Aithar

Aithar (Northian: aēϑar) is a deity of the Northian pantheon with elemental association with the sky and light, and characteristically is considered a god of priesthoods and of sacrifices. In later tradition, he becomes a king of the gods and is titled as "maker of heaven and earth" dedā tuwō xmō and "father of fathers" bdō bihrõm

Etymology

Aithar, Northian aēϑar is from Proto-Erani-Eracuran *h₂eydʰ-r̥ and has proparoxytone accent in gen aēϑariš. This suffixed word is not attested outside of Northian, and so some authorities believe it is an innovation internal to the branch. Given its proparoxytone genitive, which is generally not productive, the word itself must be old, though its first attestation is in sub-Galic material.

Theology

Didaskalic Aithar

Aithar is often called upon by the Didaskaloi as a communicator and manifestor of divinity in their discourses. As the Didaskaloi contended gods were immaterial and transcendent beings, their divine powers required a certain kind of transformation to be made material, and Aithar serves this purpose. If the gods, who were infinities, materially existed in the world, then there would be limitless quantities of everything and ironically make physical life impossible, as the human condition was not made to withstand infinities physically; thus, Aithar also serves an important role of moderation to allow divine powers to enter the world in an orderly and beneficial way.

His name can be literally translated as "The Burning", possibly suggesting that fire was considered a medium whereby physical and spiritual transformations took place. This is consonant with the idea that immolated sacrificial offerings transformed into light, and despite no longer existing physically, could only now be laid before the invisible gods. Light was thus accorded a special place, as a medium of the sacrifice. All the Galic gods were described as working through "The Burning" in bringing their benedictions into the material world.

Epic Aithar

In the Epics, Aithar emerges in a rather distinct guise as the "maker of heaven and earth and (indeed) the divinities" and as "father of fathers, grandfather of grandfathers". He was called the dōy upšištā "God Most High" several times.

The Epic Aithar attests to a distinctly non-didaskalic theology and worldview that may have been lost (or lost coherence) beyond the Epic period. In this view, the Galic gods were not immaterial beings as theorized by the Didaskaloi but were actually the natural features and celestial objects that their names make them out to be. Their physical forms and essential hypostases were not distinguished in this theology, and their material forms were considered their foremost qualities as well as real, complete realities. Thus, Aithar was envisioned as their creator.

Aithar's worship centred upon his position as the fount of life and of its appurtenances, expressed by describing him as father of everything by procreation and provider of vital necessities, the two elements that create and maintain life respectively.

In Epic mythology, Aithar was envisioned as a loving god who provides at any moment and for any being. While there are no surviving iconography of Aithar, he is described with an elderly human form and long hair and beard. It is interesting that this quality of providence is very comparable to the idea of dititās "godhead" as provided by the Didaskaloi, though dititās is a quality rather than a person like Aithar.

Relationships with other gods

Earth

Where Aithar is named maker of heaven and earth, Earth is frequently mentioned as the Most Honoured Lady, referring to the exaltation of the first-born daughter amongst Northians. Even though Northians were predominantly patrilineal, the first-born daughter is accorded a place of honour ahead of the first-born son. The explanation for this is still not clear, though perhaps some elements of domestic (and specifically feminine) life made age more important when the family-group concerned was a group of mixed gender; on the other hand, ancient Northian culture did not have the a similar preference for the first-born son, suggesting that when it came to masculine life age was not as important.

The precedence of the eldest daughter in rank and honour is never explained in any part of the Northian canon and instead assumed generally, indicating the antiquity of the tradition.

In manner like a good father, Aithar defers to his eldest daughter Earth, who is the first to eat and the first to greet guests. As in human households the phrase "the most honoured" refers to the eldest daughter of the patriarch, Earth is the "most honoured" in the divine family.

Wosma

As gods of the numina, Aithar is often paired with Wosma. Aithar in this role is associated with daytime and light, as well as empirical observation, while Wosma is often connected with nighttime, darkness, and specifically dreams and revelations during the darkness. Both of these phenomena are considered part of the divine power of numina, where the spiritual/mental aspects connect with the material aspects of humanity. To ancient Northians, just as light brings information and empirical observation, so does the nighttime bring dreams and prophecies in tow; both are means to understand what is not already understood. This is Aithar's characterization in philosophy.

Aithar and Wosma have somewhat overlapping profiles in liturgical rituals. Wosma has about twice as many mentions in the Psalter and about three times as many in the daily offices, but Aithar appears in an older part of the psalter and may have had a more significant role in earlier times. Wosma took over some of these roles later, resulting in similar Psalter hymns that apparently assign the same function to two different figures. This is very much in agreement with the general theme of the Psalter's development—repeated additions that reflect changing tastes while ritualizing older content that become less relevant intellectually but remain important religiously.

See also

• Northern States