Belinda
Her Divine Grace Belinda, Goddess of Death
Are you sure she is a real chicken?
Have you ever looked into the eyes of a chicken? There is a kind of intensity in them that tells of a hidden story that most have forgotten.
Creation
Belinda was created at the same time as the other gods, when Mata, one of the Divine Sisters, decided the world needed more than two gods. While other gods like Enarias, Inmalia and Beddar made humanoid races in their image, Belinda created chickens. These proto-chickens were fierce birds, and few other creatures would ever dare to attack one, except the largest of predators of the world.The humanoids, however, having superior intelligence, but not always a lot of common sense, decided to try to tame chickens for a constant supply of eggs and meat. The chickens fought valiantly, and several people got hurt during the process, but the humanoids were stubborn and tenacious, and after many generations, chickens became more or less domesticated.
Belinda herself was oddly pleased by this change of events, since now her chickens would be protected and kept with a roof over their head. Her children deserved the best.
As time went by, the domesticated chickens became more docile and a bit less ferocious, although they did fight if they felt they had reason to. Belinda then decided that she would occasionally be reborn into a chicken in one of the coops where her domesticated children lived. There will be more about that further down in this article.
Her Divine Realm
Belinda rules over Limbo, where the souls of the dead stay until they are reborn.The realm itself is a series of rooms, almost featureless, and the only thing a waiting soul can do is to find another waiting soul, and talk. The souls can seek out Belinda and try to plead for their life, but it never works.It usually doesn't take more than a month to be assigned a new body, but the soul becomes a new person with no memory of their past lives. The souls don't only get reborn into the world they come from. Usually a soul is sent to a new world, in another dimension of sorts. The soul keeps its base personality, but nothing else. It's also rare that someone who knew the last person would recognize the new person, since the chance to return to a world or dimension they've inhabited before during the time anyone who knew the person in a past life is still alive is so small it's almost impossible.
Among people
"Remember telling me about that chicken you met?" Jannalor said.
"Yes," Aimar said. "Belinda. I would never forget her. I probably still have scars."
Jannalor chuckled. "I went to that little town to check her out. The stories you told me about that chicken intrigued me, and I was sure I'd heard something about this before. Seems I was right. She's no ordinary chicken indeed."
Aimar looked at the Elder, who had an amused grin. "What do you mean?"
"That chicken is the Deity of Death herself, guarding over the village. You've met Belinda the Death Goddess in person."
Belinda might be the deity that spends most time on the material plane, pretending to be a normal chicken. The people encountering her during this time will think she is an exceptionally mean chicken, and she will stay for as long as she wish, usually longer than a chicken will live. She will also make sure that the people that treats her good while she is among them don't suffer, by laying slightly more eggs than a normal chicken, and chasing away predators that tries to get into the chicken coop for an easy meal. She will also protect the family living on the farm, bringing death or misery to the people hurting her protected family.
Some won't encounter her wrath. If the person that hurt the family she protects without intending to, or from some kind of external influence outside their control, she might make an exception, and have pity on the one hurting her charges instead. If the external influence is something she can bestow her wrath upon, however, she might transfer her wrath over to the influence instead.
Why is the Death Goddess a chicken?
The experts on religion aren't sure, but they have some theories.There might be a connection with the fact that chickens are known to run around after chopping off their head. Not even removing the head will instantly kill a chicken, and some earlier beliefs connected chickens with zombies because of this. Zombies are definitely connected to death, so this is a well-spread theory.
Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side. The other side being the afterlife. Many religious experts feels there's a connection here.
Other Information
Divine Domains
Holy Books & Codes
The followers of Belinda has a few books that they consider holy. In contrast to other deities, the holy books of Belinda aren't written as holy books.
How to take care of your chickens
This book, while seeming like an ordinary book about keeping chickens, is written by one of the prophets of the Goddess herself, with a lot of divine knowledge from the goddess herself - or so the prophet said, anyways.
Divine Symbols & Sigils
Belinda's holy symbols are worn by all her clerics, and most of her more devout followers, and is either a depiction of a chicken's foot or a toothy beak. It's usually made by something not considered expensive, like tin or wood.
The chicken's foot might actually be a real chicken's foot, and not only a depiction. If the chicken's foot is real, it's really important that the chicken which donated the foot was treated fairly and nicely during life, or else the foot would be cursed instead of blessed, and the wearer will face the wrath of Belinda herself, sooner or later.
The chicken's foot might actually be a real chicken's foot, and not only a depiction. If the chicken's foot is real, it's really important that the chicken which donated the foot was treated fairly and nicely during life, or else the foot would be cursed instead of blessed, and the wearer will face the wrath of Belinda herself, sooner or later.
Tenets of Faith
Never take a life if it can be prevented - Belinda is the only one who can decide who lives and who dies. Killing in self defense is frowned upon, but accepted.
If someone is on their death bed, they should be made comfortable, so their last moments of life is good.
Harming chickens unnecessarily is a great sin.
If someone is on their death bed, they should be made comfortable, so their last moments of life is good.
Harming chickens unnecessarily is a great sin.
Holidays
The Day of Remembrance, the holy day of Belinda, is on the 28th day of Hearth's Call - the day before the Winter Solstice, and the last day of the year. This day isn't mandatory to mark, not even for Belinda's most devout followers, but it's customary that you spend a minute or two meditating on the people you've lost the passing year, remembering them and what they meant to you. If possible, doing activities that the recently dead liked, or eating food the person enjoyed are good way of honoring the life of the person or people you've lost.
Divine Classification
Goddess of Death
Religions
Children
Gender
Female
Eyes
Amber
Related Plots
Ruled Locations
This is a amazing. I love it. Couldn't stop giggling I must admit.
anyone who has ever had a chicken knows belinda was /one/ of them.
I am pretty sure she visited my mother's coop once xD