Yub

The Yub religion honors the Goddess of Nightmares and Names. A religion with a small number of followers, they believe that the goddess knows the true name of every living thing and gives them their purpose as she calls their name.

Temples and Clergy

Rites and Rituals

Birth Rites

Coming Soon: The Baby Blessing of the Goddess of Names

In the Yub tradition, shortly after a baby is born, the parents bring the child to a religious ceremony where the clergy offers a blessing and anoints the child with oil. The clergy also calls on a guardian spirit who will protect the child through life and the parents declare the child's official name.

Coming of Age

When a child of the Yub faith turns eighteen, they spend three days and nights at the temple, at the mercy of She Who Knows and her clergy. The child is usually given a plain bedroom in which to sleep and a curfew during which time they must spend in the room. The rest of the time, they are free to roam and explore the temple and speak with any of the clergy. The child is fed and cared for, and in no way physically harmed or neglected. During their stay, however, the clergy perform rituals to induce nightmares in the child. This may include religious rituals, creating disturbing sounds, light effects, or smells near the child's room, and providing food with hallucinogenic effects. Though the goal of the three days is for the child to face their nightmares, the clergy do not intend to break the child, and attend to both their physical and emotional needs, meaning each experience is personalized to the child in particular.
At the end of the ordeal, the clergy traditionally declare the role that the goddess has named for this child to play in life, though in some modern temples, this practice has been disbanded other than declaring new clergy members. If they declare that the child is to become a new member of the clergy, they remain in the temple. Otherwise, they return to their home until their marriage is arranged. Traditionally, this is first time the child spends away from their parents.

Marriage

In this religion, marriages are arranged by parents and clergy. Though the arrangement process often begins within a month of the completion of the coming of age ritual, the final marriage often takes place 1-3 years after the first steps of arrangement begin. The time between is what is known as the courting period, during which potential spouses will have chaperoned meetings to get to know each other. Because the Yub community is small, it is common that spouses will have met before their marriage, but this is not always the case. Potential spouses continue to live with their parents until they are married.
Yub marriages always occur between a man and a woman, as one of each is necessary for balance and breeding. The couple dresses in formal clothing, usually red or purple. Often the woman will wear purple with a red veil and the man will wear purple with red accents. Similarly, wedding gifts are often wrapped in red paper, red decorations are hung in the temple, and the couple stands under a red canopy. They are brought to the canopy by their parents, where the Yub priest speaks to them about their responsibilities to one another. The couple's hands are tied with purple and red ribbons, after which they speak their vows to each other and to the goddess, and the priest blesses them. A short meal is held afterward, during which the couple remains bound together with the ribbon. Then they are taken to their new home and left alone for the first time. If a new home cannot be obtained for the couple, at the very least a private location is obtained for the night, but a new home is preferred, as this is the place where the couple will raise their own family.
Divorce first requires an appeal by one of the spouses to a member of the Yub clergy, with an explanation as to why the divorce is necessary. If the clergy grants the divorce, there is no ceremony, but both partners are notified of the divorce. The clergy officiating the divorce also declares the terms of said divorce, as well as enforcing them.

Death Rites

When a person of the Yub faith dies, close family and friends wear the traditional black and white of mourning, and the length of time which they wear these colors signifies how close they were to the deceased, who is usually buried in a cemetery or graveyard. Before the body is buried, it is ritually cleaned and anointed with holy oil by a member of the temple clergy. The holy oil is intended to protect the dead from the Nightmare Realm, where the unholy burn. Then the body is wrapped in a cotton shroud and buried facing west--the direction of the setting sun. This direction is representative of the goddess, and burying the body facing this direction means the soul and the goddess will easily see each other, so she may bring the soul rest as she does nightly to all of Nideon. The body should be buried as quickly as possible, and the possessions distributed, whether to family, friends, or charity. Ideally, this should happen before the second sunset after the person's death. Followers of Yub believe that if the body is not buried properly, or if the possessions are not distributed quickly, the body may return for them and become trapped in the world of the living as a vengeful ghost.

Color Symbolism

Clothing colors have very specific meanings to the followers of Yub.

• Blue--the Yub holy color, only to be worn by Clergy
• Black and White--colors of mourning
• Purple--worn primarily by royalty of people of importance
• Red--considered lucky and worn for important occasions
• Green--considered unlucky, and rarely worn at all
• Brown--indicates the wearer has committed a crime

Type

Religious, Organised Religion

Related Myths

• The First Government of Antarand

Gender Roles

Though the Yub do not have strict gender roles within their religion, men and women are expected to identify as the gender they were assigned at birth. Anything else is considered second-guessing the work of the goddess. This belief is less common in Antarand, however, as trans and non-binary genders are accepted by the law and broader society.