"Yggdism"
From the Encyclopædia Gallia, 1950 Edition
Yggdism (pronounced EE-dizm) is the largest of the Valkyrian sects, with a total of 37 million practitioners across Europa, and 22,539 in Gallia. The Yggdist faith believes in the existence of an invisible, all-powerful God, Eru, who created Europa with the Valkyrur as his divine vassals. These Valkyrur are seen as the bringers of salvation to Europa.
Yggdist History and the Edda
The Yggdist faith is based on a set of scriptures known as the Edda, comprised of 55 books. Originally written in Old Northern Script and compiled around the 3rd or 4th century EC, it begins with a description of the creation of the world:
Above the waters of the deep he skimm'd
His palm across the surface, and there brimm'd
A fount of air to nourish sun and moon,
Thus came the dark of night and light of noon.
Round and round stirred Eru swift and still
Until earth's bounty rose from force of will.
The creation event, known as Yggd (pronounced Yeed), took the shape of a spiral as Eru created the world from the bottom of the ocean up to the heavens. For this reason, the symbol of the Yggdist faith is a motif known as the "Valkyrian spiral."
The Edda goes on to explain the creation of man, originally a sinless, undying being living in the celestial sphere meant to glorify Eru by eternally singing. To enable man to glorify Eru with a whole heart, Eru granted man free will. For a millennia peace reigned, until the Great Betrayal, in which man attempted to wage war against Eru.
Drums that once beat for his potent might
Exchangéd hands to left, not borne by right.
The staves that once were flutes and drumming sticks
Were now the lances of man's harsh conflicts.
Their insurrection was foiled without effort by Eru, who cast them onto Earth. The leaders of the rebellion were branded by the darkness of their sin with "dark hair and eyes" (an undeniable reference to the Darcsens), and the others became the race known as the Euro. However, there were a few humans who did not follow the rebellion, the first Valkyrur.
In the First Redemption, Eru sent these Valkyrur to Europa to save humanity from a life of sin. In this time the righteous are saved and become Valkyrur themselves. After twenty years, Eru calls back a half of these Valkyrur back to the celestial plane with him, leaving the other half to effect the Second Redemption by waging war against the Darcsens. Although the Valkyrur hold divine power, the Darcsens are powerful, and the war is an extremely long one, ending only with the ultimate Darcsen Calamity in which they suicidally lure the Valkyria into their cities and destroy them with a massive display of dark magic.
The Edda then goes on to relate the War of the Valkyrur, in which the few remaining Valkyrur fall to sin and wage war with each other, the War of the Valkyrur. For this they are stripped of their powers, except for The Eighty, who remain righteous. The Edda ends in concluding that the Eighty still dwell in Europa, and continue to be reincarnated until Ragnarok, the day of judgment in which Eru takes up the Valkyrur back to his side and destroys the world to create a new one.
Sect History
As a formal sect, the Yggdists find their origins in the 3rd century, a time period when many different Valkyria worshipping sects arose. The oldest temple ruins are in Aesc, a village in the Atlantic state of Canterbury, suggesting that the sect started in and achieved special dominance around this region. It is theorized that the existence of a set of written manuscripts allowed Yggdism to spread and take root more concretely in the places it was introduced in. This is bolstered by the fact that Yggdism is the only Valkyrian sect with archaeological evidence demonstrating that its scriptures were written in Old Northern Script.
In any case, by the late 5th century EC, Yggdism spread across Europa, creating a large church centered in Canterbury. The first archbishop of Canterbury is said to have been a Valkyria and a man, which is known to be an exceedingly rare occurrence. Whether or not he possessed this power, he divided Europa into fifteen dioceses, each overseen by a bishop. These dioceses still remain today, unchanged.
As Europa's language evolved into modern day Europan, the Edda was translated by a Yggdist monk known as Jeromis into the modern vernacular. Later, a commission started in Canterbury established the Canterbury Translation, which has been in widespread usage for over 400 years.
The height of Yggdism came in 1200 EC, when numerous cathedrals were built and remain to this day. However, after this Yggdism took a heavy blow and lost considerable favor, the reasons of which are heavily debated by scholars. It is known that the Yggdist church wielded heavy influence over secular politics, and that several conflicts arose, but it is not known whether this caused the downfall. It may have been a waning memory and increasing skepticism towards the Valkyria that finally lead to the decline of Yggdism.
Beliefs and Practices
Yggdists believe in a series of purification rituals in order to achieve salvation from sins and life as a Valkyrur in the celestial plane upon death. Infants are baptized to wash them from "commuted sin," which is imputed on all humanity for the First Betrayal. After, the Yggdist lifestyle requires a series of prayers to be done daily to the Valkyrur, as well as a yearly fast and a pilgrimage to Canterbury to be done once in a lifetime. Upon death, Yggdists are cremated in a special ragnite pyre found in cathedrals that create a blue, spiraling flame.
As of late, Yggdists have been known for their particular reverence towards Valkyria awoken during the two Europan Wars, as well as their vehement opposition towards artificial Valkyria technology and Darcsen equality. In a highly publicized Gallian Supreme Court case, Gunther v. Yggdist Church (1949), a restraining order was placed on the Yggdist Church for stalking and causing emotional distress to members of the Gunther family, known to be a family of natural Valkyria and half-Valkyria. Whether this is constitutional under Gallian law is debatable. It is worth noting that historically speaking, Gallia has not been kind to Yggdism; in fact, House Randgriz was known for forcibly evicting Yggdists from the country until the 17th century. For obvious reasons, support from House Randgriz past allowing Yggdists to stay and practice their religion in the country is not likely to happen.