The Silmaen animistic religion, sometimes called Tieene Faith, was the dominant religion among elvenkind. It was directly derived from teachings of the Silmarilus and was often seen as the one true religion.

History

Silmaen religion developed soon after the birth of elvenkind, with the emergence of the Tieene legend. Soon thereafter, the first Naeven was named, and the religion was formalized in a core scripture called Naevenilsk. Thereafter, it was often the one religion accepted in elvish society, although an opposition movement - Impulsivism - also emerged early on and managed to stubbornly accompany the Silmaens throughout history.

Silmaen Mythos

The original mythos was designed primarily by the simplistic high and plain elven societies of Arborea. The scriptures they produced remained quasi-unaltered throughout later history.

Applied Silmaen Animism

The mythos and teachings of this religion were modest and simple, but their interpretation in elvish society was often different from what the Tieene taught.

Paths of Life

A young elf was expected to choose their path of life - usually just a synonym for "occupation" - at a relatively young age, once their basic education was complete. Their making a choice was surrounded by a great ritual, during which elves confirmed their path before the clergy.

Once the path was set, an individual had to "follow it". But often, this was not so clear. Accordingly, they had to receive wisdom from a priest, who could show them the correct way by speaking with nature's spirits. This gave clergy much social and political influence, because they could essentially say what people had to do. Sometimes, they even demanded actual payments to make divinations, and allowed more favorable choices only at the cost of certain donations.

Clergy

Many elvish societies were not centralized. In tribes, one or two individuals had enough magical skills - usally in the holy domain, drawing power from Illrune or another deity - to communicate with nature's spirits. The idea of "paths of life" was applied more loosely, and priests served more as guidance counselors. Settlements and such had a more established clergy, naming one priest with a clear authority who could officialize paths and lead followers along it.

In larger societies, the clergy often appointed a Naeven, essentially their head, to justify the ecclesiastic hierarchy. The Naeven was said to be the most enlightened priests who could speak for the gods themselves, while the others could draw their own knowledge "only" from nature's spirits. Although not necessarily the case, these clergies often overshot the ideal Silmaen values, controlling or manipulating society and exercising power.

Culture

Many elves performed the Vierclae mating ritual. Some days before engaging in actual mating, the couple would visit a pond or other body of water with nearby clay deposits. If the woman completely rubbed herself in clay, she was believed to have been cleaned, more fertile, and able to produce a child with long life span. In more urban societies, the idea of clay grew more abstract, and women were only expected to apply clay in more localized areas, or to wear a clay talisman during and after mating.

In animism, dinosaurs were the First Children. It was relatively unique in fey religions to have a beast race associated with the actual humanoid one. Initially, dinosaurs were valuable for survival, because fresh water collected in their footsteps, their bodies provided good wind-breaks and protection from predators for a night, they limited the spread of the forest, and they left a trail of fertility behind them. In all societies, dinosaurs were respected even more than "other children", and were often given an extraordinary status in other cultural domains. Dinosaur-inspired styles, or derivations such as draconic admiration, were common. Notably, the Naeven's symbol of office was commonly a bracelet of scales collected off a dead body. In contrast to other animals, dinosaur corpses were not seen as untouchable, but as a great gift of resources and food by the Silmarilus. Of course, this could only happen from natural deaths, say, if a herbivore was killed by a raptor "in the Silmarilus' name".

Dissidents

Throughout Silmaen history, there arose individuals or groups who criticized the faith. Often, these were relatively young people who suffered a major unforeseen change in their life, such as a sudden emotional yearning - often love - but weren't allowed to pursue their desires due to clerical dictation. They felt that they could find their own way through life, and were called Impulsivists. This movement sometimes grew so institutionalized that it became a full distinction of Silmaen faith, one in which individuals could find their way through life based on emotion and the "natural instinct" or "natural compass".