Vetarbroitar religion (19-canon)

The **Vetarbroitar religion**, also known as **Vetarbroitar Asatru**, or more accurately as **Volandism**, is the religion of the Vetarbroitar civilisation of the northern Milky Way.

It was named after the creator of the Vetarbroitar, Volandr, a warlord who rebelled against the Nordic State. His religion or cult was influenced by the extremist religion of the Nordic State, which in turn was a Christianised version of the Norse religion. The term "Volandism" is also used by the rest of the Milky Way to differentiate it from actual Asatruar belief, as it is considered too extreme and violent.

## Religious practices

Vetarbroitar religion is similar to the revived Norse religions of Earth. Among its practices include the usage of open fields and wooden buildings as temples (hofs), a rejection of fear, Scandinavian culture, ceremonies (blots), the usage of Old Norse in prayers and hymns (galdar), and honouring nature and the ancestors.

However, it is notorious for being more violent than other Asatru sects. Mercy is considered as a sign of weakness that allows enemies to backstab people, and group punishment and revenge are considered more effective in the Volandist religion.

Some Vetarbroitar have instead turned away from violence, focusing on more peaceful pursuits such as scientific research, artistic renaissances, or megastructures. These nations tend to venerate Odin as a god of knowledge (instead of destruction) and Freyr as the god of civilisation.

## Beliefs

The Vetarbroitar worship many gods in two tribes, the Aesir and the Vanir. The Aesir represent civilisation and morality, and the Vanir represent nature. Because the Vetarbroitar consider themselves as "true civilisation", they favour the Aesir more than the Vanir.

In addition, they venerate the wights (nature spirits) and the ancestors (heroes of the past). To honour them, they keep their environment clean and they keep themselves disciplined.

Vetarbroitar mythology is more dualistic: Odin is regarded as the ultimate good, while Loki is considered as the ultimate evil. Many Vetarbroitar prefer Helheim as their concept as paradise: while the Norse myths depicted Helheim as a cold doom for the peaceful, the Vetarbroitar instead depicted it as their equivalent of Heaven. Warriors who die killing enemies in battle instead go to Valhalla by ascending as einherjar, who will then one day slaughter the enemies of the Vetarbroitar.

Three actions are regarded as the greatest, unforgivable sins: murdering one's own family, oathbreaking, and extreme depravity. People who commit these deeds will be doomed to descend into Nastrond, a place of eternal torment.

Vetarbroitar avoid associating themselves with the Four Powers, the empires of Earth that sought to dominate the planet. Such a sin includes various practices, from saying anything good about these civilisations to practicing their cultures and enjoying art from these nations. It also includes the advocation of fascism and communism, which are blamed for the destruction of humanity: people suspected of fascism are put to death or sacrificed to Loki. They also believe that the Earth was ruled by a succession of evil empires, starting with Babylon and the Roman Empire, and ending with the United States, the Four Powers, and the Earth Union, and it is the duty of all Vetarbroitar to surpass these dreaded civilisations.

They venerate the victims of various historical atrocities as the Forfadir, or Ancestors: people denied a chance to live a good life, doomed to wander the depths of history while their enemies prosper and wallow in power. To the Vetarbroitar, celebrating the deaths of people who died from pandemics, genocides, purges and punitive campaigns, or conquests is to align with evil people. Justifying their deaths as "for a greater good", "a necessary sacrifice", or "paving the way to a better world" is to curse and dishonour these victims, and wish the dominance of their murderers to destroy and subjugate all life under their rule.

### Apocalypse

Over time, many Vetarbroitar descended into fanaticism out of hatred against Earth. Some even mutilated and mutated themselves to make themselves less like their enemies and more aggressive. They believed in two outcomes:

* Earth will be conquered by the Vetarbroitar, who will impose polytheism to punish the Four Powers and forcibly remake human nature
* The Farsiders will destroy Earth, and proceed to slaughter the other inhabitants of the Galaxy until no opposition exists. After that, they will slaughter each other until the whole Galaxy is a warzone where only the strong survive and slaughter the rest.

## Earthling sins

Various deeds are considered horrible sins that could repeat the sins of the Four Powers, starting yet another dysfunctional society. The Vetarbroitar prohibited these actions to enforce a more "refined" sort of society, even when it is forcibly imposed.

* Not explaining - All Vetarbroitar are expected to explain an answer, but they can be excused if they do not understand or know. This is to avoid the Earthling sin of "not explaining".
	+ In various age-old posts unearthed from Internet records, Earthlings (or specifically Americans) left offensive or angry statements. When others wanted to ask them, the Earthlings refused to answer, left furious curses, or responded with memes, jokes, or simply "Yes". It was mainly because they want to be heard.
* Trolling - To prevent this, Vetarbroitar force themselves and their children to spend more time outside and use classical arts, and people who spend a lot of time on holograms, television, and computers are often denounced as "potential Earthlings".
	+ In Vetarbroitar schools and propaganda, this is considered one of the causes behind World War III, as troublemakers lured people into violence for their twisted amusement.
* "Edginess" - Edginess, in Vetarbroitar belief, is intentionally invoking evil or glorfying harmful policies and behaviours for amusment: it also applies to jokes about harming people. To stop this, Vetarbroitar were harshly trained to be obedient and helpful to each other.
	+ It is best summarised by the American phrase: "Don't threaten me with a good time". What kind of "good time" would it be if it benefits only the ruler and not the people?
	+ This also caused a lot of self-loathing among Vetarbroitar when they became teenagers, as adolescence is associated in their society with chaos and the enemies of their civilisation. To "prove" themselves that they are not a threat to their loved ones, most Vetarbroitar teenagers kept themselves disciplined and obedient. Many of them are also indoctrinated with a fear of the Four Powers ruling over themselves and their society with oppressive laws to punish their very existence.
* Fandoms
	+ The existence of "fandoms" is also forbidden in Vetarbroitar society, as these groups who love various artistic works are considered bitter, hateful, and unnecessarily and wastefully aggressive. "Fandom" in Vetarbroitar society usually means "someone who loves the evil works of the 21st century", so someone who loves a cartoon character is denounced as a "fan", while a person who loves the Poetic Eddas or a classical novel is accepted as a "lover of art".
	+ "Fans" are often depicted in Vetarbroitar culture as insane cultists hell-bent on dominating everyone else in the names of their cartoon gods: long ago, young people used to harass people they did not like in a practice called "dogpiling". And yet, there are countless Vetarbroitar of all ages and both genders who are fans of their civilisation's propaganda-art and various classical works.
	+ Many of these not-"fans" refuse to enslave people for their movies or books, even though some cults worshipping movies and cartoons emerged and were tolerated as "works of art". However, some of these people who are obsessed with their favourite artistic works even killed their rivals over not liking their favourite works, and such murderers and cultists are then hunted down by the rest of society as "traitors". Their violence is sometimes mentioned as the Vetarbroitar civilisation's own equivalent of "dogpiling".
	+ Many Vetarbroitar nations banned cartoons and videogames, preferring to force their own people to become more physical and old-fashioned. That kind of media became associated with the disliked American civilisation and its ills.
* Justifying poverty in any form
	+ The Vetarbroitar believed that poverty is caused by inequality and lack of access to career opportunities, and it causes people to commit wrong things such as rebellion, crime, violence, theft, terrorism, and extremism. To prevent poverty, many Vetarbroitar societies focused on cooperation to teach their peoples to help the poor, but they also punish anyone suspected of wasting social aid; this results in a more collective society. This also causes many of them adopt socialist policies.
	+ Although the Amelios and Marixai approve the Vetarbroitar adoption of socialism as a method to stave off poverty and dysfunction, they demanded that the Vetarbroitar adopt an Americanised or Marxist society and submit to their rule. The Vetarbroitar rejected both.
	+ According to Vetarbroitar records, the two Americas had different ways to promote poverty. In the American Federation, poverty is supported as a method to protect the rich, and to force the commoners to work to avoid starvation and laziness. In the United States, poverty is reduced (or increased) by social programmes, but some people refuse to work, relying almost entirely on social aid to practice a lifestyle bent on hedonism.
* Hatred of the poor
	+ Vetarbroitar are taught to help the homeless and the poor, as they are considered their fellow kin and brethren. Hatred of the poor is considered an "American sin", and anti-homeless architecture (and anyone who supports those measures) is banned in nearly all Vetarbroitar territories.
* Anonymity
	+ Many of the perpetrators in the samples were anonymous people, encouraged by their privacy to unleash their worst sentiments. Therefore, Vetarbroitar refuse to be anonymous to avoid becoming like them.
* Laughing at others' suffering
	+ A lot of ancient Internet posts are about inconsiderate users who tell others, "cope", "cry some more", or "boo hoo", and other mocking phrases. This is considered representative of the "primitive" behaviour of Earthlings.
	+ To avoid this poor behaviour, Vetarbroitar are supposed to help other people to raise themselves above the Earthlings' crude standards. But if they are near their enemies, they do not forgive or forget.
* "Human nature"
	+ In many Earthling societies, various flaws (like hatred, selfishness, vulgarity, and mockery) were excused as "human nature". Therefore, the Vetarbroitar believed that they must alter humanity through coercion and genetic mutation to create a more harmonious society.
* "Boomer culture"
	+ Surviving American records depicted American society as selfish and inconsiderate. For example, any support for the poor was denounced as "communism", their comics are hideous, people dislike marriage in general and abuse their spouses, and bullying was commonplace.
	+ To avoid these, almost everyone supports the poor, faces looked more realistic in artworks, divorce was legal, and bullying was frowned upon (unless said person was an Earthling, so they were guilty). Many Vetarbroitar also avoid excessive wealth and kept the environment clean out of fear of becoming "Boomers". People suspected of being "Boomers" or practicing "Boomer culture" were branded as public enemies.
	+ Some Vetarbroitar nations try to make themselves into "workers' states", republics that focus on making conditions more liveable for workers complete with social aid and a high degree of social mobility and democracy. Their leaders warned that "any attempts to hurt the workers will invite the communists", so they believed that improving their society will prevent the communists from taking over their countries and building an empire.
* Fascism
	+ This was the official belief of the Nordic State, the empire that created the Vetarbroitar and raided its way into Europe and Africa.
	+ Because it contributed to much ruin throughout human history and advocated a society bent on worshipping the leader and exterminating the rest of humanity, fascism is banned in the Vetarbroitar realms. Anyone suspected of glorfying fascism is immediately killed or sacrificed to Loki.

## Gods

The Aesir and the Vanir are usually known in the Vetarbroitar religion as "The True Gods" (Sanuraesir), out of opposition towards Christianity and Islam.

* Allfather Odin - the supreme god of the Vetarbroitar religion. Although he is the king of the Aesir gods, the Vetarbroitar elevated his power by declaring him "King of the Universe".
	+ In actual Norse myth, Odin committed many abusive and horrific deeds. The Vetarbroitar either whitewashed these deeds or promoted the more violent deeds to glorify their god.
	+ Some Vetarbroitar instead worship a different aspect of Odin as "the lord of wisdom", so they try to improve their own behaviour and society to honour their god instead of violence and punishment.
* Allmother Frigga - the Queen of Heaven, consort of Odin.
* Freyr - the god of the harvest and civilisation.
* The Ancestors (Forfadir) - a gestalt collective of souls from every victim of every atrocity in history. Popularised in the days of the Farsiders, who murdered people as sacrifices to the Ancestors. The Farsiders believed that if they destroy Earth, the Ancestors will emerge from the afterlife to devour the souls of every sinner in the Milky Way.

## Other characters

* Einherjar - the angels of Odin. In Vetarbroitar art, they are sometimes depicted with brown or dark skin to honour the Thrisveld, three countries that withstood the Four Powers.

## Heilagar (Saints)

Certain men and women are venerated as saints in the Vetarbroitar religion. They are known as "heilagar" or "heilags" (singular: heilagor), "holy ones".

* Widukind - a Saxon king who resisted Charlemagne.
* Ivar the Boneless - a cruel king who brought ruin to England.
* King Radbod - the last free king of Frisia who resisted Charles Martel.
* Raud the Strong

### Other saints

As the Vetarbroitar believe that anyone can go to Helheim or Valhalla regardless of which god they worship, some foreigners are also listed as saints for their righteous deeds.

* Saladin
* Berke Khan

## Evil characters

* Loki - the enemy of Odin, the instigator of chaos, and therefore the great enemy of civilisation, holiness, and everything that is good. The worship of Loki is a criminal offense in many Vetarbroitar states, and he is often associated with the worst deeds of human history. He is also regarded as the god of the warmongering Earth Union and the corrupt civilisations of America, the ultimate enemy of the Vetarbroitar.
* Charlemagne - the destroyer of Germanic culture. Especially remembered for his massacre of many heathens at Verden, he and Olaf became the stereotypes of the Christian religion throughout Vetarbroitar society.
* Olaf Tryggvason - a Norwegian king who murdered many people to force them to worship Jesus.
* The Four Powers - five nations that attempted to take over the world: Marxist America, Fascist America, China, Russia, and Arabia. Each of them is depicted as a tyranny seeking to enslave and punish all people to impose their version of an obedient utopia, devoid of freedom and a healthy life.
	+ Among the many deeds of the Four Powers include enslavement, ostracism, oppression, discrimination, marginalisation, starvation, and extermination. Even certain minor offenses, like "edginess", ostracism, fandoms, and refusing to explain or meme answers, are regarded as associating and selling one's self to the evils of the Four Powers.

## Rinnarit Volandism

The Rinnarit Norse, descendants of Vetarbroitar settlers and immigrants, practice a more moderate form of the Vetarbroitar religion. This is the religion practiced by Dorian and her family. Even Christians (like her friend Leukia and her family, the president of the Rinnarit Republic) and atheists practice some elements of Volandism, because they have become a part of the national culture.

Like many aspects of religious life in the Rinnarit Republic, Volandism in the country has been forcibly standardised.

## Bigtonian Asatru

The Bigtonian Norse also practice a more moderate form of their ancestral religion, abandoning Volandr's cult in favour of the older practices of their Earthling ancestors. As a result, Bigtonian Norse religion is known as "Asatru" instead of "Volandism".

Unlike typical Vetarbroitar, Bigtonian Norse are more forgiving towards Americans, who are their neighbours in Bigton. This causes other Vetarbroitar to hate them as "traitors".

## See also

* Neo-Norse language, Neo-Norse glossary
* Rinnarit mythology
* Zergonian mythology
* Red Miklagard