Religion in Hyrkania
Basic Cosmology
Idols
The shamans have a cosmology where the cosmos has multiple layers, all connected by some spire, be it a tree or mountain. This system of belief requires that souls and bodies are separate entities. The religion is one of nature and is animist, for the Hyrkanians believe spirits walk the world around them, living in all things. To a Hyrkanian, the sky itself is a spirit-god with a soul. Kanum Kotan is the name of the land of evil gods and unseen forces. It lies to the north of Pathenia.
The Hyrkanians make idols out of felt to represent the images of their household gods. These idols are set up on the sides of the tent-doors. Hyrkanians always offer these idols the first milk from their flocks.
The Power of Words The Hyrkanians believe words create reality if said with conviction. Melodies and songs carry words of power, and the drum is the primary instrument. They believe in astral projection and have similar ideas about out-of-body experiences where battles with hostile spirits occur. Astral projection is a dangerous occupation, for certain powerful objects can trap souls. The northern Hyrkanians believe the ‘man in the moon’ is a shaman who flew too close to the moon and became ensnared by it. The moon is analogous to the Land of the Dead for most of these Hyrkanians.
Fire is Sacred Fire is a purifying force for the Hyrkanians and is sacred to the point that anyone who can control fire (such as a smith) is seen to have magical powers. Hyrkanians believe it is rude to stamp out a fire, put rubbish in it or douse it with water.
Sacrifices to the Gods The most famous way the Hyrkanians make live sacrifices is through the Pole-offering. Horses, humans or game meat are suspended from poles and dedicated to the gods. A wellknown sacrifice is made after a man’s marriage. In the first spring after marrying, a man must sacrifice a light coloured horse to the gods. The sacrifice is made in a birch thicket. The horse is treated with full respect. A red ribbon is tied to its mane and no woman may mount it. Women are not allowed to be present at the sacrifice. Women may eat the meat afterwards, but only unmarried girls may partake of the feast at the sacrificial location after the ceremony is concluded. A married woman may not approach any closer than sixty feet.
Hyrkania and Turan
Lords of Hyrkania & Turan
Temples The sites of Hyrkanian worship are cairns of stones with a single vertical pole sticking out of the centre where prayers and sacrifices are performed. Turanians, however, build temples to their gods.
Gods of Hyrkania & Turan
The Hyrkanians believe all things have a dominant spirit, especially things that have long been in the possession of the living. Above the spirits are the gods, who live on seventeen floors above the world and on seven levels beneath the earth. Erlik: Erlik was supposedly the first man, a creation of Ulgen, but he was not given a soul. Erlik attempted to create a soul for himself but failed. Erlik was taken to the heavens and given the mantle of death and, in time, seemed to supplant his creator in popularity. Hyrkanians, of course, love the kill, so perhaps it is not surprising that a god of death, fire and war became more popular than a creator god. Erlik is called the ‘Yellow God of Death,’ and according to L. Sprague de Camp, his most fanatic followers are cannibals with filed teeth. Shamans claim that a horrific dog of Hell guards the path to Erlik’s realm. Sacrifices are made to Erlik whenever evil spirits strike someone. Erlik has seven sons and seven daughters and he rules the seventh and final level of the nether world. Erlik and Ulgen work together. If Ulgen expects a sacrifice and does not receive it, he often sends Erlik to punish the one who did not offer the sacrifice. That man or woman must then make a sacrifice to both gods before his or her life is righted. Erlik respects the noble warriors who wield life and death on the battlefield. Lotus is considered a holy sacrament to the followers of Erlik, reserved for those who have reached Paradise. The followers of Erlik do not appreciate non-believers using it. The Paradise promised by
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