Glorantha: Wisdom of the Woodwife 
Wisdom of the Woodwife
Facts for Young Elves
originally published in Gods of Glorantha
This document is Copyright © 1998 Issaries, Inc. It may be freely linked to, and 
one copy may be printed for personal use, but any other reproduction by 
photographic, electronic, or other methods of retrieval, is prohibited.

Table of Contents
  Where did the world come from? 
  Can you tell me the truth about...? 
  Elf Deities 
Where did the world come from?
First there lived Ga,
The formless and lifeless earth.
She begat the Four Corners of the Earth.
Gata, the broad-bosomed land, is the first corner.
Empress Earth, keeper of the life force, is the second corner.
Grandmother Witch, knower of the dark powers, is the third corner.
Earth King, the First Father, is the fourth corner.

This is where the world came from.
Where do we come from?
We begin life as a fertile seed
in the rich field of our mothers,
as our mothers were,
as our grandmothers were,
as were all of our ancestors.

There is no beginning to existence, and no ending. Ever since Aldrya, plants 
have bred after their kind, and elves have bred after our kind. And so it shall 
be forever more.
Why do we die?
Death fosters life.
Life ends in death.
Each is half of the same power.

In the forest, at every instant, dead logs and leaves can be seen. But living 
plants can also be seen. So death, like life, is omnipresent.
What happens after we die?
Ty Kora Tek tends us.
We must learn to be unborn.
Then reborn.

Our souls go to the secret holes of Ty Kora Tek under the earth. We will stay 
there many years, preparing for our reincarnation. Fearful Ty Kora Tek is, yet 
all must visit her.
Why are we here?
The mind cannot fathom
what the heart knows.
Serve Aldrya.

Without obedience to the forest spirit, our souls and lives wither. We cannot 
explain this to outsiders, the notchildren of Aldrya. But aid Aldrya we must. It 
is part of us just as sap is part of a tree.
How do we do magic?
Listen to the priestesses
to discover the fruits of your life.
Guardians of knowledge, your friends,
plant true wisdom into your brain at night.

Secret plant spirits can teach us magic, and Aldrya herself gives us her power. 
So our shamans and Wood Lords can make plants listen to their words and do their 
will.
I have heard of other powers. Can you tell me the truth about ...
...Chaos?
Evil
Anti-Life
Always dying,
Never dead.

Chaos is the Last Enemy. It was brought against us by the forces of darkness and 
winter, and is the only foe which would destroy Aldrya forever.
...Kyger Litor?
Enemies in the dark,
born in Hell,
Sworn to kill us.

Trolls are fierce opponents. They hunt us in the winter and send armies against 
us in the summer. They eat our trees and poison our spirits with black magic. 
They are unnatural and do not belong here, on the world's green surface. We 
People of the Trees use our resources to kill them when possible, sending them 
back to their dark hells.
...The Lunar Goddess?
An abomination who kills us
Wantonly,
without respect,
without reason.
We shall never forget Rist and Erigia.

The Lunar people speak of friendship, of a time when all beings of the universe 
can live together in happiness, like that of the Green Age. But their deeds 
speak to us and we have long memories. Remember the burning of our forests. 
Remember Rist and Erigia. The Lunars may one day forget our enmity. Then they 
all will die.
...Magasta?
An ancient friend,
half dead
half alive.
His children remember our friendship.

The waters of the world are necessary to the survival of the forests of the 
world. There are submarine forests, just as there are terrestrial jungles. And 
there are elves of the oceans and lakes. We are their kin, and we know each 
other.
...Monotheists?
Deluded forever.
Doomed.

The wizards of the west are only humans. But they are often properly respectful 
to the People of the Trees. They have no knowledge of Aldrya or the spirit of 
the forest, but they also do not pretend to such knowledge.
...Mostal?
A dead god whose followers
never realized he was gone.
They are jealous
of Aldrya.

The dwarfs mindlessly continue their unceasing warfare against the forests. 
Their workshops poison the rivers and the air. Their foundries flame with the 
corpses of trees. If they all vanished, the world would be a happier place, and 
draw nearer to the Green Age.
...Orlanth?
The violent bring violence.

The Orlanth people are brutal and kill each other. They have no Tree Mother to 
organize them. When they are enemies, avoid them. When they are friends, do not 
trust them.
...Pamalt?
The Burner is our foe.
Bringer of war,
Destroyer of jungle.

In eons past, this monster god and his people brought about the end of the Green 
Age of Pamaltela. In the Second Age, he stopped the spread of the Elf Empire of 
Errinoru and his people cheered our loss. He does not send armies against us, 
but we can never be his ally.
...Primitive Spirits?
Helpless souls
who have lost their way,
never knowing their fate.
They might be our ancestors.

These spirits can be friends or enemies, but they are always useful. Our shamans 
use them, especially the Plant Brothers, who recognize us as their kin.
...Yelm?
Distant keeper
of the Cosmic Order.
His kin are our kin.
Friends in the Darkness.

The Sun God is the Flowerbringer. He is strict and pure. He is a good god for 
the humans, and teaches them humility and harmony. His son Yelmalio is our ally.
Elf Deities
Aldrya
Mother of all life,
the most splendid.
She rules all wooded domains,
and everything therein.

Without Aldrya, our lives would become formless and void. We would be no better 
than humans, who know not their destination. We would be no better than trolls 
or dwarfs, whose lives are filled with hate. But we have Aldrya, and our souls 
have purpose.
Babeester Gor
She does nothing,
save when the earth cries out in pain.
Then she is violent.

Sometimes are born elves who cannot be happy. Babeester Gor takes them under her 
shawl and gives them an outlet for their fury. Honor them, for their lives are 
short and grim, and their service to Aldrya is great.
Earth Witch
Old One,
Grandmother of Wisdom.
She can offer much,
but she demands much.

The Earth Witch knows all the secrets of the earth. There are many truths that 
are terrible. The Earth Witch knows them all and tends them for Aldrya.
Empress Earth
Stately queen,
Wielder of life.
She is the mind of Ga.

Empress Earth rights the wrongs of the earth with her gifts, and she rules the 
earth with an easy hand. Her wisdom arranges the bounty of the world.
Flamal
Father of all,
whose death caused
the Sleep.
Our King saved us.

Sometimes an elf is bom who cannot fight and struggle. These elves can find 
meaning in serving Flamal. Honor them, for Flamal is the Most Beloved of Aldrya 
and all the earth.
Gata
Beautiful mother,
the source,
fruitful and generous.
All love her -
even trolls.

Gata is the Six Earths. She has fled, sunk far beneath the earth. Only the elves 
can reach her through worship. But her bounty floods all the land and sea. She 
gives to all alike, elf, human, tree, and robber dwarf.
Genert
Gata's spouse.
Wise and strong.
We mourn his passing.

Genert is the father of all the goddesses of the land through his wife Gata. He 
is dead now, killed by Chaos. His home land is blasted, shunned by all the Elder 
Races. Aldrya now has taken his place as the ruler of the land's goddesses.
High King Elf
Guardian
of the forest.

He is the Defender who led a ragged band of survivors through the Great Winter. 
We are honored to be able to help him today by defending the woods from insects, 
fire, blight, or trolls.
Land Goddesses
Princesses under Aldrya,
Mothers of Bounty.
Daughters of Gata.

The goddesses of the land each bless their geography and the Great Trees know 
the name of their Princess.
Ty Kora Tek
Tender of the dead.
Destroyer of the unfit.

All our souls go to Ty Kora Tek when we die. She tends dead spirits in her bleak 
caverns. She is fearsome, but she is necessary. All of us have visited her many 
times, and will visit her many more times. Only our enemies need fear her.
Voria
Young virgin of spring,
Keeper of youth
and new life.

We who sleep all winter are awakened each spring by Voria's light touch. Young 
children sing and dance to her each spring. She is most harmless and innocent of 
all the gods. No evil is in her.
Yelmalio
Unfailing light in the Darkness.
He preserves us
in winter.

Yelmalio and his Light Sons are our friends. In the Darkness, Yelmalio stood by 
the side of High King Elf and made our enemies his enemies. His warriors guard 
our sleeping groves in winter.


See also:
Pantheons of Glorantha: The Elf Pantheon
Non-Humans: Aldryami
Cult of Aldrya
A Personal View of Elf Culture


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