Author Topic: Celtic Paganism - A guide to the Multiverse  (Read 1902 times)

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Offline Dal

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Celtic Paganism - A guide to the Multiverse
« on: March 31, 2022, 11:35:12 AM »
OOC - Having discussed with the various "Celts" on here we've decieded that we're going to effectively all call our religions "Celtic Paganism" however each nation will venerate in a different way and respect some Gods, spirits beings etc more than others. As such expect entries from all of us (Kris, me, Maes and Ffion) if you wish to contribute we'd be delighted to work with you but please just check first. Thanks


A Celtic Pagan Festival in Eigg

The followers of the various branches of Celtic Paganism broadly believe that there are two worlds in parallel. The first world is the one we are most aware of, the temporal world in which we live. There exists however a second world, a spirit world often called the Otherworld or Shadow-world. It is the belief of most, but not all, Celtic Pagans that it is possible to cross from one world to the next. It is easier for a spirit world dweller to enter into the temporal world than for the journey to go the other way. There is the belief that Gods of various types live in this spirit world with some having more power than others or remit over certain aspects of the temporal world. In some branches of the Celtic Pagan faith these Gods may have different names and stories but often parallels exist between them. Alongside these gods live other creatures such as sprites, elves, banshees and various other "Magical" folk who are often born in the Otherworld and cross over to live in the temporal world.

Worship commonly requires gifts to be given to the Gods, often called sacrifices and while the practice of human sacrifice has long ended there are many examples of animal sacrifice within the faith. Prayer also is usually conducted outside and involves rituals specific to certain Gods. There are times of the year usually governed by the moon and sun that require rituals.

At times throughout history there have been clashes between different branches of the faith over perceived insults, lack of respect or in a few cases damage to sacred sites however today the vast majority recognise that while they may differ in belief they have more in common than separates them. As a result of this understanding their has largely been peace between the branches for the last 150 years.


Offline Dal

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Re: Celtic Paganism - A guide to the Multiverse
« Reply #1 on: March 31, 2022, 11:39:13 AM »
BRANCH OF THE FAITH:- Áine worship
NATION OF ORIGIN:- Eigg however widely followed across Dál Riata

Áine is  a goddess of summer, wealth and sovereignty. The faith believes there is a large family of Gods who are parents, siblings, cousins etc to each other. At first there were several families of Gods and they utilised mankind for their amusement, however Áine gathered together a group of Gods from her own family and some from others who believed that it was important that mankind is protected. Eventually Áine and her group of Gods established themselves as the superior force and eradicated all other families of Gods except one who were banished to the Shadowland. As such mankind found themselves left largely alone with the Gods merely ensuring humanity had the best chance of leading prosperous lives while ensuring those banished to the Shadowland couldn't return. Suspecting that in the future the Shadowlands will launch an invasion of this world Áine and her fellow Gods seek the most noble and virtuous humans to stand beside them. As such life is merely a test to see who fits this bill. Those deemed worthy by showing faith, respect to others, spreading the teachings of the Gods and essentially striving to lead a productive and positive life are permitted to reside in the "Greenland" with the Gods enjoying what is essentially a paradise. Those deemed unworthy have their souls destroyed upon death and their bodies, like all human remains are disposed of by fire to ensure the Shadowland can not claim them should they return.

LIST OF GODS/GODDESSES AND ROLES

1. Áine - Chief Goddess, goddess of summer, wealth and sovereignty. She also has domain over love and fertility, she has command over crops and animals and is also associated with agriculture. She is seen as being the primary reason for humanities existence and demands sacrifice for her blessing, this is usually done at the various solstices by sacrifice of an animal.

2. Airmed - Healing Goddess - Following one of the inter-God battles her brother was killed by a rival God. Her tears over his body revived him and saw a vast number of healing herbs grow in that spot and she gathered them in her cloak. The cloak now contained examples of all the herbs needed to cure all illnesses. Her father (a now deceased God) was angry that she had meddled and ripped the cloak spreading the herbs across Mundus. As a result no one has yet discovered the cure to all illness.

3. Belenus - God of the Sun - He is thought to drag the sun across the sky behind a horse drawn chariot. He is drawn to the world each morning by ritual chants performed by members of the faithful. As such the Priestly Orders have someone carry this out every morning just before sunrise.

4. Borvo - God of Mineral Springs - He has granted mankind with a series of divine rivers. It is thought that by consuming this water and bathing in it the minerals it contains can help keep a person healthy. It is customary for these water courses to be crossed by small bridges often with votive offerings left.

5. Toutatis - God of Protection - He was seen as a watchman of the Gods, ever awake and ever vigilant. He is associated with the military. In order to appease the man it was common for soldiers after battle to melt down some enemy weapons or armor and make rings inscribed with the letter TOT. These were then often buried as a sign of thanks. Today it is customary for soldiers passing basic training to take their beret badge (all trainees wear the same one) and melt it down into a disc upon which they inscribe their name and letter TOT. When joining their unit for the 2nd stage of training it is buried while being witnessed by their new unit. Even when found be archaeologists these artifacts are always reburied.

6 - Lugh - God of Mastery of Skills - He is seen as being able to bless people in a wide variety of skills. It is tradition that those completing apprenticeships of other such practicial schemes of study give thanks to him upon completion. In the days of history upon entering a guild someone was expected to complete an example piece of work to be inspected by the Guild. Those who were admitted into a Guild usually then destroyed the object and presented its pieces to be destroyed in Temples dedicated to Lugh.

7. Epona - Goddess of Horses and Gatherer of the Dead. - She rides a horse and can command all related species such as mules and donkeys. It is believed that she rides the world bringing the souls of the deserving dead to the Greenland and inspecting the boundaries between this world and the Shadowland. She is worshiped by placing horseshoes on the alter of temples as well as statues of ritual horses.

8. The Morrígan - The Morrigan is a divine woman associated with war and fate, especially with foretelling doom, death or victory in battle. She incites warriors to battle and can help bring about victory over their enemies. The Morrígan encourages warriors to do brave deeds, strikes fear into their enemies, and is portrayed washing the bloodstained clothes of those fated to die. She is most frequently seen as a goddess of battle and war and has also been seen as a manifestation of the earth- and sovereignty-goddess, chiefly representing the goddess's role as guardian of the territory and its people. The Morrigan is often invoked to bring about good fortune for any major event.

There are multiple more regional and specialist Gods.

Worship varies for each God and each have their own group of Priests.

Within Eigg the faith has its own input into the Council of that nations government.


Offline Maes

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Re: Celtic Paganism - A guide to the Multiverse
« Reply #2 on: April 04, 2022, 05:26:01 PM »
BRANCH OF THE FAITH:- Cailleach
NATION OF ORIGIN:- Arcaibh


CAILLEACH WORSHIP

Cailleach is the name given to the "divine hag" or "great ancestor". It is believed that she created the world by walking its face and planting each tree from seeds in her basket and mountains with stones discarded from her hearth. She carries a hammer for shaping the hills and valleys, and is said to be the mother of all the goddesses and gods She is associated with winter where she ensured that mankind survived the harsh conditions through endlessly patrolling the wilds to provide for each person. She rests during each summer. As such it is the duty of each person to work hard during the year to help Cailleach as she works to see us through winter.

The worship of the Goddess carries with it many traditions connected to the harvests and various significant calendar events.

When each farmer in a district completes their harvest the first to finish the task uses the last sheaf of corn to make a corn doll representative of Cailleach. He then throws it into his neighbours field. The person in the district to finish their harvest last is left with the doll and must store it until the first day of spring the following year. That family are responsible for leading several of the rituals during the winter as they are considered to be giving the Goddess shelter for the winter. The family earn the title Cailleach Guardian for that year.

Another tradition is that on the 1st February the faithful celebrate Là Fhèill Brìghde. This is a day for omens and it is believed that if the day see's good weather it is because the Goddess knows that winter will continue for a significant period and needs the good weather to continue collecting firewood however if the weather is bad it means she has sufficient firewood and the winter will end shortly.

There are several folk-lore tales that explain why the world is the way it is. For example the reason for different races on Mundus is explained by the story that says "she had fifty foster-children in Beare (a fictional place believed to be heaven). She had seven periods of youth one after another, so that every man who had lived with her came to die of old age, and her grandsons and great-grandsons formed tribes and races."

The faithful have no place of worship instead praying in places of nature, usually by the side of rivers or lakes. Ceremonial cairns have been made across the country dedicated to helping Cailleach find her way during winter snows. These range from a village maintaining a pile of stones to the famous Cailleach National Carin Network (CNCN) which are a series of large cairns made at significant places in stories to the goddess. One of the most significant is the Abergeven Carin.


Abergeven Carin

The faithful believe there are several other Gods and Goddesses whom are the children of Cailleach. She even created other creatures such as pixies and fairies to help her in her task of looking after the world.

When a person dies it is believed that when she next passes by Cailleach will gather their soul in her basket and take them to Beare (a paradise) if she deems them a worthy person. Funeral rituals dictate a person is placed inside a shroud and buried in a barrow. On the 1st anniversary of their death the body is taken and burned. It is believed that by this time Cailleach will have collected the persons soul, if she has not deemed it worthy then the spirit is trapped in the body and thus must be destroyed to prevent it becoming an evil spirit upon the world. The ashes of the deceased are then either placed in an urn and kept by the clan in their own vault or more often sprinkled on the land.

A marriage to worshippers of Cailleach is carried out on any day without a full moon. It is believed that on nights of the full moon Cailleach is busy working and could not bless the ceremony. A wedding must take place outdoors so the Goddess can witness it. A groom must build a cairn at which the ceremony will take place, this usually is done the week before with the friends of the groom turning up and helping. This in many ways is a time for the groom and his friends to celebrate the upcoming wedding. The bride must meanwhile collect a flower for each person attending. During the ceremony the two have their hands tied together while a Druid gives a blessing. Following the ceremony a feast takes place at which there is a high table with just one seat that is reserved for the goddess.