Dwilight University/Theology/On The Order of St Iestyn

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Disclaimer and Purpose

I, Pierre von Genf, Dean of Humanities of the Dwilight University, and Missionary of Sanguis Astroism, have had the chance to travel twice to the lands of Pian en Luries where many are members of the faith that calls itself the Order of St. Iestyn. I have read their holy books, and have had discussion with its founder, Grandmas Drystan Bellator the Duke of Poraytown, as well as Her Majesty Queen Alanna Anaris, a prominent member of the faith.

I summarize here my findings.

Central Beliefs

The faith has two central deities, Tyr and Zisa. Zisa, the Mother, created the world. Tyr came after, and is a creation of Zisa. However, believers put both Tyr and Zisa on an equal footing, and pray to both equally.

The creed of the Order summarizes their beliefs. It is known that many variant organizations of the faith exists, the creed serves as a common base.

   I believe in Zisa, gentle mother, shaper of heaven and earth. 
   She is the bringer of life, the first blossom that marks the end of winter. 
   I believe in Tyr, wise father, guardian of the balance, 
   who fought for our salvation on a thousand worlds, and led man through fire. 
   I believe in the teachings of our mother, given to man in the first age: 
   That we should put the good of our brothers and sisters before our own, 
   so the whole might be made stronger and our world be made whole. 
   I believe in the teachings of our father, given to man in the second age: 
   That we should guard ourselves against the shadow, 
   against greed, and hatred, and envy, 
   so that the daemon shall find no shelter in our hearts. 
   I believe that the world is poised on the brink of oblivion, 
   for the heretic and the daemon are ever among us. 
   Through unwavering faith we steel our souls, 
   that no false gods shall again threaten us. 
   We are the children of the gods, 
   and we are forever. 

The enemy of the followers is Chaos. Chaos can englobe all manners of evil. The main theme guiding the followers action is struggle against chaos. Daimons are often identified as agents of Chaos.

Followers believe certain individual have been given special powers or meanings among mortals, and call them saints. Iestyn himself was a saint of old. Saints are messengers of Gods, but not gods themselves.

Story of creation

Followers believe Zisa created the world by shaping things out of the perfect balance that was the void. However, by shaping things, balance was destroyed and chaos was brought into the world.

Zisa could not destroy Chaos, for she can only create. She created Tyr, the Father, who was tasked with destroying Chaos and defending balance.

Followers divide the time since in ages, and we live in the Seventh according to their count. Each age has a name which corresponds to the main events unfolding. The current age is the age of Shadow, for followers are rare and daimons reign through the lands.

Theology

The Gods of the Order are personal gods, or formed gods in the mystic classification. One could say that they are defined as well by their strength as by their weaknesses. Zisa, the mother, is all-powerful, yet isn't her main characteristic that she was unable to hold back the Chaos once it was created? Without their weaknesses, the gods of the Order would be but another form of pantheism with a different name.

This duality in the nature of gods shows up in the moral teachings of the religion. Man, and more precisely believers, have dominion over nature, and the legends of the faith include a time where all men on earth were of the same religion, and today they only reign over a small part of the world. Yet, they are tolerant of many other faiths, for it is not in their power to change the heart of men. Rather, they struggle against the daimons, which they see as the greatest danger to mankind as a whole.

Comparative Analysis

A superficial study could lead one to compare the Order to other faiths with personal gods, such as Torenism, Estianism or the Way of the Dragons. Yet a common trait among these religions is the unicity of belief, or the belief that their is a single greater good one should aim at.

The order, however, shows dualism in its beliefs. Zisa, the creator, is counterbalanced by Tyr, the destroyer. The mother is balanced by the father, the wise by the brave, the strong by the kind. As such, it can be compared to faiths such as Sanguis Astroism and Triunism which emphasizes balance between extremes. The presence of two opposite sides, however, emphasizes struggle and the necessary choices one must make, while Sanguis Astroism and Triunism emphasize three sides to all issues, emphasizing the inherent impossibility of making the right choice by following a single rule.