Lore24 Feb 10: Sem, the Everflowing River

Sem is the goddess of the river Sem. Her father is Nir, and her mother is Emsa. Like most river deities she is the patron of farmers, and fishermen. Unlike most river deities she is a great warrior-goddess, and a patron of fighters. It is said that when the Ippur Empire conquered Satnak, fifty of her priestesses slaughtered a three hundred men before being overwhelmed by the tide of soldiers. But overwhelmed they were, and the goddess was stolen. She now dwells in a modest temple in Nashat-Ippur, instead of her great cathedral in her home city of Satnak.

She is usually depicted as a middle-aged woman with long, curly hair, wearing bronze armor decorated with a jackal’s hide, holding a trident and a net, and carrying a bow and arrows. Her symbols include jackals, tridents, nets, and four bronze wires crossed like a hash sing (#).

Her holy days are the third week of spring, when the river floods. Warriors who retire often give their armaments to the temples as sacrifice on that week. Fishermen and farmers sacrifice any completely white livestock or fish they bred or caught the previous year.

Image by Yliade

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