Kebreni theism

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rotting bones
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Kebreni theism

Post by rotting bones »

What is it like? I can't find any information on it either in the Almeopedia or this forum, except that it's by far the most popular religion in Kebri.

PS. Are there other nontheistic/transtheistic religions on Almea besides Endajue and Irreanism?
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Glenn
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Re: Kebreni theism

Post by Glenn »

rotting ham wrote:What is it like? I can't find any information on it either in the Almeopedia or this forum, except that it's by far the most popular religion in Kebri.
I’m currently catching up on my posting, and since this question was never answered…

According to this comment by Mark on the old Virtual Verduria Message Board, the Kebreni religion involves the worship of natural and ancestral spirits, in a manner similar to Japanese Shinto. I wouldn’t mind hearing a little more about it, but there are many parts of Almea about which I could say the same. ;-)

One (perhaps related) question about Kebri that I have concerns the Kebreni rulers. The Almeopedia article about Kebri notes that the Kebreni consider their monarchs to be “one-third divine”. How does that work exactly? Do the Kebreni believe in a tripartite soul (similar to the Cadhinorian concept of the quadripartite soul), one part of which, in the monarch’s case, is divine? Is said divinity thought to be passed on by descent (quite possible, given the longevity of the Kebreni dynasties), or does it only manifest itself when a king ascends to the throne? Just curious…

(The fraction chosen is part of what makes it interesting – if divinity were passed down along the male line, say, one would probably expect the monarch to be one-half divine instead. Incidentally, the semi-divine (and frequently ceremonial) monarchy is another aspect of Kebri that is reminiscent of Japan, although of course there are many other features that are quite different, such as its Mediterranean-style setting, its mercantile focus, and its parliament, which reminds me of the French Estates-General.)

p@ (a deep bow with a flourish),
Glenn

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Re: Kebreni theism

Post by Penelope »

Glenn wrote:One (perhaps related) question about Kebri that I have concerns the Kebreni rulers. The Almeopedia article about Kebri notes that the Kebreni consider their monarchs to be “one-third divine”. How does that work exactly? Do the Kebreni believe in a tripartite soul (similar to the Cadhinorian concept of the quadripartite soul), one part of which, in the monarch’s case, is divine? Is said divinity thought to be passed on by descent (quite possible, given the longevity of the Kebreni dynasties), or does it only manifest itself when a king ascends to the throne? Just curious…

(The fraction chosen is part of what makes it interesting – if divinity were passed down along the male line, say, one would probably expect the monarch to be one-half divine instead.
I always figured it was a shout-out to Gilgamesh, who is described in the eponymous epic poem as being two-thirds god and one-third man. (As far as I know, the fraction is never really explained - I think his father is human and his mother a goddess, but why that doesn't just make him half-god I have no idea.)

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Herra Ratatoskr
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Post by Herra Ratatoskr »

As I understood it, Gilgamesh's mom got it on with both a god and a mortal, both of which contributed to Gilgamesh's heritage, making him 2/3 god. It's been a while since I looked into it though. I put it up there with Heimdall having 9 mothers, in the realms of mythological batshit crazitude.
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Post by Salmoneus »

It's not that crazy, though. They worked out that babies resemble their fathers due to some contribution the sperm makes inside the womb; they knew that, at least in other animals (eg cats and iirc dogs), mating with two males in short succession could lead to half-sibling twins, so clearly the sperm doesn't fight its rivals to the death; why is it ridiculous to think that mating with two male humans in succession could produce either two twins with different fathers, or, indeed, one child with two fathers?

They didn't exactly have genetic paternity testing back then, you know.

Of course, when it was two human men, it wouldn't have made much difference (family resemblences are fairly subjective anyway), and it would rarely (be admitted to) occur, so there was no either way to disprove the theory. However, when one father was a god, it would be very important indeed.

It's a fairly common story, as I recall. Off-hand, the Greek hero Theseus is also 1/3rd divine, as his mother lay with both Aegeus and Poseidon in the same night. [The first, because her father got him drunk and forced him on her, and the second because Athena commanded her]
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Post by the duke of nuke »

As Sal points out, it's not that weird (not in Heimdall's league, at least). There are plenty of other bizarre romps in mythology - the Kalevala has a beautiful maiden who is seduced by a mountain-berry, for reasons I've never fully understood.
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Post by Torco »

thedukeofnuke wrote:As Sal points out, it's not that weird (not in Heimdall's league, at least). There are plenty of other bizarre romps in mythology - the Kalevala has a beautiful maiden who is seduced by a mountain-berry, for reasons I've never fully understood.
berry on girl action? gotta read me some of that

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