- "The world was first and the world was flame, fluid and fearsome. As the flame cooled, matter formed and gained vast strength and endurance, a great globe with fire at its heart. From the fire at the heart of the world slowly grew the World-Soul."
- ―dy Cabon begins the tale of the advent of the Five Gods[src]
See also Gods and Demons for a discussion of the differences between gods and demons.
The Five Gods of the Chalion Universe[]
- The Father of Winter
- Colors: Primary=black, secondary=gray
- Associations: law/jurisprudence, fertility
- Signs and Signifiers: genitals
- Father's Day was Winter Solstice
- The Mother of Summer
- Colors: Primary=green, secondary=yellow
- Associations: health/medicine
- Signs and Signifiers: navel
- Mother's Day was Summer Solstice
- The Son of Autumn
- Colors: Primary=red-orange, secondary=brown
- Associations: hunt, warfare
- Signs and Signifiers: heart
- Son's Day was Autumnal Equinox
- The Daughter of Spring
- Colors: Primary=blue, secondary=white
- Associations: life, youthful learning, civil order, lyric poetry
- Signs and Signifiers: forehead
- Daughter's Day was Vernal Equinox
- The Bastard of the unseason
- Colors: white
- Associations: bastards, non-heteronormative loves, spies, epic poetry, vile jokes
- Signs and Signifiers: tongue, thumb.
- Bastard's Day was intercalaray day inserted every other year to prevent precession of seasons
God's day celebrations[]
Word of Author (Monday June 21, 2021) says:
The parts of the 5GU we've seen so far have four major holy days at the solstices and equinoxes, where the gods hand over Their reigns (or reins) to each other in turn; and four minor ones exactly halfway in between each major one, honoring the god(ess) of its quarter at the apex. The mid-period Spring holiday for the Daughter was iirc the one where Ista and her party stopped for the county fair. The Father's falls on Groundhog Day, also given to the Bastard in Roknari lands (a day of fasting and staying in nervously.) The mid-Summer holiday, sheltered in His Mother's season, is commonly given to the Bastard in other lands. I don't think we've had occasion to visit the mid-Autumn one, but it's there. So at least 8 holidays in the year's round, plus more purely local events -- saints' days and what-not -- scattered about q.s.
See http://lists.herald.co.uk/pipermail/lois-bujold/2021-June/001434.html for reference.
Miscellaneous[]
- People typically made a sign of the Five Gods whenever they feel mindful of them.
- Temple layouts differ by custom.
- Chalionese temples
- Wealdean temples
- Death magic was a miracle granted by the Bastard.
All items (18)
