Old Faith
The Old Faith is a religion revolving around nature and natural forces. It is the oldest religion of the Old World, but these days it has been largely overshadowed by newer cults. [3]
Originally drawn to the stone circles that they found across the land, a class of shaman known as Druids emerged to teach and record their folklore. Such traditions are still upheld in rural pockets of the Empire, in half-forgotten hamlets and remote valleys. [2a]
Beliefs
Followers of the Old Faith worship no deity in the conventional sense. Although there is the concept of a Mother Goddess Goederan, [2b] who symbolises the earth and the fertility of nature, devotees generally concern themselves with the forces of nature on a smaller scale. [3]
Holy days are the summer and winter solstices, and the spring and autumn equinoxes. Lesser holy days are associated with full and new moons. [3]
Ancestor worship is another ancient practice linked to the Old Faith, whereby a family honours its known ancestors, giving thanks to them and seeking their protection. However Witch Hunters, Sigmarites, and priests of Morr often consider talking to the dead perilously close to necromancy. [2a]
Cult
The Old Faith still survives in the least advanced parts of the Old World, mainly in the north and west. Followers of the Old Faith are Druids and many rangers. "Sacred groves", which are small clearings in the depths of forests, serve as places of meeting and worship in the Old Faith. Ancient sites such as stone circles and barrows are also associated with the Old Faith. [3]
In the Old World, the Old Faith is generally regarded with a secret awe. Relations are best with the cult of Taal, as he is the husband of Rhya, who is a form of the Mother. [3]
History
Humans of what would become the Old World were united in the worship of Ishernos, the god-and-goddess of nature and a now mostly forgotten pantheon of minor gods and spirits. [2a]
Teclis came to the sacred groves of the druids and awakened the waystones of the stone circles, telling them that they were originally raised by his own ancestors. Roughly a third of the druid families would not listen and retreated deeper into the forests. The rest joined the Jade Order. [1a]
Pantheon
It is more a collection of beliefs and traditions that date back to the time before the gods as they are currently understood were worshipped. [2b]
- Cailledh, the Goddess of Rage and Battle. [2b]
- Goederan: Mother of the Gods who journeys the skies in her silver chariot. [2b]
- Ishernos, god and-goddess figure seen as governing nature and fertility. [2b]
- Medhe, the Stormlord, god of magic, many barrows are decorated with his sigil. [2b]
- Naiedhe, the Trickster Goddess. [2b]
- The God of Death. [2b]
Spirits
Ancient spirits have long been worshipped across the World, often manifest in a certain location and apparently shaped by mortals’ perceptions of the area. A specific feature such as a copse, rocky crag or a river, will often have an associated spirit but a old house, ruin, or castle can also generate its own ancient spirit. [2a]
Gallery
Druid
Sources
- 1:Tome of Salvation
- 1a: A Brief History of the Cults of the Empire, pg. 6-7
- 2: Archives of the Empire Vol III
- 3: WFRP Rulebook (1st Edition), Section 5: Religion & Belief, The Old Faith, pg. 206
| The gods & goddesses of the Old World |
| Old Faith - Rhya - Taal - Ulric - Manann - Morr - Verena - Myrmidia - Shallya - Ranald - Handrich - Stromfels - Khaine - Sigmar - Lady of the Lake - Lucan & Luccina - Ursun - Dazh - Tor - Esmeralda |
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