Vozonid mythology

**Vozonid mythology** is the mythology of the Vozonids, a race of humans from south-central Palkyras.

## Main gods

* Rojono (Roi, Jo) - The highest god of the Vozonid pantheon, and the supposed supreme ruler and creator of the multiverse. His name means "source" or "origin", and he is represented as a shining light surrounded by the darkness of the Void. Although he is also the supposed creator of souls, he especially favours plants the most.
	+ It is also a common motif in Vozonid temples to have a dark-coloured ceiling (usually a dome or an octagonal roof) with a white eight-pointed star in the middle symbolising the Creator.

### Three Guardians

* Pjosaroz (Posaru, Onōroposàru) - The four-faced guardian of the main gate to Heaven -- where the higher gods live -- and the overseer of the main universe on Rojono's behalf. He is armed with an ever-burning scimitar, and in his left hand is a map symbolising the natural order of the main universe. During Sarmelonid times, he was the patron deity of the Vozonid Empire.
	+ In Vozolaz (Zaqo/Azgo and its neighbours), he is believed to have been killed while defending Heaven against a demonic invasion and replaced by the celestial Naruvoz; while in Irajon, he is believed to have survived the invasion. This has resulted in a number of conflicts between different sects of the Vozonid religion that usually ended in the "Pjosaroz is dead" faction being dominant, although the Pjosaroz-worshippers are tolerated nowadays.

* Kalandil (Mindas) - The fine-bearded god of time. As Kalandil, he is commonly depicted as wearing a crown of nine black pillars, and he tries to protect the way time flows from being distorted, otherwise it would cause lethal disruptions that would destroy the world (so he dislikes time-travellers). He dwells in a tall palace on an archipelago surrounded by storm-ridden seas of black sand.
	+ Due to his dislike of time-travellers, he is not worshipped by the Wannaenid Empire, who view him as an enemy who disrupts their ambition to gain endless power.

* Nimboz (Nī́mmumpu) - The elderly god of entropy and chaos who enjoys mischief and trickery. He ages backwards as the candles in his room go out one by one, and when the last candle is extinguished, his sleeping infantile form vanishes and the universe succumbs to the distortions of Chaos and the Void.
	+ He also restrains and tames the swarms of nī̀mmo birds that eat reality, hence his name.

### Three High Gods

* Zomjonōr - The lunar god of gryphons and the dormant mind, and therefore the ruler of the world of dreams and its resulting creativity or insanity. As he sends gryphon-like celestials to protect sleepers from demons, he has become popular among most Vozonids, that he also became their national deity.
	+ He lives in a palace that floats within the middle of a giant emerald (or jade) cube, having a hundred gates that reveal a different aspect of the visitor's soul. Flags representing him were usually blue with a white gryphon holding a scimitar, like that of Arantar.

* Sammakari (Gammanōr, Aruna) - The god and king of the sea and anything related to water. He rules all water-wights from a coral palace situated within the deepest point of the oceans. In Vozonid times, he and his family are depicted as dark-skinned, reflecting the depths of the seas that he ruled.
	+ Vozonids also pray to him when they travel across space, as they did when they travelled across oceans and seas.
	+ Due to his dark skin, some Vozonids believe that he and his royal court favour Rifandians as their adopted heirs.

* Zōval (Sū) - The god of death and the judge of the underworld, who assigns the souls of the deceased into their appropriate realms based on their deeds in life. He lives in a palace-like cavern within an enormous rock floating under the multiverse, and he is aided by twelve ministers who record the deeds of each soul.
	+ He greatly dislikes mass-murderers, for he considers them to put many lives to waste.
	+ Zoval rides on a chariot pulled by two or four hyenas, symbols of death.

## Gauvajut gods

* Tarhunz (Teshub) - The Gauvajut god of thunder, lightning (his javelin-like weapon), and war, and the slayer of demons such as Illujankas. He is often commemorated in the Purulli ceremony, in which an actor pretends to slay a dragon; and during Gauvajut times he was also worshipped as the god of electricity to the extent that weapons that fired lightning were consecrated to him.

* Hannahanna - The Gauvajut goddess of the earth, wealth, harvest, the calendar, and the renewed year. She is Tarhunz' wife, and she is celebrated on Purulli with crop offerings.
	+ The reddish mineral known as "spinel" is poetically referred to as "Hannahanna's sweat", because spinel deposits were common throughout the land, seemingly regrowing underground in quick rates. As spinel gems were used as currency in ancient times, she and her wights were also worshipped as bringers of wealth and good fortune.

* Arinna - The beautiful Gauvajut goddess of the sun. She is worshipped alongside Hannahanna with offerings of crops and fruit, as the golden-haired daughter of Tarhunz and Hannahanna who slays demons with her light and her burning sword.

* Purulli - Arinna's sister, and the goddess of harvests and the New Year. Together with her servants Pumpkin Lord and Klōdiraz, they appear at New Year celebrations to add humour and merriment. She is often seen carrying a bowl of rice or a sickle and a sheath of wheat or rice.
* Hasameli - The god of science, smiths, and engineers.
* Aruna - The god of the sea and oceans.
* Namni and Hazzi/Naubjoz and Kharzjoz - Tarhunz's bodyguards, they represent two sacred mountains to the north and south.
* Kamrusepa (Kaurosipaz) - The goddess of medicine and healing. Shrines to her are placed in front of hospitals and clinics.
* Is'hara (Iskharai) - The goddess of oaths and treaties. Also the master of the jopakkon tree-wights.

## Other gods

* Rathjanōr - The god of the conscious mind, and Zomjonōr's brother.
* Laghuraz - The goddess of the fertile soil and the crops that grow on it. Jazorin's wife, and perhaps another identity of Hannahanna.
* Tuoroz - The god of war and victory, and also Laghuraz's husband.
* Jazorin (Pizorin) - The god of lightning and electricity, and a punisher of evildoers. Laghuraz's husband, and perhaps another identity of Tarhunz.
* Olinōr - The god of the Baval Olhi river, and also of calendars and agriculture.
* Lauvarin - The goddess of the sea, and the wife of Sammakari. Sailors pray to her for protection against storms.
* Athazol, Rjazasol, and Rindaisol - The three sons of Sammakari and Lauvarin, the princes of the oceans. Athazol governs the north, Rjazasol governs the south, and Rindaisol governs the Western Hemisphere.
	+ The Josolchir believe in the fourth son of Sammakari, the god Raudares the Bearded. He rules over the Dunomin Ocean, and those who drown there end up welcomed into his coral city.
* Ranjasrai - The princess of the seas, the chief daughter of the sea gods. The goddess of sea animals, from fish to sharks and coral.
	+ The Josolchir believe that she has two older sisters, Arul and Arulsai. Arul is the goddess of luck, wealth, and chariots; and Arulsai is the goddess of art and hope.

* Thosornon - The god of writing and poetry. Vozonid students pray to him for success in their studies.
* Khotunoz (Kaškuh) - The god of the moon. May or may not be another form of Zomjonor.
* Sueiroz (Dairanōr, Dêro) - The god of crossroads and travellers, commonly depicted as sitting cross-legged and raising a sword against evil spirits. A popular deity.
* Mannothoz (Tolloz, Nag'ūr-Wanno) and Auviz (Osssorina) - Supposedly the ultimate ancestors of humanity in some myths, as opposed to Vondoz and his wife Dalanthar who produced the Greyfolk. Mannothoz is commonly interpreted as an earth god, while his wife Auviz is mentioned as an earth goddess who invented many crafts.
* Tandornadoz - The god of technology and machines.
* Māvjoz - the Mamaovian sea god and king, Māui, venerated in Vozonid religion as the patron and master of the Western Hemisphere and its oceans. Travellers pray to him before going anywhere to the Western Hemisphere of Jerde (Mamaovia's islands, Bujan, Daizhou, Prisapura, etc.) or sailing westward.
	+ To the Mamaovian kingdoms, Māvjoz is not even worshipped at their temples, as he was only seen as a folk hero.
	+ In honour of his legend where he pulled the sun to make days longer, the kingdoms of Mamaovia's islands suggested the Vozonids not to worship Māvjoz, but other deities related to time and classical art. The Vozonids would either pray and build temples for to their own sea god Sammakari; the Hiriwan gods Lord Rehua (god of time and the stars) and Tama-nui-te-rā (lord of the sun and time, the one restrained by Maui's hair to stop him from starving all life); or the Hilan gods Kāne (god-king of order and creation, fitting for the Vozonids' love of harmony) and Lono (god of the classical arts).
	+ In some universities, Lono is also worshipped before classical arts to seek his blessings.
* Lonoz, Ronnoz - the Hilan and Hiriwan god of peace and finer arts.
* Tūmataunoz - Tūmatauenga, the Hiriwan god of war. Still worshipped as a benefactor for those who fight evil, whether in the form of murderers or invading armies.
* Rhynaunanōr - Yokdei, the Jade Emperor. Seen as the patron of the Eastern Hemisphere, where Vozolaz is located.
* Ōdanōr, Oljanōr - god of bonfires and cremations. He clothes heroes who enter Heaven with a magical orange cloak, so those who wore it will be brought to the other gods to be raised as one of their many assistants, as a new god.

Names for gods: bogoz, bagoz, baghoz, ghonjor(il/oz), onōr (king), sorjoz, javjoz, kravjoz (deity), avyoz, avijoz, vaijoz

Vozonid deities are often depicted wearing ornate silk and gold robes, wearing helmet crowns of gold and jewels and with haloes behind their heads. Their attire is very similar to Sarmelonid emperors' clothing, even as modern-day depictions have became more different.

## Deified people and saints

Many Vozonid myths claimed about people who became gods, as assistants of the existing deities.

* Father Sarmelon - Sarmelon I, the first emperor of the Sarmelonid civilisation. For beginning the greatest of all Vozonid civilisations and his righteous reign, he became a god.
* Princes of Sarmelon - Suntsho and his brothers, Jaraituro, Miraituro, Naraituro, Irjowanthoz, and Tharawjoroz. Venerated for using their father's divine powers wisely and resisting temptation, they became protector gods after their deaths.
	+ In modern Azgovian, their names would be Sazol, Joriltōr, Mjaritol, Niroitol, Īrovathoz, and Thavjoroz.
* Sixteen Paladins - sixteen human warriors who aided Sarmelon I in destroying a demonic army. They also became protector deities of various Vozonid regions, venerated ironically by slave revolts who fought against Sarmelonid rule as patrons of righteous people who fight against evil.
	+ One of them, Kaidolan, was the patron of Zōrilan, venerated by Zio Do and other revolutionaries in the northeast.
	+ Another, Kjazoloi, was the patron of the western colonies, venerated by Wonao revolutionaries, the kings of Resovjant, and Koschei.
* Aljatroz - one of Zomjonor's warriors, formerly an immortal who guided Emperor Sarmelon I. He was believed to watch over those who overthrow evil rulers.
* Alhjozor - a righteous emperor of the Sarmelonid Era who became a servant of Zoval, his god and the Lord of Death. He leads armies of berzatri to destroy demons and evil forces, riding on his pet hyena.
* Jothakkon and Siolkotrin - the son and grandson of Alhjozor, venerated in Vozolaz as patrons of righteousness and architecture.
	+ Elsewhere in star systems formerly under Vozonid rule, they were worshipped by the revolutionaries and founders as their patron deities.
* "Starry hosts" - former spirits and ghosts of Terrans who fought for Sarmelon against a demonic incursion. They protected the emperor's realm from supernatural threats, and after Sarmelon's death, they were raised as Celestials.
	+ One of those spirits was believed to be the patron god of the planet of Nandegakko, possibly aiding the revolutionaries through magical means. He did not care whether anyone worshipped him, but he chose to help the Nandegakkovians out of anger against their oppressors.
* Silojennoz - Vozonid emperor who waged a war against the Konjors. Because he also liberated many worlds he conquered, more humans and aliens joined him and became Vozonid subjects. For his benevolence, he is worshipped as a god.

## Evil beings

* Avusoz - The god of madness, insanity, and cruelty, as opposed to the insanity Zomjonōr uses to punish evildoers.

* Sogrun (Ubosae) - The chief deity of the chaos that pervades the Void and attempts to devour the multiverse. As one of the rulers of the monstrous demons crawling and slithering in Hell, he competes against his grotesque rivals for dominance in that abysmal realm. Also likes to use lies and deceit to destroy lives for his pleasure.

* Illujankas - The four-headed leader of the dragons and other demons. As he and his dragons sought to devour all of reality and every living being, they were slain by Tarhunz before they were able to utterly destroy all of creation or the sacred peak of Mount Mandil. Those insidious, slithering menaces became symbols of everything that Gauvajuts and Vozonids oppose: chaos, barbarism, savagery, unholiness, blasphemy, perversion, wrong beliefs, and corruption of any form.
* Khyroi - God of disease.
* Bjurinza - Goddess of murder.
* Tymauloz - God of the Terrans, otherworldly human invaders filled with pure evil.
* Tamuranaz - Goddess of vanity.
* Mokolyrok - God of noise, trauma, and torment.
* Suatazor - God of recklessness.
* Maulagloi - God of injuries, abuse, and sadism.

## Other beings

See also: Wights, Celestials

* Wights - The various spirits of the earth, and the landmasses, features, and plants above it. They also exist in other planets, and represent their respective natural features.
* Celestials - Various spirits of astronomical phenomena and bodies, the wind, and fire. They also comprise of lesser beings under the authority of the Gods.
* The Four Directions - The starhorse, the sunhorse (or sunbird), the raptor (or syroli bird with its jewel-like feathers), and the gryphon (or kalak-bird that heals, or the albatross). Each represents the north, east, south, and west, respectively.
	+ Each direction is also represented by one or two gods who keeps their respective animal: in Vozolaz proper, they are (clockwise):
	+ Bosroz, Aisoz, Garsoz, and Norjōz and Sidarjoz;
	+ and in Irajon they are Bosor, Aisoro, Garas, and Bujennu (the albatross).
	+ The Four Generals of Zomjonor also help them.

* The Seven Swords - Seven warriors who became heroes of the distant past, some of which were the husbands of some of the Sixteen Dancers. Also, seven warriors that were assembled during one ancient age and who accompany the Seven Greater Swords across the sky.

* The Nine Sages - Nine men and celestials who were selected by the gods to aid Pjosaroz in overseeing the universe and constellations. In some myths, they sail on a ship studded with diamonds, forming a new constellation in the northern sky.
	+ 1: Bariwas
	+ 3: Rindir
	+ 5: Sahaguna (Sāgunoz)
	+ 6: Gadagarinkas
	+ 8: Enzewas

* The Sixteen Dancers - Sixteen women from Jerde assigned by the gods after their deaths to oversee the divisions and seasons of the year, as assistants to Kalandil and Hannahanna. Because of them, sixteen has become a sacred number to Gauvajuts and Vozonids alike. They are also the goddesses of classical dance.

* The Twelve Ministers of the Underworld (including Katazoripo) - Twelve earth-wights who assist the god of death by recording the deeds of the dead. Katazoripo is the more popular among the twelve wights, as he records the good actions and motives of each soul to Zōval.
* Heralds of Zoval, Berzatri - When Zoval is busy, he uses thousands of spirits to bring the dead into his court.
	+ White and Black Heralds - Men and women of shadow in white or black robes, who were simply celestials and wights who wanted a less boring job. Although they may appear at any form of death, white heralds usually appear at pleasant deaths; while black heralds are supposedly seen after disasters, mass deaths, or before someone gets a lethal punishment from the gods. They are often known by a trumpet call and a drumbeat that only the deceased and a select few may hear, and priests wear white and black (with a bit of red) robes to represent the heralds' presence.
	+ Zoval's Heralds who wear black clothing are known as "wosal" or "vosal", their ancient name.
* Four Generals of Zomjonor - gryphon spirits who lead the Dream God's many heavenly armies. Their names are Akkaivaroz, Tonuldroi, Nījomaivoz, and Jamosondoi. They also oversee the weather, such as Tonuldroi over rain and Jamosondoi for summer.
	+ Nījomaivoz, as the god of the western wind, also brings righteous souls to Heaven.
* Aitōryz - a black cat who became one of Zomjonor's ministers in Heaven.

### Races and creatures

* Jopakkon - a tree wight that has been bound to an oath. His or her weapon has turned into an axe that he or she uses to kill the oathbreaker.
* Thūrizoz - a giant with horns from the far north. A creature from Nordic folktales.
* Jōtjunoz - a giant with golden hair from the far north. A creature from Nordic folktales.
* Syroli - a large bird with jewel-like feathers that nests on the mountains of the far south. One of Porashon's two national birds.
* Kalak, Kalaku - a white seagull-like bird that heals people.
* Navilokkai, Naewiloqai, Navilogai - women in white dresses who play musical instruments for the gods in heaven.
* Rhuojul, Trojul - a ghost of a person with strong emotions or under a curse.
* Rusojul - a ghost of a past year who attacks people who do not fulfill oaths.
* Tukasas - a good being or a celestial from Heaven who helps others when they do not notice.

### Monsters

* ūroi - monster, ghoul, bogeyman, howler, beast
* ūiroz - ghost, evil spirit
* Kakamboz - a vampire
* Khurjo - a disease spirit that appears as a dusty breeze
* Khoraloz - a terror-ghost, a spirit of a nightmare or phobia
* Seilu, Zȳlau - a flea that devours what it bites.
* zūghol - a hyena spirit who hunts runaway ghosts that must be brought to Zoval's court. These are considered the hounds of the underworld.
* tyrranoi, tyrroi - Terrans, spirits of sins and evil people from other worlds. Bygone invaders summoned by war criminals to destroy Jerde.

## Minor characters and additions

* Glintaraz - One of Zomjonōr's gryphon-celestials that became a popular figure during the late Sarmelonid era for her adventures against various monsters.
	+ On Zomjonōr's festival, when a man wearing his costume visits children, another performer wears her costume as his assistant, or two performers wear gryphon costumes in her place. Her character -- being a warrior -- may also work without a Zomjonōr performer.

* Zargoz - A fat, pink-skinned and green-haired deity who manages a shop in the Void and watches over the neutral beings of the Void on Rojono's behalf. He became a popular figure among the aliens who converted to the Vozonid religion.
* Scorching Heart - a red star from the north who represents the start of summer.

## Locations

* Imbar - Heaven, the realm of the higher Gods
* The Celestial Sea - an ocean that separates the higher dimensions from Heaven. Many Celestials live along either side.
* Vjaralaz, Vyrallaz - Fairyland, the realm of the wights
* The Court of Zoval - where the souls of most dead people are judged by the death god Zoval and his ministers
* The Realm of the Ancestors, Naupisan, Sailasotar - the domain of the virtuous dead, believed to be a field of flowers and lush gardens and forests.
* Vjormoz - Hell, the domain of the demons, the wicked dead, and other monsters
* Zjasol - a region in Vjormoz that is a volcanic wasteland. Various sins across history accumulate here to be reborn as demons and Terrans.
* Dulgammaz - The Dark Seas, a black ocean of pure entropy that disintegrates anything that touches it. It is located far below Vjormoz's depths. The universe is said to end once Dulgammaz drowns everything to the highest heaven.

## Religious terminology

### Legend

(Az) - Azgovian

(Ar) - Arantarese

(Js) - Josolchir

(Sa) - Sarmelonid

### List

kravjoz - god, deity

kravjaz - goddess

Niebas (Sa); Naibaz, Njobaz, Nijabaz (Az); Najambaz (Ar); Neibaraz (Js) - the Gods, Heaven

* puri - offering
* nolban - offering in a banana leaf, (formal) offering
* vjoraz - turn, prayer
* vjorimal - to pray
* suōrai - shrine
* suvon, suvan - holy, sacred
* tokroi, toqroi, toqrojoz - priest
* nadroi, nadrojoz - high priest
	+ "Vjaravolkhoz konz Nadroi Bujanzy." - "The Supreme Volkhov is the High Priest of Bujan".
* zrjonoz - exorcist
	+ Sons of priests who conduct rites and exorcise supernatural forces. They are also trained to fight in the real world, both with blades and guns.
* sjondoi - gryphon priest
	+ A sort of priest who wears a ritual costume of a gryphon. This is for ritual dances in various Vozonid ceremonies.

## Trivia

* In Vozonid culture, thunder is the laughter of a god.
* Many of the Vozonid gods were influenced by Hittite and Slavic mythology, and Thai art.

## See also

### Variants

* Sarmelonid pantheon
* Josolchir mythology
* Azgovian mythology
* Gauvajut mythology

### Other mythologies

* Igarin mythology
* Resparin mythology
* Kuelgon mythology
* Novantirna mythology