| Other Names | Fire Maiden, Lady of the Hearth |
| Area Of Control | Fire, warmth, life, light |
| Ethos | |
| Pantheon | Borrellian |
| Worshipers | Most Borrellians offer a prayer to the Fire Maiden from time to time, but traditionally borrellian women (wives) worship. |
| Appearance | Gyth appears as a beautiful young borrellian woman with long white hair dressed in furs. |
| Symbol | A torch or campfire. A simple iconic flame. |
Snow and ice melt at Gyth's approach. She is the essence of warmth and heat. With a wave of her hand, she banishes winter. Fires become brighter and warmer when she is near. In Borrellian mythology, Gyth is the sister of Urthal. Because of her affinity for heat and because she is his sister, Gyth is the mortal enemy of Urthal and battles him constantly.
The worship of Gyth is common for most borrellians who often utter a quick prayer to her before a journey and before the onset of winter. However, her mortal representatives on Khoras are few. Usually, there is only one per village. Although both men and women pay homage to her, Gyth has no priests, only priestesses. Fire plays an important role in the worship of Gyth. Every ceremony takes place around a central fire. Often the priestess' shrine will be built around this central fire and she will keep the fire burning day and night eternally. Priestesses of Gyth often toss herbs and colored powders into this fire to color the flames or make the fire roar and crackle. They are quite good at putting on a small pyrotechnic show with nothing more than carefully ground roots and herbs.
Fire and all aspects of fire place a significant role in the life of a priestess of Gyth. All food must be blessed by cooking (or at least heating) it over an open flame. All prayers are conducted over the fire. The ash from the fire is rubbed and smeared against leather like paint on canvas.
A priestess that desires information from Gyth must sit before her ceremonial fire and chant her prayers and ask her favors. During such a prayer, the priestess must fast completely, abstaining from all food and water. Likewise, she must abstain from all contact with the world. She may do nothing but stare into the fire. Usually, at the height of exhaustion, just before passing out, she will be granted a vision. Worshipers claim that such visions come directly from Gyth and are granted only to those true to their faith.
To become a priestess of Gyth, one must do many things: learn all the teachings and prayers of Gyth, withstand a harsh winter night alone and without the aid of clothing, master the basic spells of fire magic and undergo one final ceremony... she must embrace the naked flame. This involves the ritual and intentional burning of a portion of her body with a heated metal brand. The holy symbol of Gyth forever marks her skin and this symbol identifies her as such.
This page last updated Monday, October 08, 2007. Copyright 1990-2008 David M. Roomes.