Hymns of the Far North

Hymns of the Far North (I)

Proem O lips, now voice a solemn hymn for me, to speak the North's old warnings, low and high. I've left my land, my native shores, departed home and wandered far... Through realms unknown, where none know my name, across a barren land long lost to fame... Bleak tundras find rest in deep water's wake, only snow dances upon a thousand lakes. Yet still the moonlight bathes the path I trace, and winds still brush the sorrow from my face. Let me sing of how the moon first kissed the land, let me chant the verse that drives back evil bands. I praise the rivers raging strong, and praise the peaks that range ever on. I praise the bronze-bound ship of Seutervoinen, and the golden arrows of Ianikuinen unbroken. I curse the poisonous plot of Pakkaisukko, and decry Pohjola's calamity forever more. My prayer, a sacred word from Heaven above, sang to my forebears by envoys beloved. But fate is in the end like a fleeting dream, and death, like waters clear, drowns every eye. So long as moonlight hangs in its prison on high, I cannot return to home beloved, even if it be nigh. Where golden light soft through verdant crown shines, where dawnstars in silver array the pines. O heirs of Hyperborea, mark this song, etch it in your minds fast and strong. Seek not to tread the sly fox-paths slight, nor yearn for the great bear's haughty might. But so long as hymn and Runo ring, the far North shall endure and eternal spring. Prayer Song I: Pitkamoonen, Lord of the Seven Calamities (The summer solstice. Burn the season's first sheaf of wheat. To this offering add: a hen, an ox, snake gall equal in weight to the grain, as well as seven cups of the blood of ████'s █████. The Archpriestess chants the Runo seven times, then performs divination using animal entrails to appease the gods.) O supreme Lord of the Sky, merciless and indomitable, Father of All and Mother of the Gods, We offer these sacrifices to appease your jealousy, lest your wrath blaze against the earth. O capricious winged one, fierce king who lays waste to nations, god of the unyielding heart, O god of gender unknowable, we plead that you turn from the mortal realm and the children of the farthest north. You have shattered the order of the old laws and offered shelter to mortals, and yet ███ them. You have shaken the ancient dwellings of the eternals, ███ed their wings, and laid waste to their ███. You are the god of retribution, the vengeful deity. Your will is absolute beneath the moon, never to be disobeyed. In heaven and on earth your blade ██, drinking dry the ██ of the wicked and the innocent. O ██ and ██ king: before you, the gods are as mere mortals, and mortals, naught more than insects. No one dares to speak your name, for you shall ██ all who know it. But O pure and wrathful god, we humbly ask you to accept this offering. May the Frost Moon shield us from the calamities you bring, and spare us the fate of eternal suffering. (Note From Priestess Ehrnrooth: This ritual was abolished five centuries ago by decree of Aila, the first Moonchanter. It is notable that the prayer's obscured portions were not deliberately redacted, if the relevant records are to be believed. Instead, the Archpriestess was to chant in an indistinct manner to avoid provoking the god of the Seven Calamities.) Prayer Song II: Maadteraahka, Mother of Life (Upon the birth of a child, a pinch of sea salt is offered to the sacred stone. Clergy of Assistant Priestess rank or higher shall chant the Runo four times before the newborn is bathed in warm water infused with Winter Icelea.) Hear me, O noble Maadteraahka, mother of gods and mortals, From Hyperborea to Sal Vindagnyr, your compassion is revered by all. You watch over young women, easing their suffering and granting safe passage through childbirth. You rejoice in fecundity, give life to the sublunary sphere, nurture all that grows in nature. You, mother of the waters, who birthed a heart for the roaring primordial ocean, All the birds, beasts, and fish in this world are yours, for you are the one who brought them into being. By your divine will, you shape mortal flesh as a potter shapes clay, Therefore, I pray you bless this newborn child with health, courage, and wisdom. (Note From Priestess Ehrnrooth: This ritual was abolished five centuries ago by decree of Aila, the first Moonchanter. In its place, one who is ranked Assistant Priestess or higher is to recite "May the new moon illuminate your path" instead. This is meant to invoke protection for the child from the taint of the sublunary sphere.) Prayer Song III: Tuonetar, Mother of the Underworld (During the autumn harvest, animal sacrifices are offered in accordance with the social status of those who died that year. The prepared animals are placed in intricately carved wooden or bronze vessels, shaped like boats, to be burned. Before the burning, a clergy member of Assistant Priestess rank or higher removes the eyes of each animal and presents them separately to the mistress of the underworld. With eyes veiled by a dark cloth, the Archpriestess then chants the Runo four times and performs divination using animal entrails to please the deity.) O Mistress of the dead, slow to be moved and without expression, O shadowy lady of the underworld — somber, taciturn, fearsome Tuonetar! You abhor the arrogant and the disrespectful, and from your grasp, there is no escape. Your feet have trod both the humble hut and the gilded throne. The people fear you, for you see all, hear all, and judge all. We revere you for your boundless grace and all-embracing nature. The fate of all living beings rests solely in your hands, and you remain unmoved no matter how fervent the plea. Yet noble and majestic goddess, we know that gentleness and mercy are your first nature. Just as you granted our ancestors liberation from suffering and extended it not, O mistress of death, you who know the fates of all under the moon, accept our humble offering. The descendants of the far north beseech you, now that the golden bloodline has returned to your bosom, That you lead us across the nether's dark stream, and let us sleep eternal in a dreamless dream. (Note From Priestess Ehrnrooth: This ritual was abolished by decree of Aila, the first Moonchanter, five centuries ago. Now, when a aherent of the Frost Moon dies, regardless of social status, an Assistant Priestess, or someone of higher rank, is to recite instead "May the new moon lead you to the shore of peace." A simple and solemn funeral is then conducted.) Prayer Song IV: Laimelea, Mother of Time (On the Winter Solstice, a cloth bearing the year's significant events is burned, and its ashes are gathered in a silver cup filled with pure water. The Archpriestess chants the Runo four times, and when the wind begins to stir, they anoint the Verdant Crest with the blessed mixture to honor the divinity.) O pure and eternal Mother of Time, sovereign who was never born and who shall never die, You create all and destroy all. You remember all and allow them to be forgotten. You who in the moment of your birth, also gave birth to yourself, O supreme mother, You are the one stillness within the endless flow, the one outsider in the sacred courtyard of the gods. May you protect the four imprisoned moons. May you protect the four imprisoned moons. You are the one outsider in the sacred courtyard of the gods, the one stillness within the endless flow. O supreme mother, who in the moment of your own birth also gave birth to yourself, You remember all and allow them to be forgotten. You create all and destroy all. O sovereign who shall never die and who was never born, pure and eternal Mother of Time! (Note from the Priestess Ehrnrooth: The meaning of this prayer remains obscure, and the ritual described herein contradicts established historical records. The Verdant Crest, a Divine Tree that appeared at the birth of the Moon Maiden five centuries ago, should not feature in any account of rituals predating that event. As no other known texts reference these rites, this is presumed to be a scribal error. Nevertheless, this passage has been preserved unaltered for the sake of textual fidelity.) Prayer Song V [Missing]