Ogren Shamanism

In comparison with the other faiths of the world, Ogren Shamanism does not concern itself much with the afterlife. While, of course, there is one, it is an afterthought in the minds of Shamans and laymen alike, as the harsh lives the Ogres lead throughout much of their history led their religion to be one of practicality over strict spirituality.   After an Ogre dies, it is believed that their Soul leaves their body and makes one last journey, known as the "Lonely Passage", which follows the Northern Lights. Using the skills and knowledge they gathered in life, they will walk, and then sail, North until they reach the Summerland, doing the entire journey alone. It is a hard, challenging route, but it is possible if the Gods have judged you to be pure of heart. The way to the Summerland is obscured for those who did not live a satisfactory mortal life, and as they search for it in vain, they dissipate until they are nothing but a whisper on the mouth of a Northern wind.   When the Soul of an Ogre, having braved the Lonely Passage, arrives in the Summerland (an island far to the North of everything else, that none but the dead can see), they are greeted with the most pleasant land in creation. The trees are always full of fruit, the bushes full of berries, and the harsh cold of the Arctic Chain has given way to a perfect, serene warmth that cannot be recreated anywhere else. However, the Ogres do not make it their life's goal to arrive in this place, no, and instead frame their arrival as a bonus. Mortal living and mortal service to the Gods have always come first within Ogre society, as the brutal taiga cares not for your dreams of paradise, it cares only for what you are in life.   This, of course, is all nonsense, as the Gods cannot create an "afterlife" nor can there be one at all, as when a living being dies, their soul leaves their body for good and simply joins with the rest of the mana in the universe.

Like all religions on Ecumene, Ogren Shamanism worships the Divine Trinity, but the religion has chosen to worship specific aspects of the Trinity over others.   Yxotl is worshipped as "Yxotl the Carnivorous". His domain as the God of the Hunt is focused upon by the Shamanists. Before going on the always important caribou hunts, Ogre warriors would perform a ritual in his honor, hoping that he would assist them in their hunt, always saving caribou antlers to sacrifice during these rituals.   Qhaxsus is worshipped as "Qhaxsus the Homemaker". His domain as the God of the Home is focused upon by the Shamanists. The portable yurts oft used by the nomadic Ogres are often the only things protecting them from the elements outside, so the Homemaker is often given ritualistic praise and sacrifices of grass, which are said to please Qhaxsus and encourage him to protect the Ogres from the world around them.   Oxlan is worshipped as "Oxlan the Healer". His domain as the God of Medicine is focused upon by the Shamanists. When performing medicine, Tribal Shamans will often sacrifice a bit of their own blood to Oxlan, so that they may save the life of the wounded or diseased. Otherwise, an Ogre community will often perform rituals in his reverence to ward off disease and general harm.   Furthermore, the Ogres do not believe the Gods take a part in creating life, believing that they are simply judges of the soul, not the producers of it.

While other faiths devote themselves to the worship of the Gods so that they may reach eternal peace, Shamanists devote themselves to the Gods so that they may live. Almost every religious ritual or tenet the various Ogre Shamans rely on have been passed on from generation to generation, with most of them not being frivolous acts of faith, but rather pragmatic traditions in the name of preserving Ogre civilization and way of life.    The first of these major tenets is respect for the land and all that grows and walks upon it. Good resources in the Arctic Chain, especially during the winter months, are scarce, so respect for nature (and thereby the Gods) is not only the best option but a necessity. Ogre tribes will not take what they have no use for, nor will they waste anything they do take. Any such thing is a gift from the Gods, and if it is squandered, you are disrespecting them and inviting danger into your home. Due to this belief, and their traditional nomadic lifestyle, for much of their history, Ogres did not rapidly industrialize or use advanced technology as other Intelligent Races did.   Natural disasters, harsher winters than usual, a lack of food, and other such things are rationalized by the Ogres as the rage of the Gods, though they can hopefully be avoided through sacrifice and prayer. Aside from basic praying, Ogres believe that the Gods can be appeased through gifts. Items considered holy to the three different Gods would be gathered when possible and every so often, the Tribal Shaman would toss said items into a fire, considered the only way to transport these gifts to the Trinity. Such sacrifices were said to signal to the Gods that the Ogres continue to respect them and seek their favor, thereby placating the Gods and hopefully maintaining their benevolence.    Due to the proximity of most Ogres to the Northern Lights, as well as their natural enhancement of magical abilities, the Shamanists believe that the Lights have been put there by the Gods to guide deceased Souls to the Summerland. Strangely enough, those skilled in the magical arts are believed to have a greater and unique connection to the divine, and often become Shamans because of it. This is, in part, due to the greater ability of skilled magicians to survive in the Arctic conditions, as well as apparently being able to cross the Lonely Passage much easier than most, providing they are good in life.   While, obviously, murder is incredibly criminal most everywhere, Ogres see the murder of a Tribesmember, no matter the reason, as an ultimate sin. All debates between Tribesmember should be solved peacefully or failing that, with a fight that both sides can walk away from. This comes from both an innate sense of community, but also a sense of survival, as the lower amount of men in a Tribe directly correlates to a lower likelihood of survival.

The way the Ogres worship the Divine Trinity is perhaps the most interesting thing about their religion. Individual Ogres will usually pray once a day before they go to sleep, with a traditional Ogren prayer being done by placing a stone that has been carved with the symbols of each God in front of you, before kneeling down and touching your forehead to it while silently praying. However, most worship within the faith is not done alone, but as a group in any of well over a hundred different rituals.   Arctic Shamanism is an incredibly ritualistic religion, with Shamans organizing rituals for any number of things. Said rituals usually take place around a large campfire, providing warmth for those around it, and later giving room for a sacrifice. The Tribe will gather in a circle around this bonfire, chanting prayers and tossing different things into the fire as a sacrifice, depending on what kind of ritual it is. The Migration Ritual, undertaken when an Ogren Tribe moves camp, has the Tribespeople throw in a bit of animal hide, the material their yurts are made out of, signalling to the Gods that they are moving, and hope for peaceful travelling. No matter the ritual, the Shaman is always nearby, holding a stone up and chanting loudly.   Likewise, each God has numerous rituals assigned to them and only them. During a Hunting Ritual, held before each large hunting trip undertaken by the Ogres, the entire Tribe will gather around the bonfire, and the leader of the hunt will throw in a caribou's antler, said to be a favored sacrifice of the God Yxotl. Before the winter rolls in, Ogres will do a Protection Ritual, which appeals to Qhaxsus for his protection during the coming season. All the women in the village will throw pieces of grass into the fire on this occasion, with grass being a favored sacrifice of Qhaxsus, who is hoped to see the sacrifice as a notification that the Ogres need his aid for the coming season. A ritual regarding Oxlan, called the Healer's Ritual, is held whenever a major medical action needs to be done, such as a birth or a medical emergency. While the Shaman's apprentice tends to the Ogre that the ritual is for, the Shaman will prick his finger with a knife and allow for a drop of his blood to fall into the fire, using his own life so that the one in crisis may be saved.   While these are well and good, the tradition of sacrifices has a macabre side. Shamans often ring in the summer by throwing a live sheep into the fire, with the hope that the Gods will take this as a sign to make the summer long and bountiful. In times of war between Tribes, Shamans will often take a captured warrior as a sacrifice to Yxotl, slitting their throat and having them fall into the fire, hoping that the War God will favor the Shaman's tribe for it.   Ogres only celebrate one holiday, and that is the Refulgencia. Held on Heraldsky 8th, the day the event is believed to have happened, said event being the Second Great Surge (otherwise known as the Birth of the Gods). This holiest of days is celebrated by gathering a large amount of food in the days before and then feasting on it when the day itself comes. After the feast is over, a bonfire is lit, and the strongest warriors of the Tribe will take turns jumping over it, before everyone gathers around the bonfire and throws the extra fur, antlers, and other less useful parts of the animals killed for the feast into the fire, making a massive sacrifice in the name of their Gods.

While Ogren Shamanism is an incredibly decentralized faith, it is still incredibly hierarchical. Each Ogren Tribe has a Shaman, often a skilled magic user that claims to have a special connection with the Gods. His primary function is the organization of rituals, overseeing group prayer, and conducting sacrifices. While Shamans do not normally wear anything more than traditional Ogren clothing, they are recognizable throughout the entirety of their Tribe due to their prominence within it.   This position of prominence comes not just from their religious leadership, but also their massive amount of influence within a Tribe. Most Shamans also take on the role of a medicine man, fortune teller, general man of wisdom, and advisor to the elders of the Tribe, including the Chieftan. Traditionally, it would be the Shaman who would solve the ailments and cure the wounds of all the Ogres in his Tribe, utilizing knowledge that he and his predecessors have gathered over the ages.    In addition to his role as a healer, Shamans are said to be able to perform divination in a variety of ways, be they observing the flight patterns of birds, the way smoke plumes, or the way the entrails fall out of a gutted caribou. Through the results of these examples and many more, they are believed to see signs from the Gods, which can do anything from telling the fortune of an individual, a tribe, or whether or not the Gods are pleased with the Ogres.   Usually, a Shaman will take another magically inclined, male Ogre within his Tribe to be his apprentice, who will then be trained in the ancient ways of Arctic Shamanism until the previous Shaman passes, upon which the apprentice is declared the new Shaman.

Almost every Ogre of the age is a devout member of this faith, and while there are not many set rules, the base traditions listed above still hold strong, and it is unlikely they will change anytime soon.