I had this on the Postfest thread, but it occurs to me that it has wider applicability. Some of the faiths have been fully fleshed out over the years, but others haven't.
Something I've come up with for Phyton, modified by Flann influence for his faith in the Pale:
jamesdglick wrote:
I'm not aware of any detailed canonical info on Phyton worship a la the later #300+ Dragon articles. I try to stick with canon (even when it apparently contradicts itself ).
I figured worship days would be pretty elementary: Godsday and the fest days.
I wasn't crazy about an having everyone just standing around for services, and thought the style would be participatory, so:
Every Godsday: Services. They begin just before noon [no clocks needed], and consist of walking discussions around the grove, spoken in a combination of Common and Flann to fit the recipients (all of whom speak at least some Common). The priest usually starts with a brief talk on the beauty and bounty of nature, usually with a certain item in or around the grove as an example [think Victory Garden]. From there, parishioners offer their own thoughts, practical, philosophical, or both. Every adult parishioner in good standing is free to take part, but no one is forced to say anything. This usually only takes 5-10 minutes (but can last longer), after which a parishioners or two might stick around for an hour or so to help tend the grove and talk to the priest. At certain times, parishioners might take a bit of the grove’s riper bounty. Afterward, the priest usually goes to a parishioner’s place to give advice, a blessing, or to cast a spell.
Due to his specialized focus, not every parishioner of Phyton holds every rite of passage though Phyton (some prefer Pelor for these), but if there is a birth to celebrate, or a marriage or a funeral to perform, it will be done in place of the walk-around discussion. Funerals start at the grove, and go to the place of burial. No one is buried in or around the grove, because it is a place of life, not death. Celebrations of new parishioners, or for those coming of age (usually 13 years) are held before a regular walk-around service.
Every 4th of Needfest, Growfest, Richfest, and Brewfest: Services. These occasions have a more formal feel. The parishoners stand at the entrance from the grove, while the priest waits until noon, standing at whatever spot he has chosen. On these occasions, he discusses the finer points of the faith (e.g., when does “partaking” of nature’s bounty threaten to become “over-taxing” nature?), perhaps using a story of the faith (Saint Yanny Appleseed, perhaps?).
I'm trying to reconcile the different versions of Phyton (Cebrion knows what I mean). I'm toying with the idea of the practical, pioneer CG "god of nature's beauty as enhanced by man" Phyton as the "original" form of worship as practiced by the Suel (I think it sort of fits), and the "beauty of nature" with a hint of "hey! stop messing with that bush!"CG (N) version with druids as his message adapted by the Flan in the Pale. However, this would require reversing the order of things in the Living Greyhawk Gazeteer, which I'm not crazy about.
Comments?
If anyone else has something on any of the other faiths, particularly the more obscure ones, let her rip!
Len Lakofka had information on the various Suel deities scattered about the Net. In addition to his "Presenting the Suel Pantheon" series in several 1984 DRAGON issues, he contributed a nifty chart to Footprints #5. Several additional deity write-ups were posted at the old Codex of Greyhawk site, but don't seem to have been archived by the Wayback Machine.
Never missing an opportunity for shameless self-promotion, my article, Religion in the Flanaess: The Spring Rite for Geshtai concerns this subject. Also, the "Gods & Followers" article section yields a wealth of related material.
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