Hvardyiasm
Hvardyiasm is a polytheistic religion practiced primarily by Vostics in Severyane and Kubaniza. Practitioners of Hvardyiasm worship a pantheon of deities known as Hvardyia. This religion can be traced back to the early Proto-Vostic-speaking peoples who migrated from the Eastlands to Marzanna in prehistoric times.
Etymology[edit]
Deities[edit]
The Hvardyiastic pantheon is divided into three classes, the senior hvardyia, the junior hvardyia (including demons), and the Eternal Three. There are 5 senior hvardyia, but the exact number of junior hvardyia is a point of debate. However, a majority of Hvardyiastic scholars and priests agree upon 21 junior hvardyia, in addition to an unknown number of demons.
Eternal Three[edit]
The Eternal Three are: Zhavid the Creator, Pustoyta the Void, and Molchaiye the Silence. Zhavid is believed to be the creator of everything, while Pustoyta embodies the destruction of all things. Molchaiye is the embodiment of the eternal silence of the universe outside of creation. The Eternal Three are today either faded (Zhavid), imprisoned (Pustoyta), or in exile (Molchaiye).
Senior hvardyia[edit]
There are five senior hvardyia, who were the direct creation of Zhavid:
- Solntse, the god of the sky
- Oykeany, the god of the ocean
- Syolnych, the goddess of the stars
- Matya, the goddess of spirits
- Zemlya, the goddess of the earth
Junior hvardyia[edit]
A majority of Hvardyiast scholars agree on 21 junior hvardyia, who are either the offspring of the senior hvardyia or offspring of other junior hvardyia:
- Olyen, the god of animal spirits
- Svtore, the goddess of life
- Okhtnikyr, the god of the hunter
- Vremya, the goddess of the seasons
- Iva, the goddess of nature spirits
- Forel, the goddess of water spirits
- Ochag, the goddess of the hearth
- Syudya, the god of justice and balance
- Voyna, the goddess of war
- Zhynets, the goddess of death, daughter of Voyna
Demons[edit]
There are an unknown, possibly unlimited, number of demons inhabiting the universe. There are, however, five demons considered to be either the sources or masters of other demons. These five are believed to be imprisoned and guarded by the hvardyia, however they periodically escape or have influence outside of their prisons, causing evil in the universe.
