Asuran Daeva, by Clearmirror-StillH20.
Daeva are spiritual beings from Duat. Ashan legends claim that they are not gods, but also not quite mortal. They were created in the Primordial Waters of the Abyss by the Sura and Asura, and so the Daeva come in both Sura and Asura variations.
Due to their divine nature, Ashan mythology claims the current whereabouts of the Daeva to be in Duat - sealed beyond the underworld by the Necropolis of Amravati.
The Asha consider the Daeva to be Demi-Gods. There are uncanny similarities between the Daeva and the Era'thora and Jotun.
Appearance and Behaviour[]
Ashan legends speak of Daeva - beings who are very much alike to the Sura and Asura of Duat, but not quite gods. They're akin to demons and devils (though not necessarily evil or malicious) and they fought on the side of the gods against the Asha during the Immortal Wars.
Suran Daeva, by M.Tensei
The Asha believe the Daeva to be monstrous in appearance - but also hideously beautiful. They imagine them as large giants, mostly female (or very effeminate, if male), with skin as blue as the night sky, and several arms - the demonic progenitors of what would later become the frailer and gracefully beautiful elves.
They are often described as giants, towering above mortals and even the great castles of the world above.
Asuran Daeva are said to have had blue, gray or pitch-black skin which illuminated dark places. It is said that the skin of Asuran Daeva, like the Asuran gods, was spangled with millions of tiny stars which would radiate at night. The Asuran gods and their Daeva were said to carry the night sky on their skin, and bring it with them into the underworld and into Duat.
The Suran daeva, meanwhile, were said to have tanned, beige or richly brown skin. Suran Daeva, like the Asha, did not have a sclera in their eyes, and they also sometimes sported more than one face. In the Ashan pantheon, there are more male Suran than there are female ones, and the opposite is true for the Asura. Scholars of Täjara argue as to whether or not there is an intentional dualism in the Ashan pantheon, where the rather gender neutral Asha claim that the gods believed there was a certain order to men and women, and that the Ashan rejection of their gods would be seen as a causal effect of their rejection of the traditional gender roles seen in other races.
History and Origin[]
The Asha believe that, like the elves, the Daeva were created in Duat and then brought to Solcu by the gods. Though for what purpose isn't certain. Some historians of other races who might take an interest in elven history and religion claim that many of the minor and less prominent or powerful Sura and Asura were, in fact, Daeva.
The Ogres share a belief in an elder race of giant being who are also not quite gods, which seem to have an uncanny similiarty to the Daeva.
The shadowy Kaaradi also claim that the Gods from Below had a temple named Kalukamrvati, which is an integral part of their history, and that the Ashan misinterpratation of the purpose of Amravati will lead to the ruin of the world, in no small part to the Asha not understanding that the Kaarad have true understanding of the nature of these creatures. This misunderstanding led to a long war between the Ashan and Kaaradi.
Daeva and Boddisatva[]
There is an eerie similarity between the Ashan Boddisathva , ascendants who wander the world and meditate in an attempt to get closer to their own divine nature, and the Daeva of old.
Some Amesha claim that the great Jotun of the ages past are a stepping stone between the elves and the gods, and that the Valkyria are, perhaps unknowingly, attempting to bridge that gap and take another immense step towards the divine origins of the elves.
Scholars of the Täjaran library of Schwetzenburg argue that the Daeva and Boddisatva are both but stepping stones in superstitious, elven myths to explain the elves descent during The Age of Mythology, when the ceasing of the elves' worship of the great Dragons caused them to lose their immortality. These scholars argue that the elves believed themselves to have once been dragons, then dragon-worshippers with magical powers and now mere mortals, like all others.
Famous Daeva[]
Shezmu Asura , Who swallows the life - Asuran Daeva in the service of Seteshka Asura. Patron diety of vampires.
Osaireese Asura, 'Dead but Dreaming - Asuran Daeva in the service of Seteshka Asura. Matron diety of liches.
Lakshmee Sura, Of the two Forms - Suran Daeva in the service of Mohini Sura. Matron diety of shapeshifters.
Neithsri Sura, The Spinner of Tales - Suran Daeva in the service of Mohini Sura.
Gallery[]
