Akibimi
Akibimi is the Yuriban deity of autumn. Though archaeological evidence of her past worship is extremely scant she has become somewhat popular in the recent resurgence of Yuriban Animism outside of Underhill. Her sphere of influence encompasses the autumn season, changing leaves, wind, and the first frost, and she often goes by the epithet 'Lady of the Leaves'. Akibimi-san, the westernmost of Yuriba's mountains, is named after her.
Contents |
Common Mythology
Few myths of Akibimi are known in the village of Yuriba, and none exist in written form except in the native hieratic tongue. According to a popular origin story she is physically embodied within the mountain of Akibimi-san. The myth tells the story of how Akibimi used her power over autumn and the coming frost to create a frost bridge, which the deities Engetsu and Chikyuu used to reach each other and share their love once a year. Yet when Engetsu's separation from Chikyuu grew too painful she gathered with the other two goddesses at the apex of the ice bridge. All three ultimately fell from the bridge, with Chikyuu ultimately using her powers to embrace the falling Engetsu and Akibimi, saving their lives by transforming them into mountains as they hit the earth. A continuation of this myth tells that Akibimi found herself powerless in the form of the mountain, and in the absence of her powers eternal spring covered the earth. One day a dryad named Momiji stumbled upon the mountain and, realizing that the beauty of the earth could not be appreciated without the slumber brought on by Akibimi's powers, offered to free the autumn. To this end Momiji climbed up onto Akibimi's head and set down roots, and through her autumn once more fell on the world.
Associations
Akibimi seems to be associated with any of the colors of autumn leaves, particularly orange, brown, and yellow, and is also strongly tied to the first frost, which is a time of particular power for her. She is tied to the direction west, and prayers to her are often given facing in that direction. Japanese Maples grow heavily on the slopes of her mountain, suggesting that she has a strong connection with that particular type of tree. She is closely associated with Dryads; they are said to be favoured by her. Her totem spring is the Shunyanniichuan.
Akibimi is closely associated with Fuyuzora and is sometimes portrayed as Zansho's lover, though this may be a branch belief; she is more often depicted as solitary. She is considered a dear friend of Amanohara and of Chikyuu.
Fuyuzora
Akibimi's association with Fuyuzora is almost motherly. Lore of the goddess claims that with autumn laid across the earth Akibimi wished to lay herself to rest, and so she laid down a frost across the land. From the first frost Fuyuzora was born, much to Akibimi's surprise. Fuyuzora offered to stand watch over the earth while Akibimi slept, but Akibimi saw that Fuyuzora was cold and callous, and she thus took her to Amanohara and asked the Lady of the Winds to watch over Fuyuzora for her. However, Fuyuzora and Amanohara became friends, revealing the Lady of the Winter's playful side to Akibimi and ensuring her that she could trust her. Followers of Akibimi believe that the first frost is Akibimi's last act before she sleeps, serving as a call to Fuyuzora to arrive for the winter.
Zansho
According to one myth, before Akibimi came to the world eternal summer reigned. As the summer dragged on Zansho grew tired of maintaining it, but she forced herself to continue for fear of the death that would reign in the absence of summer. Eventually Akibimi appeared to Zansho and convinced her that by letting the world - and herself - sleep, the summer would be infinitely more beautiful when the world awakened after autumn and winter passed. Though she resisted at first, Zansho eventually relented and allowed Akibimi to lay her gently to rest on a bed of leaves, with songbirds singing her to sleep. Local belief claims that at the end of every summer Akibimi comes to repeat this process.
Teachings
Until recently little has been known about the worship of Akibimi, at least beyond Underhill. Until she passed away in 2010, her high priestess was Moriko, a dryad with a drastically extended lifespan; she had made some effort to relate the goddess' teachings to those dwelling above the hill.
The embracing of loss and pain is a key tenet of Akibimi's worship. Followers of the goddess believe that the negative aspects of life are to be celebrated along with the positive, for without the negatives, the positives would not be positive at all. For instance, in mythology Momiji reveals that though Akibimi and autumn were sealed away she took no joy in spring, and Akibimi responds that "It is only in slumber that one can appreciate the waking world. It is only in change that one can appreciate the ground." This is further emphasized by the association of Akibimi with the first frost. The teachings of Akibimi embrace such things as loss and death as natural. By this method of thinking autumn and winter are not to be feared because they are part of the expected cycle of rising and falling and of rest and renewal.
The followers of Akibimi view death as a natural extension of life, with the certainty of death allowing one to appreciate what life they were given. As with all native Yuribans they believe in reincarnation rather than an afterlife.
Akibimi has a role in the process of love. Her followers believe that the best relationship is a relationship that is not entirely pleasurable, as partners unable to accept the negative sides of each other cannot truly come together in love. Common ground is not always a positive thing to her. Relationships in Akibimian philosophy thrive on occasional strife and must always be tested, for in the resting the relationship is strengthened.
Many of the goddess' philosophies have been derided as cynical and coldhearted. Adherents prefer to call them pragmatic principles.
Tradition suggests that the day of the first frost is a holy day in the cult of Akibimi. A few tales handed down through time tell of impromptu rituals on that day, referred to as Slumber, though what these rituals entailed is unknown.
Temples
The ruins of a small temple dedicated to Akibimi have been found on the mountain's slope. Though they are badly weathered, the foundation and the remaining stonework show that it bears a superficial resemblance to the round "tholos" style of temple, a rarity for the Lilian civilization. A large Japanese maple in closer proximity to the temple than the others appears particularly ancient and has drawn occasional attention. While scholars have been reluctant to draw any direct connection between the ruins and Akibimi, the association was recently revealed by Moriko, though it appears that this temple is a Lilian artifact with no real connection to the purer Underhillian cult of the goddess.
While the Isolated Shrine does lie on the slopes of Akibimi-san, it appears to be tied to the local religion in more broad strokes, having no specific attachment to Akibimi.
Modern thought explains the absence of other temples to Akibimi by suggesting that the cult of the goddess favoured sacred groves rather than constructed temples.