Valeberga

Valeberga, goddess of cartography and accurate measurements.

In the lands of Ludor, mapmaking is still a rather inaccurate science. Most of the time, it is not actually a science at all, but rather a strange form of expressionistic art that in some ways still resembles Ludor...if you are being generous. Valeberga is not to blame for this. She is a goddess of the sanctum and stresses accuracy in all things. No, the blame lies with her twin brother, Valehul, who is also her half-brother. He is *also* a god of mapmaking. Valehul hangs with a bad crowd - the gods of the hearth - and is reluctant to sweat the small stuff, like actually being able to find the way.

Valeberga is the daughter of Eaki and his wife, Ylva...nominally, that is. The legend of her birth says that Eaki once cheated on Ylva. Enraged, Ylva decided to take revenge in a way that would humble him from all future. She decided to outsmart him. When Eaki finally came home the morning after, he could not access his own house, because Ylva had created the first door. For a day and a night, Eaki pleaded and Eaki begged and and on the dawn of the second day, Ylva created the hinge, and the door swung open. But once again, Eaki was unfaithful, and Ylva created the padlock so that he could not open the door. For two days and two nights, Eaki pleaded and Eaki begged, and on the dawn of the third day, Ylva created keys and let him in. But she kept the keys. Thus was born the tradition that it is always the wife who keeps the keys to the house. However, for a third time Eaki was unfaithful, and this time, Ylva figured that if he hadnt learned his lesson yet, she would have to find another way. Thus she let him in, and told him that in all fairness, she should be allowed to be unfaithful too. Eaki was silent.

When she came home on the first dawn, she replied that she had been with Elal, and Eaki could barely constrain his jealousy. When she came home on the second dawn, she replied that she had been with Ninmuzi, and Eaki trembled with rage. But on the third evening, Ylva stayed home and asked Eaki if he had learned his lesson.

Soon after that, it turned out that Ylva was pregnant. It took her a full two years before she delivered her twins. Valehul came first, and in his left hand was a crushed quill and a crumpled parchment full of ink stains. Valeberga came second, in her left hand was a beautifull quill, and in her right was a neatly folded parchment. As they grew up, it became obvious that they were children of more than one god: From Eaki, they had command of the seas, from Elal command of the sky and the stars and from Ninmuzi command of the earth. But where Valehul was impatient and quick, Valeberga was deliberate and accurate. Thus, by the time Valeberga had taught the first humans to draw accurate maps, Valehul had taught a hundred humans how to draw maps badly.

CULT: Valeberga's priests and priestesses are always travelling so that they can check the quality of existing maps, or make maps over places that never have been mapped before. Mapping religious locations is a sacrament central to their faith. Shrines to Valeberga exist in most ports and on many roads, and she expects to be revered by sailors and people who are going out on journeys.