Fidra

From Almeopedia

Fidra [ˈfi dra] is the goddess of Night and Winter in Caďinorian paganism, and wife of the sun god Caloton. She is quiet and subtle, gentle and cool; the patronness of lonely, quiet places, of springs and moonlit nights. In ancient times she seems to have been a more minor goddess, perhaps even an attribute of Išira; her role as the inevitable counterpart to Caloton may have increased her popularity, and caused her to be associated with the moons. She is depicted as a quiet, dark-skinned brunette.

Her attendants are Šoru and Sonž (Darkness and Dreams); it is the latter who gives dreams to men. Minor gods in her service include Ubli (Forgetfulness), Belnear (the Forest), and Ařomba (goddess of Endings).

The third day of the week, fidren, is named for her.

Etymology: Caď. Fidora, Ver. Fidra, Ismaîn Fiʐŕ, Bar. Fidor.

Caďinorian empress

Fidra is also the name of an empress of Caďinas, fourth ruler of the Cteranei dynasty. Her father Erbelaica IV was an infamous libertine who had decided that the Gelyet were unstoppable and he might as well dedicate himself to pleasure instead. He produced any number of children, but no legitimate sons; Fidra, born in 2519, was the sole child of Aiďagella, first of her father’s four wives. Though not fond of female rulers, the Caďinorians were more wary of generals or remote relatives fighting for the throne, so the establishment strongly supported her accession.

She is best known for her policy of co-opting nomads to fight the Gelyet— though detractors complained that this “shifted the boundaries south but left the barbarians on the land,” it did reestablish Caďinorian control over the peasants in those areas, and the nomad cavalry did help resist the Gelyet. The future empress Mália was born in one of these incorporated tribes, the Küret. Fidra is also credited with raising her son Andona to be a military leader— largely by raising him in Žrano, the dynasty’s home town, far from the temptations of Ctesifon.

Preceded by: Erbelaica IV

Fidra 2546-2571

Succeeded by: Andona