Martelism

Martelism is a monotheistic religion that is mostly focused on the worship of the goddess Martel.

History

Martelism is one of the oldest religions on the NationStates Earth; it dates back to 4,000 BC. According to legend, the religion was created by the legendary Prophet of Martelism and Hero of Tethe'alla, Mithos Yggdrasill, who, according to sources, was the sister to the goddess. Mithos set down the doctorines of the religion, and spread it to all of the Tethe'allic tribes.

From 4,000 BC to the 16th century AD, Martelism was the main religion of the former Kingdom of Tethe'alla until its annexation by the expanding Ness Snorlaxian Empire. Martelism was on a patch of decline, as Ness Snorlaxians did not believe in any form of religion.

The Great Awakening of the 1950s

Martelism still continued to be worshipped, though much less than in previous years. However, this all changed when a Hungarian immigrant to the city of Meltokio in Ness Snorlaxia, known only as Miklos, started to preach the way of Martelism to the people.

He believed that although the Chosen ritual (see "Chosen Ritual") was an ancient barbaric practice, Martel could still be awoken by the prayers of Her followers, and that in exchange for this, protection would be granted to the people who prayed for the goddess. This attracted many people who believed this, and as such, many people converted to Martelism, especially in Lycia City.

Martel, Mithos, Kratos, and Yuan were heroes for stopping a war between the kingdom or Tethe'alla, and Sylvarant.

Beliefs

Martelists believe that they must pray to Martel everyday to awaken Her from the deep sleep She is in. When this is achieved, the world will return to eternal peace and Mana is not needed to be generated from a great tree.

Right now, however, besides praying to Martel, Martelists may also pray to the Cruxis, which is a group of angels that have served importance, and to Spiritua, the first Chosen.

At death, Martelists who have been faithful are believed to be reborn again, while those who haven't (by either not praying to Martel for one year or commiting a sin) are sent to Niflheim, or the underworld. They are doomed to stay there for eternity, unless they are one of the few who defeat the Living Armour that lies on the 15th floor.

Creation of the Earth

Unlike many other religions, Martelism does not have any unified theory on how the Earth was created. They have adopted many different beliefs:

• The three goddesses in Hyrulian religion, Din, Nayru, and Farore, who were supposedly created by the Supreme Creator. According to legend, Din created the physical geography of the realm, Farore created the flora and fauna, and Nayru gave the laws of physics to the realm. Once the goddesses had completed their tasks, they departed for the heavens, and left behind them three golden triangles. Into these, they gave their power to govern all things; this became known as the Triforce.
• Many Martelists have also adopted a scientific view.

Church of Martel

Faithful Martelists are not required to go to church, as they can set up an altar to Martel and the angels of Cruxis in their own home, but most do. There is no set worship date, so most Martelists go to church when it is convienent for them.

There is a religious structure in place, with the Pope of Martelism as the head of the church, much like the real life Pope. There are priests that lead an archdiocese, and when a Pope dies, all of the priests are called to Oubangui-Chari to elect a new pope. The head of a church is a pastor.

At all churches, the confession of sins is encouraged, and will supposedly help in the process of reviving Martel.

The ancient Tethe'allic language is used as an official language by the church.

Angels

In Martelism, many popes and priests, when they have done something important in the religion, they are worshipped as angels, collectively called Cruxis. There are four supreme angels, called the Grand Seraphim of Cruxis that are only subordinate to the goddess Martel herself. These are;

• Kratos Aurion, friend to Mithos
• Yuan, person who was in love with Martel
• Mithos Yggdrasill, the prophet
• goddess martel was also one of the 1st order of angles (seraphim)

[Actually the Martel spoken of in the last note is the sister of Mithos and is not a goddess at all]

Summon Spirits

According to legend, Mithos used creatures called Summon Spirits to unite the Tethe'allic tribes and spread the way of Martelism. These Summon spirits each had a different element to them, and would protect these elements. The leader of the summon spirits is called Origin.

The Giant Kharlan Tree

Martelists believe that there is a tree, called the Giant Kharlan Tree, which gives the world its source of mana (similar to matter). If this tree were to be destroyed in any way, legend has it that the Earth would divide into two planets which would be linked together by mana links. These two planets would compete for mana, with one world dying and the other thriving. This, supposedly, would continue until a hero releases all of the Summon Spirits and defeat Mithos himself.

The Chosen Ritual

Mithos believed that Martel would someday be resurected. He believed that to awake the Goddess, She would need a new body for Her mind. When this was accomplished, the world will be "re-generated," as in that a new golden age would be brought to the whole Earth, and possibly the universe. Every century, a person known as the Chosen was chosen at Meltokio to complete the journey. Chosens often gathered the help of their friends.

Each journey would begin on January 1, and ended June 1. If a chosen failed to complete the journey, then they would have to be stopped as they were not deemed suitable for the Goddess Martel. A chosen would be chosen the next year, and this continued every year until the journey was completed.

When they reached the Tower of Salvation, they would be sacrificed, and help Martel awaken from her sleep. According to legend, when Her mind would be sucessfully transfered, the world would be re-generated and a new era of peace would start.

This ritual was continued until religious reformer Miklos declared this a barbaric practice, when it was officially halted. Although the Martelist Popes did not listen at first, the last Chosen, which the Church swore to be the last, was sacrificed in 1974.

Pilgrimages

In Martelism, all able-bodied Martelists are encouraged to take pilgrimages to various holy sites in the world. These include:

• The Tower of Salvation - this is where the Chosen was sacrified once per century, although since the practice stopped, it has since become the holiest site within all of Martelism.
• Thoda Geyser - this is the area where the first chosen, Spiritua, was supposedly born.
• Hakonesia Peak - It is unknown why Hakonesia Peak is a holy site, as it has not been written down.
• Meltokio, Tethe'alla - Meltokio is the holy city in Martelism. As such, it is where the main cathedral is located, and where the pope of the religion lives.

Festivals

Martelists have very few festivals and other holidays, although some do exist. Most of these take place in January, which is considered the holiest month in Martelism.

List of Festivals

• January 5 - Feast day for the Prophet Mithos Yggdrasill
• January 10 - Feast day for the Goddess Martel
• January 15 - Feast day for the first chosen, Spiritua
• January 20 - Feast day for the Grand Seraphim
• January 25 - Feast day for the other Angels
• April 27 - Angel Festival, held in honour of the angels. People dressed up in angel costumes and parade around cities.
• June 1 - Feast day for all Chosen.
• November 1 - Day of Chocolates, held in honour of the Grand Seraphim. According to legend, the Grand Seraphim would give out chocolates and other desserts to everyone in Tethe'alla. This basically evolved into another Halloween over the years.

Martelist Nations

• Ness Snorlaxia - although officially atheistic, it is the second most-followed religion after Roman Catholicism. The most famous Martelist is the emperor himself, Hurchxuu VI.
• Lycia City - Like Ness Snorlaxia, atheistic, but it is the most followed religion.
• (add your nation here)