Skjol (Deity)

**Skjol** is the name of an ancient Norduren deity who was once worshiped in the North by the descendants of settlers from Nordures. Little is known about his original form, though his worship has evolved across the years into several distinct aspects. In the Justainian Empire, worship of Skjol is banned under the Idolatry Bull of 923 AE.

## History

Skjol originated from the island of Nordures and was worshiped by the people there as early as prehistory. Accounts in the Norduren Chronicles, specifically the section entitled the Annals of Kings, mentions that the first king of Nordures was Skjol, the "Great God of the North, Lord of Vigdures, and King of Skjolzir". The account claims that this deity became the first king of Nordures, ruling it for half a millennium until he was challenged by the "gods of the other men". Who these other men were is not known but they demanded the god leave his position on Fayos and return to the gate of heaven in the far northern continent of Vigdures. He held a competition before leaving to determine who among the men of the city were worthy of the throne. The winner was a man called Sig. He became the first human to be king of Nordures and was said to have ruled for three hundred and seventy-one years until being slain in battle with the chief of Hulm. Little description is given of Skjol himself, only that he is consistently referred to as the "Great God of the North" with the word "vig" being used in place of "north", implying that Skjol was not the god of Nordures, but of the land north of it. This corresponds with Vigudres, the frozen ice shelf where no beast lives. Some scholars interpret this as implying that Skjol was adopted from another pantheon or culture.

Skjol was worshiped almost exclusively as the sole deity of Nordures, at least according to the Chronicles. Some references are made in the text to other deities, usually those of foreigners or occasionally the household gods of lesser chiefs. Interestingly, these household deities are typically referred to in a derogatory context, implying some kind of monotheistic culture. This contradicts the long standing belief that Northern paganism grew from an ancient Norduren pantheistic tradition. However, some references are made to consort of Skjol, a female divinity or perhaps mortal woman who was his bride called Ilja. In the entirety of the Chronicles she is mentioned twice, both in latter portions attested to have been created in the fourth millennium. She is invoked once in a prayer to Skjol, where the protagonist calls on, "Great God of the North Skjol with spotted hand and Fair Ilja of the Flaxen Hair". The second mention is during the Song of Halmrich, where during Firja's wedding she "mantles" Ilja by drinking a mix of wine and seal's blood from a sea shell cup. The text says she was "as radiant as Fair Ilja of the Flaxen Hair when Skjol took her to her bridal bed". It appears that Ilja was a later addition to the mythos as she is not mentioned earlier.

Skjol, as the singular god of the Nordures, was surprisingly not depicted directly in their Chronicles outside the Annals of Kings. There, he is described as being short tempered, quick to strike, but with an infallible sense of justice and honor. This description holds true throughout the texts, though eventually he becomes less arrogant and cruel. Worship of Skjol continued until the migration to mainland Fayos from the 4th to 1st millennium AE. In Fayos, Skjol took on a less animistic nature as the shamanistic ways of Nordures were forgotten. Skjol became synonymous with humanity and the human spirit, with old northern kings claiming him as a direct semi-divine human ancestor. He became associated with kings, rulers, knights, and justice. The kingdom of Skjol was named after the deity because the first king, Harjld the Great claimed to be the son of Skjol. He proved this by being able to turn sticks into snakes and speak in a "celestial tongue". Skjol's incorporation into the new northern pantheon extended his worship across the north.

With the rise of Justainism in the 1st millennium AE, Skjol began to decline in popularity. While those in the country that bears his name still consider him an important part of their history, they are no longer worshiping him as a god, at least openly. In 923 AE, the Idolatry Bull sent from the Grand Pontificate of Arimania banned the worship of 783 deities, both major and minor. Skjol being among them led to the mass destruction of his temples, idols, and cultural position. By the 8th century, his worship was near entirely snuffed out. In the current year of 116 ME, Skjol is used still as a culturally important idea, appearing in art and literature as a motif symbolizing various things such as modernization, ancient man, or justice. Some interest in his worship has reemerged, though it remains underground.

## Appearance

Skjol is rarely described in the most ancient texts. He is almost always however said to have spotted hands, which has caused much debate among scholars. Some argue this meant he had bruising or discoloration representative of having frostbite. Others say this represents his animistic nature as early worshipers would associate Skjol with seals and deer. Sometimes, Skjol is said to have a helmet of iron on his head, a type of headgear that would become associated with kings of Skjolzir. Figurines of the deity recovered from Nordures' ruined coastal settlements show a strange animal-like man covered in markings. Some are only in the vague shape of a man.