Tumeken

This article is about the god. For the cosmetic override, see Tumeken Banner.

"Lord of Light" redirects here. For the artefact, see 'The Lord of Light' painting.

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Tumeken
Race								Unknown
Gender								Male
Status								Unknown
Religion								Menaphite Pantheon
Faction								Menaphite Pantheon
Notable features								Patriarch of the Menaphite Pantheon

Tumeken (pronounced TU-muh-ken), sometimes referred to in Menaphite texts as the Lord of Light and the God of the Sun, is the god of light, the husband of Elidinis, the father of Icthlarin and Amascut, one of the four major gods of the Menaphite Pantheon, and co-founder of Kharidian. He is also responsible for using a piece of his essence to create the four minor gods of the pantheon, Het, Crondis, Apmeken, and Scabaras - collectively called the "bau of Tumeken". Because of this, Tumeken is directly or indirectly responsible for creating a majority of the desert pantheon and can be seen as its leader, though he has not been active since the Second Age.

Deity info

Tumeken
Symbol
Alignment	Light and Sun
Godhood	God
Avatars and aspects	• Apmeken • Crondis • Het • Scabaras
Animal aspect	Falcon
Colours	Yellow, grey
Adjective	? (edit)

Characterisation

Tumeken's worshippers characterise him as "the sun that gives life and punishes". Similarly, the Sphinx claims he is exemplified by the saying "you have to be cruel to be kind". She compares him to the harshness of the desert, arguing that Tumeken protects Menaphos from outsiders through a similar harsh manner.

Icthlarin, Tumeken's son, views his father as an exemplar of humility and selflessness. However, he also describes how his rage burned fiercely following an unknown incident, for which he and his sister were punished by being sent to the Underworld. Tumeken never forgave his children for this incident; Icthlarin attempted to win his favour by allying with the mahjarrat, but Tumeken already suspected their betrayal.

Amascut, Tumeken's daugther, in turn implied he was cold and unfeeling, unable to give her affection.

History

As the creator of most of the desert gods, Tumeken has been heavily mythologised by the Menaphites, making finding accurate statements regarding his character or history difficult. A popular tale that is available about the god is Tumeken's dream, a Menaphite legend about the creation of the lesser gods, though the accuracy of the tale is dubious. Reldo, the scholar who translated the text, suggests the tale exists to pass on Menaphosian beliefs rather than being a historic document.

Second Age

Little is known about Tumeken's origins and arrival on Gielinor. He was present on Gielinor at least by the Second Age, as he came into conflict with Zaros in the Kharidian-Zarosian War. It is not known how long he had been on Gielinor by that point. Senliten, a Menaphite Pharaoh from this time period, considered the gods worshipped by most other peoples to be "newcomers" and implied her own gods were native. If Tumeken predates either Zaros or Saradomin, he would necessarily date back to at least the late First Age. However, Senliten may simply have been expressing a religious belief.

Tumeken would claim the area known as Kharidian for himself and the humans living there as his subjects. These humans were the ancestors of the modern Menaphites. The Kharidian Lands at the time were a vast area, stretching from Al Kharid in the north to what would later become Sophanem in the south, had lush areas of forest, and were rich in resources. Little is known from this time; however, according to legend, he would meet the goddess Elidinis along the River Elid and took her for his wife, and Icthlarin and Amascut were sired from their union. This was the creation of the four major gods of Kharidian, and they have shaped its destiny and the world beyond. Like many other gods at the time, the family established an empire, though its size and wealth was greater than most.

It is unknown why he created the minor gods of the desert. Tumeken's dream suggests they were created upon witnessing the failings of his children, suggesting that they were created after the war with Zaros, but other evidence implies that they were created before as they were well established by the time of Queen Senliten. Likewise, Tumeken's sacrifice would make it impossible to create any later deities. However, according to legends, Tumeken entered a deep sleep and dreamed. Every day for four days, he would visit a section of his lands, and at the end of each day, he would create one of four avatars of his essence: Het, Apmeken, Crondis, and Scabaras. These four were each given a duty by Tumeken to help Menaphite society.

'Solem in Umbra', a Zarosian artist's depiction of Tumeken as a green-headed falcon on the battlefield against Zaros

Tumeken's role in the Kharidian-Zarosian War is unknown, but he played a key role in its end. After the schism of the Mahjarrat, a majority sided with Zaros, and Zarosian reinforcements reversed the tide of the war and pushed the few loyalist Mahjarrat Menaphite forces south. Right when the Menaphite force were going to stage a last stand, Tumeken appeared and created a large magical blast of fire, killing hundreds of Mahjarrat and annihilating the forces on both sides, forcing the Zarosians to retreat. His fate after this is unknown, and while Kharshai believes him to have perished in the blast, his son Icthlarin merely believes him to be sleeping.

The mining site Tumeken's remnant is the location where Tumeken sacrificed himself. The lingering remnants of his energy eventually crystallised into the light animica rocks of the mine.

Later Ages

The loss of Tumeken was a great blow to both the Menaphite civilisation and the desert Pantheon. With his absence, it seems that Icthlarin and Elidinis took on the position of leaders of the desert pantheon. Amascut's warping would cause great trouble for both. Thanks to the great desert now separating Kharidian and Zarosian's empires, there was never again an invasion of the same scale of the first war, though tension still existed between the two by the time of Queen Senliten. The Menaphites readily adapted to their new environment, and the cities of Uzer and Ullek became Kharidian's greatest cities.

During the God Wars, the desert held out relatively unaffected for three millennia as many battles to the north of the continent drove mass amounts of refugees south. There is evidence that during this period, Elidinis made an alliance with Saradomin, who created a massive front north of the desert that lasted for centuries. However, this front would eventually fall when Zamorak launched a massive invasion called the Kharidian Desert Campaign that would lead to the destruction of first Uzer and then Ullek. With the destruction of the continent Forinthry to the north by Zamorak, Guthix awoke and banished every god of sufficient power from Gielinor. Elidinis was affected by this and was forced to leave, though her children Icthlarin and Amascut could stay due to their lack of power. Het, Crondis, Apmeken, and Scabaras were also allowed to stay for the same reason.

After the God Wars, the surviving Menaphites built a number of settlements that had once been battlefields. Icthlarin had become more involved with the affairs of the Underworld, to the point that he no longer visited the surface. Amascut, taking advantage of her brother's absence, proceeded to undermine the lesser gods of the Pantheon, stealing Apmeken's sight, hearing, and voice, creating monsters from each. She is also suspected to have played a role in the banishment of Scabaras. The culmination of her plot was the theft of the Kharid-ib, a jewel suspected to have a connection with Tumeken himself.

Current state

“	Your essence was spent long ago. Your shadow is no longer cast. The people have forgotten your name. And once Scabaras finally debases himself, your bau shall be entirely corrupted. Then I shall devour your heart, and with it the last remnant of your existence!	”
— Amascut in 'Phite Club

In the Second Age, Tumeken appeared to detonate himself in a great explosion in order to stop the Zarosian conquest of his lands. Many believed that Tumeken had perished. However, some of his followers believed he would one day return to enact his vengeance.

Tumeken is confirmed to have survived in some form in 'Phite Club. During the quest, Amascut reveals her intention to eradicate him for good, while Tumeken possesses Jabari and two Thralls in a failed attempt to persuade her to stop. Amascut refers to five discrete remnants of Tumeken's existence: his essence, his shadow, his name, his bau, and his heart. However, she believes that only the bau and the heart still remain.

The bau refers to the four lesser gods of the Menaphite pantheon: Het, Scabaras, Apmeken, and Crondis. According to Tumeken's Dream, they were created when Tumeken wandered the desert and placed portions of himself into beings which impressed him. With the exception of Scabaras, they were all corrupted by Amascut, but the Player frees them in Do No Evil, Crocodile Tears, and Our Man in the North.

The heart is the Kharid-Ib, a diamond also known as The Heart of the Sun or The Heart of Tumeken. It was recovered from the site where Tumeken exploded by the Zarosian Heriditas Expedition and was kept in Kharid-Et until the founders of Al-Kharid recovered it and kept it as an heirloom. In Diamond in the Rough, Amascut acquires it by holding Prince Ali for ransom.

Mentioned

Transcripts Tumeken is mentioned in:

• After The Flood
• Beneath Scabaras' Sands
• Do No Evil
• Elidinian Mysteries I
• Kharshai's memory (book)
• Letter signed 'Pontifex Bilrach'
• Ode of the Devourer
• Scabaras research
• Spirits of the Elid
• Tumeken's Dream

Trivia

• Tumeken is partially inspired by the Egyptian god Ra, god of the sun. He is described by Senliten as "The sun that gives life and punishes". He is also occasionally depicted with a falcon's head, like Ra.
• Tumeken's "death" and possible future reconstitution may be inspired by the Osiris myth.
• The remnants of Tumeken all derive from the Ancient Egyptian conception of the soul. Bau is the anglicized plural form of ba, the shadow is known as shut, the name as ren, the essence is the ka, and the heart is the ib.
• Mod Osborne intended to characterise Tumeken as a dreamer, an idealist who was quick to turn away from problems.