Sacrifice

Rites of Offering

Sacrifice was implemented by the Titans long ago as a rite required of the Giants they ruled. Sacrifices show honor and respect to the powers above. More importantly, they are claimed to also maintain the existence of the World, Underworld and Heavens in the wake of their respective Primordials being bound into the structural underpinning of reality. When the Gods took over from the Titans, they kept the practices of sacrifice, and required it of their mortal servants.
Sacrifice is traditionally held to be a shared rite. While the sacrifice will be performed in the name of one God or another, it is an act performed on behalf of reality and the Gods as a whole. It is widely taught that the sacrifice's Body feeds the World and earth, their Blood feeds the Moons and waters, their Soul feeds the Sun and sky, and the Faith of those enacting the rite feeds the God and their servants to whom the sacrifice is dedicated.
Major sacrifices are generally asked of communities rather than of individuals, and are administered several times per year by priests during the synodic festivals. However, all Gods ask more regular minor sacrifices of their faithful, whether to curry favor with one God or to appease and ward off the ire of another. It is common to offer such sacrifices before the start of a new venture, such as to ask the Gods' favor when sowing the season's crops or beginning a trip by sea, as well as upon the successful conclusion of the venture, to thank the Gods for their presumed blessing or at least for withholding their distemper.
See also, Deities and Religions.