Implications of Os-Gabella's creation

[lumpthing]

So according to FFH lore, Os-Gabella, the First Woman, was created to be a servant of the First Man. From what I understood from the history, this event occurred at the time when creation was good and angels were acting according to the One's master plan. Does this mean that the official divine order of Erebus is that wives should be under the authority of their husbands? Or was Os-Gabella's intended submission a one-off with no particular implication for their progeny's gender relations? Or was it actually the angels making a mistake?

 

[Kael]

I wouldnt derive anything too dogmatic from it. The god's created Gabella with a specific plan for her. She was to be the wife of Nemed and the mother of humanity. They assumed she would be okay with this, she wasn't. I like to think that Nemed was a fairly enlightened husband and father and we have no evidence that he was less than that. The line in the history about her being unwillign to be subordinate to man is probably better stated as being unwilling to follow the plan the gods laid out for her.

I think the story of Os-Gabella shows that there was already something flawed in creation or with the gods, even before the rebellion. But this is during the same time that Agares had stolen the gems out of heaven so we already know something is wrong.

 

[Corlis]

Odd; this sort of thing was running around my mind earlier as well. Even though Arawn had a hand in creating her, along with all the other gods, she was and is completely incapable of dying. Perhaps Arawn's input gave her the desire and need to die, but because he is a much more passive god than Nemed was, she was given immortality as well. So when she was told that her job was to live for the rest of time, despite the fact that she wanted to eventually retire, she balked and ran off. Certainly, it seems odd that the original plan for humanity completely ignored the sphere of one of the gods.

 

[cIV_khanh93]

thats a good point there corlis.

 

[The NeverTide]

My take on it: She was designed by the gods to be the immortal wife of Nemed and mother of man. I imagine it all comes down to the design of what the One always wanted, enlightenment among men. She and Nemed were to breed the perfect race, immortal of spirit and body, and enlightened through the god's direct teachings and sublime touches. However, Agares' betrayal changed that. He became the god of despair and hate. She despaired at her immortality and hated the designs forced upon her. In the way I see it, she is Agares' first corrupt servant. She serves him just by being inherently broken and failing to serve the One. Her immortality was designed as a gift to man, like Kilmorph's spark in the dwarves except eternally present because of all 21 present precepts, but ended up being the broken flaw. Perhaps if the Gods hadn't been arrogant in deciding to alter a sphere and make her immortal she wouldn't have fallen to corruption.

At least, those are my musings.

 

[Giga-Gigan]

In Lord of the Rings, the annoyingly perfect Elves were deemed imperfect, because their own immortality left them without ambition, and afraid to stand against evil in fear of losing their lives. So that kinda lends credence to that school of thought.

 

[Kyzarc Fotjage]

Was the first man immortal?
and who replaced Os-Gabella?

 

[thomas.berubeg]

The first man was once a god, who gave up his precept to become the first man.

 

[Kyzarc Fotjage]

But man was made from a combination of all the precepts, right?
And a god is not made from all the precepts, right?
Am confused...

 

[Kael]

But man was made from a combination of all the precepts, right?
And a god is not made from all the precepts, right?
Am confused...

Gabella was the first woman and formed by all 21 of the gods. She was made immortal in spirit and body. It is through her that the gifts of each of the gods were to be passed to the generations of mankind.

Nemed was the god of life. He gave up his divinity and gave the precept of life to Arawn. That made him the first man and it is through him that man gained the divine spark, the ability to influence creation (ie: use magic).

Nemed and Gabella were supposed to be the first couple, and father of mother of the generations of men. But Gabella refused her role and fled to the Bair of Lacuna, taking the name Os-Gabella or Gabella the unbound.

Learning from their mistake the gods created a new wife for Nemed, but didn't make her immortal in body (though her soul remained immortal). It is through her that all the races of men (including the aifons, elves, orcs, etc) descended.

 

[cyther]

Keep in mind that currently Nemed is imprisoned by Gabella and she performs experiments on him to discover a way to die.

 

[Kyzarc Fotjage]

but i thought man was made from all the precepts, and if nemed is the first man, and he was a god, then how was man made from all the precepts?

 

[Kael]

but i thought man was made from all the precepts, and if nemed is the first man, and he was a god, then how was man made from all the precepts?

Man as in mankind. Not as in man as in the first man, who was Nemed.

 

[MagisterCultuum]

Nemed's second wife had an immortal soul? I thought that from what you said before that you hadn't really thought about it, but didn't think she really had a soul at all. I think I prefer it that way.


I still have trouble conceiving of even the 21 in concord being able to create someone as imortal as a god, or someone with a divine spark. I still prefer to think that the god Nemed split his very being/divine spark in two to create the human Nemed and Gabella, and that both were infused with the elements of all the gods.

 

[Kyzarc Fotjage]

Man as in mankind. Not as in man as in the first man, who was Nemed.

Mankind came from Nemed and the 2nd wife, right?
So all their traits came from them, right?
Including base precepts?
Or am I completely wrong?

 

[Kael]

Mankind came from Nemed and the 2nd wife, right?
So all their traits came from them, right?
Including base precepts?
Or am I completely wrong?

Yeap, thats it. Each of the gods gifted the 2nd woman with their aspect (passion, strength, compassion, balance, etc) to make something more than their individual dominions. Future generations inherited these traits through her, and the divine though Nemed.

 

[Skitters]

Does Nemed's second wife have a name?....and would it safe to assume that there would be Cults dedicated to her worship? (though, like Nemed and the One, limited in numbers because presumably not many know of her)

 

[Kyzarc Fotjage]

So mankind only got the divine spark and magic from Nemed, nothing else?
And got personality from his wife?

 

[Kael]

So mankind only got the divine spark and magic from Nemed, nothing else?
And got personality from his wife?

I would say that men are different than the rest of life because they are in some way descended from the gods. That is what makes them special and the favored creation of the gods. Where other things have been created by the gods, mankind are the children of the gods.

From Nemed's wife they get more than personality, they get the aspects of all of the gods. Even the elves, those favored by Sucellus, contain the whispers, desires and strength of all the other gods. Its what gives them their incredible range and capacity (in both good and bad ways).

I may be just putting a more poetic edge on the same thing you are saying, but this is a creation myth and is intended to be grand. It isnt a cookie recipie where you add 1 cup flour, 2 tablespoons sugar and come up with a fixed result. I tend to resist attempts to quantify the mythology of Erebus.

 

[Kyzarc Fotjage]

'Kay, thanks for explaining