The Maiming of Liadriel
One of the most important myths from the dawn of time, The Maiming of Liadriel is told and retold by countless people across Sildair, and though they tend to all agree on the basic outline of the myth, and certainly on its consequences, the details of exactly what happened, and the motivations of the characters involved are greatly disputed.
Summary
The maiming of Liadriel by Baal the Betrayer is a pivotal moment in the mythology of Sildair. It is said that when the Gods had created the world, Rhya, the mother Goddess, desired children, and lay with each of her brothers in turn, except Morgesh, who refused, and Baal, whom Rhya initially rejected, as she felt the resentment that had begun to grow in him towards his siblings.
This initial rejection was enough to push Baal further away from his siblings, and he never approached Rhya again, but as he saw his nieces and nephews grow up, he longed for children of his own. So it came to pass that when Maia, the daughter of Liadriel and Rhya came of age, and became coveted by every living being, gods and mortals alike, Baal saw his opportunity.
He went to Maia's home, and there he lay with her, possibly against her will. Later Liadriel went to visit with his daughter, and found Baal there in her bed. Overcome with rage, Liadriel drew his starlight mace and soon the two brother gods were engaged in mortal combat. This was enough to draw the other gods to the sound of the struggle, and as they faught, all of their siblings and nieces and nephews gathered around them.
It was then that Baal struck Liadriel's left arm from his body, to the horror of all assembled there. In the moment of stunned silence that followed, Baal, on a whim, stole the severed arm of his brother and ran away.
Since this moment the Gods were truly at war, and it is considered the inciting incident that led directly to the War of Ashes, and the sundering of the world.
Variations & Mutation
There is much dispute over the details of the story, depending on who does the telling, though all agree that Baal lay with Maia, and that Liadriel found them, and the brothers fought, leading to Liadriel loosing either his left hand or arm, and Baal stealing it and running away.
However, some will insist that it was Maia herself that invited Baal to her home, as she wanted to seduce on of the Seven. Many interpretations of Maia will argue that her greatest desire is to seduce any and all powerful creatures to prove her beauty and sexual allure irresistible. In this telling, that means that Liadriel's anger was either misplaced, if he thought that Baal had violated Maia, when she was in fact enthusiastically consenting, or that he may have been equally as mad at her, and perhaps Baal initiated the fight, to defend Maia's honour, as she was being berated by her father. This interpretation is certainly the favoured one among the Shadowkin and orcs, but many human organisations, such as the The Church of Arathion, that view the influence of cults of Maia very negatively, might also be inclined to tell the myth with this interpretation, to lay more of the blame with Maia herself, and not just Baal.
Very few elves have ever been known to tell the myth this way though, as they are loathe to view either Liadriel or his daughter in a negative light. Some few mystics among the elves, trying to argue for a balance between light and dark, might tell the story as a tragic misunderstanding though, saying that no-one was at fault, that Maia was not violated, but that Liadriel thought so.
Maia became pregnant with twins from her encounter with Baal. These children, Asha & Orgus, are considered cursed, and normally it is said that this curse was cast by Liadriel, in his anger at his daughter (implying he believed she was a willing participant). Other versions suggest the twins were cursed by the act itself, as it was a violation. This is the version favoured by the elves. Some (though not all) orcs deny the existence of a curse entirely, and consider Maia's children to be perfect in every way. Most orcs still recognize that the twins were cursed though, if nothing else, then at least because they were banished from the lands of the Gods.
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