Shamanism: A discussion

[Morgeth]

Hello!

A while back Nazrug from the Warsong Blades asked me to look through a piece he wrote on shamanism a few years back. I read through it, and had a bit of a discussion with him about what shamanism involves and the differences you see in how people play it. I got permission from him to post his piece here. I post it because I thought it might be interesting to discuss how we all view shamanism, and how we RP our characters around it.

This is in no way a "this is what it has to be like".

[Morgeth]

Nazrug's post

Orcish Shamanism â€" Nazrug’s version
This is not a guide to shamanism, more an in-depth view on how I personally see orcish shamanism and how I role-play my shaman character. Over the last week or so I have spoken to more than one person on shaman methods and basic practices. It seems there are a lot of different shaman techniques, much like shamanism in the real world, many of which I am more than happy to accept as alternative practices to what my character would usually perform. Because of the nature of the faith, there are no set rules or protocols. There is no church or holy book to set the laws, no priests, rabbis, imams or popes. There are only the many different shaman interpretations of the faith and they would vary vastly, depending on the past practices of their clans and the influence of different cultures.

At this point please bear in mind that I am not a fan of the Earthen Ring and I don’t believe that the passive natured “maintain the balance between the world's elemental forces.” philosophy that the Earthen Ring dictates is accepted as the template of the shaman faith. The lore has stated that the elemental spirits are by nature chaotic and destructive, but also capable of reasoning and clever actions. It is important to remember that the elements are neither patron deities, nor are they a force to be tapped, such as the arcane. Rather, they are cosmic partners. Every world, river, mountain and valley has its own elemental spirits, its own powers to call upon. There is a word for the path of balancing the natural, it is called Druidism. In fact if anything, I see them as a semi-organised and good intentioned cult with some big players in their ranks. It is for this reason that Nazrug (My shaman) has any sort of tolerance for the faction.

I draw my understanding of orcish shamanism from the many different pagan cults of ancient Rome. In Rome there was a state religion that taught the basic principles of the faith, but the vast majority of the population would turn to priests from the different cults who specialised in dealings with that particular god or goddess. The Romans had many house hold guardian spirits such Vesta, the guardian spirit of the hearth fire, that watched over the family and blessed their daily lives. The Romans even shared their daily meals with them and honoured them along with their ancestors by having wooden figurines made and keeping them alongside the masks of their ancestors. It could be argued that these were considered totems as these items were believed to have an animating spirit. I believe it to be the same with the orcs but without the focus of the divine or an organised religion. Instead the shaman would take the place of the priest to lend assistance in communicating or pleasing, not a celestial being, but the ancestors of the orcs or the elemental spirits which play a huge part in orcish shamanism. In the game world we see fire elementals patrolling up and down along the shores of a lava patch or a badly animated elemental will appear when we drop our fire elemental totem. I do not believe these to properly represent the elemental spirits in lore terms, these items only exist as game mechanics to enrich our game play experience and contribute to our arsenal of abilities to progress into the game.

Game mechanics have always been one of my gripes and I believe it to be one of the main reasons why many people find it hard to stick to realism when role-playing. I have even found myself stuck in situations where I have had to conform to the belief that game mechanics are the way to go when performing shaman rituals or rites. Misconceptions such as: All shamans use totems, all shamans are able to instantly remove a curse or an affliction, all shaman are able to stand on the spot and “cast” to save their friend from dying from a dire wound â€" I do not believe that to be true. I firmly believe that shamanism is a path of spiritual RITUALISATION and CONCENTRATED effort to REQUEST results. I understand that game mechanics allow for a curse to be instantly removed from an ally, or that throwing a groundling totem on the ground can redirect a harmful projectile away from the shaman or a healing spell can be cast in time to save an enemy from dying in combat... but that is exactly what those abilities are there for... pvp combat. A shaman’s abilities and “spells” are there for pvp and pve, the game, where timing and precision is the difference between wiping on a raid boss or dying in the arena and I strongly believe that they have no place in role-play.

If shaman really could instantly remove any infliction or “cast” a healing spell, there would be no disease, no poisons, infections, plagues, sickness or death from wounds.
If a shaman could resurrect the fallen, there would be no death, not a single individual would die before their body could truly not cope with the effects of age.
If a shaman had an ankh there would be no reason to be cautious of death and live without thought of consequence. “Don’t worry guys; I’ll test if it is poisoned!” *dies* *LOL ANKH* “Yep... it is poison alright”
(Yes, I have seen the above scenario being done in the past and cringed.)

This is a sword and sorcery world, yes, but for the sake of realism, it has limits.
Which brings me to my favourite topic:


“Spells” vs Ritual and Sacrifice
I hear the world “spells” come up all too often when speaking about shaman role-play, as I have said before, I believe shamanism to be a spiritual path of ritual appeasement to the ancestors and the elemental spirits and not a magical path like the tapping into the arcane or the harnessing of fel energies. In fact I believe the world “spell” would be a strictly taboo word in orcish society. A hugely spiritual people would undoubtedly be untrusting of spell casters. I also believe that this feeling of discomfort would be intensified with the races and factions that associate themselves with those magic practices: The Blood elves and the arcane, the forsaken and necromancy and the burning legion and demonic energy. I feel the orcish corruption on Dreanor would have a strong effect on orcish society’s perspective of these magic paths as a whole, to the point of resentment, much like modern society in real life sees right wing politics after the atrocities preformed by the Nazis in world war two. The shaman knows the culture of his or her community well, and acts accordingly. Thus, their audience knows the used symbols and meanings. This is why shamanism has and will always be efficient within orcish society. Orcs in the audience trust it. Such a belief system can appear to its members with certainty of knowledge. The traditional way of the Orcs is an obvious preference over the mess that the Fel energy caused within Orcish Society.

The obvious question is the use of elements in combat, whether it be IC duels or a combat scene in a story written. For example:

...Nazrug reaches up to the quickly greying sky, the weather’s timing could not be more perfect, his palms slowly turn upwards and gradually into powerful fists, his mind clears and the hairs on his back and forearms rise with static liveliness. A powerful roar sounds on the horizon as the storm swiftly rolls in. The shaman takes his opportunity and with near perfect synchronisation the orc roars his battlecry, his savage ambiance and primal vigour escalate into his much anticipated attack. Like the lightning itself, he swiftly drops his fist in the direction of his opponent, the bolt thunders down striking the ground before him in a blinding flash. Without thought, without hesitation, the orc attacks, ripping and tearing into his foe...

I am very conservative when it comes to combat and the elements, I believe that a single strike from a lightning bolt would be enough to kill even the toughest opponent and therefore I believe the ability to do something like that would be extremely taxing on more than just the endurance of the shaman but his connection and concentration with the spiritual. In fact since the power is leant, I would even go as far as to say that the call would go unanswered if it was being used for the wrong reasons. The elemental spirits are not there for the shaman’s beck and call after all. I do not believe these to be spells, they are calls. A call for the aid of a spirit or ancestor. A call to help a diseased friend (since disease is often seen as a bad spirit), a call to intensify the flames of a campfire or a call to bless a weapon before battle. I am a firm believer that these powers will only be granted when the spirits or ancestors are satisfied with the shaman’s dedication to the faith and the ritual preformed to request the aid. The ancient Romans had a phrase for this: “Do ut des” â€" I give so that you may give. In an orcish ritual, I believe sacrifices must be made to appease, these types of sacrifice would certainly never be humanoid and never be an animal that will not be used for meat, leather or gut for weaponry. More likely it would possibly be a portion of a meal, an offering of basic earth, wood or water, or even the Orc’s own blood cut from his hand (This was a common sacrifice for warrior cultures all throughout the world.) The type of sacrifice would depend vastly on what is being asked of the spirits.


Totems
I believe the use of totem items such as rocks and wooden statuettes would be common; these items would certainly be believed to have special powers and an animating spirit.

“A totem is any supposed entity that watches over or assists a group of people, such as a family, clan, or tribe”

Totems support larger groups than the individual person. In kinship and descent, if the apical ancestor of a clan is nonOrcish, it is could be represented by a totem. Normally this belief is accompanied by a totemic myth. Orcs and Tauren both use totems, but very differently, Orcs believe that the mis-named totem poles of the Tauren are not totemic in nature, rather they are heraldic in nature. They feature many different designs (bears, birds, frogs, Tauren, and various supernatural beings and aquatic creatures) that function as family or chiefly crests and to recount stories owned by those families or chiefs, and/or to commemorate special occasions.

Again this brings me back to my game mechanics gripe, I do not believe that Nazrug carries a large sack of groundling totems in the shape of glowing axes that he can toss on the ground that will redirect any harmful spells that were destined for him. I see them more as items or talismans of meaning to him that have spiritual significance. A necklace or a feathered bracelet, a skull or a primitively crafted item carried on the belt that is believed to have some sort of animating spirit that watches over the orc. I believe that these items wouldn’t just be used by shaman, in fact I believe these items would be carried by orcish warriors or even civilian orcs that were given these items by their shaman. They would be displayed at weddings (In the loosest possible sense of the word), rituals or even funerals of the orcs. I believe that they would even be burnt on the pyre with them.


Ghost Wolf
The wolf or worg is identified in orcish culture as a sacred animal, there is no dispute about that. Shaman were given the spell Ghost wolf and I can only assume it was an attempt at linking orcish culture with shamanism, Ghost wolf or “The wolf dream” as Xenya of the Warsong Blades likes to call it, is a great representation of this. Many shaman go on “Vision quests” through the spiritual worlds to gain insight, almost certainly with the use of herbs or mind altering substances created by themselves or other shaman. This is the very basic concept of the farseer path that I cannot fully understand and would not attempt to roleplay due to both a lack of lore on the subject and the realistic barriers that exist in moving through spiritual realms. I notice many shaman role-playing in their ghost wolf form, and although it is not my cup of tea I still ICly acknowledge it as a valid game mechanic to be used. However, talking orcish in a spiritual non-physical wolf form without the complex vocal cords that humanoid creatures use to communicate is something I would ignore and limit response to.


The Elements:
The basic concept of an elemental refers to the ancient idea of elements as fundamental building blocks of nature. In the system prevailing in the world, there were four elements: fire, earth, air, and water. This paradigm has even been highly influential in our world and in our understanding of natural philosophy, and Paracelsus evidently intended to draw a range of mythological beings into this paradigm by identifying them as belonging to one of these four elemental types. The same applies to the Orcs.
In mysticism, magic and alchemy, an elemental is a creature (usually a spirit) that is attuned with, or composed of, one of the classical elements; air, earth, fire and water.

The elements balance each other out through opposites: water quenches fire, fire boils water, earth contains air, air erodes earth.

Just like the Orcs, Elemental spirits are by nature chaotic and destructive, but also capable of reasoning and clever actions.

The Spirit of Earth
The Spirit of Earthis called upon to help crops grow and destroy enemy strongholds. It is warm and nurturing in personality, as well as a firm and persistent presence. Its voice is deep and slow.

The Spirit of Air
The Spirit of Air (aka Spirit of the Air, and Spirit of the Wind) may grant a gentle breeze to a trading ship or a violent tornado. Personality-wise, Wind is generally calm and talkative, endlessly whispering in the ears of the Shaman. At other times it can be as forceful and powerful as Fire.

The Spirit of Fire
The Spirit of Fire is the most outwardly destructive though it has lighter sides such as a hearth or candle. Under its domain, shamans can call on the aid of heat, flame, and lightning. The Fire is also the granter of visions, thus scry using campfires. Fire tends to be the most unpredictable and undisciplined of the elements, barely deigning to speak to even seasoned Shamans unless it wishes to. Its voice is usually loud, passionate and rumbling, prone to outbursts.

The Spirit of Water
The Spirit of Water is a nourishing element that can quench the thirst of a weary traveler or drown an army. Water tends to be least affected by severe cataclysms, adapting quickly. Water is perhaps the most personable of the Elements; calm, clear and possessing a wry sense of humor and mirth.

The Spirit of the Wilds
The Spirit of the Wilds is most nebulous and complex of the spirits of the wilds. In fact, no one is entirely certain of what the Wilds represent. It seems to embody the living souls of all living things, from the most humanoids, to animals to plants and even stones. The Wilds is by far the best friend and greatest enemy of the shaman; the Wilds can heal broken bodies and even restore beings to life... but only if it suits the balance. It is the Wilds that can make the shaman think he is a god - and show him that he's still mortal