Nyalda is the Earth Queen, and the second wife of Elmal. As such she is worshiped by both Riders and Wheels, although the former respect her more. In the stories of Yelm, Nyalda is variously described as his concubine, an attendant of the Empress Oria, and Oria's daughter. Ekarna is Nyalda's attendant, Inilla and Pela are her daughters, and Busenari and Uryarda are either her spiritual sisters or daughters, depending on the myth. Nyalda was initially hostile to Zarlen, Elmal's son by the Wheel Witch, but accepted him when he proved himself. She is sometimes compared to the Rams' earth goddess, Ernalda.
Ride Like the Wind[]
Nyalda first appears in Ride Like the Wind.
Worship[]
You can build a shrine or a temple to Nyalda, and the Nyalda Stone treasure allows you to maintain them with fewer worshipers. If, during Ride Like the Wind's clan creation, you chose for Nyalda to be your clan's main god back in the Golden Age, then you will start the game with a Nyalda shrine already built. Also, if you build a temple to Nyalda, you may see the event Nyalda Temple Request.
Her blessings include:
- Bless Children: Increases the fertility of our women.
- Cooperation: Enhances venture effects.
- Crafting: Helps basketmakers, potters, and weavers produce more.
- Hospitality: Eases dealing with guests and allows more feasts.
If Nyalda was your main Golden Age god, then you will start Ride Like the Wind already knowing her Crafting blessing. If you also chose during clan creation for your ancestors' Famous Event to be supporting the Werris Mur joining you as citizens, then you will also start the game knowing Nyalda's Cooperation blessing.
Besides the already mentioned Nyalda Stone, another treasure associated with Nyalda is the Staff of Nyalda, which grants divine blessing to her worshipers.
On the Circle[]
A worshiper of Nyalda on the clan circle allows you to put more magic into Fields during Sacred Time. No other god provides this benefit.
All members of Nyalda's cult are female. In noble selection screens and on the clan circle, her worshipers' portraits are marked with the Earth Rune.
Lore[]
Your advisors have much to say about Nyalda:
- "When the gods chose their sacred animals, Nyalda used the Earth Rune to pact with Mother Snake , who brought all the scaled beasts with her."
- "Nyalda's magic frightens the plant folk , because they do not want to be tied to furrows, or eaten like vegetables."
- "The Elf Queen and Earth Queen were once friends, until the Elf Queen said, 'I don't care if your people eat."
- "Nyalda married Elmal, gaining protection and granting him greatness."
- "Had Nyalda not accompanied Elmal on the exodus, our ancestors would not have survived."
- "Wheels say Nyalda is not Elmal's equal, but only his helpmate."
- "The herd mothers and the grain mothers are all Nyalda's children. She loves them all."
- "Nyalda gives calm and purpose to blazing Elmal."
- "When Elmal showed Nyalda Earth Mother how to protect herself from pounding hail, she left her useless husbands and married him."
- "Inilla can sense the presence of caves, which Nyalda makes for her to hide in."
- "In Elmal, Nyalda found a guardian who would fight to protect her."
- "A council without a voice for the Earth Mother will lose its connection to the land."
- "The great goddess allies with as many gods as she can. We should follow her example."
- "The Great Mother aids all who bow properly before her."
- "The earth has always been helpmate to the sun. Without both, we would wander and starve."
- "When Hyalor asked Nyalda to join us in the exodus, she told him, “We must no longer be below you, but rather beside you.”"
- "Ernalda and Nyalda are not so different as we like to think."
- "If [the Daughters of Vingkot] are priestesses, they worship Nyalda like we do. They just call her by a different name."
- "The food goddesses ringed themselves around the Earth Mother. Busenari gave milk as a sacrifice. Pela gave barley."
Myths & Rituals[]
Nyalda's main myth is Nyalda's Bride Price, which is the basis for the ritual Nyalda Marriage Maker. The Wheels' name for this ritual is Nyalda's Wedding, possibly reflecting her more passive nature in their mythology.
She also appears in Inilla and the Golden Bush, Zarlen's First Wander, and Busenari Finds the Light . She is briefly mentioned in the myth Ekarna's Four Trades.
Lights Going Out[]
Having become Rams since the end of the first game, your clan no longer worships Nyalda in Lights Going Out. Instead, Ernalda is their primary earth goddess. However, the two have largely become syncretized, described either as sisters or as different names for the same goddess. Most notably, while Ernalda is the wife of Orlanth, Nyalda remains Elmal's wife. By the start of the game proper, both Ernalda and Nyalda are dead.
Lore[]
Your clan ring has this to say of Nyalda:
- "When we were still Riders, we used to worship Ernalda under the title Nyalda."
- "Elmal mourns his wife, Nyalda, who died at the same time as her sister, Ernalda."
Images[]
