Hapšâw'l Mythology

The majority of Hapšâw'l believe that there exists a group of higher beings that control matters of nature. There is no governing body for the beliefs of the island's natives, so the beliefs are somewhat varied, but they are still similar in many ways. This article describes the beliefs of Tokšahalnals and Goyhalnals.

Pantheon

Tokšahalna

There are 7 gods in the Tokšahalnal Pantheon:

Hakay — The god of the Sky. Depicted as a Tall and Muscular man with a missing arm, often carrying an axe in his other arm, and surrounded by various birds and flying insects. Believed to control the seasons and weather and to reign over flying animals.
Tsalyw — The goddess of the Sea. Depicted as having the upper body of a beautiful woman, connected to the body of a lobster. Her attribute is a spear. She has control over the tides and the sea creatures, and is a patron of fishermen. She is associated with Goyhalna and fishermen settlements.
Vayma — The god of death. Portrayed as a bloated man with a sickly pinkish hue to his body, and missing an eye. He is responsible for killing humans, animals, and plants, as well as for causing rot and decay to objects.
Hapšâw — The god of the island. Depicted as a young man with long hair, covered by various creatures and usually naked. When depicted post mortem he is depicted laying with his knees bent his head facing eastward, and his knees to the south.
Hašerl — The goddess of fate. Portrayed as an extremely tall and slim teenaged girl with four horns instead of two, and countless eyes on her face. The stars are said to be her eyes, watching fate unfold on the island. In Tokšahalnal mythology her relationship with Hakšâl and Kayan is usually depicted as them serving as parental figures to her, though she is actually Kayan's sister. In Goyhalnal mythology, where Hakšâl and Kayan do not exist she is usually depicted as an orphan.
Hakšâl — The Sun. Usually depicted with impossibly large horns and hair longer than her body, and with a white complexion. Usually depicted as physically larger than Kayan.
Kayan — The Moon. Depicted with a grey complexion, long horns (though shorter than Hakšâl's) and short hair. She is missing her left eye. Her and Hakšâl's relationship is typically portrayed as romantic. An eclipse is often referred to as a "divine kiss", and lesbian intercourse is sometimes called "worshiping the Sun and Moon".

Goyhalna

The Goyhalnal pantheon features 5 gods, they are the same as the Tokšahalnal one, but Hakšâl and Kayan are not present. Instead, both the Sun and the Moon are under Hakay's domain.

Creation Myth

At the beginning of time there was nothing but endless sea and sky. The only animals present were fish and other aquatic fauna. At some point Hakay and Tsalyw fell in love and had a child - Hapšâw. Hapšâw then created land animals and humans, who lived on his body, however he did not let Vayma end the life of humans when they grew old, which enraged the god of death, who after making the Hapšâw's parents fall asleep by giving them a poisoned drink, killed the young god. Hapšâw's body became the Island. When Hakay awoke and saw his son murdered he was livid and he attacked Vayma. During the fight both of the gods suffered injuries: Hakay tore Vayma's right eye out, which in Tokšahalnal versions of the myth became Kayan, and Vayma ripped off Hakay's left arm, which in Tokšahalnal versions became Hakšâl. Hakay knocked the god of death down, and began pummeling him with punches. Vayma's blood splattered on the firmament, and became Hašerl, the goddess of fate. Hakay almost killed Vayma, but was stopped by his wife. Although he did not kill Vayma, Hakay was still furious at him, and raised a Wall of Rain and Clouds around the body of his son, so that Vayma could not carry him away.

Pre-Calming beliefs about the Storm

Before the Calming, it was believed that the Storm served as the border between the world of the Living, and the world of the dead - Vayma's domain; as such many reacted to the calming with fear, thinking that Vayma will come to take Hapšâw away, along with all the people living on the island, although this belief was largely abandoned in the following years, Ragašol's idea to sail a ship far beyond the island's shore was still controversial, as some believed he would reach the world of the dead.

Worship

Many temples are built in honor of the gods. Food, livestock and prisoners of war are often sacrificed to the gods to ask for favors or, in Vayma's case to appease his hunger for destruction. There are people who claim to be possessed by Hašerl, who can foresee events that will occur in the future, and will reveal those, usually for a price.