Valeria Ithildrim is a member of the seven god high elven pantheon called the Estarine, and the central figure of the sylvan elven pantheon called the Ithildrim.
When the Estarine gave life to Adnati, Ilimoran Toruvial gave shape to the First Born, the elves. Tyra Manora shed tears to bring rain, which brought forth the streams and rivers and lakes and seas of the world. Eldamar Galion provided the metals and gemstones and minerals of the earth. But it was Valeria Ithildrim who brought all of the other plants and animals to life.
When the other gods had done their work, Valeria Ithildrim stood on the Earth, and her toes dug into the clay and took root, and her fingers stretched to the heavens and blossomed, and she took form as a mighty oak. Her roots stretched throughout the land, bringing life from the stars, and the other Estarine, with the help of the First Born, gave shape to this life in many forms, the flora and fauna of the land. Some of these, like the humans, dwarves, and gnomes, were also intelligent like the First Born. But the elves were first, and the First Born were tasked with being shepherds and caretakers of all this life.
Some elves believe that when the Estarine removed themselves from the world, Valeria remained behind to protect Adnati, providing a barrier that prevented fiends from other worlds from attacking Adnati. She and her daughters are collectively worshipped by Sylvan elves and other intelligent woodland beings as the Ithildrim.
Valeria Ithildrim, who took root and gave birth to all life, flora and fauna, is in a pantheon already associated with nature understandably the one most closely associated with it. In addition to being the patron of nature and wildlife, she is also the patron of song and of healing. The wood elves always portray her as a mighty oak, sometimes slightly anthropomorphized with knotted wood forming features like an elven woman’s face. High Elves also depict her this way often, but will also depict her as a more heavily anthropomorphized tree, sometimes more tree-like, like a treant, sometimes more humanoid like a dryad. Her more elven-like depictions often show her with dark brown skin and green hair.
In common culture, she is the namesake for Valariadÿn, the ninth day of the week. She alone of the Estarine does not have a celestial body named after her, likely reflecting the belief that she remained on Adnati when the other Estarine departed to the heavens.
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Artistic Representations of Valeria Ithildrim
