Bear:The Twins' Law

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The Twins’ Law is the state religion of Visra, and is administered by the the Holy See. The core tenets of the faith include belief in the creation of the Lumii by the Twins, Ymir and Sarai, the revelation of their law by the Seers through the Zakon of the Twins and the Holy Commentaries, and the notion of everyone having a predefined and proper place in society and the natural order. The ideal aim of an adherent would be to live a life free of sin, and abiding by their caste, in order to experience harmony and contentment in this life, and be accepted into a utopic afterlife in the next. One who frequently sins or discards the Twins from their life is doomed to an vast amount of time in a realm of punishment until their sins are burned away.

Adherents abide by a strict regimen of daily obligatory prayer, as well as attending weekly masses run by the Church. Fasting can also be seen as a regular practice. Tithe collection is an important part of the Visran religious institution, and one may even pay the Church for an indulgence in order to have one’s sins expunged from the celestial record.

The religion itself has existed for over 2000 years, and was founded by the prophet Eluard the Serene, who preached a life of prosperity for those who followed the example of the Twin Gods and the reliability of their movements through the sky. The religion was later expanded by the Seers with their revelation of the faith’s holy text, and subsequently by further interpretations made by their companions. These books are what form the basis of traditional Visran law.

The religion is often referred to by non-adherents as Sarai-Ymirism.

Etymology

“The Twins’ Law” comes from the notion that Ymir and Sarai, upon ascending into their celestial forms, set down a specific way of life for all their creations to follow. This was further elucidated upon the revelation of the Zakon of the Twins by the Seers, which detailed the way in which a Lumii should live, beyond just following the order which is imposed by the celestial bodies that govern Visra. The earliest mention of “The Twins’ Law” is found in the Holy Commentaries, written one generation after the Seers by their Companions.

Beliefs

Followers of the Twins' Law generally abide by the Zakon of the Twins, the Holy Commentaries, and edicts by the Holy See. Before the Holy See was established, followers would also abide in edicts by the church, which was more decentralized and loosely defined pre-Holy See.

Creation Myth

Visran oral tradition, as well as the Zakon of the Twins, details the creation story of the Lumii race, and of Visra’s star and its moon. Ymir and Sarai are said to have been a single divine being that occupied Visra. This being had always existed since the beginning of the universe. Time and loneliness brought this being to splitting in two, for the sake of having company. Ymir and Sarai were formed, and they spent their new existence shaping the land to their desires, creating beautiful geography that pleased them.

Growing restless, having transformed the entire surface of the world, they wished to create life upon it. But there was no energy for the development of life. Sarai sacrificed herself to become the star of Visra, giving the world her constant light. It was then that life sprung forth, filling the world with flora and fauna.

Seeking to outdo his partner, Ymir wished to create beings that were capable of consciousness and creation themselves. But without regulation, the world stagnated and was incapable of hosting such a being. With this, Ymir, too, ascended and became the moon, regulating the rhythms of the world. It was then that the Lumii sprung forth, and both Ymir and Sarai were pleased.

There are variations in the creation story that can mostly be found in rural regions of Visra, in which Sarai desired to create intelligent beings, and lifted herself and Ymir into the heavens to accomplish this. This led to a small denomination of Visran Lumii that worship Sarai as the principal deity of the Twins’ Law, Ymir being subordinate to her. Most Visran Lumii, however, view Ymir and Sarai as equals, though in practice, the Holy See has come to favor Ymir, especially in the 29th century after going through a century of subjugation.

Gods

Adherents profess faith in two and only two gods: Ymir and Sarai. Their origin dates back to before the revelation of the Zakon of the Twins, the holy book of the faith. Archaeologists have found references to both Ymir and Sarai dating back more than a century before the Seers revealed the Zakon of the Twins, in ancient obituarial documents and talismans.

Sarai is seen as the Mother, as kind, gentle, the forgiver, a lover of music, and the giver of life. She reigns over fertility and life. Ymir is seen as the Father, as fierce and just, as the great regulator, the judge, lover of justice and righteous war. He reigns over law and justice, and regulates the caste system.

Afterlife

Adherents to the Twins’ Law believe, as told in the Zakon, that a utopic, eternal paradise awaits them after death, should they be judged as righteous by the Twins. This judgement is made from the Celestial Record, an item in which all the good deeds, and all the sins of one are recorded during their life. Those who are judged as unrighteous are sent to a place of torment, to suffer until they have paid for their sins. Once one’s sins are paid for, they are finally let into paradise. This paradise is called Venna, while the place of torment is known as Rekkar. Though many simply refer to these as paradise or hell, respectively.

Venna is said to be filled with all the pleasures of life, including those that were forbidden during one’s mortal existence. The highest pleasure in Venna is to be close to Ymir and Sarai, and being able to see them, as seeing the Twins is not possible for a mortal. The only exception to this was Eluard the Serene, who was granted vision of the Twins for his unmatched moral and spiritual character.

Rekkar is a realm where one is tortured by flames while unable to die or seek respite. Not only that, the pain you inflicted upon others in your life will be given back to you in full during your time in this realm of torment and retribution. The torment is so severe that there are even prayers that ask for Sarai to help one avoid even a single second of existence in Rekkar, for it is completely intolerable.

Sin and Heresy

The Zakon of the Twins has many verses that forbid certain acts, usually those that cause disharmony in one’s relationships, one’s family, or in society. Things that disrupt the proper order of life are actions that are considered sinful. Heresies on the other hand, are acts that outright destroy order, as opposed to acts that only cause a temporary deviation from it. Heresies, also known as cardinal sins, include adultery, fornication, stealing, rape, converting people to the faith through force or coercion, and apostasy. Minor sins include cutting ties with family, lying, and consuming/proliferating intoxicants.

When one commits a sin, it is said to be written in the Celestial Record. When one dies, this record is opened by Ymir, and he judges whether or not one deserves to go into paradise. Sarai stands by during this judgement, and reads off all of the good deeds one has done. One’s good deeds nullify certain sins. Meeting one’s religious obligations holds great merit, and can guarantee one’s place in eternal paradise. Even if one’s life is filled with sin, they may enter paradise so long as they sincerely repent for them, and fulfill their religious obligations to the best of their ability. This is part of Sarai’s mercy.

The Holy See in the 29th century generally only pursues investigation of heresies that involve the transfer of money, which interferes with the inflow of tithes to the Church. Though if major and/or minor sins are reported, the Church will punish these infractions as well, though the Church avoids spending resources to root out these social ills. Heresies are punished by public execution, while minor sins are punished by public flogging.

There is no mention in the Zakon of the Twins of earthly punishments for any sins. All punishment is given in the afterlife, assuming the sinner did not repent for their deeds. The Holy Commentaries, however, clearly lay out a system of punishments and grading of sins, from the most minor, to the most heretical and major. For most of Visran history, law has been based on the Holy Commentaries, rather than the Zakon of the Twins. Within the Holy Commentaries, there are even further prohibitions against certain things that are not outright sins, but are considered to draw ire from the gods, or bring bad fortune. Most Lumii superstitions can be found to originate from the Commentaries.

An issue of dispute is music. While the Zakon does not forbid any type of music, and in fact music is something that pleases Sarai, the Holy Commentaries prohibit any music that is not of a religious nature. A minority of adherents actually reject the Commentaries as an innovation by mortals, rather than seeing it as a divinely-inspired interpretation of the Zakon. Those who reject the Commentaries see music, among many other things, as not sinful. They believe that only the divine word of the Twins can define what is forbidden, and what is permissible.

Caste System

In the first century of the faith, a caste system was gleaned from studies of the Holy Commentaries, adding to the order of society on Visra. The caste system is seen as a manifestation of Ymir’s order and a way to harmonize society. Where there was a fair amount of mobility throughout social positions in the early years, once the caste system was formalized and established, that mobility vanished. Intermarriage between castes was made forbidden, and one was stuck in the caste they were born into. In order of prestige, descending, the castes are as follows: Nobles, clergy, soldiers, merchants, artisans, farmers, hunters/fishers, and untouchables (those who deal with death or the dead). During Visra’s subjugation and colonization by the Galactic Coalition, the caste system was thrown into disarray due to the landscape of the economy changing drastically. To this day, there is constant tension between the feudal and theocratic Holy See and developing capitalistic economic forces on Visra. This has led to a shift where in many places, work has moved into the cities and rural economies are broken, leading to a breakdown of the feudal-style caste system. The Holy See greatly subsidizes its people to maintain the caste structure, seeking domination over growing capital.

Eluard the Serene

(Founded religion before revelation of the Zakon)

The Seers

(Revealed Zakon)

The Companions of the Seers

(Created Holy Commentaries, interpretation and musings on the Zakon)

Practices

PRAYER, MASS, TITHES, INDULGENCES, HOLY WAR

Prayer

Adherents are required to pray 3 times per day to the Twins. Before performing prayer, adherents must perform a ritual ablution to purify themselves for the act. This consists of washing the face, hands, and feet with clean water.

The prayer itself is a series of structured movements and set phrases. First, the adherent faces a representation of the Twins, preferably on an altar. Then the put their hands together in front of them and recite the following:

O Sarai, O Ymir! Who chose to be bound to the heavens for our creation! All praise is due to you, Lord and Lady, who invigorate all life and bring it to order. Bring us your deepest mercy and spare us your righteous anger. You two alone reign over the day of judgement. Guide us to the righteous path. Give us the strength to be merciful, and give us the strength to adhere to your holy order.

After this, the adherent prostrates, making sure their forehead and nose touch the ground. While in this position, they recite:

Sarai, we bask in your light. Ymir, we submit to your order.

The adherent then returns to standing, and repeats this process another 2 times. When the final cycle of prayer is ended, the adherent says:

Nothing in all creation surpasses the Twins.

This ends the prayer. The daily prayers are to be recited at sunrise, midday, and sunset. If in space, one may coordinate one's prayers with the current day/night cycle settings they are using while in transit, or while stationed in space. The three daily prayers are an extremely fundamental obligation for an adherent, and regular failure to accomplish them is likely to result in punishment in the afterlife.

Mass

Attending Mass, also known as congregational prayer, is an obligation to every adherent. Though if mass is not held due to lack of Church representation, adherents may hold a weekly prayer together in its stead. Mass is a time of great blessings and reflection. Adherents gather to worship the Twins and to see how everyone is doing, how close their fellow adherents are getting to perfectly fitting into their predestined role in society. The purpose of Mass is to encourage unity within the community, as well as good will towards ones neighbor. Mass is held in a church or temple, with an altar on a dais at the end of the building. Adherents, including the priest and his attendants, will worship in this direction by prostrating with their foreheads and noses to the ground.

Mass begins with a benediction, where the priest gives words of blessing, set to a holy melody played by musicians of the Church. These words of blessing are usually quite formal and set, rather than just derived on the spot. If there are no musicians to play during the benediction, the music is simply omitted from the Mass. After the benediction, a procession of attendants brings a statue of the Twins from the entrance of the church up to the altar. This is to symbolize the Twins' ascent into the heavens to become the star of Visra and the moon of Visra. After this, the priest delivers a sermon to their congregation, while attendants burn holy incense and wave it towards attendees. Traditionally, the sermon is relevant to current local issues, but there are some priests who deliver sermons in a rote manner, without getting to know their flock and their problems. After the sermon, the standard prayer is done, with the entire congregation facing the altar and prostrating. Following this, the congregation is released from the service, and they go to socialize and catch up with each other. During this socialization, no one person is left without someone to talk to. If there is an odd number of people, the odd one out will be taken into one of the conversation partnerships. Followers are encouraged to talk to a new or different person each week, rather than forming cliques. Potlucks and other such events may also be held during this gathering.

Scriptures

LINK TO ZAKON OF THE TWINS, HOLY COMMENTARIES

History

HISTORY FROM SEERS REVELATION OF ZAKON TO PRESENT

Denominations

INFORMATION ABOUT SECTS, i.e. SARAI-DOMINATED, YMIR-DOMINATED, EQUAL RECOGNITION OF THE TWINS