Mellaggan

Mellaggan Shrine in Lake Gendarr.

Mellaggan is the quaggan goddess that represents the bounty and wealth of the ocean. She is suggested to be an interpretation of the human god Melandru. However, the quaggans view the two to be separate deities but are too polite to say so when human scholars claim otherwise. The quaggans believe their goddess was killed long ago when the krait invaded their old homelands. Despite this, Mellaggan continues to have shamans in the present day. Some quaggans believe that Mellaggan drew them to shallow waters because the krait, sharks, and skale would be less dangerous foes than what the quaggans left behind in the depths of the Unending Ocean.

History

Both northern and southern quaggans have historically venerated only one deity, Mellaggan, who represents the bounty of the sea. In temperament and nature, she was said to be very similar to the human goddess Melandru, so much so that human scholars would later try to connect the two. According to quaggans, however, there are obvious differences between a land-based, nature goddess and an aquatic deity who embodies the wealth of the ocean.

Northern quaggans were driven south by the advance of the Elder Dragon Jormag and its icebrood sometime after the Ice Dragon's rise in 1165 AE, eventually settling into places like Bitterfrost Frontier and Frostgorge Sound. The krait, who had generally kept to their deep trenches, suddenly erupted into southern quaggan lands in the Unending Ocean circa 1275 AE and destroyed their civilization while driving surviving southern quaggans north to Central Tyria. According to quaggan tales, Mellaggan perished during this time. Some quaggans believe that Mellaggan drew the survivors to the waters of Central Tyria because the threat of the krait, sharks and skale posed less danger to quaggans than what they had left behind.

End of Dragons

See also: Soo-Won According to a quaggan that traveled to Cantha, Mellaggan's true identity is Soo-Won. When the Elder Dragon Zhaitan awoke, Soo-Won left the Unending Ocean for Cantha, protecting it from the Rising of Orr and leading the quaggans to believe she had died. The quaggan in Cantha believes Soo-Won betrayed the quaggans, forsaking them and her name in favor of the Canthans. Whether this quaggan is telling the truth is unknown.

Rituals

After their exodus to Central Tyria, southern quaggans have been using sunken temples to Melandru, such as in Lake Gendarr, for their own worship of Mellaggan, which further blurs the lines between the two deities.

The northern quaggans use an artifact called the Shimmer Bauble to honor the power of Mellaggan. Recovering the bauble from the depths marks the beginning of the Quaggan Games. The quaggan assigned as the bauble runner returns the bauble to the depths when the games have concluded. The southern quaggans leave offerings at Mellaggan Shrine in Lake Gendarr and pray for justice and peace.

Quaggan religion tends to be conservative and traditional. The pastkeepers serve as priests and are responsible for the legends of each community of quaggans. Even after Mellaggan's presumed demise, her shamans possess the power to go on spirit walks so they can observe and explore their surroundings without being harmed.

Place of worship

Kryta

• Gendarran Fields
  • Lake Gendarr
    • Mellaggan Shrine

Followers

• Pastkeeper
• Shaman Meemee

Trivia

• Mellaggan is featured in common quaggan sayings such as "May Mellaggan protect [one]" and "May Mellaggan watch over [one]." Quaggans who feel that they are about to die invoke the goddess's name with "Mellaggan, quaggan is coming to join you soon."

See also

• Mellaggan's Grotto
• Mellaggan's Valor

Associated items

• Heart of Mellaggan
• Mellaggan's Whorl
• Mellaggan Safety Shell
• Shimmer Bauble of Mellaggan
• The Heart of Mellaggan

References

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Religions of Guild Wars 2