Harat-Shariin Religions

Listing the major and minor Harat-Shariin religions.

Major Polytheistic Religion of the Homeworld

Referred to as 'the Pantheon', as in "do you follow the Pantheon."

The oldest adopted Harat-Shariin religion, and the most popular on Harat-Sharii, is that of the worship of the Pantheon, called so because there is a pantheon of angels beneath a deity referred to when required as the Arbitor. The Arbitor sees no direct worship, conceptualized more as an impersonal force; individual Harat-Shar are supposed to interact with their personal angel. These angels are depicted as griffins and are divided into two sets: Angels and Inverse Angels. Each angel has its inverse (usually in coloration only). Angels are constantly battling their inverses, who represent all the bad traits that can be had in a personality.

Each Angel is the patron of a certain segment of the population, called their Pride. There are separate Angels for the sexes, and separate angels for digitigrade/plantigrade and the cat types. For example, the patron angel of female digitigrade jaguars is Natakarenza; every female digitigrade jaguar is part of her Pride. It is believed that as long as there are female digitigrade jaguars, Natakarenza will exist...and if Natakarenza falls in the eternal battle on the First Plain of Reeds, then all the female digitigrade jaguars will vanish. Natakarenza's personality traits will be reflected in all of her Pride. The inverse of Natakarenza, Cerialeiza, represents the bad or undesirable traits of Natakarenza's Pride. When a female digitigrade jaguar displays cowardice, it is said that Cerialeiza is within her, or has bowled her over. Every battle a female digitigrade jaguar wins will strengthen Natakarenza in her battle against Cerialeiza.

These angels are drawn in a very stylized manner, and in devout households it's common to have them prominently painted on a wall in a common area in a generic pose, and to have them painted in a pose special to the family in the more private rooms. Statues are commissioned for temples, and it's not common to see them in households.

A intrarace's temple is either divided into two sections, one for male and one for female worshippers, or into two separate buildings. Priests must be of the sex specific to the temple to make offerings and hold services.

Angels

• Merinletzal
• Natakarenza, female jaguar

Inverses

• Cerialeiza, female jaguar

The Monotheist movement

This less common religion is actually the second-most practiced on the homeworld. Details about that belong here. The deity here is called Kajentarel, a winged Harat-Shariin lion twice the height of a normal Harat-Shar. The religion also contains cheetahine saints and apostle figures, including a young girl with king cheetah patterns who befriended the lion when he was flung to earth.