Spirit

Spirit worship is considered to be the most primitive form of religion. The fact that Spirit Cults do not have the followings that they once did, does not mean that people have forgotten the old ways. Many people still go through the old motions and rituals to appease the ancient spirits. Generally, this is not thought to have any bearing on the proprieties of one’s faith.

One of the difficulties with categorizing Spirit worship is defining what constitutes a spirit. Some Cults revered the life essences of trees, rocks, and streams. Others revered the spirits of their dead ancestors. Still others venerated the ghosts of the veils (i.e., transitional Eðérim and Neðérim). Each of these spirits are very different in composition, purpose, and influence. Those that leave bowls of flowers and seeds for the spirit of the fields are probably a very different group than those that shed the blood of innocents to gain insight from the spirit of the mortal veil.

Cult of Shades

The Ælyri worship of spirits is known as the Cult of Shades. Shades do not belong to a specific order. The term Shade has been used throughout the history of the Ælyri Islands to identify a number of different manifestations. The oldest use of the word was used to describe spirits of nature. This usage has been found throughout mainland Ildûn. Another common use of Shade pertains to spirit folk, particularly the most powerful of their ilk. In later ages, Shade has also been used to refer to dead Mortals that roam the land for good or ill. These last Shades are usually heroes, though villainous Shades are also known. The Cult of Shades is organized around Henges (nature spirits), Rings (spirit folk), and Dolmens (dead Mortals).