The Dreamer

The Dreamer is a major component of Elven mythology taking a center role in their creation story. While exact beliefs vary across all of Ambar, the central themes and characters are present in virtually all tellings.

Creation Story
The major facets of the Elven creation story are as follows.

Firstly, that a uber-deific life bringing figure, The Dreamer, was assaulted by an equally powerful figure known ubiquitously by Elves as "The Destroyer" and that this figure attempted to birth some greater evil by impregnating the Dreamer. In most cases The Dreamer is the spirit of the planet as a whole.

Secondly, It is agreed that an array of heroes and gods were able to obliterate or at least drive off the Destroyer permanently. The origin of these heros is variable, with some saying that they were The Dreamer's first children and others saying they originated from another land, sometimes from another sky, and occasionally another reality.

Third, that the Dreamer was badly hurt or was incapacitated by the Destroyer sometime before or during the confrontation and she fell into a deep sleep, during which time she was impregnated with his spawn. The accounts vary at this point, with some claiming that from her wounds then sprung life and from her dreams sprang spirits, while others speak of half-born beings only partially formed rising up to take over the land. Usually, some or all of The Dreamer's spawn are viewed as incomplete beings, often tainted by the seed of The Destroyer.

Finally, it is almost universally agreed (by Elves) that Elves are descended from the heroes who fought in the battle, making them much better than every other race.

The Fate of the Dreamer
The long term prognosis of the Dreamer is a major point of contention amongst Elven religions. Generally, Elves in the southern hemisphere believe that she is in a form of stasis and her condition is permanent, while Elves in the northern hemisphere think that her condition is either worsening or improving which is equally variably a good or bad thing.

Elven sects are also divided on the topic of her progeny, the spirits. Some hold they are partly the spawn of the Destroyer and must be killed, while others argue as children of the Dreamer they should be revered. Others still are ambivalent to the distinction and think that being the pure spawn of either is enough to warrant death.