Elosian-Stofonian Religions

The religions of Elosians and Stofonians are closely related, and generally treated as a group, or sometimes as the continued development of a single faith.

Pre-Imperial Elosian Polytheism
Few details remain, because of such effective propaganda in later times, in favor of the official religions. Assumed to have at least the gods of later systems, with many more that were later lost.

Elosialism
The state religion of the Elosian Empire.

The empire promoted and demoted some in status, and eliminated others. It is also assumed that the names of some gods were changed.

Parckep
Parckep ("first god") was the god who created the universe, the sun, the moon, and stars. He may have also created the land and seas, but he did not populate them with living things.

He was not particularly active in human affairs, having been more important in former times.

In what is probably a surviving tale from the pre-Imperial myth, he was blinded in one eye by Namckon with a hot poker. The sun was his good eye, the moon his bad eye. By imperial times the gods were not thought of as being humanoid in form, so this was interpreted symbolically even then.

Some later stories have Parckep assuming human form and going about anonymously as a beggar, rewarding those who showed him kindness. These were not widely taken as religious doctrine, however.

Yerckon
Yerckon ("our father", "our parent", "our lord"), is the god who created animals, plants, and human beings. In some versions of the creations story he made the land and sea rather than Parckep.

The name Yerckon is assumed to be an epithet added when he was adopted as the main god invoked in the Imperial rites. His original name is lost. He was the patron god of the city-state of Elos in pre-imperial times, and he became the protector of the Empire.

With Parckep de-emphasized, and all other gods demoted in status, Yerckon was worshipped in an almost monotheistic (or at least henotheistic) manner.

Namckon
The "father of troubles" or "father of evil" is another god whose original name is lost.

He attempted to overthrow Parckep as king of the gods, attacking him with a red hot poker. He succeeded in blinding one eye, but was overpowered by the other gods and thrown "outside" the dome of the sky. The dome is transparent, however, and two stars in the night sky are said to be the eyes of Namckon, watching and hating the world when Parckep's one good eye is hidden. (One of these stars is actually Sol!)

He is a near-Satanic sower of dischord in the world, whispering evil into the ears of men and encouraging death and chaos in every way possible.

Worship of Namckon was a capital offense.

Parshielism
The original tribal religion of the Stofonians.

Ijermeshielism
The Elosial religion was imported wholesale by Ijermesil I of the Kingdom of Stofonia. This was a deliberate attempt to duplicate the Elosians' success at uniting their empire under a single religion.

Ijermeshielism is essentially the Elosian religion but with rituals conducted in Stofonian rather than Elosian.

Yerckon's name was calqued to Ristkon.