- Silvanus (Forgotten Realms)
Forgotten Realms Deity|fgcolor=#fff
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name=Silvanus
title=Oak Father, Forest Father, Treefather
home=House of Nature
power=Greater
alignment=True Neutral
portfolio=Wild, nature, druids
domains=Animal, Plant, Protection, Renewal, and Water
alias=
super=NoneSilvanus, the "Forest Father" is a fictional
deity of the "Forgotten Realms " "Dungeons & Dragons "campaign setting devised byEd Greenwood . Silvanus is considered the god of wildnature and druids, one of the most prominent and eldest deities inFaerûn , and the wilder counterpart toChauntea the Earth-Mother. His worshipers protect places of nature from the encroachment of civilisation with vigour and are implacable foes of industrious peoples.Like Oghma,
Loviatar , Tyr, Mielikki, and others, Silvanus is among the deities described in the 1st editionAD&D book "Deities & Demigods." Like Oghma, Silvanus is taken from the Celtic pantheon described in that book, supposedly having been active in more than one plane of existence. See alsoSilvanus (mythology) , though he is more primarily based on the CelticSucellos , who was assimilated into Silvanus in Roman times.Publication history
Ed Greenwood created Silvanus for his home Dungeons & Dragons game.Fact|date=August 2008Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition (1977-1988)
Silvanus first appeared within Dungeons & Dragons as one of the deities featured in Ed Greenwood's article "Down-to-earth Divinity" in "Dragon" #54 (October 1981). [
Ed Greenwood , Dragon magazine #54 - "Down-to-earth divinity" (October 1981)]Silvanus later officially appeared as one of the major deities for the
Forgotten Realms campaign setting , in the "Forgotten Realms Campaign Set"'s "Cyclopedia of the Realms" booklet (1987). [cite book | id =ISBN 0-88038-472-7 | title = Forgotten Realms Campaign Set | author = Ed Greenwood, Jeff Grubb and Karen S. Martin | year = 1987 | publisher = Wizard of the Coast]Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition (1989-1999)
Silvanus was described in the hardback "Forgotten Realms Adventures" (1990), the revised "Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting" (1993) in the "Running the Realms" booklet, [cite book | title=Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting | author = Ed Greenwood | year = 1993|id = ASIN B000K06S2E ] and "Faiths & Avatars" (1996). [Martin, Julia, and Eric L Boyd. "
Faiths & Avatars " (TSR, 1996)]His role in the cosmology of the
Planescape campaign setting was described in "On Hallowed Ground" (1996). [McComb, Colin. "On Hallowed Ground " (TSR,1996 )]Silvanus is described as one of the good deities that celestials can serve in the supplement "Warriors of Heaven" (1999). [Perkins, Christopher. "
Warriors of Heaven " (TSR, 1999)]Dungeons & Dragons 3.0 edition (2000-2002)
Silvanus appears as one of the major deities of the Forgotten Realms setting again, in "Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting" (2001), [cite book | title = Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting | author = Ed Greenwood et al. | year = 2001 | publisher = Wizard of the Coast | id = ISBN 0-7869-1836-5 ] and is further detailed in "
Faiths and Pantheons " (2002). [Boyd, Eric L, andErik Mona . "Faiths and Pantheons " (Wizards of the Coast, 2002)]Overview
Silvanus is a
True Neutral Greater Deity . His symbol is a green living oak tree leaf, his divine realm is the Deep Forest in theHouse of Nature , and his Third Edition "D&D" domains are Animal, Plant, Protection, Renewal, and Water.Silvanus appears to mortals most commonly as a withered, timeworn, bearded man, usually levitating amongst scenes of nature, like trees, possibly springing from an old, large
oak tree . As the Young Strider, however, he appears as a long-limbed young man covered in an armour made of oak leaves. He carries an enchanted maul hammer, "The Great Mallet of Silvanus", and mauls are his clergy's favored weapon.Worshippers
The Church of Silvanus is a pervasive influence, especially across the continent of
Faerûn . Non-worshippers often do not view the Church favourably due to its tendency to disrupt expansion into woodland, sometimes with violence. Examples of rituals for worship are entreaties for spells at sundown or in moonlight. The 'Dryad Dance', is a replenishing ritual of wild, wayward dance that calls out dryads to join the ritualists for mating. Most Silvanite clerics (sometimes referred to as Forest Masters) also function as druids or rangers.History & Relationships
Silvanus has no superiors. Silvanus is a long-time ally of
Chauntea , despite their clergies' differences. He is also allied withLathander . He is served directly byEldath and Mielikki, whom some call his daughters, and indirectly byGwaeron Windstrom ,Lurue andShiallia . Silvanus resents the destructive nature of the storm lord, Talos, and the Lady of PoisonTalona , who encourages disease beyond what is natural. Silvanus reserves his greatest hatred for the Beastlord Malar and its followers, and works against his insatiable bloodlust at every opportunity. Silvanus despises life-threatening impulses in anything.Among the Celtic pantheon from which he emerged, Silvanus has no allies or enemies. He dwells in Tir na Og, the Celtic realm, alone in a place full of dense vegetation.
Beliefs
Silvanus believes in the preservation and balance of nature. He is one of the most observational and detached gods, yet quite philosophical, believing that one should examine the whole situation of things, rather than resorting the most efficient or popular solution. He is an
environmentalist , believing that all forms of nature should be preserved, and any attempts to destroy nature must be vigorously opposed. Most of his followers work to preserve Balance between all opposing forces outside of nature too, leading to most being True Neutral in alignment, likeJaheira from the computer game "Baldur's Gate II ".References
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