RELIGION IN SAMOSLAVIA
The main faith of Samoslavia (87%) is Samo Divinity. This is a pagan religion however it is dominated by the God known as Veles. The religion is presided over by a group known as the Order of the Divine. This religious group is all female and runs various Sanctuarys around the nation at locations where Gods are thought to have a special connection.
CREATION MYTH There was once a God known as Veles who lived in his own realm. He created living beings with small magical abilities to be his servants and to give him amusement. While this pleased him for a while eventually he became bored of having no one of his status and so he created various other Gods to give him friends. This move however back-fired as some of these believed that Veles was cruel and used people only for his enjoyment. As such some of them rebelled against Veles who easily defeated them. He cast them out of his own realm and created a new type of creature with no magical powers to live alongside them. This was a test, if the failed Gods could guide humanity to produce just one perfectly worshipper of Veles then the Gods would be allowed to return home. Veles however finds amusement in creating additional challenges for the Gods and so occasionally sabotages their efforts by causing natural disasters, wars or disease. He is even known to have spent time living in disguise among the humans to corrupt them. Despite this Veles does show compassion. As every human dies those who have made good attempts to worship Veles are rewarded. They are sent back to the human world for a second or third attempt. Those Veles deems to be unworthy remain in his realm and become his playthings.
DRUIDS It is believed that on one of his journeys to the human world Veles meet and fell in love with a beautiful young woman called Tatiana of the Forest. She was a young girl with golden hair and blue eyes who lived alone in the forest to meditate and search for knowledge from the Gods. Veles appeared to her in many forms until finding one she found particularly pleasing. The girl fell in love with him and knowing he could not remain in the human world forever he taught her the secret of how to reach the realm of Veles. She in turn taught her daughters by the God these secrets. It is believed now that by some form of genetic memory the descendants know the secrets of reaching the perfect afterlife. The Druids therefore perform rituals to please Veles as well as ensuring the Gods of this realm do not interfere or risk harming our chances to go to the perfect afterlife. Druids also act as a form of community leader and the Druid class have therefore become extremely influential.
LADY OF THE MOONTatiana of the Forest and Veles had six daughters, the most significant of this is Kaja. Legend tells that she was the fourth of the daughters and was born under a full moon. She was not breathing when she emerged and Veles himself breathed life into her. It is therefore said that she became the most knowledgeable and most connected to Veles. She was called the Lady of the Moon and once her mother died became the teacher of the rest of humanity. As she neared the end of her mortal life she selected her youngest sister Albνna to inherit the role, who then when her time neared named her daughter Draha. Since then the title Lady of the Moon has indicated who shall lead the faith. The title must pass within the family of the holder and to ensure this happens the incumbent Lady of the Moon writes the name of her successor on a piece of paper which is stored in the Central Sancturory inside a sealed clay pot. When the Lady of the Moon dies her successor is usually already known however to confirm the pot is broken in front of witnesses and the name read out. At any point the incumbent Lady of the Moon may change her mind and have the existing pot smashed and the paper burnt, this happens for example if the successor dies before the Lady of the Moon. The Lady of the Moon is considered extremely influential even today.
RULES OF THE FAITHTo reach the perfect afterlife an individual must follow these rules.
1. Give their loyalty and obedience to Veles.
2. Take life only if it would provide life for another.
3. Be honest
4. Support your fellow man
5. Place no God higher than Veles
6. Be a good steward of nature
7. Expand human knowledge of Veles
8. Reflect on how a world without Veles has suffering
9. Protect the holy places of Veles
10. Fulfil your obligations to the Order of the Divine.
KEY RITUALS Ritual of the Full Moon - It is believed that a Druid may only assume her powers fully under the light of a full moon. The apprentice and the Druidess of the Sancturory she will be working for invite the apprentices mentors, female family members and any other female the apprentice wishes to the sacred grove at Chlumek. This sacred grove has at its centre a lake which legend has it was created with the tears of Veles following the death of Tatiana of the Forest. The lake is surrounded by a series of trees set up in a ring pattern, this in turn is circled by a wooden palisade making the grove completely private. An all female military guard is responsible for the safe upkeep of the palisade and security. On the evening of the full moon the apprentice is lead with her hands tied to a sacred rock just next to the lake. There the Druidess under which the new inductee will work sacrifces an animal, collects the blood and then pours this over the apprentice. It is customary the apprentice then declares a name they will be known by before those who have helped mentor her use stone knives to cut her dress apart, each mentor keeps a strip as a reminder of their success in adding a new Druidess to their ranks. Once the new inductee is naked she joins her new lead Druid in the lake and is dunked under in a similar way to a Christian baptism. With the blood removed she is then dressed in a full Druids attire and then carries out her own sacrifice.
Festival of the Harvest - At a point determined by the Lady of the Moon, usually early August, the Harvest is celebrated. Each farmer is expected to make an effigy of a woman from wheat and this is buried under the farmers barn floor. The farmer is then expected to take his first meat and vegetable to the local Sanctuary where the community have a large celebration made from the food. Various contests take place such as folk wrestling, dancing and a competition to see who can make the best ale. The festival is a time to give thanks to Veles for providing food for the people, and to celebrate the abundance of nature. It is also a time for the community to come together and enjoy each other's company. The Festival finishes were the community select a young man and woman as the Harvest Lord and Lady and they are paraded from farm to farm to bless the fields. The duo undertake various other duties during the year at community celebrations and it is considered an extremely powerful omen if the pair end up marrying.
The Winter Solstice - At the Winter Solstice, usually towards the end of December, the local community gather at a cave or some other underground location. There they offer a sacrifice, usually a sheep or goat, to Veles and ask for the Gods protection during the winter months. It is traditional that children act out stories from the faith and the local communities history and are rewarded with gifts for their performance. These gifts are provided by the local community and the Harvest Lord and Lady are expected to distribute them.
