The Others are mysterious beings, brought into existence at the moment of the Big Bang when the Divine created the Universe. Though they did not take a direct role in the Creation of the Universe, they had an amicable relationship with the Æther. That was until the Horror began. After the heart of Alÿran-Jakinduria was stolen by her mate Percec-Ikasi and she became the nameless Empty One, she went about trying to corrupt as many powerful beings as possible to her service. While she was able to infuse the Others with her evil will, their self-absorbed and independent natures did not allow her to dominate them totally.
The sister of Queen Ænahïta, however, was a different story. It is believed to be extremely poor judgment to speak the name of an Other, for to do so would bring great catastrophe, if not wipe out a whole civilization without a trace, such was the malice infused into them during the Horror. In Lindsay’s world, one could conclude that the Others were the basis for various Eldritch horrors, while I was IRL inspired by cosmic horror to write of them.
They are also, as one of the Stars said to Lindsay in S1E10, a cognito-hazard, meaning that the more you know of them (at least more than the Stars are willing to discuss), the more power they have over your psyche. Thus, learning more of them brings no sense of wisdom or accomplishment, but only despair and fear. Those who learn even the basics about the Others are often advised to forget them quickly, lest they begin to imagine such horrors, and as such, become vulnerable to their influence.
One of the few Others whose name was known was Aurië, the Wandering Light. Aurië was the only Other known to identify as female. Before the Horror, she was the Queen of the Others and had a close friendship with an Æther, specifically Alÿran-Jakinduria. Through her rapport with the old goddess of wisdom, Aurië came to care for intelligent life and was deeply saddened by the Horror and along with her four divine daughters: Hzanûmë of the Mycelium, Zelenaya Mat of the Green Veil, Míri’aqxi of the Holy Metal, and Þÿgetë of the Rose Crystal, were the only Others who were not corrupted. She was said to have also had mortal children, whose female descendants across many worlds would have unusual powers and be able to cast spells, each world’s branch being led by a skilled and powerful witch known as a Reverend Mother. Ida Crawford’s copy of the book speaks of the goddess Aurië as a giver of light and hope, giving living things the courage to leap into the unknown, in spite of great fear. Hundreds of years ago, she came to Earth in the form of a beautiful woman and married an Englishman and their descendants settled in VA and other parts of the US and the women had unusual powers, like being able to see forbidden colors and break curses. Her taking husbands and leaving descendants on many worlds came from her desire to not be alone, since her only friend in the Universe, Alÿran-Jakinduria, was corrupted by the theft of her heart. As such, the Wandering Light is not so much an Eldritch horror as she is an Eldritch wonder.
Further details will be added as the series progresses.
