Nyx in the House of Night

refers to the feminine aspects of God. As such, some scholars of the Kabbalah link the Shekinah to the Divine Feminine. In Rabbanic literature, the Shekinah is the actual presence of God come to Earth; God’s presence was said to manifest on earth during acts of personal need, public prayer, and righteous judgment. The Shekinah has taken on many forms, including a beam of light, the burning bush through which God (or Yahweh) spoke to Moses, and a cloud leading Israel out of Egypt. The Christian equivalent of the Shekinah in the New Testament is the Holy Spirit, which is often represented in scripture as a dove, light, fire, cloud, and water. As a part of the Holy Trinity, the Holy Spirit is one of the beings that constitutes God, but is also a separate entity sent down to earth to show God’s physical presence and carry out the Lord’s will. According to the New Testament, Jesus was conceived via the Holy Spirit, who also made an appearance at his baptism, and after his death the Spirit came to Jesus’ apostles in tongues of flame that graced them with the power to speak all the world’s languages.
    In the House of Night. . .
Shekinah is the High Priestess of all vampyres. She is very closely allied with Nyx, and Zoey automatically detects the Goddess’ presence in the High Priestess when they first meet. As the Hebrew roots of her name imply, Shekinah is regarded by other vampyres as Nyx’s presence manifested on earth.
    Thanatos
    (Greek) death
    In mythology . . .
Thanatos is the son of Nyx and the god of nonviolent death.
    In the House of Night . . .
Thanatos is the only vampyre with an affinity for death. She can talk to and help souls as they cross over to the Otherworld, aligning her conceptually with mythic figures Erebus (see Erebus ) and Charon (ferryman of the river Styx, who some myths say was one of Nyx’s children).
    • • •
    The Cruithne
    Sgiach
    Sgathaich (Gaelic) shadowy; the shadowed one
    In history . . .
Sgathaich, “the Great Taker of Heads,” was a Scottish warrior queen who ran a military school on the south end of the Isle of Skye (the land of shadows). Her stronghold was Dun Sgathaich, or Dunscaith Castle. Heroes of Scottish legend were said to have gone to “the Fortress of Shadows” to learn the art of warfare.
    In the House of Night . . .
Like her historical namesake, the vampyre warrior queen Sgiach runs a warrior House of Night school on the Isle of Skye (also known in the books as the Isle of Women). She, too, is called “the Great Taker of Heads,” and she has an affinity for the island. As such, she can appear and disappear anywhere on it at will, much like the shadows the real Isle of Skye are associated with.
    Seoras MacUallis
    Seoras (Gaelic) farmer; the Scottish form of George
MacUallis (Scottish) a loosely translated Scottish version of the last name Wallace
    In reality . . .
P.C. based this character off the Scotsman Seoras Wallace, the Chieftain of Clan Wallace and the guide hired by her UK publisher when she traveled to Scotland to research Burned . He is a descendant of Scottish resistance hero William Wallace and also a sword master and fight director.
    In the House of Night . . .
Seoras MacUallis is the warrior and defender of Sgiach. He is also James Stark’s ancestor and the head of the Clan MacUallis, Guardians of the Ace.

    GODS AND HUMANS
    Nyx
    (Greek) night
    In mythology . . .
Born from Chaos, Nyx is the primordial goddess of the night. Aether (upper air/atmosphere) and Hemera (day) are her children with Erebus, her consort and brother. Independently, Nyx gave birth to a number of deities, among them the Fates, Eris, and the Hesperides, the female guards of the tree with the golden apples.
    In the House of Night . . .
Though she is the personification of night, Nyx is closely allied with the Black Bull of Light. She is the central goddess in the vampyre religion and embodies the personas of goddesses from various cultures. In Marked , Nyx tells Zoey she has been called:
Changing Woman : the central goddess of the Navajo religion. She ages with the seasons, representing the cycle of life and fertility. She is a close personification of the earth and also represents the natural order of the universe.
Gaea/Gaia : the Greek primordial goddess who is literally the Earth. She was part of the first group of gods who came into existence independently.
A’akuluujjusi : the great creator mother in Inuit religion.
Kuan Yin : the goddess of mercy and compassion