Mielikki (Forgotten Realms)

Mielikki (/maɪˈliːki/ my-LEE-kee)^[1] is a fictional goddess in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Mielikki is the goddess of autumn, druids, dryads, forests, 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.

Publication history

Ed Greenwood based Mielikki on a historical Mielikki from Finnish mythology (see Mielikki) taken directly from the version found in the Deities & Demigods book,^[2] 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.^[3] This was omitted from the Third Edition Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting.^[4]

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 Dragon #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.^[2]

Mielikki later officially appeared as one of the major deities for the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Set's "Cyclopedia of the Realms" booklet (1987).^[1]

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition (1989-1999)

Mielikki was described in the hardback Forgotten Realms Adventures (1990),^[5] the revised Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (1993) in the "Running the Realms" booklet,^[3] and Faiths & Avatars (1996).^[6] Her clergy was further detailed in Warriors and Priests of the Realms (1996),^[7] and Prayers from the Faithful (1997).^[8]

Her role in the cosmology of the Planescape campaign setting was described in On Hallowed Ground (1996).^[9]

Her relationships with the nonhuman deities in the Forgotten Realms was covered in Demihuman Deities (1998).^[10]

Mielikki is described as one of the good deities that celestials can serve in the supplement Warriors of Heaven (1999).^[11]

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),^[12] and is further detailed in Faiths and Pantheons (2002).^[13]

Famous Followers

Some of the most well known supporters of the beautiful goddess are:

• Drizzt Do'Urden (Dark Elf Ranger)
• Drizzt's past mentor, the blind ranger Montolio Debrouchee (Mooshie)
• Pikel Bouldershoulder, the dwarven druid.
• Florin Falconhand (human ranger)
• Elehir Fernwood (Wood Elf Druid), a high priest of Mielikki.

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)

References