Oleani
Patron of Spring

Preamble

As always, before we begin, I welcome any and all commentary and editorial letters. Please send them to the Elanthian Times editorial staff at elanthiantimes@play.net. A good debate is a wonderful source for a purveyor of knowledge.

The Lady Songie was kind enough to let me pick her brain for a while concerning her beliefs on Oleani, and answer some other, more difficult questions I posed to her. For that I am very thankful! I need to point out, however, that these are all my views, so if someone must skin a cat, I am that cat.

Introduction

Oleani, known as the Goddess of Love, is the patron of the spring as well. The age-old adage regarding love in the springtime stems from this association, perhaps. We all know Oleani’s influences, but let us take some more obscure interest in Her for this article.

Oleani has an interesting history in the lands, from relationships and children amongst the Arkati to her shrines and involvement regarding marriage and love. Many people flock to her shrines each spring to express, devote and renew love. While Oleani is well known for her dominion over Love, what of her other facets?

After speaking at length with Songie, and having been part of the exploratory party of the ruined Ossuary in Icemule Trace, some additional thoughts of Her sphere of influence came to mind. Discussed below are some of my personal thoughts on the matter, with information drawn from numerous sources.

Oleani and "Lost Love"

Each Arkati generally has a diametric opposite, especially in regards to the Seasonal Arkati. What is Oleani’s diametric opposite? It is not death, as that is Lorminstra’s province. Is it hate versus love and caring? Perhaps. I bring forth, however, that perhaps it is "Lost Love" or "Forbidden Love," the province of Laethe and Voaris respectively.

Little is known of Laethe and Voaris, and truthfully, I’ve yet to find any followers of these two in my extensive travel of the lands. However, if Oleani’s sphere is love, I find the thought of "Lost Love" and "Forbidden Love" to be the opposites of Oleani’s ideals.

To stimulate thought, allow me to pose this question: If you were not allowed to love someone that you feel is a perfect match, to whom would you pray? Further, if you were not able to love someone because they were taken away from you for whatever reason, to whom would you pray? Likewise, if you are dead, whom do you pray to for life? If you answered Lorminstra to the last then you must, logically, answer Oleani for the first two. If you did not answer Lorminstra for the last I welcome you to read the article I composed for the Winter Edition of the Elanthian Times and encourage you to seek me out.

So, if Oleani was the ideal, then would she not have a war of sorts with Laethe and Voaris? Is there room in Oleani’s faith to allow for lost and forbidden love? I would have to say no. Oleani desires true, never ending love, yet Laethe and Voaris can take that ideal away from her, thus decreasing her sphere of influence, and thus her power.

Oleani: The Midwife

Oleani is also known as the Goddess of Fertility. She has blessed many a birth from the races that walk Elanthia. Many old tales also say that when the Arkati breed, regardless of Pantheon, it is Oleani that they call upon to deliver the child. While I am sure this is purely a metaphorical comparison between the Arkati and lesser races, I am sure that it stems from just a bit of truth.

Oleani: The Farmer

Songie brought up an interesting piece of information during our discussion regarding a widely accepted ceremony at the beginning of the spring each year. This ceremony involves the asking of blessings upon the seasonal crops that are planted.

Apparently Oleani’s influence over the sphere of fertility extends past the normal race births and into the realm of subsistence. I’ve heard of some Imaera followers who took umbrage to this practice by the followers of Oleani, but Lady Songie has an interesting perspective. Oleani blesses the sow, while Imaera blesses the reaping.

Oleani: The Warrior

The story of the Ossuary in Icemule Trace is a sad one, and one of which we do not have much information. However, I traveled with Sister Amoret and a few other notables when Uxbri first brought us the tale of another temple to Oleani. I had thought he simply meant the Temple of Love, with which he may not have been familiar. I was soon to find that there was a whole other section to the old Abbey to the northeast of Icemule Trace.

Inside a secret entrance stood a door, to which Uxbri had the key, where we found a tale of sadness and intrigue. Some time ago, a menace since unseen was unleashed onto the Lands from the depths of the Ossuary. The Sisters of Perpetual Adoration also had a mighty fighting spirit within them and many proud warrioresses. They all gave their lives to protect the innocent of the town, and a sacred artifact within the Ossuary.

The tale regales the trials and tribulations of the Warrior Sisters in their battle against this menace. Apparently there are numerous levels going underground, each more menacing and dangerous than the last, fraught with undead. The first level is all that is open to us at this time; it tells a tale of death and destruction, but also victory. A magical wall blocks off the lower levels of the Ossuary. Sounds of movement and scraping can still be heard behind it to this day, giving knowledge that the menace was contained at the high cost of life, but not destroyed.

Within the ossuary numerous things can be found, such as piles of bones from the Sisters that perished, old articles of clothing, utensils, and, most importantly, an artifact that still rests to this day behind bars bent with an unnatural force. I urge all parties interested to make the trek and see the wonders of the Ossuary.

This small telling of the tale shows that Oleani’s purview does not sit simply with the more subtle and peaceful traits, but also the protective and strong.

Oleani vs. Ivas

Having spoken at length with Songie concerning this very debate, I find myself still unsure as to my decision. Are Oleani and Ivas diametric opposites? I brought up the debate of Laethe and Voaris as being such and I believe I’ll stand by that.

Many races feel differently regarding aspects of lust and love. Some races, generally, equate the two with no second thought. However, to assume Arkati think as some lesser races is folly in my mind. I do not believe that higher beings such as Oleani and Ivas are battling each other. Lust and Love can exist together without ever affecting one another. I do, however, acknowledge that in many cases they can, and do, clash. Let us use some examples to try to better illustrate this point.

Two elves are expressing their desires for one another, and one wishes to make it more than simple lust. The other does not feel love toward this person. Is it Ivas’s fault that lust got in the way of love, so to speak? I would vehemently argue that no, she did not, and that this is the purview of Voaris, or Forbidden Love. One elf is able to love, the other is not, and therefore the elf that desires more is forbidden to love.

A second example: two giantkin are happily married for many years. They have a long, lustful relationship, until a beautiful giantwoman claims the desires of the husband. The husband acts on these lustful desires, falling in love with this second giantwoman and ends the marriage with the first. Now, is this the fault of Ivas for creating the lust, or is this Lost Love? I would call it a lost love and therefore it would be the purview of Laethe.

Two basic, and generic, examples that illustrate my thoughts that Ivas and Oleani, while seemingly opposites in their demeanor toward personal relations, are not diametric opposites. In fact, in the second example, Ivas may actually have helped Oleani by helping that giantman find love elsewhere. Perhaps stronger love than he originally had.

Conclusion

Hopefully this essay has shed a bit of light on Oleani and a subject upon which so many people have such a narrow view. I readily admit to having the same narrow view of many of the Arkati until seeking out followers and discussing their own views. Perhaps it is the result of poor record keeping by our ancestors, or perhaps the Arkati are too far removed from our day-to-day lives. That is a debate for another time, and another essay.