Ynnead
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| Titles | God of the Dead Whispering God |
| Status | Active |
| Type | Aeldari God |
| Domains | Death, Rebirth, Spirits, Resurrection, Reincarnation |
| Followers | Ynnari |
| Symbols | Crosspiece-and-crucible, Sign of the Phoenix |
| Enemies | Slaanesh |
Ynnead, also known as Whispering God or the God of the Dead, is the nascent or unborn Eldar God growing in the collective Infinity Circuits of every Craftworld from the souls of dead Eldar.[3] Ynnead represents the Aeldari's cycle of resurrection, reincarnation, and rebirth; the Eternal Matrix that once allowed this cycle given consciousness and purpose.[13] It has yet to manifest itself, but it is prophesied that it shall rise only when the last Eldar is slain and will spell doom for She Who Thirsts[8]. It is the patron deity of the Ynnari, who seek to empower and fully awaken the slumbering God of the Dead.
Contents
Eldar legend
Ynnead represents the last hope of the dwindling Eldar race. They believe that when the Infinity Circuits hold all the spirits of their race, all of the Craftworlds will unite into one Infinity Circuit, and the collective spirits of the Eldar will join to form a new Power in the Warp that will battle and subdue Slaanesh, so that Eldar spirits may once more be able to merge with it and form a single, balanced entity. By doing so, if such a thing is possible, they hope that this will allow the Eldar race to be reborn into a better form. Meanwhile, the Craftworlds and the spirit stones must be guarded from harm and continue to survive, so that all Eldar can see and form in their own minds a concept of the Eldar virtues that will enter along with their spirits into the Infinity Circuits.[1][2]
Overview
As Eldar die and their souls become part of the Infinity Circuits, the god grows in power. A few Eldar Seers believe that once every single Eldar has died, Ynnead will awaken and have the strength to defeat Slaanesh forever.[3] Very few Eldar gave the idea of Ynnead's awakening more than an abstract acknowledgement of the supreme sacrifice it required. Those Eldar that put more than a cursory glance into ways to awaken the God of the Dead includes Eldrad Ulthran, Kysaduras the Anchorite, Inriam's Spectre, and Iyanna Arienal of Iyandan.[11]
In 991.M41, the Eldar Mystic Kysaduras proclaimed that the only hope of Eldar survival in the End Times would lay with Ynnead.[5]
Ynnead may have some relation to the mythical Lhykosidae of Craftworld Kaelor, an entity made from the warp presence of the Warp Spiders which purify the craftworlds infinity circuits which has manifested in Kaelor's hours of need and is prophecised to lead the spirits of the Infinity Circuits to defeat Slaanesh at the Rhana Dandra[10]
Symbols
The Rune of Ynnead is crosspiece-and-crucible symbol.[7c] As the God of both death and rebirth, the sign of the phoenix is also used frequently in regards to Ynnead and the Ynnari pursuit to usher in the rebirth of their species from the ashes.[9]
The Sign of the Pheonix is Ynnead's rune. Although similar to that of the Avatar of Khaine, instead of being surmounted by the crown of the Bloody-Handed God, it has an infinity rune. Commonly seen on wraith constructs, the infinity rune represents the eternal spirit of the Eldar.[12]
Early awakening attempts
- Eldrad Ulthran attempted to undertake a great ritual that would prematurely awaken Ynnead, involving channeling the remains of Farseers through every Infinity Circuit. The ritual would have rendered every Craftworld disabled and wreaked havoc on the Astronomican, but Slaanesh may have ultimately met its end. However, he was foiled by the Deathwatch in the Battle of Port Demesnus.[6]
- Later, the Ynnari were formed to once again attempt to bring about the awakening of Ynnead. Led by Yvraine, they seek to use the Crone Swords to revive the God without having to sacrifice the Eldar race, a ritual known as the Seventh Path. Ynnead has begun to awaken, bringing about its Avatar known as the Yncarne.[7a]
Images
The birth of Yncarne, physical avatar of Ynnead.[7b]
Trivia
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- Ynnead is possibly named for the Ennead, a collection of nine deities from Ancient Egyptian mythology.
See also
Sources
- 1: Codex Titanicus (1st Edition), pgs. 34-35
- 2: Warhammer 40,000: Compilation, pg. 42
- 3: Codex: Eldar (4th Edition), pg. 39
- 4: Codex: Craftworld Eldar (3rd Edition), pg. 17
- 5: Codex: Eldar (6th Edition) (E-Book), The Doom of the Eldar
- 6: Warhammer 40,000: Death Masque
- 7: Gathering Storm: Fracture of Biel-Tan:
- 8: Codex: Aeldari (10th Edition), pg. 13
- 9: White Dwarf May 2019, pg. 26 – The Sign of the Pheonix
- 10: Eldar Prophecy (Novel) – Appendix
- 11: Warhammer 40,000: Death Masque, pg. 8
- 12: White Dwarf February 2017, pgs. 36-37 Designers' Notes - The Yncarne, Avatar of Ynnead
- 13: Rise of the Ynnari: Wild Rider (Novel), Prologue
