Stygia
The Faith of Set The Grim Gods of Stygia
Religion in dark Stygia is synonymous with the worship of Father Set, who reigns supreme over that darksome land. His pantheon, however, includes several ‘hideous, half-bestial gods’ as subordinates. The cult of Set and his grim pantheon is a sacramental and mystical religion. It is sacramental to commoners and becomes mystical to the priests when they are initiated into the Inner Mysteries. The cult becomes darkly sorcerous when the priests learn the blackest of Set’s inner mysteries and terrors. Worship is usually done by raising ones arms. This outstretching of the arms is done before all images of the gods and before approaching the king, who is considered a living representative of Set and likewise worthy of worship. Note: This section is a short précis on the chief deities and religious strictures used as part of Set’s pantheon. For full details on the gods mentioned in this chapter see Conan: Stygia – Serpent of the South.
Philosophy of Set’s Cult Religion in Stygia is about maintaining and justifying the culture. Stygian religion exists because it offers an explanation for how things in the world work and how people should behave. Stygian priests are not evangelists nor missionaries. They do not try to win converts or spread their religion. Their gods supervise aspects of their lives, that is all. Their religion is mostly one of symbolism, symbols used to help arrive at esoteric truths hidden behind the symbols. Many Stygians do not even believe in the literal existence of their gods – for many, they too are symbols of hidden truths. The basic tenets of Set’s religion include the following: Correct Behaviour Religious Intolerance to Achieve Secular Power Set Is Not 'Right,' Just Strong Spiritual Truths, Not Worldly Truths Veneration of Sacred Animals Veneration of Statues Veneration of the Dead
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An ‘Evil’ Religion? Another aspect of the Stygian religion is that, while it is regarded as an ‘evil’ religion by outsiders, it does not actively attempt to smite ‘good.’ The Stygian people, including the busy priests, are too concerned about their day-to-day needs to worry about attacking other religions. They will defend their homeland to be sure but they are not out to rid the world of all that is ‘good.’ Quite the contrary, actually. They see Set and his grim menagerie of gods as ‘good’ for them and their cultural needs. While the Set cult is one of the world’s darker religions, that does not mean it or its priests will do stupid things to rid the world of a supposed ‘good’ god. When the Set cult as a whole acts against any one thing, be it a person, a religion or a nation, it is not a religious crusade. It acts because it brings power, wealth and prestige to the king, the cult or Stygia as a whole. The Stygian religion is harsh, pervasive and oppressive but it certainly is not stupid and not given to acting stupidly or out of religious fanaticism. The mysterious Stygian religion is more about preserving a certain culture than it is about smiting other religions, even if foreign religions are supposedly ‘good’ and Set is supposedly ‘evil.’
The Soul & The Afterlife The Stygians believe a person is actually made up of several parts. The Ba incorporates the soul (Wisdom) of a person and is depicted as a bird with a human head hovering over a person. The Xu is a person’s knowledge (Intelligence). The Ka is a person’s genius (Charisma), often talked about as an invisible double of a person. The Xa is the name of the physical body (Strength, Dexterity and Constitution). The Xa is perishable but the other parts are immortal. This is discussed in more detail in Conan: Stygia – Serpent of the South.
