The Branwen

"You do not understand - I am terrified of her. For that is what gives me life, you see - she is the end, whether we should like it or not. And I am not keen to meet her soon, as I don't expect you to be."

Unknown

The Branwen is the Divine Mother, the parent of The Gods of Talamh. They hold dominion over the afterlife, all cycles, renewal and upheaval, battle, purpose, pain, and prophecy. The world beyond the grave is their domain. Their children, Oisin and Siobhan, hold sway over the deeds done in life while their mother always calls from the world after. Even in the modern day, she is only spoken of in whispers - it ill luck to mention her name. They are a quiet storm, a coalescence of energy that is master over all things and all cycles on the continent of Talamh.
Neither West nor East acknowledges their existence readily. They are more conceptual than tactile in the way of the other gods, only prayed to in times of genuine desperation. Branwen-worship was more common in the past, but very few of her devoted remain in the modern era. Most of these are the longest-lived among the Fey.

Divine Domains

The Afterlife

None truly understand the Talish afterlife. Its workings are a mystery said to only be unraveled by The Branwen at the end of life. Some believe it is a place for the gathering of all souls, whilst others claim that it is where rebirth occurs. Taboo surrounding The Branwen prohibits great investigation into the afterlife. The Talish Afterlife is sometimes referred to as 'True Purgatory'.

Cycles

All cycles are the domain of The Branwen. While Arianne is the goddess of the moon and Germagh of the very world itself, The Branwen still controls the moon's phases, the tides, seasonal changes, day and night, and the very beginning and end of every action and process. Connection has been drawn between them and the feminine and masculine biological cycles despite these more traditionally related to Owyn and Birgitte.

Renewal and Upheaval

This is the major cycle of The Branwen - it is in the base nature of all things. Life changes, things are destroyed and then renewed and then destroyed again. The few devoted of their devoted keep this in mind at all times. The world, societies, and the very gods themselves are cyclical.

Battle

There is a grim delight amongst the Old-Faith believers of The Branwen, a thirst for battle that comes from a primordial space in the heart that only she can fill. This is not of Birgitte's organized war, but of conflict and carnage drawn from bloodshed. This is battle in its way of catharsis, as an energy release for the people and the land. These types of beliefs have not been widely spread since the beginning of the Conquest and are taboo to mention for most Eastern and even Western Talish.

Purpose, Pain, and Prophecy

The Branwen is a grim deity, but they ultimately give the lives of the Talish purpose through pain. The renowned tenacity and perseverance of the Talish people, especially the Fey, is believed to come from the Progenitor themselves. The greatest tenet of The Branwen is as thus: "Nothing can be attained without conflict".
In concert with this, The Branwen is believed to be a deity of prophecy. This is distinct from Arianne's fate and Mac Rialor's future in the way that she ultimately is the decider of these things. Prophecies from The Branwen always come true.

Symbols, Sites, and Iconography

With great taboos upon her worship, reverence of The Branwen is only recorded in texts kept within The Spire under close watch. These are not publicly available and may only be accessed by Magi and the Archcastellan themselves. In the West, information about The Branwen is only available to the Archfey Monarchs, some of their Peers, and the oldest Fey on the continent.
The Branwen's most common symbol is three intertwined ravens. Others include the Triquetra, an ancient sigil believed to be of Fey origin, and the Pentacle, a more modern star-like sigil of the Tief.

Godstone Branwen

This Godstone stands on an island in the Cirith Ocean that is of neither East nor West Talamh. Records state that it has not been visited for more than 200 years by Eastern or Western individuals. Non-recorded visits may have occurred, but these are unknown as of 1067 T.B.
The look of this Godstone is unknown. It is believed to depict a mural of the true form of The Branwen, but information on this has never reached the mainland. Thus, depictions tend to be restricted as symbols.

Relics

No relics of The Branwen are commonly understood to exist.

Religious Figures

No great figures have emerged to worship The Branwen except in isolated and established cases. In the West, it is known that an enigmatic seer known as The Oracle is one of the only devoted of The Branwen left in the world. With her stands Titania, not as a devotee but as an individual with a complicated history related to the deity. In the East, the only individual commonly understood to be a worshipper of The Branwen at any given time is the Archcastellan of The Spire. Currently, Lann Kelly serves in this role.

Species
The Gods of Talamh
Allegiance
Unknown
Subordinates
The Gods of Talamh
Pronouns and Gender
They/Them/Theirs
She/Her/Hers
Genderless
Realm
The Talish Afterlife
Domains
The Afterlife, Cycles, Renewal and Upheaval, Battle, Purpose, Pain, Prophecy
Eastern Aliases
Divine Mother, Iron Matron, Battle-crow, Warqueen, The Hands at the End
Western Aliases
Divine Mother, Morrigan, Macha, Badb, The Progenitor
Associated Virtues
Strife, ferocity, battlefield prowess, sovereignty, pain, perseverance

Divine Icons

Colors
Silver, black, gray, crimson
Animals
Ravens, horses, crows, magpies, jays
Plant Life
Bloodroot, yew tree
Symbols
Three ravens, Triquetra, Pentacles