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Orthodox Arzalism: Difference between revisions
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Devotion to the Blood God is strongest among warriors, who consider him their patron. | Devotion to the Blood God is strongest among warriors, who consider him their patron. | ||
Blood priests practice many rituals involving scarification, body modification, mortification of the flesh, bloodletting, and vampirism. Bullfighting is a popular Blood devotion performed at major festivals by Blood priests who train as matadors. The Blood God accepts human and animal sacrifices, and blood must be | Blood priests practice many rituals involving scarification, body modification, mortification of the flesh, bloodletting, and vampirism. Bullfighting is a popular Blood devotion performed at major festivals by Blood priests who train as matadors. The Blood God accepts human and animal sacrifices, and blood must be spilt in order for the sacrifice to be efficacious. Worshippers may offer their own body parts as sacrifices to the Blood God. | ||
===The Pain God=== | ===The Pain God=== | ||
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===The Fire and Lightning God=== | ===The Fire and Lightning God=== | ||
The Fire God accepts only burnt offerings. These can take the form of animals, grain, incense, tobacco, oil, or burnt effigies; but the highest form of sacrifice to the Fire God is to immolate a human victim alive. Fire priests make extensive use of incense, tobacco, cannabis, and ash in their rituals. | The Fire God accepts only burnt offerings. These can take the form of animals, grain, incense, tobacco, oil, or burnt effigies; but the highest form of sacrifice to the Fire God is to immolate a human victim alive. Fire priests make extensive use of incense, tobacco, cannabis, and ash in their rituals. | ||
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One of the oldest Arzali deities, the Rain God was the second most revered figure in Primitive Arzalism after the Sun God. The Rain God is worshipped throughout the country and features prominently in the rites of Orthodox Arzalism, but a much more extensive Rain Cult exists in rural areas among the agricultural population. | One of the oldest Arzali deities, the Rain God was the second most revered figure in Primitive Arzalism after the Sun God. The Rain God is worshipped throughout the country and features prominently in the rites of Orthodox Arzalism, but a much more extensive Rain Cult exists in rural areas among the agricultural population. | ||
The highest form of sacrifice to the Rain God is by throwing live victims into sacred | The highest form of sacrifice to the Rain God is by throwing live victims into sacred limestone {{wp|cenotes}}, although it is also licit to use purpose-built {{wp|cisterns}} or certain sacred lakes and waterfalls for this purpose. Urban Rain Temples mostly sacrifice victims by drowning in tanks with glass walls. The most prestigious sacrificial cenote for the worship of the Rain God was [name], until 2022 when its aperture was collapsed by a [[Kiravian Army Air Corps|Kiravian airstrike]]. | ||
===The Earth God=== | ===The Earth God=== | ||
Sacrifices to the Earth God are made by burying victims alive or by burying them up to the neck and stoning them to death. There are also two Earth Temples specially authorised to crush victims using large rocks. Burying the remains of victims sacrificed to other gods is also considered an act of Earth Worship. | Sacrifices to the Earth God are made by burying victims alive or by burying them up to the neck and stoning them to death. There are also two Earth Temples specially authorised to crush victims using large rocks. Burying the remains of victims sacrificed to other gods is also considered an act of Earth Worship. | ||
=== | ===Victory Goddess=== | ||
The goddess of {{wp|military victory|victory}}, often referred to as ''dabz nakaz'' ("Sweet Victory") is an important deity to the martial and civic dimensions of Arzalism and Varshani culture. As with Raideron (see above), the Victory Goddess demands captives of war as sacrifices, and such sacrifices are made to commemorate important military victories in Varshani history, as well as during times of war after successful battles. Warshani warriors do not seek Dabz Nakaz's favour or intervension to aid them in battle. Rather, they go to battle to prove their worth and devotion to her, and undertake fasts or painful acts of physical penitence in her name after military defeats. Dabz Nakaz is the most prominent Arzali deity described and portrayed with expressly feminine attributes. | |||
===God-Emperors and God-Kings=== | ===God-Emperors and God-Kings=== | ||
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===Other figures=== | ===Other figures=== | ||
*'''The Moon''' - Sometimes referred to by scholars as the "Arzali Satan", the Moon is the most reviled figure in Arzalism, framed as the primary adversary of both the Sun God and the gods of the Dark Pantheon. | *'''The Moon''' - Sometimes referred to by scholars as the "Arzali Satan", the Moon is the most reviled figure in Arzalism, framed as the primary adversary of both the Sun God and the gods of the Dark Pantheon. | ||
*'''The Soccer God''' - Patron of the {{wp|Mesoamerican ballgame|Varshani ballgame}}, an organised team sport which doubles as an Arzali religious ritual. | *'''The Soccer God''' - Patron of the {{wp|Mesoamerican ballgame|Varshani ballgame}}, an organised team sport which doubles as an Arzali religious ritual. | ||
*'''The Hail God''' - Many tribes, both Varshani and non-Varshani, living in mountainous areas of the country have traditionally worshipped hail deities. Preclassical Arzalism as practiced in the lowlands may have incorporated the Hail God as a minor god of punishment, but due to the tendency of mountain-dwelling tribes to rebel against the Zûrg, orthodox priests long ago relegated the Hail God to being the Rain God's retarded cousin and outlawed their worship. Nonetheless, devotions to the Hail God persist in isolated mountain settlements and among some Solar Arzalis. | *'''The Hail God''' - Many tribes, both Varshani and non-Varshani, living in mountainous areas of the country have traditionally worshipped hail deities. Preclassical Arzalism as practiced in the lowlands may have incorporated the Hail God as a minor god of punishment, but due to the tendency of mountain-dwelling tribes to rebel against the Zûrg, orthodox priests long ago relegated the Hail God to being the Rain God's retarded cousin and outlawed their worship. Nonetheless, devotions to the Hail God persist in isolated mountain settlements and among some Solar Arzalis. | ||
===Syncretic Figures=== | |||
Many figures in Arzalism (especially regional and heterodox forms) are shared with or recognisably adapted from other Cronan religions. | |||
*'''[[Xzibit]]''' | |||
*[stuff from Ma'acunism] | |||
==Key Beliefs== | ==Key Beliefs== | ||
Arzalism lacks a {{wp|systematic theology}} or a unified canon of authoritative scriptures. There are a large number of religious texts describing Arzali beliefs, myths, and rituals, but unlike the Bible, Koran, or Vedas, the texts are not held to be divinely-inspired or authoritative in and of themselves. Rather, they are simply considered written records of the priestly caste, who are collectively regarded as divinely inspired and the | Arzalism lacks a {{wp|systematic theology}} or a unified canon of authoritative scriptures. There are a large number of religious texts describing Arzali beliefs, myths, and rituals, but unlike the Bible, Koran, or Vedas, the texts are not held to be divinely-inspired or authoritative in and of themselves. Rather, they are simply considered written records of the priestly caste, who are collectively regarded as divinely inspired and the font of religious knowledge. | ||
===Caste System=== | ===Caste System=== | ||
Arzalism prescribes a hierarchical society that divides the population into castes according to their race, occupation, and relationship to the means of production in a slave-based economy. Varshanis of divine descent > TopVarshani priests > TopVarshani warriors > Petty Varshani priests > Petty Varshani Warriors > Top Varshani non-warriors > Petty Varshani non-warriors > Martial among Gentiles warriors > Martial among Gentiles non-warriors > "Natives" (Varshani Natives > Non-Varshani natives) > Varshani slaves > Non-Varshani slaves | Arzalism prescribes a hierarchical society that divides the population into castes according to their race, occupation, and relationship to the means of production in a slave-based economy. Varshanis of divine descent > TopVarshani priests > TopVarshani warriors > Petty Varshani priests > Petty Varshani Warriors > Top Varshani non-warriors > Petty Varshani non-warriors > Martial among Gentiles warriors > Martial among Gentiles non-warriors > "Natives" (Varshani Natives > Non-Varshani natives) > Varshani slaves > Non-Varshani slaves | ||
The priesthood is a hereditary and officially closed caste, but in practice many people born into other castes are adopted into the priestly caste and given false genealogies. This practice is tacitly accepted by the priestly authorities. People born into any free caste (except priests) are considered part of the warrior caste during their compulsory military service, and can join the caste permanently by becoming professional soldiers. Outside of the military, the warrior caste also work as slave-drivers, slave guards, police, private security, and many government positions. | [Chart coming soon - Feb. 2021] | ||
The priesthood is a hereditary and officially closed caste, but in practice many people born into other castes are adopted into the priestly caste and given false genealogies. This practice is tacitly accepted by the priestly authorities. People born into any free caste (except priests) are considered part of the warrior caste during their compulsory military service, and can join the caste permanently by becoming professional soldiers and completing a demanding series of ritual initiations. Outside of the military, the warrior caste also work as slave-drivers, slave guards, police, private security, and many government positions. | |||
====Marriage==== | ====Marriage==== | ||
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===Reign of Terror=== | ===Reign of Terror=== | ||
One of the most important Arzali beliefs is '' | One of the most important Arzali beliefs is ''čama mapuzi'', variously translated as "state of violence", "violent order", or "reign of terror". It is the idea that violence is the fundamental ordering principle of society (including non-Varshani society), and that the Varshani race has a divine mission to use violence to subjugate and exploit other groups and to maintain the integrity of the caste system. State-sponsored Orthodox Arzalism interprets ''čama mapuzi'' as the basis of the Zûrg's divine mandate to rule, and as the legitimising principle of the state and its military-first policy. However, Arzali fundamentalists dispute this interpretation, believing instead that the violent order or reign of terror ordained by the gods was not meant to create a state society, but rather a society of loosely-aligned predatory warrior bands practising an "economy of violence", sustaining themselves through raiding and the forced labour of others. | ||
==Sects== | ==Sects== | ||
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===Solar Arzalism=== | ===Solar Arzalism=== | ||
Also known as "Primitive Arzalism" or "Pre-Classical Arzalism", Solar Arzalism is a heterodox movement that rejects the supremacy of the Death God and instead reveres the Sun God as the paramount deity. Although Solar Arzali beliefs are considered heretical by the Orthodox authorities, Solar Arzalis participate in all of the state-mandated rituals to the other gods and can easily conceal their worship of the Sun as paramount god under the guise of the state-sanctioned solar devotions. Possibly the largest heterodox current within Arzalism, Solar Arzalism is most popular among the non-élite and non-warrior free castes, especially metics and serfs. It is most openly practiced in rural areas and in the outer regions of the country, where the central clerical authorities have less control. The Wheatlands in particular are a hotbed of Solar worship. | Also known as "Primitive Arzalism" or "Pre-Classical Arzalism", Solar Arzalism is a heterodox movement that rejects the supremacy of the Death God and instead reveres the Sun God as the paramount deity. Although Solar Arzali beliefs are considered heretical by the Orthodox authorities, Solar Arzalis participate in all of the state-mandated rituals to the other gods and can easily conceal their worship of the Sun as paramount god under the guise of the state-sanctioned solar devotions. Possibly the largest heterodox current within Arzalism, Solar Arzalism is most popular among the non-élite and non-warrior free castes, especially metics and serfs. It is most openly practiced in rural areas and in the outer regions of the country, where the central clerical authorities have less control. The Wheatlands in particular are a hotbed of Solar worship. | ||
===Racial Arzalism=== | ===Racial Arzalism=== | ||
Racial Arzalism is a heterodox movement that believes that all ethnic Varshanis are descendants of Raideron (rather than just a few noble lineages), and that the divine mission of the Varshani race is to subjugate and eliminate all other races. Unlike orthodox Arzalism, Racial Arzalism views slavery and the caste hierarchy as necessary but ultimately temporary systems meant to maintain the purity Varshani blood and support the Varshani war machine, rather than as ends in themselves. They reject addition of the Martial Races to the caste system and believe that they should be enslaved and eventually exterminated once Varshan has conquered the world, and also reject the idea that ethnic Varshani can be born into slavery. Racial Arzalis believe that once all other races have been eradicated, the Death God will restore all dead Varshanites who did not dishonour their race or the gods to life, and will grant the race a reprieve from death to enjoy dominion over the Earth as godlike beings. This sect discourages, but does not prohibit miscegenation with enslaved women. | Racial Arzalism is a heterodox movement that believes that all ethnic Varshanis are descendants of Raideron (rather than just a few noble lineages), and that the divine mission of the Varshani race is to subjugate and eliminate all other races. Unlike orthodox Arzalism, Racial Arzalism views slavery and the caste hierarchy as necessary but ultimately temporary systems meant to maintain the purity Varshani blood and support the Varshani war machine, rather than as ends in themselves. They reject addition of the Martial Races to the caste system and believe that they should be enslaved and eventually exterminated once Varshan has conquered the world, and also reject the idea that ethnic Varshani can be born into slavery. Racial Arzalis believe that once all other races have been eradicated, the Death God will restore all dead Varshanites who did not dishonour their race or the gods to life, and will grant the race a reprieve from death to enjoy dominion over the Earth as godlike beings. This sect discourages, but does not prohibit miscegenation with enslaved women. | ||
===Postmodern Arzalism=== | |||
"Postmodern Arzalism" is a scholarly {{wp|umbrella term}} used to describe several similar heterodox adaptations of Arzalism that emerged in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, mostly outside the borders of Varshan. The unifying theme of "Postmodern Arzali" movements is the embrace of Arzalism as a challenge to [[Occidental world|Occidental]] hegemony and the prevailing power structures and social mores of Occidental civilisation. | |||
The more consequential manifestation of PoMo Arzalism is '''"Revolutionary Arzalism"''' a religious ideology adopted by some militant groups (mainly non-Varshani in ethnicity) in modern Crona fighting against colonial expansion, recognised Cronan governments, and foreign corporate activity, such as the [[Revolutionary Guerrilla Triads]]. The reformulation of Arzalism adhered to by such groups is a significant departure from Orthodox Arzalism, usually incorporating Pan-Cronanism (whereas orthodox Arzalism is Varshani-supremacist), emancipatory political ideas (in contrast to, you know), and extensive syncretism with the previous local religious practices of its members. It may incorporate ideas borrowed from the Occidental far-left, while heavily emphasising the martial aspects of the religion and its glorification of merciless aggression. In many iterations, Revolutionary Arzalists claim that Arzalism represents the "original" faith of all indigenous Cronans which was distorted and obscured by centuries of disorder and malign Occidental influence. Some also claim that the orthodox Arzalism of Varshan is itself a heretical departure from the primordial Cronan faith, and see Revolutionary Arzalism as a restorationist movement. Notions of caste, divine kingship, and an ordained priesthood are generally absent from Revolutionary Arzalism. Sacrifice remains the central and defining rite, but animal and vegetable sacrifices are the norm, and many groups do not practice human sacrifice at all. | |||
A much more minor and incohesive, though perhaps better-documented, manifestation of Postmodern Arzalism exists as a fringe movement in Occidental Countries, where it is variously referred to as "Countercultural Arzalism", "Hipster Arzalism", "Edgelord Arzalism". These movements position Arzalism as an intellectual antithesis to challenge prevailaing ideas in the occident, such as Abrahamic religion, liberalism... [will expand more shortly]. | |||
Many edgy Occidental teens and heavy metal bands employ Arzalist imagery and themes for {{wp|shock value}}, with varying (mostly limited) degrees of sincerity. | |||
==Analysis== | ==Analysis== | ||
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Lesser Pantheon - Various minor and local deities absorbed into (mostly informal) Arzalism with the conquest of other Punthite tribes. | Lesser Pantheon - Various minor and local deities absorbed into (mostly informal) Arzalism with the conquest of other Punthite tribes. | ||
==Prevalence== | |||
If Arzalism and its adherents are broadly defined, Arzalism likely has the third largest religious following in the world, behind only Christianity and Islam. However, unlike these {{wp|world religions}}, the prevalence of Arzalism is virtually exclusive to a single region, central North Crona, and heavily concentrated in a single country within that region. | |||
Comprehensively describing and measuring adherence to the various facets of Arzali belief and practice in Varshan is not possible at the present time. Because all other religions are banned and no non-Arzali religious institutions function in the country, the state does not collect statistics on religious identity. Varshan's largely {{wp|closed society}}, state repression, and very limited penetration of telecommunications technology constrain the reach of open-source monitoring and prevent covert surveys from reaching a representative sample. Instead, scholars must rely on analysis of (often unreliable or incomplete) early modern sources, accounts from Varshani refugees and expatriates, and studies of Arzalist minority communities outside Varshan. | |||
==Outside Varshan== | |||
18% in [[Quetzenkel]]; [other Cronan countries] | |||
In 2022, [[The Cape]] and [[Koré'hetanùa]] enacted legislation outlawing Arzalism. | |||
==See Also== | |||
* [[Mount_Sekot]] | |||
* [[Ma'acunism]] | |||
[[Category:Religion]] | [[Category:Religion]] | ||