#tapio

Do you have a favourite daedra/s?

Thanks, I'm glad everyone likes the gross noodle.

I'm not sure if I have a favourite, but if I were to exist in the TES universe I'd most likely be a Hermaeus Mora worshiper or a Hircine worshiper... I mean, if magic existed I'd want to know all about it, but also being a werewolf feels like a dream come true to me lmao

The thing about Hircine that intrigues me is that he is often depicted as some kind of deer man, even though he's the lord of the hunt, but what else would a hunter worship than their prey? Hearing your average hunter talk about deer and other animals feels more filled with respect and fascination than any kind of murderous contempt. I mean, what would a hunter be without the target. And Hircine respects the prey too, so much so that he wants to give them a chance to earn their escape, and loves it when they fight back. And I think that's kinda endearing and chill coming from a daedric prince! He also vaguely reminds me of the Finnish forest god Tapio, whom people would bring offerings to increase their hunting luck. I guess I could also mention Hiiden Hirvi, this special moose/deer that was to be caught by special people on epic quests, but it was almost impossibly fast and strong. I'm sure Hircine took inspiration from multiple real cultures, but if I were to interpret him, I'd associate him with a moose instead of a deer simply for his name alone.

Leshy is like catnip to yellow felines

Tapio – The Finnish god of forests and the hunt

Tapio is a Finnish forest spirit or god in Finnish mythology. Hunters prayed to him before a hunt. His wife is the forest goddess, Mielikki (Ref). He is the father of Annikki, Tellervo, Nyyrikki (the god of hunting), and Tuulikki. Fitting the Green Man archetype, Tapio has a beard of lichen and eyebrows of moss.

Tapio is a major character in Kalevala, the Finnish national epic based on Finnish and Karelian folklore, the hero Lemminkäinen offers him and Mielikki prayers, gold and silver so he can catch the Hiisi elk.

Tapio, the personified forest, was sometimes depicted as being the size of a fir tree, fierce-looking, like a human being in the front, but like a gnarled old tree from behind. Often the forest deity was female, occasionally an especially beautiful woman, who enticed hunters or woodcutters staying in the woods overnight; but he, too, turned out to be a rotten old stump upon closer scrutiny. The various forest deities and spirits were generally capricious in nature and had to be constantly placated by those who were dependent on their favours. Thus hunters made offerings to the deity and made sure they did not break any taboos in the forest, such as making excessive noise or shooting unusual birds that might be the forest spirit in disguise.

木にまつわる伝説・神話

伝説の樹木の神々 (18)

タピオ 〜 フィンランドの森と狩りの神

タピオはフィンランド神話に登場する森の精霊、または神である。彼の妻は森の女神ミエリッキ（参照）である。アンニッキ、テレルヴォ、ニャイリッキ (狩猟の神)、トゥーリッキの父である。タピオは、グリーンマンの原型にふさわしい人物で、地衣類の髭と苔の眉毛を持っている。

タピオは、フィンランドとカレリアの民話に基づくフィンランドの民族叙事詩『カレワラ』の主要人物である。『カレワラ』では、英雄レミンカイネンがヒイシのヘラ鹿を捕まえるために、彼とミエリッキに祈りと金と銀を捧げている。