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Aeytr

Dec 28, 202415 min read

The Aeytr is a religious group comprised of several denominations. They are one of the largest religious groups in Dah’Rem, and are mostly concentrated in the Aeytrazyem region. It is important to note that most of the Aeytr writings came long after their creation. For most of their history, followers of Aeytr shared stories orally, and as such the stories we know today are a combination of various sources compiled together.

Naming Conventions

Aeytr texts include specific naming conventions that help indicate what type of noun you’re looking at. The most popular translations of these texts include the same:

  • -tr: Reserved for anything directly related to Aeytr Herself. Notably Tranytr, Ostranytr Daerynytr include this suffix, yet they are considered to be separate entities, and arguably antagonistic to Aeytr. It’s unclear why this choice was made in the source texts
  • -eayr: Reserved for “upper” deities such as those related to some aspect (i.e. war, farming, etc.). The Keayr is the catch-all term for this
  • -yem: Reserved for notable locations, such as the first temples (satyem, and raelyem), or Ostryem
  • -dir: An object (or personification) of a deity. Often used to allow mortals to interact with deities power in some way, or to allow the deity to interact with a mortal directly

Notable Deities

Aeytr as a polytheistic religion has many notable deities that play a role in the narrative of the faith. This list is by no means exhaustive, and constructed to help a laymen read most texts:

  • Aeytr; The goddess of Chaos, and the creator of our universe. Though stuck in Tzyaeriel1 she still is able to effect the world through her influence in creating it
  • Feayr2 ; The embodiment of fear. Though it is in Tzyaeriel1 it still affects our world
  • Tranytr; God of order, and structure. Created most of the universe we know from the Tyem3
  • Ostranytr; God of justice and law. Ruler of the afterlife, and the one who helped save humanity from being wiped out by Tranytr after Aeytr created life
  • Daerynytr; God of amicability (or peace). Convinced Trantyr to form the Jaertyem4 instead of destroying and remaking the world after the rebellion
  • Keayr; The catch-all term for higher deities besides Tranytr, Ostranytr, and Daerynytr
  • Tzaseayr: The Keayr of war, led the rebellion against Tranytr. First victim of Gartyem
  • Culeayr: The Keayr of farming and cultivation. It’s said to have given humans the first seeds of wheat and corn, so they did not have the constant famine from hunting
  • Ranvaneayr: The Keayr of learning & discovery. In particular scientific and material discoveries
  • Thoeayr: The Keayr of knowledge. Runs and operates Nayayem, the library of all known things
  • Uyer5; Also called “lower deities”, are those who die and are deemed worthy enough in the afterlife to help construct Jaertyem4

Creation Myth

The Aeytr creation myth comes from a combination of six poems, originally written in Aetorish. As a set, the translations of Dr. Seymore Crayznich are the most revered (and used in this article). The original sources were found in the crypts of a temple in Alst’arad Dah’Rem, and seem to date back to the invasion of Aeytrazyem by early Zarathem colonists.

Poem of The Beginning

The first poem chronologically in the creation myth is the Poem of the beginning. The most widely accepted translation reads:

The dawn was empty, nothingness engulfed the world

From the twilight came Aeytr, and with her, creation

She flooded the husk of the world with everything

Every sight, every smell, at once, and everywhere

Existence brimmed with her essence, until it overflowed

… <Poem of fear>

with Her appetite abated, Aetyr began her slumber

From the Tyem3 came Tranytr6, Ostranytr7 & Daerynytr8

While Aetyr slept they carved the foundations of our world

The ground beneath us, the stars above, the world, creation, sculpted from chaos

Poem of Fear

The poem of fear is both it’s own poem, and for some scholars a set of lines said to have been part of the poem of the beginning. The poem of fear is a highly contentious topic for followers of Aeytr. For some the poem is sacrosanct, and a vital part of the creation myth, for others it’s considered blasphemy. The translation that’s most widely accepted reads:

But from this beauty, doubt flowed

From the doubt came worry, and from the worry came Feayr2

Feayr2 lashed out at Aetyr, and at all her creation

The ender of beginnings had come

Yet Feayr2 had not recognized it was it’s own undoing

From her splendor Aetyr had begun to construct another world, Tzyaeriel1

For fear of missing a chance to subjugate, Feayr2 fled to Tzyaeriel1

In it’s paranoia Feayr2 had cast itself from creation

The contention largely comes from the different interpretations of fear. For many groups fear is considered to be another entity itself, which Aetyr tricked into another universe. However, groups that take the texts less literally often have contentions with this poem, because it implies fear no longer is in this universe. Some other solutions have been suggested, such as that Tranytr6, Ostranytr7 & Daerynytr8 are themselves a part of fear, since order, justice, and amicability can often come from fear.

Poem of Continuing

The Poem of Continuing is the most widely varying of the poems. The version included here is a combination of the most widely followed sources by followers of Aeytr:

Upon her waking Aeytr brought forth9 hatradir10

Her world was now seeping with form, with rules, with structure

From the galaxies to the oceans, Tranytr had begun his work

She thrashed against this new world, tearing it to chaos once more

With his cunning Tranytr organized11 a plan

Through the world he wispered of a new world he was building

Siphoning the Tyem3 to build it

Upon hearing this Aetyr was enraged, and she sleared12 to the entrance

Enraged she went to destroy his new world, not recognizing it in her haste

As Feayr2 was undone, so to was Aeytr, locked in Tzyaeriel1

The cycle completed once more, fear consumes all

In the poem there are lots of details that are argued depending on denomination. Likewise the implications will change depending on denominations. Purists will argue that this demonstrates a betrayal from Tranytr, while Tranites will argue that this demonstrates Tranytr saving the world from Aeytr.

Poem of Prospering

The Poem of Prospering (also known as the Poem of Order), is the longest of the 6 poems. It lays out the groundwork for many of the afterlife beliefs of the various Aeytr denominations:

The world was calm, Tranytr continued his work

He continued His sculpting, His planning, His ordering

Physics13 designed, planets, stars, strung across the sky

All things were put in their place, and their places put in14

When the work was done it was beautiful, magnificent, calm

Then, a howl was heard across every inch of the world15

From the howl came the last dredges of Aeytr

With that howl came her last gift, life

With all it’s beauty, all it’s pain, and all it’s wildness16

With all it’s fire17, all it’s glory, and all it’s hatred

Every creature of air, land, and sea

Every plant, and it’s winding roots

Every predator, every prey

Every struggle, every triumph

Trantyr was furious, He sewed the crack in the world

He sought to destroy Aeytr’s creation, for Her transgression

Justice refused, and swore his protection to them, even after death

From this promise Ostryem was formed, and Trantyr was abetted

Poem of Undoing

The Poem of Undoing is where we see many of the more contemporary afterlife beliefs take shape. We also see several major figures introduced including the Keayr18 and Tzaseayr:

As time continued Trantyr grew paranoid

Waiting for another crack to form

In his paranoia he created the first Keayr18

He tasked them to watch for the cracks

This was not enough for Trantyr, and so his cunning shone through

He began Jaertyem4, a world without Aetyrs’ taint, but he lacked vision

Upon hearing of this new world the Keayr18 became fearful

Assuming themselves to be abandoned, a movement began

Too weak to act they waited Tzaseayr, travelled the Tyem3

In it’s darkness he found hatradir10, and wielded it against Trantyr

Tzaseayr was slain, and the first victim of Gartyem

In his rage Trantyr planned to destroy the world

Ostranytr convinced him to form the Uyer5, obliterating the undeserving

and with that his paradise is to be constructed, and free him from fear

Poem of the End

The Poem of the End is significantly shorter than the rest. It describes how the world will end:

When all is done, when days grow dark, Trantyr will flee to Jaertyem4

With this fleeing the rest will follow19 , clambering for safety

Escaping to a paradise of Trantyrs control

Aeytr will return, and tear the world asunder

In Her anger Feayr2 will return again

The cycle completed once more, fear consumes all

There is much discussion about various aspects of the Poem. In particular other renditions imply that Trantyr plans to betray everyone, and leave into Jaertyem4 alone to avoid Aeytr’s influence as much as possible.

Afterlife beliefs

Most sects tend to believe in the existence of Ostryem, the realm of the dead, run by Ostranytr the God of Justice. When one enters Ostryem they’re taken through Purgatyem, and given a glass vial (called a Vastandir). When this vial is given to the person, they then enter Fastratyem.

In Fastratyem the person will re-live various moments of their life, and live out different possibilities. They are judged by the ways they act in these situations. Specifically the person being judged will “re-live” the moment that was considered unjust as the person they were when they died. Once they re-live the moment they will be taken to a jury of people who have ascended to Haetyem already to plead their case. If they are seen to have been unjust in the interaction again, they are given a black grain of sand. If a soul manages to accrue enough sand to fill the vial they are considered unworthy, and their soul is torn apart in Gartyem. The threads of torn apart souls are then re-spun together to create the souls of the newly conceived.

Anyone who manages to make it through the trials of Fastratyem will be given a spot in Haetyem, to sit with the upper deities, and help forge new galaxies in this world. Those that excel will be chosen to help build Jaertyem4 and will ascend to Uyer5.

Denominational Differences

There are several denominations of Aeytr, all with their own separate beliefs. Most of them tend to be centralized in Aeytrazyem, Dah’Rem, however there are small sects of the various denominations in Shekland. Most nations consider the Purists to be an international terrorist organization due to their actions.

Purists

Aeytr purists are “literalists” about many of the early writings. They believe that due to the “perfect” balance of chaos and order, that living as naturally as possible is the most optimal. This means giving into all of ones urges and inclinations that naturally occur throughout the day (i.e. drive for hunger, sex, violence etc.). Some of their core tenants are that:

  • Nature, and acting as one “naturally” does/wants to, is the purest expression of freedom as you are following the true intentions of your heart
  • They revere Aeytr, and consider her the original force, the true creativity that bore the world, and then Tranytr6, Ostranytr7 & Daerynytr8 took what she had from her once she made it and sculpted it into the mess that is existence
    • They teamed up as a group and defeated her at the dawn of creation, and harnessed her raw power to create the world we now live in
    • Tried to override her influence and claimed she didn’t exist. They didn’t want to admit they couldn’t create without her (from The Poem of Prospering)
  • Believe fear is incredibly dangerous and poisonous for the soul, they subject many of their members to horrific trials in order to “strengthen” them against fear
  • Believe that other people’s laws are an extension of Ostranytr, and should be ignored
    • Morality is for the weak
    • Co-operation is incidental and should only be important if people happen to help you
    • Morals are simply a way of building a cage around people who are strong so that the weak can feel safe
  • They have a leader, who is considered to be an envoy of Aetyr. She does not have a name, and is selected at random from the population. She leads the group, however due to the nature of their beliefs her authority is complicated to categorize

They are the largest denomination of Aeytr, and the kind that most people think of when the religion is mentioned. As of writing every nation except for Dah’Rem officially considers them a terrorist organization. They have engaged in bombings, shootings, mass rapes, and dozens of other crimes in every nation.

Tranites

This denominations of the Aeytr largely invert most of the beliefs of the others. Their core beliefs include:

  • Tranytr is a figure to be revered above all else, since He’s primarily responsible for how the world currently is
    • They view Ostranytr, and Daerynytr as extensions/alter ego’s of Tranytr. Viewing the three forces as a single being, and the conflict between them as an internal struggle
  • They believe that while Aeytr is a creative force in the universe that was good, over time she got bitter, and now see her as a more antagonistic figure in the faith
  • They, like purists believe fear is incredibly dangerous and poisonous for the soul, however they believe it’s a force you should face daily, and do not put their members through constant trials

Though still a larger denomination than the Ostranites, they are a relatively small group. They are in active conflict with the purists, and consistently engage in attacks against one another.

Ostranites

The least popular denomination, Ostranites have many smaller differences with the Purists than the Tranites, there beliefs include:

  • Believe that Ostranytr is the most important deity
    • Ostranytr saved humanity from extinction at the hands of Tranytr
    • Ostranytr created an afterlife for us
    • Ostranytr gave us a path to ascention as Uyer5
    • In revering Ostranytr, they believe it is necessary to follow the laws and practices of the land you live in. This means you should push to satiate all urges, but not to the degree that you violate the laws of a nation
  • They believe that while Aeytr just happened to create the universe, not doing any of it intentionally, and was always malicious towards existence
  • They believe that Trantyr is driven mostly by ego, and is neutral to evil depending on interpretation

Due to their opposing beliefs, most other denominations are antagonistic to the Ostranites. They are currently a protected minority in Dah’Rem due to the frequent attacks they endure.

Footnotes

  1. Also in some texts it sounds closer to Yareyll, essentially a world created by Aeytr to jail Feayr in ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  2. Translates to fear, feayr is used to mean both the entity, and the emotion, so where appropriate I have used the “correct” one ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8

  3. Aetorish word for the “swirling soup of creation” that chaos created, not to be confused with Tem, which is a type of potato soup, based on the same etymology ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  4. The new universe Tranytr is trying to construct without being influenced by “Aeytr’s taint” ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6

  5. The name given to those who progress past the trials of Fastratyem, sometimes called “lower deities” ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  6. Order, some believe this refers to the concept, some believe this is a God, others believe all 3(Order, Justice, Amicability) are one entity ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  7. Justice, some believe this refers to the concept, some believe this is a God, others believe all 3(Order, Justice, Amicability) are one entity ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  8. Amicability, some believe this refers to the concept, some believe this is a God, others believe all 3 (Order, Justice, Amicability) are one entity ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  9. “Brought forth” is a somewhat literal translation here. It’s implied this means vomiting, but not entirely clear ↩

  10. A large wooden looking club, topped with a large number of thorn branches. The branches can be lit with a flame, and swung to tear apart whatever it hits into it’s base elements. It’s used by upper deities to eradicate deities who have committed crimes against creation ↩ ↩2

  11. The word used here can also be translated to “ordered”, which implies that Ostranytr and Daerynytr may have had a part to play in the plan as well ↩

  12. The word has no translation, roughly it means “ran”, “swam”, or “slithered” ↩

  13. The word used here refers specifically to the “Laws of what is” ↩

  14. This phrasing is the best I could do to capture the play on words used here, basically saying everything was built ↩

  15. The word used here basically translates to everything everywhere ↩

  16. The word here can also be translated as freedom or creativity ↩

  17. The word here can also be translated as passion ↩

  18. Name given as a catch-all term for any upper deities that are not the original three. All were created by one of the original three ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  19. “The rest” referred to here, are Ostranytr, Daerynytr, the Keayr, and the Uyer ↩