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Elder Scrolls

"Kynareth says: Use Nature's gifts wisely. Respect her power, and fear her fury."
―Anonymous[src]

Kynareth, called Kyne by the Nords, Kin by the Kothringi[UL 1], Khenarthi by the Khajiit and Tava by the Redguards, is a goddess of the Nine Divines. She is the strongest of the Sky spirits and is the deity of the heavens, the winds, the elements, and the unseen spirits of the air. Patron of sailors and travelers, Kynareth is invoked for auspicious stars at birth and for good fortune in daily life.[1] In some legends, she is the first to agree to Lorkhan's plan to invent the mortal plane, and provides the space for its creation in the void. She is also associated with rain, a phenomenon said not to occur before the removal of Lorkhan's divine spark.[2] She is often associated with Zenithar, as Zenithar's craftsmen use products provided by Kynareth's natural world. Thus, one cannot worship Zenithar without acknowledging the power of Kynareth.[3]

Kynareth is the only one of the nine divines to not have a chapel dedicated to her in Cyrodiil, though she does have an altar to the west of the Imperial City. It should be noted that all of nature can be seen as Kynareth's chapel. [4] Kynareth at one point had a champion by the name of Bourlor, whom she had blessed with arrows that would never miss their mark, though in some cases it would take years before the arrow finally hit the intended target.[5]

Kynareth is the mother of the demigod Morihaus[6], who helped Alessia drive the Ayleids from Cyrodiil and establish Nedic rule. Alessia supposedly communed directly with Kynareth during these events, and received visions from her concerning the coming of Pelinal Whitestrake[7]. She later supposedly sent rain to wash away all the blood from Pelinal's campaigns against the elves.[8]

In Skyrim, Kynareth is known as Kyne, and she is believed to be the wife of Shor[2]. The Throat of the World is considered to be her sacred mountain[9]. She is also cited to have gifted the Thu'um to the first Nord heroes[2] by sending Paarthurnax to teach it to them,[10] and is thus a central object of worship for The Greybeards and their Way of the Voice.[9] In the fourth era, many Nords have come to refer to her as Kynareth, and there is a temple of Kynareth in the city of Whiterun. the Gildergreen is said to be sacred to Kynareth.[11] However, there are still those in the countryside who refer to her by her traditional Nord name, and set others on the path to complete her sacred trials.[12]

In Elsweyr, Kynareth is known as Khenarthi. The Khajiiti creation myth states that she was part of Ahnurr and Fadomai's first litter. They gave her the sky, "for what can fly higher than the wind?"[13]. It is said that when Lorkhaj died, she hid herself into a storm until her brother Alkosh came and comforted her.[14] The Khajiit believe that she is a messenger for Azurah,[14] and carries the souls of the dead to the Sands Behind the Stars.[15] This only applies to True Cats, though; Bent Cats get dragged to the Dark Behind the World.[16] It is said that when Alkosh's body was scattered on the West Wind, Khenarthi found out and flew across the Many Paths to put Alkosh back together.[17] It should be noted that Khenarthi is sometimes referred to as male,[18] even though other Tamrielic cultures tend to depict her as female.

The Yokudan version of Kynareth is known as Tava. She is said to have lead the Yokudans to Herne after the destruction of their home continent of Yokuda.[2] She is worshipped by many sailors, and there are shrines to her in many of Hammerfell's port cities.[2] She was a significant deity to the second wave of Ra Gada settlers from Yokuda, who were named Tavans after her.[19] Goshawks are sacred to Tava.[20]

Artifacts

The Lord's Mail is said to be associated with Kynareth. It is said that whenever Kynareth deems the wearer unworthy, it will be taken away from them so that it can be found by a new hero[21]. Some time before 3E 427, it was acquired by the Imperial Commission in Ebonheart. It was stolen from there in 3E 427 by Furius Acilius, but the Nerevarine retrieved it and returned it to the commission.[22]

The Boots of the Crusader were Kynareth's gift to Pelinal Whitestrake for his fight against Umaril the Unfeathered. After his death, the Boots were lost to history until they turned up in Kynareth's Grotto, where the Divine Crusader found them after proving themselves worthy by not fighting back against an attacking bear[23]. Said crusader later used them to gain access to the Mace of the Crusader.[24]

The Ring of the Wind is another item that is said to be sacred to Kynareth. It was supposedly owned by an acrobat named Kisimba Spring-Snow, who always landed on her feet, except when she landed on the feet of others.[25] In 3E 427, it was in the posession of a wizard named Galmis Dren. After receiving an assignment from the Imperial Cult, the Nerevarine slew Dren and took the ring for themselves.[26]

Representations

Verse

"Come to me, Kynareth, for without you, I might not know the mysteries of the world, and so blind and in terror, I might consume and profane the abundance of your beautiful treasures."[27]

Gallery

See also

Appearances

References

Notice: The following are unlicensed references. They are not copyrighted by a ZeniMax Media company, but can still be considered part of The Elder Scrolls lore and are included for completeness.
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