The Tree Goddess of Life

"It came, oak-bosomed, cherry-blossomed, wood crusted black like charcoal, to give seed to the land. Its roots squirmed long and far to irrigate the valleys." -100 Tales to Stop a War, by unknown

Summary

Among the tribes are various myths and religions, some that crossover with each other. But the one tale that covers them all is a story of the Tree Goddess of Life. This goddess came in the form of a tree and gave life to the land of Gojera. The first plants thrived. The other gods convinced the goddess to create more, for her creations thus far were an art they couldn't stop admiring. One by one the animals of Gojera were created.

Historical Basis

Not every Mobythian believed this story until the Sentinel Age. When the trees first woke from their slumber, many came to the conclusion that the Tree Goddess of Life must have had some truth to it. But the Sentinels are not giving away such archaic information to a people that might be enemies.

Variations & Mutation

There are three major variations. The first being the one already described and the most popular. They believe the goddess created Mobythians last as a final masterpiece. They've changed the story significantly to legitimize the hierarchy of the second stage citizens and the enslavement of the others. The second variation is a similar story from the desert folk saying it was a giant cactus dying and spilling its water across a dry land and moistening it until there was rich soil. The final is a less widespread belief from a small water-fairing tribe. They called it Igina bo Iquatica. They believe there was a seaweed creature that came from the depths of the ocean and gave life to a tree that then gave life to Gojera.

Cultural Reception

Over time the story has been identified as a myth, but some tribes still worship the goddess as if she shall return and give new life. Others fear that the goddess might come back to take away the life she gave. Others believe that in her shrubbery lies a place of bliss like an afterlife, or between her roots she keeps away some horrible creature of decay and rot.

In Literature

Besides being the center of their cosmology, the story has made it into countless pieces of literature, including the famous 100 Tales to Stop a War by an unknown author.

In Art

There are many interpretations of the goddess, mostly as an anthropomorphic tree or cactus even though the original story does not describe it as such. A major political House in Thornhaven, House Skidevol, uses it as a sigil on their tapestry.