Hate to oppose a great article, but I've got a different theory, with Therazane being the Earthmother. I'm aware that the possibility has been somewhat dismissed before, but our newly implemented adventures to piece Thrall back together in the four elemental planes got me thinking.

"Great Therazane has not forgotten what it was to love..."

Remembering the ancestry of the centaur to be the daughter of Therazane and a son of Cenarius, and hearing the Stonemother speak the line above it could be considered that Theradras might not have been the first in the family to find love outside the elemental plane of earth. Perhaps Therazane discovered some demigod or similar being when the world was new and caused the Tauren - perhaps more stone-like back then - to be born. Then after their arrival the Old Gods might have corrupted the Tauren and introduced them to war for their own entertainment. Perhaps Therazane even chose to side with the Old Gods and become an Elemental Lord in exchange for the shu'halo to be left outside of the conflict. Would explain the story of why the Earthmother left her people, and by leaving the part about the Old Gods out of it, she'd ensure that her children wouldn't try to rescue her and get themselves killed.

As for some of the mythology that isn't clearly explained, it should be remembered that whether this theory is right or not, the tauren race is easily over ten thousand years old to have lore about Cenarius' birth, to the point of claiming involvement in the event. Since the stories were passed on mainly orally, it wouldn't be far-fetched if they got a tad wild over time. Thus Mu'sha and An'she being actual eyes of the Earthmother can be questioned, perhaps just becoming creative storytelling or some manner of parting words from the Stonemother, to comfort the shu'halo that her heart and gaze will remain on her children.

The argument relies quite heavily on Therazane's personality before being under the Old God's boot heel. Considering that even now she is understanding, if embittered as hell by the loss her daughter by mortal, fleshy hands, I find the above theory quite possible. Figured I'd put it here to offer another opinion, since it's tinfoil hat time.

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