Lore24 Jan 28: Cur-Atesh, the Lord of Things High and Low

Cur-Atesh is a cruel trickster god associated with necromancy, diseases, and scavengers. He is the eternal rival of the White Lady, always scheming to steal the souls of the dead from the Underworld, but very rarely succeeding in doing so. He also delights in breaking parts of himself off forming various diseases (thought not all diseases are made this way) to torture people. Because he is a coward, it is believed that having statuettes and amulets depicting various fearsome creatures can ward off his illnesses. It is said he was originally a mortal thief, who stole the secrets of immortality from the gods, but only shares corrupted bits and pieces of these secrets in the form of necromancy. In myths about him, he is more often than not tricked and/or humiliated himself.

He is most often depicted as a vulture, a jackal, or a raven, for these animals steal the bones of the dead, just as he steals their souls. It is said that having ones body eaten by scavengers means their soul is lost to Cur-Atesh. His sacred symbols include skulls, tree bones arranged in a star shape, and amulets depicting a vulture with its neck snapped. The latter referencing a myth where he is challenged by an eagle to see who can fly highest, but in the end Cur-Atesh flies too high and the wheels of Hath-Ur’s chariot break his neck.

His holy days are the two weeks following winter solstice, which is when most people fall ill. People usually hold celebrations in which priests dress up as demons with hairy skin, goatlike horns, fearsome fangs, and long tongues in order to keep him at bay.

To his priests, priestesses and champions Cur-Atesh grants the power to make the bodies dead move according to their wishes, to summon vengeful ghosts, and to curse individuals or communities with diseases. (Note that direct transformation from life to undeath is not considered to fall under his purview, and can theoretically be granted by any god.)

As one may guess there are not many temples where Cur-Atesh is publicly worshiped, though some mystic orders commune with him on the regular, and one can usually find at least some secret altars in places where those rejected by society gather.

 Image by Bone Dust

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