Lesgveiskism

Lesgveiskism (Old Mangeodge: Lesgveiski < Proto-Mangeodge: *lesgō wexykse “Veiski’s divine inspiration”) or Mangeodge Dualism is the body of mythological stories and religious practices belonging to the Mangeodge People and the Etjarutr Hybrids, practiced in Meilvarestu and Vinerolnu, telling of the origins of their heroes, the landscape and their practices. The religion is related to the other beliefs in Malomanan but the early transition to agriculture has affected Mangeodge mythology deeply, with many aspects being reanalysed to fit their agricultural lifestyle. The religion stems from the polytheistic beliefs of the Proto-Sumro-Naukl speakers who settled the area in 400AN (4,713YBP). While the religion is defined by the beliefs held by any Mangeodge person, it also has two churches organised around it, the Lesgveiski Church based in Meilvarestu and the Davoranjei Church based in Vinerolnu.

=Shift from folklore to religion= The beliefs held by the hunter-gatherer Proto-Sumro-Naukl speaking ancestors of the Mangeodge were such that they believed their myths to be true, but they held no strong reverence to their gods, recognising merely that they existed. When the people settled in Meilvarestu and began practising agriculture the way they interacted and viewed the environment changed. Instead of seeing themselves as part of the landscape and wildlife (a view that persists among the other peoples of Malomanan) they began to view themselves as separate when they settled into farms in villages. This view came into being with the contrast of human life vs everything else, with farms and villages becoming havens of human life contrasting against the untraveled wilderness with its many predators. This recognition of human vs non-human, of domestic home vs dangerous wilderness was the origin of the Mangeodge concept of dualism where everything has an opposite counterpart. This concept would go on to be held very deeply in their society, permeating every aspect of Mangeodge life from the most basic dualism of yes vs no, good vs evil, alive vs dead to concepts regarding the mind as an entity separate from the body. A great example of this is the conflict between the gods Desavrei (protector god of Meilvarestu and the Mangeodge) and Eisotrojaluku (evil god of death and the wilderness). It is said that these two gods fight an eternal battle over Meilvarestu with Eisotrojaluku nipping away at the borders trying to infect the country with death and destruction. Desavrei is seen as the good and divine force that battles against this evil and keeping Meilvarestu safe.

=The Pantheon=

The religion consists of a large group of closed class gods which is in great contrast to the very open class beliefs of its ancestor. In following with the dualistic beliefs, each god has a physical body called the jamo "god's body" (from PSN *jǫmǫj- "large boulder". cf Old Sumrë lamyl "ridge, peninsula"), as well as abstract being called the jaunmei "god's soul" (from PSN *jānma- "faint, hard to see, lightweight". cf Old Sumrë lėnam "easy"). Every god has a "twin", a god that represents the opposite quality.

Desavrei
Desavrei embodies all that is good and sacred, the god of life, Meilvarestu, good, learning, justice and the Mangeodge. It is he who fends off the foreign evils and protects the Mangeodge people. He has a physical form of a gigantic bird with golden feathers that illuminate all darkness, with a slender body and long outstretching neck. As a jaumnei he is called Cjarules (PM *cjaru-les "battle of benefit"). Physically Desavrei's jamo battles against the threats to Meilvarestu but as a jaunmei he acts as a moral compass to the Mangeodge in life, embodying all that is good and true. His godhood of learning is earned by the belief that he teaches people how to be good during their lifetime so that they may act good when they face Eisotrojaluku upon death.

All other good gods are subdivisions of Desavrei, manifesting in different forms. As such Desavrei is often referred to as a single overarching god.

The name Desavrei is from his name in Proto-Mangeodge *desawre- which is from the Proto-Sumro-Naukl *disahważa- ("pride" - cf Old Sumrë disgar "victory").

Correspondences in other Sumro-Naukl beliefs In other Sumro-Naukl beliefs, Desavrei is seen as a giant serpentine bird covered in fire. In Sumric mythology he appears as the Aiskolas, the god of fire and cooked food but also as a set of lesser spirits who are born of human women and the moon, becoming either helper spirits or evil spirits. As a god Aiskolas is portrayed as being antagonising and mischievous, quite a contrast to Desavrei's good nature but even in Sumric mythology clear parallels can be observed. Aiskolas as a god lives by humans and has domain over man-made fires, as lesser spirits they are viewed as house spirits which suggests a domestic quality, the reason why Desavrei grew into a god of the familiar and home to the Mangeodge. Also in Sumric mythology Aiskolas is the bitter enemy of Ansotroolke (Eisotrojaluku).

Eisotrojaluku
Eisotrojaluku is the exact opposite of Desavrei, being evil and death itself. Her jamo is of a cave lion hidden in fog that lazes around the borders of Meilvarestu, waiting for an opportunity to enter. The border stones blessed by shamans with the spirit of Desravei stops Eisotrojaluku from physically entering. Her jaumei is called Cjarumavesei (PM *cjaru-mawese "battle of death") and seeks to lure humans out into the wild or cause them to do evil acts. Being the god of death she has dominion over those that die. The spirits of humans that greet her are challenged to follow the teachings of Desavrei or fail and be corrupted by Eisotrojaluku, becoming evil spirits of the wild.

As all good gods are seen as being manifestations of Desavrei, all bad gods and evil spirits are said to be multiple manifestations of Eisotrojaluku herself.

Correspondences in other Sumro-Naukl beliefs The reflexes of Eisotrojaluku are all male rather than female. This is because Eisotrojaluku was originally male but the gender was reversed to contrast with the masculinity of Desavrei. In Sumric mythology he appears as Ansotroolke God of the wilderness, raw food, lightning, carnivores, floods, storms, madness, caves, the deep sea, mountain tops, the uninhabitable north, solitude and death. There he has a mostly neutral reputation although he is attested as having a rather cruel aspect, as seen in the poem Wondžohtem:

Vatabi
Vatabi is the god of predators, representing all of the animals that prey upon humans in Malomanan. He is the spirit that lies within every predator, being driven by Eisotrojaluku's ill will towards humans. As a jamo he can manifest as anything that preys upon humans, as a jaunmei is a spirit that seeks to challenge humans by giving them strife and struggle in their lives such as by inducing illness of both mind and body.

Correspondences in other Sumro-Naukl beliefs The reflexes of Vatabi are all very similar except that elsehwere he is viewed as a single physical being that can rule over any predators, rather than being every predator himself. In other languages his name is always a descendant of Proto-Sumro-Naukl *watab-: Old Sumrë Atab, Old Tuura Addob and Hajec Atop.

Saucgeovei
Saucgeovei is the god of wind and rain, seen as benevolent and essential for the growth of crops. His jamo is of an old heavy set man with long grey hair. His jaunmei is said to observe everything that happens so he can report to Desavrei. He is twinned with the storm goddess Pralja.

The name Saucgeovei is from Proto-Mangeodge *sōcge-ove meaning "god breeze".

Correspondences in other Sumro-Naukl beliefs Saucgeovi corresponds with the Sumric Bidyre (cf Old Mangeodge belari "sky"), God of cloud, rain, wind, observation and history. There is he also seen as an powerful old man.

Pralja
Pralja is the goddess of storms and disorder, battering the land with her storms and floods in order to destroy crops. Her jamo is of a human woman and her jaunmei is a spirit that incites rebellion against order.

The name Pralja is from Proto-Mangeodge *pral-ja-n, the accusative of *pral-n which is a feminine noun derived from the older name *pral which is from Proto-Sumro-Naukl *pożǫl- ("storm god").

Correspondences in other Sumro-Naukl beliefs Pralja corresponds with male gods in other pantheons, having been reanalysed as female to contrast with Saucgeovi. In Old Sumrë her counterpart is the storm god Peryl whose name is also from Proto-Sumro-Naukl *pożǫl-.

Ejovru
Ejovru is the god of lightning and punishment. If Saucgeovi observes someone committing a taboo he may instruct Ejovru to strike him with lightning. His jamo is of a large humanoid figure with dark blue skin which glows. He has no distinguishable face, having no eyes, ears or mouth. Since he is blind and deaf he relies upon the all seeing Saucgeovi for guidance. As a jaunmei he is a spirit seen as resting in the sky or outdoors in general that threatens violence against those who commit evil acts. He is twinned with the thunder goddess Kealavja.

The name Ejovru is from Proto-Mangeodge *exeowru-, itself from Proto-Sumro-Naukl *həxiwżu- ("quick, fast" - cf Hajec kxis “intelligent, smart, clever”).

Correspondences in other Sumro-Naukl beliefs In Sumric mythology his correspondence is Türte god of lightning and travel, son of Bidyre (Saucgeovi) and brother to Kialge (Kealavja). He has a relatively minor role there but there he is also seen as rivalling Kialge/Kealavja.

Kealavja
Kealavja is the goddess of thunder and temptation. Her jamo is of a grey skinned woman and her jaunmei is one which tempts people to commit evil acts in order to frustrate Ejovru. Kealavja has such a deep hatred for Ejovru that after each strike of lightning she rumbles with her thunder.

The name Kealavja is from Proto-Mangeodge *kealawu-ja-n, the accusative of *kealawu-n which is a feminine noun derived from the older name *kealawu which is from Proto-Sumro-Naukl *qealahwu-.

Correspondences in other Sumro-Naukl beliefs Kealavja corresponds with male gods in other pantheons, appearing as Kialge in Sumric mythology, the hateful brother of Türte (Ejovru).

messy notes for later:

Asilñe Goddess of the sun and consciousness - Pêjürot Moon god Brumnos God of cold, frost and autumn. Herald of Oskül/Oskul god of winter - Tanspür God of fertility, blossoming and well being of forests. Herald of Asilñe Giiledwodru Goddess of hunger - Mnoja Goddess of grass, grazing, pasture, comfort, insulation, rope and thatched roofs. Protector of deer.

Bodatri Goddess of bridges, crossings, conversion, change and risk/Tomdwir The first god, god of declaration, messages, promises and intention

=Founding of the Lesgveiski Church= The Lesgveiksi church is the centralised body that governs the religion in Meilvarestu and it is the oldest of the two Lesgveiskism churches. Its origins go back to 962AN in what was then the Kingdom of Eini, when a young shaman named Veiski (< PM *wexyk-s “I drive away”) had an intense and vivid dream in which Desavrei commanded him to unite the loose and scattered shamans together in order to bring order to the belief so that the Mangeodge will better fend of the chaos and disorder of Eisotrojaluku. The next morning Veiski went to King Eini and told him about his dream. Being close friends the king listened and was captivated by what the shaman had to say. He was so won over that they both set about creating the foundations of the church that very same day. King Eini gathered as much people as he could to tell him about Veiski’s divine inspiration, or as he worded it in Proto-Mangeodge; *lesgō wexykse which would go on to become the religion’s name. King Eini ordered the construction of many temples, requiring that any settlement with over 1000 people have a temple or else the local lord would recieve a hefty fine. With such support from high up the church grew in power very quickly. Veiski was appointed to manage the church as it’s head, a role called Babeco in Old Mangeodge (< PM *babe cō “reconnecting father”).

Babeco Veiski created the hierarchy of priests in the church which is heavily based off of the Mangeodge Hierarchy with the church roles being analogous to the titles of status. The Lesgveiski hierarchy is as follows (with terms being taken from the Old Mangeodge language):


 * Babeco: The head of the entire church, held as the most divine. His word holds the most power and influence lver the church. Analogous to the king.
 * Napacgejosi (< PM *nap-acgēa-jos “king dweller”): Responsible for the management of a nepcacgeivi. Analogous to the baron.
 * Dnasaueci (< PM *dønas-ōc “recognised house”): Responsible for a the management of a dnasauecvi. Analogous to the lord.
 * Ecganjakjosi (< PM *ecganjak-jos “observer”): Responsible for the management of a temple and it’s grounds. Analogous to the taxman.
 * Taurkjeisi (< PM *tōrøk-jāns “spear follower”): Guards and defends church buildings and land and when the situation calls for it, fights on behalf of the church. Analogous to the soldier. The leader of the church's army is the Cgalasjosi (< PM *ǰalas-jos "protector").
 * Redavasi (< PM *xre-dawas “strong thing”): Performs the more mundane maintenance duties around church buildings and land. Analogous to the peasant.

The church itself is divided into different layers. With a single temple being an itvesac (< PM *xitwes-ac “it convinces”). Several temples form a dnasauecvi (< PM *dønas-ōc “recognised house”) or “parish”. Several parishes form a nepcacgeivi (< PM *nap-c-acgē “king dwelling”) which are the largest administrative regions of the church, the last step before the church itself. Their borders in the Old South are unchanged since their formation, as such their borders maych those of the long lost kingdoms which the church has outlived. In the Great Middle the land was divided as equally and evenly as possible into four sections because order is seen as sacred in Lesgveiksism.

Even long after his death, Babeco Veiski was seen as the true head of the church and intermediate messanger between humans and Desavrei. Such so that he became diefied over time, becoming a guardian of the Lesgveiksi faith in the eyes of the Mangeodge.

=Crusades=