Labelas Enoreth's Holy Symbol

Labelas Enoreth
(LAH-bay-lahs EHN-or-eth)

 

The Lifegiver, Lord of the Continuum, the One-eyed God, the Philosopher, the Sage at Sunset
Time, longevity, the moment of choice, history

Labelas Enoreth is the elven god of longevity and time. At the creation of the Fair Folk, Labelas blessed the elves with long lifespans and decreed that their appearances would not be marked by the passage of time. The Lifegiver cooperates with Sehanine in overseeing the lifespan of elves and their growth away from and beyond mortal realms. He measures the lives of the Fair Folk and decrees when they should be ended, allowing passage to Arvandor. As Lord of the Continuum, Labelas governs the orderly passage of time and guards against those who would alter the path of history. Labelas confers wisdom and teachings on young and old alike, and although he is rarely invoked, the Lifegiver is often praised. The Lifegiver knows the fortune and past of every elf, faerie, or sylvan creature. Labelas is worshiped by sages, historians, philosophers, librarians, and all those who measure the changes wrought by the passing of years.

Labelas has also been venerated in other guises at various places and times in history. When the Sy-Tel'Quessir settled the Yuirwood, the Seldarine merged with the ancient gods of the Yuir, transforming them into aspects of the various powers of the elven pantheon. The Simbul was the Yuir goddess of the moment of choice, the edge, the space between the now and the future, what is and is not, the power of balance embodied in the point of decision where fate is determined intuitively without reason or knowledge. When the Seldarine and the Yuir deities merged, the Simbul had to chose between Labelas Enoreth (the Seldarine power of time and philosophy) and Erevan Ilesere (the elven god of change) to ally with, and eventually she became an aspect of Labelas and then faded into near oblivion. Even the Cha-Tel'Quessir of the Yuirwood have long forgotten this goddess, and the Simbul, Queen of Aglarond, only discovered the divine ancestry of her name in the Year of the Banner (1368 DR). Likewise, a long forgotten aspect of Labelas, known as Chronos, Karonis, or Kronus, was worshiped centuries ago in the tiny realm of Orva, now sunk beneath the waters of the Vast Swamp of eastern Cormyr.

Labelas gets on well with the rest of the Seldarine, although his relationship with Erevan Ilesere is sorely tested by the other's antics on occasion, but the Lifegiver makes allies of few other powers. In ancient times, when Mystryl was venerated as the human goddess of time, Labelas was closely allied with the Lady of Mysteries, and that close relationship has continued with the current incarnation of Mystra. Labelas and the Guardian of the Lost, an aspect of the draconic deity Null also known as Chronepsis, have an understanding, and it is said that Labelas and Shekinester, Queen of the Nagas, are slowly building an alliance. Since the Time of Troubles, Clangeddin Silverbeard, dwarven god of battle and war, has nursed a grudge against Labelas for defeating him in battle on the isle of Ruathym. While the Lifegiver has attempted to apologize for his actions, the Father of Battle is slow to forgive, as is typical of the Stout Folk. The Lifegiver strongly opposes the powers of entropy and undeath, particularly Tenebrous and Yeenoghu.

Labelas is also a philosopher-god, a patient teacher and instructor. His demeanor is clam and meditative, and he is not given to sudden action or hasty speech. According to legend, he traded an eye for the ability to peer through time. Labelas concerns himself with transgressional changes and the growth of learning and wisdom among elves, and thus rarely involves himself directly in the lives of individuals.

 

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