Generally, one of the first things that a visitor to a Cedonian home
will see upon entering a home is the household altar. Made of wood, a
household altar is rather like a built-in cabinet. The doors are
generally left open and are decorated with wooden carvings, as is the
pedestal and pediment. The left-hand door usually has a carving of
Demerhaze on the inside, while the right-hand door has a carving of
Lucia. The pedestal has an image of Cascasoevin, while the pediment
bears an image of Miracradsa. The altar doors are only shut when there
is a death in the family or on the death of an Emperor/Empress. The
exterior of the left hand door is carved with an image of Coron as the
Maker of Souls, while the right hand door is carved with an image of
Coron as the Protector of the Dead.
The altar's interior has two shelves. The upper shelf bears the statues,
usually painted wood, of the household's gods. Generally, there are no
more than three statues: one of Miracradsa, one of Coron, and one of the
patron god of the head of the household. The lower shelf partially folds
up, and when the altar is open it projects six inches into the room.
This shelf is where images or mementos of deceased family members are
kept, and where incense is burned.
As Jason likes to remind us, the goddess Miracradsa is not simply the
patron of magic, she is also the patron of families, and it is in the
latter capacity that she is worshipped in Cedonia. While there is no
Order of Miracradsa in the Cedonian Church, every Cedonian home, from
the lowliest hovel to the Imperial Palace, has a statue of Miracradsa on
the household altar. There are no formal ceremonies--Cedonian belief is
that honoring Miracradsa will help maintain a happy family and a safe home.
Coron is also honored in Cedonian homes with a statue on the family
altar. He is honored on his holy days, and when there is a birth or
death in the family. Cedonians also pray to Coron when there is a
change of some sort in their lives.
The statue of the third god or goddess is usually dependent on the
occupation of the householder: farmers have Arrumantha; healers have
Arlova; merchants and bankers, Sedon; sailors, Marmdal or the Lord of
the Sea; crafters, Torronir; soldiers, Mithrac; entertainers and
artists, Cascasoevin; and teachers, lawyers, judges, and nobles have Lucia.
Demerhaze usually does not have a statue on a Cedonian household altar.
However, in most Cedonian homes, the rooms in which children sleep have
symbols sacred to Demerhaze carved into the door- and window-frames, and
most nurseries have a statue of Demerhaze in her role as the Protector
of Children. Demerhaze is also found on household altars in areas which
have a reputation for being plagued by demons and malign spirits, since
in Cedonian theology, Demerhaze guards the realm where demons are
imprisoned, and she has the power to command and control all such evil
spirits, returning them to whence they come.
Andrew
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