Author Topic: Oqantel (Religion)  (Read 4280 times)

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Offline Gadshack

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Oqantel (Religion)
« on: October 22, 2017, 06:18:56 PM »
Historical Overview


A Depiction of Lord Oqan

Oqanteɬ(oh-QAHN-tehɬ) is a religious philosophy and way of life that is profoundly held sacrosanct in Ahkabnil. In it’s early fruition the religion was considered a peasant belief system, one that the lower classes were susceptible to, as it was shamanistic and superstitiously ritual. It would develop as a central guide to most people’s livelihoods, for community and comfort. It was during the collapse of the Quywe Empire, that Oqantel rose to represent the people’s will and beliefs against the perceived cold and calculating imperial class that ruled over them. Shaman’s and other local spiritual guides became paramount figures, rising to become priest, prophets, monks and protectors. Formulating a central Temple that would unite Ahkabnil under a Theocratic Confederation in a time of chaos. The Temple of Oqan would rebuild the country with a strict foundation, based upon guiding Oqanist principles that would overhaul society.

The beginning of Oqantel can be traced back to the 8th century, when before the rise of the Quywe Empire, Lord Oqan of the ancient City-State Kwaltenche ascended in prominence as a just leader, philosopher, warrior and poet, gathering a large following of common people and wise men who would form an order based on his teachings. Lord Oqan was also a religious skeptic for his time in regards to human sacrifice and other extreme rituals. His teachings were one of many during the time, deriving from commonly held spiritual beliefs, but Lord Oqan’s grand teaching’s resonated across the land more profoundly through his actions as a conqueror, as well as his repugnance for harsh rituals like mass sacrificing. However, he still believed in it to some degree, only employing ritual sacrifice for worthy war captives and nobles.

Oqan would go on to form a monk order that would rule over his domain, it would eventually die off with him when he sacrifice himself during a full-moon under the command of Yaotenmel, after being overrun by enemies. It is believed that when Oqan committed suicide, as commanded by Yaotenmel and pressed into doing so by the incurred circumstances, that his spirit became the  new Yaotenmel. In fact Oqan isn’t the real name of the historical Lord in which the legend is based on, it is Ugwekekochnuyi, however he is commonly referred as Oqan in the context of religious text, because it means A Good Death, referencing Ugwekekochnuyi’s finale sacrifice. The -teɬ as the end of Oqan is an ancient augmented word meaning ‘of people’ or ‘for people’ depending on the context. Therefore, Oqantel roughly means A Good Death for the People.

Oqantel was a prominent religion in Ahkabnil, full of epic stories and legends, with an emphasis on spiritual superstition. Lord Oqan had taught about spiritual balance, which the most pragmatic Priest and Lords took as superstition. His philosophy would greatly influence the Quywe Empire, however ‘Oqan’ was, up until the 19th century, considered a mere religious faction in the grand scheme of the Empire. It was mostly accessible to the lower classes, as the Order of Oqantell had worked at a grassroots level among them, as monks and caregivers. The 19th century is remarked as the ‘Great Awakening’ and historically, when the divide between the people and imperial nobles of the Quywe Empire became apparent through religious dissent. Nobles were also seen as too ‘Ardianized’ as a negative view of the Ardian Empire and it’s influences grew. Oqantel soon came to represent a collective will of the common man and sovereignty, the events leading up the Great War formalized the Temple of Oqan in the midst of the Empire’s decline.

The Temple of Oqan became the foundation of Ahkabnil and would spread formal conventions of the religion. Today, Oqantel has millions of followers, with the Temple held in high regard as a moral bastion to the Theocratic Confederation.
« Last Edit: November 13, 2017, 05:04:47 AM by Gadshack »

Offline Gadshack

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Oqantel (Religion)
« Reply #1 on: October 22, 2017, 09:19:50 PM »
Beliefs and Mythology

NOT FINISH

Oqan has a pantheist polytheistic belief system, able to syncretize with many local beliefs. There are no individual pantheons recognized uniformly besides Ohte and Ya'en, most other references are vague allusions to the existence of many powerful deities, however their reality is considered irrelevant to central teachings; pantheons are mostly viewed as mere functions of the world, rather than supreme rulers or beings. Things can be asked of spiritual beings in the form of worship or gifts(or archaically in sacrifice), but they are considered as much a part of the world as humans but live separately and uncaring, or they simply perform their purpose, with minimal focus in the ongoings of man. In Oqantel, these spiritual beings or deities are often referred to as ‘Protectors’(Qulkwechi), great people who have ascended with their deeds into spiritual form and become the protectors of Yaotenmel’s omnipresent will.

In mythology, Yaotenmel was a supreme deity that ruled over all of Teohme(the universe); she sacrificed herself by ripping out her Heart of Obsidian Shard and slashing her pregnant belly open. Her innards would flow out touched by the fiery obsidian, the shard itself would bloom in the fire from her belly and ignite an infinite light.

Yaotenmel’s dead body would become the world, and her internal fire and blood would become all the living things. The sun is seen as the Heart of the Yaotenmel, the moon is the Spirit of Yaotenmel and Mundus itself is seen as her body. In her death, she bloomed with life, as Yaotenmel sacrificed herself in death in order to proceed life. From different parts of her innards would form different animals, but most importantly the people would hail from her Heart, the sun.

From her belly also rose twins, a god and goddess, brother and sister, known as Ohte(boy) and Ya’en(girl). Ohte was a massive Fire Condor, which protected the sun and Ya’en was a large quiet Serpent that protected the moon. Both acting as opposites and becoming fierce rivals in their polarity. The two are constantly clashing, forming night and day in an infinite dance. However the sun must be protected, as it is outmatched by the natural chaos of Yeotenmel and Ya’en. Oqantelorganizes large periods of time as ‘Passages’, and believes that each Passage ends and begins with the self-sacrifice(suicide) of a Great Hero in order to become Yaotenmel and govern chaos to aid Ohte in his protection of the sun, alongside the Protectors.

This mythological legend is central to Oqantel, as it encompasses a few core philosophical beliefs, such as the maternal undertones found throughout it. Yaotenmel, meaning Birther of Obsidian and Fire, is observed as the mother of the world and the becoming omnipresent force which governs it. Since a mother is seen as a giver and protector, Yaotenmel is often portrayed as a woman, She encompasses duty in sacrifice and the essential reality of death in order for life continuation. As well as the belief that one returns to Yaotenmel in death, as she became the world and one becomes part of the world in decay.

The two polar deities of Ohte and Ya’en serve the function of balancing the world, as well as constantly running it. Both encompass various aspects of life on Yaotenmel(Mundus), Ohte generally feeds life and stops Ya’en from swallowing the sun. While Ya’en feeds chaos of the world, therefore she controls aspects such as severe weather and catastrophe. Yaotenmel, is naturally chaotic as with life fed by Ohte, but the manifestation of Ya’en controls extraordinary disasters which are not viewed as natural. Eventually, it is expected for Ya’en to overtake Ohte and swallow the Heart of Yaotenmel. Then, she will die and sacrifice herself, beginning a new Cycle.
« Last Edit: November 13, 2017, 05:09:06 AM by Gadshack »