If a religion is what its followers do, then start with a single verb and extrapolate.
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| All images from Alphonse Mucha's Slav Epic |
Psych, this post isn't about gods at all, it's about their followers. This post is inspired by Mindsorm Press’s Biblically Inaccurate Religions, which I'd recommend reading first. In it, author Ty and an expert friend sketch out believable religions such as the Renunciants (who reject worldliness) and the Testifiers (ecstatic proselytisers). I shall also append James Young's Denialists (nonconformist zealots).
What do all these religions have in common? Their names. Nomen est omen, baby. More specifically, a single verb: to Renounce, to Testify, to Deny. Entire dogmas, religious practices, modes of being and worldviews can flow from a single verb.
To me, this seems to produce religions that feel more grounded because you're starting with the believer and their character, rather than with gods, cosmologies or surface aesthetics which tend to be noun-based. Just work on stuff the players will have to deal with first - no more moon-worshippers who are notable only for wearing silvery moon robes, who pray to the moon and talk about how great the moon is.
So, pick a verb (or obtain one at random from Wiktionary) and build a religion's practices, adherents and worldview around that word.
Now, Wiktionary. Wiktionary is Wikipedia but for words and phrases and it has a rather customisable random page functionality. As of writing, it has 57,476 ‘verb’ pages. Try fitting that on a random table! Some are crude, some are hyper-specific scientific terms, but the breadth is unmatched. Click on the link below three times or less and pick your favourite.
THE STEPS:
1. Obtain a VERB.
2. Agentify the verb (don't fret, this isn't the religion's final name, merely its true, secret, working name. That said, it can serve as a nickname). Add a suffix or similar to the verb such as:
- Verb-ites
- Verb-ists
- Verb-men
- Verb-ers
- Verb-ians
- Verb-istas
- Those who Verb
3. Read the verb’s definition. Imagine a religion whose central virtue, philosophy, dogma or instinctive response to the world is that verb, literally or metaphorically. Extrapolate, free associate. See the prompts below for ideas.
4. Only once you are satisfied with the behaviour core, you can begin to name holy books, gods, great evils, holy sites.
5. Optional: To generate a sect, get a random adjective and apply that to your Verb. How does it alter an adherent’s behaviour?
Step 3 Prompts:
*Choose at least 4 of the following. Consider how the verb colours an adherent's:
- Reaction to good (and/or) bad fortune.
- Day to day life, relationship with the mundane
- Aesthetic and material culture
- Relationship with self
- Relationship with the supernatural
- Method of Proselytisation (if any)
- Cultural practices not included above
- Taboos (often the inverse of the verb)
RANDOM ADJECTIVE HERE (for SECT CREATION)
Example Religion and Sect Sketches:
(Apologies if these examples are a little rough and ready, they are truly sketches, but that’s how most world-building starts, no? They’re also the verbs Wiktionary bequeathed me, no fakery here,)
Toil - to labour
Hard work and graft. Wealth obtained by means other than personal labour is deemed unworthy, otherwise wealth is fine. This leads to much flatter hierarchies in Toiler societies (each man is a farmer, warrior-king and priest in his own right) and a persecution of Toilers in societies where the elite see this as a threat. Many a Toiler has turned agrarian revolutionary. Earthy, their hymns are working songs. Their place of worship is wherever a fellow Toiler is working. (You can see I have done some extrapolation here using my LIMITED IMAGINATION)
Taboo: Idleness
Relexicalise - to change the lexicon of; to use different words for. To relexicalize a word.
Mystic-cum-bureaucratic shakers. Seekers of a new divine speak, holy books are new codexes/dictionaries of words. Possible tiered faith as new words are unveiled to them until one is speaking entirely in their holy tongue, like if Scientology was centred around mystic-divine conlang. Their ceremonies are akin to language study groups. Readings are conducted at a level appropriate to each congregation's understanding. Have an academic bend and are knowledgeable of secular tongues. They curse and praise with unintelligible sayings. Sing new songs, write fiction and non-fiction. Utopianists, they question a lot of social assumptions and norms but they have less impact as the wider population don’t understand what they are saying or writing.
SECT: The 'evil-tempered' Relexicalisians
Essentially militant religio-linguists. If radical enough, they may form cadres and cells. If large enough, warbands and holy armies with the goal of holy linguistic war. After an attack, strapped to the body of a suicide-knifeman is a missive to terror written in Relexicalisian. They speak their language to spite you for your ignorance and their presence gives orthodox Relexicalisians a hard time.
Sky the towel - (Australia, slang) To give up; to surrender.
Hippies, pacifistic, ego-death entheogen drinkers. Deferential in any moment of conflict or disagreement (some interpret this as untrustworthiness), possible nudist element, sky burials. They love bunting and flags. When afraid, they endeavour to assume a reclined or fetal position, or they walk away with their hands raised to the heavens. Can often do this when things become difficult and have a reputation for idleness. This is not to say they are inherently pacifistic, I’m sure they’d drop a big rock on someone if it would kill their target instantly.
Taboo: Conflict or disagreement.
Hit Rock Bottom, to reach the lowest possible state in one’s life.
Piety is expressed by the lowness of your station and condition. A faith of squalid hermitage, fasting and barely-productive physical exhaustion. Extremely stoic, verging on self-annihilation. Possible religious experiences akin to voluntary slavery to a church or similar institution with Spartan conditions and long hours. Drinking to oblivion is acceptable, while drinking in moderation is not. If you are having a bad time, a Rock-Bottomer would encourage you to make it worse. When isolated, their communities are utopian, albeit uncomfortable and you might be a little hungry.
Taboo: Guilt-free indulgence. Moderation.
Slurp up, to consume by slurping.
They listen greedily to holy folk of all types, congregations stampede. They ‘consume’ everything, the psycho-physio-spiritual body will either reject or digest it. Prayers and ceremonies are often said with sacred wines poured onto the ground to be slurped up. They hold drunkardly, feasting debates with much agreement and hassling for the attention of whomever seems to be channeling the most divine wisdom. Believers tend to be more open to new experiences and worldviews and respectful to the point of near-obsession with philosophers, holy or wise-folk of any and all faiths save those they have previously rejected.
While the slurpers must have a strong figurehead deity, most Slurper Upper communities tend to take on the features of their local dominant Religion. For this reason the religion is not set to last much longer as many 'slurp up' too much of the dogma of other faiths and are readily converted. Even those with the most eclectic of beliefs will in time found their own autonomous sects.
SECT: Neo-Ottoman Slurper-Uppers
A small bacchanal sect that became obsessed with the 'slurping up' the teaching of philosophers of a long dead empire and by extension, the historic figures of said empire. Their militarism has led to at least some genuine conquests, they have now started militarily slurping up whole peoples and cultures.
WHY? A Ramble and an ADDENDUM:
If the purpose of a system is what it does, then perhaps a religion is what its followers do? The idea of the post is to consider behaviour and habits first. Actual theological justifications can (and should) come later. That way players will understand a faith through the behaviour of its followers rather than the banners they carry or robes they wear and the DM gains a useful heuristic for predicting how adherents react to the world. There is definitely room for a Noun expansion but this draft has been pawed at for too long. Likewise, you can use this method for generating cultures too.
My love of Wiktionary prompted this post by Archons March On which used my random prefix and suffix links (HE STOLE MY IDEA! IF YOU ARE READING THIS SEMIURGE, YOU’RE DEAD). I’ve more Wiktionary inspired posts on the way! 🙂👍
This post was spurred on by Prismatic Wasteland’s RANDOM bandwagon. There are some pretty good randomisifying resources like dice and playing cards, the flight of birds, the entrails of sacrificial animals, and then there are wikis with a good good random page feature. I strongly encourage you to deep dive Wiktionary. To get your brain cooking here are some raw random links:
You can use these as a base to create your own links for any category on Wiktionary, for more specific terms, categories or in other languages.
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