The main temple to the Moondancer was the epitomy of their belief in the grace of Eilistrielle and the wisdom in her Teachings.
Society
Eilistraean communities were often of matriarchal nature. However, differently from Lolth's, theirs was a nurturing matriarchy, founded on the ideals taught by Eilistraee, that her people identified with, and where males were valued and treated with equity.This society was built to empower all drow—males and females alike—to find their place and thrive on the surface world.
In fact, the role of the priestesses (i.e. the leaders) in the society was to act as an extension of Eilistraee's own motherhood of the drow, and become teachers, protectresses, and diplomats. They sheltered, fed, and healed any drow lost in the surface world, and actively reached for them in the Underdark. They aided their people to learn to live and forge their own path in a hostile world, by providing practical help in the matters of each dark elf's everyday life—which included, among the various things, the teaching of skills pertinent to survival, gathering, healing, crafting, and hunting. They also worked to lift spirits (by nurturing and teaching arts like music and dance), and to confort and lead the drow rediscover a sense of belonging and community. The priestesses of Eilistraee were also tasked with protecting their people from danger, and with building a place in the surface world for them to live, by establishing friendships and relationships with other races.
The reason why Eilistraean communities were matriarchal was of practical nature, not ideological. In fact, the communities generally formed around a temple or shrine to the goddess, and thus were usually led by the clergy (which was mostly made up of women; see below). There wasn't any rule preventing males from becoming leaders, though they rarely did. Nonetheless, Eilistraean communities were characterized by a very loose hierarchy, as everyone stood on the same ground (though most followers recognized Qilué Veladorn of the Seven Sisters as their guide and voice of the goddess). Any member, no matter which gender, could express concerns and ideas about any matter, and priestesses listened to them before making a decision. Non-leaders were also tasked with taking the decision when the subject at hand was their area of expertise (this was the most frequent way for males to be in the decision-maker position).
Outside of the clergy, male and female worshipers usually had the same duties and roles: guardians, experts, artisans, artists, or general workers. Rituals and dances (like the Circle of Song and the Run) saw the participation of all members of the community, regardless of gender. However, the rituals reserved to the clergy were an exception, in that priests could join the priestesses in such rituals only if they'd danced the Changedance beforehand. This lasted until the Second Sundering, when the Changedance was no longer required for priests to join rituals reserved to the clergy.
In the light of night we dance.
Type
Religious, Organised Religion
