Sarra Beneksri

Template:TU Gods Sarra Beneksri (pronounced SAHR-rah) is the daughter of Benek Todorsra and an unnamed woman, and is the mother of Veralidaine Sarrasri. She is the lover of the hunt god Weiryn. Before her human death, she worked as a hedgewitch to the people of Snowsdale in Galla, where she was born. She is currently a minor goddess known as The Green Lady.

Biography

Human Life

Sarra was a hedgewitch, or Gifted low-level healer and midwife, in the small Gallan village of Snowsdale.

One Beltane night, lacking a sweetheart, she went walking in the woods and met Weiryn. Sarra became pregnant with Daine, and refused to tell anyone, even her daughter, who the father was. Sarra, Daine, and Benek all lived together and their home was a happy one. Although close to her daughter, Sarra and her father never got along very well.

All the women in Sarra's family were healers, and she wanted her daughter to follow in her footsteps, repeatedly testing Daine for the Gift. Although she recognized her daughter had a "knack with animals," she never suspected the true nature of Daine's wild magic.

Sarra was a cheerful, kind, and traditional woman, and popular with men. Her greatest enjoyments were dancing and working in her garden and kitchen. The women of Snowsdale were happy to rely on her for healing, but thought her shameful for bearing a child out of wedlock. She never married, out of loyalty to Weiryn, despite receiving several offers from village men, including Hakkon Falconer.

Her daughter, Daine is mixed race.The people of the village didn’t hate her and her mother for that, though - the women hated her mother because the men were always coming around to see Sarra after dark, so there was a lot of resentment, which is part of why they lived so far out. 

In January of 449 HE, bandits attacked Snowsdale, killing many people, including both Sarra and Benek. Daine survived, by dint of being away from the village at the time of the raid, because Sarra had asked her to visit her friends Lory and Rand.

The Green Lady

Beginning as a goddess

After her death, her beloved, Weiryn, petitioned the gods to allow her to live with him in the Divine Realms and helped her become a minor goddess. Thus Sarra became the Green Lady. As such she watches over village gardens, childbearing, and matters of the heart in the Northern Forests of the Eastern Lands. (Note that these matters also fall under the province of the Great Mother Goddess, but The Goddess can't be everywhere.)

The Green Lady began appearing over the town well in Snowsdale, telling people to call on her for help. When folk pray to her, she speaks to them, giving advice, and possibly uses her divine magic to assist them directly. The residents of the town don't know that the goddess they are praying to is the same person as Sarra.

She and Weiryn, following their request, were limited by the great gods in their ability to travel through the realms. They were forced to remain in the Divine Realms for a century. Sarra became friends with Gainel the Dream-King.

The Immortals War

Due to the immortals that were pouring into the Mortal Realms, Daine and Numair Salmalín were in danger quite a bit. Sarra and Weiryn rescued them from Immortals known as "Skinners" and took them to the Divine Realms. Sarra could see Daine after years of being separated, and at first she wanted her daughter to stay in the Divine Realms with her and Weiryn forevermore, or at least to visit. She made Daine promise to visit every once and awhile, and they would truly be able to get reacquainted.

After the Immortals War was finished, Uusoae was conquered, and Ozorne Tasikhe was stopped, Daine was taken to a hearing before the Great Gods. Sarra was present, as were dragons such as Diamondflame and Skysong. When Mithros gave Daine an ultimatum: stay in the Divine Realms or go and never return to the Divine Realms, Daine remembered the promise she kept to her mother. Sarra released her from this, saying that Daine would be so unhappy and that she had a home and friends back in Tortall.

Granddaughter's naming ceremony

Sarra and Weiryn received special permission from the great gods to attend their grandchild's naming ceremony in 462 HE. As the child was switching species and genders every second, Daine and Numair had some trouble. Sarra used her godly influence in order for the child to choose one species and one gender, at least for the first five years. The baby chose to be human and female, thus earning her the name "Sarralyn". Sarra also pointed out that Daine shouldn't have shapeshifted while pregnant, as it gives the unborn child the wrong idea.

This was seen in a vision that Alianne of Pirate's Swoop had, courtesy of the trickster god Kyprioth.

Physical description

Human

Sarra was blonde and blue-eyed, like most of the folk of Snowsdale. Her gift was rose pink.

Goddess

As The Green Lady, she is taller than her mortal self, and wears a green dress with a green veil over her face and hair.

Her divine magic manifests as white.

As a deity

Influence

Territorial designations

The Green Lady is mainly worshipped in the mountains of northern Galla, namely Snowsdale. It may be that once she gets used to work as a goddess, she will expand to more towns and villages in the area. She is a minor goddess of childbirth and women. It is helpful that she was a midwife when she was human.

Worship

Midwives and mothers pray to the Green Lady and ask for advice in matters of the birth and pregnancy. There is no official priesthood for the Green Lady, at least not yet. She also appears in person to them in their well, and answers their questions. This is actually a pretty unorthodox way for a god to act, as the gods usually don't show themselves to humans unless those humans are vessels, god-born, or if it is a matter of great importance. It is assumed that Sarra approached the people of Snowsdale this way as she needed to get her feet wet and to let them know of her existence.

The people of Snowsdale do not know that their Green Lady is the former Sarra Beneksri.

Likeness

As the Green Lady appeared to the people in person, it left little imagination for them to decide on her likeness. Thus she appeared to them as she truly is in her goddess form.

Personality and traits

Sarra was always a loving and caring woman and mother. She did get herself into more trouble and needed mothering from her daughter. Sarra is shown as being a bit flighty, even though she cares for the people around her. As a goddess, she is more sure of herself and her destiny and is still a firm hand in her daughter's life.

Family

Sarrasri Family Tree

Daine the Wildmage's family
Unnamed ancestors Benek Todorsra Unnamed woman Weiryn Sarra Beneksri Numair Salmalín Veralidaine Sarrasri Sarralyn Salmalín Rikash Salmalín

Not much is known about Sarra's ancestors. The only parent who is ever named is Sarra's father Benek. She was never married and has only one daughter, Veralidaine Sarrasri, through whom Sarra has two grandchildren, Sarralyn and Rikash Salmalín. Sarra and Weiryn like being grandparents and dote on Daine's children. Sarra's son-in-law is the powerful mage Numair Salmalín.

Fun facts

Sarra is the only known goddess to have been a full-human before given divine powers. Although humans had been known to become gods previously, these were demigods, or human children who had a divine parent.

It was mentioned that the reason there were not many demigods is because the mother usually always dies before giving birth due to being pregnant with a divine specimen. Sarra not only survived the ordeal, but survived it easily, which may have suggested that she was magically protected by Weiryn for the birth.

Appearances

• The Immortals
  • Wild Magic
  • Wolf-Speaker
  • Emperor Mage
  • The Realms of the Gods
• Trickster Series
  • Trickster's Choice