Conoilithian Superstition

Historically speaking, the Conoilithians have been very superstitious people. Conoilithian superstition, explored in this page, covers a wide range of subjects, such as social norms, folk tales, myths and stigma.

The Gift of Civilisation
One of the key tenets of Conoilithian belief is that the Conoilithian race (along with some others) was gifted with the 'Gift of Civilisation' by their patron diety, Arkulf, and were specially chosen to be Arkulf's apprentices. This belief reinforced an idea among the Conoilithians that they were naturally superior to other humans, which they used to justify their many expansions over the centuries, as they felt it was their duty to spread Arkulf's 'teachings' of civilisation to other races.

It should also be noted that the notion of a duty to spread civilisation to all humans - who all equally possessed potential to become civilised - would convince the Conoilithians of the immorality of slavery. Although the Conoilithians were certainly gifted humans, they were still humans like all others; and they found the idea of binding other humans, regardless of race, into slavery - which they viewed as degrading them to the status of an animal - to be humiliating and disrespectful to Arkulf and the concept of civilisation as a whole.

The Soul
(WIP)

Relation With the Sea
As the Conoilithians believe that as one goes higher they get closer to the heavens - the realm of the gods and thus eternal life - they also believe that the deeper one goes, the closer they get to the underworld, the realm of the dead. The ocean, a domineering presence in Conoilithian life and culture, represents a gateway or curtain of sorts to the underworld, as traditionally it is believed that the bottom of the ocean is the deepest point in the physical world. As such, there is an element of curiosity and fear surrounding the ocean.

Despite this, or perhaps because of this, fishermen and sailors are not ostrasised for working on the seas; in fact, they are praised. Conoilithian society views them as especially brave, since they risk sinking and falling into the ocean depths as part of their occupation.

Elves
Elves are generally despised throughout the history of Conoilith. Viewed as dangerous, foreign and slightly supernatural beings, elves were constantly shunned from Conoilithian society. It is generally agreed that a key reason for this hatred of elves lies in the history of relations between ancient elven civilisation and the human tribes. For centuries, the elves launched ruthless expeditions northwards into the land which would become Conoilith, with the purpose of submitting the 'human barbarians' to their rule, pressing entire settlements' populations into slavery. Due to this, elves were naturally viewed as invaders who sought only to conquer and take advantage of the Conoilithians, and as a result had to be rejected at all costs.

The alchemical knowledge of elves made them branded as sorcerers as well, and a general stereotype of them as villainous tricksters and magicians who lived in dark forests or in rocky mountains would form.