Taivthaism

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Taivthaism

Post by spanick »

Introduction

Taivthaism is a dualistic religion practiced by the Yemya people. The Main deities of Taivthaism are Tśau Phatar and Phutśauya Mather. Together they are considered a single benevolent godhead called Taivtha which is in constant conflict with the evil god Śojneg, who is often depicted as a serpent. By its practitioners, Taivthaism is called Śratha Taivtha which we might translate as “Way of God” though śratha is more accurately translated as “order, law, rite”. Though Taivthaism’s origins are quite ancient it is considered to be “founded” by Vyaraster who is called the Śratha Tothor (Law Giver).

Previous to Vyaraster many nature gods called śnasura were worshipped along with Tśau Phatar and Phutśauya Mather. The śnasura still figure prominently in Taivthaism, especially in the popular religion but they are now considered lesser spirits. In that time, shamans called jauśthor were the religious leaders of their communities and worship was focused in the nema, a shrine usually located in a grove of trees dedicated to the śnasura.

After the teachings of Vyaraster there was also established an order of yaśthor (priests) who focused their worship in temples (yaśthra). Alongside the development of the yaśthor there was the establishment of an order of monastics called śvana. While all three groups (the shamans, priests, and monastics) share common beliefs and scripture, they also have different practices and are often bitter rivals. For the majority of lay practitioners of Taivthaism however, this rivalry is not usually significant as most laity interact with and actively participate in the rites of all three schools of Taivthaism.

Scripture

All three schools of Taivthaism recognize two books as being authoritative. Gaitha Horra (the Song of Creation) and Śratha Berja Hara (the Laws of Mount Hara).

Gaitha Horra is a collection of poems and hymns of various styles which are arranged by length from shortest to longest. It is the primary source of the mythology of Taivthaism. It is clear by the contents that this text, while compiled around the time of Vyaraster predates him. The texts deal primarily with the creation of the world and myths concerning the śnasura. Tśau Phatar, Phutśauya Mather, and Śojneg do feature in the Gaitha Horra also feature prominently.

Śratha Berja Hara is the primary text associated with the reforms of Vyaraster. It gives a brief biographical account of the life of Vyaraster and his journey to Mount Hara where he received the śratha via direct revelation from Taivtha. The śratha include both moral laws along with religious rites and observances to be held.

Two more books are used in Taivthaism but not necessarily recognized as authoritative by every school. The first is the Vaira Jluśnya or “the Golden Thread” which is recognized as authoritative by the priestly and monastic schools. It is composed of line by lines commentaries by earlier priests of the Śratha Berja Hara. To call the Vaira Jluśnya a “book” is a bit of a misnomer as it’s actually over a dozen volumes in length due to the numerous commentaries.

The second is the Vaitta Brathra Vradda or “The Wisdom of the Elder Brethren” which is considered authoritative only by the monastic school. It is a seven volume collection of reflections, homilies, and commentaries by revered monastics which are arranged roughly by topic.

The shamanistic school does not consider anything other than Gaitha Horra and Śratha Berja Hara as authoritative. This should not be taken to mean that no other books are written or read by those of the shamanistic school, many are; including both Vaira Jluśnya and Vaitta Brathra Vradda.
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Re: Taivthaism

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Deities

Tśau Phatar

Tśau Phatar /tɕaʊ pʰɑtɑɾ/ (lit. “Sky Father”) is, together with Phutśauya Mather, the primary deity of Taivthaism. He is not just assumed to live in the sky but he is believed to be the heavens themselves. Though there are other minor, nature spirits which are associated with things like storms, lightening, wind, etc., Tśau Phatar is believed to be the ultimate cause of them all. In particular, rain is thought to be the most obvious sign of the presence of Tśau Phatar. This comes from a myth in Gaitha Horra in which the creation of the world is described as a sexual union between Tśau Phatar and Phutśauya Mather. In the Gaitha Horra, Tśau Phatar rains down his seed upon the earth thus impregnating Phutśauya Mather who then gives birth to the world.

After the reforms of Vyaraster, the worship of Tśau Phatar became more prominent and began to eclipse even Phutśauya Mather. His association with the movements heavens made him more strongly associated with śratha.

Phutśauya Mather

Phutśauya Mather /pʰutɕaʊjɑ mɑtʰɑɾ/ (lit. “Earth Mother”) is, together with Tśau Phatar, the primary deity of Taivthaism. She is the living embodiment of the earth and is the earth itself. All life on earth, plants, animals, and humans are her offspring. Her worship before the Vyaraster reforms was very prominent, as is made clear by the many hymns and poems dedicated to her in the Gaitha Horra. Despite her diminished status in Taivthaism, Phutśauya Mather is still the favorite of farmers, pregnant women, and the jauśthor. In fact, the jauśthor is the only group which has women among their ranks as equals. These female jauśthor are particularly dedicated to Phutśauya Mather.

Taivtha

Taivtha /taɪʋtʰɑ/ which may be translated as “Godhead” is the supreme deity of the universe. Tśau Phatar and Phutśauya Mather are seen as manifestations of Taivtha, which encapsulates them both. While Tśau Phatar and Phutśauya Mather are seen as personal gods, Taivtha is an impersonal being which permeates and governs the universe. Vyaraster is said to have received śratha from Tśau Phatar in a vision upon Mt. Hara but Taivtha is often identified as Śratha itself, the order which keeps the universe together.

Śojneg

Śojneg /ɕoʝneg]/ originally was conceived as a particularly malignant śnasura who preyed on the children of Phutśauya Mather. Śojneg is portrayed as a large snake which wraps around the heavens and earth. After the reforms of Vyaraster, Śojneg was reconceived as the primary agent of vrathra (disorder, chaos) over an against Taivtha. Śojneg is said to one-day spread vrathra throughout the whole universe until its destruction. However, Śojneg’s victory will be short-lived and Taivtha is reinstate śratha and creation will begin again.

Śnasura

Śnasura /ɕnɑsuɾɑ/ are the minor nature spirits still popularly honored by the Yemya. There exist śnasura for just about everything such as trees, animals, rivers, lakes, etc. Shrines for śnasura are found everywhere throughout the countryside, next to rivers, and inside homes. Jauśthor are said to be able channel śnasura and it is thanks to the jauśthor the veneration of the śnasura remains strong among the common people.

Praśenthor

Praśenthor /pɾɑɕentʰoɾ/ (lit. progenitors) are the ancestors of the Yemya who are venerated much in the same manner as the śnasura are. Every home has a shrine dedicated to their praśenthor. Prayers are directed to the praśenthor who are believed to be able to affect the lives of their families and bring about śratha in the home. The veneration of the praśenthor is also the origin of the veneration of the śvenyo (saints).
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Re: Taivthaism

Post by Shemtov »

Is this an alternate history? The names look IE, but how did the PIE */p/ become aspirated? Who are the Yemya and where (and when) do they live?
Many children make up, or begin to make up, imaginary languages. I have been at it since I could write.
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Re: Taivthaism

Post by spanick »

Shemtov wrote: 19 Mar 2019 00:19 Is this an alternate history? The names look IE, but how did the PIE */p/ become aspirated? Who are the Yemya and where (and when) do they live?
Yes, it is althistory and the language is IE. I was playing around with this being an eastern centum language like Tocharian but I didn't like the way it was turning out so I switched it to a satem language. The stop series underwent a change shift. Voiceless > voiceless aspirated; plain voiced > plain voiceless; voiced aspirated > plain voices.

The Yemya live in what is now the Dzungarian Basin. The state of the religion that I'm describing would be that of 200-100s BC but maybe later, as late as 300 AD. I havent put too much thought into it though.
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