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Rhya

Rhya is the Earth Mother, source of fertility and the Autumn harvest.

"And it began:
Rhya, the beautiful, rose up; Taal, the
powerful, rose up;
Blossom-broad, hot with life. Spread of
Horn, firm of will.
Then, they did create all natural things.
"

—The Book of Green

[1a]

Rhya is the Earth Mother, the goddess of all that grows and lives. It is Rhya to whom the people of the Old World pray to for fair winds, moderate rains, healthy plants and animals, yet she is also the Huntress. Wife of Taal, the lord of Beasts and Rivers, Rhya is seen as the more merciful and gentle of the pair, and is often asked to intercede with her husband to calm his rages.[1b]

Mother Nature

The changing of the seasons is the turn of Rhya’s wheel. Anything that interrupts the smooth running of this pattern of life is of concern to her. Rhya is the goddess of community, well-being, health, love, fertility, and birth. She is the god of gentle nature, the land that humans have tamed, farming, and the harvest. She seems to have the widest range of all the Old World’s deities. Her domain touches everybody, every moment of the day. Her remit is so broad, she seems to have spread herself very thinly indeed, and has, as a deity in her own right, almost disappeared. Now she is known merely as the gentler side of Taal, since all her associations are subsumed into her husband. Although her name is remembered, she has no temples, save perhaps a few out of the way shrines that are maintained out of the public purse or by the priesthood of Taal. Likewise, there is no priesthood of Rhya either – her customs and blessings are largely taken up by the priestesses of Taal.[2a]

However, although the people may pray to Taal to ensure that their crops are not spoiled, they thank Rhya when the crops are finally harvested. Many people have not forgotten her and give thanks to her in varied ways. Many traditions and customs have their roots in Rhyan ritual. Rhya has been supplanted by Shallya in much of her care for the people, but she is still pre-eminent across the Empire in her interest in conjugal rites. Female cultists of Taal are often the midwives of the wilderness, and try to attend every birth where they are needed.[2a]

The Priestesses of Taal are also versed in general medicine and herb lore. In the deepest wilds a follower of Rhya is often the only medical practitioner for many miles. Urban folk who do not understand rural ways find a Taalist priestesses’ natural remedies, blessings, and reliance uncomfortable, but this is a small price to pay in service to their deity. These aspects of Taal represented by Rhya’s nurturing, protective nature are often expressed on the conservative side of Taal's blessings, while the more wild and aggressive aspects of nature are depicted on the reckless side of his blessings.[2a]

Omens of Rhya

Visions from Rhya often show nature at its most vulnerable: crops spoiling and dying, fields coloured like blood, rivers blocked or stagnant, and poisoned wells. Alternatively, Rhya might show nature tainted by dark forces: animals giving birth to strange things or other animals, human-animal hybrids, and other blasphemous fusions of animal/animal or animal/plant.[2b]

Sources

  • 1: Warhammer RPG 2st Edition: Tome of Salvation
    • 1a: pg. 6
    • 1b: pg. 61
  • pg. 108
  • pg. 167
  • pg. 188
  • pg. 234
  • 2: Warhammer Fantasy RPG 3rd ED -- Signs of Faith
    • 2a: pg. 44
    • 2b: pg. 33
  • Warhammer Armies: Vampire Counts (7th Edition)
  • pg. 28
  • Warhammer RPG 1st Edition: Core Rulebook
  • pg. 205
  • Warhammer RPG 1st Edition: The Enemy Within 1
  • pg. 21
  • Warhammer RPG 2st Edition: Core Rulebook
  • pg. 172
  • pg. 174
  • pg. 176
  • pg. 179
  • Warhammer RPG 2st Edition: Sigmar's Heirs
  • pg. 20
  • pg. 39
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