Yrsa, Goddess of Hunting and Strength

Bear Mother, Great One, Lady of the High Places, Mountain Goddess

Yrsa has been silent since the Long Night, alongside her brother Valend and father Llyr. She was blessed with the spirit and strength of a bear and was the pantheon’s goddess of wild and untamed places. If beseeched, she would grant safe passage to mortals travelling through woodlands, across moors, and over mountains.

She would spend much of her time in the mortal world, stalking vibrant animals day after day for their pelts and meat. She was a goddess of hunting who taught mortals how to kill prey in ways that would not damage the balance of nature. She would sit atop a mountain and act as steward of the forest below, keeping watch that mortals did not take too much from the animal kingdom. Her eyesight was so keen that none could escape her gaze, and at times she could glimpse the future.

Yrsa appeared as a handsome young woman, broad shouldered and tall, muscular and bearing physical power to match the Giants of old. Her bow could only be drawn by her and struck with the power of a lightning bolt. She is said to have had beautiful hair that, in one tale, was strong enough to support a bridge while it was being repaired. It was also said that if someone lay with her once, they could only again be satisfied by seven women.

She was an uncomplicated deity, and is believed to have only once fallen in love. A mortal woman crossed her path while the two were hunting. The young woman challenged the goddess to an archery competition, not realising who she was. The goddess wryly agreed, but was alarmed when their first shots were evenly matched. Before they could complete their competition an angry bear roared from the undergrowth and attacked them, knocking the mortal woman to the ground and breaking her leg. Yrsa wrestled with the bear and held it above her head before throwing it into a lake a mile away. It was then that the young woman realised who she had been competing with. Despite her injury she tried to bow and apologise for her insolence, but Yrsa forgave her and carried her away into the forest where she was never seen by mortals again. The woman is not named in the stories, but it is said she still dwells in a sacred temple built in the place they first met. She reigns as the immortal queen of the forest, surrounded by immense wealth accumulated from centuries of offerings to her divine lover. Her personal court of followers are magical beings, and loyal fey that have been released from the shackles of Annwn.

Portfolio: Archery, Bears, Bravery, Hunting, Mountains, Strength, Watchfulness, Wild Places, Woodland
Domains: None; formerly Air, Animal, Earth, Plant, Strength
Subdomains: None; formerly Caves, Competition, Ferocity, Fur, Resolve, Wind
Anathema: N/A; formerly Spells which caused blindness (e.g. blinding ray, blindness/deafness)
Favored Weapon: Longbow
Holy Symbol: An Eye
Associated Animals: Bears
Superstition: The first prey taken on a hunt, should be given to Yrsa as an offering, or you will become her next prey.
Dwelling: Atop a mountain somewhere in the mortal world.