Wells looked down at the violin, running a loving hand over the surface of the wood. "I wish I had the words to explain it. I believe that she is … connected to another kind of power. Something older and greater than mortal magic." He looked up at Abbey. "Are you a Universalist, Miss Preston?"
Abbey shook her head. "Meraist. Well, sort of."
"Ahh." Wells tuned another string, then fell silent a moment before speaking. "There exists a primal form of energy that pervades the universe — a spiritual energy, you might call it. Universalists, such as myself, believe that this energy is the undifferentiated essence of the Creator — remnants of its being, scattered throughout the cosmos when it sacrificed itself to create the universe. I suppose that a Meraist might call it the Breath of Eli. We call it the Numen."
Abbey found herself leaning forward, perched on the edge of her seat. "And you think that Threnody is somehow connected to this Numen stuff?"
"It seems plausible. The Numen is the raw substance of creation; it cannot be tamed or commanded by human will, as mana can, yet it responds to us in strange and compelling ways. Some believe that the Dreamlands themselves owe their existence to the Numen: our fantasies and nightmares become real when touched by its power." He gestured down at the violin. "If the Numen can respond to our dreams, perhaps it responds to our pain, as well. Perhaps the universe recognized our suffering, and this fair lady became the vessel for its response."
—Whispers in the Wood
Numen is a Universalist term for the primordial substance of creation. It comes (or came) from the Divine Source, the Great Maker, and pervades the entire physical universe, but also transcends it. It is the sustaining energy that drives the creation of life, order, and consciousness in all their many forms. It is the metaphysical opposite of the Void.
The Numen cannot be studied directly; its presence can only be inferred. Matter, energy, mana, and Essence are all believed to be different manifestations of its primal creative drive.
Direct exposure to the Divine Source of the Numen is not something that physical reality could endure. The Dreamlands are believed to serve as a buffer zone between this Source and the material world, tempering its raw creative energies, just as the Shadow tempers the raw destructive power of the Void.
Sources
- Whispers in the Wood
- To Walk in Shadow
