The Ancestral Beliefs and You - A Short Guide

Admin Antall Innlegg : 244 Join date : 2012-06-27

The Ancestral Beliefs and You - A Short Guide
by Anaei/Magaskawee

Hello, Guttentag, Bonjour etc etc.. Welcome to Anaei's Guide to Worship!

The Ancestors are Arathorians who are long gone, passed away in battle, sickness, or of age. They await us in their halls to raise a mug to us, to let us join their grand feast. We ask for their guidance, for they have seen more in their final moments than we ever can in life. We honor them, for they gave their life's for our land. -Saihna

This brief summary of what the ancestors are is key to understanding how you as a player; be you Arathorian, Stormwindian, Dwarven or Gnomish would react and interact to the faith. The Ancestral Beliefs are not like any other religions per sei. The Ancestral beliefs hold true to the fact that all the Ancestors were and are men. Flesh and blood that ascended to the halls in glory and honour. They hold the power of any spirit; sometimes this is more and can be granted to the still living but we do not revere these ancestors as Gods.

The Ancestors and other Religions

Most people who ask me about the Ancestors ask 'what about x religion in comparison with y do they clash?' It's surprising just how understanding the Ancestors are of other faiths.

The Light - The Light is one of the most misunderstood connections to the Ancestors. Stromgarde does have paladins, it has priests who wield the light including my own Anaei. The Light is a divine force, granted to us by an unknown source. This source is unknown to all races; even the Draenei do not have a source as the Naa'ru are 'of the light' not 'the light'. Going back and using the fact that the Ancestors are not divine means that the Light melds well with the Faith. The Ancestors too wielded the light and ARathor's descendants shall too. We simply do not revere the Light as an entity or a deity but a natural force like magic.

The Titans - The Titans are a touchy subject, obviously it is clear they created the world, therefore they created the Vry'kul who in turn were cursed with flesh and devolved once more into Humans. However the ARathorians do not put much stock in worshipping or aknowledging them as the dwarves have shown us proof that they are gone from the world and are not Gods themselves and cannot hear prayer. Therefore the Ancestral Faith does not quarrel with Titan beliefs however they do not go together.

I'm not an Arathorian.

I've been asked so many times, "Do I believe in this as a mercenary?" No. Of course you don't. Unless you were raised into this faith or convert you have no reason to believe it. However if you wish to be an Arathorian citizen you must convert to this faith and even then you must be human. Therefore when an ancestral event occurs in the guild and you are not of the faith you go simply to show support to your fellow soldiers without the need to worship.

I am an Arathorian, what should I be doing?

Arathorian worship is a lot like Nordic Worship. It was done via battle and feasting. We are not appeasing Gods, we are celebrating and fighting in the name of the fallen therefore we have no pomp ceremonies like those unto the light. However there is a Clergy of the Ancestors which venerates 'the High Ancestors' whom we believe hold the most power and deserve appeasement. Unless a priest as a normal Arathorian you are expected only to do your duty and follow the commandments to revere the Ancestors.

This sums up the Ancestral Faith for beginners. If you feel i've left anything out or have any questions please post ahead and ask!