to Justainian chapels and churches. By 900 the worship of pagan gods was deemed illegal, though the practice wouldn’t die out entirely until the late 800s.

Hor was forgotten until renewed interest in the history of the North began in the 1st century AE into the Current Era. Artifacts relating to the deity were collected and displayed by collectors in Isgerdia and in museums in Fleur and Skjol. A small cult dedicated to his worship re-emerged in the 50s CE but remained an underground phenomenon.

## Description

Hor was often shown as an entirely human man with Korevnan facial features and a dark beard with long dark hair. He wore a tall conical felt cap and sometimes a cloak off one shoulder. His right hand always clutches an upturned sword. He typically was shown with laced boots up to his knees, with a bare chest and legs, exposing an erect phallus. As time went on, Hor appeared less frequently nude, eventually losing the phallus entirely, instead being shown dressed in mail.

Hor was the god of warriors, specifically foot soldiers, stonecutters, melée tournaments, and the patron deity of both House Korev and the city of Ognavid. He was said to have dwelt in alcoves, caves, tombs, and stone houses thus his temples were always such places. Many caves near Isgerdia contain ancient offerings to Hor.

## Myths and Actions

Legend says that on the 4th of Kaltan 1841 AE during a festival in honor of House Korev a manifestation of Hor appeared before a crowd of people. The deity lifted his sword to the heavens then marched to the Temple of Curn where upon it smashed the idol of said deity with its sword. Frightened the people of Ognavid prostrated themselves before the image, saying prayers to it until it dissipated. In response, the temple was destroyed and the images of Curn thrown into the gutters and trampled.

A myth tells of how Hor and Od had a competition to see who could build a better home and a better boat. Hor built a round house of stone while Od built a longhouse of carved wood that was very beautiful to look at but was burnt up by embers. Od then built a fine longship of wood while Hor built an arc of stone which sunk in the water. Thus the competition was a draw and the two deities collaborated together forever after as equals. In response to this myth a temple was erected of stone and wood to Od and Hor in Ognavid in the 14th century AE but was destroyed in 954 AE.