Giant Pantheon
The giant pantheon (or Ordning when used with an initial capital) was the group of deities worshiped by giants and giant-kin. They are primarily the divine children of Annam born by his consort(s), mostly before his marriage to Othea. They primarily dwell in Jotunheim.
All priests, regardless of which god they are dedicated to, are trained together by the stormazîn. Due to the widely varying nature of belief among giants, the training of priests is a general education of the general customs pertaining to all members of the Ordning rather than indoctrination into the specifics of any one deity. Shamans serve as lesser clergymen below true priests. Shamans are generally chosen and trained by the priests they serve. Every two years, new clergymen are officially anointed by the stormazîn in a ceremony dedicated to Annam.
Giant priests are rarely the head of their tribes, but an ancient custom allows them to overrule their tribe's leader if they enter into a parley with the priest of another tribe and both agree that the actions of the leader(s) would run counter to the will of Annam. While this theoretically is based on mystical rites and divine communication, in reality it os often simply a mundane negotiation of power between the priests involved to guarantee an outcome favorable to both. This practice become rarer as giant numbers dwindled due to less contact between tribes. Tribes also can not afford to have such obvious disputes between their religious and temporal leaders, as it generally leads to a division within the tribe that can lead to it breaking up.
Stormazîn The stormazîn is the Great Priest of Annam and represented the peak of the religious hierarchy. The stormazîn is always a male priest of great power and hold the title for life. They are required to tend Annam's grand temple in the Ice Spires but also regularly travel to attend various ceremonies and to sort out disputes between clergy members. The position is highly respected in giant society, but they hold no official sway over non-religious matters despite their opinion being valued on the rare occasion they give it. Worship Giants hold no common view of their gods. Religious beliefs differ between giants of different races and tribes, even if they worshiped the same god, to the point that internecine squabbles could be equally as violent as those between worshipers of different gods. Festivals and practices of each tribe were based in general beliefs held by all giants, but the details were unique to the priest presiding over it. It was rare for a tribe to have more than two priests at a time. While the specifics of worship and religious views vary, all giants recognize Annam All-Father, the father of the giant races, as the supreme deity. Giants acknowledged and revered the entire pantheon, but most tribes restricted their actual worship to one or two patron gods. The worship of any legitimate giant deity was acceptable in the temple of another giant deity. Giants believed that if they died in battle, the servants of Annam known as Muspel and Muznir would carry their spirits to Jotunheim to fight for the Ordning and pursue whatever they considered to be the highest virtue for eternity. Giant priests also believed that shortly before the death of particularly pious clergymen that priest would be invited to dine with the Ordning in Gudheim, the home of Annam All-Father himself. Deities The primary gods of the Ordning and majority of the sirilians are:
Stormazîn The stormazîn is the Great Priest of Annam and represented the peak of the religious hierarchy. The stormazîn is always a male priest of great power and hold the title for life. They are required to tend Annam's grand temple in the Ice Spires but also regularly travel to attend various ceremonies and to sort out disputes between clergy members. The position is highly respected in giant society, but they hold no official sway over non-religious matters despite their opinion being valued on the rare occasion they give it. Worship Giants hold no common view of their gods. Religious beliefs differ between giants of different races and tribes, even if they worshiped the same god, to the point that internecine squabbles could be equally as violent as those between worshipers of different gods. Festivals and practices of each tribe were based in general beliefs held by all giants, but the details were unique to the priest presiding over it. It was rare for a tribe to have more than two priests at a time. While the specifics of worship and religious views vary, all giants recognize Annam All-Father, the father of the giant races, as the supreme deity. Giants acknowledged and revered the entire pantheon, but most tribes restricted their actual worship to one or two patron gods. The worship of any legitimate giant deity was acceptable in the temple of another giant deity. Giants believed that if they died in battle, the servants of Annam known as Muspel and Muznir would carry their spirits to Jotunheim to fight for the Ordning and pursue whatever they considered to be the highest virtue for eternity. Giant priests also believed that shortly before the death of particularly pious clergymen that priest would be invited to dine with the Ordning in Gudheim, the home of Annam All-Father himself. Deities The primary gods of the Ordning and majority of the sirilians are:
- Annam All-Father, Once the greater god of magic, fertility, learning, and philosophy and the chief deity of the giant pantheon, hailed as the creator of the giant races.
- Baphomet, a tanar'ri demon lord who some ogres worshiped to gain the power to take revenge on the true giants for their betrayal of Othea. A few giants followed him as well.
- Diancastra, demigoddess of trickery, thievery, mischief, and to some extent fertility. She has no true priesthood but a substantial following.
- Grolantor, god of combat and hunting. He os primarily worshiped by hill giants, but he also have a following among frost giants, ettins, and ogres.
- Hiatea, goddess of nature, agriculture, hunting, and childbirth. She is primarily worshiped by fire and stone giants, as well as female giants of all races.
- Iallanis, goddess of love, mercy, forgiveness, and beauty. She is a well-loved goddess and worshiped by good giants and giant-kin of many races.
- Memnor, god of pride and control. His followers are exclusively evil cloud giants.
- Othea, a goddess who is the wife of Annam All-Father and mother to the races of giants and giant-kin.
- Skoraeus Stonebones, god of stone and mountains. He has little interest in any giants but the stone giants.
- Stronmaus, god of sun, sky, weather, seas, and joy. He is the patron of the storm giants and the cloud giants.
- Surtr, god of fire. He is the patron of the fire giants.
- Thrym, god of ice and cold. He is the patron of frost giants. A few other powers were known as interloper gods of the giant pantheon:
- Vaprak, lesser god of greed and combat who drew the worship of many ogres.
Type
Religious, Pantheon
Notable Members
Comments