Kowut

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Kowut is the traditional Sanmra religion. While the theological and cosmological beliefs of Kowut are not necessarily held by modern Sanmra, the ritual practices are widespread and are performed by a very large percentage of dalar in Sanmra. Most of these beliefs center around the divide between the physical and spirit worlds, along with ancestor worship.

Etymology

Kowut literally means "rituals" in Tirina. The name is an exonym; within Sanmra, it generally isn't referred to by a single name at all, due to how ubiquitous it is.

Theology and cosmology

Kowut beliefs are remarkably varied, and many modern practitioners do not necessarily accept traditional Kowut beliefs about the origins of the world or of the dalar. That being said, most different strains of Kowut agree in broad strokes.

In the beginning, all was in chaos. The Nameless God (not worshipped in the four-god tradition) wandered through Chaos, seeking Beauty. Because the universe was constantly changing, the Nameless God often found something beautiful, only for it to change and disappear as soon as it saw it. Dissatisfied, the Nameless God decided to create beautiful things of its own, but permanent so it could return to them whenever it wanted. Thus, the Nameless God created Sahar, and on it all of the people, animals, and plants. (whether or not it created anything else, and where it is now, depends on who you ask)

The Nameless God then either created or merely appointed four spirits to watch over Sahar: Ani, god of the seas; Eri, god of the hills and mountains; Iwi, goddess of forests and plains; and Oni, god of wastelands and deserts. (whether they were created or already existed before this also depends on who you ask. Also what gender they are, or if gender even applies to nature spirits.) According to the four-god tradition, only these four beings should be worshipped as gods. According to the five-god tradition, all of them plus the Unnamed God should be worshipped. And the relatively weird one-god tradition thinks only the Unnamed God should be worshipped, and the four spirits are merely spirits.

At any rate, the relationship between the four gods/spirits definitely depends on who you ask, although the most common tradition involves Oni rebelling against his three siblings for getting a better deal than him. At any rate, evil spirits and mental illness are usually attributed to his influence.

Setting aside gods and whether or not they exist, Kowut beliefs hold that there is a spirit world that exists side-by-side with the physical one. Just as physical beings inhabit this world, spirits inhabit that one, typically associated with places and landforms. It's also where a person's soul (their adeifo) goes when they die.

to be continued...