Marism

Marism

Total population
Around 15,000,000
Founder
High Priest Szalbacaile
Regions with significant populations
Brilliania	12,215,390
Vetonia	2,964,646
Finium	296,249
Svaldheim	71,881
Scriptures
Hicak
Languages
Brillian language

Marism (Brillian: Marikoak, lit. of Mari) is an esoteric interpetration of Brillian monotheist paganism centred on the teachings of Guardian Mari, comprising the collective religious traditions of the Brillian people. The religion was established by a priest named Szalbacaile in 1344 as a variant of traditional Brillian paganism, although it has roots dating back to the 6th century.

Its major religious text is the Major Hicak, which consists of five books detailing religious rules, practises and the life of Guardian Mari. The Hicak is based off an esoteric implementation of Brillian paganist texts, which forms a major base in current worship. Religious Marists consider the Hicak to be a convenant Mari gave from Holy Spirit to the people and believe in reincarnation. Marist belief is centered on the belief of the Great Revival (Berpiszte Handiagoa), the belief of becoming part of Holy Spirit by successive reincarnations as a pious being.

Although the religion is dwarfed by other faiths in Cardia such as Ditanery, the Marist tradition played a large part in the formation of the modern-day state of Brilliania and neighbouring areas populated by Brillians. As a religious minority in neighbouring nations, it has historically experienced major persecution, culminating in the brutal Cornice rule under High King Marius I and successors in the Marmor dynasty.

Marism is one of the major religious groups in northern Cardia, with an estimated total of 15 million people practising the religion. The centre of Marism is Brilliania with minor pockets of Marist believers active in neighbouring countries.

Name and symbols

The name Mari is of uncertain origin; most linguists consider the name to be a modification of the Brillian language word emari (gift). Major sources regarding Brillian paganism have been scarce, with a vast majority of material being destroyed under Cornice rule.

Symbols

Although modern-day Marism is relatively devoid of symbolism, symbols most often associated with Marist faith include the anchor and the lauburu.

In pagan times, Brillian sailors often invoked Mari by offering boats with an anchor attached to guard them against storms and harsh weather at sea. This has been proven by maritime archaeological finds of intact boats with anchors attached with references to invoking Mari etched on the boat's surface.

History

Proto-Marism

Nearly all material regarding pre-Ditanist folklore has not survived; knowledge of Brillian paganism is reliant on the study of place names and a minor amount of historical references. Brillian paganism was also monotheistic and consisted of the worship of goddess Mari. According to tradition, she ruled together with her four consorts known as Szorginak, which meet at nighttime to prepare the concievement of weather events. Worship included the offer of a part of the harvest; which has not been carried over to modern-day Marism.

Early history

The Marist faith started as a revival of traditional paganism, being opposed to trends in religious ideologies practised by the "foreign" Ditanery faith.
The first preacher was Szalbacaile of Ander, which started writing his own holy book based of his visions of the return of Mari. He moved to the village of Harribidea in 1331 to convene a study organisation with his fellows. In 1334, he started preaching the Hicak, although Ditanist authorities sentenced Szalbacaile to expulsion. He and his fellows started preaching to nearby settlements insead, culminating in Szalbacaile's death in 1339 after being attacked with a sword. According to legend, Szalbacaile protected his head with a copy of the Hicak.

Statue of Szalbacaile in Miuno, Brilliania.

Beliefs

Holy Spirit

Unlike in Brillian paganism, Mari is not a god but is instead a prophet - the Marists practise worship of the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit is both immanent and transcendent.
In the faith, there are no attributes associated with Holy Spirit; since Holy Spirit is not a being but a spirit, there is no imagery. The Spirit encompasses all of the world, but it is not above existence.

Scriptures

The scripture associated with Marism, the Hicak, consists of three major sections which are further divided into chapters. The Major Hicak consists of fire chapters which are considered the most important aspect of Marist religion and consist of scriptures written by Szalbacaile.
The Minor Hicak is available in many different types and variations but always consist of the same sections; songs, poetry, study books and supplemental teaching. Some Marists, mostly Reformist, reject usage of the Minor Hicak and instead fully focus on Major Hicak reading and study.
A third type of Hicak is the Oral Hicak (Brillian language: Hicak ahoan, lit. Hicak on the mouth); which consists of old religious teachings which were written in the sixteenth century by early followers.

Marist belief forbids the sale of Hicak and the bringing of offers; instead, Hicak are often given away or spread digitally. Most notably, major ecse organisations provide digital downloadable versions of the Hicak.

The chapters of the Hicak include:

• Major Hicak
  • Sorkuncak (Creation)
  • Eszarcea (Implementation)
  • Bedeinkaszioa (Blessing)
  • Jokabideak (Conduct)
  • Goraipacen (Appraisal)
• Minor Hicak
  • Abestiak (Songs)
  • Osagarriak (Supplements)
  • Cseracen (Poetry)
  • Aszterketa (Study)
• Hicak on the Mouth
  • Esztabaida (Debate)
  • Ikuszpegiak (Views)

Reincarnation

Reincarnation is a major part of Marist belief. According to tradition one is immediately reborn after dying because of the of duality of the soul. A human soul can not transfer to the soul of another being, solely to another human of the same sex. Souls are regarded as a finite supply which can dissapear if one is not religious, therefore most Marists strongly encourage offspring to start religious practice at a very young age. It is possible that a non-believer can be converted by recieving a soul from the Holy Spirit by way of the ritual of soul-recieving. The amount of reincarnations a soul is able to undergo is limited, after the tenth death the soul joins the Holy Spirit and becomes free from earthly sins. One who has not been religious for ten reincarnations can not become part of the Holy Spirit, and instead the soul wanders into purgatory.

Food

Rules regarding the consumption of food are highly important in Marism, with conservative Marists believing that one's soul will fade away when consuming unclean food. The rules of food are governed by the rules of garbitasuna (lit. cleanliness). According to the rules of garbitasuna, one may not consume the meat of animals which are not ruminant.

Holy sites and holidays

Major sites in Marism include the town of Szentendre (Ander Szantua) and Harribidea, which are major pelgrimage destinations. The Shrine of the Four Szorginak in Harribidea was built in 1402 as a memorial and grave of Szalbacaile of Ander; most Marists visit the shrine at least once in their lifetime as a form of pelgrimage.

The Marist faith incorporates multiple important holidays including the Hightide in June during the summer equinox and the Day of Forgivenes in December, which is marked by the tradition of solely eating unleavened food products.

Important Marist communities

Orthodox (Conservative)

Orthodox (or Conservative) Marism is a religious organisation which is relatively hierarchical and approves usage of the Minor Hicak. Most Orthodox Marists live according to the strict interpretation of Hicak rules; they do not eat non-clean foods, as they believe it will cause their soul to fade away. Orthodox Marists perform worship by praying by kneeling, despite it not being mentioned in the Major Hicak.

Reformist

A majority of Marists adhere to the Reformist tradition, which originated as a schism within religious tradition in the 16th century regarding usage of the Minor Hicak. Reformist Marists do not use the Minor Hicak at all, citing the theory of sola scriptura. Reformist Marists generally interpret the Hicak in a theoretical manner, believing that the soul of a believer can solely fade by performing a major sin.

Fedeaneren Anaiak

The Brothers of the Faith (Fedeanen Anaiak) is a Marist organisation whose believers practice common ownership, citing certain sections in the Major Hicak bok Jokabideak. They generally live in topaketak, which are communal settlements which are solely intended for religious membership. Theologically, the Brothers are generally associated with the Reformist tradition.

Population

Distribution of Marists by Nation

Nation	Total Population	Marist Population	% of Population
Brilliania	18,792,090	12,215,390	65.0%
Finium	3,703,109	296,249	8.0%
Svaldheim	11,980,123	71,881	0.6%
Vetonia	23,681,713	2,964,646	12.52%
Total		19,797,934