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The Light Novel series is the source material for the adaptation of the Anime and Manga series. The information and terminology on the article will be based on the source material rather than the adaptions. |
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The God of Darkness (闇の神, Yami no Kami) is one of the two Supreme Gods in Yurgenschmidt's religion. He and his wife, the Goddess of Light, are said to rule over the heavens.
He presides over darkness and marriage. His divine instrument is a cloak, and his divine color is black, which symbolizes the night sky.[3]
Mythology
For a very long time, the God of Darkness lived by himself. When he met the Goddess of Light, they married and had four children: Flutrane, the Goddess of Water; Leidenschaft, the God of Fire; Schutzaria, Goddess of Wind; and Geduldh, Goddess of Earth.[4]
When the God of Life Ewigeliebe fell in love with Geduldh, the God of Darkness gladly consented to the marriage, hoping the two would fill the world with new life.
Name
Unlike all the other gods below them, the names of the King and Queen gods are not known to mortals, and they are always referred to only by their title, even in prayers and within the Bible.
The vast majority of people in Yurgenschmidt are not even aware of the names of the supreme gods and even those that are, will almost always use only their titles. Only archduke candidates are permitted to learn the names at all. This is not due to societal norms however, but appears to be part of the gods' own design. The one time an archnoble researcher managed to make an archduke candidate tell him the names of the king and queen gods, the archnoble was consumed by black and golden flames until nothing remained, and the archduke candidate lost his divine protections of light and darkness, unable to ever regain it, even when invoking the names of the gods, which ultimately led to him being demoted to archnoble status.
While the story might have been made up to justify the secrecy, the fact that their names are even omitted from the High Bishop's Bibles gives it quite a bit of credence.
Due to this incident, students are strictly warned against ever uttering the names when someone else might be listening, and even the ritual to learn them is held alone, without even a professor being present in the room. Due to everyone learning the names in such private ways and never talking with others about them, nobody really knows whether the ones they themselves know are the true, unchangeable names or something personalized for or interpreted by them.
The names of the God of Darkness and Goddess of Light are an absolute necessity to successfully use Entwickeln. If only their titles are invoked, the structure with crumble back to dust within a couple of hours. Only with the names of the supreme gods can lasting structures be created. If everything is done correctly, the person performing the prayer will hear whispers and have the names appear in their minds with a blast of radiant fire, as if searing themselves directly into the brain. The ritual is very mana-intensive to the point that even Lady Rozemyne had to use two rejuvenation potions to provide the mana and to cope with the aftereffects.
The name Rozemyne heard for the God of Darkness was Schicksantracht.[1]
Culture
Commoners believe that the door to the land of the dead opens only at dawn, when the God of Darkness and the Goddess of Light meet. The two gods are then believed to guide the newly deceased there when the morning sun has risen.[5] For that reason, commoner funerals are held at night, and the loved ones of the deceased share stories about them until the next day when their spirits have moved on.
Along with the Goddess of Light, the God of Darkness is a rare example of a deity that is always referred to by title, and not by name.
The Royal Academy contains a shrine dedicated to the God of Darkness and his twelve subordinates, which grants a tablet, and a special word required to obtain the Grutrissheit, after one has prayed and dedicated enough mana to him Since Rozemyne spoke the Gods' name in order to do so, it is possible only Archduke Candidates are able to obtain his word. The word Rozemyne was granted was Willedeal.[6]
Blessings
The God of Darkness is invoked in several religious ceremonies and blessings:
- Starbind Ceremony: During the Starbind Ceremony when couples are married, the God of Darkness and his wife, the Goddess of Light, are invoked to bestow blessings upon the newlyweds.
- Blessing of Darkness: The God of Darkness is invoked to bless weapons when fighting against mana-stealing feybeasts and feyplants, such as trombe. The divine blessing steals mana away from whatever it attacks and returns twice as much to the user.[7]
- Mana-Draining Haze: Conjures a black haze that drains mana from spells that touch it.[8]
- The High Bishop's blessing Located at the very end of the High Bishop's bible, this blessing involves praying to all of the gods at once. It can only be used for another.[9]
Subordinate Gods
The God of Darkness has twelve subordinate gods, including Chaosfliehe the God of Warding, Sterrat the God of the Stars, Verbergen the God of Concealment, and Verdraeos the God of Deliverance.
Etymology
| Name | Japanese | Romaji | Assumed Etymology |
Assumed Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schicksantracht | シックザントラハト | Shikkuzantorahato |
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Trivia
- When Myne redesigned her playing cards for Yurgenschmidt, she used the God of Darkness to represent the King cards.[10]
- To show respect to the God of Darkness, Royal Academy students must wear mostly black.[11]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Ascendance of a Bookworm. Part 5 Volume 1. Chapter 12: Finishing the Archduke Candidate Lessons
- ↑ Ascendance of a Bookworm. Part 5 Volume 2. Chapter 7: The Royal Academy’s Dedication Ritual
- ↑ Ascendance of a Bookworm. Part 2 Volume 1. Chapter 1: Attendants and the Fealty Ceremony
- ↑ Ascendance of a Bookworm. Part 1 Volume 3. Chapter 18: A Quiet Commotion
- ↑ Ascendance of a Bookworm. Part 2 Volume 4. Epilogue
- ↑ Ascendance of a Bookworm. Part 5 Volume 5. Chapter 8: Circling the Shrines
- ↑ Ascendance of a Bookworm. Part 2 Volume 2. Chapter 22: Trombe Extermination
- ↑ Ascendance of a Bookworm. Part 2 Volume 3. Chapter 16: Ambush
- ↑ Ascendance of a Bookworm. Part 4 Volume 9. Chapter 14: Separation
- ↑ Ascendance of a Bookworm. Part 2 Volume 3. Chapter 4: Winter Hibernation and Handiwork
- ↑ Ascendance of a Bookworm. Part 4 Volume 1. Chapter 4: Cramming and Preparations