Lore:Khenarthi

A depiction of Khenarthi

Khenarthi, God of Winds, the Gatherer of Waters, and the Elder Spirit of the Heavens, is the Khajiiti goddess of weather and the sky, the most powerful of the Sky Spirits, and is the Khajiiti interpretation of Kynareth. When a Khajiit dies, it is Khenarthi who guides their soul either to Azurah for judgment, or to Llesw'er, the Sands Behind the Stars. And it is her clarion call that will summon the "eternal united spirit of all Khajiit" to defend creation at the end of time. She is typically represented as a great hawk.

History

Sometime in the Dawn Era, Khenarthi was born alongside Alkosh, Magrus, Mara, and S'rendarr, as part of the First Litter of Ahnurr and Fadomai. After the creation of the Second Litter, Khenarthi convinced her mother Fadomai to have more children, as she was lonely in her domain high in the heavens. Despite Ahnurr not wanting more children, Fadomai tricked him and gave birth to the Third Litter, consisting of Nirni, Azurah, and Lorkhaj.

After giving birth to Lorkhaj in the Great Darkness, Fadomai succumbed to the wounds Ahnurr inflicted on her for her disobedience. Before her death, Fadomai entrusted Azurah with several secrets that involved laying the groundwork for the transformation of Nirni's children into her secret defenders; the Khajiit. Azurah shared one of these secrets with Khenarthi, making her a psychopomp that would accompany the spirits of deceased Khajiit to the afterlife of Llesw'er, the Sands Behind the Stars. From Llesw'er, these spirits await until the Next Pounce, for Khenarthi will call upon their combined might to fight for creation at the end of time. Namiira is the antithesis to Khenarthi, who drags the victims of the Bent Dance into the Dark Behind the World, where they become part of her dark litter. Those of this litter occasionally slip through the cracks in Nirni to tempt true cats, so their souls can too be sent to the Dark to serve Namiira as dro-m'Athra. To combat Namiira's dark litter and save Khajiiti souls from corruption, from Azurah's tongue came the Dusk-Canticles, holy hymns used to exorcise dro-m'Athra. And so explains the fight for the souls of Khajiit.

The pre-ri'Datta beliefs state that after the Many Paths of Time were created by Akha, Alkosh inherited the role, and is aided by Khenarthi who ensures that the tapestry of time is mended. It was her who put Alkosh back together, and now they both "safeguard the Many Paths from the Dragons, the "wayward children of Akha" from his unions with the Winged Serpent of the East, the Dune Queen of the West, and the Mother Mammoth of the North.

Khenarthi's Roost is named after her; according to legend, Khenarthi rested upon a tree on the island during her first journey across the heavens. This tree would later become the Great Tree, found along the coast west of Mistral. Many of the island's Khajiit therefore worship Khenarthi.

Khajiiti clan mothers often drink from opal-studded cups bearing the likeness of Khenarthi.

Analogues

• Kynareth
• Kyne
• Tava

Notes

• Khenarthi is depicted in tapestries in the form resembling a real-world Greek Spynx. In the context of The Elder Scrolls, Sphinxes have known associations with the province of Elsweyr.

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  The Wandering Spirits recounts the tale of Akha, who fathered offspring with the Winged Serpent, Mother Mammoth, and Dune Queen. Upon Akha's vanishing in the South, Alkosh "was granted rule over the myriad kingdoms of Akha along the Many Paths", and would watch over Akha's children. However, they rebelled against Alkosh, only for Khenarthi to restore him afterward. Together, they now oversee them. The term "wayward children of Alkosh" was used by Clan Mother Tadali, a leader of a temple dedicated to Khenarthi, to describe dragons. Moreover, the dragon Nahfahlaar referred to Alkosh as his father.

Gallery

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  Khenarthi's Breath temple

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  Khenarthic bell

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  Khenarthi's Windbells