Frith

Forgotten Realms DnD Domains: Celestial, Creation, Good, Healing, Justice, Light, Life, Order, Radiance, Renewal, Sun   d20 DnD Domains: Animal, Good, Healing, Law, Protection, Sun   5th Edition DnD Domains: Life, Light, Nature, Order, Protection, Unity

Frith appears primarily in the El-Ahrairah myth cycle, although new tales are beginning to be told by other Woodlanders than the Lapins. The myths portray Him as benevolent and loving, but also firm, even harsh on occasion. He expects each animal to serve their part in the natural order, and doesn't suffer fools — or rather, certain kinds of fools, the ones who cause genuine problems for others. On the other hand, it is strongly implied that He rather enjoys El-Ahrairah's harmless tomfoolery, especially the sort that keeps other beings humble.

Stylized solar symbols are generally used to represent Frith in iconography, especially when paired with stylized animals. Often in modern devotional art, the faithful imitate the art style used to represent the El-Ahrairah creation myth in the 1978 movie adaptation of Watership Down.

Followers of Frith tend to follow Him through such mythological figures as El-Ahrairah or the Great Badger, so the tenets of His faith are somewhat nebulous, much in the same way that the Judeo-Christian creator-deity's can be.   In general, Frith is acknowledged as the universal force of creation, and is anthropomorphized with parental qualities of both nurturing and discipline. He is seen as desiring harmony with the natural order of the world, and being a champion of life and creation.   His faithful should care for and protect life and living things, but be willing to accept pain, suffering, and even individual death if necessary, in order to preserve Life overall. However, the faithful believe that life is a gift, one that should be enjoyed and celebrated for every glorious, shining moment. Self-deprivation and denying joy are seen as shunning Frith's great gift.   One should accept one's nature, even embrace it, but one should also avoid hubris, and embrace humility. It's important to remember that everyone else also has a place in Frith's creation, and they, too, are made in particular ways, with no one creature having dominion over, or superiority to, another. All life is beautiful.   Frith's faithful, as a result of these beliefs, tend to champion causes that affirm life. They support hospitals, medical research, orphanages, nature preserves, environmental initiatives, suicide prevention hotlines... and they also tend to be some of the fiercest warriors against the incursions of the Undead Horde.

Whenever Frith has acted in the myth-cycles, it has been to create, or to preserve Creation. He has acted to protect beings from other beings, to cleanse the world of destructive forces (they say there was this big flood...) and to bless or heal His creations when they cannot help or heal themselves. Judgment, He leaves to Prince Rainbow.

According to the El-Ahrairah myth cycle, Frith made the world, and the many other worlds and stars, by scattering His droppings across the void. He then chose to make the animals to live there. At first, He made them all the same, and they all ate grass together. But then, El-Ahrairah, the progenitor rabbit, made so many children that they threatened to eat all the food and take up all the available living space, and when Frith spoke to the rabbit about it, they said, "My people are the strongest in the world," fobbed Him off with an attempt at charm, and basically ignored Him.   So to each of the other animals, He gave claws and teeth, and the means of hunting and slaying El-Ahrairah's children. When El-Ahrairah fled in fear, He then took pity on them, and gave them the gifts to help them to survive. "All the world will be your enemy, Prince with a Thousand Enemies," He said. "And when they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you."   From that point in the myth cycle, Frith speaks to El-Ahrairah and all the other animals from time to time, and occasionally intervenes to preserve His creations, though for the most part, He lets them resolve their conflicts themselves.   There is a figure in the myth-cycle known as Prince Rainbow, presumably a son of Frith's, although how he relates exactly, and who his mother might be, remains a mystery, as these things in myths often do. Prince Rainbow has the authority to hold court over the animals, and make decisions that might affect them, and that authority presumably comes from Frith as well.