Tauren

General

The tauren are huge, bestial creatures who live in the grassy, open plains of Mulgore in central Kalimdor. They live to serve nature and maintain the ever-so delicate balance between the wild things of the land and the restless spirit of the elements. Despite their enormous size and brute strength, the remarkably peaceful tauren cultivate a quiet, tribal society. However, when roused by conflict, tauren are implacable enemies who will use every ounce of their strength to smash their enemies under hoof. Under the leadership of their ancient chief, Cairne Bloodhoof, the tauren allied themselves with the orcs during the invasion of the Burning Legion. The two races have remained steadfast allies ever since. Like the orcs, the tauren struggle to retain their sense of tradition and noble identity.

Tauren Mythology

The tauren have a long history, much of which is recorded on banners hanging in the tent of the Archdruid on Thunder Bluff. These various myths recount important events from the history of the people, and illustrate the virtues they hold to be important.

Mists of Dawn

The earliest of the tauren myths, the Mists of Dawn, recounts the creation of the world and the tauren race by a deity called the Earthmother. Before the age of memory, the Earthmother breathed the world into existence from the golden mists, transforming the clouds into rich, endless fields of grain. She created day and night by alternately opening and closing her right and left eyes, An'she (the sun), and Mu'sha (the moon), respectively. The shadow of her hands caused the the Tauren, the Shu'halo, the Children of the Earth, to rise up from the soil. They swore to follow their creator until the end of the world.

The Identity of the Earthmother

Many have speculated that the tauren's Earthmother is one and the same as various other beings. Some have contended that the Earthmother is Therazane the Earthmother, an elemental lieutenant of the Old Gods. However, the benevolence of the Earthmother and the incomprehensible evil of the Old Gods and their servents makes this identification tenuous at best. In addition, the primordial role that the Earthmother is described as serving, creating the world itself, the sun and moon, and the Tauren, seems far greater than the power that a lieutenant of the Old Gods would have wielded.

Another theory contends that the Earthmother is Alexstrasza the Lifegiver, of the Red Dragonflight. However, the Aspects were empowered to look over the creations of the Titans, and are not recorded as taking such a major role in the shaping of Azeroth as the Earthmother does in Tauren myths.

Perhaps the being that best matches the role of the Earthmother is a Eonar, member of the Pantheon and patron of all life. It was she who empowered Alextrasza and Ysera to watch over her creative works on Azeroth.

The possibility remains, though, that the Earthmother is not the the same as any other known entity, and represents a force even more primal and powerful than even the Titans.

Sorrow of the Earthmother

The next myth of the Shu'halo, chronologically, speaks of the falling away of the tauren from their initial state of grace. Whispers rose up from far beneath the world, where the Titans had chained the Old Gods. The tauren fell under the sway of these whispers, and learned of malice and deceit. The Earthmother felt a great sorrow at this, and in her grief, tore out her eyes, the sun and moon, and sent them chasing one another across the stars. The Earthmother, now sightless, remained to watch over her children.

The White Stag and the Moon

This tale speaks of how the Earthmother gave the Shu'halo the love of the hunt. The tauren became great hunters, but one spirit eluded them, Apa'ro, the white stag, called Malorne by the night elves.) The tauren hunted Apa'ro to the ends of Azeroth, and finally the stag fled into the heavens, where his great antlers became tangled in the stars. As the moon, Mu'sha, chased her brother across the skies, she saw the helpless stag, and immediatel fell in love with him.

Mu'sha saved the great stag, and in return he loved her, and they concieved a child, Cenarius, a demigod, union of the sky and the earth.

Forestlord and the First Druids

Cenarius grew to be as proud as his father, and in time befriended the tauren. He taught them the druidic ways, how to speak to the trees and animals. With this knowledge, the tauren aided the demigod in keeping the land safe.

Hatred of the Centaur

After the fading of the Mists of Dawn and the beginning of the Age of Memory, Cenarius left the tauren. They were saddened by the loss, and eventually the druidic teachings were forgotten, though they always retained their respect for the earth.

Though the tauren forgot how to speak to the forests, they lived in peace, no longer tempted by the dark whispers from beneath the world. In time, however, a great storm rode out from the west. The centaur, barbaric creatures that were half horse and half man, swept into the tauren's lands. The tauren fought nobly, but the power of the centaur was too great. The Children of the Earth were then forced to wander the world as nomads for eons, staying in no place too long.

Later History

War of the Ancients

In the original timeline, the tauren did not take part in the War of the Ancients, approximately 10 000 years ago. However, in the altered history created by the intervention of Krasus and his companions, they were convinced to join the alliance against the Burning Legion by the dragon-mage. It was a reluctant truce they formed with the prideful night elves, even though without the tauren's support, victory would have been near impossible.

The New Horde

A short time prior to the second invasion of the Legion, the young Warchief, Thrall, met the tauren upon the shores of Kalimdor. Thrall aided the tauren against the centaur, and in return they joined the reformed Horde, eventually reclaiming their ancetral land of Mulgore.

Although the Tauren have reclaimed their lands and battle alongside the Horde, not all is peaceful. The Grimtotem Clan, led by Magatha Grimtotem, tries to this day to come to power, plotting to overthrow the leadership of Cairne Bloodhoof, Chieftan of the Tauren.

At the same time, the Emerald Dream, realm of the Green Dragonflight, is tainted with a strange evil. Malfurion Stormrage is trapped inside, and the Green dragons have begun to act strangely, attacking all who pass near. Both the elven and tauren druids are researching these events, as the Emerald Dream, home of Ysera the Dreamer, the Green Aspect, must be kept safe.