Adlef (Arrlyf, The Oakbird, Goddess of the Air, The Goddess of Life)
Between the incarnations of Tolem and The Mother lies the goddess Adlef, the goddess of
life. Worshipped predominantly within the Redwing Empire where her similarities to Quill
are apparent, she remains an important god throughout all of Fortitude having particular
relevance in the Blackfly Empire as a face of their trinity cycle. Adlef herself represents
a cycle of life, from her birth, through life and finally death. In the following text, a
short piece of prose by the Blackfly essayist Bradburn, we are given an almost poetic
account of the cycle that Adlef passes through in her existence.
‘Adlef grows from the roots of the earth, the water nourishes the soil where the seed lies, the sun warms the ground and so the shoots spring awake. The branches envelope and twine and a form is born, Adlef, the divine breath. The branches shape and spread and so her wings greet the world. The leaves grow as feathers until her form bristles with movement. With a thunderous cry she sways her new-formed wings and breaks free from her bonds with the earth, the roots crack and break as she ascends into the sky. With each movement she crosses the horizon, great lungs breathing life into the skies, every beat of her wings sending winds to all corners of the world. For one hundred and eighty days she crosses the skies until the green of her feathers, her leaves, are tinged with brown. Ochre and burgundy and russet begin to streak through her form and soon her feathers begin to wither and fall. No longer filled with newborn vigour she glides, featherless, to the ground to be covered in the white blanket of winter, close to the embrace of Tolem until once more the white melts into streams and Adlef is again reborn’
From this we are given the image that the air that Adlef breathes in her flight is the divine force that gives life to all living things in this world. She is not a creator but rather an elemental force that brings the vital spark of being to creation itself. The wind that is beaten from her wings and the breath from her mighty lungs gifts the world its movement and its dynamism.
There have been many interpretations and premises written about Adlef regarding her role as a god. To some she is more of an incarnation of the natural forces encountered, those caught between life and death. However Adlef is viewed, as a god or as an elemental embodiment of divinity, she occupies an extremely important place within the religion of Fortitude, an anchor point to the two faces of Tolem and The Mother, the cycle between those infinite spaces of non-existence.
Now that this series is complete I cannot tell you of my excitement having completed my
exhibition. I must say that it has been very interesting with many opinions, observances
and words of advice offered to me by some of Fortitude’s most notable experts. Next time
I will hopefully bring you some of the reviews of my exhibition and perhaps some close
detail of some of the exhibits!
Until then,
Your Friend,
Gadsolme