ETHNOGRAPHY

There are four ethnic groups in Casanarva. The black-haired, black-eyed Savársee are descendants of nomadic desert warriors. The blond, blue-eyed Tazaqwayn came from Paláios, a civilized world to the west, whence they were driven out because of their religious beliefs. The Tazaqwayan culture, language, and religion--a belief in Arva, the Light--now dominate all of Casanarva. The Saráyn were fisherfolk living on the coast of what is now Savárseeya, Valtarmelsa, and Tazaqwaya. The desert warriors drove them into the sea along Savárseeya's shore, where they settled the Island of Saráy and worshipped the Goddess of the Sea. In time the Savársee conquered the island, but many of the Saráyn escaped, fleeing northward across the Qwarneeya Sea to discover and settle Eedo and Goffeleccee. The dark-haired, brown-eyed Nalo lived in the Jorminil Valley and had a highly developed hydraulic civilization there. In time they joined with the Saráyn who lived in the Delta and became the Valtarmelsan people.

Three major modern languages are spoken in Casanarva. Casanarvan is the common language everywhere. It was formed by a combination of Tazaqwayn and Saráyn. Savársee is still spoken in Savárseeya, and pure Saráyn in Saráy. Dialects of Saráyn exist in remote areas of Eedo and even Goffeleccee, just as Tazaqwayn is still found in a few mountain villages and isolated oases in Tazaqwaya. The Valtarmelsan language, Nalo, is a dead language of ancient scrolls and rituals. Ancient High Casanarvan was the ritual language of the Ancients, just as High Casanarvan is the ritual language today.

The dominant religion in Casanarva is Arvana or Davora’n Arva, a belief in Yorsayara, the Creator; in Arva, the Light; and in Celendil, the Peace.

In earliest times before the Tazaqwayn fled Paláios, their homeland to the west, a priest named Licas, while witnessing a thunderstorm, saw lightning ignite a dead tree. He decided that fire and lightning must be the same and began to believe that the God of Fire and the God of Storms and Winds was one in the same--a God of Light. Although most of the gods and goddesses of Paláios were benign, eight of them were demons, and Licas had become disgusted with the human and animal sacrifices required by them.

Licas thought the God of Light, as he called him, must be good and basically kind, because lightning brought needed rain to the desert and the farmlands, and fire gave warmth and allowed the cooking of food, and light in the darkness, which last especially seemed a magical thing to him. He believed also that this God of Light had great power and could bring destruction and death like lightning and fire, but must be merciful for he rarely did so. Licas declared that the central facet of worship should be praise and gratitude for light and warmth and the cooking fire.

The symbol of the God of Fire was crossed sticks, that of the God of Storms and Winds was a cross indicating the four cardinal directions. Chancing to see a navigational compass pointing at the eight primary directions: N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, & NW, Licas saw that this octactinal cross or star combined both symbols and thus he claimed the eight-rayed octaray for Arva, the God of Light. In contrast to the round shrines of the God of Fire and the square shrines of the God of Storm and Winds, Licas built an octagonal shrine to Arva with an octagonal altar and soon gathered others who believed as he did in a god who was both powerful and merciful.

Candlelighting was the central act of worship, and one dark day while lighting a candle, Licas came to understand that light itself is a created thing, and he decided that there was an invisible Creator God who was manifested as Light. In contrasting the conditions of fire and non-fire, of light and dark, of storm and peace, Licas began to believe that there was a second manifestation--that of peace.

As his group grew in size, Licas' followers no longer paid tribute to the old gods and began intervening in the animal and human sacrifices. In turn the authorities began rounding them up and killing them. Rioting and finally pitched battles occurred, and hundreds were killed, including Licas. They fled eastward across the desert and the mountains to what became Tazaqwaya. In the centuries that followed, the Arvans developed more fully their religion of Light, Peace, and of gratitude to the Creator for his enduring goodness and mercy.

Other religions exist in Casanarva as well. Some Saráyn worship Saráy, the Goddess of the Sea and her son, Qwar, the Spirit of Fish. Many Eedoans, and some Goffelecceeans as well, worship Clarona, the Goddess of the Moon. Actually, as evidenced by similar rituals and their beliefs in tidal phenomena, most scholars believe that Saráy and Clarona are probably the same goddess. At some times and in some places these religions have been tolerated, while in others the adherents have been persecuted relentlessly.

In very ancient times, the Savársee worshiped Atkah, the winged white shahnar, who brought rain; and Jadruk, the black dragon, who led them in battle. The Nalo of the Jorminil Valley worshiped many gods--primarily Hanunu, God of the River.

For more information: I have notebooks and boxes full of information about the world of Casanarva, but I thought these things might be the most important to know. If you have any questions about Casanarva, please let me know, and I will try to add the information here.