Faiths of Sublanarya: Grimnir Blue-Cloak, Father of the Gods

Grimnir, Father of the Gods and Dreamer of Worlds

Weary is the head that wears the crown. Grimnir Blue-Cloak wears no crown. Despite many Thule masterpieces showing him in decadent splendor, actors without candor or respect portraying him with a crown of gold, and many speaking of all gods as living decadently, Grimnir is said to eschew such pageantry by the old stories. In fact, in stories of old, he is described as a tired old man with one eye, a grey beard and cloaked in blue. Not once does he bare a crown and, if the stories told are true, most would overlook such a plain figure walking among mortals. He doesn't want to be the king of the gods or the world or anything. For the world is but a dream and Grimnir is the dreamer.

It is said that, in the beginning of this world as we know it, when the world was still primitive and chaotic, Grimnir was the last god standing. He was weary and laid down to rest in a cave. In his dream, he was small and weak and alone. He walked among early humanoids and, seeing their families and their shared company, he felt loneliness. When he awoke, he was laying next to a beautiful goddess, Kleeona. He fell so in love with her and she so in love with him that, together, they became husband and wife. Together they would father the Four Sisters and head the Thule Pantheon.

Most of the gods before the Thule Pantheon, of which Grimnir is patriarch, have been long-forgotten. Their names and deeds unwritten or at least not written in any script that mortal can remember. But there are said to have been many gods when the world was young, before the old races discovered fire or the wheel and were ruled by the Old Ones, their oldest gods are known as the Primordials and their children were the Titans. And Grimnir has outlived them all. Their fates are mostly mystery. Some are said to still wander the cosmos while others broken bodies can be found in disparate places. But the fate of one is known: Mim the Whisperer.

Mim the Whisperer was a god of knowledge, memory and secrets. He was said to bear forbidden knowledge kept even from the gods, as well as all knowledge ever written and to remember everything that has come before and able to foresee all manner of possibilities. Somehow he was slain in the primordial age, perhaps during a great war between the gods or by Grimnir himself, and beheaded. It is said that when his blood was spilled on Narya, it tainted all of the continent of the polar north, and since then the land has been in a constant state of chaotic flux, where whispering madness is carried on the wind and all manner of unworldly horrors are said to roam. The continent is named Mimia after Mim and, in some myths, it is his body.

As for the head, Grimnir used magic to preserve it. He carried it with him, storing it away carefully except when need of advise, from the only god who may know more than Grimnir.

Grimnir Blue-Cloak is called the Dreamer of Worlds not only due to his part in the creation of this world but because, much like when he created his own wife, his dreams have shaped the world many times. Some even believe the world is merely a dream within one of Grimnir's dream. After all, when Grimnir dreams, he takes on mortal form in the physical world. The features and race may changed, but he is almost always an old man, with grey and white beard, missing an eye and wearing a blue cloak. He often is seen carrying a walking staff and is accompanied by a crow or raven. Under this guise, he goes by many names.

Many villains have met their downfall at the hands of this god in mortal guise, kings and queens have risen by showing the old man respect, and heroes have found their mentor in the mysterious stranger. It is for this reason that Grimnir is considered the god protector of lonely travelers and it is customary for vagrants and the like to wear blue traveling cloaks. It is considered good luck to show some grace to such fellows and hospitality is considered a good value throughout Thule. After all, that old man you turn away from your barn and your larder may be a god in disguise.

Grimnir Blue-Cloak pops up in countless stories and tales, represented in other pantheons in one form or another, under countless names but always the same wise old man outwitting the cruel and evil and guiding the gods and peoples of the world in his humble way.

And yet...

... when Grimnir's sleep is ended, either by his choosing, meddling by the other gods, or his mortal form is destroyed, worlds a turn on such rude awakenings. It is said that when Grimnir awakes, the world is changed in some way, whether that be an invasion by some otherworldly threat or a feud between the gods, and pushed farther towards some inevitable doomsday.

For this reason, priests of Grimnir often say the simple reply or prayer "All is well, as Griminir dreams and Blue-Cloak walks," when asked how things fare. As long as the old god sleeps, the world is safer and their is one more do-gooder among the rabble.

Title(s)

"Grim", Blue-Cloak, All-Father, Dreamer of Worlds, The North Star, Old One, One-Eye, Raven God, Wanderer and so many more

Pantheon(s)

New Gods

Power Level

Greater Diety

Alignment

Neutral Good

Symbol

A knot made up of three triangles

Realm

The Heavens

Portfolio

Knowledge, Magic, Supreme Power, Dreams, Wisdom

Suggested Domains

Arcana, Knowledge

Worshipers

Travelers, elderly, wise men, nobility, and most faithful.

Favored Weapon

Spear

Holy Day(s)

Grim-Tide, a festival of 10 nights during the first Moon of Long-Night in which Grimnir Blue-Cloak, and a different god each night, is said to visit the homes of good children, leaving them a gift in their boots (coal, candy, new clothing, etc). During this joyous days and jubilant nights, a ceasefire between enemies is customary and the wealthy are encouraged to perform charitable acts like throwing feasts for the poor or ensuring orphans have winter clothing.