In The Beginning...

BOWYNN GODS: Tii Gorro

Tii Gorro  (Ty Gor-roe)  Evil spirits created by Mano during his war with his cousins Kord and Brand. These creatures were even more war-like than their diminutive Tii, in that they were human sized and fed on blood and raw flesh. They were described by Adjedd to look as like a gorilla or ape but even more clever.

      In the war with Kord the Tii Gorro (or Gorro Tii) Kord was able to vanquish a good many till the rest tried to flee. Some were said to have tried to run for the sea and drowned. Others were said to take off for caves, which Anhur himself were said to seal. The Gorro Tii appeared in the sagas of Allon, Quinn, Maul and many other epics. 

      One should never, EVER, invoke Gorro Tii, as they will turn on the one that calls to them. They may listen to you at first but when the deed is done, they will not return from where they came.

The Bowynn Gods: Bia

(This listing starts with the 7 great divinities of Creation. The Creatrix that was at the beginning. After the 7, all other gods will be listed in alphabetical order.)

"Creation / Hand of Bia" - created by D. Kzmarinski 1984 - 26"x34"

Bia  (By-ah)  - In the great Bowynn tale of Creation, Bia emerged from the reign of nothingness. Bia was not so much a deity as much as being a personification of creation. Bia represents creation, the force and balance of all things. Without Bia there is only chaos. It was the emergence of Bia that put an end to emptiness, the chaos and vanquished the never ending “Mist”. From Bia was born the first gods. Bia is the very element of 'Balance.'

     From Bia the first gods of creation were born: Paut, Tya, Ohenn, Brea, Unthar, Sumon, Phoenix, , and musch leter Daeth and Tora, Saul and Shayla, Maeanna and the three sisters, the Ano Taya.

     Bia is the most sacred of all of the divine in the Bowynn tradition. Even the gods themselves including Anhur, bow down and give honor to Bia. In the Bowynn tradition, Bia can take the shape and/or voice of anything it please, thereby Bia was able to set down laws and judgments, and still does. There are some who solely devoted to Bia and Bia’s powers. They spend their lives in constant pursuit of attaining the goals that Bia set. Others just give Bia the most respect and live their lives in balance.

    Bia has no true form as the other immortals. Bia takes the form of all and none. Therefore, Bia takes no one side. Bia is neither male nor female, mostly depicted just as a hand, as it places the stars and plants in the universal space. Bia is the perfect balance. Being that Bia is everything and is all about, all things are sacred to Bia. So many different types of offerings are sent but the most popular is simply incense or lit candle.

      (Equivalent would be Khaos, Ptah, the Abrahamic "God" and other divine beings of creation.)

Symbolic motif of the Great Creatix with a symbol of Bia in the very center. Embroidery detail on a Hladd. created by Lorra Konrad 1991

To Begin

Meave us to start with some very simple Bowynn words you may find throughout my blog:

Mystra: (Magic / Magick) The arts of the witch.

Myst: (Witch) A Myst pertains to anyone that practices the mystical, arcane, esoteric arts.

Baear: (Altar) The sacred table/tablet where one prays to the divine and leaves offerings.

Tymon: (Shrine) A smaller and more secure form of a Temple and Altar all in one.

Alm: (God) Male deity

Almaea: (Goddess) Female deity

I will leave it here for now. in future posts I will insert other words throughout my text within Brackets { } At some point I may include and dictionary depending on whatever time is allotted to me.

QUESTION AND ANSWER: GODS AND MAGIC

QUESTION: When casting spells in the Bowynn Tradition, what gods are invoked, if any?

ANSWER: A practicing Myst [witch] will invoke the goddess Mystara prior to beginning any spell. She is offered incense and whatever else a Myst can offer. Then the spell is started. Depending on the spell, will depend what other gods will be invoked during the casting of the spell itself: Owen and his daughters for health, Anhur for justice, Daeth for wealth. Istra for vengeance, Bryanthenaea for protection...and so forth. Even if you are not sure which gods are invoked for your need, that's okay. So long as Mystara is invoked prior to the spell. She is the patroness of witches and makes sure the spell is being done for just case, to see it is done correctly and its manifestation.

Aelles Briathenaet

Today (July 15th) is the first day of the holiday Briathenaet, the celebration of the first tribes to have migrated across the Bosphorus into Europe proper. Briathenaet is THE holiday for the month. The Migration was lead by the goddess Briathenaea and God Mask, and ended with blessed by the goddess Aleglea. It is a celebration of deliverance, freedom, survival, liberty and the escape from starvation. It is the time renewal, change, taking new paths, release and the formations of the first 7 tribes. And its is a time to honor and remember our ancestors, those that made the Migration, eons ago.

Day one of the holiday is spent fasting, in honor of those ancestors that had little to no food, many starving to death along the route. It is a time of thanks and remembering our ancestors. There is a silent candlelit ceremony led by two torch bearers, representing Brianthenaea, Mask and the ceremony is led by a priestess, representing Aleglea. Homes are cleaned and cleans on the first day. Then decorated in colors of red, white and yellow. Symbols of apples, Lilies, yellow flowers, butterflies and masks abound.

The second day is dedicated to ceremony with a great procession of people carrying either images of their ancestors or statuettes, representing those original people that made the migration. What follows is a feast and folly. And also great games are held, where the winners are given crowns made of apple wreaths and flowers, entwined with ribbons of holiday colors. These games last till the end of the 3rd day of the holiday.

Despite all the frivolity, it is a very serious and blessed holiday. A time to reflect on our freedoms, our liberties and those that sacrificed themselves to allow is to live as we do now. A time to give thanks to Briathenaea how shielded our ancestors along the way from the elements and gave us the apple orchards to feast on and gave us shelter. A time to thank Mask, the god of travels, who gave our ancestors safety and strength to carry on. And to Aleglea who awaited on the western back, embracing and blessing every ancestor that made the journey, blanketing the landscape with fertile fields, orchards, forests, fields and shelter.

Needless to say, the food of the holiday have a very apple theme to them: Pies, Cakes, stuffed and glazed meats and poultry.

Bowynn Gods: Nae

Nae (Nay)  Nae is one of the three Ano Taya goddesses. Her attribute is that of the past and she is the goddess that prepares the threads that shall be woven into the tapestry of Life, woven by her sisters. She and her sisters are the daughters of Bia.

Nae represents, Beginnings, Childhood, The past, Memories.

     Nae is a goddess seen as a young girl, still not clad in her hladd yet, as she symbolizes girls before having their first menstruation and still not fully trained in all of life’s lessons and skills Her clothes are also white in color, representing virginity. As with her sisters, Nae has no totem animals.

Bowynn Gods: Issen

The giant Issen with farmers and animals working the land

Issen (Eye-sen)  Ancient giant god of the old age created by Brea and her siblings. Issen was the older god who ruled over the warmth of summer. One of the older gods, he traveled the world, with his family. His home was in the south and he would appear in the summer as a mammoth of golden fur, bringing with him the summer weather.

      Even though Issen’s attributes were diminished but the coming of the Akua, He is still a most respected god. He is said to now work with the goddess Tarna, the summer goddess, following before her in mammoth form, clearing a path for the goddess to travel. Bowynn folk will often lay blame on Issen if the summer becomes too hot. Issen’s home is the summer-lands of the south. There he has is own lodge that he built himself. Later the lodge was given to Tarna and the god Saphon. It is said that the lodge is massive in size, made of brown wood and logs, sitting on a green hill, overlooking the forested lands. Despite his diminished attributes, Issen is still widely prayed too, in hopes that the summer season is not harsh, and he will ward off forest fires.

      In his immortal form, Issen is seen as an older god, fully bearded and long hair flowing down his back. His hair itself is brownish tainted with white. Issenn is known to always be wearing a heavy brown hide on his back and his clothing is of brown and golden leathers. In his hands are seen a staff and horn. It is with this horn that he blows on, issuing in the summer season. When not in this form, he is a magnificent golden mammoth. Sacred gifts to Issen are incense and votive mammoth images. Like all of the old giants, his totem was the mammoth.

Bowynn Gods: Lyann

Lyan  (Ly-an)  Lyan is the Bowynn god of the eastern providences and the east wind. He is one of the 4 wind gods, brother to Arn, Summon and Ryan.

Lyan is the god the delivers the moist gentle and scented rains and winds that often come in the spring and Springtime flowers. His winds blow away the last remnants of winter, allowing flower to grow. Appropriately, Lyan fell for the goddess of the springtime season and eventually wed her. Their sacred divine wedding falls on Ky'Quilla. Together, Lyan and Quilla reside in the far eastern lands. And together both appear on the first day of spring with Lyan leading his beloved.      Lyan is seen as a young man, barely out of his teenage years with wavy red flowing hair. He is seen in his divine form with bird wings. His garments are of reds, greens and/or yellow, often a long flowing loosely, that's falling off his shoulder and in his hand a flute and on his side a drinking horn. When not in his godly form, he will appear as a Robin, a bird that is Lyan's totem.

     Sacred gifts and offerings to Arn often consist of milk, fresh water and votives of robins, feathers and spring flowers.

Aelles Tsa'Tarna and Merry Solstice

Her lord and ladyship have arrived and Summer is walked through the door.. May your Solstice be bright, merry and a blessed one.

Today starts the 3 day Holiday of Tsa'Tarna for those of the Bowynn faith. The celebration of the first day of Summer. Tsa'Tarna literally translates to "1st of Summer." At the break of dawn on this day horns resound everywhere ushering in the epiphany of the Goddess of Summer, Tarna and her beloved Saphon, the god of the south and southern wind. Their rise and migration across the northern half of the earth begins, bringing all the joys of summer. At the same time it is the holiday celebrating the union of the God Hern (sun) to the Goddess Morrighynn (moon)

Boughs, garlands, bouquets and wreaths of Daisies Morning Glories, Sunflowers and Daffodils and displayed everywhere. White, Yellow and green flags and sheets blow in the wind, feasts are on full scale, A parade in which a veiled icon statue of Morrighynn is carried to a central temple or location and placed next to the icon statue of Hern. Bouquets of the flowers of the holiday are offered in abundance along with endless amounts of incense. Fruits, veggies, salads and fish are the main focus of feast meals.

the first day of Tsa'Tarna is devoted to the cleaning of homes and sacred spaces, cooking holiday foods and decorating. After which a bath or a swim in a lake or ocean is common. a cleansing. the evening is usually devoted to prayers and vigils at scared spots, temples and shrines. First offerings in all sorts of gifts of offered to the 4 primary gods: Tarna, Saphon, Hern and Morrighynn.

The second day is devoted strictly to the gods. In the morning the Epiphany is started with the blowing of horns and flutes, signaling that Tarna and Saphon have arisen and Summer is at hand. The parade/Procession of Morrighynn is held about noon followed by great rites and ceremonies all day and night.

the 3 day is devoted to celebration and feasting, with carnivals, sporting events, parades, picnics and fun times in general.

However you celebrate the holiday of the summer solstice, may you have a most blessed one. May the Epiphany of Summer and the southern wind bless and keep you cool and safe. May you find love, and joy in the days ahead and may you all celebrate in peace and harmony. Syember and Aelles.

Bowynn Gods: Heron

Heron  (He-rhon)  Heron is the god that is the deliverer of the dead to Daunnat, the afterworld. He is also the guardian of tombs and cemeteries. He is the son of Chumash and Kalma.

     As his name bears, Heron is a bird god. He bears little to no sacred stories, as his life is too busy, removing the soul and spirit within, from the dead body of the deceased and escorting them to Daunnat. Heron is the god that allows the soul and spirit 7 days grace to visit those they loved in life before they depart to the next world. From the grave turned into his bird form and guides then to the ship of souls and guides it to the shores of Duannat.

     One rare sacred story tells as how a group of hunters accidentally netted Heron in his bird form. When they realized it was the god, they held him trapped to avoid death themselves. But to their horror, the outcome was that no one ever died and instead continued to suffer with their pains and illnesses. The howls of pain of the people plagued the hunters into madness till they finally let Heron go. During the great 7 days, Heron stayed with the first tribes and taught them how to tend to the dead and care of tombs. At the same time, he also taught that death was not final and to not let grief stop the living from moving on.

     On the headstones and tombs of the death the image of Heron is always depicted, either as immortal form or as the heron bird. In his long legged foot (or sometimes in his mouth, he is seen holding a brighten sphere, a soul. In his immortal form, Heron is depicted as a young tall man with long black hair, donned in long blue, white and grey robes and great majestic wings. Sacred gifts to Heron are foods and libations of all sorts, flowers and bundles of incense sticks. Not to mention votive images of Herons.