Hârnic Religion, a Social Perspective

Introduction

My hope is that, by approaching Hârnic religion in this way, the article will be able to offer up a perspective on the subject that GM's and players alike will find useful when considering a wide variety of matters pertaining to religion: the choice of PC's and NPC's faiths, why certain churches do or don't get along with each other, why certain deities are worshipped only in certain places or among certain peoples, etc.

As author, I suppose I should also state that I am writing this article without any particular training in religious studies or sociology. I do not know, consequently, whether or not the kinds of categories I use, the definitions I provide for them, etc. correspond to those used by sociologists or scholars of comparative religion.

Kinds of Religion

• Ethnic religions
  
  
• Caste religions
  
  
• Cult religions

The boundary line between these types is not always clear and distinct. In Jara/Orbaal, for instance, Ilviranism is primarily an "ethnic religion," as Ilvir is revered by almost all Jarin and only by the Jarin. In other regions, however, Ilvir worship may have more of the characteristics of a "cult religion". With such complexities in mind, let us turn to considering these three types of religions and how they correspond to Hârnic faiths.

Ethnic Religions

There are several faiths in Hârn and West Lythia that can best be described as 'ethnic religions'. In Hârn, ethnic religions are dominant in Orbaal/Jara, Evael, Azadmere, and other areas lying outside of the six 'southern' human states (e.g. Rethem, Kanday, Tharda, Kaldor, Chybisa, Melderyn).

• Foremost among these is Sarajinism, which could well be considered a distinctly Ivinian religion. Roughly 95% of all Ivinians (and people of Ivinian ancestry-- such as the Harbaalese and many Chelembians) worship Sarajin. By contrast,the number of non-Ivinians who revere him is minimal. Regardless of their station in life, or where they dwell, Ivinians continue to adhere to the teachings of the King of the Icy Wind, while non-Ivinians generally remain uninterested.
  
  
• Among the Jarin of northern Hârn, Ilviranism is best classified as an ethnic religion. Although a few Jarin families revere Siem or Peoni, the overwhelming majority, regardless of their station, worship Ilvir. By contrast, Ilviranism has attracted no interest from the Ivinian rulers of Orbaal, who see it primarily as a rallying point of Jarin nationalism that must be suppressed. In southern Hârn, Ilviranism has more of the character of a 'cult religion', although it is surely no accident that in Kaldor, the southern kingdom in which Ilviranism is strongest, families of pure Jarin descent have been "sufficiently numerous to retain much of their heritage" [Kaldor-2].
  
  
• Siemism, as it is practiced by the Sindarin and Khuzdul might also appropriately be considered an 'ethnic religion'. With virtually no exceptions, members of the Elder Races follow the teachings of Siem, the Lord of the Azure Bowl. By contrast, only a small smattering of humans revere Siem-- and most of those who do live either in Azadmere or Evael with one of the two Elder Races. Elsewhere in Hârn, however, the worship of Siem possesses more of the character of a 'cult' religion.
  
  
• Finally, most tribal religions can be described as ethnic religions. The Tulwyn and the Tulwyn alone worship Kekamar-- and they do so regardless of tribe, family, or status. The same can be said of the gods revered by Hârn's other tribal nations (e.g. the Taelda and Cothlynn, the Ymodi and Wajok, the Chymak and Kuarthurlu, etc.) There is some degree of internal variation among those 'barbarian nations' who practice totemism (e.g. one tribe will revere one totem, another tribe another, etc.), however.
  
  

Caste Religions

In Hârn, caste religions tend to be dominant in the six civilized southern human states: Rethem, Tharda, Kanday, Kaldor, Chybisa, and Melderyn. They also tend to be dominant in Shorkyne, Emelrene, Trierzon, Azeryan and many west Lythian states.

• Foremost among Hârn's caste religions is Peonism, the faith of the great majority of the peasantry and laboring poor. Even in areas where the worship of Peoni is banned (e.g. Rethem), the overwhelming majority of peasants, slaves, servants, and urban laborers still revere the goddess in their hearts. This is not to say, however, that no peasants/poor worship deities other than Peoni or that no guildsmen or nobles worship her. (In fact, Peoni is the patron goddess of Hârn's physician's guild.) It is the case, nonetheless, that the overwhelming majority of Peonians are peasants and urban poor, and that the overwhelming majority of peasants and urban poor are Peonians.
  
  
• Haleanism, by contrast, is the preferred faith among guildsmen and those unguilded freemen who make money through craft or trade. This is why the worship of Halea is concentrated in towns and cities. Again, it is true that not all tradesmen are Haleans-- and that the more 'sensual' aspects of Haleanism are appealing to some nobles and very wealthy peasants-- but on the whole, this religion is practiced primarily by the urban 'middle classes'.
  
  
• Intriguingly, Laranism and Agrikanism are religions that appeal to the very same caste: namely, feudal nobles and soldiers. In most southern Hârnic kingdoms (and in Shorkyne, Trierzon, and Emelrene), Laranism is the religion of choice for aristocrats, yeoman farmers (who typically have military obligations to their local lord) as well as guards and men-at-arms. In Rethem and some regions of Azeryan, by contrast, Agrikanism is the dominant faith among these same groups. In the Thardic Republic and in other regions of Azeryan, both faiths hold sway among nobles and soldiers. It is, perhaps, worth considering that the hostility between the churches of Agrik and Larani may be as much due to the fact that they are effectively competing for the allegiance of the same castes as for moral/theological reasons.
  
  
• Finally, K'norrism shares many aspects of a caste religion. Its adherents are typically those whose profession in some way involves knowledge or the educated use of words or symbols. This includes scholars, scribes, arcanists, litigants, tutors, actors, harpers, jesters, and other artists and entertainers. Again, it is true that there are many scholars and artists who revere a deity other than Save-K'nor-- and that there are lay K'norrans who are neither scholars nor artists (especially in Melderyn)-- but on the whole, the religion's appeal is overwhelmingly to those who practice a 'learned' profession.
  
  

Cult Religions

It should, perhaps, be noted that while some cult religions are secretive or subversive, this is not always the case. What defines a cult faith is not that it is hidden or antagonistic, but rather that its members do not generally come from any particular social caste or ethnic group.

As a general rule, cult religions are not dominant anywhere. By their very nature, they tend to appeal to eccentrics, outsiders, the disaffected, and others who, for whatever reason, do not have a particularly strong sense of ethnic, caste, or professional identity. (They also appeal to those of any ethnicity or caste who happen to be brought up in the cult from childhood).

• Navehanism is perhaps the most extreme example of a cult religion in Hârn. Secretive, reclusive, and absolute in its demand for loyalty on the part of its members, the Navehan church permits its priests no social bonds whatsoever outside those of the church. Indeed, in order to ensure that its clergy have no identity except as Navehans, the church exclusively kidnaps infants and raises them in the temple to be trained as priests.
  
  
• Another obvious cult religion is Morgathianism. Prior to the Balshan Jihad, the worship of Morgath was a practiced only by priests and a handful of fervently devoted laity of various classes. Balsha popularized Morgathianism and the two Theocracies that have ruled in western Hârn have resulted in its embrace by a surprisingly large percentage of the populace. Even in southern Rethem-- the strongest bastion of the faith on the island-- , however, Morgathianism remains a cult religion because its appeal is to any and all who are willing to embrace its bleak principles-- rather than to members of any particular social group.
  
  
• Most Ilviran orders in southern Hârn are best classified as cults because their laity generally comprises a self-selecting handful of eccentric individuals of varied backgrounds who have 'heard the Brooder's call' (either individually or through the mouth of one of his mendicant priests, rather than a group united by a shared ethnicity, caste, or profession.
  
  
• Similarly, Siemism, to the extent that it exists at all in southern Hârn (outside of Evael, that is), can also be regarded as a cult religion. Its appeal is primarily to those individuals (regardless of caste) inclined towards mystical enlightenment and who happen to have the rare chance to encounter the Uthriem Rolli, an Inthiar, or another follower of Siem who has convinced them to depart from their previous faith and to embrace the Azure Path of Enlightenment.