Difference between revisions of "Qurosism"

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m (Turns out "Manooism" isn't actually a valid word in Povan.)
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Temyarq is one of the major denominations that is predominantly found in [[Tabiqa]], where it is the official state religion, and in neighbouring regions of [[Barradiwa]]. It involves worship of the Four Greater Gods, treating them roughly equally. Worship of Quuros is regarded as less important, as they are seen as less involved with everyday life. Temyarq continues to heavily rely on dream interpretation, a practice that has fallen out of frequent use in most other denominations. Historically, Temyarq has been one of the most powerful sects, being spread by the [[Adzamic Empire]], but today is chiefly restricted to Tabiqa and [[Dzimur]]. It is also one of the least organized of the denominations, having very little in the way of religious governance or hierarchy, and so local practice across its range may vary considerably.
Temyarq is one of the major denominations that is predominantly found in [[Tabiqa]], where it is the official state religion, and in neighbouring regions of [[Barradiwa]]. It involves worship of the Four Greater Gods, treating them roughly equally. Worship of Quuros is regarded as less important, as they are seen as less involved with everyday life. Temyarq continues to heavily rely on dream interpretation, a practice that has fallen out of frequent use in most other denominations. Historically, Temyarq has been one of the most powerful sects, being spread by the [[Adzamic Empire]], but today is chiefly restricted to Tabiqa and [[Dzimur]]. It is also one of the least organized of the denominations, having very little in the way of religious governance or hierarchy, and so local practice across its range may vary considerably.


===Manooism===
===Manauism===
Manooism is the largest denomination in the [[Povan Union]], practiced by roughly 20 million people concentrated in the Ekuos Valley. It involves worship of Quuros first and foremost, followed by a Greater God that most corresponds with the individual (known as their patron). The other three Greater Gods are comparatively neglected. Manooists usually have the same gender as their patron, though rarely some ''seen'' or ''ukraan'' will choose a patron that more closely reflects their personality. Manooists typically pray alone, or in congregations with those having the same patron.
Manauism is the largest denomination in the [[Povan Union]], practiced by roughly 20 million people concentrated in the Ekuos Valley. It involves worship of Quuros first and foremost, followed by a Greater God that most corresponds with the individual (known as their patron). The other three Greater Gods are comparatively neglected. Manauists usually have the same gender as their patron, though rarely some ''seen'' or ''ukraan'' will choose a patron that more closely reflects their personality. Manauists typically pray alone, or in congregations with those having the same patron.


===Nevirism===
===Nevirism===
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===Altanism===
===Altanism===
Altanism is a denomination common in north and central Povania. It typically involves the worship of only one of the Four, with great respect and acknowledgement paid to Quuros and other major deities. It has a patron system similar to that of Manooism, however it is believed that one's patron is revealed to them in a dream. Altanism is often thought of as a blend of Manooism, Temyarq, and Kõregza.
Altanism is a denomination common in north and central Povania. It typically involves the worship of only one of the Four, with great respect and acknowledgement paid to Quuros and other major deities. It has a patron system similar to that of Manauism, however it is believed that one's patron is revealed to them in a dream. Altanism is often thought of as a blend of Manauism, Temyarq, and Kõregza.


===Koherarq===
===Koherarq===

Revision as of 05:07, 24 December 2018

Quurožarq
Quurozark.png
Quurožarq Insignia
AbbreviationQUR
TheologyPolytheism
World to come
Panentheism
Animism
RegionEkuosia, Lahan
FounderTraditional
OriginEst. BCE 6,000
SeparationsTemyarq, (Nevirarq)


Quurožarq (Adzamasi: /quʁʌʒaʁq/ ; Neviran: ???) is a major religion or group of religions in south-east Ekuosia, especially in Lower Ekuosia, and enjoys some practice throughout the former Adzamasi Empire including southeast Barradiwa, and in some Adzo-Neviric diasporas. It is a polytheistic religion with five main gods and many minor spirits, and has concepts of reincarnation and circular time. The religion has existed in some form since prehistory, and is accepted to have arisen somewhere in northern Baredina, but the exact locale is unknown.

Followers of Quurožarq are called Quurožiri in Adzamasi.

Deities

There are five principle deities in Quurožarq, known collectively as Quuros and the Four. The various denominations of Quurožarq hold these five deities at different levels of importance (and give them slightly different names); among the Temyiri, the sect most widely followed in Tabiqa, the Four are the primary figures of worship. There are also many minor deities, many of which are only recognized locally, called biārevah (sg. biāren). Gods from other religions are generally held to be biārevah.

Quuros

The First Being, Quuros (Adzamasi: /qu:ʁʌs/, Neviran: /k'uɣos/) is the deity who created the universe, Sahar, and the Four. They are genderless and portrayed typically as a giant golden centaur-like creature, with the upper body of a human woman, the lower body of a male oryx or other large antelope, and a head mixing the features of both. Quuros is associated with the colours black and gold, birth and death, fertility, children, and the underground.

All Quurožarq sects worship Quuros as a central and important figure; the creator, the all-parent, protector of children, and the one to whom most will return in death. Their nature is often considered unfathomable due to its age and power, but they are considered loving, loyal, and forgiving.

The Four

The Four (Adzamasi: Il-Temē), also called the Four Greater Gods are the four gods created immediately after and by Quuros. They represent the cardinal directions, the four winds, and the four genders. Each of the Four have standard depictions, symbolism, and associations, but are known to be shapeshifters and therefore can appear in many forms. Their exact attributes also vary among religious sects. In Temyarq they are considerably more significant to everyday life than Quuros themself.

Amet

Amet (Adzamasi: /amɛt/, Neviran: /äɛɢɛt/) is the goddess of women (seen) and productivity, whose main associations are with the south and southeast, red, life and healing, and fertile soil. She is also broadly associated with economics and manufacturing. Among Temyiri, Amet is also associated with birth and human fertility, while in other denominations that is the realm of Quuros.

Amet's physical avatars are often that of a healthy, middle-aged woman with the pelt, tail, and ears of a deer or smaller antelope, or an older woman with dark red skin like iron-rich clay. In Temyarq she is often portrayed somewhat younger, and often pregnant.

Amet is often considered practical, level-headed, organized, efficient, and industrious; especially among the Temyiri she is seen as a leader of the Four. These are all qualities that many Quurožiri hope their daughters will embody.

Hathur

Hathur (Adzamasi: /haθuʁ/, Neviran: /äsθʉɰ/ is the god of men (ukraan) and war. He is associated with the north and northwest, fire, the colour white, and the desert. He is typically portrayed as a large, strong young man with the head of a lynx or caracal, and sometimes claws. While often more evocative of destruction, Hathur also symbolizes physical protection, resilience, energy, enthusiasm, bravery, and sometimes male potency.

Hathur is considered to have a sort of dual nature; the warrior and the father.

Karne

Karne {Adzamasi: /k'aʁnɛ/, Neviran: /qɒɣɛn/) is the deity of letheen and thought. Le is primarily associated with the west, dreaming, the colour green, and the sky, but also creativity, intelligence, engineering, and humour. Leir physical appearance is usually that of a small and nimble androgynous individual with the wings, tail, and beak of a bearded vulture or eagle, or sometimes a smaller bird. Since the advent of historical contact with Boroso, the Kavs have sometimes been considered living avatars of Karne.

Of the Four, Karne shows the most tolerance for tricksters in stories and legends, and is seen as somewhat finicky and egotistical; for this, le is somewhat mistrusted. However, le is also cunning, witty, and selfless.

Tali

Tāli or Taali (Adzamasi: /tɑlɪ/, Neviran: /täɛʑi/) is the deity of benthiin and magic, as well as water, the east, oceans, and the colour blue, with additional associations of loyalty, traditionalism, kindness, love, and peace. Ve is depicted as a tall and slender person with the gills, fins, and scales of a blue and silver fish. In modern times, electricity and digital technology are sometimes considered the provenance of Taali, as forms of modern 'magic.'

Tāli is considered patient, calm, wise, and supportive, but with no tolerance for mockery or disloyalty, sometimes leading to violence. Veir ability to grant magic to humans is both lauded and feared.

Biārevah

The biārevah (Adzamasi: /bjɑʁɛva/, Old Adzamic /beiχɛvɐh/), singular form biāren, are sometimes called minor gods, spirits, or saints. Most were originally mortal humans who have returned to the mortal plane after death due to their great power. Monarchs, revolutionaries, inventors, warlords, and others of great fame, notoriety, or even infamy, are said to become biārevah after death. They have some powers over the physical world and can be good, evil, or somewhere in between.

Gods and other important figures of other religions are often considered by the Quurožiri to be biārevah. Some particularly powerful gods are instead considered aspects or manifestations of Quuros or the Four. While biārevah are typically not worshipped outright by Quurožiri, they are afforded great respect and may be given offerings and prayers.

Beliefs

Afterlife

There are three main paths souls take after death. The first is to return to the mortal realm as biārevah ; the second is to become subsumed in the universal dream as rosönet ; and the final is to join the courts of the Four Gods as temiārenet. Finally, a small selection of people may be reborn as mortals, especially those who died in infancy or before birth, and among others who commit certain actions in their afterlives.

Becoming a biāren is the most coveted and esteemed path. It is considered a great achievement, and something many aspire to and strive for during life. To be a biāren can be a responsibility, but also is a great honour.

Most who die will go on to become rosönet, "those who are lost". They join the fabric of the universal dream, retaining consciousness and individuality, but losing most of their volition and agency. This is something of a dreary fate, but it is not final, and one can rejoin one's loved ones. They are not able to communicate with or interfere with the living.

Those who are selfish and evil go on to become temiārenet, "those of the Four." They will spend the rest of this age in the dreams of the living, where they may guide, help, or hinder. Some more accomplished people who have done many immoral things may instead manage to become evil biārevah.

Reality and the Ages

Quurožiri believe that we are currently living in the first age or Kēnkenÿn. Kēnkenÿn is considered to be a dream of the Quuros and the Four, initiated by Quuros, who has purposefully created the other gods and the world in their dream-state. This does not, however, indicate that Quurožiri do not think of the world as real, substantial, material, or important.

It is believed that when humans sleep, they are able to enter the realm of the gods and interact with them directly. As such, dream interpretation is of great importance to the Quurožiri.

Although some doctrine has tried to state how long ago Quuros first dreamt up the world, there is no overall consensus, and as such most modern Quurožiri agree with the current scientific theories on the age of the universe, planets, etc (if not the cause thereof). The length left to Kēnkenÿn is also not firmly established.

It is said that Kēnkenÿn will end with the deaths of Quuros and the Four. Since the universe is the dream of the gods, their death necessitates the death of this universe. However, in their demise, Quuros will create the next age, Abenÿn, for the biārevah and rosönet; the temiārenet will perish alongside Il-Temē.

Abenÿn is expected to be similar to our world in many superficial ways but to work very differently at a fundamental level. It will no longer be a dream of higher beings, and the great gods will also no longer be present to help guide and protect mortal kind. However, as the temiārenet - souls of the foul and evil - will not transition to the Abenÿn it is expected to be a kinder and safer place.

It is not agreed how long Abenÿn will last and whether there is another age after it.

Practices

Quurožarq occupies an uneasy realm between organized and unorganized religion, with little overarching structure or governance. There are no universally recognized leaders of the faith as a whole, and even many of the larger sub-sects have little official organization. As a consequence, both the canon and the practices of the religion vary greatly between regions, sects, and individuals.

Denominations

Temyarq

Temyarq is one of the major denominations that is predominantly found in Tabiqa, where it is the official state religion, and in neighbouring regions of Barradiwa. It involves worship of the Four Greater Gods, treating them roughly equally. Worship of Quuros is regarded as less important, as they are seen as less involved with everyday life. Temyarq continues to heavily rely on dream interpretation, a practice that has fallen out of frequent use in most other denominations. Historically, Temyarq has been one of the most powerful sects, being spread by the Adzamic Empire, but today is chiefly restricted to Tabiqa and Dzimur. It is also one of the least organized of the denominations, having very little in the way of religious governance or hierarchy, and so local practice across its range may vary considerably.

Manauism

Manauism is the largest denomination in the Povan Union, practiced by roughly 20 million people concentrated in the Ekuos Valley. It involves worship of Quuros first and foremost, followed by a Greater God that most corresponds with the individual (known as their patron). The other three Greater Gods are comparatively neglected. Manauists usually have the same gender as their patron, though rarely some seen or ukraan will choose a patron that more closely reflects their personality. Manauists typically pray alone, or in congregations with those having the same patron.

Nevirism

Kõregza

Kõregza, sometimes also called Osuregza or Kõjark, is a large group of religions that is clearly closely related to Quurožarq, and typically considered a subsect thereof. It is practiced predominantly by the indigenous peoples of the Qanding valley in north-eastern Tabiqa and nearby Ebo Nganagam and Povania. There are many common elements to these traditions which are unique among other Quurozarq sects, reflecting their status as 'creole religions.' Almost all of the world's 8.4 million Kõ people are Kõreziri, with the next most common belief system among them (around 5%) being atheism. Some separatist groups promote the return to 'pure,' pre-Adzamic forms of the Kõ religion, but even among separatists this movement has met with very little success, due at least in part to the difficulty of reconstructing an ancestral form of the religion which does not still show striking resemblance to Quurožarq.

In general, Kõregzi subsects follow scripture similar to Temyarq, Altanism, or Taajeenism, based on proximity to those religious cores. What sets them apart from their neighbours is the heavy integration of additional greater gods, with main pantheon sizes ranging from seven to twelve. The Five gods found in Quurožarq at large are also interpreted somewhat differently — in general, having fewer domains, associations, and less overall power; they also each tend to have two names, one borrowed from the Adzo-Neviric languages, and one tracing back to the pre-Adzamic era. The native names of Quuros and Taali in particular bear no resemblance to the Adzo-Neviric terms, while other names may reflect a common origin of the indigenous religions and the Quurožarq faiths with which they have been syncretised.

While their expanded pantheons have been met with calls of heresy, most other Quurožiri are happy to accept the Kõregzi deities as powerful local biarevah. The Kõ people also have a long history of resistance and resilience within the Qandin valley, and have learned to downplay cultural differences that would make them targets for outsiders. In the modern, globalized era, the many differences of Kõregza from other Quurožarq faiths are well-known, and have been used to incite ethnic tensions by both separatists and Kõiphobes, with limited success.

Taajeenism

Taajeenism is practiced extensively in northern Nevira, and central and eastern Povania. It is characterized by worship of Quuros and the Four independent of each other, instead of as a cohesive whole. Taajeenists believe all of their daily struggles are most suited for the aid of one of Quuros or the Greater Gods. As the use of and belief in magic is considerably important to Taajeenists, this may appear to other Quurožiri as a focus on worship of Taali, from which the name of the denomination is derived.

Altanism

Altanism is a denomination common in north and central Povania. It typically involves the worship of only one of the Four, with great respect and acknowledgement paid to Quuros and other major deities. It has a patron system similar to that of Manauism, however it is believed that one's patron is revealed to them in a dream. Altanism is often thought of as a blend of Manauism, Temyarq, and Kõregza.

Koherarq

Koherarq is a denomination common in southwestern Povania and bordering regions of Tabiqa. It involves worship of Quuros on the same level as the Greater Gods, working in harmony to ensure the health and survival of the planet. Koheriri believe nearly all conflict can be explained by disputes between the Greater Gods, and that Quuros mainly breaks ties when the Greater Gods cannot agree. Over 90% of Povan Koheriri consider Karne, as the deity of the west and the sky, to be their guardian. As dreaming is considered part of Karne's realm, dream interpretation is seen as highly spiritual, but not practiced as frequently as by followers of Temyarq.

Unificationism

Unificationism is a denomination characterized by the belief that only Quuros is a true deity, and that the Four are merely parts of the universal dream. Most Unificationists believe the Four are merely biarevah, albeit the first four to become such. Unificationists are fairly evenly spread among Quurožiri populations, though their numbers in Tabiqa have been in steady decline over the past century.

Minor sects

Adat

One minor sect, which is sometimes labeled a cult, is Adat (Majeeri for 'the religion'). It has under twenty thousand adherents, almost entirely within Tabiqa, and mostly of the Majeeri etholinguistic group. The sect or cult has traditionally been reclusive, although never closed to converts; however, it is broadly misunderstood by most Tabiqiri and other Quurožiri. Adat promotes the worship and reverence of many biarevah to an extent that rivals the Five, which has in the past included the adoption of important deceased Adatiri as important deities. These practices have lead to claims of heresy, fractures within the sect, and religious and ethnic violence, including forced conversions and attempted genocide during the reign of the Holy Adzamic Empire. Furthermore, the Majeeri, resolute nomads and traditionalists, are noted for refusing to use modern technologies, and although they are well-respected as traders by small settlements, are often mistrusted in other walks of life. In the modern era, Adatiri are overall safe from significant persecution, but face other systemic barriers, stereotypes, and moderate xenophobia from their countrymen.

Magic

There are forms of traditional magic that are still practiced by many Temyiri and some Taajeenists today, despite advancements in science and medicine that disprove their effectiveness or accuracy. There is a strict delineation between what is considered religious/spiritual and what is considered magical, and they are the responsibility of the letheen and benthiin respectively.

Practices considered to be "magical" include ...