Nalinivati
First Mother (nagaji)
Queen of Nagas
Alternate: Family, glyph
Nalinivati is the patron naga goddess of the snake-like humanoids known as the nagaji. She is a goddess of fertility, snakes, and sorcery, and is mainly worshipped across Tian Xia.23
Appearance
Nalinivati is depicted as a huge naga of unknown type with brilliantly coloured scales that shimmer mesmerizingly, adorned with gifts of jewelery and flowers, and wearing trinkets, crafted items, and tomes on her waist. Her form takes on more humanoid or serpentine aspects depending on with whom she communes and whether she wants to appear comforting or terrifying.4 In art, she is often depicted as either emerging from an egg or protectively guarding either a single egg or a clutch of eggs.2
Religious symbol and animal
Her religious symbol is a lotus flower wherein a snake lies coiled. Snakes are sacred animals to those of her faith.23
History
Some tales depict Nalinivati as having once been a mortal naga sorceress. Through her magical powers and many daughters, she established Nagajor, ruled as its first queen, and founded its major institutions which persist today. Her female descendants continue to rule Nagajor as Matriarchs.5 Other tales depict her as having been a mortal snake who cared for her family and other snakes, became a sorcerer, and eventually queen of Nagajor. In these tales she later transformed herself into a naga in order to prove that through labor, dedication, the pursuit of knowledge, and magic, one could become anything.3
She ascended to divinity through unknown means near the end of her life6 and is now worshipped in many neighboring nations, as well as her home of Nagajor.63 Alternately inspired by and jealous of Daikitsu's kitsune,3 Nalinivati created the nagaji and gifted the ancestry with free will, and they number among her most devout non-naga worshippers.23
Relationships
Nalinivati is said to be the daughter of the Vudran goddess Ravithra,783 having originally emerged from her throat.78 Nalinivati has been romantically linked with the kitsune deity Daikitsu, although both deities deny this claim;9 they are longtime platonic friends, and are celebrated together during a festival of fertility in Tian Xia.3 Nalinivati's shrines are often decorated with gifts from Daikitsu's followers10 and vice versa.3
Church
Nalinivati is also known to her worshippers as the "Queen of Nagas" and as the "Serpent's Kiss". Her worshippers are most commonly sorcerers, nagaji, and smitten lovers (in her fertility aspect) but she also has many snake cults dedicated to her. She is most popular in the realm she founded, Nagajor, but is also commonly worshipped in Tang Mai,11 Xa Hoi, and Xidao.2 Many offer gifts of milk and meat to wild snakes in honor of Nalinivati and pray to her when seeking her blessing to start a family.3
Genealogy and heritage are important to Nalinivati and her worshippers. She judges based on family as well as individual merit.6 The Lotus Annals are a book written by Nalinivati's great-granddaughter Holadi that contain many stories about and parables told by the goddess before she ascended to godhood. While not considered a true holy text, the Lotus Annals are thought to contain considerable spiritual wisdom for worshippers of Nalinivati.5
Sacred weapon
Nalinivati's favoured weapons are natural jaws or bite and the manufactured urumi.23 This favoured status by Nalinivati's followers led to a wider popularity for the urumi across the Inner Sea region.12
References
For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.
- ↑ “Appendix” in Gods & Magic, 132. Paizo Inc., 2020 .
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 “Life in the Dragon Empires” in Dragon Empires Gazetteer, 61. Paizo Inc., 2011 .
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 “Religion” in Tian Xia World Guide, 37. Paizo Inc., 2024 .
- ↑ “Religion” in Tian Xia World Guide, 37. Paizo Inc., 2024. The Pathfinder Second Edition Remaster Project retroactively changed nagas to have the heads of snakes with humanoid faces, rather than the heads and torsos of humanoids as in past works such as Dragon Empires Gazetteer. Nalinivati's depictions in works after the Remaster, such as Tian Xia World Guide 37, changed accordingly. .
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Red Harvest, 3. Paizo Inc., 2012 .
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 “Divine Influence” in Champions of Balance, 16. Paizo Inc., 2014 .
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 “Ravithra” in Belly of the Black Whale, 72. Paizo Inc., 2020 .
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 “Ravithra” in Belly of the Black Whale, 74. Paizo Inc., 2020 .
- ↑ Red Harvest, 5. Paizo Inc., 2012 .
- ↑ “Religion” in Tian Xia World Guide, 25. Paizo Inc., 2024 .
- ↑ Paizo referred to Tang Mai as Dtang Ma until the publication of Tian Xia Days and the Tian Xia World Guide.
- ↑ “Character Options” in Gods & Magic, 102. Paizo Inc., 2020 .
- Nalinivati
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