Feudal Realm of Sgili

Religion before Imperial Ascendancy varied among the many clans that resided all through out known world. Some tribes believed in a single supreme being who created the world and everything in it, along with lesser deities. There are others who worshiped a multitude of trees and animals in a form of animism. Creed is a major aspect in the lives of the citizens of Sgili: a belief where there is one God above all with high respect to all gods creations. Respect of elders, ancestors and environment are highly regarded. Below are the gods and goddesses of the Feudal Pantheon that are, currently, still celebrated and worshipped through out the empire.



The first part as shown below were the residents of Kaluwalhatian: (Counterpart of Heaven)

Bathala - The supreme god of being; creator of man and earth and addressed sometimes as Bathalang Maykapal. He dwells in Kaluwalhatian together with the lesser gods and goddesses. Aside from the lesser gods and goddesses, he sent his anitos** in order to assist the daily lives of every human. The god is known to have married a mortal woman, and from her sprang three of his powerful offspring: Apolaki (God of War and Guardian of the Sun), Mayari (Goddess of the Moon), and Tala (Goddess of the Stars). He is the most celebrated of all throughout the Empire.

Aman Sinaya - She is the primordial goddess of the ocean and protector of fishermen. She is one of the three original deities along with Bathala and Amihan. Pirates and seafarers earnestly worship this deity to ensure their safety on the sea, but she is most celebrated in the Davasch Isles where she is recognized as an important factor in the success of the trade that went smoothly through journeys that cross open waters.

Amihan - The bird of legend is said to be the Goddess of Air, the first creature inhabiting the universe, and has been linked to the saving of the first humans: Malakas (“strong”) and Maganda (“beautiful”). With her ability to morph into any creature she wanted to be, she was hailed the Patron goddess of the Institute of Shapeshifting. She is a favored deity in Mythage where one of the main cities, Oldport, even built a statue of the goddess in bird form.

Amanikable - Originally this god was, and still is, worshiped as the god of Hunters. However, with the affinity to control elements to a certain degree, he was chosen to be the Patron god of the Institute of Elemental Magic.

Idiyanale - The goddess of labor and good deeds. Natives used to call for her guidance in order to make their works successful. She married Dimangan and had two offspring. She is most celebrated in Bhalta where their work, whether art or weaponry, are dedicated and offered to her. This is mostly because they believed that her blessing would improve the quality of their products more.

Dimangan - The god of good harvest. He was married to Idiyanale and had two offspring. He is one of the most famous deities in Orenskia, along with Lakapati and Mapulon.

Lakapati - The goddess of fertility and the most understanding and kind of all the deities. She was a hermaphrodite, having both female and male genitalia. Also known as Ikapati, she was the giver of food and prosperity. Her best gift to mankind was agriculture (cultivated fields). Through this, she was respected and loved by the people. Later, she was married to Mapulon and had a daughter.

Mapulon - The god of seasons, good health and medicine. He fell in love with Lakapati due to Lakapati's kindness and understanding to the people. They were married and had a daughter. He is the Patron god of the Institute of Healing.

Tala - The goddess of the stars; sister of Mayari and Hanan and one of the three daughters of Bathala by a mortal woman. Not much is said about Tala as the daughter of Bathala, only that she ruled the stars (and is usually referred to as the “evening and morning star”). There are, however, varied accounts of her origination. One myth tells us that she is not the daughter of Bathala, but in fact the child of moon goddess Buan (probably a variation of “Bulan”). It is said that Tala warns her mother of sun god Arao’s (Adlaw) rampage, and only when the sun is gone is it safe for Buan to bring forth the stars in the sky. Culturally speaking, astrology is a major factor in a lot of occasions, especially marriage, so Tala is a goddess often prayed to by Matchmakers for guidance.

Hanan - The goddess of morning; sister of Mayari and Tala and one of the three daughters of Bathala by a mortal woman. She is the main deity in Kathrak where it is custom to offer a prayer of thanks at dawn.

Dumakulem - The strong, agile guardian of mountains and the son of Idiyanale and Dimangan. His sister was Anitun Tabu. He later married Anagolay. One of the least celebrated deities in the Empire, however, he is quite popular in the Northlands where the inhabitants of the mountainous areas pray to him for safety.

Anitun Tabu - The fickle-minded goddess of wind and rain. She was the daughter of Idiyanale and Dimangan and the sister of Dumakulem. Mercurial in her ways, the Goddess is said to amuse herself by tricking humans in various ways, potentially by making them see things not as they are but how she wanted them to be. It was this very quality that made her an apt choice to be the Patron goddess of the Institute of Image Magic.

Anagolay - The goddess of lost things and the only offspring of Lakapati and Mapulon. She was married to Dumakulem. Primarily a deity of guidance, she is the Patron goddess of the Institute of Higher Sight which uses her symbol as their crest.

Apolaki and Mayari - Apolaki is the god of sun, wisdom and strategy and the chief patron of warriors, especially in Ingledye. Mayari is the goddess of the moon, war, revolution and among many others. She is one of the three daughters of Bathala by a mortal woman and had two sisters, Tala and Hanan. I’m putting these two together for a reason. Apolaki is also known as Adlaw, and he holds dominion over the sun. His sister, Mayari, also known as Bulan, rules over the moon, and is known to be the most beautiful goddess in Bathala’s kingdom. According to one myth, when Bathala passed away, he did not designate the earth to any of his children. Apolaki and Mayari both fought over the earth’s dominion; the sun god wanted to be the sole ruler, but the goddess of the moon wanted an equal share. This resulted in a ferocious battle, Apolaki taking out one of his sister’s eyes. Regretting his actions, he conceded and ruled the earth with Mayari, only they would rule at different times. In the day, it was Apolaki’s moment, and at night, Mayari shone in the sky (though her luminescence is dimmer, due to the loss of one eye). Both these Gods are avidly worshipped in the warrior island of Ingledye, probably one more than the other, depending on who is being asked.

Diyan Masalanta - The goddess of love, conception and childbirth and the protector of lovers. She was the daughter of Anagolay and Dumakulem and youngest of all the deities. She is considered an important figure by the women of the harem. So much so that it is imperative for the Sursa to ensure that the women pray benevolently to this Goddess, one will never know when the deity would grant an auspicious matrimony or bless a woman's womb to bear children. To be fair, it was also a comforting thought for some of the women to know that there could be divine intervention when it came to protecting matrimonial prospects.



The rest of the list below includes the god/goddess-like, residents of Kasamaan (Counterpart of Hell). They were the evil entities all opposed to Bathala and the rest of his deities.

Sitan - The guardian of Kasamaan and the keeper of all souls therein. He is the head honcho and the counterpart of Satan. He had four agents whose task was to lead man to sin and destruction.

Manggagaway - She was the first agent of Sitan and was primarily blamed as the cause of diseases. Sometimes, she would change herself into a human form, appearing as a false healer. If she wished to kill someone, she employed a magic wand.

Manisilat - The second agent of Sitan, she was tasked to destroy and break every happy and united family that she could find.

Mangkukulam - The only male agent of Sitan, he was to emit fire at night and when there was bad weather. Like his fellow agents, he could change his form to that of a healer and then induce fire at his victim's house. If the fire were extinguished immediately, the victim would eventually die. His name remains today as witch.

Hukluban - The last agent of Sitan could change herself into any form she desired. She could kill someone by simply raising her hand and could heal without any difficulty as she wished. Her name literally means "crone" or "hag."



Anito** - Refers to spirits, including the household deities, deceased ancestors, nature-spirits nymphs and diwatas (dryads). Those believe kept statues to represent these spirits, to ask guidance and magical protection.



During the pre-ascendancy period, babaylan (priestesses), functioned as shamans and spiritual leaders and mananambal were for folk healers. At the onset of the Imperial Ascendancy era, the suppression of the babaylans and the unification of religion gave rise to the albularyo. By exchanging the native prayers and spells with prayers and beliefs from other creeds, the albularyo was able to synchronize the ancient mode of healing with what could be called a unified faith.

Rituals

Some of the rituals observed by Folk Healers include:

Pangalap - the aforementioned yearly search for concoction ingredients

Halad - ritual offering of food and drink to honor the spirits of the dead

Palínà - ritual fumigation; is a method of pest control that completely fills an area with gaseous pesticides—or fumigants—to suffocate or poison the pests within.

Pangadlip - the chopping or slicing of pangalap ingredients

Pagpagong - burning or reducing the ingredients into charcoal or ashes

Making of Minasa - concoctions made from the pangalap ingredients

Rubbing with Lana - medicinal oil concocted from coconut