Serimism

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Serimism
RegionWest Ekuosia
FounderSerim
Origin653 CE
Hafsigh, Hafsighi Kingdom
Branched fromAlgazi religion, Iovism
Members3.2 million (est.)

Serimism (Algaz: Thirimi /θi.ɾi'mi/, Serimite Algaz: Serime /se.ɾi'me/) is a polytheistic syncretic religion rooted in Algazi folk religion and Iovism, with additional influence from Qurosism and Pashaism. Serimism was founded by 7th century Hafsighi religious leader Serim, whose millenarian teachings emphasized mysticism, shamanic practices, and opposition to secular authority.

History

Serim

Pilgrims visiting the Tomb of Serim in the Koklates foothills.

Serimite War and the Executory

Following the riots, Serim and his followers went underground, beginning a six-year campaign of assassinations, arson attacks, small-sale uprisings, and raids. By YEAR, Serimite forces in the Koklates mountains had become sufficiently large and well-equipped to wage open war on the Hafsighi Kingdom, seizing control of much of the countryside north of Lake Wadan. In 668, Serim expanded westwards, conquering several former Letsatian cities with the assistance of local sympathizers; these would serve as a base to consolidate Serimite power before taking the city of Hafsigh, from which it was believed that gods would establish their rule.

Following Serim's death in 673, most of his disciples rallied behind Bızigh Ankesh, a disciple and adept commander who firmly advocated for continuing the campaign for Hafsigh and believed Serimite control of Hafsigh would set in motion the cleansing of the world and the beginning of the rule of the gods. A large minority of disciples opposed Ankesh, either for his militaristic stance or belief in the imminent beginning of the new age; many departed for the Koklates or the desert with their followers, while others remained in spite of religious and political tension.

Ankesh succeeded in capturing Hafsigh in 678, granting himself the title of Executor to reflect his perceived role to implement the will of the gods in preparation for their reign from Hafsigh. As Executor, Ankesh came to wield nearly absolute temporal power, with the defeated King Benhafin II reduced to a figurehead. Ankesh's refusal to depose or kill the king alienated more radical Serimites however, and subsequent political and theological conflicts fostered an increasing degree of factionalism. This undermined Ankesh's attempts to establish central authority over the Serimite faith and spread it to the general population. Laws aimed at enforcing Serimite morality were typically ignored or met with riots, while the nobility and clergy outside of Hafsigh largely prevented Ankesh from establishing effective Serimite control over the provinces. In 694, Executor Ankesh and King Benhafin III were overthrown in a coup led by military leader Dareb Sadhas, who crowned himself king and began persecuting Serimites. The vast majority of Serimites converted or were killed, though many fled to neighboring countries or joined the earlier dissent Serimites in the Koklates and the desert.

Reformation

Following the demise of the Executory, the dissident and refugee Serimite communities became more insular, abandoning proselytism and rejecting the outside world in favor of living in a manner deemed pure or in accordance with Serimite principles. By the 17th century, however, Serimite communities became increasingly integrated with the Algazi League economy, producing cash crops and craft goods in lieu of pure subsistence farming. Some Serimites, particularly craftsmen, also began relocating to cities, establishing substantial communities in Tagra, Hafsigh, and Farigh. While these initially duplicated the closed, insular nature of other Serimite communities, close contact and engagement between Serimites of different schools and between Serimites and non-Serimites fostered new ideas of Serimite religion and identity by the early 18th century. During this time, a movement of mostly younger, urban Serimites emerged that rejected endogamy and isolation favor of participating fully in society and welcoming members from outside the community. This movement, known as New Way Serimism, grew substantially in the late 18th and early 19th centuries as more non-ethnic Serimites were attracted to the movement.

Present Day

New Way Serimism has continued to grow since its emergence, and Serimites now the second largest organized religion in the Algazi Union behind Iovism, having surpassed Pashaism in the early 20th century. Unlike Algazi Iovists, New Way Serimites are fully integrated into broader Algazi society and do not maintain a distinct religious identity. As they worship the same deities as most Algazis, they often worship at temples and participate in religious ceremonies that are not explicitly Serimite, though formal Serimite places of worship remain the center of their religious practice.


Theology

Scriptures

Organization

Serimism consists of a number of schools, which hold distinct beliefs or emphasize certain ideas or practices. Most of these schools place themselves within a broader lineage, tracing their foundation back to one of Serim's disciples and their teachings; many New Way schools reject formal lineages, however, drawing on multiple sources within Serimism.

Old Way Schools

New Way Schools

All major New Way Serimite schools are members of the Ekuosian Serimite Conference, through which they consult each other on theological issues and collaborate on academic and political projects.

Old Way Serimites

Language

Culture

As a result of their remote location and insular lifestyle, Old Way and other ethnic Serimites speak a unique dialect of Algaz. Though it shares a high degree of mutual intelligibility with standard Algaz, there are a number of substantial grammatical, phonological, and lexical differences between the two. Though some New Way schools use Serimite Algaz as a liturgical language, others have relegated it to the scholarly realm.