Germantá

Short introduction

A germantá (pl.: germantaés) is a college of priests connected to a certain ancient cult in Tarrabaenian religion. They date back to times immemorial and are connected to basic needs, concepts and principles of life in pre-urbanised societies. There is a number of these colleges that are universally revered in all of the Confederation of Tarrabaenia but also specific ones to some of the provinces.

History

Not much is known of the origins of these cults, but since they all practise a tradition known as pompa (pl.: pompé), it can for sure be assumed that they are equally ancient. This is, because the Pompé are connected to very basic principles and the the concept of change and transition, a group of phenomena that is vital to ancient societies, nomadic or sedentary. The oldest sources hinting at the existence of germantaés are fragments of their 'perfecta', that is documentations of their activities within the cycle of two Pompé. Perfecta are also a type of document unique to the germantaés, as other colleges of priests like séfrátérés, rícés, collegií and others have their own individual forms of documentation.

Tasks and role in society

As a germantá is responsible to hold Pompé, they play sometimes more, sometimes less important roles in society. It is noteworthy, that germantaés connected to rites of passage have risen in importance, probably due to the rising complexity of the Tarrabaenian society. Rising through age groups or civil or military ranks plays an important role in Tarrabaenia and has made these germantaés ever more present. On the other hand some germantaés loose importance, as society gradually shifts away from an agricultural lifestyle to an urbanised one.

This does not mean that a germantá is abandoned. They are still all alive and working according to what they are destined to do. Even with some being relegated to a less societally important role, they still perform and are in the public consciousness due to their elaborate Pompé and especially the following festivities, which are of religious nature, but still provide opportunities to feast and celebrate, thus staying attractive to the public to this very day.

Even if some germantaés lose their religious importance in the public eye, they are still among the most influential and revered institutions of the Tarrabaenians. They are

Type

Religious, Other