The Norns
The Norns, or the Sisters Death, are timeless entities that are considered to be the most powerful entities living on Veska. They embody time itself; Past, Future, and Present. Before life, the three sisters still stood ancient. When existence itself was in its infantile stage and naught but a void of emptiness, time still flowed, and the young trio remained at the beginning of creation. There are many different tales spun about the three Norns, but all eventually lead to praising the three for using their monumental power for the betterment of mortal life. Their guidance of the The Elafi and Elven lead to their placement as Gods of their people.
Tyche, the tallest of the three (not to be mistaken for the eldest), is capable of seeing all things to come. She is thus capable of determining the fate of others before it even happens, and is capable of interpreting every course of action years before the first step is taken. Tyche is the only Norn to have a true name, and is also the one responsible for guiding The Elafi and Sylvan children to discover their ideal prophesy. Elafi and Sylvan undergo a rite of passage at a young age just for the opportunity to speak with Tyche.
As a testament to her monumental power, no one has ever truly perished from their spirit quest. Some say that this is due to Tyche's protection, others thank the Norns as a whole. Whatever the case, the three sister's ability to appear anywhere at any point to aid one in seeing their current fate lends further credence to their abilities. As
As mentioned before, Tyche is the tallest of the three Norns. She is often depicted as an elderly, wrinkled woman with long, greying hair tied in two long braids. Tyche is said to have her eyes shut at all times, and carries a spool of yarn with a long, golden needle. This needle is said to weave and shape the ver
Gachbás is not a true name, but a 'title' given to the eldest of the three. It translates to All-Death in Fianni. She stands the second tallest of the three giants, and unlike her two sisters, sees everything in past, present, and future. Gachbás knows everything the moment it happens, and has knowledge of all things. She is present everywhere at any time.
Gachbás represents death of all things. Everyone and everything is set up to inevitably perish through time, and it is Gachbás task to maintain that law. All things inevitably die, and Gachbás represents that demise. She is the heart that suddenly stops. The rogue's knife that slices through their victim's throat, or the final landing of a fatal fall.
Gachbás is known for having six arms that are long, winding, and said to be capable of extending endlessly from where she stands. While she carries on the appearance of an elderly woman like the rest of her sisters, Gachbás is easily the farthest from human. She has six long winding arms, said to be capable of extending endlessly. Each arm can bend and contort perfectly. They move as if they are many jointed, yet bend unnaturally to reach whomever must meet their end. Each hand wields a pair of silver shears. These shears are said to snip the threads that bind the soul to the mortal body, allowing them to finally be reshaped into their next life.
Three Sisters
Three sisters stand tall.There are only ever Three Sisters in the mythos; many different tales are spun to explain both their origins and their current state of being. Some Elafi go as far to explain this as being part of the Norn's devising. As weavers of Fate itself, they are very much capable of reshaping and changing the very nature of not just the lives and existence of others, but their own as well.
One sister tallest, with a spool and needle to shape what's ahead.
Another sister smallest, with threads of fate left upon her head.
The eldest middlest, with shears and claws to end it all.
Tyche
Tyche, the tallest of the three (not to be mistaken for the eldest), is capable of seeing all things to come. She is thus capable of determining the fate of others before it even happens, and is capable of interpreting every course of action years before the first step is taken. Tyche is the only Norn to have a true name, and is also the one responsible for guiding The Elafi and Sylvan children to discover their ideal prophesy. Elafi and Sylvan undergo a rite of passage at a young age just for the opportunity to speak with Tyche.
As a testament to her monumental power, no one has ever truly perished from their spirit quest. Some say that this is due to Tyche's protection, others thank the Norns as a whole. Whatever the case, the three sister's ability to appear anywhere at any point to aid one in seeing their current fate lends further credence to their abilities. As
As mentioned before, Tyche is the tallest of the three Norns. She is often depicted as an elderly, wrinkled woman with long, greying hair tied in two long braids. Tyche is said to have her eyes shut at all times, and carries a spool of yarn with a long, golden needle. This needle is said to weave and shape the ver
Gachbás
Gachbás is not a true name, but a 'title' given to the eldest of the three. It translates to All-Death in Fianni. She stands the second tallest of the three giants, and unlike her two sisters, sees everything in past, present, and future. Gachbás knows everything the moment it happens, and has knowledge of all things. She is present everywhere at any time.
Gachbás represents death of all things. Everyone and everything is set up to inevitably perish through time, and it is Gachbás task to maintain that law. All things inevitably die, and Gachbás represents that demise. She is the heart that suddenly stops. The rogue's knife that slices through their victim's throat, or the final landing of a fatal fall.
Gachbás is known for having six arms that are long, winding, and said to be capable of extending endlessly from where she stands. While she carries on the appearance of an elderly woman like the rest of her sisters, Gachbás is easily the farthest from human. She has six long winding arms, said to be capable of extending endlessly. Each arm can bend and contort perfectly. They move as if they are many jointed, yet bend unnaturally to reach whomever must meet their end. Each hand wields a pair of silver shears. These shears are said to snip the threads that bind the soul to the mortal body, allowing them to finally be reshaped into their next life.
Baigbás
Baigbás, is not only the smallest of her three sisters, but also the youngest. Much like Gachbás, her 'name' is less of a true name, but a title that translates to Little Death in Fianni. Baigbás is capable of seeing everything before the current period, and is said to live almost perpetually in the past. As such, very little is known about Baigbás intentions outside of her work alongside her older sister, Gachbás. Where Gachbás cannot reach, her sister is surely capable of meeting in her stead.
Though the youngest of the three Norns, Baigbás is said to alter the past in more meaningful ways that twist and change the nature of the world to the Fae's benefit. Such power is said to be seen through 'Deja vu' moments. Those periods of time where one might swear one thing happened and the other did are frequently blamed upon Baigbás.
Baigbás may be the youngest of the three, but her hair is said to actually be dozens of individual records of history itself. Each strand of hair on her head represents a moment of time. From these threads, the three sisters are capable of either weaving together into a new event within time, or they may snip it from place, forever removing that fate from the timeline.
Historical Basis
The Elves and Elafi frequently claim witnessing Tyche whenever they finish their rite of passage. They say that she provides the guidance they need to help steer their lives in a safe path ahead. The other two sisters are almost never seen; though there have been a few rare sightings involving Gachbás, such claims are often dismissed as outlandish at best.
Spread
The Norns are common knowledge to anyone studying mythology within the world of Veska; anyone that knows of the Fae also likely knows of the Norns' existence, for the Norns are frequently seen as the leading trio of all Fae.
Variations & Mutation
There are many different variations to the Norn myth; what is set in stone is that there are three sisters, but their exact nature and history is often up for debate. One of the most common variations is that the Norns are not actually limited to just three Fae by technicality, but are instead 'elected' into becoming a Norn whenever one of the three sisters should perish.
A nefarious myth claims that Hags eventually become Norns in due time, but such a claim is often seen as silly and nonsensical due to the malicious nature of the Hags. Norns are frequently seen as having good intent, and the idea of a Norn coming forth from creatures so vile and hate-ridden is seen as abhorrent.
Another still (and more widely accepted) is called An uille Rud (A-new-lah-Rud) that the Norns were once one entity left drifting through the cosmos at the beginning of creation. However, with their combined infinite knowledge and omnipresent nature, it drove the entity mad. Every shred of knowledge was left trapped within their mind; they knew what was to come, and what was around them at any given time. Worse yet, they saw the past, and every second of languishing was remembered in complete, photographic detail. In time, this entity chose to fracture itself with its shears, splitting itself in three. This separated into three minds; the Norns that preside over the world of Veska.
A nefarious myth claims that Hags eventually become Norns in due time, but such a claim is often seen as silly and nonsensical due to the malicious nature of the Hags. Norns are frequently seen as having good intent, and the idea of a Norn coming forth from creatures so vile and hate-ridden is seen as abhorrent.
Another still (and more widely accepted) is called An uille Rud (A-new-lah-Rud) that the Norns were once one entity left drifting through the cosmos at the beginning of creation. However, with their combined infinite knowledge and omnipresent nature, it drove the entity mad. Every shred of knowledge was left trapped within their mind; they knew what was to come, and what was around them at any given time. Worse yet, they saw the past, and every second of languishing was remembered in complete, photographic detail. In time, this entity chose to fracture itself with its shears, splitting itself in three. This separated into three minds; the Norns that preside over the world of Veska.
Related Species
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Comments
Author's Notes
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