Manann

Manann god of the Seas

For the Elven God of the Sea and Storms, see Mathlann.

Manann is the Old World god of the Seas. He is the son of Taal, god of of Nature and Wild Places, and of Rhya, goddess of Nature, Fertility, and Family.

Symbols

He is portrayed as a huge, powerfully built bare-chested merman, wearing a spiked five-pointed crown of black iron. He may take the form of a whirlpool, a waterspout, or a huge sea monster, usually that of a Triton. Symbols of Manann include a green five-pointed crown, the trident, and the albatross.

Beliefs

Manann controls the tides and currents, and is as unpredictable and changeable as the sea itself. A failure to worship the god may incur his wrath and a ship may fall victim to a storm, floundering on rocks, or destroyed upon reefs.

One must never kill albatrosses nor dolphins as they are messengers of Manann and usually help those in need at sea. Whenever you can you shall help those who are in need of help at sea, such as such as those shipwrecked or marooned. Never start a voyage on the thirteenth of each month nor during Geheimnistag. Doing so will bring bad luck to the vessel and the crew.

Holy days of Manann include the Spring tide and neap tide, and the full nights of Mannslieb.

Cult

He is worshipped widely throughout the Old World by sailors, fishermen, and coastal folk who rely on the sea, as well as in the large river ports in which sea-going ships can put in.

His largest Old World temple is located in Marienburg, and the home of the Order of the Albatross, an organization of priest-navigators. All other temples to Manann pay homage to it. However the cult structure of Manann's worshippers is not hierarchical, and each temple is semi-independent. Other temples exist in Altdorf and Sartosa. Most other temples are situated on the coasts and on rivers, where fishermen, sailors, and pirates gather to pray for safe and bountiful transit across the seas. Sartosan pirates worship Manann's ferocious and warlike side.

His cult is on friendly terms with those of his father Taal, Rhya and his father's brother Ulric. Manann's greatest enemy is Stromfels, the god of Storms, Sharks, and Pirates, who delights in sinking ships to the bottom of the ocean. Some sages regard Stromfels as just an aspect of Manann, instead of a deity in his own right. This is regarded as heretical by followers of both deities however, and those who voice such thoughts in the presence of either are quickly and painfully taught the errors of their ways.

Sub Cults

Manann as well as his various aspects are worshipped under different names from place to place. He is revered by the Elves as Mathlann. Stromfels, associated with reefs and currents, and the patron god of the wreckers and pirates along the Empire's northern coast, is regarded by some as merely a single aspect of Manann. Manann is also known by various other names by boatmen and others living on tidal rivers.

The gods & goddesses of the Old World
Old Faith - Rhya - Taal - Ulric - Manann - Morr - Verena - Myrmidia - Shallya - Ranald - Handrich - Stromfels - Khaine - Sigmar - Lady of the Lake - Lucan & Luccina - Ursun - Dazh - Tor - Esmeralda