Thaerinism

Ladath Thaerinë
Abbreviation	Thaerinism
Type	Monotheistic (rarely polytheistic)
Protector	Azara V
Chief Acolyte	(placeholder)
Region	Trellin Arimathea Kur'zhet Cadenza
Origin	c. 300 BC
Number of followers	c. 140,000,000
Tax status	Exempt

Ladath Thaerinë (Trellinese; lit. Thaerine belief), or Thaerinism, is a religion centred around the worship of the divine Ethlorek figure Thaera. It is a monolatrist faith, recognising the existence of numerous gods of whom Thaera is the sole focus of veneration.

Beliefs

Thaerine doctrine recognises y'know tons of gods like

Worship

Priestess of the Sun, 1901 watercolour by A. Duder

Pantheon

Traditionally considered a polytheistic faith, Ladath Thaerinë evolved out of the larger Ethlorek pantheon and was originally simply the cult of the goddess Thaera. It is more correctly identified as a monolatrist religion. The doctrine of Thaerininism continues to recognise the existence of several gods of equal stature, though of these only Thaera is generally permitted to be worshipped, and of numerous lesser deities. Historically, there were Thaerine priests whose specific duty it was to commune with the other Ethlorek gods, the most notable of which was the Cult of Ryioi.

In addition to these five main gods who comprise the higher pantheon, there is a larger, lower pantheon which includes topographical deities, many of whom are subservient to one or more of the higher deities.

Higher pantheon

File:Thaera.jpg

Thaera, goddess of the stars and sole deity venerated in Thaerinism

File:Ryioi.jpg

Ryioi, sun god and god of fire

File:Morqúz.jpg

Morqúz, god of rivers and storms

Liqáha, goddess of the sea, painted by Varan Kalanaga

File:Arnyü.jpg

Arnyü, earth and fertility goddess

Thaera

Thaera is the Ethlorek goddess of night and of the stars, as well as the the hunt, archery and of searching. She is venerated as the protector and patroness of all the Ethlorek people, though groups in Arimathea and on the west coast of southern Trellin did not put her in a preeminent position before the expansion of the Trellinese Empire reformed the religion. She is sometimes also considered to have been the first Queen of the Trellinese.

In old Ethlorek mythology, Thaera was seen as being a relatively minor member of the higher pantheon. The Ethlorek people of the Tanz were mainly settled and pastoral, and had little interest in hunting or searching. During their migration towards Trellin, however, they came to associate more strongly with the motif of seeking, and they used the stars to travel at night.

Ryioi

Ryioi is the god of fire and the sun. He is sometimes considered an enemy of the Ethlorek people, but more usually seen as an unaligned, volatile and capricious figure. Several volcanoes, most notably Kaië Ryio'qi in western Azmir, are associated with him and have occasionally been thought of as entrances to his subterranean "Kingdom of Fire" (Demrin Kaiqa).

In Ethlorek mythology, Ryioi, as the god of the sun, is believed to wage war against Thaera at dawn and dusk. As the bringer of warmth and life he is not regarded as inherently evil, and indeed is sometimes seen as the most romantic of the higher pantheon, longing for Liqáha but not daring to approach her. After the Rape of the Sea he aligned himself decisively against Morqúz, whom he had previously merely disdained.

Morqúz

Morqúz is the god of clouds and storms and the over-god of the various river gods. It has been suggested that his name may derive from the words 'marqa' and 'qüzha' ('arrow' and 'lightning', respectively). Prior to the Ethlorek migrations he was a relatively minor figure in the pantheon, with Tanas being the most prominent of the river gods. During the migration, which was wracked by many storms between Aquitayne and Berique, Morqúz garnered substantial animosity from the Ethlorekoz and rapidly came to be seen as their principal enemy in the new era of the Trellinese as a seafaring people.

In Ethlorek mythology, Morqúz is generally regarded as a rival of the other members of the higher pantheon, using the clouds to obscure the moon, sun and stars of Liqáha, Ryioi and Thaera, respectively. His lust for Liqáha led to the Rape of the Sea and the birth of the goddess Arnyü, who it is believed will destroy her father in the end of the world.

Liqáha

Liqáha is the goddess of the sea and the moon. Despite being considered originally the second most powerful deity in the Ethlorek pantheon, after Ryioi, her role has almost always been very minor, particularly as a lunar deity.

In Ethlorek mythology, her tremendous beauty — second only to that of Reyaia — caused her to be lusted after by the god Morqúz. She rejected his advances but he overpowered and raped her, an act for which none of the higher pantheon would ever forgive him. Fifteen months later, Liqáha gave birth to a child of both sexes, the goddess Arnyü, because of the unnatural conception. Liqáha herself subsequently became mistrustful of other gods and subject to great rages. Though still loved by many of the Ethlorekoz, she also grew to be an object of fear, corrupted by Morqúz's betrayal and producing the storms over which he was master.

Arnyü

Arnyü is the hermaphroditic offspring of Morqúz and Liqáha, and is the goddess of the earth and of fertility. Although most locations not already specifically associated with other deities are considered linked to Arnyü, similar to how many primitive religions link the earth to a primordial earth mother goddess, certain places are particularly closely associated with her. These include Arnyü's Finger in northern Rezat and the Cadenzan mountain of Vekh Lamanë. She was the chief deity of the pre-migration inhabitants of the Tanz valley, and

Lower pantheon

• Armur, god of knowledge and wisdom, eldest of the Three Brothers
• Droga, goddess of justice, eldest of the Three Sisters
• Kúzha, god of life and renewal
• Kyrsna, goddess of vigilance, one of the Three Sisters
• Nefyë, goddess of death and fading
• Numa, goddess of rewards and punishment, one of the Three Sisters
• Prezas, god of battlefield glory, one of the Three Brothers
• Reyaia, goddess of love and beauty
• Sariqef, god of time and roads
• Serazio, god of balance and thresholds
• Türypë, goddess of music and silence
• Yureq, god of craft and workmanship, one of the Three Brothers

Geographical deities

• Fünyë, goddess of the winds
• Tanas, god of the river Tanz
• Tiyaia, whose dedications include Txin Tiyaia, Arimathea's highest mountain
• Txashis, goddess of the north Jajich and south Mederano seas