Overview
Silvanus is the god of wild and untamed nature. Although wise and beneficent, with a paternal attitude towards his faithful, Silvanus quickly becomes cold and emotionally distant when it comes to maintaining balance in nature, and even wrathful towards those who threaten wild places and woodlands. He is on the whole considered to be a grim and severe father figure who metes out flood and drought, fire and ice, and life and death in the wilderness.
Description
Silvanus favors two forms, the Old Father and the Young Strider. The Old Father appears as an old, bearded, incredibly wise human face floating in mid air among trees, or sometimes sprouting from the trunk of a particularly old and large tree. His flesh has the consistency and color of old wood. The Young Strider, on the other hand, appears as a long-limbed young man wearing scale armour, with scales the size and shape of oak leaves. He appears most often when a sacred grove is threatened or a circle of druids is attacked during worship. He especially hates those who use fire carelessly or deliberately with the intent to destroy. He is often accompanied by a giant wolfhound who fights at his side.
Holy symbol
Silvanus's symbols include a green, living oak leaf; an oak tree in summer; or a wooden staff sprouting tiny green leaves and buds along its length.
Favored weapon
Silvanus wields a maul known as the Great Mallet of Silvanus.
Realm
World Tree cosmology
In the World Tree cosmology of Realmspace, Silvanus resides within his realm, known as the Deep Forest, which is located on the outer plane known as the House of Nature, which he shares with his fellow nature deities, Chauntea, Lathander, Eldath, Mielikki, Shiallia, Nobanion, and Ubtao. The House of Nature is a vast wilderness, with no buildings or industry to spoil its pure, natural beauty. No divine palaces or carved halls rise above the trees or delve beneath the mountains. In the deepest reaches of the House of Nature, where the vegetation grows thickest lies the Deep Forest. Here the greatest of trees grow and the canopy of leaves is so dense that all light must surely be blotted out.
Great Wheel cosmology
In the Great Wheel cosmology, Silvanus resides within his realm, known as the Deep Forest or Summeroak, which is part of Tir na Og (the Land of Youth), the shared planar realm of the Tuatha De Danann (the Celtic pantheon), which is located on the Concordant Domain of the Outlands. Summeroak lies in the deepest reaches of Tir na Og, where the vegetation grows thick and feral, and the canopy of leaves overhead is so thick it must surely blot out all the light. Here the greatest of trees grow and Silvanus makes his home.
Worship
Nature and its impartial fairness is central to the dogma of Silvanus's faith. The priests of Silvanus typically keep their distance and take in the total situation, so that their viewpoint isn't limited to that of one person, or even that of a single nation. Instead they consider what is the best course to take to maintain the overall Balance. They strive endlessly to preserve the sacred Balance, even in the face of population pressures which lead to over-exploitation of natural resources. Silvanus often receives veneration from travelers in wild lands, explorers, and residents of rural communities far from the protection of a local lord or a great city.
In Spelljammer
Silvanus is a member of the Faerûnian pantheon and is considered a native deity of Realmspace. Priests of Silvanus lose all access to spells once the enter wildspace. However, as soon as they make landfall on a suitable planetary body, they regain access to their full compliment of spells.
Appendix
External Links
- Silvanus article at the Forgotten Realms Wiki, a wiki for the Forgotten Realms campaign setting.
- Silvanus article at the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition Wiki, a wiki for official Dungeons & Dragons content from 2nd edition AD&D.