Religious Observances & Labels

Subject to Update Without Notice

These notes only apply to the Naorhy Version of Spontoon Island

Religion in and itself on Spontoon Island is a mix of many, many customs, though ‘The Big Three’ (TBT) are not any of those so used. TBT are Judaism, Christianity and Islam. These religions have no place in the customs or lives of the average native Spontoon, other than a small pawful of perhaps sixty at most of natives who have rejected their nations religious beliefs. The CORE of Spontoon’s religion is Polynesian. To that have been grafted parts of other ancient religious beliefs, but only where the two agree. Oharu Wei is using her Shinto Temple training to create needed sections of missing parts of Spontoon’s ancient ways lost through the centuries. This is much the same as a writer creating new material to bridge missing sections of a book. Her efforts will meld, they will never be as the original beliefs were. It is why she was brought to Spontoon island. It is, in this life, her destiny.

Labels                                                                                           Explanation

Honored Mother                                     Refers to any Priestess. Most commonly spoken by a native to any Priestess.

Note: Oharu dislikes being referred to as anything but Oharu or

                                                                Priestess, though her wishes are not always respected in this.

                                                                Especially should another Priestess be near, or any tourist.

Honored Great Mother                          Refers to the Spontoon High Priestess alone.

Great One or Great Mother                   How a Priestess refers to all High Priestess’s who ever have been. Are. Ever will be. There is only one High Priestess at a time.

Daughter                                                 How the High Priestess refers to those Priestess’s under her guidance.

Sister                                                      How one Priestess refers to another.

Nine Great Anchors                               The Great Anchor is Sacred Island.

                                                                Within Songmark grounds is found the Womans Anchor.

Somewhere on Moon Island, or under the waters near it, is the

                                                                   Mens Anchor.

                                                                Great Stone Glen is the Anchor of Honor.

                                                                Of the other five Anchors, nothing is known. Yet.

The Great Mistake or The Great Ritual

Originally created by Mr. Simon Barber. Used with permission. Long before the people of Spontoon arrived, long before nearly three hundred priestess’s freely set their souls into slavery in order to make these islands habitable there was another race. An ancient race. A reptilian race that had already forgotten much before the first Neanderthal looked about him in wonder. This race in its foolishness, its decadence, decided to create a Paradise. A place where none died, none aged, none became ill. A place where evil in any form could not exist. To do this they used the already existing Nine Anchors.

They preformed a year long ritual, one involving their whole being, involving ever one who lived on the island, even the youngest child. They created a special Tiki, a Tiki meant to hold forever the darkness, madness, ill fortune that surrounded them. They succeeded, almost.

Observances                                                      Explanation

Morning Song                                        A prayer, sometimes with accompanying music and Hula, to greet the rising sun. Called after False Dawn, timed to begin as the first true rays of sunlight appear.

Evening Song                                        Not exactly an opposite to the morning song, though its last words should fade as the last suns rays fade. It says not goodbye to the setting sun, instead bidding the sun a safe journey until its return in the morning. It is NEVER sung at a funeral.

To choose a High Priestess                  This is done only by the currently living High Priestess. Should no High Priestess be alive, those spirits on Sacred Island will make the choice. A Priestess is elevated into this position (the only religious position on Spontoon for females other than Priestess) not by age, beauty, seniority, but by the single choice of she who is High Priestess. She decides in her own way who will replace her. A High Priestess is replaced ONLY upon death. For no other reason.

Purifying/Renewing a Shrine                In its most basic format, this is a short prayer to the Spirit that inhabits each shrine, cleaning up the previous days flowers and offerings (with certain special offerings moved to within the shrine itself) replacing the old flowers or plants with new ones, then a final prayer. As to the exact prayer each shrine has a slightly different one. Those shrines or Holy Places from Before have vastly different prayers. At no time is there ever a sacrifice of any living thing, or dead animal. 

 Spirits/Ghosts                                        Ghosts, as most people understand them do NOT exist on Spontoon Island. Although it is true that a spirit may linger for some time, it cannot move from place to place or have contact with more than a single person. Usually this is a loved one, occasionally a friend. Never someone who did not know of it in life.

Spirits are souls or emissaries of the Gods who have come to

                                                                inhabit a static object. All shrines have Spirits (or Kami as Oharu

                                                                refers to them.) There are many places where spirits from Before

                                                                are still resident. As to why they remain, this is a mystery that will

                                                                be solved by some far future Priestess. It is rumored that the Wild

                                                                Priests know, however they speak in questions most of the time and

                                                                never speak of these things. One Spirit cannot inhabit a place

                                                                already holding another spirit. The one, and only exception to this

                                                                rule is Sacred island. As to how many spirits inhabit Sacred Island,

                                                                this is unknowable. No one is able to step upon Sacred Island

                                                                without these spirits knowing. All who remain After sundown are

                                                                tested. Those who fail this test are never seen again. Again there

                                                                is one exception, those Priestess in Training who have come to

                                                                discover if they will be accepted. In this case, failing means the loss,

                                                                forever, of their abilities to speak with the spirits, or even detect them.

                                                                How Wild Priests determine their own ‘pass/fail’ is unknown. This

                                                                too they never speak of.

Sometimes a life is shortened early. When this occurs the spirit may remain, awaiting a rebirth. When one mates after the death of a loved one, friend or family member in the expectation of giving birth from that mating, it is called ‘Opening the Door’ (ref: Mr. Simon Barber.) This is done freely, with love, never hate or greed. Any child born because of this mating is given a name linked to the one who now inhabits that body. Though anyone may be reborn in this way, most prefer not to if they have lived a full life.

A Priestess’s Place                               Becoming a Priestess does not cause one to give up ones family. In truth, family is needed by all Priestess’s. For most of their time is filled with helping others. Though they are often given gifts, a families support is a great aid to any Priestess. Only the High Priestess has no family. She wears no family symbol, calls no one mother. Yet, in an odd way, the entire island is her family.

Is not to rule, but to Guide. A Priestess exists to remember the rituals, dances, blessings. To act as Mother, Sister even Councillor to anyone who needs them, or asks for them. They remember the ancient laws but never enforce them. They tend the Shrines that observers may have a comfortable place to visit.

                                                                A Priestess usually owns little, for she is more involved in helping

                                                                others than herself. At no time may any Priestess stand between

                                                                anyone and the Gods. They Guide, they never lead.

A Priestess is not a whore, she does not lay with anyone who wants her. In truth, many Priestess’s remain celibate much of their lives. They simply have no interest, or do not wish to be influenced by such coupling. Yet some marry and have families.

A Priestess sings the rituals, blesses the fields, the boats, marriage and death. Only a Priestess may teach those who wish to become Priestess’s. They also teach those who would become Wild Priests, only the first year of their training.

                                                                A Priestess may not lie, yet she may twist or retain the truth. No

                                                                Priestess is better than any other. Though ones Gifts may be

                                                                more than another, they are balanced in other things.

                                                                A Priestess does not expect anything for her service, her service

                                                                alone is all the return she needs. Though it is true that most

                                                                Priestess’s accept gifts of food, clothing or money, it is never

                                                                expected. All prefer to work in the fields, help with a catch, clean

                                                                or otherwise preform tasks for the things they need. There are

                                                                some Priestess’s who survive only upon what they themselves

                                                                create (Dia-Kura, a Meeting Island Priestess, is a prime example

                                                                of this. She owns nothing but a single cheap red cloth

                                                                underclothing and has no home.)

Last Six High Priestesses                     Hine                               Hound               1844 to 1859

(From oldest to current)                           Karoline                         Rabbit              1859 to 1883

                                                                Te’ree                            Hyena               1883 to 1912

                                                                Selvana                         Mink                  1912 to 1930

                                                                Huakava                        Panther             1930 to 1936

                                                                Saimmi                          Feline                1936 to ?