Sohvi and the Animarbor Vinum
The story of Sohvi and the Animarbor Vinum is a tale of the discovery by Mortals of both Deipomus (God Fruit) and the "wine" made from it. The story also glosses over the discovery of Lichendei, which Sohvi supposedly brought back to the Material Plane. Categorised as a form of Ambrosia (God Food), Animarbor Vinum is purported to allow the drinker to see into the Souls of Mortals and "manipulate" them in some way, though the specifics of this are uncertain. Sohvi is additionally the first and only Mortal to have ever made their way to a Soul Tree and return with no apparent ill effects.
Animarbor Vinum has become a popular choice amongst artists looking to create Religious art, mainly due to the challenge of capturing its unique colour.
Summary
Sohvi and the Animarbor Vinum is the second of three stories involving Sohvi, which are collectively known as "The Triad of Sohvi". The Triad follows the overarching story of Sohvi attempting to find a cure for her sick sister.
Following on from Sohvi's journey through the Celestial Gate, Sohvi travels through a glittering marsh where gentle voices call to her, offering her great Arcane power in exchange for her stopping her quest. Ignoring them, she makes her way out the other side and up a hill, upon which stands a tree with coppery bark, sapphire-like leaves, and silvery fruit.
There she meets three people; two men and a woman, who introduce themselves as The Scribes. They tell her that they are there to bear witness to the first fruiting of this new Soul Tree, a tree that can show the true hearts of Mortral Souls, but warn Sohvi not to touch the tree, nor eat any of the fallen fruit, as the power will surely kill her. They ask why a Mortal Soul is visiting a Soul Tree, and Sohvi admits that she did not intend to visit a Soul Tree, but was trying to find a cure for her sister's illness. When asked why she ignored the voices in the marsh, she tells them that while power was tempting, it would not give her what she needed to save her sister, and thus, Sohvi had no need for it.
Seeing no deceit in her, the Scribes told her that the cure she needed could be found in Lichendei, a type of moss located in a garden not far from the Tree. However, in order to visit the garden, she must gain permission from three Gods: Wilder, Silvanus, and Shareen. The Scribes recommend giving them a special gift, something that only she could possibly offer, and tell her that she has until the first fruit has fallen to ask a favour of them.
An arborist herself, Sohvi is intrigued by the beautiful tree and sits down to watch with the Scribes. She quietly waits, her patience seemingly endless, and the Scribes are impressed. Sohvi asks about the fruit of the tree, and the Scribes tell her that the fruit is delicious and sweet, but each fruit only lasts an hour before it withers and dies, thus it must be eaten or processed immediately. They describe it as a powerful fruit that can offer great insights into Souls, but that it is potent enough to drive Mortals mad enough to kill them in its pure form. This gives Sohvi an idea, and she asks the Scribes if, for her favour, she could have some vinification equipment. After the first fruit falls and withers, the Scribes grant Sohvi her wish, and leave her with a set of vinification equipment, along with all the ingredients she asked for and instructions on how to find the Gods she needed to please.
Sohvi set to work, spending a year and a half Celestial-time creating something truly special: wine made from the fruit of the Soul Tree. Knowing that she could not touch the tree herself to pick the fruit, she instead waited for each fruit to fall by itself, pressing every single fruit individually after it fell. She blended the wine with refreshing and healing herbs, pouring every ounce of her knowledge, passion, patience and heart into the creation of the new wine. For six months she picked up and pressed Soul Fruit, while at the same time experimenting with herb combinations, before mixing everything together and allowed it to sit for a (Celestial) year before she sought out the three Gods, taking with her ten bottles of the wine. Upon finding them, Sohvi kneels and waits to be addressed, before offering her creation: Animarbor Vinum.
The wine within the bottles shimmered in shades of silver and sapphire blue, the glow from within making it obvious that this was no ordinary wine. The Gods, surprised at Sohvi's combined humility and boldness, try the wine, and call it a taste that surpasses even Ambrosia; a bold explosion of satisfying flavour with but a single drop. Interestingly, the vinification process amplified the effects of the Soul Fruit, making it so that only a tiny sip, no more than 15ml, was required to gain the ability to view Souls. The quality and excellence of what was produced outshone anything that even Sohvi had ever made in the Mortal Realm, her patience, care and diligence showing within the wine with every drop.
The three Gods knew that only Sohvi, who was pure of heart and patient of Soul, could possibly have ever made such a beautiful wine, and thus they granted her access to the Great Garden, within which was the Lichendei that Sohvi so desperately needed.
Historical Basis
It is believed that Sohvi was a real person, and that she did indeed ascend to a role as Keeper of the Soul Trees some time in the 1st Age. While there is little physical evidence remaining from the first to third Ages, mentions of Sohvi show up in early texts related to the Scribes, as well as Wilder, Silvanus and Shareen, to whom Sohvi supposedly had links. The Sohvin Grove, where the Holy Tree of Shareen is rumoured to grow, was named after Sohvi, as further legends state that she planted the Holy Tree herself.
The presence of Lichendei in the Material Plane is also tenuously used as evidence of Sohvi's existence, because it does not occur naturally in the Material Plane and must be transplanted.
Animarbor Vinum is more difficult to prove, as the myth states that only three bottles were brought to the Material Plane by Sohvi. One was dedicated to the Altar of the Scribes, one was gifted to the Grand Temple of the Major Deities, and Sohvi kept one for herself. All three bottles have long since been lost and all who have claimed to have discovered them have proven fraudulent.
Variations & Mutation
In some forms of the tale, particularly in communities where society is highly patriarchal, Sohvi's gender is switched to male, in order to appease the hierarchy.
Additionally, Sohvi's heritage is not universally agreed upon, with suggestions being that she was Human, Elven, or a mix of the two. Most accounts argue toward Human or mixed Human-Elf, as Sohvi's name is not Elvish in origin, though it has been suggested that she may have used a moniker if she had a particularly complicated name.
In Art
This particular myth is often depicted as the second in a triptych, and usually features imagery of Sohvi (often as a Half Elf) either collecting the fallen Soul Fruit or offering the completed Animarbor Vinum to Wilder, Silvanus and Shareen. While all depictions show the Animarbor Vinum as being silvery-blue in colour, the exact shade of it can vary from silvery-sky-blue to a much deeper sapphire-silver. The myth most often states that the colour of the wine is darker in tone, but many artists choose to avoid this colouration because it tends to look too stark in their otherwise bright paintings.
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