Mörkel polytheism
The Mörkels worship a number of deities, a practice that goes back to the ancient Móerkels who believed the ancestral spirits of famed individuals had power over nature. This belief evolved as the Mörkels spread throughout the Plain of Kings, with each tribe and later kingdom worshipping a mixture of local deities, deified heroes and founders of dynasties as well as more widespread cults. A pantheon of six major deities -originating around the shores of Lake Fekai- has since been adopted by many of the ruling dynasties, which in turn has been adapted to older traditions by the common folk to some degree.
Mörkel religion is thus not an organized one, but a collection of different religious traditions with some similarities in terms of certain rituals, myths and ideas about the afterlife.
In the beginning, there was only the primordial sea, from which five deities emerged; Ahes, Aþar, Erkar, Leþa and Nexþei. Erkar dove into the sea and brought back some mud, which the gods used to create the mainland, while muddy droplets which dripped of their hands became islands.
After moving on to land, the gods continued shaping the world, creating animals and plants, including the Heaven Tree, whose bough spread out to the horizon and became the sky, while the dew on its leaves became the starts. Time passed and the gods had a multitude of children, but eventually found the world to be too gloomy. Pegíar, son of Aþar, travelled far to the east and eventually returned with a tribe of giants, with silvery skin, black hair and glowing eyes.
Each deity was assigned a giant to light their way, but the giants became disgruntled by this and planned on revolting. When Aþar heard of this, he flew into rage and attacked the giants, thus starting the first war. With the help of the war goddess Datena, who emerged fully armed from the blood-soaked ground, the gods won eventually, banishing the giants to the south, while most of the fallen giants sank into ground and became precious metals. Nexþei, who had fled up the Heaven Tree in fright, shook its branches so that it rained, thus cleansing the earth and creating rivers and lakes.
Enraged that the world was dim once more, the gods told sent Aþar away to find a new light source. When Erkar came to see Aþar and found him sitting on the ground, sulking, he threw Aþar's flint knife on a rock, which caused a spark to fly and ignite a nearby tree. Aþar then picked up a pebble and heated it in the flame before slinging it across the sky, lighting up the world for a day, and then threw the head of a giant as well to aid his children in retrieving the pebble. The pebble and severed head thus became the sun and moon, respectively.
The gods then went on to create mortals. The first pair, named Jarar and Jarea, were deemed to powerful and thus hidden deep within the Heaven Tree as rulers of the dead. The next attempt resulted in the ancient Móerkels, but they eventually became too many, so the gods gave them mortality and sickness and created The Dragon to keep the people in check, but the Dragon proved too powerful and destroyed the Móerkels' cities.
The gods then had children with some of the mortals to lead the latter to rebuild civilization and fight the Dragon, until was finally defeated.
Whatever their status in life, the Mörkels believe that all but the most heinous criminals end up in the same place after death, deep within the boughs of the Heaven Tree. The soul spends a year climbing the Heaven Tree on its way to this gloomy place, except for serious criminals who are doomed to lose their footing and wander the world as ghosts.
There's much less focus on ancestor worship among the Mörkels than most other Elakic peoples (Útels and their descendants), although most people offer libations to the dead before eating as a sign of respect.
Mörkel religion is thus not an organized one, but a collection of different religious traditions with some similarities in terms of certain rituals, myths and ideas about the afterlife.
Creation myths
Mörkels have a number of different creation stories, the following one originates on the western Plain of Kings.In the beginning, there was only the primordial sea, from which five deities emerged; Ahes, Aþar, Erkar, Leþa and Nexþei. Erkar dove into the sea and brought back some mud, which the gods used to create the mainland, while muddy droplets which dripped of their hands became islands.
After moving on to land, the gods continued shaping the world, creating animals and plants, including the Heaven Tree, whose bough spread out to the horizon and became the sky, while the dew on its leaves became the starts. Time passed and the gods had a multitude of children, but eventually found the world to be too gloomy. Pegíar, son of Aþar, travelled far to the east and eventually returned with a tribe of giants, with silvery skin, black hair and glowing eyes.
Each deity was assigned a giant to light their way, but the giants became disgruntled by this and planned on revolting. When Aþar heard of this, he flew into rage and attacked the giants, thus starting the first war. With the help of the war goddess Datena, who emerged fully armed from the blood-soaked ground, the gods won eventually, banishing the giants to the south, while most of the fallen giants sank into ground and became precious metals. Nexþei, who had fled up the Heaven Tree in fright, shook its branches so that it rained, thus cleansing the earth and creating rivers and lakes.
Enraged that the world was dim once more, the gods told sent Aþar away to find a new light source. When Erkar came to see Aþar and found him sitting on the ground, sulking, he threw Aþar's flint knife on a rock, which caused a spark to fly and ignite a nearby tree. Aþar then picked up a pebble and heated it in the flame before slinging it across the sky, lighting up the world for a day, and then threw the head of a giant as well to aid his children in retrieving the pebble. The pebble and severed head thus became the sun and moon, respectively.
The gods then went on to create mortals. The first pair, named Jarar and Jarea, were deemed to powerful and thus hidden deep within the Heaven Tree as rulers of the dead. The next attempt resulted in the ancient Móerkels, but they eventually became too many, so the gods gave them mortality and sickness and created The Dragon to keep the people in check, but the Dragon proved too powerful and destroyed the Móerkels' cities.
The gods then had children with some of the mortals to lead the latter to rebuild civilization and fight the Dragon, until was finally defeated.
Main deities
Ahes
Main article: Cult of Ahes Ahes is the god of laws, writing, magic, healing and civilization in general. Brandishing weapons and harming anyone near his temples are widely considered sacriliege by Mörkels, and as such, oaths and ceasefires are often signed there.Aþar
Main article: Cult of Aþar Aþar is king of the gods in most traditions, as well as a sun god and protector of royalty. He's believed to sling the sun across the sky each day, and later the moon to aid his children in retrieving the sun for him.Datena
Main article: Cult of Datena Datena is the goddess of war, love and revelry. Mock battles, war dances- and chants are performed within her temples to distract the goddess from sowing more discord among mortals than there is already.Erkar
Main article: Cult of Erkar Erkar is the strongest of the gods, but also the most chaotic; while Datena represents the darker aspects of human behaviour, Erkar is associated with the destructive forces of nature. His worship was common among early Mörkels, but has since declined in favour of Aþar.Leþa
Main article: Cult of Leþa Leþa is the main fertility goddess in Mörkel mythology, whose cult has widely supplanted those of similar goddesses to some degree, sometimes to the point that latter have devolved into local epithets.Nexþei
Main article: Cult of Nexþei Nexþei is the goddess of lakes and rivers, rain, dance and music. She's also associated with healing, especially on the eastern Plain of Kings, where many of her shrines serve as infirmaries.Funerary rites
Burials replaced traditional cremation early in Mörkel history, as the smoke was feared to attract the Dragon's attention. Though the exact details vary from one kingdom to another, the general rule is that commoners are buried in simple graves along with some food, drink and belongings, while aristocrats are given elaborate funerals and buried in huge burial mounds (similar to Mycenaean tholoi).Whatever their status in life, the Mörkels believe that all but the most heinous criminals end up in the same place after death, deep within the boughs of the Heaven Tree. The soul spends a year climbing the Heaven Tree on its way to this gloomy place, except for serious criminals who are doomed to lose their footing and wander the world as ghosts.
There's much less focus on ancestor worship among the Mörkels than most other Elakic peoples (Útels and their descendants), although most people offer libations to the dead before eating as a sign of respect.
Type
Religious, Other
Subsidiary Organizations
Related Ethnicities
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