Oisin, the Caretaker

"And as there is rebirth, it must begin with life. And Oisin, the Caretaker, gives it thus. He nurtures the animals and the plants, brings the waters up from the earth to nourish us. He shelters us in his strong arms like we are but babes in the cradle. His favor is a kindness, a flourishing of great fields in the harvest and the coming of spring rain."

Excerpt from The Horned God by Rhiannon Findabair, 741 T.B.

Oisin is the god of birth, growth, cleansing, and the power of nature. His domains range from the sky to the sea and all the forests that stretch across Talamh. He is a deity of many facets and worshipped by farmers and shipwrights alike. Oisin is believed to bless the people with bounty from the world around them, favoring hard-working individuals who exercise care in their daily interactions with the wilds beyond their doors. Despite being a lord of storms, quakes, and other natural cleansing processes, he is know to be a merciful god who sees death as but a stepstone on the path to a greater life.
Oisin is the brother of Siobhan, the Arbiter and direct child of The Branwen. The three together form the Cycle Triad, the trinity of gods that guide individuals from birth into death and eventually into a subsequent rebirth.

Divine Domains

As the one who presides over a variety of domains both integral and ubiquitous to life itself, Oisin is credited to have dominion over many aspects of the natural world at large.

Growth and Birth

As the deity of growth and birth, Oisin is said to guide the youth from birth until death, fostering a life of fulfillment and reciprocity with the natural world. In addition to this, some scholars believe that he provides the natural energy that the aging process is based upon. Cooperating with The Branwen and Siobhan, the Arbiter, Oisin forms one point of The Cycle Triad, guiding individuals from birth to death to subsequent rebirth.

Cleansing and Health

Oisin provides the people of the land good health and the means to achieve via the bounty of the land. However, he is also seen as a deity of cleansing, rooting out disease and corruption that can be found in the natural world. This may manifest as the nullification of biotoxins but also as cataclysmic natural events that are said to wipe the slate clean and forcibly destroy some sort of rot that bucks against the natural order.

Agriculture, Flora, and Fauna

As the god presiding over the natural world, Oisin naturally takes authority over the animals and plants of the world. He is known for his kindness and care towards these beings, with many of his teachings cultivating respect for the natural world and non-sapient others. To many followers of Oisin, these non-humanoid beings are people in their own right with their own wants and needs.
Towards the more societal aspect of this, Oisin is the god who the harvest falls upon. It is believed that his blessing ensures a good harvest and that a lackluster one is a sign that a community is losing the favor of this deity.

Natural Phenomena

One thing intimately understood by the Talish, especially West Talish Fey, is that nature is not always kind in the objective. Terrible things can happen, ranging from tsunami to great quakes and storms. In the eyes of Oisin's followers, these are instances where the one who brings growth must also bring balance. After all, it is believed that creation is a responsibility as well as a joy for Oisin.

Symbols, Sites, and Iconography

As one of the most principle gods of Talamh, logic would dictate that records of Oisin-worshippers and cults alike would be well-kept. However, it is much towards the opposite: there are very few useful, intact records of Oisin worship in the Pre-Conquest era that go beyond word of mouth and Fey memory. Most believers agree however that this is fitting of their god, citing a supposed balance and stability that do not necessitate written records.
Across cultural barriers, some of the most notable symbols of Oisin include a stag and a sickle. A common eastern sigil is a hart, hind, and fawn intertwined. Western symbols may take deer elements but also incorporate elements of the sickle, sunflower, tree, and dragonfly.

Places of Worship

The West does not have one specific holy site seen as the center for Oisin-worship. Oftentimes, his ideals are so integrated into their communities and identities that such a place would be arbitrary. The East, however, does have such a place in Godstone Oisin as well as The Spire and the Runewood.

East Talamh

Godstone Oisin

Built by unknown Fey from beyond living memory, Godstone Oisin is a great monolith roughly 80 feet tall at the southern border of the Runewood. Serving as a guidepost for the line between County Derua and County Gorm, this stone is both a political and religious marker. In the modern day, it is overgrown with great vines and moss, partially obscuring the depiction of Oisin.
The Godstone depicts a tall blue-skinned man wearing deerskin with a head wreathed in the hide of a stag with antlers intact, forming a pantomime of a rider's cowl. His eyes beneath this cowl are covered with a great cloth, seemingly obscuring his vision. He is positioned looking straight towards the audience over the shoreline towards the South. A sickle and knife hang at his belt. In one hand, he is carrying a long and worn staff while the other wields a sword wreathed in vines. This depiction is well-recognized as the basis for the Eastern interpretation of Oisin's appearance. Western interpretation varies drastically depending on location and audience.

Relics

Oisin has a few major relics, but most of these seem to have been lost to the ages. His most notable relic would likely be Ceard na Gallan. Also known as The Smith of Branches, this sword was said to have been wielded by Oisin when the world was young. Eastern scholars claim that it was a gift from Oisin for the cunning of the people of the land in their survival while Western scholars believe it was an unloaded burden to be carried for the god.
In addition, the Eastern Cold Iron relic known as Caladbell was understood to be a relic of Oisin. Used by Saint Glasuaine during the Conquest, Caladbell was supposedly lost along with the Saint herself. Rumors say that it lies hidden deep within the Runewood, but these claims have gone unfounded.

Religious Figures

Most Oisin worshippers do not find themselves within the public eye, cloistering themselves away in hidden glades as druids and forest wardens. A few notable figures devoted to Oisin have cropped up in history. The chief among them is Saint Glasuaine, the Patron Saint of farmers, animals, and nature. Others include Rhiannon Findabair, a Spire philosopher and previous Magi of Oisin who is known to have wrote the text The Horned God on his many forms and interpretations.
The current Magi of Oisin is one Brandalus Grantchester, a lowborn human merchant who rose up through the Spire's ranks by his own tenacity and will. Some claim he is unfit for this role, but his proponents in the East are vehement on his suitability.
Fey devotees of Oisin are not often well-documented, but it is rumored that the Queen of the Summer Province in the West is deeply devoted to his worship behind closed doors.

Interpretative Difference

East Talamh

In the East, Oisin is emphasized as a god of growth and birth lacking destructive capacity. He is commonly seen as a god of the commonwealth not often trifled with by members of the Tiefling aristocracy and high society alike. While his presiding over the harvest is noted and given a shred of respect, he is not venerated with much zeal or enthusiasm. A utilitarian god to anyone who is not a farmer or sailor themselves, Oisin's relevancy sometimes comes into question in the highest levels of Eastern judication. Virtues of his that are emphasized are the ones that are seen most characteristic of a healthy commonwealth - humility and a hard-working spirit.

West Talamh

Western views on Oisin could not be more different. He is seen as a deity that is absolutely integral to every aspect of day-to-day life for the Fey. As a society living far more harmoniously with nature than the East ever has, Oisin takes precedence over other gods as the deity of nature, health, cleansing, and growth as well as natural phenomena and even resources. He is a deity of abundance and care. His virtues emphasize empathy and self-discovery with a healthy streak of kindness and care. As he has the ability to control natural disasters and other such events, these instances are often times of spiritual significance for certain cults of Oisin among the Fey.

Species
The Gods of Talamh
Allegiance
The People of Talamh
Subordinates
The Thralls of Oisin
Pronouns and Gender
He/Him/His
Primarily male-presenting
Realm
The Otherworld
Divine Relics
Ceard na Gallan 
Domains
Growth, Birth, Cleansing, Health, Agriculture, Flora and Fauna, Natural Phenomena
Eastern Aliases
Gardener, Fawnguard, Shaman, Horned God
Western Aliases
Blindeyes, Druid-king, Lifetwin, Lord of Merciful Wind
Associated Virtues
Mercy, gentleness, kindness, care, empathy, grace, humility, dedication

Divine Icons

Colors
Blue, brown, green, tan
Animals
Stag, fawn, hart, dragonfly
Plant Life
Sunflower, Daisy, Cedar tree, Willow tree Symbols
Cradle, sickle, scythe, shepherd's crook, vine-wreathed sword

Holidays

For both the East and the West, Lunasa is traditionally seen as the primary holiday of Oisin. This is a time when both sides of the continent refocus their efforts onto the harvest, whether this is a bringing-in of crops or of memories. Given interpretive variance, Lunasa is a far more jovial holiday to the Fey to reflect the more merciful, easygoing nature of their 'Druid-king'.