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While reading the Oxford University Press book Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction, by Daniel Keown, I came across a reference to the work of religious studies scholar Ninian Smart.
Smart came up with a scheme for studying religion that addressed the elements that he felt all religions shared, so that differing religions could be studied without trying to define precisely what religion itself was.
This is Smart's Seven Dimensions model of religion in brief:
- Doctrinal (The systematic formulation of religious teachings in an intellectually coherent form.)
- Mythological or Narrative (Stories that work on several levels. Sometimes narratives fit together into a fairly complete and systematic interpretation of the universe and humanity's place in it.)
- Ethical (Rules about proper and improper human behavior, often regarded as revelations from supernatural sources.)
- Ritual (Forms and orders of ceremonies, private and/or public)
- Experiential or Emotional (The sensations of dread, guilt, awe, mystery, devotion, liberation, ecstasy, inner peace, bliss associated by believers with their faith)
- Social and Institutional (The public, social means by which the belief system is shared and attitudes practiced by a group. Often includes rules for identifying community membership and participation.)
- Material (Ordinary objects or places that symbolize or manifest the sacred or supernatural.)
So, for example, the doctrinal aspect of Catholicism would include the catechism and papal bulls of the Church, the mythology would include the Bible and the lives of the various saints, the ethical aspect would include rules such as the Ten Commandments, the ritual would be the holy sacraments, the experiential would be sensations such as rapture and guilt, the institution would be the Church itself and the social dimension the public community of worshippers, and the material aspect would be the physical churches, cathedrals, crosses, candles, and the Eucharist itself.
As I’m thinking about the religions in my Illyria setting, I’m happy to have stumbled across this framework, which seems like an interesting way of organizing the material.
This vignette deals with the content in the Dragon Gods, Part 1 post.
Roarke stared at the ancient bones embedded in the rock, feeling something cold slither deep in his guts. There was no mistaking the familiar curve of the skull, the distinctive flare of the crest. His eyes followed the exposed surface of the fossil down to where it disappeared into the uncut stone.
“Tell the men to stop work for the day,” he said quietly. “Send word to the architect. We have to reroute the road around this hill.”
“But sir, that will take months!” cried Tover. “And the cost—“
“Keep your voice down,” hissed Roarke. “And get Malcolm here. We need an Earthshaper to cover this up.”
“Ward is closer,” replied Tover, shaking his head. “And I can call a crew in here to help.”
“No!” Roarke grabbed Tover by the tunic with both hands. “No one is to see this without my say-so. And I don’t trust Ward to keep his mouth shut.”
Tover grabbed Roarke’s wrist as his face set in a scowl. “Are you mad? What is going on, Engineer?”
Emil, who had discovered the bones when his team had split a seam in the rock and sent it sliding down, had hustled his men away from the scene. Now he returned, taking slow, awkward strides like a sleepwalker. He passed the two men and stood before the skull, reaching out toward it with a trembling hand. He froze a fingertip away from the yellowed, daggerlike teeth.
“It’s one of them, isn’t it?” he whispered. “One of the Gods.” A few members of the foreman's team gathered a few paces behind him, worry flickering across their faces.
Tover’s eyes went wide as he let go of Roarke.
“Emil, get these men out of here,” said Roarke evenly. “You are confused.”
Emil ignored him and dropped to his knees, pressing his forehead into the dust and rubble. “I know what I see, Engineer. We have desecrated the resting place of one of the great ones. We are unclean. We must call for a priest to purify us.” He began to moan, a low, guttural sound soon accompanied by the other workers who joined him on the ground.
Roarke released Tover and backed away slowly. After a few moments he began to jog back to his tent, passing confused teams of road builders on the way, men who had stopped work and began to drift toward the hillside like moths drawn to a flame.
Inside the tent Roarke was throwing together key papers, his most valuable and portable tools, a skin of water, and what money he had lying about into his surveyor’s pack.
As he settled the pack on his shoulders, he found Tover blocking the way. “Why was the site not marked if one of the Great Ones was interred here?”
Roarke stepped closer, but Tover made no move to get out of his way. “I ask you again--what is happening, Engineer? You know something.” He stared pointedly at the pack.
Roarke fixed Tover with his gaze, then sighed. “I’ve seen something like this before. When I was an apprentice. My master was wise enough to hide the evidence before the word got out.” He rubbed his brow. “How old do you think those bones are, Tover?”
The man hesitated. “I couldn’t say. A few hundred years?”
Roarke snorted. “A few thousand at the least.”
Tover frowned. “But there were no Dragons here when the Gate was first opened.”
The Engineer nodded. “True. So those bones are from before. There were Dragons here once. Then there weren’t. And now they’ve come again, and we their humble servants have stumbled across something that is forbidden.”
Tover face went pale. “What do you mean? What could have . . .” his voice trailed off.
Roarke shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe these Dragons never mastered the ancient magics. Maybe they fell to warring with each other until too few were left to carry on. Perhaps something stronger than them came and wiped them out. Did you see the char marks on the bone where the right wing should have sprouted?”
He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. What does matter is that we have seen evidence that the Gods can be destroyed. That they are mortal, not just individually, but collectively. And this is not the only case. Why do you think there are Humans and Trolls and Goblins native to most worlds but Dragons on only a few?”
Tover was blinking, as if shaking off sleep. “The Great Ones arise but rarely, on blessed and chosen worlds.”
“Or might it be that they survive on but a few worlds? That where they did not learn to harness the efforts of lesser species, they could not endure? Or that an ancient enemy wiped them out where it could find them?”
Roarke tapped Tover on the chest. “I tell you again, it doesn’t matter. What does matter is that everyone who has seen this is going to die as soon as the Wyrms or their priests find out. This site will be sealed off, perhaps studied in secret, and destroyed. Because if it becomes common knowledge that the Gods were wiped out once, then some will wonder if it can happen again.”
Roarke gripped the straps of his pack firmly and pushed his way past Tover into the afternoon light. “I, for one, will not be here when they come.”
Copyright 2009 by Doug Sims
What is the impact of having gods that are not only real, physical presences, but mortal (if very long-lived) ones? Gods that face certain limitations based on their own physiology and nature? That’s Dragons, at least Elder ones, in this setting.
Abilities
Dragons are the ultimate predators: bigger, smarter, and more powerful than people will ever be. Dragons don’t even reach maturity until they are a few hundred years old, and they continue growing throughout their lives. Elder Dragons can and do live for thousands of years with the aid of their magic.
And their magic is powerful. The Dragons were the first to master control of the Elements. Moreover, Dragon minds are powerful and flexible enough to comprehend the symbolic languages of multiple elements, more than any one human sorcerer can comprehend.
Limitations
A world can only sustain a small number of Elder Dragons and not that many more mature Dragons. Once the population reaches a certain critical mass, conflict over scarce resources arises. Such wars, fought between small numbers of powerful magical creature, are very likely to lead to extermination. As Dragons traveled to other worlds, they found repeated evidence of self-inflicted genocide in the archaeological record.
In addition, Dragons by their nature are competitive and solitary creatures. Yet individual Dragons can only accomplish so much, even over the span of millennia. On their own, Dragons can barely sustain or advance a civilization. It took them much longer to develop certain cultural institutions.
In effect, Dragons need the help of lesser beings to fulfill their true potential by sustaining larger populations, waging proxy conflicts, and forming durable societies. In essence, Draconic civilization would not exist without their followers.
Gifts
The Dragons taught Humans and other lesser beings the secrets of Elemental control and also fostered the study of alchemy. They encouraged the development of many other disciplines and technologies. In a sense, Dragons are capable of treating lesser species as their surrogate offspring, nurturing them in a way that their instincts prevent them from doing with their own biological young.
In addition, the Dragon-Kings and Queens protect their worshippers from the many dangers posed by other supernaturally powerful beings such as the Gods Above or the Dark Ones. (At least that’s how the Dragons present it.)
