ADÆNUM RELIGION

by Trotsky

Manaclir

God of the Adænum

Great Grey God, Master of Wind and Wave, Saver of Lives and Drowner of Men, Soul of the Thunder,  Guide of the Great Spirits

Lesser God [1]

Manaclir is depicted as a muscular man with wild grey hair and a beard, wreathed in dark clouds. He is often shown amidst falling rain or standing on a rough sea.

The Great Grey God is the chieftain of the spirits of the sea and air. He is equally capable of peace and wrath, and changes his moods with capricious frequency. At times he may be generous, and allow men to sail the seas and collect many fish. But then, for no reason at all, he may grow angry and decide to send a storm. The fishermen who occasionally drown in such a storm are said to be the 'dues of Manaclir', and while such a death is much a cause for mourning as any other, there is no bitterness towards the god, who is only acting according to his nature.

Source: Adaenum 1-2

Cormorant

Adænum Demigod of Food

Cormorant is the totem to whom the Adaenum pray for success in fishing. He is often a greedy and selfish bird, but can be coaxed into sending his blessings to human fishermen. He is probably the most popular totem among the Anac (coastal) Adaenum.

Crab

Adænum Demigod of Combat

Crab is an angry totem, always snapping at anything which approaches, then sheltering behind his hard shell. Although he usually fights in defence, he sometimes does so just for the fun of it. When the Adaenum need to fight the Kamaki or repel strangers from the mainland, it is Crab they invoke to help them. Unlike other sea-faring peoples, the Adaenum do not eat crabs, throwing any they catch back into the ocean lest the totem become too angry with them.

Gull

Adænum Demigod of Entertainment

Gull is noisy and raucous and there are many tails of him trying to pull practical jokes on mortals. As often as not, these tales end with the trick backfiring on the unfortunate totem. None the less, gull is invoked to bring good fortune and for various minor blessings. He can be rather capricious in choosing whether or not to answer such requests.

Puffin

Adænum Demigoddess of Housekeeping

Puffin is humble and diligent, but proud in her own way. She is often seen as a women's totem, and is seen as the most reliable of the six. Her blessings help with healing the sick and for skill in craftwork.

Seal

Adænum Demigod of Fertility

Seal is the totem of sexual prowess, as demonstrated by the many contests his children indulge in when they visit the shores once each year. He is strong and virile, and invoked to bring these qualities to mortals.

Turtle

Adænum Demigoddess of Mystery

Turtle is sinister and circumspect. She only comes ashore once a year, and then does so under the cover of darkness to lay her eggs, and then quickly retreats back into the sea. While never evil, she cares nothing for humans and will twist them to her advantage when she feels the need. She is only invoked in anger and in secret, for her 'blessings' usually bring harm to others.

Yael [2]

Adænum Demigoddess of the Moon

Yael is the wife of Manaclir, and represents not only the night, but also love and feminine sexuality. She is rarely invoked by the Anac, but is second only to Manaclir among the Shu (inland) Adaenum. According to the Shu, Yael brings fertility to all land dwelling animals, including humans. She is gentle and compassionate, yet also enjoys exuberant revelry when there is something to celebrate. In modern times, elements of both Peonian and Halean belief can be seen in her rituals.

Earth Witch

Adænum Demigoddess of Evil

This entity is the mother of the spirits of rock and of rats and other vermin. The Anac Adaenum also identify her with woodland animals, who they believe have rejected the Sea. She is the source of the powers of the Vulna, who she uses to bring misery and ruin to all. She is never actively worshipped or propitiated, although she appears in many myths. [3]

Wisdom of the Olna

Where did the world come from?

In the void before the world was created there lived two primordial beings, Pel and Odi, one male and the other female. When they became aware of each other's existence they approached and began to copulate. From this divine, unceasing, copulation the gods were born. First was born Nolor, the sun, who took after his father. Next was the Earth Witch, whose name we do not speak. Third was Yael, the goddess of the moon and of the night. Fourth came Visanta, goddess of the dark and cold sea. Fifth was Manaclir, the Great Grey God.

At first the gods and goddesses were crushed together, for there was no space between their parents, who showed no sign of ending their amorous activity. To begin with, they did not mind, for they had known nothing else. But when Manaclir was born he soon became angered, for it takes little to upset him. So, with great fury and using all his strength, Manaclir planted his feet upon his mother and pressed his hands against his father and pushed with all his might until they were flung apart.

Visanta and the Earth Witch clung to their mother in fear, not understanding what was happening. That is why the earth and the sea are beneath us. Yael and Nolor at first clung to their father, for they also were confused as the universe they had lived in all their lives was changed so dramatically. And that is why the sky is above us. But in their confusion, they soon began to wonder what had happened to their mother, and being noble, unlike Visanta and the Earth Witch, they dashed about to see if they could find her. When they did, they could no longer see their father, so they dashed about again, to see if he was still there. And that is why the sun and the moon circle first above us, then below us and why the night follows the day.

And in the middle stood Manaclir, ruling the boundary between Earth and Sky, confident and unfraid.

Where did I come from?

The first humans were the children of Manaclir and Yael. These many children were set down at various points along the coastlines of the world. Earth Witch soon became jealous of Manaclir and Yael and so she began to tempt their children with promises of dark power and evil gifts. Many humans were tricked into following her, and these are the ancestors of the peoples of the mainland. But some, such as out ancestors, stayed loyal and ignored the Earth Witch's blandishments and so remain in their proper place, living where the land meets the sea.

Why am I here?

Our ancestors were born as free people, given souls and understanding that we might chose our own way in life. Animals and the great totem spirits are not like this; they were created to fulfil their roles in the world. Thus, they cannot be corrupted by the Earth Witch as we can, but also have less freedom and their existence is more circumscribed than ours. We should not ignore this gift of free will we are given; we should live life to the fullest, but not squander it by surrendering to evil powers.

What happens after we die? [4]

When we die, our spirit leaves our body and seeks out another in which to be reborn. Our spirit always seeks out a body similar to that which it departed, so that men are always reborn as men, and women as women. The same is true for the spirits of animals. If a person sacrifices too much of themselves to the Earth Witch in return for her evil gifts, then his soul will be consumed by her when he dies and will not be reborn. However, Manaclir and Yael still make new human souls from time to time and place them on the Earth to see how they fare.

What can you tell me about magic?

Each of the gods created their own totem spirits, who in turn created the various animals and plants you see about you. Manaclir created the best totems, those who dwell on the boundary between the air, water and land, such as Seal and Gull. Earth Witch created the beasts who crawl on the ground, Nolor created the land-dwelling birds, Yael the plants and Visanta the creatures of the deep sea, such as fish.

Magic comes from dealing with these spirits, and accepting the gifts they give us in return for our offerings. It is good to deal with the totems of Manaclir as the Olnae do, but evil to deal with the totems of the Earth Witch like the Vulnae. The other totems rarely deal with humans, and are best left alone, although they are not truly evil.

What of the other gods? What can you tell me about... [5]

Larani

This is one of the so-called goddesses of the mainlanders, or Kandians in their own tongue. We believe she is a servant or child of the Earth Witch, for she has demonstrated her evil nature in past attacks on our island. She seeks to subvert humans to her way of living, making them forget how they should live, and turning them against Manaclir, their creator. Her wicked followers should be rejected and thrown back to the land from whence they come.

Peoni

Another so-called goddess of the mainlanders. Although she claims to be like Yael, and may even be a totem created by that goddess, she now revels in the Earth, smearing herself in its filth. Although she has not yet shown herself to be as evil as Larani, she is a base and impure creature at best, and maybe her followers have not yet had the chance to attack us as they wish to. The followers of this low and dirty goddess are to be ignored to chased away by all right-thinking people.

Shadet-Etu [6]

This is what the Kamaki call Turtle, the totem of sinister mysteries. Turtle is not evil, and is a creation of Manaclir, but he cares nothing for humans and often makes them do bad things without really caring for the consequences. Thus, we must reject the Kamaki and their ways, for they are twisted in their beliefs and easily fall prey to the Earth Witch.

[1] My current opinion is that Manaclir is a Lesser God, worshipped by many coastal peoples under different names. He has not been able to establish any kind of unified Church or religious practice, and therefore appears to be a number of separate gods to Kethirans. An alternative view would be that he is another name for Sarajin, although he is not particularly warlike. At any rate, he seems too distant from his worshippers to be a demigod.

[2] The Adaenum speak the Jarin language, so I assume they have the same name for the moon. The Adaenum think of her as a goddess, but in game terms she is more accurately thought of as a demigoddess.

[3] This being may be a servant of Morgath, although she is seen as acting independently in Adaenum mythology. Like Yael, she is seen as a goddess by the Adaenum.

[4] No information is given on this topic in the published material. This is purely my own opinion.

[5] Because the Adaenum are relatively isolated, they know very little of the gods of the civilised countries of mainland Harn. While they have encountred Ivinian raiders and Sindarin sailors, they don't necesserily know or care who they worship.

[6] The chief deity of the Kamaki.