Myth of the Month: Enemy Gods of the Orlanthi (2001)

Most deities have one or more specific, notable foes. Those foes were (usually) defeated in mythic times, resulting in the creation of the current world, and may be considered to be a structure of the divine world that underlies the everyday world.

  • Aedin: The daimon giant who built the wall of mountains that surround Storm Village, which are now called Aedin’s Wall in his honor. He received Eneria as payment, the most joyful of Orlanth and Ernalda’s daughters. When she left all joy did as well, and her brothers eventually killed Aedin and brought her back home.
  • Angdartha: Esrola’s foe.
  • Arangorf: The Inner Dragon that once imprisoned Orlanth by slithering inside him. Orlanth was freed by the great hero Alakoring, and killed Arangorf as he does all dragons.
  • Aroka: A huge dragon which was conquered by Orlanth in order to free the waters for the earth and humankind. Its skeleton is visible in the stars, but its head decorates a different constellation, Orlanth’s Ring.
  • Artia: The bat, a sky goddess.
  • Atyar: A foe of Lhankor Mhy, the Knowledge Devourer.
  • Author of Sores: XX.
  • Chavgaz the God-Gobbler: More popularly known as Canis Chaos.
  • Daliath: Keeper of the Well of Wisdom.
  • Dargabon: The Storm Dragon that tried to invade the Storm Realm.
  • Dayzatar: God Behind the Sky, high priest the Fire Tribe.
  • Dead Air: Place in the Underworld where evil souls and spirits go, especially Chaos. Sometimes used to describe those evil entities. Humakt keeps them from blowing into the Storm Realm.
  • Deep Snakes: XX.
  • Deloradella: Goddess of Night, Queen of the Darkness Tribe, and protector of the trolls and other hidden things. She is an enemy of Orlanth, a creeper in the shadows who wishes to steal the life and treasures of the world. Orlanth fought against her for the whole Gods War. She is also known as the Dark Woman, and using that name she bore Orlanth a child called Crushing Noise.
  • Doburdun: Weak and ineffective rain god of the north. Doburdun has been beaten up, conquered, and defeated by Orlanth and his kin many times. Nonetheless, the Lunar Empire has brought him to Sartar and are trying to make former Orlanth worshippers join his weak cult. Traitors in many tribes have done so to curry Lunar favor.
  • Drang: The Diamond Storm Dragon.
  • Drathdaw: The Stone Dragon.
  • Eater of Skin: XX.
  • Elvor: Troll deity who made the Sandals of Darkness that Desemborth later stole.
  • Endon: Trapped Durev and Orane.
  • Face Guards: XX.
  • Father and Mother of Dragons: A title sometimes given to Sh’hakarzeel.
  • Femman: The Coral Dragon.
  • Fire Tribe: XX.
  • Five Majestic Beasts: XX.
  • Gbaji: The Evil God, or Deceiver, rose to life 375 years after the Dawn, but eventually fell before Orlanth’s power.
  • Giant Ganvaktakarn: A foe slain by Orlanth, its remains in the sky form the erratic body called Lost Rocks.
  • Golagolar: Divine foe of Hedkoranth. Golagolar means “Fighting Man of the Armies,” and he is also called General of Dara Happa. He is identified with Urvairinus, but also works with other Dara Happan war gods.
  • Greater Ungoron: XX.
  • Grenfalur the Eater: Chaos demon that ate Arroin’s magical healing abilities.
  • Harand Boar-dick: Foe of Jorganos Archer. He allied with trolls when he tried to take Arrowmound from Vingkot’s son, but Orlanth helped and so he was driven away.
  • Hu: Divine foe of Issaries, he is called “the Nine Silences” because of the powers that he used to attack Issaries. His name, a breathy puff, is the only sound Hu ever makes, and it has a thousand variations to carry his magic.
  • Huru: Spirit of Famine. Often said to be a mask or son of the Evil Emperor, Yelm.
  • Ingolf Dragonfriend: XX.
  • Ithas: Wife of Valind, the goddess of the black overcast sky.
  • Jagrekriand: The Red Planet, slayer of Umath, defeated and chained to his path in the sky by Orlanth during the Lightbringers Quest.
  • Jolsedar: The Brain Flayer, a demon of the Underworld overcome by Lhankor Mhy during the Lightbringers Quest.
  • Kaldar: XX.
  • Kang Rowl, the Slinker: Dog-like-a-cat, Yinkin’s Foe.
  • Karjakan: Foe of Kolat, it is a Great Lord of the Spirit World. Karjakan led a huge spirit attack upon the whole world that temporarily conquered it all during the Darkness. Kolat seized his own spirits back and defended the Heortlings. Karjakan now rules his own segment of the Spirit World and musters a core of spirits that attack the Heortlings, as well as various random entities that Karjakan captures.
  • Konagog and Vonagog: Enemies encountered on the Lightbringers Quest.
  • Lanbril: The Thief, stole from his kinsmen and so was outlawed by Orlanth.
  • Lesser Kajaboori: XX.
  • Lokamayadon: XX.
  • Lord of Beasts: Orlanth’s opponent in the Beast Gamble. Orlanth won every time but once, and so took many useful animals for his descendants, including bulls, boars, cocks, and rams.
  • Lord Kavan: Troll deity that imprisoned Desemborth when he first tried to steal from Deloradella. Desemborth escaped his cage with the help of Yinkin.
  • Magasta: God of the Sea, and King of the Water Tribe. This enemy tribe was mostly conquered during the Gods War.
  • Mallia: Goddess of Disease, Pestilence, and Plague, she is one of the Unholy Trio.
  • Mostal: God of the Dwarfs, and King of the Rock Tribe. He is the Blacksmith, and his clan alone knows the secrets of iron.
  • Narangros: The Hell Hound, Mastakos’ foe.
  • Nelat: God of Purification of the Water Tribe.
  • Nontraya: Who tried to take Ernalda away.
  • Obduran the Betrayer: XX.
  • Opanbobos: The Great Thrower, a troll deity overcome by Hedkoranth.
  • Ovodaka: Divine foe of Babeester Gor, called the Last Guardian. Ovodaka is a demon god of death, the underworld and darkness, perhaps even of Chaos. It exists where it can not be seen underneath the God World, and there he holds the victims that Babeester Gor sends to her.
  • Ragnaglar: God of Evil, who took all which was good and used it for bad, and fathered the vile race of rapist broos. One of the Unholy Trio.
  • Rausa: Goddess of the Dusk and the Evening Star. She locked Orlanth in the Underworld.
  • Red Goddess: XX.
  • Sedenya: XX.
  • Seravus the Enchanter: XX.
  • Serpentbeast Brotherhood: Foe of Yinkin, this is another name for a Hsunchen alliance that was active in Dragon Pas. They were part of a larger Beast War which erupted over and over again in the Storm and Darkness Ages.
  • Sevsalsal: [Great Poison Breath] Divine foe of Hedkoranth, this is a wind that went bad and formed a storm like a kingdom of his own. It moved to Thrinbarri and devastated the lands before Hedkoranth and the Thunder Brothers defeated them.
  • Shankgaro: Uzlord of the West.
  • Shepelkirt: The Red Moon Goddess. In ancient times she plotted against her father, Orlanth, and the cosmos. She was cast down, but not before becoming the mother of vampires, lamiae, and many other Chaos monsters. She has returned many times, most recently 400 years ago, when she rose into the sky and gave birth to the Red Emperor, who conquered Dara Happa in her name.
  • Sh’hakarzeel: The Mover of Heavens, first dragon slain by Orlanth.
  • Sinjota: XX.
  • Teghern: Elmal’s great Chaos foe, leader or source of Author of Sores, Eater of Skin, and Teller of Lies.
  • Tekakos: Maran’s foe.
  • Teller of Lies: One of Elmal’s Chaos foes.
  • Than: A foe of Urox and his sons.
  • Thanatar. Divine foe of Lhankor Mhy. Thanatar is called the head hunting Chaos god. His priests can imprison men’s souls into their decapitated heads and steal magic and life from them.
  • Thed: An evil goddess, mother of broos. Goddess of Rape, one of the Unholy Trio.
  • Thryk: The Winter Giant.
  • Tien: See Thanatar.
  • Uleria: Goddess of mad, all-consuming passion, whose influence drive men to fight with or abandon their own kin. The God Learners said that she was the Source of Love, the most ancient deity living, and the reason that the world was saved from destruction.
  • Ui: Heler’s foe.
  • Unholy Trio: Mallia, Ragnaglar, and Thed. These deities of evil contrived to destroy the entire world, and they birthed Wakboth, the first god of Chaos who nearly did destroy everything.
  • Urain: The Bad Rain, from which comes monsters but no rain.
  • Urgarndar: Deity of Not. He was filled at last by Chalana Arroy and Xiola Umbar, and thus revealed himself to be Rasdandar, Deity of Being.
  • Urovin: One of the Face Guards, slain by Finovan.
  • Vadrudi: The collective descendants and followers of Vadrus, they are a gang of thugs who fight and bully anyone they can. They are led now by Valind.
  • Venebain: Divine foe of Hedkoranth, whose name means “Attacker From Above.” He is of heavenly origin and leads planetary powers. He is called the “skirmisher of Shargash,” “of the Archer,” “of the Young God,” and “of Polaris” because he is the front man for these deities.
  • Vestkarthan: A great and lusty fighter of the Fire Tribe known for his ability to consume great quantities of anything. He was once a friend of Umath’s, and is the father of Orlanth’s half-brother Quivin, but he was defeated in the Darkness when he tried to harm the Earth that was under Orlanth’s and Maran’s protection.
  • Vevkoban: The Chaos Horse, destroyed the Oracle of Kev after she left it in the Darkness.
  • Vivamort: XX.
  • Vonagog: See Konagog and Vonagog.
  • Wakboth: God of Evil, the Devil, the Destroyer and King of the Chaos Tribe which nearly destroyed the universe.
  • Water Tribe: XX.
  • Worcha: Devouring Ocean, Fang of the Ocean. Sea god summoned or created by a group of Orlanth’s enemies. Worcha opposed the Thunder Brothers at many battles, and was finally driven off by XX.
  • Yelm: The Old Emperor, ruler of the Fire Tribe which unjustly held the world as slaves. He is now ruler of the Sky Tribe.
  • Yelmalio: God of the Winter Sun, Preserver of the Light. When Yelm traveled to the Underworld, Yelmalio preserved the dim, cold light until he returned. He also fought against Orlanth at the Hill of Gold, and even stole fire from Elmal one time. He is now worshipped by some Orlanthi who have abandoned Elmal.
  • Zenfel: The White God, brother of Jagrekriand. Umath killed him and destroyed his great crystal palace.
  • Zistor: The Machine God.
  • Zorak Zoran: Warlord of the Darkness Tribe, God of Hatred, and murderer of Flamal.
  • Zzabur: Sorcerer Supreme, called the Atheist, who perverted the world and invented sorcery, which costs a person their soul to use.

Greg Stafford

Related Pages

Page Last updated: 2023-10-12 11:33:28