The Sky is orderly, regular, and far removed from mortal ephemeralism. The Sun, planets, and stars move in regular patterns through the sky. Clusters of stars form constellations, associated with gods, monsters, and other powers – as the Sun and the planets move through these constellations, heavenly mythology plays out in the sky.
We look to the Sky and see the pure divine realm above. Here is the realm of Light – of Dayzatar. Now Dayzatar gets little attention from the Orlanthi, but he is incredibly important in Solar mythology. He’s completely unpolluted – the most sacred of the gods. By our own purity we can achieve the Light within us, a far more rewarding goal than mundane prowess or power.
And so it is with the stars – points of Light in the sky, ruled by Arraz, Ourania, and Polaris. Arraz has no cult among mortals – he is king of the people who live in the heavens – although we call upon him when priests call upon the Luxites for aid. Ourania and Polaris are far more responsive to mortals – Ourania is the mistress of heavenly power and Polaris is the General of Heaven.
The Sun is the greatest of the celestial powers, although he is too powerful for most mortals to directly reach. The Sun is a source of Life, but also a god of Death for he must descend at the end of each day to spend the night in the Underworld. His most powerful son, Lightfore or Yelmalio, is his nighttime counterpart, providing light in the darkness.
The Sky Gods are the highest of powers and most removed from the world. Unchanging and austere, they are a far cry from the tumultuous Air Gods or the terrestrial Earth Goddesses. This is part of their appeal – they reveal a heavenly perfection beyond mortal experience.
I don’t see Yelmalio on the tree? Yelmalio came into being when Yelm was killed and is that Light which cannot be extinguished. There’s a separate picture of those in either the Mythology or Prosopaedia book.
Is Lokarnos a son of Lodril? It says Elevated?
Lokarnos was a mortal who became a god and was ‘adopted’ by Lodril into the pantheon.
What’s the main difference between Shargash, Polaris and Yelmalio as war gods. Yelmalio’s cult is larger than either.