|
THE
WATER
CONSTELLATIONS |
Water Constellations represent the
three Star Constellations related to the Gods of the element of Water.
Like the element itself, the water constellations also seem often much more
unpredictable than other constellations. Their character seems ephemeral, unsure
and constantly changing so that they are very difficult to spot, even for the
short period when they're locking into place. Thus water constellations are
mainly related to things of the becoming and the transitory, of things, in which
lie hope and disappointment, creation and destruction all in one.
THE CONSTELLATION OF
THE WAVE
(Baveras,
Goddess of the Sea)
|
Description.
The constellation of Baveras, the Goddess of the Sea, consists of a group of
five stars, forming the sign of an irregular triangle with the tip lying a bit
far off. On each side of the triangle two stars lead to the central star,
culminating in it, thus forming the symbol of a wave. The central star,
dominating above all other stars is also the guiding star of the whole constellation. The
Wave represents movement, the impetus which is contained in the nature of Water.
The Wave stands for the tides, the unceasing fight between two opposing forces -
of light and darkness, good and evil, of life and death. In elven mythology the
Wave therefore is one of the most important symbols in order to understand the
meaning and challenges of life, which are part of the Dream dreamed by the High elven
Goddess Avá the Beautiful. In the same
context elves have a high opinion of the human
race, although humans who fought ferocious
wars against the elves would never understand the elven
point of view: In the eyes of the elves, humans
represent the possibilities and dangers lying within the element of Water,
from which they originated at the Beginning of Time, for the elves
the human way is the way of the Wave.
Movement. As has already been mentioned the
guiding star for the Wave is the central one, throning above all other stars and
it shines in a soft light bluish color. The constellation is being carried from
the western Darkwind to the east and the Darkwind's
carrying it is called the Styrán-She (styrásh for the malice of
"idleness"). The constellation is nearly invisible during the whole
year, and even at the time when the stars lock into place, when directed by the
guiding star, the constellation is only visible for a few hours. Even at this
small amount of time, it needs a good eye to spot it, providing the stars aren't
covered by heavy clouds floating with the Darkwinds.
However, it is a common phenomenon when the clouds are moving much faster that the constellation locks into place as if to let the Wave come to
life. Only the observation of the movements of the clouds hints at the sudden
apparition of the constallation. If this fact isn't heeded, it will be nearly
impossible to have a glance at it. According to the accelerated movement of the
clouds the month which starts when the constellation of the Wave appears is
named the Month of the Passing Clouds.
![]()
THE CONSTELLATION OF THE CUP
(Jeyriall,
Goddess of the Harvest)
|
Description.
The constellation of Jeyriall, Goddess of
Harvest, is a group of eight stars called The Cup. A sharp curve of six
brighter stars forms the top "bowl"
of the cup, while two lower stars form the base of the triangular
"handle". The guiding or dominant
star is at the top right lip of the cup, so that when the constellation moves it
appears that the cup is slowly tipping, pouring its bounties out upon the earth.
Called O’quara, or "Faithful", this star is a deep blue in colour and
scintillates with a beautiful, regular pulse (in fact, accurate enough so that
guards and soldiers have been known to measure short units of time by it, when
it is visible...)
The Cup represents the fickle but surprisingly generous nature of the
human race; just as one is about to give up in
disgust, it will perform some superlatively self-sacrificing or loving deed and
raise one’s estimation yet again. As
Jeyriall may give bounty in one season yet cause
famine in another, or as the crops may be weak and weedy one year but lush and
green the next, so too do humans change their
behavior and their actions towards one another. The
elves say that mankind, like water,
will seek its lowest level at the last, but the
dwarves are somewhat kinder, their proverb being that men are forged of
lesser material and should not be used past their mettle. The
elven astronomer Kará'kái
writes, "At any rate, as the Cup circles round its guiding star, so men always
have one fixed desire in their hearts that may be found and relied upon to guide
them..."
Movement. The Cup being one of the images of
the element of Water, it fluxes and flows like that unstable medium, and only in
the month of the Sleeping Dreameress (Maáh'valannía in
Styrásh)
does it form into the clean, tight curve we see represented here. We can also
note the minor constellation very close to O’quara; three dim white stars in the
shape of a triangle, which are known as, naturally, the
Drop. The constellation is being carried from the SSE to the
NNW by the Ochnám-She Darkwind
(styrásh for the malice of "promiscuity") and is constantly shaped and reshaped by that erratic
force.
![]()
THE
CONSTELLATION OF THE BLINDFOLDED
(Seyella,
Goddess of the Destiny)
|
Description.
[...]
Movement. [...]
![]()