Lidelism

Lidelism is one of the largest and most advanced religions on the South American continent. It formed from a syncretism between the Chian River and Big Mouth People's religious traditions, united and codified by the Prophet named Pavari, who would later be deified by the faith. It is the dominant religion of the Lidelan and Big Mouth People. The religion the belief of two kings that killed each other, and that the other species is inferior and must be eradicated. It is split into the version of the religion for Homo sapiens and the version for neanderthals, with those branches being split further into different sects.

Formation
Around the year 39,700, in a small, nameless village in the Chian River's interior, a prophet named Pavari emerged. He claimed to be the child of the River Mother by a mortal man, conceived to bring Her word to mankind. He would travel and preach, spreading his word throughout his life and encouraging numbers of others to do so. The religion did not emerge from him alone, although it is remembered that way. His teachings would form the basis of a formal religious practice called Lidelism. Lidelism is marked by its strong personification of its gods and the extensive set of legends that grew out of this period. For one, the gods of this period would be given recordable, specific names. The Earth Father would be named Fadula and gain an association with earthquakes. This is due to the Chian River People having migrated from a place with no seismic activity, in northern Brazil, to one that does. It is believed that Fadula slumbers most of every day and the ground shaking when he awakes. Periods of low seismic activity and periods of high seismic activity have an active impact on his portrayal. He is considered an ancient, tired being or a temperamental one depending on that. However, the images converge over time: Fadula is considered extremely old, easily annoyed, and not to be disturbed. On the other hand, Lidel was seen as ever patient, ever calm, and motherly to all life, as she is the mother of all life. The Lesser Sky Gods become overtly and specifically the children of Lidel and Fadula.

The old God of Wealth is depicted as a dog of no particular breed because the River Chian people had no companion dog breed with them. The dogs they would adopt are the same proto-breed that arrived with the Americanis into North America, having spread out into the wild all of the way to the Southern Cone, but not in great numbers.

Some other previously obscure gods emerged as major deities in Pavari the Prophet's lifetime. There were multiple local Gods of the Sea that assimilated into each other over time. The end result was the god known as Aedala. The Goddess of Beauty had been a relatively widespread, but obscure goddess. She was associated with prostitution, which had previously been reviled. She had still been respected as a goddess, but the people associated with her worship were undesirables and pushed to the fringes of society. Her rise in importance marks a growing acceptance of the practice.

Spread
The Lidelan would make peaceful contact with the Malvinas culture. The Malvinas and the Lidelan Peoples who border each other marry and exchange technologies, along with some cultural and religious traditions. The Lidelan would adopt the Malvinas practice of silent prayer, abandoning their old way of humming while they prayed, and the act of marrying beneath a tree spread out from these border areas. They would also trade their livestock in exchange for the Malvinas elaborate clothing and gradually the practice would spread into their land.

Th Lidelan Pantheon becomes increasingly polytheistic, as the Lesser Sky Gods are given far more importance in everyday life as they lose their association with the Sky and Birds. They would become earthly gods and would begin being depicted as other animals.Three of the four gods who would completely maintain their depiction as birds were also the ones irrevocably associated with the heavens. The old Goddess of the Sun, the old God of the Moon, and the somewhat obscure old Goddess of Clouds would maintain their domains in the sky and be given greater importance. They would be seen as the first children of Lidel and Fadula.

Lidelism would spread inland to the Andes Mountains with the movement of the Lidelan People.

Mythology
The first children of Lidel and Fadula, who were mighty and created great domains for themselves. While the lesser gods were only able to carve out niches and associated activities, these gods were primordial and physical beings.

(River Mother)

Lidel is the River Goddess, the head of the Pantheon and lends her name to the religion at large. She would gain associations with motherhood, animal care, and healing. In her myths, she is the capital-G God, all-mighty, all-knowing, and all-powerful. She is the most benevolent and kind of the gods.

(Earth Father)

Fadula is the Earth Father and the Slumbering Giant, who causes earthquakes whenever he awakes. He is only awake for a very brief time, before returning to his long slumber. In his myths, he is hot-tempered and not to be disturbed.

(Phoenix)

The Sun Goddess named Fefustil was born first and thus would be given the day to rule. Felustil would often be depicted as a Phoenix, bathed in fire. In her myths, she

(Giant Rhea)

The Moon God named Sinsa was born second and thus would be given the night to rule. Sinsa would be a massive Rhea, and would leave cold and shadows wherever he went.

(Swan)

Poor Osoliga was born third and there were no more great domains to give, so he settled for ruling the clouds day and night, beneath Felustil and Sinsa. Osoliga would be depicted as swan. In his myths he is the overlooked child, very talented and yet never catching the eye of his parents.

(Dolphin) (Fish)

The god known as Aedala, who ruled over the sea as his own domain. Despite being the child of Lidel and Fadula, it was believed Aedala was as or nearly as strong as them. He is either depicted as a dolphin, reflecting this strength, or a fish, rejecting the concept of him as a mighty deity, depending on the tradition. Across traditions, he is always seen as Lidel's favorite child, who she gave half of her own domain to rule.

(Jaguar)

The old God of Disease is depicted as a jaguar and is named Bifora. He is a symbol of strength and conflict gaining further association with war, and murder. In his myths, he is as intelligent as he is strong and prides himself in his creativity when it comes to death and suffering.

(Dog)

The old God of Wealth's name is Ridiva, and he gains associations with charity, good-fortune, and judgement. In his myths, he is one of the most benevolent deities, often rescuing people in desperate situations or serving as an arbiter in great disputes.

(Antifer)

The old Goddess of Travel is depicted as an Antifer and is named Varril. She is a symbol of wanderlust, gaining associations with sailing, and finding lost things. In her myths, she is known for persuading her worshipers to pursue their dreams, no matter how reckless.

(Macrauchenia)

The old Goddess of Labor is depicted as a Macrauchenia and is named Uasi. She is a symbol of hard-work, gaining associations with herding, foraging, and sewing. In her myths, she is known for changing her gender at will and does so quite often.

(Flamingo)

She would be named Mulijel, depicted as a flamingo, and gain associations with bathing, leisure, and celebration. She would be one of only four deities still depicted as a bird. In her myths, she is shrewd, but unambitious. Other gods often attempt to rope her into their issues and she cleverly persuades them to leave her alone.

Family Tree
Eternal Gods

Lidel

Fadula

___ First Generation

Fefustil - Sinsa - Osoliga - Aedala

___ Second Generation

Bifora - Ridiva - Varril - Uasi - Mulijel

Pronunciations
The language of the Lidelan Proto-culture is not very complicated and, in fact, has some very simple vowel sounds when compared to modern languages.

The rules are as follows: A being "ah" in all cases, E being "eh" in all cases, I being "i" in all cases, U being "oo" in all cases, R being a quick rolled in all cases (basically clicking the tongue to the roof of the mouth), RR being an elongated rolled R (holding it for an appropriately long beat), and J being the hard J sound in Spanish (same as the ending g sound in Buttigieg) and thus a rarity in actual words (kind of like the "qw"-sound in English).

Pronunciations for each of the Gods:

Eternal Gods:

Lidel (Lie-Dehl)

Fadula (Fah-Doo-Lah)

First Generation:

Fefustil (Feh-foo-stil)

Sinsa (Sin-Sah)

Osoliga (O-So-Lie-Ga)

Aedala (Ah-Ed-Ah-Lah)

Second Generation:

Bifora (Bi-Fo-Rah)

Ridiva (Rie-Die-Vah)

Varril (Vah-R-Ril)

Uasi (Oo-ah-sie)

Mulijel (Moo-Lie-Jehl)

Important Figures:

Pavari (Pah-Vah-Rie)