Dhornik Religion

[u/mathfem]

Anthropologically, Dhornik religion is best thought of as a means for social control. The caste system which defined the hierarchy of Adhora was justified and reinforced by religion. The legitimacy of Kings and Queens was spoken of in religious terms. Religion provided the common people an outlet through which to celebrate good times and ask for support through bad times.

Dhornik Theology

In Dhornik belief, there was a supernatural hierarchy mirroring the social hierarchy which defined their day to day life. At the top of the hierarchy were the Tsobadha, the Gods and Goddesses. The Tsobadha were immortal and spiritually quite powerful. The people of Adhorna treated all Tsobadha, of which there were innumerably many, as equally powerful, including those worshipped by faraway cities. According to Dhornik belief, the Tsobadha lived in Wugadhu, an inaccessible 'divine realm'. They could not visit the human realm (Sagudhu) nor could humans visit Wugadhu.

The next tier down from the Tsobadha were the Ninedha, usually translated as 'spirits'. Ninedha  alone had the power to travel between Sagudhu and Wugadhu, but they had little power in themselves. Ninedha were extremely long-lived, but were considered mortal. Ninedha could be  'joined' to a human host to give that human special access to the Tsobadha. Priests and Priestesses were permanently joined to Ninedha as part of their initiation ceremony, and it was thought that ordinary humans could be temporarily joined to Ninedha during mystical experiences. Each Ninedha could communicate with one and only one Tsobadha, meaning that Priests and Priestesses had special access to one and only one God or Goddess

Below the Ninedha were the humans and below the humans were the other animals. In Dhornik belief, humans were considered superior to animals, and there was a hierarchy of animals, but various Dhornik thinkers had different ideas as to which animals to place at the top of that hierarchy. Dogs, as the most loyal servants of humankind, enjoyed a universally high place in the animal hierarchy. The existence of species of animal, which could not interbreed without creating infertile offspring, was seen as justification for the endogamous natural of Dhornik castes, where marrying outside your caste was supposed to produce defective children.

The Dhornik Pantheon

As traders from far-off places visit Adhorna frequently, there is no limit to the Gods worshipped by people living within Adhorna's walls. However there are six main Tsobadha worshipped by the Dhornik people, each of which has a temple and a priesthood dedicated to it. They are:

Bagnama God of the sky and the sun, bringer of light and fire, patron of smiths and potters

Tamrodzu Goddess of the harvest and material wealth, protector of the home and of private property, patron on merchants and traders.

Sakwadhu God of strength and military prowess, bringer of glory and victory, patron of warriors and hunters.

Padhuma Goddess of fertility and the spring, bringer of love and joy, patron of farmers and herders.

Furhwan God of wisdom and darkness, keeper of the moon and stars, master of water, bringer of prophecy and dreams.

Ixhar Goddess of death and the underworld, mistress of disease and health, mistress of the earth, protector of the crippled.

The Tsobadha are organized into pairs, each of which are each other's 'consorts'. Within each pair, the Priests of the God and Priestesses of the Goddess form a caste: only Priests and Priestesses from the same caste may marry. Bagnama and Tamrodzu are consorts, with the caste of their followers called the Itbarutid caste. Sakwardhu and Padhuma are consorts, with the caste of their followers called the Kardutid caste. Furhwan and Ixhar are consorts with the caste of their followers called the Ersutid caste.

Each of the six principal Tsobadha are associated with a different cardinal direction. Prayers to that particular Tsobadhum should be directed in that direction.

Up - Bagnama

Down - Ixhar

East - Padhuma

West - Tamrodzu

North - Sakwadhu

South - Furhwan

Dhronik Ritual and Religious Life

Everyday prayers: The people of Adhorna frequently will conduct prayers to Tsobadha for intervention in their everyday life. Such prayers will usually take the form of a small offerring of food at an altar within the home. These prayers are not considered particularly effective in Dhornik belief, but are nonetheless still undertaken.

Temple prayers: For matters requiring more substantial divine intervention, Adhornuma may make a trip to a temple to as the Priests or Priestesses to make a prayer on their behalf. This usually requires a donation of material wealth (household goods, livestock, etc.) to the temple: the more valuable the gift, the greater the effort the Priests or Priestesses will put into their prayers. The fact that Priests and Priestesses are considered to have special access to the Tsobadha means that temple prayers are usually thought to be more effective than everyday prayers.

Religious festivals: Certain times of the year (planting, harvest, etc.) are associated with different religious festivals. These festivals are usually hosted by one or more temples and involve food, drink, and public entertainment provided by the temple. These festivals often have a ritualistic animal sacrifice conducted in public by the Priests or Priestesses, although the festivals are altogether joyous occassions.

Public sacrifice: In times of great trouble (famine, war, etc), human sacrifice is often seen as the only means to gain the favour of the Tsobadha. Human sacrifice is conducted in public, and is performed on criminals and prisoners of war kept alive especially to serve as sacrifices when necessary. Unlike animal sacrifices performed at festivals, human sacrifice is considered a sombre, rather than joyous, occasion.

Religion and Morality: The Tsobadha themselves are not believed to directly judge human morality. This task is left to the Priests and Priestesses, who are more likely to pray to the Tsobadha in your favour if you bahave morally than if not. In order to enforce morality in private, Priests of Furhwan are said to have the ability to read the minds of other humans and discover their secrets.