Nobody knows which came first: Earth or fairies. Fairies were first born of stardust. The first twenty or so fairies in existence were formed from pure stardust, which is the origin of magic, and thus have pure magic (divinity) infused into their being which they can control. These first fairies were known as "the originals", and first among them was Aura. The fairies which came after them were formed of a compound of stardust and other elements, so the magic infused into them was impure. Thus, the magical powers they had were lesser than those of the originals, and unlike the originals they were mortal. Over time, fairykind evolved and developed levels of magic and wings, but the originals remained much the same as they always had done.
The original fairies have become deified and are often seen as gods.
Culture of Shaman
Since people come to Shaman from a variety of worlds, races, species and times, it an extremely multicultural world. Shaman itself is a world on the brink of civilisation; a reasonable proportion of the population are illiterate and most buildings are constructed from temporary natural materials such as mud-brick and wood. The only technology which exists is that which has been brought over from other worlds. Electricity is scarce and most technology is powered by magic.
Magic is, usually, the answer to anything which appears inexplicably in Shaman.
Religion
Human Religions
Because fairy religions cannot be proven any more than human ones can, some fairies follow human religions such as Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, etc. Most fairies are religious in one way or another, but some are atheists (do not believe in any gods) and many are agnostic (are not convinced by the evidence each way). The Council of Originals long ago decreed that fairies are free to worship whatever religion they wish, which allows for great diversity.
It is largely accepted that other worlds have their own gods which created them. However, the dispute over religion lies in the question of who created Earth, and who created the network of worlds
Fairy Religions
Most fairies follow one of the two main fairy religions: the monotheistic religion and the polytheistic religion.
The monotheistic religion sees Aura, the first fairy, as the grand Creator of Earth and the network of worlds. She is the sole god, and the other original fairies are merely demi-gods who she created. Needless to say, this belief is unpopular with the other originals and is responsible for some of the jealousy amongst them. Aura has never confirmed nor denied the belief as true.
The polytheistic religion sees all the originals as the joint creators of Earth and the network of worlds. The fairies who believe this argue that the universes are so complex that no one fairy could have designed and constructed them - rather, it took the divinity of over twenty fairies to create the worlds as we know them. This religion is more popular amongst the originals, although there is still rivalry as some believe that some originals are "more godly" (i.e. created more) than others.
There are a few other minor cults to individual originals other than Aura. Some fairies argue that just because Aura was the first fairy, it does not necessarily mean she is the Creator, and believe that their own chosen original is the one true god. These cults are small and usually based in the original's home country, for example Mallos' cult is in Spain.
Manekht's prophecy
There is one other minor religion worth noting. Shortly after the formation of the Council of Originals, a philosopher by the name of Manekht compared fairy religions to human religions and determined that for the originals to coexist in deified harmony, they must each be the god of a particular concept. He devised a system whereby each original was made the god of something.
Manekht also made a very famous prophecy. He prophesised that the gods would all live in harmony, each controlling their own concept, until one day a god would have a child with a mortal and a new god would be born. This new god would be the God of Chaos and Destruction and, recognising it as such, the other gods would attempt to lock it away. Eventually however, Chaos and Destruction would escape from its prison and wreak havoc upon Earth. Once this happened, Chaos would descend upon the gods, who would eventually reproduce with one another and create a new generation of gods. This new generation would be jealous of their parents for having control over particular concepts, and there would be a war in Heaven. Eventually, the gods would wipe each other out and fairykind would have to fend for itself without them.
Although largely ridiculed and forgotten, it is believed that Manekht's prophecy was partly what influenced the ancient law forbidding the originals from reproducing. It is believed that while the originals did not completely believe Manekht, they were not prepared to take the chance. Belief in Manekht's theories was reawakened after the birth of Poppy, daughter of Aura and first child amongst the originals, whom many believed to be the God of Chaos and Destruction Manekht prophesised about. After Poppy's escape from prison in 1944, the cult of Manekht strengthened and the modern-day leaders of the religion attempted to track down their prophet's original scripts. The scripts, which had long since been lost, record exactly what concepts each of the original fairies are supposed to be gods of. Some scraps have been found and they have been able to piece together and translate the following:
Aura, Goddess of the Fire and the Hot Seasons, the Sun and the Stars; Controller of the Origin of Magick.
Mallos, God of Romance and Fertility; Controller of the Origin of Life.
Allianah, Goddess of War and Combat, Archer Supreme; Controller of Victory in the Battlefield.
Manekht's scripts are extremely valuable and rare. As more are found the information they contain will be put up here.
fairy-christian religions
A few fairy versions of Christianity are worth noting. There are two major fairy Christian churches, both based in the United States of America.
The Fairy Trinity Church is a mild Christian organisation which is tolerant of the original fairies but views them as powerful beings, not as deities. The Fairy Trinity Church is usually happy to work with the Council of Originals and does not actively try to convert people.
The United Church of Fairykind is an extreme Christian organisation which views the original fairies as blasphemous and intolerable. It actively works against the council and its mission is to convert the world to its cause. The United Church of Fairykind views all other Christian organisations as being false.
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