Bowism

For the religion of the same name practised in Kretaza, see Nizni Bowism.

Bowism (Basaqese: Perizîna Bow, transl. "Bow Worship") is a religious tradition native to the Basaqastan region of Liberto-Ancapistan. The largest religion in Basaqastan by adherents, it has no non-monastic institutional structures and encompasses a variety of practices and beliefs, influenced by saints, monastic scholarship and regional traditions.

Bowism is characterised by the veneration of a monotheistic god, most commonly referred to as Bow. Interpretations of Bow vary significantly between monastic schools, taking the form of a pantheistic unifying spirit in the Pilizwari school and a singular, caring creator god in the Tasgalati school. According to the largest Kevirozian school, Bow has a single, divine essence separate from the Siyen Zindi (transl. "Living World"), but is currently fragmentary, interacting with the world primarily through distinctive and separate incarnations known as Siyenidi. Most Bowist cosmologies envision the Siyen Zindi as created by Bow in opposition to a lifeless, chaotic outer world, Netem. Belief in the existence of lower divine beings, called eriden (transl. "spirits"), is also near-constant among even pantheistic schools. These eriden, together with the Siyenidi, form the basis for most Bowist worship, involving offerings of food, water and incense to elicit favours and prevent conflict.

According to most scholars, Bowism is a development of pre-existing polytheistic Basaqastanian religion, and developed into a recognisable form over an extended period between the 3rd millennium BCE and 5th millennium CE, with many well-known Siyenidi being recognisable as re-interpretations of older polytheistic deities. The reasons for the origins of Bowism, and the specific origin of Bow as a unifying deity, are heavily debated. Explanations proposed range from the need for a holistic legitimising religious ideology in the Nizmstani Empire and successor polities, to the abandonment of older deities during times of poor economic fortunes. Bowism experienced significant development and institutionalisation from the yth century, with the emergence of the Bowist ascetic saints and monastic tradition, leading to the compilement and codification of religious texts and prayers. The 'schools' which characterise modern Bowism largely derive from this monastic tradition, with most originating in the establishment of monastic communities by charismatic saints. The largest school, Kevirozi Bowism, was established in the 10th century CE based on the activities of the saint Shamaqoli of the Rock, whose sayings and poems were collected posthumously in a book, the Isahd.

Bowism is primarily found in Liberto-Ancapistan, among ethnic Basaqastanians and some other groups in the Basaqastan region. Most practitioners outside the country are part of the Basaqastanian diaspora. Numerically, it is the largest religion in Liberto-Ancapistan, followed by Santian Folk Religion and Christianity. Aspects of Bowism have been incorporated into the Basaqastanian Christian tradition Nivin Christianity.

Beliefs

Theology

Most Bowist schools believe in a fundamental division between the Siyen Zindi, the world inhabited by humanity, and Netem, the primordial and infinite world from which Bow emerged. The Siyen Zindi is universally said to have been created by Bow, whether consciously or as a consequence of their existence. Kevirozian, Yesireni and Exaliki Bowists believe that this was a deliberate act of creativity by Bow. Pilizwari Bowists make no distinction between Bow and the Siyen Zindi itself. The age of the Siyen Zindi, and the role played by Bow within it since its creation, differs significantly between schools.

Most Bowist schools believe in the existence of several distinctive incarnations of Bow, the Siyenidi. Different Siyenidi are associated with certain appearances, temperaments and interests. While the Siyenidi are usually said to be fragmentary parts of Bow's essence, thus having individual intentions and minds, Tasgalati Bowists consider Siyenidi simply different guises of a unitary and interventionist Bow. Siyenidi form an essential component of Bowist mythology, featuring in a large variety of stories and historic works, and are the recipients of most offerings and prayers. While the number of Siyenidi is very large and undefined, several specific incarnations feature prominently, most famously Paleyî (transl. "Harvest"), a Siyenidi associated with good harvests which was formerly invoked regularly as a polytheistic god prior to the development of Bowism. Many other popular Siyenidi are associated with prophecy and wisdom, such as the Mirovê Stêran (transl. "Man of the Stars").

All major Bowist schools believe in the existence of lower spiritual beings, eriden, which were created by Bow rather than being derived from them. A common tradition, strongest within the Yesireni school, holds that eriden are material beings given immortality upon death by Siyenidi. Eriden are strongly associated with magic, impermanent form and eternal life. Interaction with eriden primarily takes the form of specific offerings and appeals, with prayers being less common, as they are usually restricted to a single geographic location and are more often malevolent than Siyenidi. These appeals form a significant component of Bowist worship, being given offerings in exchange for peace, good fortunes, or protection from malevolent eriden.

Sacred texts

Bowism possesses a significant scriptural tradition, but the use of sacred texts is often variable both between and within schools. Often, only a small number of texts considered useful or legitimate by a school are considered necessary to learn or study. The organisation of sacred texts differs between schools; the Exaliki school maintains a consolidated single scripture, the Tejira, while others recognise several texts and compilations. The most common genre of Bowist scripture consists of the writings or sayings of a saint, or other divinely inspired individual; the most notable of these is the Isahd, a fundamental text of Kevirozi Bowism, which consists of the collected sayings of Shamaqoli of the Rock, compiled shortly after his death. Other forms of scripture include ritual instructions and accounts of the world's origins, or historic events involving Bow or the Siyendi.

Because many Bowist texts originated as oral traditions before being written, it is often difficult to ascribe a specific date to their creation. However, the oldest Bowist scriptures, collections of hymns to Siyendi, may date as far back as the 7th century BCE, predating the establishment of Bowism as a religion. Written records of older Bowist scripture largely post-date the establishment of Bowist monasticism, due to the prolific output and large archives of monasteries.

Practices

Outside monastic institutions, Bowism is focused much more on ritual than religious doctrine, to the extent where it is often difficult to distinguish between Bowist customs and wider Basaqastanian customs.

Shrines and temples

Most Bowist ritual worship is centred around religious structures, subcategorised into shrines and temples. These are separated by the presence of a shrine-keeper, or priest, and typically other staff, in a temple, and the lack of such in a shrine. There are up to 60,000 public shrines in Liberto-Ancapistan, ranging from temples with multi-building complexes to small canopied platforms. Traditionally, shrines and temples are dedicated to a single local eriden or Siyenidi of Bow, but larger temples may have a broader dedication or multiple patrons.

All shrines involve a canopy, even if the they do not take the form of full buildings. This is typically made of stone, and supported on at least two sides. On either side of the gate of a shrine or temple are two stone steles, on which the original dedication of the shrine is inscribed. In most shrines, especially those more than two centuries old, this dedication is written in the old Nivin script, which has fallen out of use in most Basaqese writing. The interior of a shrine is centred around a pool of water, beneath a hole in the canopy used to allow rainwater inside. In a small shrine, this may simply be a wooden bowl. The pool is used exclusively for divination, and other messages from divine sources. Around the bowl are raised platforms for the placement of offerings.

Temples and monasteries also include one or more iregirs, hollow pillars containing flammable material. These are used in divination, and to make offerings to particularly revered Siyenidi on certain occasions. In larger buildings, these iregirs may take the form of towers up to 100 metres in height, known as 'great iregirs', and are present in most large Basaqastanian cities.

Offerings and divination

Offerings take the form of anything considered to be valuable by Bowists, though food is by far the most common offering and individual eriden are traditionally held to have certain preferences. Items such as fruit and prepared meat are typically placed on a designated surface at a temple or shrine, where they are left until a periodic removal. Offerings can also take the form of incense, which is burned in candles or iregirs. Historically, animals have been killed and presented on-site in temples and larger shrines, but this has fallen out of practice in all but the Yesireni and Tasgalati schools, and is largely restricted to events of special importance. Offerings are usually accompanied by verbal requests of recited prayers, which may also be made without an accompanying offering.

Bowist divination centres around the interpretation of the interaction between substances, particularly water, which is believed to be influenced by Siyenidi or other imperceptible forces. The most common form practiced in temples involves the observation of the survival or non-survival of fire in contact with rainwater. Other popular forms include the observation of the mixing of water with tea or other coloured liquids, and the movement of floating objects when affected by rain. Across schools, divination is taught to all monastic or monastically-trained clergy, but may be carried out by laypeople. Because Bowist divination is highly interpretative, it is never considered wholly reliable.