Skjotunhra

Skjotunhra (/skiːjəʊtuːnrʌ/) is an Onthukhan polytheistic religion based on the teachings and wisdoms of the first Freemen people from the Pale, fronted by the veteran High King Wulfgar Ironback. A small, modest faith, Skjotunhra is understood to be a culture which spread amongst the Freemen as an encouraged behavior and value system by word of mouth and communal experience. This oral practice originated form within the city-island and capital of the Pale, Karthhold, and was subsequently passed onto the future lands.

Worship through Labor
Given that Skjotunhra is a faith known to be evolved out of Freeman culture, it promotes the behaviour of developing one's own strength and that of the community. It is said that in emulation of Skjotun-eldr's practices of forging, smithing, and crafting, and by extension the cultivation of society through the sharing and helping of these things upon each other, there comes a divine life. "'Continuance and persistence shall bless the working man. Forget not this, to the aging man: Do not acquire experience for the sake of the acquisition. Be not selfish in servitude to other workings than war. All shall return in due time, should your compass remain aligned. For I shall search with my hands and find the treasures of the sea within the depths of the sand. And all ye shall behold my glory.' - From the Sacred Texts: The Working Free Man, by the Speaker for the Dead "

Sand Speaking
Sand Speaking is a type of prayer and 'divine consultation' performed by Sand Speakers. They are those who have been chosen by Ragna-runa, the Pale Lady, and Hafalatinn, the collective of dead souls, to spread the wisdom of the gods and the past into society. The term itself implies a desert origin of the Skjotunhra faith, however this is a common misconception. In context of Freemen belief, one can extrapolate that the sand in reference is soul sand from the Nether, believed to be the passed liveliehoods of other humans. Given the universal accessibility of the Nether to any civilization, this conclusion has made the most sense to those foreign to the faith.

The practice of Sand Speaking is straightforward. A speaker merely needs to remain near soul sand and soul fire in order to manifest the long-dead souls and their wisdom. It's known that sand speakers commune in caves made of soul sand/soil to improve this connection to Hafalatinn, the personification of these souls. According to Skjotunhra texts it is possible for speakers to summon Hafalatinn's twin, Ragna-runa, granting them vision of the future. In text, this is depicted as 'dreamlike travels' where the speaker is plucked from the terrain to witness what is to come. Currently, the only known speaker to actually accomplish this was the Speaker for the Dead.

Sea Spires
Traditional practice on the event of death for a Freemen brother or sister is to build a tall spire out of a stone material wall block in the ocean, leaving a bit sticking out from the water surface to reference the dead. This is believed to be a reference to Hafnát-vig, the water realm god of death. Old texts suggest that to mark the fallen from the ocean floor above the sea surface is a sign of honor between the freemen, implying a 'memory beyond death and time'.

The High Gods
There are two great beings which form the world around the Freemen, encompassing all which is infinite and finite in the world.


 * Rofleio: Primordial being which forms the ground of the world. All that which cannot be reproduced by any means (without divine intervention) is of Rofleio. The Freemen believe that the terrain of the world is his back which he offers to.
 * Aldrendir: Primordial being which forms the sky that envelops the earth. Aldrendir represents the infinite things of the world. Highly mysterious to the Freemen but yields greater rewards; represented by his gifts of renewable resources.

Core Gods
The main Skjotunhra pantheon consists of five main deities, representing the aspects of Freeman society and the souls of the departed.


 * Skjotun-eldr: The king of the gods and usurper of the first Tyrant King of the Sea. Somtimes called "The White Giant". Often represented as a large polar bear, Skjotun-eldr is the patron god of labor (among honor) and is therefore associated with the grinding practices of mining, smithing, and enchanting. Many interpretations depict him not only as a polar bear, but as donning powerful magical armor and wielding a magical trident once belonging to the old king. Though he is the son of Rofleio, he portrays a balance between the infinite and finite elements of the world, using them to his advantage. He is also known to stand as the "guardian of the homeland" to the freemen.
 * Hafnát-vig: The first king of the gods and now ruler of the seas and patron god of death, Hafnát-vig is occasionally referred to as "Keeper of Eternal Sleep". Though there are no visual descriptions of the water death god, it is known that he carried the trident which his rival Skjotun-eldr now wields. Let it also be known that in tandem with his unpredictable, violently aggressive behavior, Hafnát-vig is the most overtly powerful god of the core pantheon.
 * Aflbú: Goddess of the home and wealth. Representation of rewards, the arts and the hearth and often brings gifts to the Freemen. A daughter of the Primordial Aldrendir, wife of Hafnát but lover of Skjotun and mother of Solvi.
 * Hafalatinn: One of the 'twins of the Nether'. Hafalatinn is believed to have been a growing almagamation of a collective consciousness of dead souls; a personification of past human lives. Not much is written about the nature of this collective, apart from sometimes being interpreted as soul sand itself and the appearance as the occasional "ghost" (See "The Tale of Orinis").
 * Ragna-runa: The second of the 'twins of the Nether', Ragna-runa acts as a facilitator between the Freemen and Hafalatinn, offering her twin's wisdom as an asnwer to sand speaking practices. Often portrayed as a ageless woman and sometimes called 'The Pale Lady', she occasionally reveals her own wisdom as a seer to the Freemen.

Minor Gods and Other Deities
Listed below are higher beings which do not appear within the core books of Skjotunhra and are instead believed to be told of within the mythos surrounding the original texts. Few have their own legends to their name, others have been found to be more referential than actual beings.


 * Solvi: The love-born daughter spirit of Skjotun-eldr and Aflbú. Patron of victory, strength in numbers, and loyalty. She is often depicted as a huntress accompanied by a wolf, though some interpretations depict her as taking the form of a wolf. Solvi is known to often walk among the Freemen people and even participating in wars, inspiring an intense comradery and a great desire for victory as she remains unnoticed.
 * Nelson: Unlike his divine brethen, Nelson is the only deity believed to have actually existed in Freemen history. He is the stallion spirit of freedom and exploration, once tamed by St. Orinis of Travels in the early days of Karthhold. It is said that despite his bond with the speaker, Nelson disappeared from within the city walls and was assumed to be dead, leading to the first sea spire being erected. However, speculation suggested that Nelson did not in fact die and instead still roams the lands of Eldham free.
 * Vág-Ellri: A regional belief from the Ellrian wanderers of the original Greywatch colony; a great Axolotl god which swam beneath the sea and rivers of the eastern land. Though there are little texts which personify this beast, Ellrian culture suggests that Vág-Ellri was a bringer of clarity and guidance to the struggling colonists, allowing them to reap greater boons from the terrain and mind after great difficulty to establish the city, as well as bringing them treasures from the ocean deep.
 * Pengy: Known fully as Pengy the Adored, Bringer of Gifts to the freeman of Ulftartunga.

Denominations
While there are few conflicts between regional interpretations of Skjotunhra, the many holds of The Pale and their histories have given way for freeman to emphasize particular aspects of the faith over others.

The Sand Speaker Coro
As an organization, the Sand Speaker Coro are the known 'saints' of Skjotunhra, a collection of Sand Speakers who each offer a different contribution to the progression and facilitation of the faith discussions between the freemen and the gods. Notable members of the Coro include: Jarl Kaidus Ariano, the Speaker for the Dead; Viola 'Wolf' Lightbringer, the Speaker of Songs; Alexander Eldritch, the Speaker of Mythics; Orinis Elliris, the Speaker of Travels; Aethelred the Builder, the Speaker of Souls; and the High King Wulfgar Ironback of the Pale himself.

The Ellrian Wanderers
The Ellrian people are those who had moved or joined the eastern colony of Greywatch and their subsequent descendants. It is believed that this group of unorthodox freeman who left the homeland to explore the "Never-End" are the "children of Vág-Ellri" written in the Blessings texts. Ellrian people therefore worship the Great Axolotl in remembrance of this period. The principal beliefs of Ellrian faith consists of the importance of perseverance through adversity; the use of such experience to strengthen community; and the "taming of the infinite"."“And I say to thee, o wanderers who break Leion Law, ye shall find clarity of mind in the face of death, and be blessed to channel my great powers from perseverance of the soul.” - From Blessings: Children of Vág-Ellri, by the Speaker of Mythics"

Holidays
As with any community of believers, the Freemen honor notable events of Skjotunhra with holidays to mark the passage of time. These celebrations are canonized by both Freemen and Sand Speakers, implying that the holidays are a tradition continued not just out of obligation to religious belief, but also communal trust in one another.

Palemas
Palemas is a festivity of the wintertime, where Freemen gift each other treasures and trinkets and celebrate the passage of Saint Paley on the holiday date, December 18th. Like many other festivals, Freemen also participate in activities such as drunken brawls, team battles, secret santa, and horse racing. As a holiday, it is credited to Speaker Viola Lightbringer and her written work "Palemas Song".