Mandalorian religion The Mandalorian religion was the accumulated spiritual and mythological beliefs of the Mandalorian warrior culture . Like the Mandalorians themselves , their religion saw numerous changes throughout the course of history , with several concepts evolving or falling out of popular practice over time . The ancient Mandalorians and the culture ' s Taung founders were intensely devout in their beliefs , forming a deeply religious society . Creation myths such as the " Akaanati ' kar ' oya " — the " War of Life and Death " — were viewed literally , and ritual combat was waged in worship of Kad Ha ' rangir the destroyer god , who the Mandalorians believed represented change and was opposed by Arasuum , the stagnant sloth - god . This obsession with battle reached it ' s pinnacle when the Mandalorians came to deify war itself , and believed that to wage war was to be divine . However , this zealotry did not last . Over time , the Mandalorians grew disillusioned with their former fanaticism and war - worshiping ways . Mandalorian beliefs became more secular and pragmatic : their ancient myths of warring gods and stories of the fallen rulers of Mandalore portrayed as the night stars were viewed as philosophical parables , and modern Mandalorians sought to derive allegorical insight from these tales rather than fact . The belief in a literal afterlife waned in favor of a belief in the " manda " , a collective described as the very essence of being Mandalorian . A Mandalorian ignorant of their heritage and culture was considered to be " dar ' manda " — soulless — and would have no place in the " manda " after death ; to be " dar ' manda " was considered a terrible fate by Mandalorians , and a great importance was placed upon knowing and living their culture as defined by the " Resol ' nare " , the culture ' s six tenets . Beliefs . The ancient founders of the Mandalorian culture , the Taung , formed a religious warrior society governed by elaborate laws that evolved into the Canons of Honor . They believed in the creation story of " Akaanati ' kar ' oya " — the " War of Life and Death " — and attributed the stars shining in the night sky to the fallen rulers of the planet Mandalore . These early Mandalorians believed in a pantheon of deities including Hod Ha ' ran , a trickster god viewed as an agent of the fickle nature of fortune . The one they truly worshiped , however , was the destroyer god Kad Ha ' rangir , who represented the opportunity for change and growth that destruction provided , in opposition to the sloth - god Arasuum , who stood against Kad Ha ' rangir as an avatar of stagnation . The Mandalorians engaged in ritual combat in Kad Ha ' rangir ' s name to win favor with their god , defying the temptations of idle consumption offered by Arasuum . This struggle between idleness and change was also reflected in the ancient Mandalorian belief in the afterlife : existing as a plane of spiritual energy in constant conflict between stagnation and growth , every Mandalorian who perished was believed to join the army of the afterlife , defending their families that dwelled in the eternal , peaceful homestead . Mandalorians believed that this home beyond death was the only place they could truly reach a non - transitory existence . One of the first notable changes to the Mandalorian religion came circa 4000 BBY . Legend claimed that the reigning leader of the Mandalorians , Mandalore the Indomitable , journeyed to the planet Shogun , and there he received a vision that inspired a revelation . Returning to the clans , Mandalore the Indomitable led his people to cease their worship of gods such as Kad Ha ' rangir , Arasuum , and Hod Ha ' ran , instead elevated war itself to the heart of their religion . War was revered , and to wage war was to be divine . It was from that point that the Mandalorians became infamous as Crusaders , a reflection of their view that the making of war was a holy crusade . Mandalore the Indomitable was not the last of the Mandalorian leaders to receive a vision on Shogun . Following his ascent to the role after Indomitable ' s death , Mandalore the Ultimate was shown a new vision on Shogun , one that led him to allow members of other species who proved themselves in combat and upheld the tenets of the " Resol ' nare " , to be treated as equal members of the Mandalorian clans . Under his rule , the Mandalorians were certain of the approach of the mythic " Ani ' la Akaan " , the " Great Last Battle , " and found it at Malachor V , where the Mandalorian Neo - Crusaders engaged the Jedi - led forces of the Galactic Republic , only to be defeated . As time passed , the Mandalorians became disillusioned with the religious fanaticism of their ancestors and their war - worshiping ways . Their belief system moved further away from the supernatural , and a greater importance was placed on secular pragmatism . Where creation myths such as the " Akaanati ' kar ' oya " had once been regarded literally , later generations viewed these stories instead as allegory , seeking to glean philosophical insight from them rather than truth . The ancient gods were largely forgotten in contemporary times ; common wisdom suggested divine masters were to be tolerated only if they were able to pull their own weight in the culture . The concept of a literal afterlife waned , in favor of a belief in the " manda " . The " manda " was described as an , a collective consciousness , and the very essence of being Mandalorian . To join with the " manda " after death , a Mandalorian was required to be knowledgeable of their culture , and practice its tenets in their daily lives . For a Mandalorian to be ignorant of their heritage was to be " dar ' manda " — without a soul — and to be without a place in the collective afterlife . The concept of being " dar ' manda " was feared in the Mandalorian culture , and was considered a terrible fate .