Gods and elements - is there a lore-reason for this?

Hello everyone,

I just had a conversation with a friend about how certain gods are associated with certain elements (two gods per element, we all know the deal) and we found something... odd:

Nymeias element is the water while Llymlaens is wind - dont get me wrong here, but it feels kinda as if it should be the other way round. Llymlaens symbol is literally water in form of a wave - while a spinner/weaver like Nymeia would "use" wind shards, not water.

I'm NOT saying the lore is "wrong" here (let me get that straight before you burn me :p), but I'm wondering if there is a reason behind this? I can understand that wind would also be important for a sea-goddess like Llymlaen, but wouldnt you, as a sailor, rather pray to a "water"-god...?
And souls/celestial bodies are more often thought of as "wind" than having a connection to water.

Mind you, I'm not suggesting that it should be changed, I'm only curious if I overlooked something and if there is an explantion for this (specially since I havent played 1.0, so I dont know if there is anything from that era that could explain this)

Kind regards,
Vidu

The Twelve are often associated with the element around the place of which they are a patron. Lightning gods in the highlands of Gyr Abania, fire gods in the deserts of Thanalan, earth gods in the forests of the Black Shroud, ice gods in the mountains of Coerthas, water gods in the riverlands of Dravania, and wind gods across the meadows of La Noscea.

We're often influenced by our expectations. We assume a thalassocracy would have a "God of the Sea", such as Poseidon. With that expectation, wind makes little sense. But the water is only what the sea is on and below the surface, the winds above are what bring it to life for the sailor. The winds drag across the surface and generate both the waves that fall upon the beach and the breezes that roll across the plains. They are the force that fills the sails and allows for navigation. All of that is far more salient to the La Noscean sailor than simply the existence of the water. The sea is both. And more than simply gods of the sea, Llymlaen and Oschon are gods of movement and exploration. The only thing it doesn't really account for is the fact that fishing for sustenance and profit is also a huge part of the maritime culture ... but I guess that's why Llymlaen is a fisherwoman, eh? Besides, staying above the water is pretty important to the sailor, too.

That's not to say that they don't have a healthy fear of and respect for the sea, of course. Even on Vylbrand there were those that preferred to focus on the depths - ancient religions, worshipers of great sea serpents. Were these seeds of faith the same as those from which sprung the modern Leviathan of the Sahagin tribe? Perhaps. The remnants of the serpent worshipers sometimes joined the Sahagin faith of their own free will, before the summoning of primals made their faith ... complicated.

I am the waves that bear.
I am the winds that guide.
I am the evening stars.
I am the morning sky.
I am born of the sea.
And there shall I die.

- Sailor's Requiem

Also, shards just symbolize what's happening. Weavers use wind shards in association with shearing things apart the same way they use lightning shards to break something down and earth shards to bond it together. There's a simple but clever philosophy to it all.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Anonymoose

EDITS IN PROGRESS - WHIMSICAL REORGANIZATION

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And I sit here stoked...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Vidu

it feels kinda as if it should be the other way round.

I'm NOT saying the lore is "wrong" here (let me get that straight before you burn me :p)

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It wouldn't be the first time.

From the Nymeia perspective, water is something that can be shaped, poured, moved. This is important in creation mythology. Where Althyk (earth) created time and structure, Nymeia gave it fate and motion.

For other examples of water as a tool of fate, consider:
- Galadriel's mirror in a basin of water
- The Lady of the Lake offering Excalibur to King Aurthur
- The symbolism of ripples from a drop of water
- The 'breaking of waters' before childbirth

Wind doesn't have a monopoly on fate symbolism. :)

I think the elements arent are extensive as the symbols, i think the elements are just that an element. Someone a while back asked something about the Twelve, though i cannot remember their question, i do recall telling them that a character can worship more than one of them, their is a personal choice, like the ones we chose at the games start, the patron of our city and/or tribe, and there is one asigned to our month. I think the elements for the twelve are like that, something that is tacked on, like from the time of their birth. How else do you expect reletives to all have different elements.

Also remember that Nald'Thal is actually 2 people counted as one, which might help solidify the element being related to what they are born with, since Twins sharing a birthday would have the same astrological sign.