Deity Profile: Thal’Shariah, the Crimson Veil

Thal'Shariah - The Goddess of Blood and Rivers

The Goddess of Blood and Rivers: Thal'Shariah (Marish: Ṯalšāriya [ˈθal.ʃaː.ri.ja])

Domain: Blood, Rivers, Fertility, Menstruation, Lunar Cycles, Sacred Womanhood, Sacrifice, and Renewal

Associated Region: The Shy Woods and the greater Silvan Hollow territories

Language of Worship: Old Marish (Silvan dialect)

Known Titles:

– The Bloodmother

– Lady of the Rushing Veins

– The Veiled Source

– She of the Crimson Flow

Overview

Thal’Shariah is an ancient and once-revered goddess of blood and water, believed to have shaped the rivers and lifeblood of the world through her divine sacrifice. Worshipped primarily by the early forest dwellers of the Shy Woods, her cult formed the spiritual core of the Silvan Hollow tradition, a proto-Marish culture deeply attuned to nature, the cycles of the moon, and feminine bodily wisdom. Her influence predates the rise of the Talbot family and the founding of the Church of Hallowed Vows by centuries, and remnants of her mythology continue to shape regional folk beliefs, despite centuries of suppression.

Myth and Origin

According to the oldest surviving Silvan oral traditions, the world was once barren and cold, a place of stone without flow. In sorrow for the lifelessness of creation, Thal’Shariah wandered the land until she tore her palm upon the jagged edge of the sky. From this wound poured the First Blood—deep, warm, and unending. Her blood carved the riverbeds, filled the lakes, and awakened the moss and lichens that became the foundation of all future life.

Wherever her blood fell, life stirred. Fish emerged from her clots, the tide aligned itself to the pulse of her heart, and the moon began to wax and wane in rhythm with her internal cycle. She became both creator and sustainer, her veins mirrored in every watercourse across the land.

Symbolism and Sacred Rites

Thal’Shariah is traditionally associated with the red moon, flowing rivers, and the spiritual potency of menstrual blood. Her sacred color is deep crimson, and her signs include the spiral (representing eternal return and inner cycles), the crescent vessel, and the open hand bleeding into water.

In pre-Patriarchal Marish society, rites dedicated to Thal’Shariah were performed during the blood moons of spring and autumn. These ceremonies—led by women, often priestesses or midwives—honored menstruation not as impurity but as divine gift. Small offerings of blood, symbolic or real, were poured into running water as acts of gratitude and renewal. It was believed that such rites strengthened the flow of rivers, nourished the forest, and safeguarded fertility within the community.

Suppression and Survival

With the rise of the Talbot doctrines and the later establishment of the Church of Hallowed Vows, the worship of Thal’Shariah was denounced as heretical and impure. The goddess was recast in church teachings as a seductress or deceiver whose blood brought corruption rather than life. Her followers—particularly those who resisted isolation during their menstrual cycles—were often persecuted, accused of witchcraft, or exiled from sacred spaces.

Many of her stone shrines were defaced or destroyed. Her name was struck from public records, and references to her were replaced with vague warnings about the dangers of “the red-touched.”

Despite this, elements of her worship survived in the form of coded folk songs, botanical rituals, and midwifery practices passed down through matrilineal lines. The forest dialects of Marish still preserve poetic expressions that allude to her—especially among the Shy Woods clans and river-dwelling communities.

Modern Reclamation

In recent decades, scholars, folklorists, and women’s spiritual collectives have sought to reclaim Thal’Shariah as a symbol of pre-patriarchal sacred wisdom. In secret gatherings held at remote woodland springs or ancient stones, women now honor her again—not as a forgotten deity, but as a living memory of power, pain, and sacred blood. Some interpret her not only as a goddess, but as a metaphor for the enduring strength and regenerative power of womanhood itself.

A reconstructed invocation—translated from Old Marish—reads:

Thal’Shariah of the Red Veil,Flow in us as you flowed through stone.In every tide, in every wound,We carry your river home.

Linguistic Origins

The name Thal’Shariah (Marish: Ṯalšāriya) is derived from ancient Silvan Hollow speech:– Ṯal = blood, particularly menstrual or sacred blood– Šār = to flow, to give, to awaken– -iya = a feminine suffix denoting spirit or divine essence

Together, the name means “She Who Flows from Blood” or “The Giver of Flowing Blood.”

Legacy

Though largely erased from mainstream religion and historical records, the worship of Thal’Shariah persists in select, secretive corners of Maraheim. A small yet devoted branch of the Coven of Hexwood acknowledges her as a primordial force aligned with the cycles of blood, moon, and river. While the coven does not consider Thal’Shariah one of their primary figures—Morgathra remaining central—they regard her as a symbolic embodiment of ancient feminine power. Some Inner Circle members incorporate references to the Bloodmother in moonlit rites, particularly during rituals focused on renewal, fertility, and transformation.

Rather than direct worship, her presence is often evoked through metaphor, chant, and offerings cast into flowing streams—typically herbs, carved sigils, or personally significant tokens, in keeping with the coven’s sacrificial traditions. In rare instances, small drops of blood are offered ceremonially, symbolizing connection to the ancient life-giving currents Thal’Shariah is said to have created.

Beyond the Hexwood, a handful of obscure spiritual circles—often based in remote forest communities—retain fragments of her mythology. These groups, loosely organized and often operating independently of any formal magical order, continue to revere Thal’Shariah as a guardian of feminine mysteries and a protector of natural balance.

While her name is rarely spoken aloud in public settings, and many younger witches are unaware of her legacy, Thal’Shariah remains a quiet undercurrent in the spiritual consciousness of Maraheim. Not a goddess of thunder or spectacle, but of blood that flows unseen—enduring, essential, and remembered by those who walk the hidden paths.