Naamalainen

There is only one God, and Its name is Death.

— Common Naamalainen refrain

Totems

Much of Naamalainen culture revolves around the idea of death. At birth, each newborn is joined to a suojeläin, a totem spirit in the form of an animal who is thought to protect the child from the eyes of their only deity, Death, until they're old enough to shield their face behind a mask as all Naamalainen do.

Throughout adolescence, a bond is built between children and their suojeläin through meditation and dream. What this bond looks like is a deeply personal and individual affair, but as they come of age, each former child undergoes a ceremony allowing them to meet their suojeläin face-to-face for the first time. After this experience is when the crafting of an adult mask begins; to be considered fully-grown, a Naamalainen teenager must be able to demonstrate the cultivation of their connection with their suojeläin by recreating its face to wear as their own. Upon the first donning of an adult mask, it is believed that the individual inherits the abilities their suojeläin used to protect them when they were young. From this moment on, the mask is never taken off except for sleep.

I pass through Your lands, unarmed and unarmored, bearing no grudge and seeking no favor. Lord of Sleep, whose name is Death, I am Your guest; see that You bring no harm to me while I remain in Your realm.

— Naamalainen sleep prayer

Sleep

While the body sleeps, it is the belief of the Naamalainen that the spirit journeys through Nukkumaa, the lands of Death. In the absence of the protection offered by their masks, the custom before taking to bed is to say a prayer invoking guest rights - by positioning themselves as guests in God's domain, a social contract is created between the sleeper and Death meant to ensure they will be allowed to return to their body unharmed upon waking.

As sleep is when a person is closest to God, spiritual experiences in dreams are not at all uncommon. Most frequent among these experiences are encounters with ones suojeläin; less common but far from unheard of are messages from or conversations with the deceased. From time to time, a child will be born who due to the circumstances of their birth is believed to be among God's favored; it is thought that these individuals have the ability to receive messages, signs, and portents from Death directly through their dreams (see God's Favored).

Totem Masks

A person will wear three masks over the course of their lifetime. The first, worn until adolescence, is blank and nondescript; the second, worn from adolescence until adulthood, is in the shape of their totem, made of cloth to allow for adjustments as the child grows. The third and final mask is created by the individual as part of their coming of age, and reflects their suojeläin in both form and feature. All masks cover the top half of the face, down to the nose; the mouth and chin are veiled with fabric to allow for eating and drinking without removal.

Music

The drum is a sacred instrument to the Naamalainen, its rhythm used to echo a beating heart and thus ward off Death. Ritual music, of which there is much, consists primarily of heavy drumbeats, throat-singing, and chanting, with occasional other instruments as accompaniment.

Childbirth is overseen by a sage, who acts as both midwife and priest throughout the process. Prayers are chanted continuously during delivery, calling out to the suojeläin collective and asking for one to claim the child from Death and see it safely into the world. Upon the newborn's first breath, a suojeläin is believed to have claimed them, and the two are joined as the umbilical cord is cut. As the birth-giver holds their child for the first time, the sage prays over the infant to divine the form of their totem.

God's Favored

In some cases, a childbirth will come with complications; a premature birth, a dangerously long labor, a tangled cord. These infants, whose suojeläin had to fight for them, are thought to be favored by God; it is believed Death did not wish to give them up, or tried to reclaim them as they were born. Throughout their lives, it is common for these individuals to suffer from ill health, slowed or stunted growth, and other such ailments; all the care their conditions require, be it physical or mental, is provided for, as they are revered as prophetic dreamers.

After Death has come for a person, their adult mask is believed to act as a physical anchor for their spirit due to the strength of the bond with their suojeläin. Masks of the dead are treated with a degree of reverence, often serving as centerpieces for personal offering shrines or otherwise displayed in the home; it is considered good luck to position a mask such that a spirit looking through its eyes could watch over the family. Ceremonially, the wearing of a dead person's mask in conjunction with the ingestion of certain mushrooms can allow the living to commune with the dead, most commonly to seek ancestral wisdom or guidance.

God on the Mountain

The highest peak of the mountain range spanning northern Kotimaa, called Kuomalan Istuori, is believed by the Naamalainen to be God's home in this realm; when angered, Death is known to descend from the mountain in the form of avalanches, obliterating all in Its path. In the legend of To Sin Against Death , the cultural hero Sankari summits Kuomalan Istuori to fight God for the life of their beloved, but is cast back down with such force a crater where they landed remains to this day. This myth has given rise to the saying "go climb a mountain about it" - essentially, "go fight God about it".