The Companions of Mithras
Here is the GM's guide to the Companions. Like Earth, form Praedia seven bodies stand out in the heavens: the sun, moon, and 5 visible planets. Long ago, there was once a 2nd moon, but it is no more. So Seven is an important Number. Oddly enough there were 14 "saints" or "avatars" or what have you in Praedia at the time of the last cataclism. Some of these were normal mortal companions. The church would say they all were, except for Mirthras himself. The Gaels would say no, more than one was an avatar. The real truth has been mixed up and altered by different peoples in the 950 years since.| Heavenly
Body |
Avatar
(Divine force manifesting
though an apparent human being) |
Mortal
"Saint"
Human or otherwise morral companions of
Mithras et. al. |
| Sun |
Mithras
(God form: Lugh, god of leadership, learning, light, righteous
combat) Symbols: the Sun, a spear, a leaf-bladed sword. |
Bran or
Brenus, Imperial general
and legate who sides with
Mithras, becomes 1st king of what
will eventually be called
"Mithraea" after Mithras' death at
the Last Battle. Symbol:
Imperial governor's rod of office. |
| Moon
(Note: the deity of the 2nd, lost
moon is the dark dream god few if any still follow. He's
slowly, slowly fading from living
memory and existence because
his moon is gone....)
|
Brigid,
goddess of dreams,
inspiration, and prophesy. Note: Mithraics move Brigid to the left into the Saint column and make her the young admiring virgin girl. They put Fortuna, a pure, non-material personification of fate, here. fortuna is the Imperial force. She's considered allegorical, not a real goddess... Symbols: fire, musical instruments, pen, forge |
Several women seem to fit here in various
versions of the past:
Symbols: vary, generally signs of healing and motherhood like a distaff, a cradle |
| Traveller-star or trickster-star
(equivalent of Mercury) |
Dylan,
associated with travel, the
sea, seduction, visions,
hallucinations... [St. Dylan - patron of fishermen, in Mithraea] Sometimes seen as a fey force, possibly unseelie, that 'converted' to the cause. Sometimes believed to be a fey who was just curious, or just wanted to be involved in something 'big' and meaningful/fateful. Symbols: A wave, a ship |
Caillte
[Octavia Purpura] a
warrior (rarely remembered as
female) who was overly proud
but sided with Mithras, however
she failed due to that pride,
allowed an enemy commander to
move his troops past her position
because she 'knew' he wasn't
that smart, and troops and
civilians were killed. Supposedly
wandered for years seeking
atonement... Symbol: a broken sword |
| Twilight
star, hunter star (Venus-equivalent) |
Hearne
lord of the Wild Hunt,
master of the Forest [in Mithaea, St. Herne the forester/ranger, half wild at first like Enkidu in Gilgamesh, but "tamed" by Mithras] Symbols: A stag, often white,or a man with stag's antlers. |
St. Egil
a sea-raider archer and
bandit, a Robin Hood-like figure. Fought corrupt Imperial tax
collectors, protected the poor. Symbols: bow |
| Mars, the
Blood-star |
the Morrigan,
goddess of battle,
glory, and heroism. she is also, in Galacia, seen as a goddess of feminine mysteries and sexuality. [A human virgin warrior, St. Morgan, acording to the Mithraics], Symbols: A raven, a black spear |
St. Havigan,
a human sea-raider
captain associated with the
god/saint Tyr, god of courage and
loyalty, in his later years. He was originally a blood-thirsty
oponent of the forces of Mithras, but came over to his side after being
bested in single combat by the young warrior. Symbols: An axe, a long ship, a loyal hound |
| Vulcan
(Jupiter), the Maker |
Govannon,
the god of crafting,
smithing, and alchemy in Galacia [St.
Volund the crafter in Mithraea]. Patron of miths and other
working-class craftsmen Symbols: the forge, a smith's hammer and tongs |
St. Kermit,
a sort of "every-man"
figure, a simple man who dared
great things, wielded a hammer,
the "common-man's weapon. Symbols: A miner's hammer or staff or grain scythe |
| Saturn, the
dark-star, the star of
Mysteries |
Woden/Odinn,
god of the hanged,
chooser of the slain, god of magic and secrets.
[In Mithraea: the black-listed companion. Because he has only one eye, he is associated with the lead demon avatar, Balor, who also had only one terrible eye. So he has been systematically eliminated from most Mithraic and many Galacian texts]. Symbols: pairs of wolves or ravens (sometimes white), Sea-raider runes, an ash tree, a well. |
Magister
Gwydion, the founder of the
Bardic colleges, a Galacian bard who survived the cataclysm and
re-founded the bardic traditions with much help from the elves. Symbol: A harp or lyre, a seven-colored cloak |