Corellon

The Elven deity, Corellon, is the sole deity of the monotheistic religion known as 'the Duty. Corellon is hence considered to be a Greater God. It is important to remember that Elven society is a theocracy (run by the Church, not a feudal King or Emperor) and so the worship of Corellon is of paramount importance to Elves. The head of the Church is known by the title Niva'Jijn.

Banner depicting the symbol of Corellon © WotC

Epithets

Amongst the Elven worshippers of Corellon, the name "Liberator" is often applied to Corellon as they believe that Corellon was the deity who led them (along with the Gnomes) to turn against their tyrannical masters, the Eladrin, and to flee the Feywild and settle on Oberon.

Symbol

Corellon's symbol is of a silver star on a sky-blue background. The star usually has 8 points but a simplified version with just four points is also common.

Spheres of Influence

Corellon's spheres of influence are:

• Magic
• Healing
• Nature
• Archery

Depiction

Images of Corellon typically are that of an androgynous Elf, armed with a longsword and longbow and wearing a sky blue cloak over a suit of polished mithril armour. Corellon's skin and hair colour changes depending on whether his depiction is intended to be that of a High Elf or Wood Elf but is always shown with bright blue opalescent eyes. If shown with a shield, then Corellon's symbol will be prominently visible.

Many (mostly non-Elven) people with a basic understanding of the teachings of Corellon often mistakenly see parallels with the deity Apollo. This is perhaps understandable considering that their depictions are remarkably similar in many aspects (blonde hair, longbow, shining armour and blue cloak). Whilst there may be some overlap between the two, they are most definitely not the same deity - Corellon is the embodiment of 'the Duty' and how it should be manifest by Elven worshippers, whereas Apollo is more about the spreading of Imperial culture

Relationships

Corellon is the sole deity in this religion and so maintains no relationship with any other divine power. Over the millennia of Elven interaction with other races, the belief has adapted so that Corellon is shown having cordial relations with the Gods of Dwarves and Humans.

Rituals and Devotions

Rituals that invoke the power of Corellon are typically performed at natural geological formations but particularly anywhere that there is a natural spring. It is such formations that coming of age rites, weddings and funerals are typically undertaken. Additionally, performing these rituals on a starry night is deemed to have extra significance.

In terms of 'everyday' devotion worshippers invoke Corellon's name ("Corellon, by your divine grace grant...") whenever some extraordinary feat of magic, healing or the arts is about to be performed. There is an Elven prayer called "The Litany of Corellon" which is meant to be spoken out loud at the end of each day but as it requires a little over an hour to do correctly most Elves skip to the final line: "...lead me, Corellon, to the morrow and my new life".

Festival

As a 'non-Human' deity Corellon has no specific festival listed in the Imperial Calendar. However many of Corellon's followers co-opt the festival of Apollo, as that date (the day between Sextibus and Septibus, which is broadly analogous to Midsummer's Eve) is of significance in the Elven calendar.

Worshippers

The worship of Corellon is not followed by any specific class but is widely respected by both High Elves and Wood Elves.

Generally speaking, Corellon urges the Elven people to live a life of self-reliance, never expecting anyone to assist them, but also to freely give assistance where it is required. The appreciation of the function and beauty in the natural world is also a strong feature of the worship of Corellon and, indeed, of 'the Duty'.

Acknowledgements

Corellon Larethian, the Elven deity upon which Oberon's 'Corellon' is based, was created by James M. Ward in 1980 for the 'Deities and Demigods' cyclopedia, published by TSR. Whilst subsequent works by TSR, and then WotC, have expanded the Elven pantheon, this version remains much closer to the 'original'.