The Deities of the Senari
~ Icon of Dipatar and his attendant deities at his temple in Senartis (many centuries after the current time)
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SUPREME BEING
The One: The Supreme Being, Eternal, Transcendant, Sustainer of Existence from which emanates the gods. God. The One is understood within a panentheistically inclined theology, in that all the gods are believed to emanate from the One and are immanent within the existence He eternally creates and sustains through His general providence. The One is thus simultaneously present and immanent in existence through the presence of his emanations, ie the gods, but is inaccessible and beyond mortal knowing or contact being at once transcendent and beyond the existence he eternally sustains.
HEAVENLY GODS
Sentis: god of life, generation, development and growth.
Shotar: god of Death, Destruction, Retrogression and Decay.
~ These two gods through their action maintain the cycle of ages and life through time. The Senari view of time could thus be described as a spiralling cycle of growth followed by decay moving ever forward along the axis of existence. The represent the dual cosmic forces acting on creation and proceeding from the ultimate source of existence in the One.
Arsatos: god of Truth, maintainer of the divine order and giver of prophecy.
Imratos: god of Purpose, observes the divinely ordained purpose of all things
Harenis: god of Righteousness, the smiter of the wicked, the judge of souls.
Taran: god of Victory, the destroyer of obstacles.
Phenetas: god of Purity, the bringer of peace and the salvation and divinisation of souls.
Athanaris: god of Immortality, the bestower of eternal life upon the saved
Helein: god of dominion, the institutor of sovereignty and power.
~ The seven purities represent the attributes believed to be necessary for the aedification and exaltation of the soul, and for ultimate salvation through union with the One. They are deifications and manifestations of the divine attributes believed to emanate from the supreme being.
~ Celestial messengers (Astares), ergo angels, count amongst the heavenly gods, counted as servants in the court of heaven under the higher divinities. The Senari don't generally recognise individual angels separately from the host of heaven in general.
TERRESTRIAL GODS
Dipatar: The Earth god, god of the stone and soil.
Pasaris: The Sea god, Lord of waters
Ioten: The Sky god, Lord of winds
Makaris: The god of trade, civilisation and human relations.
Tarsenari: Tutelary protector goddess of the Senari
Faebella: The goddess of fire
Votis: The god of priestly rites and the virtue of religion.
Phaetis: The free god, patron of liberality, intoxication, madness and religious ecstasy and visions.
Daimara: the goddess of motherhood and the hearth, patron of women
Daegar: The god of battles.
Garion: The god of craftsmen
Timaeus: The seeker of knowledge, god of explorers and scholars.
Herotan: The god of wisdom and hidden knowledge.
Haeon: The god of the sun
Navara: The goddess of the moon
Genshotis: The god of agriculture and the fields
Asurios: The forest god
Nerea: goddess of the hunt
Metria: patron goddess of the meterics
Amora: goddess of sexual love, female fertility and childbirth.
Eleurian: god of male fertility and sexuality. Husband of Amora.
Adaemos: child god of joy and peace, patron of children.
Rhaena: tutelary goddess of the straits of Senartis, a bride of the sea god Pasaris.
Autaris: god of art, inspiration, poetry and beauty
Terama: goddess of boundaries, guardian of social order, and traditions.
Phenasios: god of healing and medicine
Erephanes: god of dreams, sleep and rest.
Iovea: goddess of wealth and prosperity.
Pallon Senartis: The city god of Senartis.
Balanis: The god of rain and storms.
numerous others...
~ The terrestrial gods are those of natural forces and places, as well as aspects of everyday existence. They are perceived as incarnating those forces with the presence of these gods being everywhere present within the forces they embody (animism). Due to this constant presence of divine forces the Senari see it as essential to propitiate the gods to obtain favour, and to sedulously practice appropriate rituals. The relationship of the Senari to the terrestrial order of gods then is contractual, with these gods being asked for earthly favours and propitiated to maintain a good relationship with the same, where the heavenly gods are much more highly exalted and seen as a way to personal salvation, and spiritual enlightenment and union with the ultimate reality (which despite being transcendant is still omnipresent and infused with the universe, since the Senari perceive of all the gods as emanating from this one supreme source).
~ This kind of deity technically includes the numerous genii loci, ancestor spirits, and so forth honoured by the Senari.
DEMONS
Talatar: Demon of Wrath, Anger, Wanton Violence and Unjust War.
Aita: Demoness of Lies and Deceptions, the placer of obstacles.
Ophoris: Demon of Vanity, Pride and Hubris.
Maninis: Demon of Sloth, Spiritual laziness and apathy
Aelana: Demoness of Lust, sensuality and perversion
Indagar: Demon of Greed, and materiality.
Zalephar: Demon of Gluttony, consumption and wastefulness.
Machaeus: Demon of rebellion, blasphemy and apostasy
Engutitheus: Demon of Despair and hopelessness
Istrion: Demon of Annihilation, the destroyer of souls.
~ Evil gods feared and loathed by the Senari, never prayed too in public religion although some in secret make sacrifices to propitiate them and ward away their malignant presence, or to curse enemies.
~ Many lesser demons as a general category of evil spirit, exist under the greater demons above mentioned
HALLOWED ANCESTORS
Sennaris: The Primordial Ancestor of the Senari People, the first Basat of the People and the primordial priest-king.
Rasenna: The wife of Sennaris, mother of the Senari people, the first Queen.
~ The ancestors of clans, and particularly notable individuals are deified and worshipped as hallowed ancestors, the most notable of these being the primordial ancestor gods of all Senari, Sennaris and Rasenna. Less notable ancestors, that is to say all who have perished and been given appropriate funeral rites are given due honour and reverence by their descendants at family altars and at their graves, both to propitiate their spirits lest they cause problems for the living, and to obtain their blessings and protection for their descendants. Those who die in untoward circumstances, didn't receive appropriate funeral rights, or who were particularly wicked in life are considered to become evil spirits in death that must be warded away through exorcisms and appeal to the gods.