PURPHOROS, God of the Forge
GOD OF THE FORGE, THE RESTLESS EARTH, AND FIRE
He rules the raw creative force that infuses sapient minds. Purphoros is also the god of artisans, obsession, and the cycle of creation and destruction.
As a forge radiates heat in the area around it, Purphoros's influence provides inspiration to mortals. He makes exquisitely crafted objects almost constantly, sometimes absentmindedly working while he holds conversations with the other gods, only to destroy the finished product and begin again. Impulsive and mercurial, Purphoros is prone to bouts of either joyous productivity or frustrated anger. He often feels constrained by the limits of imagination, yearning to realize ideas that seem just out of reach.
Purphoros's preferred form is that of a muscular man whose coal-hued skin is mostly covered in mutable organic bronze. He might also appear in the form of a fiery phoenix or a bull made of cooling lava, and for that reason, both of those creatures are associated with him. When angered, he might appear as an enormous mass of lava, a blazing fire, or a volcanic eruption. Mortals who see Purphoros in one of those forms seldom live to tell about it.
PURPHOROS'S INFLUENCE
The raw creative force that Purphoros embodies is chaotic, but Purphoros isn't a god of unbridled chaos. Rather, he shows mortals how to harness that primal energy, shaping it through passion and labor into something usable.
Purphoros is primarily associated with forging, metallurgy, and related activities. It was his followers who first brought Lodestoen to Idavoll, and a few of his most favored have begun working with a new metal-iron-said to come directly from their god's forge-fires.
Though Purphoros is largely interested in physical craft, he has influence over all forms of creation. Keranos also inspires new ideas, but it is Purphoros who oversees the advancement of the craft that brings these ideas to life in the world.
Purphoros is always ready to obliterate what is to make room for what could be, and to start the cycle again when what could be becomes what is. When he is inspired, the night sky glitters with new constellations, and anvilwrought creatures appear in the countryside. When he is wrathful, stars vanish in molten rain, and his hammer blows annihilate whole mountaintops.
PURPHOROS'S GOALS
Purphoros acts not because of grand plans or high ideals, but on the whims of his restless, creative mind. On the rare occasions when he contemplates what he would do if he were ascendant in the pantheon, his most fervent wish is to be left alone. To Purphoros, that would mean spending time by himself in his forge, creating anything he desires. But it also would mean being free to uproot mountains, topple cities, and reroute rivers without any of the other gods interfering.
DIVINE RELATIONSHIPS
Purphoros has few strong relationships with his fellow gods, considering most of them arrogant ingrates. According to legend, it was he who created the weapons ofthe Vanir, asking nothing in return. But his infrequent though memorable bouts of destructive fury have earned him more ill will in the pantheon than he realizes.
Heliod despises Purphoros's unpredictable impulses even as he envies the forge god's ability to create grand works. Purphoros resents Heliod's attempts to impose laws that constrain the passion of creation. In many ways, the two gods represent opposing approaches to the contradictions and challenges of mortal life, and they have more than once fought titanic battles in Vanir.
Njord has become Purphoros's closest ally in the pantheon. Imbued as he is with the malleable, quenching power of water, Njord knows that he can neither destroy his waves nor reforge them. Because Njord has no fear of him, he treats him as a friend. Purphoros frequently makes wondrous gifts for Njord, and his underwater palace holds countless unique creations of the god of the forge.
Purphoros holds Sylkri in contempt for hobbling his mind after he engaged in a particularly destructive battle with Heliod. The forge god spent years addled and incomplete. He has since recovered his faculties, but he mourns the things he might have made during that lost time. Taking revenge on Sylkri would require careful planning, however, and Purphoros is unlikely to undertake such an effort unless another god goads him into it.
Ephara and Karametra are, like Purphoros, deeply involved in the project of civilization. Purphoros's desire to overturn the established order with violence stands in stark contrast to their measured ways. As a result, Purphoros stands aloof from them.
WORSHIPING PURPHOROS
Purphoros holds dominion over everything that springs from mortal ingenuity. Most artisans say a small prayer to him upon beginning or completing the construction of nearly anything, from swords to fortresses to ships.
Purphoros is notoriously impulsive, often selecting champions based on momentary whims. Despite this seemingly blase attitude, he is dedicated to all his champions, no matter how they came into his service.
What made the forge god turn his attention to you? What set you apart from the masses of people who offer him prayers and sacrifice? What whim came over him that made you the perfect choice in the moment he tapped you? Purphoros's mood is highly changeable, and having his favor doesn't always mean having his attention. But if you follow your passions and do what you believe is right, he will stay true to you as well.MYTHS OF PURPHOROS
The myths about Purphoros revolve around one of two themes: his wonderful creations or his explosive anger.
Purphoros's Twin
When the 9 realms were young, Purphoros was jealous of Baldr and Thor wanted a brother of his own. He created Petros, a Nyxborn double of himself crafted of divine bronze with a touch of mortal flesh. Petros aged as the eons passed, and Purphoros was forced to patch cracks with strips of bronze and refill the vessel of his Nyxborn twin. Petros lacks the spark of true life, though, and can't speak. He toils day and night in Pu rphoros's forge, making wonders that wou ld shame any mortal s mith but can never match Purphoros's work in beauty or originalityThe Gift of Bronze
Long ago, mortals of the nine realms fought and hunted using weapons made of stone and wood. According to legend, it was a dwarven smith named Tecton who discovered how to refine copper ore and work it into tools and weapons. Purphoros, delighted, saw this as the mortals' first tentative steps toward true craft. Some smiths, hastily copying Tecton's methods, devised a way to blend copper and arsenic into a crude form of bronze, but the forging method was dangerous and often yielded defective results. To reward the smith who took the first steps, Purphoros appeared to Tecton and granted the dwarf the secret of smelting copper and tin into true bronze. The manufacture and use of bronze weapons spread across the nine realms, launching an age in which heroes conquered the wilds and founded great civilizations.The Stone Winter
In Vanaheim's earliest days, the people vociferously honored many Aesir for the comforts of nature. Gradually, Purphoros grew bitter that mortals never acknowledged his flames, which kept them warm during the cold nights. So, Purphoros quenched the worlds warmth. For a year, a lifeless winter gripped the world, with neither the sun nor the seasons warming the corpse-chill earth. Ultimately, it was the mortal engineer Chersio who brought about the winter's end. Instead of cursing the situation, Chersio sought a solution, creating a hypocaust system to bring warmth to her commun ity. Delighted with the innovation, Purphoros waited until Chersio completed and lit her substructure furnace. When she did, the god returned warmth to the entire world. Today, an autumnal festival called the Kindling or the Forge-Lighting takes place on the last Fallendag of Kintornin. During this festival, worshipers keep a bonfire burning from sundown to sunrise, acknowledging that Purphoros warms the earth and makes the harvest possible.
Comments