The Old Religion
The Old Religion is made of a multi-pantheon belief. There is the pantheon of man, the pantheon of elves, and the pantheon of orcs. The Orcish pantheon has been largely lost to history, and is therefore only scraps of what once was. The elven pantheon, know as the Virtue Pantheon, or Virtue Worship, prescribes different aspects to the gods of men, denoting them more as aspects than beings. The Pantheon of man, or cockily taking the title The Old Religion, is perhaps the most common and widely accepted among all races, in comparison to the other ideas. The Old Religion includes a belief of the Elven Virtues, and the Orc deity, however, it also gives a certain level of segregation between these aspects. The idea is a whole one union of thought, separated by race and culture. Inside this belief, each pantheon is respected as being true, or having truth in it, despite what dietic order a follower may subscribe to.
The Old Religion is an ancient order and the oldest mythos among men. Strangely enough, it is not exclusively Vladean in origin. Despite some variation, and disagreement common within unorganized religion, the North Mountains at the End of the World, has a population of tall, mighty peoples, who proclaim similar beliefs as the Old Religion, only changing a few minor details with names, or purposes. These small changes aren't even uncommon among the Vladean culture as a whole. Dievaism finds its roots within the Old Religion as a shell to be shaken off, as well as an origin of identity.
It was unanimously accepted among each cultural head that each pantheon was true, even if it was misinterpreted. Therefore in a brief moment of universal peace, The One Belief was accepted. Founding the now shared principles within each Pantheon. They are listed below: 1) There is a Sky-father, whom is our creator, or creator of some. 2) There is a Dark-father, whom is creator of some, destroy of all. 3) There is a place of rest after this life, taking many forms, it is agreed that whatever the thought, or form, this place is called Prav. 4) there is a place of unrest after this life, taking many forms, it is agreed that whatever the thought, or form, this place is called Navad. NEW NAME
Due to the separation of Orc's participation in the One Belief the Church renamed itself into the Acolytes of Faith. This new name was not accepted by all participants, such as elves, but gave way to the modern interpretation "Acolytes of the Old Religion". DISPERSION AND CONTINUATION
Eventually, the Old Ways of the One Belief slowly fell apart due to wars with the Orcs only a decade later. However, it's 4 main doctrine held intact. Due to the agreed language, it was understood what one meant when they said "I'll see you in Navad", or "Sky-father bless you." Despite not lasting long as a world wide religion, One Belief is still practiced within Haven to this given day (CE 52). Followers of this practice are called believers, but across the world now, all practitioners of the Old Religion are now acolytes. REFORMATION
In the Year CE 2, the church went through a reformation, once again changing their name, and a few doctrine, specifically in that which would conflict with Dievaism. The new name given was the Acolytes of the Old Faith, or Acolytes of the Old Religion. This reformation was to counter the uprising belief in 1 single divine creator, which was rising in popularity. Soon, this idea of a single divine creator sprouted into Vlastimir, forming Dievaism.
While not very expansive due to many of its lost pieces through history, most of what is known about the Orc Pantheon is due to Elven history books. What is left is the names of some of their more prominent gods.
Chernobog is the king of the Orcs, creator of fiends, devils, and demons. According to the Orc records, Chernobog gave the orcs the sacred rights to produce adamantine metals. To the Orcs, Chernobog is a god of Dominance, Conquest, Subjugation, and Authority. He is the figure head of the Orc culture, and is their most worshiped God.
Veles is considered a God of Misfortune and Deceit to the Orcs, and he is the head servant to Chernobog. For this reason, it is believed that the Orcs had a religions zeal in conquering the Elves for the purpose to put things in there "proper" order. It is, according to this view, the right of Orcs to rule over the Elves.
Belbog is a God of War among the Orcs, and a Deity of life. It is said that good health and mighty arms come from the worship of Belbog.
Mockingly called Sud in text, and more seriously named Udar, this is the view of the Orcs on the Human deity. For the Reason of the Orcs calling Sud, Udar "Striker" it is believed that he played a negative role in Orcish thought. Given the keen ideas of dominance instilled by Chernobog worship, Udar, the God of Rebellion, is speculated to be the antithesis of Chernobog. The name "Striker" is given in reference to Sude/Udar attacking Orcs with sickness and stupidity.
Believed to have given the Orcs the ability to create armor, Toutatis is believed to be a protector god. Symbols of shields are often drawn near, or behind his name.
*Other deity mentioned are simply speculative, and could be misinterpreted to be heroes and not gods.*
The Elves believe in aspects called Salvations. These seven Salvations together makeup the body of a God, and therefore are believed to be one God when put together. At the beginning of every year, it is believed the Salvations come together to re-ignite the fire (the Sun) and take one form to do so. This form is called Unus.
Unus: Unus is seen as the singler being of the seven Salvation, who, loving the world, split themselves into seven Salvations to guard, protect, and bring life to Erde. Unus has no gender, race or species, as it represents all aspects of life. Veles - Xav (sj-av): To the Elves, the Salvation of Veles is freedom, a treasure the elves clean to. For this purpose, Veles is the favored Salvation all elves give homage. Veles, therefore, is the spirit, encompassing the domains of Life, Light, Tempest, Nature, and having the symbol of the blowing wind. He is the strongest aspect of Unus. Sud/Udar - Tor: Tor is believed to be the Salvation given the name "Sud" by the humans, and "Udar" by the Orcs. Tor is the aspect of war, and as such is the power of Unus. For this reason the domains of Tor are War, Strength, Power, Fire, and he bares the symbol of a raging fireball with a fist in the middle. Tor is also said to be the rage and belly of Unus. Chernobog - Trinity: Trinity is seen as mostly a female aspect, though the elves assign the male, aggressive Chernobog to the same role. Trinity, much like Chernobog, brings destruction, the end of times, and death. For this reason the domains of Trinity are as follows, Death, Destruction, and Winter. The symbol of Trinity is three distinct circles aligned in a triangle by six parallel lines. Trinity is considered to be the sorrow of Unus, found in his lounges.Zek (Z-ik): The Salvation of Zek is that of deceit, lies, and trickery. Zek is a clever and intense Salvation. Poetry is attributed to this thought being. As such, Zek holds the domains of trickery, arcane, and knowledge. Zek's symbol is a forked tongue, much like that of a snake or lizard. Zek is believed to be the mouth, or toughen, of Unus.
Alvex (Alh-vex): Alvex, the Salvation of order and justice, is the least favored of the Elves. Favoring mercy of justice, chaos over order, and freedom over authority, the Elves practice the powers of Alvex with restraint. Alvex's domains are Time, Justice, and Order, with the symbol of the scale to represent this aspect of Unus. Alvex is believed to be the mind of Alvex.
Bregga - Lai-Ora (Lay-Ore-Ah): Lai-Ora is the heart of Unus, favoring the domain of mercy, love, peace, and friendship. Likewise, the symbol of Lai-Ora is a heart.
Naijah (Ni-yah): The Salvation known as Naijah encompasses the aspects and domains of beauty, treasure, gifts, and nature. Naijah is closer related to earth, caves, and trees, where Veles domain rings through the sky and mountains. The symbol of Naijah is a sprouting tree with branches and roots. Naijah represents the body of Unus.
The First of All, God of Gods, Sud is believed to be one and the same as the Skyfather, (which contradicts the New Religion, or Dievaism). Sud is considered the Judge, judging all manner of species, from dogs, to elves, to man. Due to their likeness with Sud, Human's believed they are favored of Sud, and that other races have become corrupted creations. However, Sud is a jealous and wroth deity. The greatest enemies of Sud are Chernobog, Veles, and Belbog. Sud is believed to have created all other gods within any other pantheon and the Pantheon of Man.
King of Liars, Prince of Fools, and Lord of Deception, Veles is seen as more of an annoyance to mankind than its downfall. Veles, whom favors the elves as their "father" made the Elves to mock Sud, his father. Mimicking humans, Veles made the Elves to compete with humanity. Beyond his mockery, Veles has been known to deceive the champions of Sud for his own purposes. While not entirely evil, Veles still plays an antagonistic role inside the Pantheon of Man. Depicted largely more as greedy, Veles favors thieves, liars, and other rebellious rabble who fight against order. The nature of Veles is more chaotic than malicious. This chaos of Veles has at times even assisted some ancient heroes of old tales.
The God of Protection, Justice, Households, Men, and Oversite.
The Holy God, God of Holiness, Sacred Rights, Maturity, Farming, Light, and Agriculture
God of Households, Warfare, Victory, Mercy, and Gathering.
Goddess of Hope, Love, Women, Beauty, and Nature
God of Knowledge, Mysteries, Arcana, Metallurgy, and Writing
Goddess of Hunting, Animals, and Archery.
The Goddess of Life, Gifts, Dawn, and Happiness. Depicted
The God of Greed, Cowardice, Hiding, and Plunder. Belbog is considered a coward and a menace. Belbog is the Servant of Darkness, and surves Chernobog faithfully in all things. Afraid of the outcome that Sud looses in his final battle Against Chernobog, Belbog has chosen to side with the Great Enemy.
God of Destruction, Defiling, Corruption, Doom, Rape, Evil, Darkness, and Betrayal, Chernobog is the great evil that lurks in the dark. The father of Devils, Monsters, demons, fiends, and all manner of dark magic, Chernobog is the most feared entity of the Old Religion from the Human's perspective. Chernobog has come only to destroy. Unlike Veles, who leads humans away to Chernobog for his own purpose, Chernobog's only goal is to destroy every living thing, and crumble the very foundation of creation. Despite not needing to eat, Chernobog is described as eating the flesh of men, "for sport". Chernobog is the great enemy of Sud, and the other rightous gods of the Human Pantheon.
Seen as descendants of the mighty giants, Dwarves and the hardly known Goliaths share similar pantheons. Due to their selfish nature, it is not often found that the Giant Gods except the worship of their other brothers. This being said, most who practice this pantheon revere Ygddr and worship one other God. Each god respectfully has their own realm to which their followers will receive their havens. Due to Mykyb's corrupting powers, it is believed that each giant god lost their immortality, leaving only their spirits to wander. In order to bring these giants back, and each giant race must redeem their first ancestors misdeeds by conquering their short comings. Only through redemption will Ygddr again grant his blessing, allowing Giants to rule Edre as once before. It is through the First borne (the other Giant Gods) to whom the right to rule lies, and therefore all other giants are joint rulers with their respected race, or god.
The Head of the Gods, Ygddr is the Gods ruling all other Gods, and is such a powerful Giant God, that if he were to touch Erde, it would die. Ygddr is a benevolent protector of the denizens of the planet. He is sometimes referred to as the Sky-Father. He is often compared to Deva from Dievaism, or the Sud. Ygddr represents order, structure and strength, traits often treasured by many giant societies.
The Exiled God, Mykyb the Destroyer is the sworn enemy of Ygddr, and it is said that if he were to ever defeat Ygddr in battle, all of Erde would be destroyed along with all of creation. He is the brother of Ygddr, whom were born together at the beginning of time. Mykyb represents chaos and change.
Alf-Tor (Alf-ṯŏr) said to be the father of Elves blesses his followers with his realm called Alf, after his own name. The giant of nature, forest, shrubs, and trees, is often underrated by most other giants alive. Seen mostly as an afterthought, Alf-Tor is the first born of the now extinctic Forest Giants. However, his creations live on as Ents, and elves. Alf-Tor is the giant mythos's counterpart to Veles.
Asggyr (Azz-gær) is the first born of the Sky Giants, and is a god of the sky, Storm, and tempest.
Hel-Nav (Hel-nav) is the guardian of death.
Midhurg (MId-ḥʊrg) is the first of the Hill Giants, and as part of his betrayal against Yggdr, he and the Hill Giants were struck with endless hunger. He is the father of Humans, Hobbits, and a co-creator of the dwarves. Midhurg, (meaning guardian), played the biggest roll in the uprising against the other giants.
SINS. Midhurg's sins includes: betrayal, pride, and envy. To rectify the sins of Midhurg, his followers must exemplify: humility, restraint, honor, and altruism.
Muzvel (Mus-vel) is the God of Fire, and first of the fire giants, is the creator of orcs. The orc's worship Muzvel as the aspect of many orc gods, namely Chernobog, and as such Muzvel is seen as Chernobog's counterpart in the Giant Mythos. Muzvel is considered the Conqueror, as such is a god of war, and dominance. He's also a god of the forge and of fiery tempest. Due to their betrayal of Ygddr, by Muzvel, the Fire Giants all suffer from Muzvel's fiery rage.
SINS. The sins of Muzvel include: Wraith, and Greed. In order to rectify Muzvel, his followers must exemplify: peace-making, leadership, patients, love, and charity.
Nyhff (Næ-ff) is the God of ice, cold, winter, fall, and decay. He is the first of the ice-giants, and the betrayer of Ygddr. The route of the name Nathan (Nyhffin) is derived from this giant god's name, and the name's meaning is to "give" or simple "Gift". When Nyhff was born from Ygddr's hand, he was a gift to the races of Erde, bringing winter, fall, and decay. Men grew weary of their long life spans, and as such Nyhff granted men a time of rest. This was before Nyhff was corrupted by the God Mykyb, and gave human's the knowledge of how to slay Giants.
Nioave (Ni-O-Væ) and Svartal (Svar-Täl) share one body, but have two separate heads.
HISTORY OF THE FIRST CHURCH
There are many different types of afterlife's, but during the 2 UE, the Old Religion was organized into the First Church, or the One Belief was for a time the world Religion of Erde. This historical event took into account the religions of the world and assimilated all the believes of the main pantheons into one thought, or worship. All races and people could agree on one aspect of each mythos or pantheon, that there was indeed a singer figure known as the Skyfather, though they pictured him in very different terms. Elves agreed upon Yggdr and Udar, though misappropriated, where variants of their Unus. Orcs agreed as well that this Skyfather was their antagonist. Second, all agreed on the Antagonist, a "Chernobog" World destroyer, and God of Destruction and Evil. The Orcs, praising this as misconception and blaspheme to their savior of life, accepted that that at least two, had an antagonist figure. With these two ideas, the great good, versus the great evil, a World pantheon was created with two basic figures holding a cosmic battle. The names given to the One Belief are found predominantly within the Human Pantheon to this day.It was unanimously accepted among each cultural head that each pantheon was true, even if it was misinterpreted. Therefore in a brief moment of universal peace, The One Belief was accepted. Founding the now shared principles within each Pantheon. They are listed below: 1) There is a Sky-father, whom is our creator, or creator of some. 2) There is a Dark-father, whom is creator of some, destroy of all. 3) There is a place of rest after this life, taking many forms, it is agreed that whatever the thought, or form, this place is called Prav. 4) there is a place of unrest after this life, taking many forms, it is agreed that whatever the thought, or form, this place is called Navad. NEW NAME
Due to the separation of Orc's participation in the One Belief the Church renamed itself into the Acolytes of Faith. This new name was not accepted by all participants, such as elves, but gave way to the modern interpretation "Acolytes of the Old Religion". DISPERSION AND CONTINUATION
Eventually, the Old Ways of the One Belief slowly fell apart due to wars with the Orcs only a decade later. However, it's 4 main doctrine held intact. Due to the agreed language, it was understood what one meant when they said "I'll see you in Navad", or "Sky-father bless you." Despite not lasting long as a world wide religion, One Belief is still practiced within Haven to this given day (CE 52). Followers of this practice are called believers, but across the world now, all practitioners of the Old Religion are now acolytes. REFORMATION
In the Year CE 2, the church went through a reformation, once again changing their name, and a few doctrine, specifically in that which would conflict with Dievaism. The new name given was the Acolytes of the Old Faith, or Acolytes of the Old Religion. This reformation was to counter the uprising belief in 1 single divine creator, which was rising in popularity. Soon, this idea of a single divine creator sprouted into Vlastimir, forming Dievaism.
AFTERLIFE
A state of paradise, Prav can take many forms. The idea of Prav for elves is very different than that of Human or Orc ideals. For the Giants, each realm created by their First Fathers, is considered a part of Prav. Only heretics from the Giant Mythos loose Prave, and therefor fall to Navad. Similar aspects and changes occur across the pantheons, but still give a general idea of what each afterlife is like. The two places of rest are now Listed below. PRAV: A state of paradise, giving rest, happiness, and fulfillment. When a mortal has made it to Prav, they have succeed in their completion of this life. NAVAD: A state of misery, unrest, unhappiness, and unfulfillment. When a mortal has made their way to Navad, they have failed their mortal task, and have lived heretical to the ways of their religion.PANTHEONS
ORC PANTHEON
Chernobog
Veles
Veles is considered a God of Misfortune and Deceit to the Orcs, and he is the head servant to Chernobog. For this reason, it is believed that the Orcs had a religions zeal in conquering the Elves for the purpose to put things in there "proper" order. It is, according to this view, the right of Orcs to rule over the Elves.
Belbog
Belbog is a God of War among the Orcs, and a Deity of life. It is said that good health and mighty arms come from the worship of Belbog.
Sud/Udar
Mockingly called Sud in text, and more seriously named Udar, this is the view of the Orcs on the Human deity. For the Reason of the Orcs calling Sud, Udar "Striker" it is believed that he played a negative role in Orcish thought. Given the keen ideas of dominance instilled by Chernobog worship, Udar, the God of Rebellion, is speculated to be the antithesis of Chernobog. The name "Striker" is given in reference to Sude/Udar attacking Orcs with sickness and stupidity.
Toutatis
Believed to have given the Orcs the ability to create armor, Toutatis is believed to be a protector god. Symbols of shields are often drawn near, or behind his name.
SEVEN SALVATIONS
Unus: Unus is seen as the singler being of the seven Salvation, who, loving the world, split themselves into seven Salvations to guard, protect, and bring life to Erde. Unus has no gender, race or species, as it represents all aspects of life. Veles - Xav (sj-av): To the Elves, the Salvation of Veles is freedom, a treasure the elves clean to. For this purpose, Veles is the favored Salvation all elves give homage. Veles, therefore, is the spirit, encompassing the domains of Life, Light, Tempest, Nature, and having the symbol of the blowing wind. He is the strongest aspect of Unus. Sud/Udar - Tor: Tor is believed to be the Salvation given the name "Sud" by the humans, and "Udar" by the Orcs. Tor is the aspect of war, and as such is the power of Unus. For this reason the domains of Tor are War, Strength, Power, Fire, and he bares the symbol of a raging fireball with a fist in the middle. Tor is also said to be the rage and belly of Unus. Chernobog - Trinity: Trinity is seen as mostly a female aspect, though the elves assign the male, aggressive Chernobog to the same role. Trinity, much like Chernobog, brings destruction, the end of times, and death. For this reason the domains of Trinity are as follows, Death, Destruction, and Winter. The symbol of Trinity is three distinct circles aligned in a triangle by six parallel lines. Trinity is considered to be the sorrow of Unus, found in his lounges.
PANTHEON OF MAN
Sud
The First of All, God of Gods, Sud is believed to be one and the same as the Skyfather, (which contradicts the New Religion, or Dievaism). Sud is considered the Judge, judging all manner of species, from dogs, to elves, to man. Due to their likeness with Sud, Human's believed they are favored of Sud, and that other races have become corrupted creations. However, Sud is a jealous and wroth deity. The greatest enemies of Sud are Chernobog, Veles, and Belbog. Sud is believed to have created all other gods within any other pantheon and the Pantheon of Man.
Veles
King of Liars, Prince of Fools, and Lord of Deception, Veles is seen as more of an annoyance to mankind than its downfall. Veles, whom favors the elves as their "father" made the Elves to mock Sud, his father. Mimicking humans, Veles made the Elves to compete with humanity. Beyond his mockery, Veles has been known to deceive the champions of Sud for his own purposes. While not entirely evil, Veles still plays an antagonistic role inside the Pantheon of Man. Depicted largely more as greedy, Veles favors thieves, liars, and other rebellious rabble who fight against order. The nature of Veles is more chaotic than malicious. This chaos of Veles has at times even assisted some ancient heroes of old tales.
Perknun
Perun
Rod
God of Households, Warfare, Victory, Mercy, and Gathering.
Bregga
Goddess of Hope, Love, Women, Beauty, and Nature
Svarog
God of Knowledge, Mysteries, Arcana, Metallurgy, and Writing
Atola
Zorya
The Goddess of Life, Gifts, Dawn, and Happiness. Depicted
Belbog
The God of Greed, Cowardice, Hiding, and Plunder. Belbog is considered a coward and a menace. Belbog is the Servant of Darkness, and surves Chernobog faithfully in all things. Afraid of the outcome that Sud looses in his final battle Against Chernobog, Belbog has chosen to side with the Great Enemy.
Belbog
Chernobog
God of Destruction, Defiling, Corruption, Doom, Rape, Evil, Darkness, and Betrayal, Chernobog is the great evil that lurks in the dark. The father of Devils, Monsters, demons, fiends, and all manner of dark magic, Chernobog is the most feared entity of the Old Religion from the Human's perspective. Chernobog has come only to destroy. Unlike Veles, who leads humans away to Chernobog for his own purpose, Chernobog's only goal is to destroy every living thing, and crumble the very foundation of creation. Despite not needing to eat, Chernobog is described as eating the flesh of men, "for sport". Chernobog is the great enemy of Sud, and the other rightous gods of the Human Pantheon.
THE GIANTS AND THEIR GODS
Ygddr
Mykyb
The Exiled God, Mykyb the Destroyer is the sworn enemy of Ygddr, and it is said that if he were to ever defeat Ygddr in battle, all of Erde would be destroyed along with all of creation. He is the brother of Ygddr, whom were born together at the beginning of time. Mykyb represents chaos and change.
Alf-Tor
Alf-Tor (Alf-ṯŏr) said to be the father of Elves blesses his followers with his realm called Alf, after his own name. The giant of nature, forest, shrubs, and trees, is often underrated by most other giants alive. Seen mostly as an afterthought, Alf-Tor is the first born of the now extinctic Forest Giants. However, his creations live on as Ents, and elves. Alf-Tor is the giant mythos's counterpart to Veles.
Asggyr
Asggyr (Azz-gær) is the first born of the Sky Giants, and is a god of the sky, Storm, and tempest.
Hel-Nav
Hel-Nav (Hel-nav) is the guardian of death.
Jotur
Midhurg
SINS. Midhurg's sins includes: betrayal, pride, and envy. To rectify the sins of Midhurg, his followers must exemplify: humility, restraint, honor, and altruism.
Muzvel
Muzvel (Mus-vel) is the God of Fire, and first of the fire giants, is the creator of orcs. The orc's worship Muzvel as the aspect of many orc gods, namely Chernobog, and as such Muzvel is seen as Chernobog's counterpart in the Giant Mythos. Muzvel is considered the Conqueror, as such is a god of war, and dominance. He's also a god of the forge and of fiery tempest. Due to their betrayal of Ygddr, by Muzvel, the Fire Giants all suffer from Muzvel's fiery rage.
SINS. The sins of Muzvel include: Wraith, and Greed. In order to rectify Muzvel, his followers must exemplify: peace-making, leadership, patients, love, and charity.
Nyhff
Nyhff (Næ-ff) is the God of ice, cold, winter, fall, and decay. He is the first of the ice-giants, and the betrayer of Ygddr. The route of the name Nathan (Nyhffin) is derived from this giant god's name, and the name's meaning is to "give" or simple "Gift". When Nyhff was born from Ygddr's hand, he was a gift to the races of Erde, bringing winter, fall, and decay. Men grew weary of their long life spans, and as such Nyhff granted men a time of rest. This was before Nyhff was corrupted by the God Mykyb, and gave human's the knowledge of how to slay Giants.
Nioave and Svartal
Nioave (Ni-O-Væ) and Svartal (Svar-Täl) share one body, but have two separate heads.
Vanahfar
THE OLD RELIGION (other Deity)
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