CELTIC PAGANISM[1][/b][/u]
Celtic Paganism is the largest religion in the nation and is followed by roughly 70% of the population including the majority of the Royal Family. The faith is largely confined to Ui Ceinnselaig as many of the tales of the various Gods and spirits are heavily connected with the lands of the nation, however as the Celts spread across Mundus they did take some of their ideas with them. Many believe this religion influenced the early creation of the Bene Gesserit faith however today the two faiths have very little in common.
The religion believes in a pantheon of Gods all of whom have a set role within the smooth running of the world. These Gods often have humanoid form but are capable of assuming many different forms to achieve their aims.
CREATION MYTH
Followers of the faith believe that a group of Gods have always existed and that while they inhabited a world unknown to us, referred to as The Shadowland. Here they began to argue over who was the most powerful and who should lead their family. This lead to them beginning physical fights between themselves, however as they were each all powerful they could not harm each other. As a way of settling things between them they created a world in which they could each create beings to fight on their behalf. As such the birth of humanity was in these God's proxy wars. Over time various factions between the Gods formed and the one lead by Cernunnos eventually won, wiping out all the creations of the other Gods lead by Kumanus who for his loss and lack of respect to Cernunnos was destined to only rule over the damned, as such he has caused mischief for humanity ever since through manipulating evil spirits. To keep these evil spirits in check Cernunnos has created a whole host of spiritual creatures which live amongst humanity watching over us.
MAIN GODSCernunnos - The Horned God, is the chief deity and is always shown as a kind of human with either horns or antlers, often he is shown as either carrying a torc either in his hand or on his horns, as the only God to be associated with these items they are often used as a symbol for power in Ui Cennselaig with the King even wearing one instead of a crown like monarchs throughout Mundus. Cernunnos is often depicted surrounded by animals and is the God of Living Creatures as he created all life that today exists on Mundus as part of his plan to win the Battle of the Gods.
Belenus - The younger brother of Cernunnos he is the God of the Sun and rides a horse drawn chariot across the heavens. It was his life giving energy that allowed those created by Cernunnos to thrive and eventually win the Battle of the Gods. He is often depicted as having Rosmerta Goddess of Fertility, whom is his wife, as a passenger in his chariot.
Rosmerta - The wife of Belenus she is the Goddess of Fertility and is responsible for the growth of crops, child birth and farming. She often appears in Belenus' chariot holding a cornucopia
Cicolluis - The God of War/ The Watchman, he was thought to have marshalled Cernunnos' creations during the Battle of The Gods, today he is tasked with watching over humanity and using the spiritual creations of Cernunnos to ensure the safety of mankind. He is famed for great speeches to rally his troops and these have formed part of Celtic Paganism scripture and have done a great deal to create a culture where followers percieve him a warrior poet.
Lugus - The Three Faced God, he is the God of Wisdom, Knowledge and Scholarship. It is believed by some that Lugus was in fact originally a set of triplets however merged at a young age in an attempt to make themselves more powerful. Some followers of the faith believe that Christianity corrupted the concept of Lugus to create their "Father, Son and Holy Ghost" interpretation of God.
Nemetona - The Goddess of Water she is thought to control all life that exists within water too. She is often prayed to by sailors prior to voyages. In worship to her it is not uncommon to scratch your name on a coin prior to sailing and toss it into the sea.
WIP
SPIRITUAL CREATURESThe faith recognise a range of mythical creatures as part of their faith, it is believed that Cernunnos created them, giving them limited God-like power to watch over mankind. The various scriptures talk about interactions between these and mankind at various points. However there are also evil spiritual creatures created by Kumanus in an attempt to ensnare or corrupt humans for his own ends.
BansheeA female spirit in UC mythology who heralds the death of a family member, usually by shrieking or keening. Her name is connected to the mythologically-important mounds that dot the countryside. Most often she is seen as an ugly, frightful hag, but she can also appear young and beautiful if she chooses. Legend speaks of a lament being sung by a fairy woman; she would sing it when a family member died or was about to die, even if the person had died far away and news of their death had not yet come, so that the wailing of the banshee was the first warning the household had of the death
Aos SiA race of female creatures that exist invisible to humanity unless they choose to be seen they are capable of great kindness and also great vengence. In folk belief and practice, the aos sí are often appeased with offerings, and care is taken to avoid angering or insulting them. Often they are not named directly as this is seen as tempting fate but rather spoken of as "The Good Neighbors", "The Fair Folk", or simply "The Folk". The Aos Sí are generally described as stunningly beautiful, though they can also be terrible and hideous.
Bean NigheAs the "Washer at the Ford" she wanders near deserted streams where she washes the burial clothes of those who are about to die. It is said that mnathan nighe (the plural of bean nighe) are the spirits of women who died giving birth and are doomed to do this work until the day their lives would have normally ended.
A bean nighe is described in some tales as having one nostril, one big protruding tooth, webbed feet and long-hanging breasts, and to be dressed in green. If one is careful enough when approaching, three questions may be answered by the Bean Nighe, but only after three questions have been answered first. A mortal who is bold enough to sneak up to her while she is washing and suck her breast can claim to be her foster child meaning the mortal can then gain a wish from her. If a mortal passing by asks politely, she will tell the names of the chosen that are going to die.
Blue Men of The MinchThese a like male mermaids looking for sailors to drown and stricken boats to sink. Apart from their blue colour, the mythical creatures look much like humans, and are about the same size. They have the power to create storms, but when the weather is fine they float sleeping on or just below the surface of the water. The blue men swim with their torsos raised out of the sea, twisting and diving as porpoises do. They are able to speak, and when a group approaches a ship its chief may shout two lines of poetry to the master of the vessel and challenge him to complete the verse. If the skipper fails in that task then the blue men will attempt to overturn the ship and capsize it.
NymphsA type of tiny fairy with great power over nature. They are considered to be the most beautiful of creatures and are the servants of Rosmerta and their purpose is to spread love and happiness. They are often thought to get into mischief by interfering in people's romantic affairs in the hopes of pairing people up for procreation. They are also seen as rather lustful creatures treasuring physical pleasure.
Elves Are thought to be guardians of the woods and are so magical that they can seem invisible in the greenary. They are seen as neither fully good or evil, that falling mainly to the particular elf. They are viewed as being supernaturally powerful people who live invisibly alongside everyday rural people however at times have anger over the way Cernunnos seemed to favour humans rather than them. Elves can sometimes be seen dancing over meadows, particularly at night and on misty mornings. In folk-stories, elves often play the role of disease-spirits. The most common, though also most harmless case was various irritating skin rashes. A particular kind of petroglyph (pictogram on a rock) found in UC, were known in older times as Elven Mills, because it was believed elves had used them. One could appease the elves by offering them a treat (preferably butter) placed into an elven mill.
In order to protect themselves and their livestock against malevolent elves, people could use a so-called Elf cross , which was carved into buildings or other objects. It existed in two shapes, one was a pentagram and it was still frequently used in early 20th-century UC as painted or carved onto doors, walls and household utensils in order to protect against elves. The second form was an ordinary cross carved onto a round or oblong silver plate. This second kind of elf cross was worn as a pendant in a necklace and in order to have sufficient magic it had to be forged during three evenings with silver, from nine different sources of inherited silver.In some locations it also had to be on the altar of a shrine for three consecutive days.