Nald'thal
Nald'thal, overseer of the underworld and god of commerce, is the guardian deity of Ul'dah.[1]
Mythology
Nald'Thal commands the element of fire and is associated with the tenth moon of the Eorzean calendar. In most of Eorzea, Nald'thal is considered a single deity, but in Ul'dah, he is considered a pair of deific twins: Nald and Thal. He is most often depicted as a discerning merchant holding a balance. His symbol is the cowry, an ancient shell currency.[2]
According to the Faith of The Twelve, Nald'thal fired golden bricks in the heat of Azeyma's sun and built the city of the Heaven of Fire, where the just and fair, and the honest and philanthropic came to rest. Into the Pit he cast the rubble of the city and set it alight, creating the Hell of Fire and burning the judgmental, the dishonest and those who gave and received douceurs to cinders.
The mark of Nald'thal can be found in the base of the statue of Thal in the Arrazaneth Ossuary.
Thal's Respite
Nald's Reflection
True Origin
Worship Practices and Organizations
The Order of Nald'thal
The Order of Nald'Thal is headquartered in Ul'dah, through both the Arrazaneth Ossuary in the Steps of Nald and the Milvaneth Sacrarium in the Steps of Thal. It is currently headed by Dewlala Dewla, the prioress of the Milvaneth Sacrarium.[3]
Arrazaneth Ossuary
One of many temples maintained by the Order, the ossuary is devoted to the worship of Thal, the divine arbiter of the afterlife. Two kinds of people visit its halls: the destitute praying for fortune, and the wealthy seeking extravagant funerary rites.[4]
The worship of Nald'thal in Ul'dah is essentially a form of commerce. The Order of Nald preforms offerings for wealth and success in business... for the right price, while the Order of Thal promises to arrange a good place for their adherents in the afterlife... the quality of such a "good place" is of course based on the adherents' generosity in life, especially their generosity to the Order of Thal.
Milvaneth Sacrarium
A sacred temple of Nald. Until quite recently, it was visited by many devout followers, such as merchants praying for wealth in this life, and success in their endeavors. The Sacrarium is now inaccessible to the general public, as it undergoes repairs to damage it sustained during the Calamity.[5]
Holy Sites
Unlike the other members of The Twelve, Nald'thal has two marks, both contained in the statues in Ul'dah; the statue of Thal at the Arrazaneth Ossuary in the Steps of Nald, as well as the statue in Milvaneth Sacrarium in the Steps of Thal. There are also shrines dedicated to both Nald and Thal in Eastern Thanalan and Southern Thanalan respectively.
Erralig's Burial Chamber
Part of the Arrazneth Ossuary, the burial chamber is a crypt open to Ul'dahns who make donations to the temple. It was built within the remains of an ancient ruin predating Ul'dah's foundation. The prestigious lowest levels are reserved for the most generous donors, small donations earn a place in the top levels, while a pittiance reportedly lands corpses in the wilds where monsters roam.[6]
Saints and Important Figures
Saint Zozonan
A friar who bartered away his valuables to feed the poor, and became revered for his example of sympathy. His tale is recounted in Saint Zozonan and the Empty Chapel.[7]
Saint Adama Landama
A wealthy man who, through unequaled philanthropy, achieved sainthood in the eyes of Nald'thal. Indeed, the tale of how he saved his town using naught but his wits and his wealth is told realm-wide in the legend of Saint Adama Landama and the Market Basket. He is also the namesake of a church in Eastern Thanalan. Officially, he is recognized as the saint of munificence, meaning the quality or action of being lavishly generous.[8]
Saint Bodenolf
Bodenolf led his retreating mercenary company into a destitute village, who offered them shelter in spite of their minimal resources. Years later when drought struck the land, Bodenolf returned to the village to dig them a well and defend them from water-stealing brigands. Praised for the unity he inspired in the tale of Saint Bodenolf and the Bottomless Well.[9]
Myths of the Realm
Following the events of Endwalker, reports begin to surface about adventurers encountering Nald'thal in present-day Eorzea.
- Main article: Myths of the Realm
References
Encyclopaedia Eorzea,
- page 17 "The Twelve",
- page 18 "Creation",
- page 19 "The Hell and Heaven of Fire".
- ↑ Encyclopedia Eorzea, "The Twelve", page 17.
- ↑ Encyclopædia Eorzea, p.17
- ↑ Encyclopedia Eorzea, page 135, "The Order of Nald'thal"
- ↑ Encyclopedia Eorzea, page 137, "Arrazaneth Ossuary"
- ↑ Encyclopedia Eorzea, page 139, "Milvaneth Sacrarium"
- ↑ Encyclopedia Eorzea, page 137, "Arrazneth Ossuary"
- ↑ Encyclopaedia Eorzea II, p27.
- ↑ Encyclopaedia Eorzea II, p28.
- ↑ Encyclopaedia Eorzea II, p28.