Religion

### NOTICE:

This document is subject to change/Jehvnarization once the new continent releases. Do not assume that this is the final version. This document is only intended as a rough idea of how Minami native beliefs are supposed to be. This document is classified; do not share with unauthorised Jehvnar players.

## Introduction

The belief system, Kaminomichi (神之道), is the indigenous religion of the Minami. Polytheistic and animistic in nature, this particular system does not focus on doctrine, but rather on ancient rituals and observances. As such, there is no central authority to the religion, and loose variations of this belief system exist from place to place.

### Gods

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Kaminomichi revolves around the existence of supernatural gods (kami, 神), and their presence on all material objects. The gods, or kami, are worshipped in shrines (jinja, 神社), and also in family homes. Since there is no central authority to the religion, the shrines are maintained by ancient clerical families throughout the generations. Each shrine is dedicated to a god, and contains a sacred object believed to be inhabiting that particular god. The kami are considered *amoral* to humanity, meaning that they do not necessarily punish or reward humans for their deeds.

### Lore

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(todo: fix lore for new continent update)

It is believed that the creation of the world started with seven Gods personifying material objects. These gods lived outside of time, in a *metaphysical world*, and existed in harmony despite their great power. However, one god, Miro, thirsted for more power than he was able to obtain, and was deceived by an unclean spirit. The origin of uncleanliness (*kegare*) originates from this. Abusing his power, he killed one of the gods (Auden), which caused a conflict between them. Trying to stop Miro, one of the older gods (Tordar) restrained him, but the evil spirit killed him. Seeing that this would cause havoc upon the universe, the gods disintegrated themselves, and their fragments came to be the *physical world*.

The cosmology is documented in the The Hijirimonogatari, Minami's lore.

### Clergy

Having no sect-like authority, most clergy originate from the ancient clerical families. The clergy, primarily male, are called kannushi (神主), meaning “Divine Master of Ceremonies”. They are also alternatively called shinshoku (神職, “God’s Employee”). The kannushi are traditionally known as “mediators” between the gods and the people, and are viewed and respected as holy. Moreover, the position of priestly power is inherited from generation to generation among the clerical families. Kannushi are assisted in their work by miko (神子), nun-like clergy who often help at the shrine and who also conduct certain rituals.

### Worship

The core of Kaminomachi worship is the belief in *kami*, gods that can be present in all material objects. The practices of worship and veneration of these *kami* have been passed down from generations. Many motifs such as chanting, dancing, and festivals are present in Kaminomichi worship. Notably, religious participation is involuntary; one is not obliged to attend services every week, or say prayers at different times of the day. Nevertheless, since Kaminomachi is ingrained into Minami society, the majority of the people are devout practitioners of this indigenous belief system.

Some aspects of worship includes going to shrines; ritual purification (*harae*); the transfer of impurity to objects then destroying them (*haraeguchi*); ritual dancing to appease the gods (*kagura*); and observance of taboos (*imi*).

### Festivals

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Festivals are a major part of Kaminomichi. They occur during different times of the year, and some grand festivals may occur during every 25, 50, or 100 years. Festivals are a means of honoring the gods, and also worshipping them as a community. Some examples of festivals may include purification festivals, coming-of-age festivals, and marriages.

Festivals are usually local events that are held in each town or village, though major festivals may occur in the large cities. Each god has their own festival. Since shrines are built in honor of a particular god, festivals pertaining to that god will be held there.

## Tenets

* The Minami believe in two realities; one physical, and one metaphysical. This concept is known as sekainigen (世界二元). The physical aspect of reality is known as nikutaiteki (肉体的), and the metaphysical aspect of reality is known as keijijou (形而上).

* The physical reality is held in existence by the gods, by evil; or by self-perpetuation. Perpetuation, in this sense, involves the metaphysical world’s causation of physical objects to exist (yuu, 有).

#### Deities

Part of the metaphysical reality consists of the gods, known as kami (神), who are believed to have created the physical reality (the world), and continue to perpetuate their existence on it.

* Each god is named after the physical object which they perpetuate. For example, the God of Water, the God of Lightning, the God of Fire, the God of Wood, etc. This ranges from the major gods found in Jehvnar mythology, to the minor deities personifying all manner of objects found in everyday life. Gods are believed to exist everywhere and nowhere, and infuse their souls into inanimate objects, thus keeping them in existence.

* Since the physical reality can be perpetuated by the gods, such physical objects which the gods perpetuate are considered sacred in of themselves by the Minami people. In the real world, a similar belief is known as animism.

##### Theory as to why Minami people believe that material objects are sacred

Due to the Minami people theoretically originating from desert nomadic tribes, physical objects were generally hard to obtain and everything was considered valuable. Thus, as the people migrated into the more fertile regions of Ashlar, this practice held on which gave eventual rise to this belief.

#### Good and evil

The concept of evil in the religion is not considered “bad” in its traditional sense, but rather, “unclean” (kegare, 穢). Objects that are perpetuated by evil are considered to be having no gods behind their existence, which explains why they are “unclean”. Only physical objects perpetuated by the gods are considered “clean” (harae, 祓).

* The Minami people believe that items perpetuating from evil can be cleansed by a ritual involving water and salt to purify objects. These rituals are known as misogi (禊).

#### Humans and Demi-Humans

The *self-perpetuating physical reality* involves humankind, and demi-humans (dwarves, hobbits, elves, etc). To put it short, beings that are intelligent and can think for themselves.

* Just as non-self-perpetuating objects can be perpetuated by the gods or by evil, the self-perpetuating reality can be blessed by the gods or by evil. The states of being blessed by the gods or by evil, are known as ritsu (立).

* Whereas the gods or the evil, perpetuating the existence of an inanimate object are considered its “soul”, humans and demi-humans, who belong to self-perpetuating reality, have their own souls. This is the characteristic of self-perpetuating physical reality.

#### Foreigners

The Minami people believe foreign lands, people, and objects to be unclean. This partially explains why the culture despises foreigners.

* As foreign people and territory are unclean, the Minami people wear ritual clothing when they travel abroad. The clothing is characterised by numerous talismans against evil, and a black veil covering the face, which protects the person from being looked at by foreigners.

* If a Minami person without the ritual clothing, comes into contact with foreigners or foreign objects that are unclean, they also become unclean. As said before, the evil perpetuation/blessing can be reversed back to the gods by means of the misogi rituals.

##### Theory as to why the Minami people despise foreigners:

The Minami people generally feared and despised foreigners as a potential moral adversary to their culture. The theory behind this is evolved from an instinct to be cautious about strangers and the unknown, especially when the stranger had the potential to steal or murder. This carried on long afterward, and became the standard attitude toward foreigners.