Aspectism - The Seasonal Solstices

[WuHanXianShi14 0]

The Aspectist rite is an ancient faith tied irrevocably to the wood elven people, yet holds adherents within the other two cousin races of elven kind. It centers around the worship of the two patron gods of the wild, Cerridwen and Cernunnos, the Mother and Father, as well as the Mani Beast Princes that serve under them.

 

In thousands of years of lineal culture, many traditions have been created. Many lost, some regained. The Aspectist ancestors of the Wood Elven people held a strong tradition of festivity, ceremony, and ritual procession tied synonymously with the passing of seasons, a phenomenon attributed to the Aspects. Each season brings upon its own symbolism and traditions, each centered around worship of the Aspects and attunement to the natural world.

 

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The Autumn Equinox

Each Lantern bares the name of a loved one passed.

 

Autumn is the season of passing. It is when the leaves fall from the trees, the insects begin to thin, and the beasts of the forest begin to gather sustenance for their hibernation dens. Autumn is the season of the horned man, of death. As such, the Wood Elves choose this season to honour their dead, and see them safe passing into the next life.

 

The Autumn Memorial is a somber affair. It is led by a Naelurir priest, who invites elves of the faith to the sea. The druidic priest fashions many paper lanterns designed to float over the water, and grows lilypads to support them. They speak a mass prayer to the deceased, offering their souls safe passage into the next life, by the Aspects grace.

 

Each elf in attendance is then responsible for writing the name of someone they have lost on a paper lantern, and setting it, along with a material offering of the deceased (for example, if they enjoyed wine in life, put a flask of it next to the lantern). They then push their lantern and offering out into the ocean. The sea becomes alight with dozens of flickering flames drifting outwards, each representing a soul passing into the next life with the blessing of their loved ones and the Aspects.

 

The Winter Solstice

They dance and drum through the night, invoking the blessing of the Prince of Deer.

 

Winter is the season of desolation, where little grows and life turns to endurance and survival. The mali’ame turn to sensations of warmth and protection from the evil spirits of the wintertide darkness, as is reflected in this season’s traditions.

 

The Winter Dance is a celebration of the story of Amaethon and the Silent Beast, a story of a malicious cursed bestial killer, and a stalwart protector, Amaethon- Mani Prince of the Cervidae. The dance is led by a Naelurir druid, who lights a great bonfire and sets deerhide drums for faithful elves to gather around. The Elves each take a drum and begin a great beat, as the Naelurir druid lays a great offering of game by the bonfire.

 

An actor dressed as Lyu, the silent beast and ancient feral sneaks past the clearing and attempts to ‘steal’ the offering. Next enters an actor dressed as Amaethon, the great stag prince. The two ‘fight’ in the form of a sacred dance while the elves beat their drums, attempting to scare off the great wolf. The dance ends traditionally with Amaethon triumphing over the Silent Beast.

 

The Winter dance celebrates mali’ame folklore and history, and evokes both the dark beasts that threaten wood elf kind, as well as the guardian spirits that banish them, bringing light to a dark time of year.

 

The Spring Equinox

In pools of rebirth, Druids find their totem, and Elves find reawakening.

 

Spring is the season of the green mother, the transitory season of rebirth. Spring is about the shedding of the old and the embracing of the new, and this is reflected in how the mali’ame celebrate it.

 

The Spring Ritual is a quiet, reflective procession. Like all other seasonal traditions, it is led by a Naelurir- a druidic priest. The priest invites a flock of elves of the Aspect’s faith to the holy brazier, the altar of offerings. There, each elf must make a sacrifice, throw a symbolic embodiment of an old aspect of their life into the fire. The traditional offering to make is one’s own hair.

 

The procession proceeds into the sacred grove of the Aspects, where they sit next to the waters of the attunement pool. Each elf drinks from the spring and lets the sacred water cleanse away the worries and stresses of the previous year. They let their souls be born anew.

 

Finally, the Naelurir bestows upon each participant of the ritual a Tiva wreath- a line of flowers. Specifically, a wreath of tulips and mayflowers, ancient traditional symbols of youthfulness and rebirth. These flowers carry the Aspect’s blessing, and those who participated leave the grove baring their boon, ready to embrace spring.

 

The Summer Solstice

Summer is a time for vibrancy, costumes, colour and fire.

 

Summer is a season brimming with life, colour and vibrancy. Where food is bountiful and the newborns spawned in spring turn to adulthood. Summer is the season of coming of age, the season of fire. The mali’ame celebrate it accordingly.

 

The Summer Festival is an iridescent, public ceremony which encompasses entire communities of elves. The trees, streets and buildings of elven cities are painted in vibrant rainbow hues to celebrate the Green Lady’s touch of life. A shrine to the Mother is placed in the center of cities and surrounded by flowers, grown and offered by all elves of the Aspectist rite. Priests grow wreaths of Tiva that represent strength, adulthood and fertility and offer them to their flock.

 

The festival culminates in the competition of the Summer Prince, a trial born in fire. Two flaming hoops and a bed of coals are set up on a flat surface. Elves seeking to prove themselves worthy volunteer to jump through these hoops, then walk over the coals. Fire is a sacred essense of the Aspects, and to endure its touch is to show one’s dedication to the Mother and Father.

 

The winner of the trial of fire is given a bronze crown and dubbed the ceremonial title of the Summer Prince, an honourary banner of piety and vitality among the wood elven people.

 

Worked on with support from Delmodan, GaiaLOTC, Unbaed, ShadowedOblivion, Mitt0

 

[Starfelt 1437]

The Stallion Druid Screamed. Sending word to Artimec, something about only having two solstices, Winter & Summer. Fall & Spring are Equinoxes.

[Gallic 1066]

"Actin' like Aspectists invented the turnin' of the wheel. Hogwash." Gwion grumbles, though still refuses to admit any connection to paganism when faced with accusations of heathenry.

[osumanduas 1442]

Moved to The Great Library. It shall be sorted into the appropriate category shortly.

 

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