dragon spirituality
Dragon Spirituality
Contents:
The Ancestors
Dragons have no gods or deities, nor do they generally practice worship. The existence of spiritual Ancestors is a known and accepted fact, not so much a belief system or religion. Still, there is a belief system around the Ancestors themselves, as the facts beyond their existence are scarce, and interpretations are as varied as individual opinions.
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The existence of the Ancestors is fact, but it is unknown just how involved they are in shaping the fates of their descendants.
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Some dragons merely believe the Ancestors only watch, intervening perhaps only every millennia or so; such as orchestrating the Unification, and creating the Purple Dragon - doing what is good for all of dragonkind.
Other dragons believe they try to intervene, guide, and bless their descendants as much as possible, but that the Ancestral Plane is a constant battlefield of bloodlines endlessly killing each other to give their living kin dominance, and that a dragon's own achievements in life strengthen their Ancestors in turn.
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The Temples and its Votaries do not insist on any interpretation, though the truth seems to lie somewhere in between.
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[More to be added after relevant story progression]​
​Seers​
[To be added after relevant story progression]
Sun and Moons
Adrano (larger, reddish-orange moon) and Zella (smaller, dark green moon) are the celestial moons of the Realm. The Sun is known and referred to only by title, as they are the Elder whose eye cannot be looked into, so nor should you refer to them by name. This was historically enforced, and the name is now lost knowledge.
These celestial bodies are strongly associated with the Ancestors.
Their divine spirits are known; their names cited in Seer’s prophecies and attributed personality traits, virtues, and vices. To dragons, the celestial bodies are eyes of the Ancestors watching over them, and Ancestors themselves. They are both individuals, and a collective of countless ancestors.
Dragons may identify with the celestial bodies, which are attributed a list of associations.
The Sun is associated with neutrality, honor, fertility, creation, power, justice, judgment and punishment, brutality, and labour.
Adrano is associated with masculinity, elements, romantic and familial love, family, service, conflict(including war), temptation, murder, sorrow, and loss.
Zella is associated with femininity, magic, devotion, protection, freedom, sacrifice, wrath, revenge, loneliness/abandonment, and sickness.
In the last 1000 years, there have been dragons who see Zella instead as an avatar of Dark Dragons, but this was, and is, rejected by most. The belief did, however, spread again when the Dark Dragons were discovered alive and well in the Dark Lands. Other dragons, especially those who identify with and were born under Zella’s watchful gaze, scorn this belief and have even killed ones who blaspheme against her.
Families often identify with one celestial more than the other – warrior families may choose Adrano as their patron for his claim to war and service, or they may choose Zella for her claim to sacrifice and wrath.
Judges, Justices, and the Guard are very specifically aligned with the Sun due to their claim to justice and judgment. A Commander may look upon their celestial body and pray to them before a battle; a marriage may be scheduled to ensure the preferred celestial body watches.
The celestial bodies are also interpreted as birth signs, depending on which body is actively watching when a dragon hatches.
Birth Signs
There are a number of circumstances around a dragon’s birth (day of hatching) that are thought to influence the course of their lives. Most commonly, these are season, weather, day of week, time of day, and the phase of the moons. For some, the hour of the day is also interpreted, and/or day of the current moon(month), but the signs of these vary from family to family based on their own history and personal associations.
Belief in these effects vary in intensity, whereas some families and individuals believe in these wholeheartedly as signs from the Ancestors, while others only make note of them due to cultural significance.
These signs may be used as a path to be followed, but like a Seer’s prophecy, destiny is not written in stone.
Most commonly, birth signs are used as part of one’s identity; a dragon may choose to find comfort in their birth weather (or scorn it), or look fondly upon either the Sun, Adrano, or Zella, depending on which watched over them during their birth, if any. They may also be used to find kindred spirits; feeling more drawn to others born under similar circumstances, particularly romantically.
Ultimately, the collective interpretations of these conditions are too broad to disprove and too vague to prove. They often make sense, in some way, only in retrospect.
Birth signs are culturally significant, and are made note of alongside the date itself in family and citizen records. These signs will be given when consulting the Seer (should you be so fortunate), Votaries (when seeking sense in your current life events), and fortune readers.
Seasons
There are four seasons, but dragons observe four points during each;
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Arriving Summer
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Rising Summer
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Height of Summer
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Departing Summer
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Arriving Fall
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Rising Fall
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Height of Fall
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Departing Fall
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Arriving Winter
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Rising Winter
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Height of Winter
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Departing Winter
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Arriving Spring
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Rising Spring
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Height of Spring
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Departing Spring
How favorable a dragon’s season of birth is depends on their Element. For Ice dragons, hatching during the height of winter is most favorable.
A favorable season is thought to indicate bigger fortunes such as Elemental strength, physical health, or good luck, but can also mean bigger challenges (bigger risk of failure) and life altering (positive or negative) events.
The opposite of the favorable season is thought to indicate hardship, illness, or struggles to overcome, something that may make, or break, the dragon.
A season neither favorable or unfavorable may indicate mediocrity or a struggle to find one’s calling and place in society, but could also indicate unexpected traits like adaptability and wisdom through experience.
More religious families often schedule their reproduction for their eggs to hatch in a favorable season, as it is considered a better start in life–but each season comes with its positive, and negative, indications.
Fire dragons favor Summer, particularly the Height of Summer.
Ice dragons favor Winter, particularly the Height of Winter.
Earth dragons favor Spring, particularly the Height of Spring.
Electric dragons favor Fall, particularly the Height of Fall.
Wind dragons favor both Arriving Fall and Arriving Spring.
Water dragons favor Departing Fall and Departing Summer.
​Weather
Similarly to seasons, weather is favored based on Element, and plays a role in indicating a dragon’s future.
Sunny weather is favored by fire dragons and indicates pride, desire/passion(positive or negative), either in trade, people (or person), or cause, or it indicates physical suffering, resentment, or obsession.
Windy weather is favored by wind dragons and indicates peace or turmoil (both either physically or psychologically), change, uncertainty, struggle, or doubt.
Rainy weather is favored by water dragons and indicates renewal, release, cleansing, regret, grief, or tragedy.
Stormy weather is favored by Electric dragons and indicates energy, strength of will, conviction, rebellion, rage, collapse, or destruction.
Snowy weather is favored by Ice dragons and indicates protection(as the protected or the protector), endurance, resilience, innocence, loneliness, grudge, or a struggle to survive.
Overcast weather is favored by Earth dragons and indicates recovery, nurture, kindness, melancholy, stagnation, stillness, or needs unmet.
It is generally believed that favored weather always yields positive outcomes, such as an Electric dragon developing strength of will by being born during a storm, though extremes (like hurricanes, blizzards, deluges, destructive heat waves, thick mist(overcast), etc.) always indicate a very negative outcome.
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​Time of Day
Whether a dragon is born at dawn, day, dusk, or night plays a part in how their destiny may be interpreted.
While most other signs have varied interpretations, both good and bad, time of day is more rigid. It was not always, but after the emergence of dark dragons, paired with the heightened dangers of the night, nighttime has become a wholly negative association.
The closer to the height of night one is born, the more grim their fate may seem. This perception colors other signs, leaning to a darker interpretation.
Nevertheless, as many dragons are born during the night as those born during the day, a nighttime birth generally only earns a parent a twinge of superstitious anxiety as opposed to lasting feelings of doom or panic.
Dragons born during dawn are associated with a rise to better conditions, such as going from being poor of coin to comforts, or finding better opportunities after struggles in life.
Oppositely, dragons born during dusk are associated with falling from grace. This can be the loss of the ability to perform their trade, loss of a sense, or comeuppance.
Dragons born during the day, especially the height of day, are considered to enter the world with good beginnings, their future is brighter, as their birth is.
Day of Week
There is significance also to the day of the week when a dragon hatches. The days are named mostly after elements, barring the first and last days of the week, where the former is named simply after the race of dragons, and the latter, Aether (all elements/magic).
If a dragon is born on Day Ignis (Fire), and they are themselves a Fire dragon, this can point to a number of things. They may be gifted or strong with their Element, or their life path may be to do with their Element (such as tutor, or scholar), or they will otherwise be involved with their elemental kin (such as an Elder of a pure family/Clan).
If a dragon is born on Day Ignis and they are not themselves a Fire dragon, it may mean a Fire dragon (or dragons) will be significant in their life. Such as a rival, enemy, or lover. This can still apply if the dragon is also a Fire dragon and none of the other interpretations apply.
If a dragon is born on Day Draco (Dragon), it may suggest they will serve, teach, or lead many dragons of different elements. They may become a caretaker, or a Commander.
If a dragon is born on Day Aether, magic both elemental and non-elemental, as well as spirituality and the Ancestors, may have significance in their life.​
Sun and Moons
The moons offer the most variety, as there they can be divided into the following major phases;
New Moon, Waxing Crescent, First Quarter, Waxing Gibbous, Full Moon, Waning Gibbous, Last Quarter, Waning Crescent.
And each moon has these phases, giving a total of 64 possible combinations based on phases alone.
Eclipses are thought to be dire signs; if Adrano or Zella hides the birth of a dragon from the Sun, the dragon may be expected to do something terrible, or something grim but for the greater good. If Zella hides a dragon’s birth from Adrano, it is an attempt to spare his view of the dragon’s cruel fate.
It is very rare for hatchlings to be born during eclipses, and these are taken quite seriously even by families who are not so superstitious.
A total double eclipse has never been observed, despite being theoretically possible. Dragons who have attempted to travel or scale the storms always obscuring the rare double eclipse have never returned. And though not verified, it has been said that any hatchlings in the process of breaking out of their shell, if they are not done when a double eclipse is said to occur, they will pass immediately, regardless of their prior health.
When spoken of, the phases of the moons are called eyes. If Adrano is waxing, then he is opening his eye. If he is full, his eye is wide open to watch a dragon’s birth; if he is new, his eye is closed to the dragon’s first moments. The Sun’s eye is ever watchful, and only ever obscured by the horizon or their celestial kin.
These associations, or traits, of the celestial bodies are used when interpreting a dragon’s destiny, based on which celestial body observes the dragon’s birth, and how attentively they observe.
For example, if during a dragon’s birth Adrano’s eye is wide open(full moon), and Zella’s is closed(new moon), the dragon’s future will be interpreted heavily to align with what Adrano is associated with. Zella’s virtues and vices (such as freedom, revenge) are less likely to apply to them.
In the event of a double full moon, a dragon’s life may revolve entirely around both war and revenge, or family and service. The more open both eyes of the celestial moons are, the more grim the prediction of the future; as though they are more attentive in doom.
If both moons are waning, or one moon is new and the other waning, it does not suggest an uneventful life, but perhaps one not led by singular, burning purpose or crushing tragedy, but a normal one with its everyday ups and downs. Yet deviations certainly apply; the celestial moons must blink, after all.
A dragon born under the fully opened eyes of all three bodies, which is quite rare, is expected to cause a ripple through dragonkind; they will do something of great benefit, or something devastatingly terrible.
It is inconsequential if weather obscures the celestial bodies, or if a dragon hatches beneath a roof or in a grotto; they see through them. If their watchful eyes are upon different parts of the realm (below horizon or on other side of the planet) however, then it cannot be said if their signs apply to the hatching dragon. The dragon will be said to have been shy, waiting until no one was looking–or waiting for one specific celestial to look away.
A dragon born when no celestial body is watching is thought to be either unremarkable, or lucky. They may go through life without difficult trials or loss or extreme pain. They may become a great thief or spy, or a leader from the shadows. Or they may instead meet a premature end where none can see or know of their passing, as punishment from the celestials for entering the Realm while they all looked away.
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