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mythology:imperial_religion:siathar:start [2024/01/17 11:59] – ↷ Page moved from culture:mythology:imperial_religion:siathar:start to mythology:imperial_religion:siathar:start shyriathmythology:imperial_religion:siathar:start [2024/01/25 10:48] (current) – shyriath
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 ====== Siathar ====== ====== Siathar ======
 <blockquote> <blockquote>
-//The [[avishraa:community:kassi|village]] was too small to have much of a temple. Some of the cities down in the lowlands, they had big halls - one for the [[culture:mythology:imperial_religion:siathar:siath|Most Eminent]], one each for the members of Her [[#the_eminent_court|Court]] - and shrines for all [[#the_children|Her Children]]. Some of the very old ones, or the very wealthy ones, had temples of stone or brick. But for a half a dozen families huddled together for warmth, on a lakeshore among the endless hills, there was merely a single large hut - made of wood, roofed with bark. It was like all the other buildings, just bigger.//+//The [[geopolitical:kassi|village]] was too small to have much of a temple. Some of the cities down in the lowlands, they had big halls - one for the [[mythology:imperial_religion:siathar:siath|Most Eminent]], one each for the members of Her [[#the_eminent_court|Court]] - and shrines for all [[#the_children|Her Children]]. Some of the very old ones, or the very wealthy ones, had temples of stone or brick. But for a half a dozen families huddled together for warmth, on a lakeshore among the endless hills, there was merely a single large hut - made of wood, roofed with bark. It was like all the other buildings, just bigger.//
    
 //Adhruss' family did most of the village's logging, and supplied wood both for fires and for building, but in such spare time as she had, she did carvings. For the most part she sold them to people in other villages, but for the temple she'd fashioned the idols of the Siathar, each on a crude log pedestal along the walls, overlooking the space inside. Along one wall, there were seven, the central one higher than the others. That one was a simple plaque which bore the simple geometric symbol of the Most Eminent; the other six were likenesses of Her consorts. Before them, set into the floor, was a pit lined with stone, where the sacrifices could be burned. The rest of the floor was bare earth.// //Adhruss' family did most of the village's logging, and supplied wood both for fires and for building, but in such spare time as she had, she did carvings. For the most part she sold them to people in other villages, but for the temple she'd fashioned the idols of the Siathar, each on a crude log pedestal along the walls, overlooking the space inside. Along one wall, there were seven, the central one higher than the others. That one was a simple plaque which bore the simple geometric symbol of the Most Eminent; the other six were likenesses of Her consorts. Before them, set into the floor, was a pit lined with stone, where the sacrifices could be burned. The rest of the floor was bare earth.//
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 //Ybess knew this because she'd taken the time to mention it to him a few vigils before, and he'd replied mildly that staying put and having ready access to warmth might be nice for a change. He hadn't specified what kind of warmth, but his expression had raised her hopes. So had his later present of a luxuriously soft fur, white as snow and big enough to be a blanket. "[[takma:behaviors#courtship|Call it a donation,]]" he'd said, but Ybess, who suspected the Siathar had no need of blankets, thought that They wouldn't object if Their priestess got to furnish her bed with it. Holding it in trust, really.// //Ybess knew this because she'd taken the time to mention it to him a few vigils before, and he'd replied mildly that staying put and having ready access to warmth might be nice for a change. He hadn't specified what kind of warmth, but his expression had raised her hopes. So had his later present of a luxuriously soft fur, white as snow and big enough to be a blanket. "[[takma:behaviors#courtship|Call it a donation,]]" he'd said, but Ybess, who suspected the Siathar had no need of blankets, thought that They wouldn't object if Their priestess got to furnish her bed with it. Holding it in trust, really.//
    
-//As she began to solemnly invoke Their favor, she spared a few unspoken prayers of her own that Gurass could be persuaded to stay after the service. The [[culture:mythology:imperial_religion:siathar:siath#the_temptress|Great Temptress]] was an aspect of the Most Eminent that didn't really get enough theological attention, but she suspected that he would not mind a private sermon on the topic.//+//As she began to solemnly invoke Their favor, she spared a few unspoken prayers of her own that Gurass could be persuaded to stay after the service. The [[mythology:imperial_religion:siathar:siath#the_temptress|Great Temptress]] was an aspect of the Most Eminent that didn't really get enough theological attention, but she suspected that he would not mind a private sermon on the topic.//
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-The **Siathar** (plural; never used in the singular in this sense) are one of the two groups making up the Imperial pantheon, the other being the [[culture:mythology:imperial_religion:Lamnar:]]. While both are worshiped, the Siathar are by far the more beloved of the two; they consist of those deities that might be considered the patrons of society - even everyday life, certainly so among the noble lines and in settlements of any size. They represent the roles and forces of the social order: the home, family, occupations, arts and crafts, hierarchy, and government.+The **Siathar** (plural; never used in the singular in this sense) are one of the two groups making up the Imperial pantheon, the other being the [[mythology:imperial_religion:lamnar:]]. While both are worshiped, the Siathar are by far the more beloved of the two; they consist of those deities that might be considered the patrons of society - even everyday life, certainly so among the noble lines and in settlements of any size. They represent the roles and forces of the social order: the home, family, occupations, arts and crafts, hierarchy, and government.
  
 For their followers, the Siathar are relatable, familiar beings with familiar roles; they are, in a sense, the ultimate takmar, the species' founders, ancestors, and paragons. Indeed, they are - appropriately enough - presented as a family unit much like those formed by the takmar themselves: a female as the mother and family head; a court of husbands to attend to her and father her children; and the children themselves.  For their followers, the Siathar are relatable, familiar beings with familiar roles; they are, in a sense, the ultimate takmar, the species' founders, ancestors, and paragons. Indeed, they are - appropriately enough - presented as a family unit much like those formed by the takmar themselves: a female as the mother and family head; a court of husbands to attend to her and father her children; and the children themselves. 
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 ===== Deities ===== ===== Deities =====
 ==== The Sixfold Eminence ==== ==== The Sixfold Eminence ====
-The head of the Siathar is the [[culture:mythology:imperial_religion:siathar:siath|Sixfold Eminence]], whose name is not spoken by any but Her priestesses. She is the mother of all life, and the world of [[Avishraa:]] is ultimately Her dominion, but in particular She is seen as the central pillar of an ordered society.+The head of the Siathar is the [[mythology:imperial_religion:siathar:siath|Sixfold Eminence]], whose name is not spoken by any but Her priestesses. She is the mother of all life, and the world of [[universe:mikurmiya:Avishraa]] is ultimately Her dominion, but in particular She is seen as the central pillar of an ordered society.
  
 The "sixfold" appellation derives from having six aspects - facets of Herself that deal with different spheres of society. These are the Great Smith, the Great Warrior, the Great Temptress, the Great Mother, the Great Matriarch, and the Great Elder. The "sixfold" appellation derives from having six aspects - facets of Herself that deal with different spheres of society. These are the Great Smith, the Great Warrior, the Great Temptress, the Great Mother, the Great Matriarch, and the Great Elder.
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 The priesthoods of the Court generally accept members of either sex, and are among the few institutions among the takmar in which males can take leadership roles. Nonetheless, females frequently take the lead, as elsewhere, though they generally treat their male compatriots with more than usual equality. Because celibacy is generally not considered a virtue, much less a requirement for priesthood - and because the priestly vocation tends to separate them from the masses - the priests and priestesses of the Court frequently marry each other, and may form mini-dynasties of hereditary priesthoods, particularly over smaller or rural temples. The priesthoods of the Court generally accept members of either sex, and are among the few institutions among the takmar in which males can take leadership roles. Nonetheless, females frequently take the lead, as elsewhere, though they generally treat their male compatriots with more than usual equality. Because celibacy is generally not considered a virtue, much less a requirement for priesthood - and because the priestly vocation tends to separate them from the masses - the priests and priestesses of the Court frequently marry each other, and may form mini-dynasties of hereditary priesthoods, particularly over smaller or rural temples.
-  * [[culture:mythology:imperial_religion:siathar:Laishar]], the Singer +  * [[mythology:imperial_religion:siathar:Laishar]], the Singer 
-  * [[culture:mythology:imperial_religion:siathar:Ekhtun]], the Soldier +  * [[mythology:imperial_religion:siathar:Ekhtun]], the Soldier 
-  * [[culture:mythology:imperial_religion:siathar:Arthyd]], the Lover +  * [[mythology:imperial_religion:siathar:Arthyd]], the Lover 
-  * [[culture:mythology:imperial_religion:siathar:toan|To'an]], the Father +  * [[mythology:imperial_religion:siathar:toan|To'an]], the Father 
-  * [[culture:mythology:imperial_religion:siathar:Pellith]], the Servant +  * [[mythology:imperial_religion:siathar:Pellith]], the Servant 
-  * [[culture:mythology:imperial_religion:siathar:Vorak]], the Scribe+  * [[mythology:imperial_religion:siathar:Vorak]], the Scribe
  
 ==== The Children ==== ==== The Children ====
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 To list the Children would be a daunting task, for the fertility of the Great Mother knows no bounds; there are many Children, as many of them as there are vocations for them to be patrons of. Their names and numbers are countless, and indeed may vary from place to place, such that any exhaustive list compiled in one place and time might little resemble one compiled elsewhere. To list the Children would be a daunting task, for the fertility of the Great Mother knows no bounds; there are many Children, as many of them as there are vocations for them to be patrons of. Their names and numbers are countless, and indeed may vary from place to place, such that any exhaustive list compiled in one place and time might little resemble one compiled elsewhere.
  
-Some of those known are listed below; for a more complete list, see the [[culture:mythology:imperial_religion:siathar:list of Children]]: +Some of those known are listed below; for a more complete list, see the [[mythology:imperial_religion:siathar:list of Children]]: 
-  * [[culture:mythology:imperial_religion:siathar:Hunor]] the Waterlifter+  * [[mythology:imperial_religion:siathar:Hunor]] the Waterlifter
  
 ===== Worship ===== ===== Worship =====
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 ===== Mythological history ===== ===== Mythological history =====
-The [[item:text:Imperial creation myth]] explains that after [[culture:mythology:imperial_religion:lamnar:Seluurin]] and [[culture:mythology:imperial_religion:lamnar:Khezri]] made Their first children, the other Lamnar, the latter warred and bickered within the [[universe:outside|Void]], and made and unmade great and terrible things amid the endless expanse. The youngest of them, Siath, used her power of Life to make thinking beings, like Herself, but always they were consumed by fire or storm or drowned in oceans of water, for she could not make them as the Lamnar were - eternal and unyielding.+The [[item:text:Imperial creation myth]] explains that after [[mythology:imperial_religion:lamnar:Seluurin]] and [[mythology:imperial_religion:lamnar:Khezri]] made Their first children, the other Lamnar, the latter warred and bickered within the [[universe:outside|Void]], and made and unmade great and terrible things amid the endless expanse. The youngest of them, Siath, used her power of Life to make thinking beings, like Herself, but always they were consumed by fire or storm or drowned in oceans of water, for she could not make them as the Lamnar were - eternal and unyielding.
    
-Going to the Diarchs, she begged Them for safety for her creations. Taking pity on her, They made [[Avishraa:]], the abode of life, and commanded that in this one place the works of the Lamnar must not overcome one another, but strive in balance for all eternity, even as the Diarchs themselves did. As Their last act, They made six companions for Siath, as allies and servants in keeping Her creations safe, and then They withdrew, leaving the other gods to govern themselves.+Going to the Diarchs, she begged Them for safety for her creations. Taking pity on her, They made [[universe:mikurmiya:Avishraa]], the abode of life, and commanded that in this one place the works of the Lamnar must not overcome one another, but strive in balance for all eternity, even as the Diarchs themselves did. As Their last act, They made six companions for Siath, as allies and servants in keeping Her creations safe, and then They withdrew, leaving the other gods to govern themselves.
    
 Siath made the many living things upon the face of Avishraa, and although some were taken by storm or flood or cold or heat, they still prospered. Seeing that the world was good She birthed the first takmar, and set them to spread and multiply. Though She taught them much, Her six companions were no less attentive, and becoming fond of Them, She married Them all. They, in turn, fathered Her Children, who Themselves worked tirelessly to guide the takmar and keep them safe. Siath made the many living things upon the face of Avishraa, and although some were taken by storm or flood or cold or heat, they still prospered. Seeing that the world was good She birthed the first takmar, and set them to spread and multiply. Though She taught them much, Her six companions were no less attentive, and becoming fond of Them, She married Them all. They, in turn, fathered Her Children, who Themselves worked tirelessly to guide the takmar and keep them safe.
mythology/imperial_religion/siathar/start.1705510782.txt.gz · Last modified: by shyriath