The Wood Elves' Pantheonic Mandala.
Ask most men about the Gods of the Elves and though they might be able to tell you wild stories they have heard, there would be little in the way of facts to their tales, for Elven religion is shrouded in mystery, much like the Elven race. Elves worship a pantheon of Gods, much as do Dwarfs and Men, but not in any way recognisable to the other races.[4a]
Elven culture is suffused in mysticism and magic, and Elves believe their Gods surround them and are a part of them. An Elf considers his every action, his every thought, to be mystical in some respect, and therefore everything they do is somehow connected to the Gods, every action is a devotion in its own right. It is unclear how the Elves worship their Gods or what rituals and ceremonies they might undertake. Some speculate that given the Elves live such a long time, how they regard these beings is necessarily different from the ways Humans and other short-lived races might perceive them. A few whisper that perhaps the Elves are even Gods themselves![4a]
Men would never profess to understand the faith of the Elves, most believing either the Elves do not believe in Gods, or those that they do worship are but different aspects of the Human pantheon. Of course Elves believe the reverse, claiming all Human Gods are merely a distorted reflection of the Elven pantheon. The truth, in all likelihood, is probably somewhere in between.[4a]
Due to this lack of understanding, there are very few Humans who worship the Gods of the Elves -- the culture of the Elves is too alien to grasp, their faith too oblique and impenetrable.[4a]
Elves living within the Empire of Man continue to worship their Gods in the same manner they would anywhere, for they have no formalised religions, and conduct all worship on a personal and intimate level. In some of the larger cities of Men frequented by Elves, in particular Marienburg, small shrines to the Elven Gods can be found.[4a][4b]
Although Wood Elves venerate the entire Elven pantheon, they worship Kurnous, God of the Hunt and father of Elves, and Isha, Goddess of Fertility and mother of Elves, more than any other. In Wood Elf society these Gods are elevated in status, perhaps due to the presence of their king and queen -- Orion and Ariel -- taking on the role of their avatars in the physical world.[4b]
The deities of the Elves are divided into two sub-pantheons -- the Cadai, the Gods of the Heavens, and the Cytharai, the Gods of the Underworld. While the Dark Elves give higher prominence to the latter, and the High Elves give higher prominence to the former, the Wood Elves worship both equally, with the highest attention given to Kurnous and Isha, as noted above.[1a][2][3a]
The Cadai
- Asuryan[2j]
- Hoeth[2e]
- Isha[2k][3c]
- Kurnous[2i][3b]
- Ladrielle[2k]
- Lileath[2b][3j]
- Loec[2h][3i]
- Vaul[2c][3e]
The Cytharai
- Addaioth[1k]
- Anath Raema[1d][3f]
- Atharti[1h]
- Estreuth[3a]
- Khaine[1b][2a]
- Drakira[1l][3g]
- Ellinill[1e]
- Eldrazor[1g][3d]
- Ereth Khial[1f][2g][3h]
- Hekarti[1c]
- Mathlann[1j][2f]
- Morai-heg[2d]
- Nethu[1i]
- Hukon[3a]
Other Gods
This list includes other elven gods who have appeared in various publications. It is not clear if some of them are part of the canon as some appear in old editions of Warhammer RPG and Warhammer Fantasy Battle, while others are only mentioned in other official publications such as the White Dwarf and novels.
- Amex: Sea Elf God of Wealth and Happiness, that engendered the Amazons along with Rigg (mentioned in The Second Citadel Compendium and in the White Dwarf Issue #307 (although without naming it)
- Khirkith: Goddess mentioned in the novel Malekith.
- Kourdanrin: God mentioned in the novel Malekith.
- Liadriel: Wood Elf god of music, poetry, dancing, and wine.
- Meneloth: God mentioned in the novel Malekith.
- Salthite: Deity mentioned in the novel Shadow King.
- Sarriel: Elven God of Dreams adored in the Laurelorn forest (mentioned in page 81 of Tome of Salvation).
- Torothal: Rainforest Goddess of Rain and Rivers (mentioned in White Dwarf Issue #092, in the Rpg book Shadows Over Bögenhafen, and in page 81 of Tome of Salvation).
Source
- 1: Warhammer Armies: Dark Elves (8th Edition)
- 2: Warhammer Armies: High Elves (8th Edition)
- 3: Warhammer Armies: Wood Elves (8th Edition)