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Musings on the Arrow and the Nature of a Woman Named Erin

I believe the day of my birth falls on the sixteenth Sun of the third Umbral Moon, as that was the date mentioned by my parents in passing, though I have never sought for any corroborative records of my birth to be certain. It did not seem important.If we take this to be true, that would mean I was born under the sign of The Arrow, created by the mingling of Oschon the Wanderer, Mountain-Ruler and God of Vagrants, and Llymlaen the Navigator, Sea-Watcher and Goddess of Navigation. A pair of would-be lovers ever separated, Llymlaen unable to tame Oschon's effervescent nature. In the Fourth Heaven of Wind, Oschon stares off at the horizon of the endless seas from the lofted heights of his peak, bow in hand. He was guided to the summit by Llymlaen's gentle touch, just as the wind blowing in off the ocean waves will guide his arrows to their mark, straight and true.I suppose that means that, though I grew amongst the trees, I am a child of sea and sky.I am Oschon the Wanderer. In a very literal sense, he represents my love of travel and learning. Endlessly curious, I too want to know what's over the next rise, what hides just on the other side of yonder hill. I want to see every sight that can be seen. I want to learn every thing that can be learned. But more than that I need to live it. Books are fine teachers, full of useful knowledge, easily digested by the learned scholar. But no matter how many descriptions of a beach one might read, you can never truly understand it until you feel the grains of sun-warmed sand slipping between your fingers. More than that, the Wanderer is a representation of the very nature of life. While we may try to choose our own course, we are often at the whims of wind and tide, the vagaries of fate and fortune. To someone looking on, the path of our life from birth to grave is a meandering one, without apparent cause or reason.Unlike Oschon, I am not well versed with the bow. I had little opportunity for it, though on those few occasions where Robin has taken it in her head to try and tutor me, I have at least proven competent enough not to snap myself in the tit with a bow-string. That being said, I would call myself a Hunter still. I do not seek to slaughter woodland creatures by the parcel, no, my prey is far more elusive. Little secrets locked away in dusty, long-forgotten tomes. Fragments of relics of ages past that may hold a tiny piece of the puzzle that is the world and our place in it. I hunt not with the bow but with my mind, and what I hunt is Truth.Like Oschon I am easily led astray from a straight and narrow course. I am impulsive, perhaps even reckless at times, preferring any action, even the wrong one, over inaction. Like the waves and the wind, I am mercurial, easily given to fits of whimsy. I am distracted by life and every joy that it holds. A pretty flower must be plucked. A pretty maiden must be wooed. Life is so short and precious, and nothing is more important than living it. I would rather be thought a foolish scattered-brain than live my days in dreary banality.While I may easily wander off-course, much like the wind I am not easily tamed. I have the strength of mountains in me, their solid sturdiness and resiliency. Polite company might describe me as 'headstrong', while impolite company would tend towards stronger invective. I am often mistaken for being meek and timid; I am not, and it's not a mistake I will suffer twice from the same lips.I am Llymlaen the Navigator. Like Llymlaen, I am a Guide. It is not enough merely to learn. It is not enough simply to know. It is not enough just to live. Wherever I might find Truth, I will guide others along the path I walked so they may see it too. Knowledge should be freely shared, freely given, for the sake and benefit of society at large. The further it spreads, the better off the world will be, and it is our duty to leave the world a better place than it was when we first chanced upon it. Though we may never see the it come, the steps we take towards a better tomorrow are vitally important for all those that come after. It is oft said that a rising tide raises all ships. We must raise that tide, through the diligent effort of our own two hands.
Like Llymlaen I feel a kinship with the water. Robin might remark that I am, perhaps, overly-fond. Especially when it comes to bathing or the chaotic beauty of a waterfall. She thinks I can't hear her quiet grumbling, when I add another bell to our trip in pursuit of a picturesque glimpse of tumbling, cascading water.I can hear it just fine. It's adorable.While sea travel has been a new experience, I have taken to it with guts and gusto. Unlike many, I find the constant rocking of the boat to be soothing, rather than sickening. I enjoy standing at the prow, the salty sea-air stirring my hair as we dance through the churning waters.I have something of a temper, though it's not comparible to Llymlaen's fury. Luckily, unlike the Goddess, I am not given to hurling knives at anyone that sees me nude, otherwise I might have gained the moniker of the Eighth Umbral Calamity. People oft mistake sweetness for pliability, kindness for weakness. They think that I - clearly a wilting flower - will allow people to run roughshod over me. I will admit there's a little spiteful part of me that finds joy in the expression of surprise that I inevitably see writ upon on their faces. Robin has sometimes compared me to one of those Doman firecrackers: a sudden burst of sound and fury that's likely to blow up in your hand if improperly handled.I am Oschon the Wanderer. I am Llymalen the Navigator. I choose my own path and wander freely upon it. I chart my own course and travel it as I will. Though I am buffeted by the world, I am the Mountain. Though it tries to grasp me in its cruel claws, I am the Wind. Though it tries to sear me with its burning judgement, I am the Wave.I am a child of the sea and sky.

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