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'''Eldar Mythology''' (or the '''Eldar Myth Cycles''') is an ancient force that binds the [[Eldar]] race together and forms a basis for much of their thinking on their ancient past. There were several gods in Eldar myth, all but three ([[Cegorach]], [[Isha]], and [[Khaine]]) being destroyed during the [[Fall of the Eldar]] race. A new god ([[Ynnead]]), not part of the old mythology, is said to be forming from the souls of the Eldar dead within the [[Infinity Circuit]]s of the [[Craftworld]]s.{{Cite this}}

==The Beginning of the Eldar==
The [[Eldar]] race are descended from [[Isha]], the goddess of the harvest, and '''Kurnous''', the god of the hunt, through the two brothers [[Eldanesh]] and [[Ulthanesh]].{{Fn|5a}} Their first leader was [[Eldanesh]], who, with the support of his brother Ulthanesh, led the Eldar to many victories over nightmarish foes such as the [[Hresh-selain]].{{Fn|4a}}

In their moment of creation, the Eldar were given one gift by each god: Asuryan gave the Eldar wisdom, so that they may know themselves; Isha gave the Eldar love, so that they may know one another; Vaul gave the Eldar the Artifice, as a means to make their dreams realities; Lileath gave the Eldar joy, so that they would be happy; Kurnous have the Eldar desire, so they that would prosper; Morai-Heg gave the Eldar foresight, so that they would know their place in the world; Khaine gave the Eldar anger, so that they may have a means to defend their gifts.{{Fn|4b}}

In the early days, there was no barrier between gods and mortals – the deities walked among the Eldar, teaching them and leading them in an age of peace and prosperity.{{Cite this}}

==Isha's Tears==
Yet one day, '''Lileath''' the maiden goddess dreamed that the [[Eldar]] would cause the destruction of [[Khaine]], god of war. As Lileath was well-known for her prophetic dreams, Khaine took it very seriously and resolved to wipe out the Eldar race rather than let them destroy him. The ensuing slaughter was of such proportions that [[Isha]], goddess of the earth, petitioned [[Asuryan]] to stop it. Asuryan did so, and created a barrier between the Eldar and their gods, forever separating the two, and decreed that no god was to intervene or communicate with the Eldar ever again. So, Khaine's war on the Eldar was stopped, for a time.{{Cite this}}

This was too much for [[Isha]], and her consort '''Kurnous''', god of the hunt. Isha and Kurnous loved their children, the [[Eldar]], and could not bear to separated from them. They approached [[Vaul]], the smith god, with their woes, and the kindly Vaul agreed to help them. With Vaul's aid, they forged spirit stones through which mortal Eldar could communicate with the gods. With these stones, Isha and Kurnous continued to teach and mentor their mortal children in secrecy.{{Cite this}}

Peace was not to last, though, as one day [[Khaine]] stumbled upon the two as they communicated with the [[Eldar]], and took the information straight to [[Asuryan]]. Though Asuryan was sympathetic with [[Isha]] and '''Kurnous''', they had broken his own laws and he reluctantly decreed that the two gods be given to Khaine, to do with as he wished.{{Cite this}}

==The War in Heaven==
[[Khaine]] tortured [[Isha]] and '''Kurnous''', utilizing every cruel art he knew. Many of the gods secretly thought Khaine was going too far and supported Isha and Kurnous, but only one was willing to stand up for them in public. [[Vaul]] petitioned for their release, and eventually he and Khaine came to an agreement. In one year's time, Khaine would release Isha and Kurnous in exchange for one hundred swords. Vaul was such a master smith that a single blade of his was of incalculable value - indeed, a single mortal with a '''Sword of Vaul''' could stand against a thousand with mundane weapons.{{Cite this}}<br>

[[Vaul]] immediately set to work, rejoicing. Unfortunately, when the year was up, he had only completed ninety-nine swords, rendering the bargain void. He took an ordinary mortal blade and mixed it in with the others, hoping that [[Khaine]] would not notice. Upon delivery, Khaine was so pleased with the weapons that he released [[Isha]] and '''Kurnous''' forthwith, delighting in the craftsmanship that had gone into the swords. It was only when Isha and Kurnous were long gone that Khaine discovered the one mortal sword.{{Cite this}}<br>

[[Khaine]] roared in anger, calling [[Vaul]] a cheat, a liar, and a thief. He immediately set off to track Vaul down and make him pay. The wars that followed polarized the gods, Khaine's faction and Vaul's faction engaging in bloody warfare for an eternity. Gods changed sides, great deeds of heroism and of craven evil were performed on both sides, and the war was mirrored in a struggle between the [[Eldar]] in the mortal realms. [[Asuryan]] himself never took a side, watching the carnage impassively, slowly coming to regret his impetuosity in sentencing [[Isha]] and '''Kurnous'''. (This is not the only "story" telling of the hundred swords, another consists of the Eldar and Khaine going to war with the [[Necrons]] and failing because of the one "mortal" sword.){{Cite this}}

==Anaris==
[[Vaul]] reforged the final sword, the one that he had failed to finish for [[Khaine]], the greatest of all, and called it [[Anaris]]. Armed with this weapon, Vaul strode forth to do battle with Khaine. It was a long, hard-fought struggle, but even with Anaris, Vaul was no match for the war god. Khaine cast down Vaul, maiming the smith, and bound Vaul to his own anvil.{{Cite this}}

However, the falcon, '''Faolchú''', consort of the Great Hawk, who had fought for Vaul, took the sword Anaris and delivered it straight to [[Eldanesh]], greatest of the mortal [[Eldar]]. With Anaris in hand, Eldanesh of the Red Moon took up the fight and faced Khaine in single combat. Eldanesh fought well, but in the end he too was defeated by Khaine, his body crushed by the god of war. As Khaine slew Eldanesh his hands began to drip with red blood. Forever after he was to become known as Khaela Mensha Khaine, which means "Khaine the Bloody-Handed". [[Asuryan]] had seen enough of the slaughter and proclaimed the war over. Khaine had had his vengeance and left the field satisfied.{{Cite this}}

==Fall of the Gods==
Thousands upon thousands of years later, when the [[Eldar]] race traveled to the stars and forged a great empire, they grew decadent and indulgent. Their thoughts and emotions coalesced in the Warp into a new and deadly god — [[Slaanesh]]. The birth of Slaanesh and the Fall of the Eldar heralded the end of the Eldar pantheon. Slaanesh slew the Eldar gods viciously — '''Lileath''', [[Asuryan]], even the old, blind '''Morai-Heg''' were murdered by Slaanesh. [[Khaine]], the mightiest warrior of the gods did battle with Slaanesh in the Warp and was cast down, eventually shattered into a million pieces that became his Avatars. Thus did '''Lileath''''s prophecy come true, and the Eldar were the cause of Khaine's destruction - even as he battled to save them. Slaanesh is the youngest god in the Chaos pantheon.{{Cite this}}

Though this is certainly the most well-known of the myths, [[Eldar]] mythology contains many stories, and each Eldar is expected to know at least all of the major ones. The effect of these myths upon the Eldar language, which is said to be amazingly complex and almost incomprehensible to human ears, mainly due to the intricate references to these myths. For example, the word 'Faolchú', which commonly refers to the Eldar war machine known as the Falcon, also refers to the legendary bird and its actions, lending the word connotations beyond the immediate.{{Cite this}}

Near the end of the war in heaven, it is believed by one Craftworld that when Slaanesh claimed Isha as his own, [[Nurgle]] heard her cries for help and came to her aid. Nurgle took Isha from the jaws of Slaanesh and now she is caged within his cauldron chamber, making her taste all of the poisons and poxes that he designs. If the results please him, he empties the contents into a bottomless drain, making it rain upon the mortal worlds. If it does not please him, he swallows the concoction, vomits it back into his cauldron and starts afresh. It is said that while Nurgle is busy with his plagues, Isha whispers to mortals, seeking to tell them the cures for the poxes she has tasted.{{Fn|1a}}

Note that the [[War in Heaven (Necron)|War in Heaven]] is also a term occasionally used to describe the war between the [[Necrontyr]] and the [[Old Ones]] in the days when the galaxy was young. This war is not the same as the Eldar myth – it merely shares a name, though some contend that one is based upon the other. It is also important to remember that the War in Heaven may be a myth, not actual history – the Eldar believe it, but believe it as a religious myth. However, it should be noted that "gods" exist in the universe, often as the psychic manifestation of the collective unconsciousness of a group of [[psyker]]s built up over time. Slaanesh was created this way, as the new Eldar god [[Ynnead]] is forming now. The [[C'tan]] (also called Star Gods; in fact, C'tan is said to translate as "Star God") are incredibly powerful, god-like entities that feed on the energy provided by stars and souls.{{Cite this}}

==Gods==
'''The Pantheon of the Eldar is considered to have been destroyed by the creation of Slaanesh. While the Eldar still revere all the gods and preserve their stories within the mythic cycles, they do not call on them for aid or hope for their intervention any longer.'''{{Cite this}}

*'''[[Asuryan]]''' The Phoenix King, Asuryan was the oldest of the pantheon of Eldar gods acting as their chief. While the mythic cycles seem to indicate that he held sway over all the others, he was nevertheless consumed by Slaanesh. He is often depicted in relation to fire and light, his chief symbols. He is the older brother of Khaine, the God of War.{{Fn|5a}}
*'''[[Gea]]''' (or Gia), a consort of both Khaine and Asuryan.{{Fn|2a}}
*'''[[Hoec]]'''
*'''[[Cegorach]]''' (or The Laughing God), God of the Harlequins, is one of the two wholly surviving gods of the Pantheon; the Laughing God was its trickster and artist. When all the other gods were destroyed, Cegorach fled before Slaanesh until Khaine rose to do battle with it. The Laughing God took this chance to escape into the realm of the Webway, as only he is said to know all the secrets of its passages. The master of the Harlequins, Cegorach is the only Eldar god that still remains in their original form.
*'''[[Isha]]''' The Mother of the Eldar race, Isha is a fertility goddess in many respects. She was imprisoned by Khaine for a period of time, until Vaul paid her ransom. She is often depicted crying, and her symbol is a teared eye, symbolic of her sorrow in being separated from her mortal children. Her tears are said to have been formed into runes by Vaul so that she could communicate with her children. It is also whispered that Isha was taken from the jaws of Slaanesh by [[Nurgle]] and she currently remains his prisoner.{{Fn|1b}}
*'''[[Kaela Mensha Khaine]]''' God of War and Murder, he was the younger brother of Asuryan.{{Fn|5a}} He was one of the three gods to "survive" the fall, but unlike the other two, he did not survive intact. His body was broken into fragments that later became the Avatars of Khaine found on the Wraithbone cores of Craftworlds.{{Fn|5b}}
*'''[[Kurnous]]''' God of the Hunt, the Father of the Eldar race, and the companion of Isha. He is often shown in conjunction with hounds, hawks, and other trappings of the hunt.
*'''[[Lileath]]''' (also known as Lilcarth) the Maiden, Goddess of Dreams and Fortune. She is the daughter of Isha{{Fn|5c}} and also the youngest of the main pantheon.{{Fn|5a}}
*'''[[Morai-Heg]]''' the Crone, God of Fate/Souls.
*'''[[Vaul]]''' The artificer, Vaul is one of the central gods of the pantheon, and an enemy to Khaine. In order to purchase the freedom of Kurnous and Isha, Khaine demanded one hundred blades from the smith god. Vaul was unable to finish the last blade in time, and so hid a mortal blade amid the others. This fooled Khaine long enough to get Isha and Kurnous to freedom, but when he realised the trick he cried out for vengeance. Vaul finished the final blade, [[Anaris|Anaris the Dawnlight]], and took it to do battle with Khaine. Though it was the greatest of swords, Khaine was the better warrior and crippled Vaul. The smith is often shown chained to his anvil, the punishment that Khaine set upon him.
*'''[[Ynnead]]''' God of the Dead. A potential god formed of the souls of the dead Eldar contained in the Infinity Circuit, Ynnead represents the last, faint hope of the Eldar that they will overthrow Slaanesh. The Eldar believe the Eldar souls contained within the Infinity Circuits of all the Craftworlds are collectively forming a new god that will have the power to destroy Slaanesh, freeing their racial soul from destruction. As yet, the souls contained in the Circuit can muster only a tiny amount of power compared to Slaanesh. The Eldar believe that only once every last Eldar has died and their souls have combined into what they call Ynnead, will it have the power to finally confront and destroy Slaanesh.{{Fn|2b}}{{Fn|3}}

==Sources==
{{Cite}}
*1: [[Codex: Chaos Daemons (4th Edition)]]
**{{Endn|1a}}: pg. 82
**{{Endn|1b}}: {{Cite This}}
*2: [[Warhammer 40,000: Compilation]] (1991)
**{{Endn|2a}}: pg. 35
**{{Endn|2a}}: pg. 42
*{{Endn|3}}: [[Codex Titanicus]], pg. 35
*4: [[Path of the Warrior (Novel)]] — [[Path of the Eldar (Omnibus)]] — by [[Gav Thorpe]]
**{{Endn|4a}}: Friendship, pg. 23
**{{Endn|4b}}: Anger, pg. 87
*5: [[Codex: Eldar (4th Edition)]]
**{{Endn|5a}}: pg. 5
**{{Endn|5b}}: pg. 6
**{{Endn|5b}}: pg. 9

===Uncited===
*''[http://uk.games-workshop.com/necrons/eldar%2Dmythology/ Dawn of the C'tan — Translations of Pertinent Eldar Mythic Cycles (GW Web Site)]
*[[Codex: Eye of Terror]] by [[Andy Hoare]] and [[Phil Kelly]]
*[[Codex: Eldar (2nd Edition)]] by [[Rick Priestley]]
*[[Codex: Craftworld Eldar]] by [[Gav Thorpe]]
*[[Codex: Eldar (3rd Edition)]] by [[Gav Thorpe]]

{{Deities}}

[[Category:Eldar Gods|*]]
[[Category:Religions]]