Volsénlla

Volsénlla (pron. Vol SEN ya, Keshnul: "star treasure") is the creator-goddess in the Kiri religion, Tórvathen. Volsénlla is responsible for creating the universe of the Continuation. She is generally considered one of a race of gods with different gods responsible for creating different universes.

Appearance
Volsénlla is traditionally pictured as a small woman in plain, gray clothes with rather short brown hair, facing away from the viewer and holding a small wooden wand, which signifies her creative powers.

Gender
It has been noted that Volsénlla's wand may be interpreted as a more phallic than female symbol and that Volsénlla's creative powers, usually depicted as a practice of art and/or science, do not match other traditions' images of a mother goddess who gives birth to life.

One theory for this irregularity is that Kiri society, though long matriarchal, has roots in an older patriarchal tradition. According to this view, Volsénlla may be an appropriation of a male creator whose creative process was depicted as more that of an artisan than biological parent.

Another theory is that the tradition of Volsénlla solidified during the age of terraforming, when art and science were, indeed, primary expressions of human biological creativity.

A more minor Kiri goddess found in some traditions, Nern, is a more traditional earth-mother figure.

Volsénlla's Action
Volsénlla is typically considered a creator who stands outside her creation (the universe). She established the universe to function under the laws of physics and will not interfere with this. It is considered inappropriate to pray to Volsénlla for intercession because this is tantamount to asking her to change the laws of a universe she has already established to manage themselves, a feat of marvelous engineering.

In Perditan society, Volsénlla's lack of involvement in human affairs jarred with the Sama religion's view of more involved dieties, and Wolsena (the Tapaynayn form of Volsénlla) came to be regarded as an uncaring goddess, unworthy of respect. In many circles, her name became an insult.