The Grønnskar Religion
Overview
The Grønnskar have five main gods, one for each of the tribe’s animal spirits and the overseer god. The tribes believe that their patron god bestowed upon them the unique ability to shift into their animal, and that their specific god is the guardian of their tribe. Each tribe especially worships their patron god and follows specific customs unique to their god. There are also groves called grandfather woods dedicated to each of these gods in the different territories, the location known only to members of each tribe. Very rarely are these locations disclosed to other tribes, and if one wishes to pay homage to another god, they will be brought to the grandfather wood blindfolded to keep the location a secret. However, do not mistake that the tribes only worship their own gods. All of the tribes pay homage to all of the gods, in their own ways.
Generally the main method of worship is through sacrifice. It is believed that the gods take all the souls of those killed by members of their tribe, so it’s often a contest between the tribes on group raids. While human sacrifice is the highest honor, it is done rarely, typically once every four years. Instead, offerings are made of goats and sheep, and sometimes goods such as furs and woven mats are burned in fire pits in the specific groves. These offerings and sacrifices are generally only done for the patron gods, and the god king. The other more minor gods are generally regarded on a more personal basis if they of are particular interest to an individual. Often tribes will have wise men or women that pay heed to these other minor gods and educate the rest of the tribe on all of the teachings of the gods, including the origin story of the Grønnskar and stories about all of the gods. Often the tribes have differing versions of the stories, but the message is all around the same. The origin story and how the heavens came to be, however, are never debated and the details are the same between the tribes.
Heavens & Afterlife
The Gronnskar have very peculiar beliefs regarding access to the heavens they call Himnaríki. Himnaríki sits at the top of the great tree of life Veröldin. To get to Himnaríki one must die in battle defending the Gronnskar. As such, the elderly are regarded strangely. It is considered more honorable to die young, than to live to an old age. That being said everyone has a chance to get to Himnaríki. The Gronnskar believe that when they die, should it not be in battle, they are returned to Veröldin one branch higher than the one they came from. Should one die a dishonorable death, they are brought two branches down. When it is time, they fall from the tree once more and are reborn into another life to get another chance at Himnaríki. This means that everyone is given ample chances at getting into Himnaríki. If one leads a good life they cannot run out of chances to reach the heavens. However if one leads a bad life, they are brought lower and lower on the tree until after the lowest branch, they fall, never to live again. To fall from the tree of life is to become a Læging and this fate is only wished upon one’s worst worst enemy. There are a few ways to become a Læging without going through the cycle multiple times. This includes murder of one’s family, murder of a child or fleeing from battle.
Origins
The Grønnskar believe all life came from a great tree of life called Veröldin. From this tree, the gods fell. First bear Frigg that made the earth, then the stag Vithar that made the life, then the twin wolves Höðr and Sunna which chased each other through the sky bringing about night and day. The world was quiet and for countless centuries the gods lived in peace. All was well in this time. Then Aki came, or rather he was there all along, watching from the Himnaríki. He saw everything, past, present and future and knew that a new era was rising. He dove down on the gods, and pecked each one of them. Their blood mixed seeping into the ground. A week passed before the blood hit the water at the end of the earth and magma spewed forth. From the blood, the Herjaza came to be, bursting forth from the earth as the magma broke the ground. They were strong and beautiful, and close to the gods. They could bend the world to their needs as it suited them, and the gods watched on, curious how their children would fare.
From the Herjaza came the Grønnskar. The stories vary with how it came to be. Some say the gods did it, others say the Herjaza chose to become the Grønnskar. What is agreed upon is that it happened and when it did, the Herjaza disappeared from the world, leaving it to go to Himnaríki. Some also argue that when the Grønnskar die, they become the Herjaza in the heavens. There is of course always the story that the Herjaza only existed in Himnaríki and they had to become the Grønnskar to descend to Grønnland. Often during rowdy festivals, you can find at least one group arguing and debating over this point. Some argue that the Herjaza wanders the woods in secret causing strange going-ons, though most Grønnskar don’t believe this to be true.
Gods
Disjointed from the four tribe gods is the god king, the eagle Aki. He never interacts with the Grønnskar directly, and in a sense watches over the gods who watch over the Grønnskar. Aki only intervenes when absolutely necessary, instead preferring his distance from all the going-ons. Aki is regarded as a god of fate, the eagle that watches over all things and ensures that everything is going as it should. They say that when he lands, time stops all together and thus allowing him to fix any mistakes that have been made and make things right again. He is not worshipped with any sacrifices, or any religious ceremonies. Instead, you are considered to have done your part for Aki by doing as the gods intended for you. Clearly this is ambiguous and many a drunk has used it as an excuse for their drunkenness. Largely, Aki is regarded with reverence, though rarely spoken of. You could argue that the Grønnskar are superstitious of Aki, and there is a saying that if you say Aki’s name, you call his attention to you for better or worse.
Frigg is the bear goddess. She was the first to fall from Veröldin and when she fell she created the earth, the rocks and the mountains, the land and the sea. She is generally regarded as a great mother protector and often Grønnskar mothers pray to her during pregnancy for strong healthy children. The highest form of worship for Frigg is human sacrifice, after painting the bodies in berry juice. This is done in the grandfather wood in Bear Territory, an open meadow surrounded by large pines and smaller berry bushes. The grasses are covered in red flowers and in the center is a large stone boulder in the shape of a bear. The sacrifices are left at the foot of the bear for Frigg to take as she pleases. It is said she is present at all Bear Tribe births, and many claim to have seen the giant bear in the woods shortly after a baby is brought into the world.
Her partner is the stag Vithar. He was the second to fall from Veröldin and created all life henceforth, from the fish in the sea, to the birds in the sky, but primarily all plant life. It is said with each step he takes new plants grow out of the footsteps. He is worshiped again primarily through human sacrifice. The customs are different depending on what you are praying for, but generally spices are used to adorn the body. Another form of worship for Vithar is the planting of trees, and Stag Tribe takes great care to tend to the land. They never take more than they have to and urge the other tribes to do the same. The grandfather wood for Vithar is grove where many different plants grow with a stream running through it. The sacrifices are done upstream allowing the blood, or remnants of whatever sacrifice is made, run downstream and nourish the plants from which Vithar feeds. It’s said that from Frigg and Vithar came the unicorns, dragons and kraken.
The final two gods are Höðr and Sunna, the two wolves. They are twins and fought each other to fall first from Veröldin. Each of the wolf tribes argues that it is their god that fell first. These two have been chasing each other through the skies ever since. Sunna is the sun goddess, protector of South Wolf Tribe and their female queen. She chases her brother Höðr, the night god, through the sky, never catching one another. Their worship is distinctly different. Sunna is worshipped primarily through fire sacrifices, whereas Höðr prefers for his sacrifices to be either thrown off the highest peak of the Fjell Mountains or left out to freeze. Sunna is considered a benevolent goddess, closer with Frigg and Vithar, whereas Höðr is much colder. Höðr is said to be the most judgmental and picky of the gods, only bestowing his favor on the strongest warriors of North Wolf Tribe. The grandfather wood for Sunna is a warm meadow with a large pit in the center for burning sacrifices. Stones are arranged in this meadow to depict the sun and they are surrounded by bright yellow flowers that cannot be found anywhere else. These flowers have been used, on rare occasions as it is a sin to pick them without just cause, a number of ailments. In contrast the grandfather wood for Höðr is less of a wood and more of a rocky precipice on the highest mountain in the Fjell Mountains. It is the topmost point that humans can reach and stone steps are carved into the rock leading up to it. A stone slab serves as the offering table. Offerings to Höðr are much rarer as the journey is perilous. Anyone who dies on such a journey is considered to be a sacrifice to Höðr.
Besides these main gods are a number of minor deities who are worshipped at the convenience of the Grønnskar.