Ratri is a Vedic Power, the magnificent queen of the night. Although she is the sovereign of darkness and all things that abide in it, she is not a personification of night. Rather, she rules the darkness as a shepherd rules his herd, by watching over it without being a part of it. Ratri has the power to see anything that occurs under cover of night, and to create or dispel darkness at will. In her true form, she is the silhouette of a voluptuous woman. She has an uncountable number of eyes, which shine down on the earth as the stars.
Every night, Ratri parts the clouds of darkness so that Ushas may find her way to the eastern sky and open its gates for Surya, lord of the dawn. As this action might suggest, the Queen of Darkness, Ratri is not necessarily the patroness of thieves, robbers, and murderers. When they pray to her and perform the necessary sacrifices, she sometimes helps them by concealing their activities. But she is also a fickle goddess, and if she is even slightly offended by a denizen of the night, she may cast a revealing light on his nefarious actions. For this reason, she is as much feared by thieves, scoundrels, and murderers as she is venerated. Ratri never sends omens.
Her Realm, Dark of Night, can be found on the Gray Waste's second Layer of Niflheim.
Source: Legends & Lore (2nd ed.)
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