World  Notes | Harmonism

The Harmonist Religion: abridged Collections

edition VI

Collection gathered by Arch-chancellor Herrin Tesler,

High Cleric and Chief of Knowledge, of the Enlightener's Guild

Edition I published in 2103 A.B.

passages from the holy choir

the Book of Shelism,

the Book of Usharism,

the Book of Rinism,

the Book of Irism

and the Book of Nirism.

Collected inscriptions provided by clerics of all sects,

Each hailing from the different realms and providing

information on the sub-religions involving their dominant Gods,

including the sects of Shelish, Usharian, Rinian, Irian and Nirian.

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1:1-2, “The World’s Creation”

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Before Nirus’s existence, there were five beings in the essence of creation:

Nira, the Goddess of mourning, loss and honor.

Iri, the God of tranquility, wisdom and time.

Rin, the God of beauty, majesty and grace.

Ushar, the God of thrill, joy and amusement.

And Shel, the God of power, courage and life.

Together, these five deities created the world together, each responsible for their separate kingdoms. It begins with Land, where life was said to have first been created by the powerful God, Shel. Next is Sky, where the thrill God, Ushar, went to play after Shel broke loose a part of Land, and the islands rose into the skies. Then came Ocean, where the majestic God, Rin, made the waters surrounding the land his home. Within all these realms came Dream, where Iri, the God of slumber, would watch our dreams with curious interest while we slept. And last came Death, where all shifters from the realms came once their time had come, all guided by the sorrowful Goddess, Nira—who is the Almighty Mother of death while Shel is the Father of life.

***

1:3-6, “The Nirussian Crest and its meanings”

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The Nirussian Crest is a symbol depicting three blooming diamonds. There are many meanings associated with the Crest.

The first is to represent each realm found within Nirus: Land (first diamond), Sky (top of middle diamond), Ocean (third diamond), Dream (middle of middle diamond), and Death (bottom of middle diamond). This representation makes a constellation pattern, which creates an arrow-like shape when starting from Land to Death. It begins with Land as the first diamond because it is level with the ground, representing itself as one of the mid-realms. Ocean is the second mid-realm, and so it is associated with the third diamond, which is level with the first diamond and also Land in geographical terms. Sky is above all realms geographically, and so is represented as the top of the middle diamond. Dream happens within all realms and so is represented as the center of the middle diamond, a particular symbolical meaning that states the Dream realm connects all the realms together. Death is found underground, in the caverns below all realms and so is represented as the bottom of the middle diamond, or the end of the constellation path where it began with Land, to symbolize that all souls go to the Death realm after their time has ended and their life’s path is finished.

The other meanings of the crest vary depending on the religious sect, and which God is most worshiped in the different realms.

In the realm of Land, where Shel is the most respected deity, the Crest stands for the three Hallows Shel brings: rock (first diamond), plant (middle diamond) and remedy (third diamond); as well as representing birth (first diamond), life (middle diamond) and old age (third diamond), suggesting that life (largest middle diamond) is most important of the three and should be where you have become your strongest in both mind and body, although it is understood that life would not be without birth and old age cannot become without first living life.

In the realm of Sky, where Ushar is the most enjoyed deity, the Crest stands for the three Hallows Ushar brings: wind (first diamond), rain (middle diamond) and storm (third diamond); as well as representing their philosophy of (similar to the Land realm) birth (first diamond), life (middle diamond) and old age (third diamond), where life should be the climax, enjoyed to its fullest until you have to be a bore again with old age.

In the realm of Ocean, where Rin is the most admired deity, the Crest stands for the three Hallows Rin brings: water (first diamond), ice (middle diamond) and pressure (third diamond); as well as representing the focus of life, as in their philosophy of how work (middle diamond) must be your focus and distractions (first and third diamonds) can wait for before work starts and after work ends.

In the realm of Dream, where Iri is considered the wisest of the deities, the Crest stands for the three Hallows Iri bring: Sleep (first diamond), illusion (middle diamond) and prophecy (third diamond); as well as representing the past (first diamond), present (middle diamond) and future (third diamond), which encourages that the present time should be the most important time to pay attention to, because what’s happened in the past cannot be changed, and the future has yet to come. Of course, all three are connected and understood that the past cannot exist without the present, the present would not be without the past, and what we do in the present determines what happens in the future.

In the realm of Death, where Nira is the most honored and beloved deity, the Crest stands for the three Hallows Nira brings: Death (first diamond), fire (middle diamond) and infection (third diamond); as well as what makes us all. The first diamond represents the Soul, the third represents the Vessel, and the middle diamond represents the Goddess Nira, who guides our spirits in life, death, and the Great Unknown. The Nirian religion says the diamonds form an arrow and point to the sun and the moon every noon and midnight. When the middle diamond is in line with the sun, new souls are formed from Nira, who then passes that soul onto Shel, who delivers the new soul to its new life after the other Gods have bestowed the soul with gifts. When the arrow of diamonds is in line with the moon, old souls have faded and gone back to Nira to be used again someday, their Soulenergy Cleansed and recycled to start anew.

***

2:1-6, “The Gods: their history, relationships and associated meanings.”

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Nira

Nira is the Goddess of mourning, loss, faith, pain, tragedy, and honor.

Associated Hallows:

fire, death, and poison.

Symbols:

A scythe, a spinning wheel or needle, and a Fallen Light.

Description:

The Seamstress is depicted as a woman with long, ashen hair and ashen eyes who can shapeshift into an ashen wolf.

The Almighty Mother of Death, it is widely believed that Nira is the Cleanser of all spirits rotten and tainted, though not the destroyer. They say She takes old souls whose afterlives have expired and uses their essence to create new souls. Those new souls She creates are passed to Shel, God of life, to bring that new spirit into the physical world to be born anew. Nira is blamed for many misfortunes and tragedies, though She is too often misunderstood as the cause. It is said that She does not take joy in the sorrow of others, and Her empathy for the pain Her followers undertake is why She is the Goddess of mourning. It is because of the despair She feels for those lost that She takes on the duty of guiding the fallen into new life. Nira sees betrayal as the worst of sins, and it is believed that She sends those who disregard honor towards companions to the Void, where their corruption must be Cleansed before using their essence for new souls.

Nira’s Relic:

The Willow of Ashes.

Iri

Iri is the God of tranquility, wisdom, patience, slumber, time, and trickery.

Associated Hallows:

sleep, illusion, and prophecy.

Symbols:

A shepherd’s crook, a bell, and a large crystal ball.

Description:

The Shepherd is depicted as a child with azure hair and azure eyes who can shapeshift into an azure fox.

The wise God of slumber and time, Iri is the third son of Nira and Shel. He is known as the scribe of past, present and future happenings, and is the true weaver of dreams. It is said that Iri is a God with a curious mind. Often, He studies the dreams of others and questions the reasons behind their subconscious wants and fears. Always a trickster, though not out of sport, He occasionally sends dreams to those who need answers, but He prefers the dreamer to discover the answer themselves, for He believes the journey taken to bring them to the answer delivers more use than the answer itself. Those with a wise mind and talent for riddles are said to be blessed by Iri.

Iri’s Relic:

The Orbs of Azure.

Rin

Rin is the God of beauty, majesty, grace, water, focus, and art.

Associated Hallows:

water, ice, and pressure.

Symbols:

a trident, a chisel and mallet, and a lyre.

Description:

The Artist is depicted as a young man with emerald hair and emerald eyes who can shapeshift into a Seadragon.

The second son of Nira and Shel, many believe Rin favors the majesty of dance and art. They say He is a lover of music and admirer of elegance and poise. Rin is often depicted as a God of grace and beauty, and others who are beautiful are thought to have been blessed by Rin Himself. It is said that Rin believes one who is set on a task should not idle with other distractions until that task is complete, for if one is to take on a task, one must put forth all their heart and effort to master their performance. Rin is not one to be bothered, and so His brother, Ushar, God of laughter, often finds amusement in disrupting his concentration.

Rin’s Relic:

The Pearl of Emerald.

Ushar

Ushar is the God of thrill, joy, amusement, storms, laughter, and games.

Associated Hallows:

wind, rain, and storms.

Symbols:

A bow and arrow, a lightning bolt, and a feather.

Description:

The Archer is depicted as a young man with scarlet hair and scarlet eyes who can shapeshift into a Skydragon.

First son of Nira and Shel, it is believed that Ushar is never one to turn down a game or challenge. He is said to seek amusement and thrill, and while He plays in the skies of the physical plane, He creates storms and gusts of wind. His wit is said to be unmatched, and has been rumored to have made even the melancholy Nira laugh with His clever quips. Only the wise Iri has proven a worthy challenger of wit against Ushar, and so when He is not pestering His stern brother, Rin, He plays a game of riddles with the clever Iri. Those with a quick tongue and talent for athletics are said to be blessed by Ushar.

 

Ushar’s Relic:

The Phoenix of Scarlet

Shel

Shel is the God of power, courage, life, healing, protection, and harmony.

Associated Hallows:

rock, plant and remedy.

Symbols:

a broadsword, a shield, and a gardening spade.

Description:

The Gardener is depicted as a man with golden hair and golden eyes who can shapeshift into a lion.

The proudest of the five deities, it is believed that Shel is the God to whom Nira gives the newly created souls, so they may be born into the physical world. He is a true leader, the Almighty Father of life, where Nira is the Almighty Mother of death. Shel is said to bring peace and harmony to those in discord and provides protection and healing. Those with strength and courageous hearts are said to be blessed by Shel.

Shel’s Relic:

the Blossom of Gold.

Nira & Shel

The Almighty Mother of death and the Almighty Father of life. Gods of the first and last realms. Gods of the beginning and end, of journey and destination, of healing and pain.

They were the first Gods to exist, the first to create the world. Shel began by creating large mountains and grassy plains, and surrounding His lands were deep waters of ocean. Some of His mountains broke away from the land to rise into the air, and the floating islands drift eastward over the land and ocean ever year. Shel brought life among the land and ocean, creatures of all shapes and sizes, and all lived in harmony within their areas, until their deaths came.

Under His lands, Nira created the caverns beneath Shel’s land and ocean, wishing for a place the souls of the dead could reside peacefully before they returned to Her.

Shel and Nira had three sons, with whom occupied three regions of Their created world. The first son, Ushar, wished to play in the floating islands above the land. Rin preferred to be immersed in the majestic waters of the beautiful ocean, and the curious Iri found great interest in the subconscious dreams of the people in the physical world.

There is no one God of love, each represents a different type of love. Rin, for example, is seen as a patron for love built by passions of the heart. Ushar is a patron for love that brings one thrill in life, whether it be romantic or platonic. Iri is known for love of another's mind and intellect.

Although Shel and Nira serve as the lover Gods and are known as husband and wife, Shel is the patron for fertile romance (love of the vessel) and Nira is the patron for destined romance (love of the soul). Heartbreak is often blamed on how the two Gods must be separate in Their own realms.