Tohadal

Tohadal
tohodalún (DHS) thoxadal (HDZ)
Type	Universal religion
Classification	Ashno-Verethian
Scripture	Ghashesihun
Theology	Polytheistic
Language	Liturgical Sarsahat
Founder	Walghash
Origin	c. 27th–28th centuries CY North Etzavaz
Separated from	Proto-Ashno-Verethian religion
Number of followers	at least 100 million

Tohadal (Dirhassian: tohodalún, tr. Tohodalún [tɔˈxɔðɑlu:n]), also known as Gøvjú, is an Ashno-Verethian religion based on the teachings of the Ghashesihun and the prophet Walghash. It has a wide pantheon of deities, ranging from forces of nature to personification of specific bodies of water.

Etymology

The name Tohadal is interpreted from the Sarsahat name *toħadal, literally meaning "way of the eye". The religion is also sometimes referred to as gøvjú and gøvy in the Hashdezi Empire and Agisia, ultimately from the Old High Hashdezi word gøvjun, meaning "belief, faith".

Theology

There are four types of deities worshipped in Tohadal. The first are the vahshlar (sg. vahsh, "gods"), which are the traditional pantheon of gods. The vahshlar govern natural processes such as storms, the sea, war, the afterlife, etc. The second type are the vāshsahlar (sg. vāshsah, "god-likes"), which are the children of the vahshlar. Third are the daqsanlar (sg. daqsan, "serving lords"), which are usually patron deities of specific cities, or protector spirits of specific towns and villages. The final and most numerous type are the ehellar (sg. ehel, "spirits"). These are usually personifications of specific rivers, mountains and other locations.

Vahshlar

Name	Image	Major cult centers	Celestial body	Details
Ketesshan			Sun	Ketesshan, known in High Angkat as Ktʻēš-šēn, meaning "lord [of] fire", is the supreme creator God, god of life and god of fire. He is said to be the ancestor to everything, having created the world, the Sun and the Moon. According to the Ghashesihun, he was born of the Legharhārot along with his brother Sāzhan.
Masejun			Khurwia	The first wife of Ketesshan, Masejun is the goddess of the dead and goddess of justice. She is said to judge the hearts of the dead to decide whether they may ascend to the stars or to be sent down to the Underworld.
Ebetsu			Vanaheim	The second wife of Ketesshan, Ebetsu is the goddess of the seas and goddess of night.
Sushtas			Muspellheim	The third wife of Ketesshan, Sushtas is the goddess of winds, goddess of rains and goddess of harvest.
Leghahat				The fourth wife of Ketesshan, Leghahat is the goddess of love and goddess of fertility.
Sāzhan			Moon	The twin brother of Ketesshan, Sāzhan is the god of war, god of storms and god-king of the Moon, which is the realm where the gods reside.

Vāshsahlar

Name	Image	Major cult centers	Celestial body	Details
Tiqures Tikures				Son of Ketesshan and Masejun, Tiqures is the god of oaths and god of truth. He is typically represented as a young boy or young man with long, flowing hair.
Savsān				Son of Ketesshan and Ebetsu, Savsān is the god of rivers and god of lakes.

Cosmology

According to the Tohadal creation myth, the universe began as a great primordial flame, known as Legharhārot, or "Mother Flame". The Legharhārot birthed the twin brothers Ketesshan and Sāzhan. Ketesshan, who was wiser than his brother, created the world out of the cosmos along with the sun and moon. Sāzhan, who sought power and control, created life in the world, but instilled in all living creatures a sense of conflict to divide them. Furious at his brother, Ketesshan banished Sāzhan to the moon, though he could not bring himself to undo Sāzhan's creation, instead choosing to guide living beings. Sāzhan built the residence of the gods on the moon, ruling over it as god-king.

Principal beliefs

Tenets of faith

In Tohadal, Ketesshan is worshipped as master of the universe, spiritual guide and paragon of wisdom and virtue. Walghash is said in the Ghashesihun to have had the highest devotion to Ketesshan and his teachings. He consequently preached respect and love for all living things, as Ketesshan had love for them. Walghash also promoted the concept of versihun, or "community", stating that bonds with others helped prevent sin.

A central concept of Tohadal is the Fourfold Path, which consists of:

• cūḥad ("good deeds"): a life as free of sin as possible is crucial to contribute to the cycle of creation. It is the belief that good transpires for those who do righteous deeds for its own sake.
• cūḥashe ("good words"): spreading happiness and speaking truth are part of upholding Ketesshan's values, personified through Tiqures.
• cūversihun ("good community"): maintaining bonds with one's community helps strengthen the world and prevent sin from propagating.
• cūghash ("good worship"): absolute devotion to the gods is necessary to maintain a connection with the cosmos.

Souls and afterlife

Tohadal believes that every human being is endowed with a soul, which is a piece of the Legharhārot. The physical manifestation of the soul is the heart, which is filled with the sum of all of one's actions upon the world. Every human being's actions are weighed by a scale in the realm of gods: good deeds tip the scale to the left, whereas bad deeds tip it to the right. If upon death one's scale is tipped to the left, their soul ascends into the sky and becomes a star, returning to the cosmos. However, if the scale tips to the right, the soul is instead doomed to sink into the ground, forever severing its connection to the Legharhārot. Therefore, Tohadal believes that an over-abundance of sin in the world disrupts the cycle of creation and permanently weakens the Legharhārot.

Five Holy Animals

There are five animals in Tohadal that are treated with higher respect, and therefore considered “holy”, often due to their usefulness to humans or merely due to their perceived status. As such, they play an important role in Verethian culture and are therefore often protected. They are as follows, by order of least to most holy:

• Dog/Jackal: canids, especially dogs and jackals, are revered for their quality as pest control, as well as their friendliness towards humans.
• Horse: horses have long been extremely useful to humans for labor and transport, though with the advent of trains and motor vehicles, their use has dwindled.
• Cow: cows are given the highest respect due to being one of the primary sources of meat in Etzavazi culture. It is tradition to pray and conduct a ritual before killing a cow. Moreover, killing a cow for any other reason than food is considered a sin (this is one of the reasons why leather clothing is almost never worn in Etzavaz).
• Hawk: hawks are respected as highly noble animals, and it is not uncommon for nobles to keep them as pets.
• Lion: lions are considered to be the kings of the animal kingdom, and therefore highly protected. Poaching of lions is still punishable by death in most Verethian countries.

Practices and rituals

Throughout Tohadal history, shrines and temples have been the focus of worship and pilgrimage for adherents of the religion. Early Tohadal followers were recorded as worshipping around fires that were lit below the open skies. In the wake of Sarsahat expansion, shrines were constructed in honor of different deities. Over time, these grew into large open complexes dedicated each to a specific deity, with a large central open-air prayer area. Oracles, however, conduct their personal prayer in a small room with no windows, lit only by candlelight.

Tohadal rituals are led by oracles, which make up the clergy. Oracles wear robes with pointed hoods and veils hiding their faces, and their rituals incorporate shamanic elements and mystical practices. Upon joining the clergy, oracles get new names and leave their old lives behind, taking a vow of celibacy. There are various ranks of oracledom, with the highest being ātevash, the leader of an entire order. There is no centralized hierarchy of oracledom, with each country having at least one order of oracles, if not more.