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[[image:Aeldari Pantheon.jpg|right|thumb|350px|The Aeldari Pantheon{{Fn|6}}.]]'''Eldar Mythology''', told through the '''Eldar Mythic Cycles''', 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.{{Fn|2a}} The '''Asuryata''' is the mythic cycles sung by the [[Bard]]s{{Fn|8}} of the [[Asuryani]] which tells of the [[Phoenix Lords]] and the fated end of all Eldar in the [[Rhana Dandra]].{{fnFn|6}} The Eldar Mythic Cycles are recorded in verse, remembered in the metaphors of the [[Eldar Lexicon|Eldar Language]], and told throughout the Aeldari diaspora by the dances of the [[Harlequin]]s.{{fnFn|6}}

*'''[[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 (Aeldari Mythology)|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'''.{{Fn|3}}

*'''[[Ehveline]]''', daughter of [[Isha]] kept secret from [[Asuryan]] whose reincarnations are trusted to the people of [[Craftworld]] [[Kaelor]].{{Fn|15}}*'''[[Eldanesh]]''', the first of the [[Aeldari]]{{Fn|6}} and greatest mortal hero of the Eldar{{Fn|5a}} Together with his brother [[Ulthanesh]] he fought against the [[Yngir]] with [[Khaine]],{{Fn|10}} and against [[Khaine]] in the mythic [[War in Heaven (Eldar)|War in Heaven]].{{Fn|5d}} The Red Moon of the original Aeldari [[Homeworld]] was known as '''Eldanesh the Red Moon''' and was supposedly created from the bloody body of the Eldar Lord after his death at the hand of [[Kaela Mensha Khaine]] (or [[Kaelis Ra]] by Khaine's failure){{fnFn|27b}} – red moons remains a portent of disaster in [[Aeldari]] culture.{{Fn|3}} Eldanesh had many descendents, the [[Eldanar]]{{Fn|21d}} who inherited [[Anaris]] - although the line would end with [[Inriam the Young]]{{Fn|21d}} who would lose the blade in the [[Sea of Broken Tears]].{{Fn|2a}}*'''[[Eldrad Ulthran|Eldrad]]''', the great [[Asuryani]] [[Farseer]] has entered the pantheon of mythic heroes following the [[13th Black Crusade]], when he bodily entered the [[Warp]] to save a corrupted [[Blackstone Fortress|Talisman of Vaul]].{{fnFn|5e}} His name is synonymous with wisdom, foresight, and self-sacrifice.{{fnFn|5e}}*'''[[Elronhir]]''', who cleansed bestial [[The Mon-keigh|mon-keigh]] from the galaxy and freed the [[Eldar Empire|Eldar Lands]] from their subjugation.{{Fn|18c}}

*'''[[Lanthrilaq]] the Swift''' fought against the [[Yngir]] with [[Khaine]]{{fnFn|10}} but was slain by [[Kaelis Ra]] after he had been given the one false [[Sword of Vaul]] of the hundred crafted for [[Khaine]].{{Fn|10}}*'''[[Ulthanesh]]''', or '''Ulthanash''', [[Eldar]] brother of [[Eldanesh]].{{Fn|5a}} Together with his brother he fought against the [[Yngir]] with [[Khaine]]{{Fn|10}} and against Khaine in the mythic [[War in Heaven (Eldar)|War in Heaven]]{{Fn|5d}} but was slain by [[Kaelis Ra]] after the discovery of the false [[Sword of Vaul]].{{Fn|27b}} The descendents of Ulthanash are alive today, their bloodline resting on [[Iyanden]].{{Fn|21d}}

It is said that [[Eldanesh]] was the first of the [[Aeldari]], fathered by '''[[Kurnous]], the Hunter''' and birthed by '''[[Isha]], the Mother'''.{{Fn|6}} At first he lived alone upon the barren face of the [[Aeldari]] [[Homeworld]], and his heart ached with loneliness. SoIsha, [[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.{{Fn|6}}

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

One night, '''[[Lileath]]''' dreamed a vision of '''[[Khaine]] the God of War''' being torn apart and destroyed by an army of mortal [[Eldar]]{{Fn|5}} warriors.{{Fn|6}} '''Khaine, the Lord of Murder''' had long held a smoldering smouldering jealousy for [[Kurnous]]. He had harbored 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.{{Fn|6}} In secret, Lileath whispered to Khaine the horrors she had dreamt,{{Fn|6}} and as Lileath was well-known for her prophetic dreams{{Fn|2a}} Khaine saw her words as prophecy and took up his blade.{{Fn|6}}

Just as [[Lileath]] had planned, [[Khaine]]'s fury awakened{{Fn|6}} and he resolved to wipe out the Eldar race{{Fn|2a}} and Lileath smiled broadly for [[Kurnous]] and [[Isha]] would soon know true grief.{{Fn|6}} Khaine pursued the Eldar across the heavenly realm,{{fnFn|2a}} and strode into the mortal realm to vent his seething anger upon the [[Aeldari]],{{Fn|6}} trapping and slaying many.{{Fn|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{{fnFn|6}} that '''[[Asuryan]] the Phoenix King''' heard her plea.{{Fn|2a}}

When Asuryan discovered what had transpired, with the same wisdom he had gifted the [[Aeldari]]{{Fn|6}} he banished all remaining [[Eldar]] to the mortal lands.{{Fn|2a}} Then, the Phoenix King created an impenetrable barrier between the gods in their heaven and the mortal realm,{{Fn|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{{Fn|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.{{fnFn|6}} [[Kurnous]]] too felt the pang of sorrow until he could stand no longer to gaze upon his beloved Isha's misery.{{Fn|6}}

[[Kurnous]] and [[Isha]] asked their uncle brother, [[Vaul]] the Smith, for help to reunite with them with the [[Eldar]]{{Fn|2a}} knowing that only he could undo [[Asuryan]]'s celestial artifice.{{Fn|6}} Although Vaul knew Asuryan had forbidden contact between mortals and gods, he agreed to help.{{Fn|2a}} Vaul took the tears shed by Isha for her fallen children and turned them into [[Spirit Stone]]s, and by means of the stones an Eldar could once again talk to the gods communicating from afar though they could never again meet.{{Fn|2a}} Vaul gave one stone to Isha and the remainder to the mortal [[Eldar]].{{Fn|2a}} 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.{{Fn|2a}}

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

[[Vaul]] immediately set to work{{fnFn|2a}} laboring 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,{{Fn|6}} working hard all year but by the time the day approached the final weapon, a long sword, still lay unfinished on the anvil.{{Fn|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.{{Fn|9}} To conceal his shortfall, Vaul took an ordinary blade of mortal construction{{Fn|6}} and mixed it in with the others.{{Fn|2a}}

The tale of the War in Heaven is the latter half of the '''Dance of Asuryan'''{{Fn|24}}, better known as the '''Dream of Asuryan''', and tells of the myriad ways [[Khaine]] and [[Vaul]] war against one another{{Fn|2a}} the gods cast into conflict the heavens shaking with the thunder of battle.{{Fn|2}} The wars that followed polarized the gods, Khaine's faction and Vaul's faction engaging in bloody warfare for an eternity.{{Cite This}} Khaine allied himself with the demi-gods of the [[Yngir]] and fought alongside them to cast the [[Aeldari|Children of Isha]] from Heaven.{{Fn|25b}} Gods changed sides, great deeds of heroism and of craven evil were performed on both sides.{{fnFn|2a}} The war was mirrored in a struggle between the [[Eldar]] in the mortal realms as the conflict bled through the barrier of heaven.{{Fn|6}} 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.{{Fn|6}}

In the last days of the War in Heaven{{Fn|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,{{Fn|6}} and called it [[Anaris]]{{fnFn|10}} the Light of Dawn,{{Fn|6}} the Sword of Dawnlight.{{Fn|21b}} Armed with this weapon, Vaul strode forth to do battle with Khaine.{{Fn|10}} Despite the might of Anaris{{fnFn|6}}, after a long, hard-fought struggle,{{fnFn|10}} Vaul could not match Khaine's martial prowess and the forge god was overpowered and cast from heaven.{{Fn|6}} Khaine cast down Vaul imprisoning and maiming the smith, and binding Vaul to his own anvil{{Fn|10}} with chains of Vaul's creation.{{Fn|6}} Khaine roared in triumph and reached to claim Anaris for his own.{{Fn|6}}

As Khaine held [[Anaris]] aloft, '''[[Faolchú (Aeldari Mythology)|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{{Fn|6}} to create the [[Eldanesh (Moon)|Red Moon of Eldanesh]], the third moon of the [[Eldar]] [[Homeworld]],{{Fn|3}} where it stayed until the birth of the malefic being known as [[She Who Thirsts]].{{Fn|6}} Anaris, the last of the [[Swords of Vaul]] would be given to the descendents of [[Eldanesh]].{{Fn|2a}}.

Then came [[Aza'gorod|Kaelis Ra the Deathbringer]], and none could stand against it. Populations fell before its scythe, with those that died losing even their souls{{fnFn|10}} and the Death-Bringer itself portended the demise of the [[Eldar]].{{fnFn|27a}} But the gods of the Eldar had other strengths than pure might, the Eldar and [[Cegorach|The Greatest Among the Soul-Dancers]] convinced many of the [[C'tan]] to turn on eachothereach other{{fnFn|10}} even against Kaelis Ra.{{fnFn|27a}} Whilst the Deathbringer slaked its unquenchable thirst on the Yngir{{fnFn|10}} and laid waste to the stars themselves to bring the traitorous C'tan into line,{{Fn|27a}} [[Khaine]] consulted [[Cegorach]] and his [[Harlequins]] for their wisdom and advice.{{Fn|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.{{Fn|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]].{{fnFn|27b}}

Thus the [[Blade-Wraith]]s,{{Fn|10}}{{Fn|27a}} the legendary '''Swords of Vaul''', were created{{Fn|10}} and Khaine with rage incandescent in his soul{{fn|27a}} led his heroes to war once more{{Fn|10}} and to a final stand.{{fnFn|27a}} One hundred Eldar, each armed with a Blade-Wraith which reinvigorated their soul after every blow and fighting in an impenetrable circle,{{Fn|10}} faced the hordes of silvered{{Fn|27a}} [[Necrontyr]]{{Fn|10}}{{Fn|27a}} so vast the horizons glittered like the heavens{{fnFn|27a}} and knew no dread{{fnFn|10}} and no fear.{{fnFn|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{{fnFn|10}} causing the hero to falter, suddenly tired his face pale and his features gaunt.{{Fn|26}} In an explosion of darkness his blade-wraith cracked falling from his hands{{Fn|26}} and causing the ring of warriors to break – [[Vaul]] had cheated Khaine{{Fn|10}} and tricked the Eldar for one of his blades was imperfect and flawed and energies within it were imbalanced and unstable.{{Fn|26}}

From beneath the ground the Nightbringer, [[Kaelis Ra]] emerged and slew many great warriors{{Fn|10}} one after the other, valiant in their desperate and futile fight{{fnFn|26}} [[Eldanesh]] was first to die,{{Fn|27}} then [[Ulthanash]] was slain by the scyhe of Kaelis Ra,{{Fn|27b}} condemning their souls to an eternity of dust.{{fnFn|10}} The thousands of silvering necrontyr overran their position, their blades were shattered and ruined falling into the river of blood.{{fnFn|26}} Only Khaine stood above the fray, his spear flashing like lightning.{{Fn|26}} Nearing the point of his own exhaustion{{fnFn|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]],{{Fn|10}}{{Fn|26}} Khaine danced inside the blow{{Fn|26}} and lunged into the attack seizing on the moment of corporeality.{{Fn|10}}

Kaelis Ra burst into silvered rain of [[C'tan Shard|Shards]]{{fnFn|26}} in an explosion that vaporized the necrontyr rendering the world a mercurial flood{{fnFn|26}} and nearly cleft the mighty Khaine,{{fnFn|10}} and in so doing drove shards of the Yngir's flesh deep into the God's body forever tainting Khaine with [[Dark Reaper|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.{{Fn|10}}

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.{{fnFn|6}}

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.{{fn|2a}} The Eldar nurture a dream in which they overthrow the [[Slaanesh|Great Enemy]], but do so in the face of impossible odds.{{Fn|2a}}

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 Reaper]]s, [[Swooping Hawk]]s, [[Warlock]]s, and warriors from [[Ulthwé]], [[Mymeara]], and [[Kinshara]].{{Fn|20}} 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.{{Fn|20}}

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]].{{Fn|6}} Those among the [[Ynnari]] believe that the [[Rhana Dandra]] will end with the apotheosis of [[Ynnead]], who will bring about the demise of [[Slaanesh|She Who Thirsts]] providing a salvation to the [[Aeldari]].{{Fn|6}}

==See Alsoalso==

*2: [[Warhammer 40,000: Compilation]]:

*4: [[Path of the Warrior (Novel)]] — [[Path of the Eldar (Omnibus)]] — by [[Gav Thorpe]]:**{{Endn|4a}}: ''Friendship'', pg. 23**{{Endn|4b}}: ''Anger'', pg. 87**{{Endn|4c}}: {{CME}}, pg. 289*5: [[Codex: Eldar (4th Edition)]]:

*{{Endn|6}}: [[Codex: Aeldari (10th Edition)]] pg, pgs. 13-17, & 45*{{Endn|7}}: [[Codex: Necrons (3rd Edition)]] pg, pgs. 6, & 26, & 31*{{Endn|8}}: [[Codex: Craftworlds (8th Edition)]] pg, pgs. 52-57

*{{Endn|13}}: [[The Masque of Vyle (Novella)]] - , Chapter 6*{{Endn|14}}: [[The Citadel Journal 17]], pgpgs. 4-10*{{Endn|15}}: [[Eldar Prophecy (Novel)]], pg. 141{{CME}}

*21: [[Codex: Eldar (6th Edition)]]:

*22: [[Codex: Eldar (2nd Edition)]]:

*25: [[Codex: Craftworld Eldar (3rd Edition)]]:**{{Endn|25a}}, : pg. 8**{{Endn|25b}}, : pg. 17*{{Endn|26}}: [[Warhammer 40,000: Rites of War]] [https://ia600707.us.archive.org/10/items/AS0C0/warhammer_40000-rites_of_war-manual.pdf Instruction Manual] , pgs. 85-86 ''(Last last accessed 12/2/2025), pgs. 85-86''