Nesoi – The Primordial Goddesses of Islands
Before Poseidon ruled the seas and before the Olympians claimed their thrones, there were the Nesoi—the ancient goddesses of the islands. They weren’t just deities; they were the islands themselves. Every piece of land rising from the ocean? That was them. Silent, strong, and eternal.
Born from Chaos
Like most primordial beings, the origins of the Nesoi are shrouded in mystery. Some say they were daughters of Gaia, breaking away from the earth to scatter across the vast sea. Others whisper that they were part of Chaos itself, shaped by the will of the cosmos. Whatever the truth, one thing is certain—they were among the first, long before the gods of Olympus ever set foot on their lands.
Once Land, Now Sea
The Nesoi weren’t always islands. According to myth, they were once goddesses of land until Poseidon, in a fit of rage, sank them beneath the waves. But they didn’t disappear completely. Instead, they transformed—becoming the scattered islands of Greece, standing defiant against the sea that tried to claim them.
Symbols & Worship
Unlike other deities, the Nesoi weren’t widely worshipped. There were no grand temples built in their honor, no sacred rites performed for them. But every time a sailor landed on an island, every time a traveler found refuge on solid ground in the middle of the endless sea—that was their presence felt. The very land beneath one's feet? That was their divine gift.
The Forgotten Goddesses
In time, as the Olympians took power, the Nesoi faded into the background. Poseidon ruled the waters, Gaia ruled the land, and the Nesoi? They became forgotten, swallowed by time like the ruins of lost civilizations. But even if their names were lost, their legacy remains.
Every island, every rocky shore, every piece of land surrounded by water—that is them. The silent watchers, the unmoving goddesses who have seen empires rise and fall, who have withstood storms and centuries, who remain even when everything else is gone.
The Nesoi never left. They’re just waiting, as they always have, beneath the endless sky.
