Goliath Shamanism

Mythology & Lore

Creation Myth

Once the goliaths and the ancestor spirits were created by Kaya the Sky to keep her company in the endless Void. The first goliaths that were created were The Wise and The Warrior and they were part of a family with the Ancestors spirits, who hadn't chosen their form yet.
After Aeons at Kaya's side, the wise and the warrior grew restless in her company, and wanted to explore the Void. They convinced the other family members to follow. Kaya though, fearing to lose them all, made the mistake to misinterpret their curiosity for rejection, and in her fear to lose them, she made the void go on foever, hoping they would turn around and come back to her one day.
Yet the will of the 9 Companions couldn't be broken, albeit their hearts grew hard and their love for their Godmother faded with every step they had to do. Finally, Kaya the Sky understood that, if she didn't want to lose their love forever, she had to let them go.
And so she created Ardu, the single garden in the endless Void, where her creations could find a home. Yet Kaya's mood was still sour from having her children leaving her, and thus she made it that the life in the new garden was far from easy, and every meal had to be earned by sweat on the brows of her children. Yet after an eternity in the endless void, the family eagerly accepted the challenge.
Father saw the world, and found that it was bountiful with prey to take home, so he chose the form of a hunter, and taught pack tactics to the Wise and the Warrior such that they could provide throgh the hunt for the family they were going to have. And thus Father became Father Wolf, the Provider.
Mother saw, that the world was full of fertile fields, and places to settle in, but also cold and dangerous, so she took the form of a protector and taught the Wise and the Warrior to stay close to each other and form families. And thus Mother became Mother Bear, the Caretaker.
Brother saw the dangers of the new world and the untamed forces of nature they would have to face, and realized that the family woulď need eyes to look out for these threats, and the skill to fight them. And so he took a form with sharp eyes and wings to stay aloft, but also strength and agility. And he taught the Wise and the Warrior to always stay observant and wary of the forces beyond their control, and to be on guard at all times. And so he became Brother Eagle, the Scout.
Sister saw that there was plenty of space in the new world, and took she the form of the fertile doe, and showed the Wise and the Warrior how to be male and female, different but same, and find joy in each others arms and use this joy to populate the world. And thus Sister became Sister Doe, the Lover.
Uncle saw that the world was full of knowledge, and so he took a form of the mighty mammoth which could remember it all. And he taught the Wise and the Warrior how to teach their children, how to not forget about their past and learn from it for the future. And so he became Uncle Mammoth, the Memory.
Aunt saw that the world was full of beautiful things and also opportunities, and so she took a form of the fox that knew how to take them unnoticed or unchallenged, and taught this qualities to the Wise and the Warrior. And so fox became Aunt Fox, the Sly.
Friend saw beyond the things, he saw the secrets of the new world and even of the death that could be found here. So he took the form of the clever raven with the piercing gaze, and he sat down with the Warrior and the Wise and taught them to see beyond the obvious and to accept death as a part of life, necessary to make space for new things to come. And so the goliaths learned to not condemn Death and call him Friend Raven, the keeper of secrets and guardian of death's door.
The Wise and The Warrior then founded the first tribe, from which all others arose. Yet when their part was done, and the tribe was able to stand on its own, they left, teaching their Children the most important lesson: Self Sufficiency. Yet, after an Age had passed, Darkness fell over the world, when Kaya's old Anger, tucked away in the depths of Ardu, crept from the holes in the worlds surface. The Warrior and the Wise grew worried if their children could stand this Storm on their own, and finally decided to return. Yet, in order for their children to not unlearn their self sufficiency, they masked themself in the guise of a man named Sa-Ooruk, and a woman called Ruvaa, and stood by the side of their Children until the bitterness of Kaya was bound again in the depth of the world. Some of the goliaths shamans had unseen their ruse and called them out, and asked for them to stay with their children. Sa-Ooruk and Ruvaa declined, for they knew that doing so could drive their children to dependency, and for this to happen they loved them too much. Yet they promised to return, whenever Kayas foul mood, remainder from when the world was once created, would spill forth from the Underdark again.

Cosmological Views

Kaya the Sky:

Kaya created Ardu, but was in a bad mood when she did so. Fortunately her hard feelings are bottled up in Ardus core, and ony come out at times of a Scourge. Praying to Kaya serves no purpose, as she doesn't listen. She created the world for her children to be independent from her, for it was their will, and independent they shall be. Those goliaths who die, go back to Kaya, who collects their souls, such that, one day, she can create a new world for them without hardship.

Father Wolf

Father Wolf is one of the original goliath ancestor spirits. His domains are those of light, protection and provision for the family. His spirit animal is, of course, the wolf, albeit he also sometimes is depicted as a direwolf.

Mother Bear

Mother Bear is one of the original goliath ancestor spirits. Her domain are family, life and nature, homekeeping and agriculture. Mother bear is usually depicted as a large brownbear or, further up in the far north, as an Icebear.

Brother Eagle

Brother Eagle is one of the original goliath ancestor spirits. His domains are war and storm and the unpredictability of all elements, including the sea. He is usually depicted as an eagle, yet also, in relation to his elemental aspect, as a thunderbird or a phoenix.

Sister Doe

Sister Doe is one of the original goliath ancestor spirits. Her domains include carnal Love and fertility, but also inebriation, dance and all things alcohol. Usually she is depicted as a simple Doe.

Uncle Mammoth

Uncle Mammoth is one of the original goliath ancestor spirits.His domains include knowledge and curiosity, yet also craftsmanship. Usually he is depicted as a whitish grey mammoth with four tusks.

Aunt Fox

Aunt Fox is one of the original goliath ancestor spirits. Her domains include trade, tricks but also theft and "citylife" (according to Goliath Standards, so all settlements which have more than 200 citizens). She likes shiny things, and is usually depicted as a fox, or a fox clad in different jewelry.

Friend Raven, the Outsider

Friend Raven is one of the original goliath ancestor spirits. His domains include life and death and the transition between both, but also secrets. Usually he is depicted as a common raven, but sometimes also as a skelettal one to symbolize the death he stands for.

Tenets of Faith

Goliath shamanism states that the founding pair of the goliaths, the Warrior and the Wise, and the animal ancestor spirits which the shamans call upon, were once part of one family. This makes the goliaths family to all of their animals descendents, which is why goliaths pray for forgiveness whenever they have to hunt or kill one of the seven animals which are connected to the faith.
Kaya the Sky was a loving mother, but when she created Ardu her mood was foul, and thus the life is full of hardship: All food and respite must be earned by the sweat on ones own brow.
Scourges are when Kaya's rage, which was bottled up in Ardu's core at the creation of the world, comes up again from the underdark and has to be fought back. Goliaths encounter the Plague as many races on Ardu do. However because they do not have that many arcane magic wielders among them, they encounter it less often than other races. This is interpreted as the other races angering Kaya with their false idols, such that her rage bottles up more often.
When Goliaths die, Friend Raven comes and carries their souls away. They are carried through the counterrealm back to Kaya, whose Anger is gone now, and who keeps them close, until one day she will create a new world where they can live without the hardships which her anger caused in the old one. But they are not lost, and shamans can speak to them, just like they can speak to the seven ancestral animal spirits.
A goliath should honor his ancestors, as he should honor the animal spirits and remember the Warrior and the Wise, who are the oldest ancestors.

Ethics

Kaya the Sky, Mother of all, is far. When she created Ardu, her mood was foul. And although she created the world for her children, each Goliath now has to earn his place by the sweat on his brow. The only thing to count on are the clan and the family. Because family sticks together. Every goliath child has internalized this lecture, as well as what follows from it: Everyone has to contribute to the clan. No exceptions.
Goliath deeply despise dishonesty and value fair play, as only like this will those shine, who contribute most to the clan and thus earn their place in it's ranks and contribute most to the overall welfare.
Without contribution, the clan cannot live. Those who cannot contribute anymore, or who have wronged the community inexcusably, must leave and find their own way though the cold, just as the goliaths once had to find their own way through the void. Yet like "the Warrior" and "the Wise" those in Exile are not alone, as they always have the the ancestor spirits watch over them, up to the day they either die, or have redeemed themselves and can return to the clan.

Worship

Hunt

Although it is allowed to hunt, and kill one of the seven totem animal spirits, if a goliath does so he or she has to speak the proper prayer.
As it is customs within the goliath society nothing of a hunted animal goes to waste. Nevertheless a part of the hunted sacred animal always has to be buried in a proper ceremony, with the respective part differing from animal to animal.
Wolf: “Father, forgive me for I have dimmed your light that shines upon this world. Be sure, that this life was only taken to protect or provide for our strength is in the pack.”
Buried part: Heart
Bear: “Mother, forgive me for I have reduced your family. Be sure, that where one life ends, another will thrive, for that is the circle of life.”
Buried part: Stomach
Eagle: “Brother, forgive me for I have called a Storm into our midst. Be sure, that this warrior did not give his life for nothing, for he will be welcomed and reborn from the ashes of this world in the eternal garden.”
Buried part: Eyes
Doe: “Sister, forgive me, for I have rid the world of a loved one. Be sure, that as long as we can raise our horns, we will never forget the ones we love, for we remember them all. “
Buried part: Hooves
Mammoth: “Uncle, forgive me for I have weakened the knowledge of this world. Be sure, that we will pass on what your sacrifice has taught us, for we are all teachers and students alike.”
Buried part: One Large Muscle (the seat of wisdom in a body)
Fox: “Aunt, forgive me for I have taken treasure from this realm with force. Be sure, that we wont’ always take the easy way out, yet sometimes it is necessary.
Buried part: Tongue
Raven: “Friend, forgive me for assigning a new guardian to the realm in between. Be sure, that the secrets this creature held will always remain, for only you know are able to visit the dead.”
Buried part: Beak.

Festivities

Distributed evenly over the year, there are eight weeks, one for each animal and one for Kaya, during which the goliaths hold a festival in the honor them. During those weeks they try to cherish those aspects for which a respective totem stands for:
During the week of the wolf ritual hunts are called, usually for great game like Snow Beast or Frostworms. During the week of the bear, feasts in the circle of family members are common and oftentimes marriages are held. The week of the eagle is dominated by pit fights between the clan champions and, if there is more than one goliath clan in the vicinity, also between those of several clans. The week of the doe is characterized by feasts and orgies, and the raise in goliath birth rate 9 months afterwards is... statistically relevant. The week of the mammoth brings storytelling contests whereas the week of the fox is characterized by markets, where all goliaths try to sell wares which were looted or manufactured during the last year. The only non bustling week of worship is the week of the raven, in which the goliaths commemorate their ancestors in silent contemplation and fasting during the day, where all food is sacrificed to the ancestors. The week of Kaya is still held out of tradition, although many goliaths stopped praying to her since she does not listen and no signs from her where read in a long time. During this week goliath usually put a small statue for her outside of their tents, hoping it won't anger her.
Ritualistic slaughters are not part of the goliaths believe, despite common human urban myths about the ferocity of their kin which say so, and which, in the past have been promoted by the Church , whenever Haven tried to extend northward or wanted to disenfranchise them. In truth, goliaths hunt only for survival, never for sport, since the gods resemble animals themselves. In war they show additional ferocity, yet never after the tactical goal has been reached.

Body Art

Next to the common tattoos, which inscribe the goliaths deeds, some special ones are said to channel power from the animal spirits into the goliath who bears them. Thus a tattoo of a bear claw on your chest is said to grant the stamina of mother bear, a mammoth tusk on your skull to give the wisdom of uncle mammoth, a wolf's canine on the arm to grant the strength of father wolf, an eagles wing on the shoulder to give the dexterity of brother eagle, a doe's hoof above the navel to grant the charisma (and virility and fertility) of sister doe, a foxes paw hidden in the armpit to grant the cleverness of aunt fox and the ravens beak above the heart to grant the insight of friend raven. Not all goliath tribes follow this belief however, especially not those wo live closer to the human settlements.Yet they bear the tattoos still, albeit mainly for aesthetic reasons.

Type

Religious, Pantheon

Deities

• Aunt Fox
• Brother Eagle
• Father Wolf
• Friend Raven, the Outsider
• Kaya the Sky
• Mother Bear
• Sister Doe
• The Warrior
• The Wise
• Uncle Mammoth