Religon |
| Those in Torvaldsland respect the Priest-Kings but do not worship or
revere them as gods. Instead, the worship gods like Odin and Thor, gods
from the Norse mythology of Earth. The Initiates of Kassau and to the
south treat this religion as heresy and vehemently try to suppress it.
Using the power of secular leaders, the Initiates will have those who
worship this religion either tortured or executed. Some of these methods
may include being boiled alive, roasted alive on a spit over an open fire
or having an adder forced into your mouth and then having the snake tear
its way free through the side of your face. The Initiates will not tolerate
any other religion to exist where they have the power to suppress it.
One of the prohibitions they try to enforce includes making the sign of
Thor. This is simply making a fist over your drink but is a sign of respect
to Thor. Initiates know of this sign and any seen making it will be summarily
arrested. The Torvaldsland religion has its own priests, rune-priests, to preside over its rites. They are commonly long-haired men, garbed in white robes. They generally reside in Temples of Thor and the high council of rune-priests very rarely meets. The temple contains the temple ring, a heavy, golden ring of Thor. This ring has been stained with the blood of a sacrifical bosk. Sacrifices are important to them. Years ago they had sacrificed thralls but they eventually ceased this practice. This was not stopped because it was cruel or savage. It was simply thought that like urts and tiny tharlarion, thralls were not worthy sacrifices. This decision did increase the popularity of the rune-priests. Rune-priests also carry a bag of omen chips. These are pieces of wood, soaked in the blood of the sacrificial bosk. The omen chips are thrown like dice and then interpreted by the priests. They may be thrown several times for a reading. Runes are considered a form of magic for them. Rune stones are placed around the area and are generally colorful and able to be seen from a distance. They are freshly painted each year, usually on the vigil of the vernal equinox. Religious rune stones will be repainted on the vigil of the fest-season of Odin, which is in the fall. The most famous rune stone is the Torvaldsmark on Einar's Skerry. Runes may also be carved into wood or leather to be luck signs or grant other magical benefits. Torvaldsland has a different origin story for the creation of man than the rest of Gor. They believe that the gods met in a council and decided to create a slave. The gods created this slave from a hoe, water and sweat. The hoe, a farming implement, was sprinkled with water and then rubbed upon the sweat of their bodies. This slave became the precursors of most Goreans. But, there was another god who decided to create his own people. He used an ax, paga and his blood as the other gods had used their items. When he was done, the axe laughed, leapt up and fled. No one could catch the axe and it became the precursor of the people of Torvaldsland. This origin story does not appear to be based on Norse mythology. The books do not detail how similar the Torvaldsland religion is to Norse mythology. It is unknown if they worship all of the Norse gods such as Heimdall, Loki, and Freya. It is unknown if they believe in such Norse mythical creatures as elves, dwarves and giants. (Elves and dwarves on Gor?!!!!!) It is unknown if they believe in the multiplicity of worlds such as Midgard, Muspellheim and Utgard. All we truly know is that they worship Odin and Thor. And we do not even know what tales they tell of these two gods. |