Burn

Burn
Fan art by Blazemalefica
Biographical information
Pseudonyms	The Sleeping Goddess Lady of the Earth The Great Mother Goddess
Race	Elder Goddess
Gender	Female
Social information
Warren(s)	Tennes

Burn was an Elder Goddess known as the "Lady of the Earth", "The Sleeping Goddess", or "The Great Mother Goddess". The calendar of the Malazan Empire was based upon the amount of time that Burn had laid dormant, with years being delegated to before and after Burn's Sleep. The first book in the series, Gardens of the Moon began in the 1163rd year of Burn's Sleep.

Tennes, the Path of the Land, was her associated Warren. Caladan Brood's hammer had the power to awaken her.

The Seti of Quon Tali believed Burn slept beneath their lands. Earth tremors were sometimes known as "Burn's Pain".

Hers was one of only seven religions allowed on Kartool Island prior to the Malazan conquest.

Burn was the patron deity of Li Heng. Among the Drenn people, Burn's symbol was a circle and horizon line.

In Gardens of the Moon

Immediately after being freed from his barrow by agents of the Malazan Empire, the Jaghut Tyrant Raest sensed an underground sleeping goddess after driving his senses deep into the Earth. He considered waking her, but instead decided to make her bleed for the time being, driving a fissure through the bedrock which was enough to make her stir but not awaken. Raest's lone assault on Burn was enough to cause earthquakes and a volcanic eruption in the Gadrobi Hills.

In Memories of Ice

Quick Ben discovered the Crippled God had started infecting Burn's flesh after being bound to it by the Elder Gods during the Chaining. The Chained One claimed the goddess could not awaken while he burgeoned in her flesh. Burn's giant earthen servants pleaded with Quick Ben to save them, saying the goddess weakened and had only tens of years left.

Quick Ben consulted Pale's Witch of Tennes, reputedly the oldest in the world, on the matter of Burn and her sleep. In this conversation, it was revealed Burn slept in order to dream, and that the earth would shake and pour molten rock out like blood when Burn would stir towards wakefulness, leading to the destruction of all life.

When Ganoes Paran inspected the card of the Sleeping Goddess from the Deck of Dragons, he had a vision of Burn and her history. She appeared as a sleeping woman whose depthless skin revealed details of forest, bedrock, and the ocean floor as one focused upon it. According to Paran's vision, Burn had sensed the sickness coming, and chosen to sleep. All her power was transferred into a single forging, namely Brood's hammer. This hammer was capable of breaking the chains that bound the Crippled God to Burn's flesh. Brood, however, would not use the hammer since the release of the Crippled God would mean the end of life. On the other hand, not breaking the chains would slowly kill Burn, and in turn all life dependent on her. Further, Burn's Warren was a pathway to all the other Warrens and all faced corruption and death.

Brood's decision was supported by Anomander Rake, the Queen of Dreams, and Hood, but after nearly 1200 years, Brood still wrestled with his burden and began to question his choice. He came to the conclusion that Burn had faith he would find another way.

During the Pannion War against the Crippled God's pawn, the Pannion Seer, High Fist Dujek Onearm sought to buy Brood more time to find it. He and his army challenged the Pannion Domin army alone at the Battle of Black Coral knowing that it could well be suicide.

Ultimately, Quick Ben wrested the Seer from the Crippled God's influence and brought him to Burn's realm. The Seer used his own access to Omtose Phellack to slow the spread of the infection and gave Burn's defenders the time to find a third way of resolving the dilemma with the Chained One. The Sleeping Goddess called upon the Witch of Tennes to remain with the Seer and help care for his sister while protecting the final manifestation of Omtose Phellack.

In The Bonehunters

Burn by Shadaan

Around the time of the Battle of Raraku, Poliel spread the Bluetongue Plague on Seven Cities killing hundreds of thousands or perhaps millions. To halt the disease, Ganoes Paran orchestrated her death at G'danisban. As the goddess was about to die, her thoughts revealed why she had unleashed the plague. She had "sought to heal Burn. For such was the true purpose of fever, such was the cold arbiter of disease. Only humans...centre salvation solely upon themselves."

In Reaper's Gale

As Icarium stepped from one of the ships of the Third Edur Imperial Fleet onto the soil of Letheras, the earth shook strongly enough to topple Scale House. The Jhag's companion, Taralack Veed, told a disbelieving Yan Tovis that Burn's own flesh flinched at Icarium's presence.

In Toll the Hounds

The Temple of Burn in Darujhistan was a somewhat dilapidated building attended by a fading cult for a goddess who had, perhaps, slept too long. Holy objects enshrined in the temple included misshapen chunks of raw ore, crystals of white, rose and purple quartz and amethyst, starstones, amber, copper, flint and petrified wood and bones. In place of an altar was a smoking crevasse leading to Burn's Gate, which appeared as molten rock seemingly twenty spans below. The molten rock was actually in another realm or else it would have had a catastrophic effect on Darujhistan's natural gas supply.

Mappo Runt sought out the temple's High Priest of Burn to shorten the long journey to Lether. The High Priest and his acolytes performed a ritual that bathed Mappo in blood so that he would survive passage through the Gate. However, Ardatha's previous claim to the Trell proved too strong and the ritual failed.

While browsing through the wares of a store selling headstones and crypt facades in Darujhistan, Cutter came across an array of stylised deities, not yet temple-sanctioned, which would be used to beseech blessings upon the future dead. Among them was a depiction of Burn.

Tulas Shorn came to the witch, Samar Dev, bowed before her, and named her a priestess of Burn despite her protestations to the contrary. He defended his claim, saying witches held congress with the earth, the sky, water, and stone as opposed to bringing alien powers into the world from the warrens like other mages. Further, Samar Dev was among those few Burn chose to dream about, and even more rarely, dreamt of often. Then Tulas Shorn asked Samar Dev if she would fight for Burn to expunge the sickness of the Crippled God's pain that poisoned the goddess' body lest she die. He said he did not have the courage required to take on the God's pain himself.

Draconus recalled how had forged Dragnipur in the molten fires of Burn's heart from iron and chains of every metal that existed, using "the one hammer" capable of the work. Even in her dreaming, Burn had been displeased. Caladan Brood later used the same hammer to destroy the sword, claiming Burn was likely smiling in her sleep.

In Dust of Dreams

Olar Ethil claimed herself to be Burn, amongst a host of other female deities of note, in a rant to Torrent.

In Return of the Crimson Guard

The Great Sanctuary of Burn was the largest monastery on Quon Tali until it had been destroyed, perhaps ironically, long ago by an earthquake. Greymane feared to use his sword, which may have been an object associated with Burn like Brood's hammer, too close to the sanctuary for fear of what might occur.

In Stonewielder

The mysterious prisoner, Cherghem, called Greymane's sword "an artifact unique in all existence, but for one other." (The other likely being Burn's Hammer in the hands of Caladan Brood.) Wherever Greymane travelled in the Lands of Fist with the sword he seemed to be immune to the Lady's attempts to use the power of the earth against him. The sword had the power to directly channel D'riss and Greymane ultimately used it to cause great destructive upheavals on Korelri and to bring down the Stormwall.

In Dancer's Lament

During The Protectress' reign over Li Heng, in the period before the formation of the Malazan Empire, the city's High Priest of Burn was Lakke Sumarkethol.

Li Heng

It was widely known in Quon Tali that the primary religious festival of Li Heng was the procession honouring the city's ancient patron: Burn, the Sleeping Goddess. Devout pilgrims would come from all over to be part of this yearly observance. The procession, itself, was comprised of large platforms - most of which carried effigies of the slumbering Burn. Included in the procession were also icons and shrines dedicated to a number of other entities. These 'lesser' deities shared with Burn aspects related to "fate, futurity and the struggle of life and death", and usually included: the Enchantress / Queen of Dreams; D'rek, the Worm of Autumn; Poliel, the Lady of Pestilence and Corruption; and Mowri, Lady of Slaves and Beggars. Crowds of men, women and even children - many carrying candles or lamps - proceeded along with the various "massive pallets" and took turns in helping to carry the heavy platforms along the procession's route. Each year the procession, presumably led by the High Priest of Burn, started with everyone walking the complete circuit of Li Heng's Outer Round; then walking the complete circuit of the city's Inner Round; all finally ending up in the City Centre at the city's Grand Temple which was devoted to Burn.

In Deadhouse Landing

In the time when the Cult of D'rek was dominant on Kartool Island, there were several "minor titular" deities subservient to the Worm of Autumn - one of whom was Burn. These other allowed 'lesser' gods and goddesses - like Burn - were venerated on their own particular feast days.

In Kellanved's Reach

West of the city of Li Heng were located the Indryn Falls and the Escarpment - where ancient legend had it that "Burn herself sleeps". This legend, with regard to Burn, was very widely believed - which thus imbued the area with an aura of "religious and mystical importance".

In Forge of the High Mage

During the Malazan invasion of Falar through the Great Fenn Range and Ice Fields of Quon Tali, the region experienced severe earthquakes and tremors. Hessa attributed it to Burn turning over, while Blues recalled theories of the goddess breathing or shifting in her sleep in her captivity far underground.

In Forge of Darkness

Burn, the Dreamer, was the greatest witch of the Dog-Runners, who stayed behind when her people left Kurald Galain. In a hidden temple buried near Tulla Hold, Burn slept as her body became one with the thick roots of the forest. Rancept, the Tulla castellan, said Burn dreamed "so that we may live... she dreams, to give us our freedom." Rancept unknowingly wounded Burn when he used his axe to cut through the roots blocking the entrance to the temple. A chance burst of laughter from Sukul Ankhadu healed Burn, who responded by blessing her with the Breath of the Sleeping Goddess.

Olar Ethil claimed to have nurtured Burn at her own breast contradicting her later claims that she was herself the sleeping goddess.

Quotes

"Her face is polished wood, a deep brown that seems to hold gold in its depths. The wood has grown over the bones of her face. Once, that face would have been fair-skinned, the features heavy but open to all pleasures and joys--this is how the Dog-Runners are."

―Rancept describing Burn

Notes and references

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