Mielikki (Forgotten Realms)
Encyclopedia
Mielikki is a fiction
al goddess in the Forgotten Realms
campaign setting
for the Dungeons & Dragons
fantasy
role-playing game
. Mielikki is the goddess of autumn, druids
, dryad
s, forest
s, forest creatures, and rangers
. Her symbol is a gold-horned, blue-eyed unicorn's head facing left, and her Third Edition D&D domains are Animal, Good, Plant and Travel. Mielikki is Neutral Good
.
based Mielikki on a historical Mielikki from Finnish mythology
(see Mielikki
) taken directly from the version found in the Deities & Demigods
book, and she was supposedly active in more than one plane
of existence. In the Second Edition Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting, Mielikki originally came from Earth
. This was omitted from the Third Edition Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting.
#54 (October 1981). Mielikki is introduced as the Lady of the Forest, goddess of forests, dryads
, and patron of rangers
; she is a neutral good lesser goddess of the Prime Material Plane
. She is described as being allied to Silvanus: "Mielikki and Eldath serve Silvanus, and their priests (if such individuals value their deity’s favor above mortal feelings and conflicts) work together to further common goals." Mielikki is commonly worshipped by rangers of any good alignment, as well as neutral good thieves
and clerics
; dryads
also worship her.
Mielikki later officially appeared as one of the major deities for the Forgotten Realms
campaign setting
, in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Sets "Cyclopedia of the Realms" booklet (1987).
(1990), the revised Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (1993) in the "Running the Realms" booklet, and Faiths & Avatars
(1996).
Her role in the cosmology of the Planescape
campaign setting was described in On Hallowed Ground (1996).
Mielikki is described as one of the good deities that celestials
can serve in the supplement Warriors of Heaven (1999).
(2002).
The Order of the Unicorn's Horn is a small society of itinerant healers who bring solace to injured people, animals, and plants.
This group serves as a type of religious knighthood of the woods. Members are activist and proselytize with zeal, and are willing to go on the offensive on behalf of their sacred forests. They seek to advance the regrowth of ancient forests reduced by civilization, and to halt the endless assault of civilization on their ancient homeland.
Generally, druids of Mielikki take on the abilities of rangers. Unlike other druids, who are not allowed to wear metal armor, or use weapons restricted by their oaths, they may use all kinds of armor and weapons rangers normally use.
"Mielikki, who is famous for the number of druid/rangers who worship her, has more lenient spiritual oaths than most deities that druids worship in the Realms. Druids of Mielikki can use any of the standard armor or weapons that rangers normally use (all simple and martial weapons, all light and medium armor and all shields) without violating their spiritual oaths. (FRCS p. 23)
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
al goddess in the Forgotten Realms
Forgotten Realms
The Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories...
campaign setting
Campaign setting
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A campaign is a series of individual adventures, and a campaign setting is the world in which such adventures and campaigns take place...
for the Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
. Mielikki is the goddess of autumn, druids
Druid (Dungeons & Dragons)
The druid is a playable character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Druids wield nature-themed magic. Prior to 4th edition, they gain divine magic from being at one with nature, or from one of several patron gods of the wild, while in 4th edition, they gain primal magic...
, dryad
Fey (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, Fey is a type of creature, or "creature type". Fey are usually humanoid in form, and are typified as having supernatural abilities and a connection to nature or to some other force or place....
s, forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
s, forest creatures, and rangers
Ranger (Dungeons & Dragons)
The ranger is one of the standard playable character class in most editions of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. They are protectors of nature, skilled woodsmen, and often live reclusive lives as hermits....
. Her symbol is a gold-horned, blue-eyed unicorn's head facing left, and her Third Edition D&D domains are Animal, Good, Plant and Travel. Mielikki is Neutral Good
Neutral good
In economics, neutral goods are goods that have a demand that is not dependent to the income.Examples of neutral goods include prescription medicines for people with medical conditions, such as insulin for diabetics...
.
Publication history
Ed GreenwoodEd Greenwood
Ed Greenwood is a Canadian writer and editor who created the Forgotten Realms. He invented the Forgotten Realms as a child, as a fantasy world in which to set the stories he imagined, and later used this world as a campaign setting for his own personal Dungeons & Dragons playing group...
based Mielikki on a historical Mielikki from Finnish mythology
Finnish mythology
Finnish mythology is the mythology that went with Finnish paganism which was practised by the Finnish people prior to Christianisation. It has many features shared with fellow Finnic Estonian mythology and its non-Finnic neighbours, the Balts and the Scandinavians...
(see Mielikki
Mielikki
Mielikki is the Finnish goddess of forests and the hunt. She is referred to in various tales as either the wife or the daughter-in-law of Tapio. She is said to have played a central role in the creation of the bear....
) taken directly from the version found in the Deities & Demigods
Deities & Demigods
Deities & Demigods , alternatively known as Legends & Lore , is a reference book for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game . The book provides descriptions and game statistics of gods and legendary creatures from various sources in mythology and fiction...
book, and she was supposedly active in more than one plane
Plane (Dungeons & Dragons)
The planes of the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game constitutes the multiverse in which the game takes place.In the earliest versions of Dungeons & Dragons, the concept of the Inner, Ethereal, Prime Material, Astral and Outer Planes was introduced; at the time there were only four Inner Planes...
of existence. In the Second Edition Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting, Mielikki originally came from Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
. This was omitted from the Third Edition Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting.
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition (1977-1988)
Mielikki first appeared within Dungeons & Dragons as one of the deities featured in Ed Greenwood's article "Down-to-earth Divinity" in DragonDragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
#54 (October 1981). Mielikki is introduced as the Lady of the Forest, goddess of forests, dryads
Dryad (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the dryad is a fey creature based upon the dryad of Greek mythology. They are tree spirits with the forms of beautiful women who benevolently protect forests and woodlands...
, and patron of rangers
Ranger (Dungeons & Dragons)
The ranger is one of the standard playable character class in most editions of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. They are protectors of nature, skilled woodsmen, and often live reclusive lives as hermits....
; she is a neutral good lesser goddess of the Prime Material Plane
Prime Material Plane
The Prime Material Plane is the central plane of existence in the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game...
. She is described as being allied to Silvanus: "Mielikki and Eldath serve Silvanus, and their priests (if such individuals value their deity’s favor above mortal feelings and conflicts) work together to further common goals." Mielikki is commonly worshipped by rangers of any good alignment, as well as neutral good thieves
Rogue (Dungeons & Dragons)
The rogue or thief is one of the standard playable character class in most editions of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. A rogue is a versatile character, capable of sneaky combat and nimble tricks...
and clerics
Cleric (Dungeons & Dragons)
The cleric is one of the standard playable character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. In the game, clerics are versatile figures, both capable in combat and skilled in the use of divine magic. Clerics are powerful healers due to the large number of healing and curative...
; dryads
Dryad (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the dryad is a fey creature based upon the dryad of Greek mythology. They are tree spirits with the forms of beautiful women who benevolently protect forests and woodlands...
also worship her.
Mielikki later officially appeared as one of the major deities for the Forgotten Realms
Forgotten Realms
The Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories...
campaign setting
Campaign setting
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A campaign is a series of individual adventures, and a campaign setting is the world in which such adventures and campaigns take place...
, in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Sets "Cyclopedia of the Realms" booklet (1987).
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition (1989-1999)
Mielikki was described in the hardback Forgotten Realms AdventuresForgotten Realms Adventures
Forgotten Realms Adventures is an accessory for the fictional Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the second edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game...
(1990), the revised Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (1993) in the "Running the Realms" booklet, and Faiths & Avatars
Faiths & Avatars
Faiths & Avatars is an Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms campaign expansion book. The book was designed by Julia Martin with Eric L. Boyd, and additional design by Ed Greenwood, L. Richard Baker III, and David Wise...
(1996).
Her role in the cosmology of the Planescape
Planescape
Planescape is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, originally designed by Zeb Cook. The Planescape setting was published in 1994...
campaign setting was described in On Hallowed Ground (1996).
Mielikki is described as one of the good deities that celestials
Celestial (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, celestials are a class of creatures and monsters known as outsiders who are of wholly good alignment....
can serve in the supplement Warriors of Heaven (1999).
Dungeons & Dragons 3.0 edition (2000-2002)
Mielikki appears as one of the major deities of the Forgotten Realms setting again, in Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (2001), and is further detailed in Faiths and PantheonsFaiths and Pantheons
Faiths and Pantheons is a campaign accessory for the 3rd edition of the Dungeons & Dragons, for the Forgotten Realms campaign setting.-Contents:...
(2002).
Famous Followers
Some of the most well known supporters of the beautiful goddess are:- Drizzt Do'UrdenDrizzt Do'UrdenDrizzt Do'Urden is a fictional character in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Drizzt was created by author R. A. Salvatore as a supporting character in the Icewind Dale Trilogy. Salvatore created him on a whim when his publisher needed to...
(Dark Elf Ranger) - Drizzt's past mentor, the blind ranger Montolio Debrouchee (Mooshie)
- Pikel Bouldershoulder, the dwarven druid.
- Ava Forrester (human arcane hierophant)
- Florin Falconhand (human ranger)
Orders
- Order of the Unicorn's Horn
The Order of the Unicorn's Horn is a small society of itinerant healers who bring solace to injured people, animals, and plants.
- Shadoweirs
This group serves as a type of religious knighthood of the woods. Members are activist and proselytize with zeal, and are willing to go on the offensive on behalf of their sacred forests. They seek to advance the regrowth of ancient forests reduced by civilization, and to halt the endless assault of civilization on their ancient homeland.
Clergy
The clergy of Mielikki include clerics, druids, rangers, and druid/rangers. They may be lawful good, neutral good, chaotic good, or true neutral.Generally, druids of Mielikki take on the abilities of rangers. Unlike other druids, who are not allowed to wear metal armor, or use weapons restricted by their oaths, they may use all kinds of armor and weapons rangers normally use.
"Mielikki, who is famous for the number of druid/rangers who worship her, has more lenient spiritual oaths than most deities that druids worship in the Realms. Druids of Mielikki can use any of the standard armor or weapons that rangers normally use (all simple and martial weapons, all light and medium armor and all shields) without violating their spiritual oaths. (FRCS p. 23)