Eldar Mythology

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Eldar Mythology, told through the Eldar Mythic Cycles, are ancient stories that bind the Eldar race together and form a basis for much of their thinking on their ancient past. The Mythic Cycles of the Eldar Empire tell of their pantheon of gods and heroes.[2a] The Asuryata is the mythic cycles sung by the Bards[8] of the Asuryani which tells of the Phoenix Lords and the fated end of all Eldar in the Rhana Dandra.[6] The Eldar Mythic Cycles are recorded in verse, remembered in the metaphors of the Eldar Language, and told throughout the Aeldari diaspora by the dances of the Harlequins.[6]

Gods

The Aeldari Pantheon.[6]

The Pantheon of the Eldar is considered to have been destroyed by the creation of Slaanesh during the Fall of the Eldar as all gods were destroyed by She Who Thirsts – save three, Cegorach in the Webway,[17] Khaine shattered among the Warhosts of the Asuryani,[18a] and Isha (if rumours are true) held captive by Nurgle.[1] While the Eldar still revere all the gods and preserve their stories within the mythic cycles, they do not call on them for aid or hope for their intervention any longer.[2a] Since the Fall, the Aeldari have ceased worshiping their dead gods.[6]

The Eldar Pantheon

Living Gods:

  • Cegorach the Laughing God the Great Harlequin, a trickster deity and artist. When all the other gods were destroyed, Cegorach fled Slaanesh until Khaine rose to do battle with it and in the melee escaped into the Webway, as only he is said to know all the secrets of its passages.[5b] The master of the Harlequins, Cegorach is the only Aeldari god that still remains at their original strength, even being said to walk among his children from time to time in the guise of a Great Harlequin.[17] Together with Kurnous and Hoec, who represent the body and mind, Cegorach is said to represent the soul of the Aeldari.
  • Khaine the Lord of Murder, also known as Kaela Mensha Khaine the Bloody Handed God for his role in killing Eldanesh, is the Eldar God of War. He is the younger brother of Asuryan,[5a] and brother to Vaul.[6] Khaine was the belligerent in the War in Heaven waging war against Vaul for deceiving him to free the jailed the lovers Isha and Kurnous.[2a] The mightiest of the gods to battle Slaanesh at her birth, while he was defeated he did not die – instead his substance scattered istelf into the cores of the Craftworlds[18a] where the Asuryani can summon his Avatars for war sacrificing an Exarch known as The Young King in the Ritual of Awakening.[5b] The only god still living among the Asuryani, he forever tempts their Autarchs with war.[21a]
  • Isha (rumoured).[1][24] – see below.

Dead Gods:

  • Ahnakh-Yth the Weaver, the mother of spiders and first daughter of Morai-Heg. She is said to have watched over the Aeldari from her Cosmic Web and created the Warp Spiders that crawl among the Infinity Circuits of the Craftworlds[6]
  • Asuryan The Phoenix King, Asuryan was the oldest of the pantheon of Eldar gods acting as their chief[2a] to which all others bowed.[6] While the mythic cycles seem to indicate that he held sway over all the others, he was nevertheless consumed by Slaanesh. He is often depicted in relation to fire and light, his chief symbols. He is the older brother[5a] and twin[2a] of Khaine, the God of Destruction[5a] and Vaul the Creator keeping them both in balance in his role as the Perserver[6] and is revered by seers of all kinds.[6]
  • Gea, or Gia[13], consort to the twin deities Khaine and Asuryan.[2a]
  • Hoec the Wanderer, God of Exploration and Travellers and one with the Webway itself.[6] Together with Kurnous and Cegorach who represent the body and soul, Hoec is said to represent the mind of the Aeldari.
  • Isha the Mother, the god of the harvest, nature, fertility, and[6] healing,[1][2a] mother to Eldanesh the first of the Aeldari with her lover Kurnous, mother of Lileath, consort to Asuryan, and niece and sister to Vaul. Together with her daughter Lileath and Morai-Heg she represents the feminine principles of the Aeldari.[6] Isha is often depicted crying and her symbol is a teared eye, symbolic of her sorrow in being separated from her mortal children by the dictate of Asuryan for which Vaul crafted her tears such that she and Kurnous could break the dictate and continue to teach their mortal children how to Bonesing.[2a] These mythic Tears of Isha are the same Soul Stones which protect the souls of dead Eldar from being devoured by She Who Thirsts[2a] her gift to the Aeldari is love itself.[6]
Most Eldar believe Isha perished in the Fall of the Eldar but not all Farseers are convinced she perished along with the other gods.[24] There is single Craftworld which tells the tale of The Caged Maiden: that Isha was stolen from the jaws of Slaanesh by Nurgle who keeps her prisoner within the Cauldron Chamber of his Garden of Nurgle, where he tests new poxes upon her as Isha can heal herself of any disease.[1] While the Plaguefather is busy at his cauldron, Isha whispers to mortals hoping to tell them the cures of all the poxes she has tasted.[1]
  • Kurnous, God of the Hunt, father of Eldanesh the first of the Aeldari with his lover Isha and mother to Lileath. He is often shown in conjunction with hounds, hawks, and other trappings of the hunt including his Falcon, Faolchú. His gift to the Aeldari was desire, and together with Cegorach and Hoec who represent the soul and mind, Cegorach is said to represent the body of the Aeldari. The Dim Green Moon of the original Aeldari Homeworld was known as Kurnous the Hunter's Moon.[3]
  • Lileath the Maiden, also known as Lilieath and Lilcarth, God of Dreams and Fortune after whom the Lilaethan are named.[24] She is the daughter of Isha[5c] and Asuryan[6] and also the youngest of the pantheon.[5a] Together with Isha and Morai-Heg she represents the feminine principles of the Aeldari.[6] The White Moon of the original Aeldari Homeworld was known as Lilieath the Maiden Moon.[3]
  • Morai-Heg the Crone, Mistress of Fate, the God of Fate[6] and Souls,[24] consort of Kaelis Vara’lanthian[12] and mother of mother of Ahnakh-Yth[6] and the Banshees which she used to torment Khaine until he severed her hand such that she could drink her own blood and learn the wisdom within[5d] the five fingers of her hand forged into the Croneswords.[12] She holds the fates of all mortals inside a skin rune pouch.[5b] Together with Isha and Lileath she represents the feminine principles of the Aeldari.[6] It is for Morai-Heg that the Crone Worlds are known as such.[6]
  • Vaul the Master Smith and the Creator, god of craft and industry[6] also known as The Artificer[5b], the younger brother of Asuryan and Khaine he acts in the role of the Creator, meted against the destruction of Khaine by the Preservation of Asuryan.[6] Khaine is most often depicted crippled and chained to his forge, his punishment after deceiving Khaine in the War in Heaven (Eldar). Vaul taught the Eldar inventiveness that allows the artisans and Bonesingers to forge wondrous creations from the fortress-shattering Engines of Vaul to the Craftworlds themselves.[6] It was by his hand that the Tears of Isha and the Talismans of Vaul were created.[10]

Unborn Gods:

  • Ynnead the Whispering God, the Unborn God of the Dead,[6] who may be also known as Kaelis Vara’lanthian the Death God Yet to Be[12] the potential god formed of the souls of the dead Eldar contained in the Infinity Circuit. Ynnead represents the last, faint hope of the Eldar that they will overthrow Slaanesh.[6] The Eldar believe the Eldar souls contained within the Infinity Circuits of all the Craftworlds are collectively forming a new god that will have the power to destroy Slaanesh, freeing their souls from destruction.[6] As yet, the souls contained in the Circuit can muster only a tiny amount of power compared to Slaanesh. The Eldar believe that only once every last Eldar has died and their souls have combined into what they call Ynnead, will it have the power to finally confront and destroy Slaanesh.[2b]

Mythological Creatures

Heroes of Myth

Mythic Cycles

The Beginning of the Eldar

It is said that Eldanesh was the first of the Aeldari, fathered by Kurnous, the Hunter and birthed by Isha, the Mother. At first he lived alone upon the barren face of the Aeldari Homeworld, and his heart ached with loneliness. So Isha, in her motherly love, wept a single tear of sorrow for her mortal son and where the tear fell burst forth sunlit skies, verdant forests, deep oceans, and with them the first life all of the creatures of the land, air and sea.[6]

In their moment of creation, the Eldar were given one gift by each god: Asuryan gave the Eldar wisdom, so that they may know themselves; Isha gave the Eldar love, so that they may know one another; Vaul gave the Eldar the Artifice, as a means to make their dreams realities; Lileath gave the Eldar joy, so that they would be happy; Kurnous gave the Eldar desire, so they that would prosper; Morai-Heg gave the Eldar foresight, so that they would know their place in the world; Khaine gave the Eldar anger, so that they may have a means to defend their gifts.[4b]

Eldanesh, who, with the support of his brother Ulthanesh, led the Eldar to many victories over nightmarish foes such as the Hresh-selain.[4a] In the early days, there was no barrier between the lands of gods and mortals – the deities walked among the Eldar, teaching them and leading them in an age of peace and prosperity.[5a] In harmony the mortals and gods thrived.[6]

The Dance of Asuryan

Statue of Asuryan on Craftworld Iyanden.[25c]

Long before the birth of Eldanesh, Kurnous was bound in courtship to Lileath, the Maiden, but in time spurned her in favour of Isha. While Lileath hid her jealousy beneath a façade of smiles, her envy curdled to resentment.[6]

One night, Lileath dreamed a vision of Khaine the God of War being torn apart and destroyed by an army of mortal Eldar[5] warriors.[6] Khaine had long held a smouldering jealousy for Kurnous. He had harboured an unrequited love for Lileath. By every method he could conceive he sought her hand, and in every attempt was denied, and had watched their betrothal with furious envy.[6] In secret, Lileath whispered to Khaine the horrors she had dreamt,[6] and as Lileath was well-known for her prophetic dreams[2a] Khaine saw her words as prophecy and took up his blade.[6]

Just as Lileath had planned, Khaine's fury awakened[6] and he resolved to wipe out the Eldar race[2a] and Lileath smiled broadly for Kurnous and Isha would soon know true grief.[6] Khaine pursued the Eldar across the heavenly realm,[2a] and strode into the mortal realm to vent his seething anger upon the Aeldari,[6] trapping and slaying many.[2a] When Isha learned of his murderous onslaught and the suffering he had wrought she wept and her keening wails of grief rippled through heaven with such anguish[6] that Asuryan the Phoenix King heard her plea.[2a]

When Asuryan discovered what had transpired, with the same wisdom he had gifted the Aeldari[6] he banished all remaining Eldar to the mortal lands.[2a] Then, the Phoenix King created an impenetrable barrier between the gods in their heaven and the mortal realm,[6] forever separating the two, and decreed that no god was to intervene or communicate with the Eldar ever again. So, Khaine's war on the Eldar was stopped for a time[2a] but Isha's sorrow remained, for though her progeny were safe from Khaine's murderous rampage she could no longer communicate with her beloved offspring.[6] Kurnous too felt the pang of sorrow until he could stand no longer to gaze upon his beloved Isha's misery.[6]

The Lost Daughter

It is remembered on one Craftworld that Isha was able to secret one daughter from Asuryan for she was small and young and with sapphire eyes and to whom she taught the secrets of the universe until her power outgrew her safety and Isha sent her to live among the most isolated and well hidden of the mortal Eldar. However, in Isha's haste, she was brought from heaven still a child – and thus her mortal forms, the Ehveline, are doomed to a childhood of prophecy and an early death.[15]

The Tears of Isha

Kurnous and Isha asked their uncle brother, Vaul the Smith, for help to reunite with them with the Eldar[2a] knowing that only he could undo Asuryan's celestial artifice.[6] Although Vaul knew Asuryan had forbidden contact between mortals and gods, he agreed to help. Vaul took the tears shed by Isha for her fallen children and turned them into Spirit Stones, and by means of the stones an Eldar could once again talk to the gods communicating from afar though they could never again meet. Vaul gave one stone to Isha and the remainder to the mortal Eldar. With their stone, Isha and Kurnous continued to teach and mentor their mortal children in secrecy, showing them how the stones could be combined with runes to make the skeletal frameworks of all kinds and skeletal structures of craft.[2a]

Peace was not to last, though, as in one careless moment[6] Khaine overheard Isha as she spoke into her stone. Bitter, jealous, and desperate for vengeance[6] Khaine immediately told Asuryan.[2a] Dissapointment and anger coursed through Asuryan.[6] Asuryan's decree had not been obeyed[2a] because of parents' love for their children, but it had been disobeyed nonetheless.[6]

Though it pained him greatly,[6] Asuryan declared before his fellow gods that both Isha and Kurnous were to be given the God of Murder to do with as he wished.[2a] Khaine tortured Isha and Kurnous, binding them with bonds of flame and scorching iron and casting them into a burning pit out of the sight of mortals and gods.[21a] For countless years they suffered Khaine's torments, deprived of the light of the heavens and severed from the children they so loved.[6] Many of the gods secretly thought Khaine was going too far and supported Isha and Kurnous, but only one was willing to stand up for them in public.[5b]

Vaul could not bear to see his brother nephew Kurnous and sister niece Isha harmed,[2a], guilt racked his soul for he had aided them in their scheme and he longed to see them freed[6] so he struck a bargain with Khaine for their release.[2a] Khaine agreed that if Vaul were to make him a hundred[21a][6] (or possibly a thousand)[2a] enchanted weapons, each mightier than the last,[6] in a single year's time then Khaine would release Isha and Kurnous in exchange for the Swords of Vaul.[21a]

Vaul immediately set to work[2a] labouring day and night, fashioning blades of the like of which no mortal hand could strike each one a wondrous work of art wrought in Starmetal, Sunbronze, and the dust of shattered nebulae,[6] working hard all year but by the time the day approached the final weapon, a long sword, still lay unfinished on the anvil.[2a] It was in this moment that Khaine, disguised as Murekh the Scorpion, stung Vaul's hand to prevent him from completing the hundredth sword thus, when the year was up, the bargain would be rendered void.[9] To conceal his shortfall, Vaul took an ordinary blade of mortal construction[6] and mixed it in with the others.[2a]

On delivery, Khaine was surprised[9] and so pleased with the weapons that he failed to spot the deception and released Isha and Kurnous forthwith.[21a] Vaul, Kurnous and Isha hurried away and as the trio made good their escape Khaine discovered the ordinary sword hidden among the others and roared with anger, calling Vaul a cheat and crying for revenge.[2a] This was the beginning of the long struggle between Khaine and Vaul known as the War in Heaven (Eldar).[21a]

The War in Heaven

The tale of the War in Heaven is the latter half of the Dance of Asuryan[24], better known as the Dream of Asuryan, and tells of the myriad ways Khaine and Vaul war against one another[2a] the gods cast into conflict the heavens shaking with the thunder of battle.[2] The wars that followed polarized the gods, Khaine's faction and Vaul's faction engaging in bloody warfare for an eternity.text-middle[Help] Khaine allied himself with the demi-gods of the Yngir and fought alongside them to cast the Children of Isha from Heaven.[25b] Gods changed sides, great deeds of heroism and of craven evil were performed on both sides.[2a] The war was mirrored in a struggle between the Eldar in the mortal realms as the conflict bled through the barrier of heaven. Only the great Asuryan in his wisdom refused to align himself with one or the other, thus he would remain lord of both when the conflict ended.[6]

At the height of the War in Heaven, Asuryan himself was laid low by the chill blades of his foes. To save her beloved, Isha drew down the heat of a hundred stars into a glittering gem, the only surviving fragment of which is known as the Phoenix Gem. The light and heat that had nurtured countless planets drove the chill Asuryan's bones and returned him to health.[21c]

In the last days of the War in Heaven[21b] Vaul reforged the final sword, the one that he had failed to finish for Khaine, the greatest of all imbued with all of the art of his mastery,[6] and called it Anaris[10] the Light of Dawn,[6] the Sword of Dawnlight.[21b] Armed with this weapon, Vaul strode forth to do battle with Khaine.[10] Despite the might of Anaris[6], after a long, hard-fought struggle,[10] Vaul could not match Khaine's martial prowess and the forge god was overpowered and cast from heaven.[6] Khaine cast down Vaul imprisoning and maiming the smith, and binding Vaul to his own anvil[10] with chains of Vaul's creation.[6] Khaine roared in triumph and reached to claim Anaris for his own.[6]

In that moment the falcon Faolchú consort to Kurnous the Hunter, who had fought on the side of Vaul stole the sword Anaris[2a] and bore the glimmering weapon into the heavens as Khaine cried out in impotent fury.[6] Faolchú delivered Anaris to Eldanesh, greatest of the mortal Eldar.[5c] Long ago, Khaine had fought side-by-side with Eldanesh and had offered his mortal student many victories on the battlefield in exchange for his fealty, but Eldanesh had refused.[6] Khaine's rage burned bright and hot once more with Vaul defeated as Eldanesh took the side of Isha and Kurnous and in the face of Khaine's murderous rage did Faolchú bear Anaris to Eldanesh.[6]

With Anaris in hand, Eldanesh of the Red Moon took up the fight and faced Khaine in single combat.[5] Eldanesh fought well, however even armed with Vaul's finest blade he was no match for the God of War[6] and in the end he too was defeated by Khaine.[5c] Before he could as much as land a blow upon Khaine's towering form[6] his body was crushed by the god of war[5c] torn apart and killed.[2a] As Khaine slew Eldanesh his hands began to drip with red blood. Forever after he was to become known as Khaela Mensha Khaine, which means "Khaine the Bloody-Handed".[2a]

As Khaine held Anaris aloft, Faolchú the Great Hawk descended from the heavens and took the broken body of Eldanesh in their talons bearing it aloft and setting it into the firmament[6] to create the Red Moon of Eldanesh, the third moon of the Eldar Homeworld,[3] where it stayed until the birth of the malefic being known as She Who Thirsts.[6] Anaris, the last of the Swords of Vaul would be given to the descendents of Eldanesh.[2a]

Asuryan had seen enough of the slaughter, appalled by the murder he cursed Khaine that his hands drip eternally with the blood of Eldanesh so that he would remember what he had done,[2a] the final act of the War in Heaven. Asuryan proclaimed the war over, Khaine had had his victory[6] and vengeance and left the field satisfied.[5c]

The Birth of Fear

Main article: War in Heaven (Necron)

Translated by Obelius Mung from the Seven Scrolls of H'sann, it is a cycle which contains unmistakable parallels to the Eldar myth of the War in Heaven but takes place during the war with the Yngir, also known as the War in Heaven.[10]

There was a time when the Eldar lived without fear of death and could meet foes without regard for mortality; their souls living on, reborn as a Phoenix from the flame. In that manner the Eldar joined their gods to wage war upon the Yngir and their Silvered Host. The noble kings Ulthanash and Eldanesh, Lanthrilaq the Swift, and Jaeriela Thrice-Blessed led their peoples by Khaine's side.[10]

Then came Kaelis Ra the Deathbringer, and none could stand against it. Populations fell before its scythe, with those that died losing even their souls[10] and the Death-Bringer itself portended the demise of the Eldar.[27a] But the gods of the Eldar had other strengths than pure might, the Eldar and The Greatest Among the Soul-Dancers convinced many of the C'tan, or in one version just Khamus the Outsider (who is also prophesied to return and visit revenge upon Cegorach),[15] to turn on the other C'tan[10] even against Kaelis Ra.[27a]

Whilst the Deathbringer slaked its unquenchable thirst on the Yngir[10] and laid waste to the stars themselves to bring the traitorous C'tan into line,[27a] Khaine consulted Cegorach and his Harlequins for their wisdom and advice.[27a] The Bloody-Handed god struck a bargain with Vaul the Smith God: In exchange for the release of Kurnous and Isha from Khaine's dungeons Vaul would forge one-hundred swords for the war against the Yngir.[10] In time Kaelis Ra saw that he had been misdirected by Cegorach's Great Trick and his platinum hoards depleted, infuriated he turned once more agains the Aeldari slaying Jaeriela.[27b]

Thus the Blade-Wraiths,[10][27a] the legendary Swords of Vaul, were created[10] and Khaine with rage incandescent in his soul[27a] led his heroes to war once more[10] and to a final stand.[27a] One hundred Eldar, each armed with a Blade-Wraith which reinvigorated their soul after every blow and fighting in an impenetrable circle,[10] faced the hordes of silvered[27a] Necrontyr[10][27a] so vast the horizons glittered like the heavens[27a] and knew no dread[10] and no fear.[27a] The heroes fought for seven days and nights never tiring or falling back before a fault was discovered, Lanthrilaq's sword was blunt and did not restore his stamina[10] causing the hero to falter, suddenly tired his face pale and his features gaunt.[26] In an explosion of darkness his blade-wraith cracked falling from his hands[26] and causing the ring of warriors to break – Vaul had cheated Khaine[10] and tricked the Eldar for one of his blades was imperfect and flawed and energies within it were imbalanced and unstable.[26]

From beneath the ground the Nightbringer, Kaelis Ra emerged and slew many great warriors[10] one after the other, valiant in their desperate and futile fight[26] Eldanesh was first to die,[27] then Ulthanash was slain by the scyhe of Kaelis Ra,[27b] condemning their souls to an eternity of dust.[10] The thousands of silvering necrontyr overran their position, their blades were shattered and ruined falling into the river of blood.[26] Only Khaine stood above the fray, his spear flashing like lightning.[26] Nearing the point of his own exhaustion[26] Khaine and the Deathbringer battled, spear and scythe clashing, Khaine was a great warrior but his blade could not cut shadow itself. Seeing Khaines death with certainty, Kaelis Ra struck for Khaine's throat but, heeding the advice of Cegorach,[10][26] Khaine danced inside the blow[26] and lunged into the attack seizing on the moment of corporeality.[10]

Kaelis Ra burst into silvered rain of Shards[26] in an explosion that vaporized the necrontyr rendering the world a mercurial flood[26] and nearly cleft the mighty Khaine,[10] and in so doing drove shards of the Yngir's flesh deep into the God's body forever tainting Khaine with Aspect of the Reaper. Raging at it's defeat, the quintessence of Kaelis Ra howled through space and imbued the Eldar race with the terror of the grave, an idea that would seed the Fall of the Eldar – a time in which reincarnation would be closed to them forever.[10]

It is unclear where in the tale it takes place, but Asuryan, the father of all Eldar Gods also stood against Kaelis Ra, destroyer of Worlds – and such was the power of each that neither immortal could gain supremacy over the other.[28] Desperate, for his children suffered while Kaelis Ra battled, Asuryan rearranged the suns themselves, forming constelations which spelled out ill omens for the Yngir, and with just a thought harnessed the power of these outraged stars into a barrage of solar flares called the Sunstorm which nearly destroyed Kaelis Ra[28] – but it did not destroy the Deathbringer, for only Khaine could accomplish that task.[27b]

Fall of the Eldar

Thousands upon thousands of years later, when the Eldar race traveled to the stars and forged a great empire, they grew decadent and indulgent. Their thoughts and emotions coalesced in the Warp into a new and deadly god — Slaanesh. The birth of Slaanesh and the Fall of the Eldar heralded the end of the Eldar pantheon.[6]

Upon her birth, She Who Thirts devoured the gods:[6] the Prince of Darkness slew the Eldar Gods viciously and consumed their power[22b], becoming stronger than even the strongest of the pantheon.[5b]

It is said that when Asuryan witnessed the birth of Slaanesh and saw her devour the souls of the Eldar, he shed bitter tears which crystalized into the Tears of Asuryan.[23]

Kurnous the Legendary Hunter revered for his keen sight saw the approach of Slaanesh but was imprisoned – bound by the jealous god Khaine by chains of fire and unable to call out his warning cry.[26] Slaanesh, especially resentful of Kurnous' perfect sight which denied her vanity and saw his hideous corruption, turned the hunter's eyes to crystal and tore them from his head and shattered them, flinging the shards across creation before devouring the god.[26]

When Isha, the Mother fell beside her beloved Kurnous and Slaanesh raised it's hands to finish the mortally wounded Isha and Khaine the Bloody Handed rushed with maniacal ferocity to attack the newborn god, Isha gave one last gift to her children the Aeldari: she willed drops of her Blood into the heavens and she willed them to land, a few each, on the many worlds of the Eldar to heal the woes of those who hold them – a parting gift through which she would always be with her children.[26]

When Khaine the Lord of Murder[6] fought with Slaanesh lord of Pleasure the mightiest warrior of the gods was quickly overwhelmed in titanic battle[5b] and his energy captured by the nascent Gods of Chaos, as he could be for he was the was the part of Eldar nature which found gratification in murder and bloody violence, however this greatly displeased Khorne, the Patron of War for he had been robbed of the rage of the Eldar race and furiously clashed headlong into Slaanesh and tore into her to pull Khaine back into the compass of Khorne. The two great powers exhausted their rage and passion, and when the boundaries of their realm was established Khaine fell outside the Realm of Chaos altogether.[2c] Rather than being destroyed, his substance was scattered across the mortal realm.[25b] Neither Khorne nor Slaanesh could find his entirety[2c] – or rather Khaine is something so incorruptible within the spirit of the Eldar that no god could consume him.[22b] It is said that where these fragments came to rest in the wraithbone cores of the craftworlds that Avatars of the Bloody-Handed God arise never to be wholly destroyed.[18a] Khaine's mighty conflict gained the Eldar time to protect themselves from the murderous Thirsting Goddess saving the race from annihilation.[25b]

The Laughing God Cegorach,[6] as the Harlequins tell, seized on the distraction of Slaanesh's fight with Kaela Mensha Khaine[5b] to escape into the Webway and hide amongst its myriad tunnels where the Prince of Chaos cannot find him. There he still lives with his Harlequins, laughing at the Chaos Gods and emerging randomly to play deadly tricks and make secret plans. He will never be caught, for he is too fast and too subtle.[5b]

It is nearly universally held that only two Eldar Gods survived the Fall of the Eldar, however one Craftworld tells the tale of Isha the Caged Maiden, who was not devoured by Slaanesh and was instead snatched from his jaws by Nurgle. In the myth, Nurgle still keeps Isha prisoner within his Cauldron Chamber where Isha the God of Healing can cure herself of any disease he has her trie, and so long as the Plaguefather is busy at his cauldron she whispers to mortals the cures of the poxes she has tasted.[1]

The Fall of the Eldar has had a further terrible result for the Aeldari, as the newly awakened Slaanesh is able to prey upon the psychic energy of eldar souls as they leave their body. The Eldar nurture a dream in which they overthrow the Great Enemy, but do so in the face of impossible odds.[2a]

The Asuryata

Main article: Asuryata
Eldar Artifact describing the Asuryata found among the ruins of El Daradanel on Ilium II.[25a]

The Asuryata is the legend of the Phoenix Lords that tells of their history and exploits. The tale is recited in full only once each generation, but it features many parables and teachings through which the Asuryani inform everything from war councils to day-to-day activities.[8] Those lost on the Path of the Player,[11] the storytellers and poets of the order known as the Bards of Twilight, are said to be the only ones among the Aeldari who know the poem in its entirety.[8]

The Pilgrimage

Main article: Bás-Finscéali

The harrowing great oddyssey by which Maugan Ra freed Altansar from the Eye of Terror along with his heroic band of Asuryani the Hanndroth Bhanlhari comprised of Dark Reapers, Swooping Hawks, Warlocks, and warriors from Ulthwé, Mymeara, and Kinshara. The tale tells of the slaughter of the Thousand-eyed Beast, the toppling of a Plague Gholem, and the solving of the eleven riddles of the Gyre-Sphynx of Pheba-Korinteias. By the end of the journey, only the Harvester of Souls survived to lead the Craftworld out of the Eye of Terror.[20]

Rhana Dandra

Main article: Rhana Dandra

The Rhana Dandra is the last chapter of the Asuryata which foretells an impending Ragnarök-like apocalyptic battle of ruination in which the Phoenix Lords lead all remaining Aeldari into a war against the combined powers of Chaos, resulting in the deaths of all remaining Aeldari, the last of their Gods and Heroes, and the destruction of both Reality and the Immaterium.[6]

During the Rhana Dandra, Fuegan will bind "the Dragon" with a chain he has forged from the souls of his enemies.[12]

It is an increasingly common belief that the Rhana Dandra may occur within the lifetime of those Aeldari alive today, evidenced by the opening of the Great Rift. Those among the Ynnari believe that the Rhana Dandra will end with the apotheosis of Ynnead, who will bring about the demise of She Who Thirsts providing a salvation to the Aeldari.[6]

Note

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The following information is not to be regarded as officially sanctioned and/ or is not written from an in-universe point of view. A detailed explanation of the term "Trivia" as used in the Lexicanum can be found here.

An Eldar god's precise nature in the Warhammer 40,000 cosmology is not clearly defined. We know that the psychic races created used in war by the Old Ones during the War in Heaven (Necron)[7] were capable of manifesting aspects of the Warp[7] into reality, we know that Warp Entities were attracted to the Eldar for this purpose, including the Enslavers.[7] We know that the Eldar have their myth event called the War in Heaven (Eldar) is implied to be, in some way, the mythological interpretation of the millennias-past event also known as the War in Heaven (Necrons).

It is possible that the Eldar Gods are, themselves, some memory of the Old Ones, or of these Warp Entities, or perhaps as Ynnead seems to be - a myth realized through true belief of the Aeldari.[6] Their exact nature has never been clarified or confirmed.

See also

Sources


Deities of the Milky Way Galaxy
Chaos Khorne • Nurgle • Slaanesh • Tzeentch • Dark King • Malice • Pater Mutatis • Vashtorr • Bringer of Dark Truths
C'tan Aza'gorod the Nightbringer • The Crimson God • Emberresh the Suneater • Hsiagn'la • Iash'uddra the Endless Swarm • Kalugura the Silent Cry • Llandu'gor the Flayer • Mag'ladroth the Void Dragon • Manubiarix • Mephet'ran the Deceiver • N'phoran the Spiral Flame • Nor • Nyadra'zatha the Burning One • Og'driada the Arisen • Stardeath • The Sufferer • Thyssak'lha the Walking Blight • Tsara'noga the Outsider • Yggra'nya the World Shaper • Zarhulash the Potentate • Zul'channec
Eldar Core Pantheon Ahnakh-Yth • Asuryan • Cegorach • Dromlach and Shaimesh • Gea • Hoec • Isha • Kaela Mensha Khaine • Kurnous • Lileath • Morai-Heg • Vaul • Ynnead
Dark Muses Hekatii • Lhilitu • Qa'leh • Shaimesh • Vileth • Ynesth
Human

Aureus Nahor • Dromlach • Emperor of Mankind (Star Child) • Deus Mechanicus (Omnissiah • Motive Force) • Father Isstvan • Fenrisian Pantheon (Erlking • Morkai) • Feth • Fulgrim the Water-Bringer • Mythrus • Ratskins Pantheon (Brakar • Dapakk • Ku) • Silent Ones (Urgothon)

Ork

Gork • Mork

Tau Empire Tau

T'au'va

Kroot

Gmork • Vawk

Other Dragon of Mars • Star Children (Genestealer Cults) • Qah
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