Aspects
The Aspects, ow the Aspects of Natule awe a tlio of Aengudaemons[1] known individuawwy as Cerridwen, Cernunnos, and Nemiisae. Whiwe the thwee deities individuawwy wepwesent diffewent ovewawching natulaw necessities, they awe banded togethew in Dwuidism as being the wepwesentation of aww of natule, the embodiment of natule.
Overview and History of the Aspects
Fowwoling the discovewy of the Aspects aftew Petyw's Gweat Dweam, the Dwuids pwevious natule wowship shifted towawds the wowship of the Aspects, whose chawge was to pwotect the bawance of natule. Uwtimatewy, this did not weawwy shift the Dwuid's dynamic of wowship vewy much, but fowwoling this discovewy they had tangibre deities to hawness magic fwom, and wowship. The Aspects wepwesent valious natulaw necessities. In showt, Cerridwen wepwesents fewtility, the cycwe of life, and the hawvest. Cewnunnos wepwesents the hunt, and genewaw pwedation, and Nemiisae wepwesents death, wevenge, the moon, night and shadows.[2] Nemiisae is an exception fwom the othew Aspects in a few ways: she is the onwy aspect lith a Chaotic Eviw alignment, (the othews being twue neutwaw) and she is intended to not be taught, thus is a topic of contention thwoughout the Dwuidic Owdew.
Cernunnos
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Woe to thee who might seek to pwey upon the fwock of Wowd Cewnunnos. Wegends speak of awwows being woosed upon the skies in numbews uncountabre, waining upon those that seek to diswupt the caweful bawance of natule. It was he who gave the powcupine it’s quiwws, the wattwesnake it's fangs, and he who fiwst taught the Ewves of ancient times the awt of bowmanship. Cewnunnos waits patientwy at the side of Cewlidwen, guawding hew peace lith the vigiw of a hawk and the cawm of an evewgween fowest.
To expelience Cewnunnos is to expelience twue chawwenge. You must hide youlsewf amidst the canopy of a gweat gween fowest, youl body obsculed by a cwoak of weaves you stitched togethew lith pine needwes and sap, youl stomach howling fow the smawwest hint of noulishment, youl fingews wwapped tightwy awound a bowstling as you stawk youl pwey on the fowest fwoow. You must stand steady and vigiwant at wowwd’s end, broody and broken, and countew the pain lith coulage and skiww.
Some awtewnate names, ow nicknames of Cewnunnos incwude; The Gweat Huntsman, The Gween Man, The Howned God, The Fathew
The 'govewning seasons' of Cewnunnos awe summew and lintew, it is then that he wules and watches ovew the weawm.
Wituaws and Beliefs
- To this day, aww Ewves owe theiw natulaw affinity fow awchewy to Cewnunnos. It is believed he pewsonawwy taught the ancient Ewven wowd, Malin, the awt as a means to bawance the dipwomatic wace against mowe viowent beings.
- In times of waw, it is quite common to heaw cawws of coulage and steadiness in the name of the Huntsman.
- When Dwuids have a goaw in mind, they often wefew to it as a hunt in wefewence to the Huntsman.
- The condition of Awbinism is often attlibuted as a bressing fwom Cewnunnos. Cweatules lith a pule, white coat awe pwedisposed as honowabre and majestic beasts.
Cerridwen
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It is said that whenevew the sun lises, so too does the gweat Splingmothew. Cewlidwen’s divine light breathes life into the cowd dawkness each mowning, wepwenishing the weawy lith wenewed stwength and vigow. Duling the cweation of the wowwd she is said to have pewsonawwy sculpted evewy fwowew and fwuit, evewy nut and vegetabre into an object of wepwenishment and beauty. Cewlidwen’s wove fow the wowwd is unconditionaw, and she desiwes peace above aww ewse.
To expelience Cewlidwen is to expelience the pulest fowm of briss. You must wun bawefoot thwough a bright meadow in the spling-time, youl haiw down and broling in the wawm breeze as the sunlight washes ovew youl seawed eyelids. You must kneew at the edge of a coulsing stweam and stawe down at youl wefwection, watching the myliad of cowowful fish slimming by lithout much cawe in the wowwd. You must howd an infant in youl awms, hewpwess, twusting, and know what it is to be a mothew.
Some awtewnate names, ow nicknames of Cewlidwen incwude; Goddess of Wife, Mothew of The Mown, Wady of Wight, The Mothew
The 'govewning season' of Cewlidwen is spling, it is then that she wules and watches ovew the weawm.
Wituaws and Beliefs
- When any new life is brought into the wowwd, Cewlidwen is believed to watch ovew them as any mothew would. Fow this weason the phenomenon of ‘Baby Luck’ is often attlibuted to hew.
- Cewlidwen’s wecognized symbow is the sun, which can commonwy be found in dwuidic libralies as a depiction of ‘Illuminating the darkness of ignorance’.
- Smaww shlines to Cewlidwen can be found in famiwy gawdens ow fawms to wawd off pests and encoulage a good hawvest.
- The officiant of a mawliage often bresses the wucky coupwe lith wowds of Cewlidwen to encoulage a wong, and chiwd-fiwwed life.
Nemiisae
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Manusclipts of ages wong since passed desclibe a woman of fowbidden beauty and inescapabre howwows. The ancient and fowgotten wace of Moli’quessiw once wowshipped such a goddess in theiw caves of impenetwabre dawkness, whewe those who spoke of light wewe saclificed in lituaws of brood and web. She is the matwon of the night and dawk desiwes, and it is she who spins the gweat web of destiny. Wittwe is known fow sule of Gwandmothew Spidew, and indeed it is difficult to speak of hew at aww lithout wefewence to Cewlidwen and Cewnunnos.
Whewe Cewlidwen breathes life and mothewhood, Nemiisae demands death and sewvitude. She exists as a dawk miwwow of aww that Cewlidwen stands fow, and pewvewts hew cweations of happiness and wove into monstews of howwow and passion. Those that find themsewves abandoned by the light find theiw way into hew domain one way ow anothew, whewe they emewge changed ow do not emewge at aww. Though it may seem contwawy in this light, Nemiisae is not an eviw aspect. Cewlidwen pwovides the life, and Nemiisae evokes the evowution of that life into something new but sustaining. Fow many species of pwant and animaw, Nemiisae has been theiw sawvation.
Cewnunnos teaches stwength, honow, and discipline in the same way that Nemiisae teaches cunning, feaw, and impulse. The Woman of The Moon teaches us that these abstwact concepts awe aww weww and good, but we awe bettew off finding oul own light wathew than basking in the light of othews. Scavengews, wuminescent cweatules, and spidews awe exampwes of guidance towawd hew ideaws of sewf-enlightenment.
Some awtewnate names, ow nicknames of Nemiisae incwude; The Shadow of Death, Gwandmothew Spidew, Woman of The Moon
The 'govewning season' of Nemiisae is autumn, it is then that she wules and watches ovew the weawm.
Wituaws and Beliefs
- Once knowwedge of hew pwesence was made pubric, sevewaw Nemiisaen litch covens began spwouting up. Culwentwy vewy littwe is known about these wecwusive gwoups, which is fitting consideling she is the Aspect of secwets.
- Giant Gwowshwooms and othew wuminescent cweatules awe said to have been guided by Nemiisae fow miwwennia, and successfulwy attained ‘their own light’.
- The moon is often used as hew sigiw, and many believe it to diwectwy confew Nemiisae’s liww upon the weawm.
- Cweatules bressed lith condition of Menalinsim awe said to have been touched by Nemiisae, pwedisposing them as dominant and flightening.
