#aegarax

The Family Tree of the Valyrian Gods from 'The Man in the Pearl Mask'

Since I have put way too much effort into the lore around my fic's version of the Valyrian gods (borrowing heavily from ancient mythology in the process), it makes sense that I should share the family tree. Since tumblr's messed up the image quality, I've added close-ups.

Hopefully, this should make the vague hints on the family relationship in my fic clearer. I decided to put the gods' animal aspects as placeholders for now. I'll come back and add their profile pictures when I have the time/means to commission them.

Credit for pictures (so far):

Syrax - @hrgves (animal aspect is a horse)

And, yes, because this is Valyria we're talking about, there's going to be plenty of incest. Hey, all the cool ancient pantheons do it.

Creation Myth (in a nutshell - more details will be provided in the individual profiles)

So, in the beginning, there was primordial chaos. Out of that primordial chaos came six eggs. They dropped from the sky onto a land with fourteen volcanos. When they landed, the eggs cracked and the seven original gods emerged from them. In order of hatching, they were:

Aegarax

Meleys

Gaelithox

Tyraxes and Vhagar (they emerged from the same egg)

Arrax

Shyrkos

The broken eggshells became the land and the fluid that came during the hatching became the oceans.

Time passed, the land bloomed and the Valyrian freehold was born. Soon, there rose a debate as to who should rule over the land and over the other gods. This grew into a war and it came down to three: Arrax, Tyraxes and Vhagar. Both Tyraxes and Vhagar knew they couldn't win on their own so they both tried to persuade Arrax to marry them and join their forces against the other.

Arrax chose Tyraxes and they ruled as King and Queen of the Gods. Tyraxes bore Arrax three children: the twins, Meraxes and Caraxes, and Balerion. Arrax still had some feelings for Vhagar, however, and those feelings soon became apparent when Vhagar gave birth to Vermithor. Tyraxes grew angry at this betrayal, both from her husband and sister. She couldn't banish Vhagar as their nature meant they physically couldn't be far apart but she could banish Vermithor away from the gods' domain among the fourteen volcanos.

In his lonely abode near a lake, Vermithor saw humans creating tools and then how fire could shape metal. He tried for himself and soon surpassed mortals in what he could create. Gaelithox became curious when he saw Vermithor using fire (Gaelithox's own creation) in such a way. That curiousity grew to admiration and then to love. That marriage infuritated Tyraxes. She wanted it broken up and Vermithor banished anew but, Arrax, weary of her spite, overruled her and Vermithor was allowed to return home.

Meanwhile, Aegarax and Meleys had a brief love affair ang a son together, who they named Vermax. Over time, however, it became clear Aegarax preferred his animals to his wife and son and Meleys left him, taking Vermax with her. She didn't think he even noticed for years.

Vermax grew up and, as so often happens with children from broken homes, he became a troublemaker. He liked the company of mortals more than gods and would constantly get in trouble for his trickery. One day, however, one mortal caught his eye. The sorceress, Tessarion, was already married but her husband had betrayed her to marry a rich widow. Enraged, she schemed to kill the widow, her father and even the children Tessarion had with her husband, leaving that faithless husband alone and in infamy. Meleys was impressed with this revenge scheme and Vermax was enchanted. When her husband died, Vermax courted and won Tessarion's affection. By doing a big favour to Arrax and by Meleys' petitions, he had Tessarion ascended to godhood and, soon, they were expecting a child.

At that time, Tessarion would visit her temples and offer prophecies to those who paid homage to her. One day, she gave a prophecy to a man who didn't like what he heard. In a fury, he threw oil of vitriol in her face. This brought on a premature labour and that's how Syrax, the youngest of the gods, was born. Tessarion recovered from her wounds with time and magic but she kept her face covered with a veil after that.

Colour Key

Line colours:

Horizontal white: Siblings

Vertical white: Children

Purple: Married (you can pry the headcanon that Valyrians had same-sex marriages out of my cold dead hands)

Blue: Twins

Red: Extra-marital affair

Picture Frame Colours:

White: Original seven

Blue: Legitimate children

Purple: Illegitimate children

This is something I originally wrote in the comments of ‘The Man in the Pearl Mask’ but I liked it too much not to post it here too!