Logs
AO: Myth, Legend, Mystery
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This book is an essay on the existence of the being known as AO, both
in the religious and spiritual context and as a historical legend and
practice of worship. Though rumors about the god known most commonly
today as AO abound, there is no one single accurate resource which
can confirm any speculation. All that exists are bits and pieces of
a very large jigsaw puzzle, and often times the existing information
seems to conflict with each other. Nevertheless, this book is an
attempt to piece together the history, worship, and perhaps very
existence of the being known only as AO, the Greatest of All Gods.
ORIGINS
From where and when did the rumors of AO begin? Though historical
sources are few and unclear on the origins of AO, primary sources
dating as far back as before the Great Fire of Padorn refer to Ao
as "The Creator" and "The First God." Popular belief seems to be
that AO, unlike all other deities worshipped today, was not "created"
from anything. A brief diagram of the relative ages of all deities
could be classified as follows:
AO
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Rokoon Tharandil Bhaal
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Warshrike Gods Racial Gods Huizilopochtli
&
Others
IMPORTANT NOTE: The map is only a very loose representation of the
ages of the gods. Legend tells that AO created three gods to
represent the light, the darkness, and the balance between the two.
Gnomish history reports that Tharandil was the first deity to
create the "lesser" gods after asking the permission of Ao. Oral
tradition also holds that Bhaal and Huizilopochtli are brothers,
though rumors of conflicts between the two major evil deities
abound. Finally, the creation of the Warshrike gods and a few minor
deities seem to be attributed to Rokoon granting divinity to
certain key mortals. The question raised, however, is how much of
this widely accepted creation story is true? What are the real
origins of AO, and the rest of the world?
THE GENDER QUESTION: SECULAR VS. SPIRITUAL
The gender of AO has never been seriously considered; historically,
when faced with the question, people have answered that AO is a
male deity. Understanding the way in which gender relates to AO,
however, seems to be crucial for a more in-depth comprehension of
the deity and what AO represents. This passage wrestles with the
question: is AO masculine, feminine, both or neither?
Masculinity has been pressed onto AO from the earliest recorded
histories chronicling AO's existence. These same historians,
however, all universally recognize that AO is the "first god," the
creator of all other things. This presents a paradox of sorts;
AO is given a masculine identity yet also the characteristics of
fertility and birth, qualities usually associated with the feminine.
Therefore, if a gender must be chosen for AO, the closer truth
would be to describe AO as a feminine deity.
Why has this one seemingly basic observation been overlooked for
hundreds of years? No single answer can explain exactly why AO has
always been referred to as a masculine deity, but probable factors
for this range from the fact that most recorded histories were
written by men, to the fact that earlier history records the world
as having a more violent and war-like atmosphere, qualities
generally associated with males.
The correct "classification" of AO, if taken from a philosophical
standpoint, truly defies any gender. AO is a creative force, no
one sex can fully explain the mystery which is AO. Although
referring to AO as "her" rather than "him" may be closer to the
concept of what AO is, both terms force artificial limits on
a deity whose very existence stretches the limits of mortal
comprehension.
THE CHANGING FACE OF AO
If once, as evidence seems to suggest, AO was the only god which
existed and was worshipped, how did the popularity of polytheism
become so widespread in the world today? And what of the conflicting
evidence of the creation stories passed down with historical records?
Popular legend states that AO existed before the creation of any
single race, and after creating all other gods, slipped out of
existence and memory. One source, however, exists to question the
validity of these legends. Reprinted from an old tablet found
somewhere in the wilds of the jungle, the book "Stormbringer"
chronicles the story of the heroes Hart and Astradyne against the evil
magician Toran; though the story itself does not have any relevance
to the study of AO, it is signed by the author, "Bishop Rowith".
The premature conclusion might be to classify the bishop as a follower
of Rokoon. A closer inspection reveals that the language in which he
ends his story suggests otherwise:
"May AI himself reward the mighty heroes Astradyne
and Hart and may he [...]
With reverence to Lord AI,
the Bishop Rowith"
This formal signature suggests an active religion which followed the
deity AO. It suggests further that the religion had a formal
hierarchy, perhaps something which was passed down and transformed
into the Cleric hierarchy today. The passage also suggests, however,
that time had already begun to erode the original picture of AO as
the complete creator of both good and evil; the name has been
corrupted to "AI" and Rowith refers repeatedly to AI as a male figure,
similar in many ways to the present-day god Rokoon.
If the present-day worship of Rokoon can be traced back to the worship
of AO, perhaps even suggesting that the deity Rokoon is in actuality
the cult of AO which has been transformed by the rigors of time and
history, from where do the other gods come from? What truth does the
Creation Story of AO hold? My answer, after much thought to the
question, is this:
In the beginning, only ONE deity was worshipped, the deity
of AO. As time passed and the secular worship expanded,
however, various schisms and ideological differences occurred
within the cult, resulting in the fragmentation of followers of
AO into many separate groups, groups which with time and
isolation from each other, have evolved into the cults of the
gods which are worshipped today.
Every legend, no matter how fantastical, is said to have started in a
grain of truth. This is true as well for the Creation Story of AO
and the other gods. Each creation story known to the world today was
written under the influence of the particular deity which the author
was representing in the story; in addition, stories were written
from 'visions' and 'divine revelation' with no actual reference to
historical facts or research. My belief is that the creation story
has evolved as a way to explain the existence of other deities.
With the exception of a few exclusive fanatics on each side of the
spectrum, most people acknowledge the existence of other gods, even
if they choose to follow only one specific method of worship. Why
then, does each deity resurrect its faithful followers in same manner?
Why can, even now, people who do not follow certain deities receive
services and even resurrections from shrines which are not their own?
It is because the essence of worship, the faith of followers no
matter under whose authority or name they worship, is based on a
common truth: each god represents the face of AO, and derives its
power to produce miraculous events from this truth.
What of shrines which do not provide services to seemingly conflicting
religions? The answer is quite simple: if the gods and goddesses
themselves derived from mortal differences of worship, then the manner
in which the power of AO is distributed is measured by mortal
standards. A priest or Rokoon believing that his religion is the one
true path to salvation will of course refuse service to a follower of
Huizilopochtli, whose very definition of worship conflicts with the
Clerics' beliefs. This does not mean that the priest does not have
the *power* to resurrect such a person, rather it means that the
priest selectively chooses not to share his power because it goes
against his beliefs.
What does this theory of AO suggest for us today? Many people today
report a sense of inner peace and restfulness no matter what shrine
they enter; exceptions to this come only from fanatics and gods whose
worship have direct ideological differences with a worshipper's deity.
But if the gods are truly understood for what they are, one can only
come to the conclusion that each deity, no matter how different in
purpose they may appear from each other, are all connected to each
other, that no single god will ever be completely wrong in his or her
worship, and that the total eradication of any deity is not only self-
defeating, but ultimately impossible. A face of AO may be wiped
out by jihads and holy (or unholy) crusades, but as a part of the
greater force of creation, it will always reappear, whether as the
same deity or in the creation of a new cult. All the gods are
connected by a greater force than can be comprehended; my theory only
goes so far as to name this force AO.
PRIMARY SOURCES
Though much of this essay has been based on meditation and
philosophizing, there are five primary sources which were used
to create this book. A list of the primary sources follows,
complete with their authors. Special thanks go to the Clerics
of Rokoon, the Atlantis Mages, and the Cities of Woonoongna and
Padorn for cooperation and aid in the researching and translation
of these sources.
"Angels" (anonymous)
King's Press, Woonoongna
"The Sacred Book of Calric" by Amber, Priestess of Calric
Padorn Library, Padorn
"Ancient" by Rasthiavar
Monestary of Rokoon, Tilverton
"The Gods of Xyllomer" by Archbishop Tenaos
Archives of the Clerics of Rokoon
"Stormbringer" by Bishop Rowith
King's Press, Woonoongna
All content © 1996-2006 Nicole Wehmann