Follow TV Tropes

Following

Characters / Kushiel's Legacy - Religious Deities and Figures

Go To

For the main character index, go here.

    open/close all folders 

Elua and his Companions

    General 
The deities of the D'Angeline pantheon. The people of Terre d'Ange are descended from them. Blessed Elua is the misbegotten grandson of the One God of the Yeshuites, born from the mingled blood of Yeshua ben Yosef and tears of the Magdalene. His eight Companions are angels of God who came to earth to join him in his wanderings.


Tropes applying to Elua & his Companions:

    Elua 

Elua

Chief god of the D'Angeline pantheon. Blessed Elua was born from the blood of Yeshua ben Yosef and the tears of the Magdalene nurtured in the womb of the earth. After his birth Elua began wandering the earth aimlessly until being captured by the King of Persis. His distress caught the attention of eight angels, who decided to come to earth and aid him. Eventually they came to Terre d'Ange, where the people welcomed them. Elua claimed no territory for himself, but founded the City of Elua. He gave the people of Terre d'Ange one commandment: Love As Thou Wilt.


Tropes applying to Blessed Elua:

  • Fertile Feet: Flowers were said to sprout from the ground where Elua walked.
  • Fleur-de-lis: His symbol, befitting the deity of an alternate France.
  • Flower Motifs: Is associated with flowers, especially lilies.
  • Friend to All Living Things: While not as much of a nature deity as Anael, Elua is consistently associated with nature, particularly plants. His temples have no walls or ceilings and any plants are allowed to grow within them without interference.
  • Love God: His sole divine attribute is love.
  • Our Founder: Founded the City of Elua in the only place where he paused during his wanderings.
  • The Power of Love: Elua is made of this trope.
  • Walking the Earth: What he did before coming to Terre d'Ange.

    Anael 

Anael

Companion who taught D'Angelines agriculture and animal husbandry. He is commonly known as the Good Steward.


Tropes applying to Anael:

    Azza 

Azza

Companion responsible for teaching D'Angelines about ships and navigation. The Yeshuites identify his sin as pride, a trait that is consistently associated with him.


Tropes applying to Azza:

  • Father Neptune: The closest thing to a god of the sea in the D'Angeline pantheon.
  • Magic Compass: Is usually depicted holding a compass or sextant.
  • The Navigator: Taught D'Angelines the art of navigation.
  • Pride: A trait consistently associated with Azza. The Yeshuites name it as his sin and his priests wear masks to sublimate their individual pride before Azza's.

    Camael 

Camael

Companion who taught D'Angelines the art of war and created the first D'Angeline armies. He chose to found his province on the Skaldi border because it was the area most in need of his martial hand.


Tropes applying to Camael:

    Cassiel 

Cassiel

Known as the Perfect Companion, Cassiel joined Elua in order to take up the duty of loving him that the One God neglected. He remained by Elua's side throughout all of his wanderings. He was only one of the Companions to obey the One God's laws by claiming no territory and fathering no children. He has no temples and is not commonly prayed to. The Cassiline Brotherhood was founded in his honor.


Tropes applying to Cassiel:

  • Black Sheep: Of Elua and his Companions, for being the one to obey the One God's laws. Doesn't help that his priesthood, the Cassiline Brotherhood, is Holier Than Thou to everyone else in Terre d'Ange.
  • Celibate Hero: He refused to sleep with mortals, unlike the rest of the Companions.
  • Conflicting Loyalty: Stayed by Elua's side, though he believed he was damned for it. He was the only Companion to look back in regret as they ascended to the Terre d'Ange-that-lies-beyond.
  • Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Elua. There's no indication that it was a romantic or sexual relationship, but one thing is known: Cassiel loved Elua.
  • Undying Loyalty: To Elua. He considered it his duty to love Elua, even beyond his duty to the One God, and Cassilines who leave the Brotherhood for love are sometimes said to be making "Cassiel's Choice".
  • Warrior Monk: The Cassiline Brotherhood, who serve as his priests.

    Eisheth 

Eisheth

Companion associated with healing, music, and storytelling. In addition to being the goddess of healing in general, Eisheth is particularly concerned with womens' health.


Tropes applying to Eisheth:

  • Fantasy Contraception: In order to become pregnant, D'Angeline women must light a candle to Eisheth and pray for the goddess to open her womb.
  • Harp of Femininity: Usually depicted with one.
  • Healer God: Eisheth is the goddess of healing in the D'Angeline pantheon.
  • Healing Hands: In her role as goddess of healing.
  • Heir Club for Men: Gender-flipped. Eisande, the province she founded, is always ruled by a woman who is titled the Lady of Marsilikos.
  • Medical Monarch: Was this when she was ruling in Marsilikos. Many of her descendants in House Mereliot also qualify.
  • The Storyteller: Eisheth is associated with storytelling, particularly the wandering storytellers known as Mendacants.
  • Women's Mysteries: The candle-lighting ritual is forbidden to men.

    Kushiel 

Kushiel

God of justice and punishment. Kushiel was once the One God's punisher, charged with administering punishment to sinners. He understood that the chastisement he gave them was an act of mercy. They came to love him for it, so much that when given a chance to repent they refused out of love for their lord. Kushiel joined Elua because he felt Elua understood what he did. He will occasionally mark a mortal as his own with a red mote in their eye. These are known as anguissettes, Kushiel's Chosen who are cursed to feel pain as pleasure.


Tropes applying to Kushiel:

  • Brains and Bondage: He sees the imparting of suffering as an act of love, not pure sadism. He chose to follow Blessed Elua because he felt Elua understood why he did what he did.
  • The Chooser of the One: Will mark a mortal as his own in order to redress an imbalance in the world.
  • Compelling Voice: Occasionally makes his will known by speaking through Phèdre.
  • The Conscience: It tempers his sadistic side.
  • Cool Mask: Is depicted wearing a bronze mask. His priests wear them as well.
  • Cruel Mercy: Kushiel is made of this trope.
  • The Penance: Delivers penance to the souls of D'Angelines in the afterlife.
  • Sadist: Though tempered with a conscience and compassion. He believes that imparting suffering without compassion is an abomination.
  • A Taste of the Lash: He administered pain to sinners in hell while serving as the One God's punisher.

    Naamah 

Naamah

Goddess of sexuality, prostitution, and desire. Naamah was the first of the Companions to join Elua. She gave herself to the King of Persis for a night in exchange for Elua's freedom. While traveling in Bhodistan, she lay with strangers so that Elua might eat. It is because of this that prostitution is referred to Naamah's Service and considered a sacred calling in Terre d'Ange. The thirteen houses of the Night Court are considered the most elite of these. Her clergy practice sacred prostitution.


Tropes applying to Naamah:

  • Heroic Seductress: She slept with the King of Persis in exchange for Elua's freedom. Each house of the Night Court has its own interpretation of her motivations for doing this.
  • Hooker with a Heart of Gold: Naamah made the decision to lie with mortals for Elua's sake.
  • Living Aphrodisiac: Naturally for the goddess of love and sex. Her scions have the ability to incite lust in others.
  • Love Goddess: Is the goddess of love and sex in the D'Angeline pantheon.
  • Lust: The Yeshuites name her sin as lust. Unlike Azza, there's no indication that she was actually guilty of it, as she primarily slept with others out of necessity and love for Elua.
  • Really Gets Around: She lay with many people during her time on earth. Notable examples include the King of Persis, strangers in the streets of Bhodistan, and a convicted murderer.
  • Sex for Services: See Heroic Seductress. She also lay with strangers in Bhodistan so Elua could eat.
  • Sex Goddess: Pun aside, there are many stories in the Night Court of her supernatural skill at sex, with the implication that most are true.
  • Unproblematic Prostitution: Naamah's actions are the reason why prostitution is sacred in Terre d'Ange. Forcing people into her service, disregarding the signale, or exploiting them in any way is considered heresy against her.

    Shemhazai 

Shemhazai

God of wisdom and knowledge. He taught D'Angelines how to write. He is associated with knowledge of all kinds as well as engineering. A common phrase associated with Shemhazai is "All knowledge is worth having."


Tropes applying to Shemhazai:

  • Bookworm: As you would expect for a god of wisdom and knowledge.
  • Cool Teacher: He is credited with teaching D'Angelines many things, particularly reading and writing and engineering.
  • The Engineer: Taught D'Angelines engineering. Many of his scions work as engineers and some of his temples even have mechanical statues in them.
  • Great Big Library of Everything: His province of Siovale is known for its libraries.
  • The Smart Guy: Of Elua and his Companions.


Other D'Angeline Religious Figures

    Mara 

Yeshuite Deities and Religious Figures

    Adonai 

    Mother Earth 

    Yeshua ben Yosef 

    The Magdalene 

    Rahab 


Caerdicci Deities


Skaldic Deities


Carthaginian Deities

Top