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Flutrane (フリュートレーネ, Furyuutoreene), the Goddess of Water (水の女神, Mizu no Megami), is one of the Eternal Five gods in Yurgenschmidt's religion.
She presides over spring, healing, change and new life. Her divine instrument is a staff, and her divine colour is green, which symbolizes new leaves in spring.
Mythology
When the God of Darkness married the Goddess of Light, they had four children. The oldest was Flutrane, followed by her younger siblings: Leidenschaft, God of Fire; Schutzaria, Goddess of Wind; and Geduldh, Goddess of Earth.
The God of Life Ewigeliebe fell in love with Flutrane's younger sister, Geduldh. The God of Darkness gave the two permission to marry, hoping they would fill the world with new life. But Ewigeliebe's jealous love consumed him and he froze Geduldh in ice so her child could never be born.
The world fell into winter, and The Goddess of Light began to worry about her daughter. She found Geduldh trapped and melted the ice with her rays of sunlight, and Flutrane caused the water to flood away, bringing spring to the world.
Her siblings Leidenschaft and Schutzaria worked with her to protect Geduldh from Ewigeliebe, bringing summer and autumn. However, they could not fully defeat Ewigeliebe without preventing all new life from being born. Each year at the end of autumn, Ewigeliebe once again traps the Goddess of Earth in ice, and Flutrane must fight to free her in spring.
Culture
The phrase "Goddess of Water" is a euphemism commonly understood to mean "lover" or "one who moves the heart". However, it is also used by commoners to mean one who brings new ideas or prosperity.
In blessings and greetings, merchants often refer to Flutrane as the "Goddess of Spring" rather than her usual title.
Blessings
Flutrane is invoked in several religious ceremonies and blessings involving healing, water, and springtime.
- Healing Ritual: After defeating a mana-absorbing feybeast or feyplant (such as a trombe) the land must be healed using a religious ritual. A blue priest or shrine maiden holds the Staff of Flutrane and chants words of prayer to fill the earth with mana[2].
- Spring Prayer: In early spring, blue priests travel to farming villages with mana-filled chalices. The ceremony involves a prayer to Geduldh and Flutrane, after which the mana is poured out onto the land and it becomes fertile.
- Healing: Flutrane has the power to heal wounds with her blessing[3]
Subordinate Goddesses
Trivia
- Flutrane's name may be derived from the German word "Frühträne" which translates to "early tear" or may be a shortened version of "Frühlingsträne," meaning "spring tear".
- When Myne redesigned her playing cards for Yurgenschmidt, she made Flutrane's staff one of the four suits. It is represented by the symbol ♠ [4]
References
- ↑ Ascendance of a Bookworm. Part 3 Volume 5. Chapter 11: Charlotte's Baptism Ceremony
- ↑ Ascendance of a Bookworm. Part 2 Volume 2. Chapter 24: The Healing Ritual
- ↑ Ascendance of a Bookworm. Part 2 Volume 4. Chapter 15: Ripped Apart
- ↑ Ascendance of a Bookworm. Part 2 Volume 3. Chapter 4: Winter Hibernation and Handiwork
Additional References