Post by Thanatos on Jun 1, 2015 12:06:35 GMT -5
E D E N
D E S C R I P T I O N
Eden is a pack that is centered around the belief of family, tradition, hope and redemption. It is also a pack based on the principle of love and honor, and they seek to please their only deity, Elohim, also known as the Great Spirit, and with this code they live by. Eden's existence gravitates around spiritual purpose, family, tradition, rituals and strong spiritual bonds, and it seeks to encourage and promote the perfect family unit, believing that the Great Spirit blesses those who follow this guidance. Their goal is to form not only a pack, but a family in which everyone is a part of, and no one gets left out. Since Thanatos was adopted by Kuruk, Thanatos also believes that family is not only that one that procreates, but the one that raises as well. It will be common to see pups being adopted by Eden members and raising them as one of their own.
The name of Eden is an allegory to what happened in the garden of Eden in the Bible. The Spirit of God moved in the garden and had a relationship with Adam and Eve. In the same way, the Great Spirit that Eden worships lives in their lands, blessing every wolf that inhabits it. The Great Spirit also blesses those couples that have achieved perfection, and motivates those who aspire it. Perfection is something sublime in the pack, and it is an aspect that should only bring feelings of humility and gratefulness. Perfection means that everyone sees you as an example to follow, and you should be honored to be considered a prime example, not cocky or arrogant. It is something sacred.
Since Eden is more relationship/family/bond oriented, it means that females are not seen as property or as birthing machines. Even if males are dominant in the pack, females are seen as beautiful and sacred and they are not to be messed with. A relationship between a male and a female is seen as sacred, and long-lasting pairs are held in high regard and are seen as a blessing from the Great Spirit. Chastity is a treasured aspect of a female--it is highly admired, and it is highly sought after. Females born in the pack are taught chastity; they have to wait to be mated officially before losing their virginity. The Alpha pair are considered the prime example of what every other couple should strive for, and they are also seen as the motherly and fatherly figures of the entire pack, commonly referred to as nosh or noshi.
They have multiple rituals, like the Aiyanna or the wedding ceremony and the pup celebrations, made when new pups are birthed in the pack. They are fun celebrations and every member is expected to participate in them.
E L O H I M
Eons ago the earth was a barren place; the grass was brown and brittle, the waters contained to the depths of the sea and contaminated with salt. The sun burnt hot, baking through a cloudless sky. That was until a Great Spirit arrived and was deeply saddened by the poor conditions of the earth. Eyota is her long forgotten name, the mother of nature who brought rain from the mountain tops to the grasslands far and wide. Dry valleys drank the fresh water and became budding reservoirs. Streams ran down rocky mountain sides to create harmonic waterfalls that grew into lengths of rivers on the expanse of flats below. The desolate rock she had found was now a lush garden blooming with green and pops of brilliant color blossoming on the velvety pedals of flowers. It was a place fit for the Gods, for herself and her partner, Elohim.When Eyota invited Elohim, he beamed with pride brighter than the sun, although Elohim had another idea for earth. From the tiniest insect to the giant whales of the ocean, Elohim created all of life to live off of the planet that Eyota had saved. For one particular species, Elohim showed his favor - the wolf. He took great care to plant a canine on each of the continents, some varying in shape and color, but each uniquely outfitted to survive the conditions of their environment. They were inherently strong and hardworking; they had a love for family and commitment to one another. The wolf was the born ruler of all animals, but Elohim had given them enough humility to foresee their weakness as well.For hundreds of years life flourished on earth and Elohim was always protectively watching over his finest creation. In turn the wolves worshiped Elohim as their single deity and sought his happiness and favor. Eyota on the other hand was not pleased. She had transformed the earth as a sanctuary for the Gods and took offense to Elohim giving her possession over to mortals. Combined with His first assault of creating life on Earth, Eyota also felt disrespected. The wolves favored Elohim for their life, but without her bountiful earth the prey they lived off of would not have sustenance to feed on. Attempting to seek revenge for Elohim’s supposed wrong-doings, Eyota manifested herself into wolf form and began to teach undesirable behaviors to Elohim’s followers. She would be wanton and inspire feelings of lust. She whispered notions of envy and greed into the ears of pack leaders. She would evict her wrath upon the innocent. Eyota had even gone as far as to “enlighten” the wolves of the reality that there were no Gods, and their spirituality was for naught. For another hundred years Eyota manifested thousands of times, sewing cords of discourse across all the lands, uprooting the inborn evil in the hearts of Elohim’s prized creation.When at last Elohim caught Eyota at her tricks, the damage had already been done. There was a distinct line between good and evil on earth where before there had only been peace and harmony. Eyota’s sins and lack of shame were beyond forgivable to Elohim, and he cast her out of Elysium for eternity and stripped her of her name and branded her with Nukpana, for she was the source of all evil in their intended paradise. For thousands of years there were still those who worshipped Elohim and spoke of how he banished his mate from the heavens for her sinful ways. Though as the generations passed, fewer and fewer wolves clung to the sovereignty of a great spirit and rather looked to their worldly leaders for guidance. Corruption and hatred ruled the world, Elohim and Nukpana forgotten…But Elohim never ended his watch over the wolves. He saw the evolution of man and the destruction he caused to Eyota’s beautiful earth… One land in particular seemed to keep man at bay though and became a sanctuary for His favorite creation. Anikira. He has silently watched the rise and fall of several packs and rogue groups, the tormented lost souls and those simply existing without a purpose or a belief of the eternal happiness and fulfillment only He could grant them. That was until he had grown tired of Nukpana wickedly smiling back up at him, reveling in the discourse she had inspired. Elohim hand selected a few wolves he saw fit to renew the faith in their Father above and gave them each specific visions to guide them to a land least polluted with corruption, and to form a pack, a new family with the purpose to reignite the virtue in the hearts of those they touched.E D E N L O R E & R I T U A L S
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
MORE COMING SOON ABOUT THIS SECTION.RITUALS & CEREMONIESEden has various rituals, from the famous Aiyanna to the Leap of Faith; each of them contain a deep meaning that gives a message to every wolf that has become one with the pack. Every wolf is expected to participate in them, whether by being the protagonist or by collaborating for its preparations.Aiyanna or Aiyana - eternal blossom; festival of marriage and love. The Aiyanna is the most loved ceremony in Eden, and it is one of the most beautiful because it does not only unite the couple that will be mated, but it also unites the pack as a whole. Once the Alpha has approved their union, hunters are assigned to kill prey in order to have a feast. In this ritual, the females and pups form a large circle in the center of which four or five singers begin howling in beautiful harmony, and the mated pair stand in the middle. The alpha male joins the circle and stands in front of the pair, and he makes a prayer to the Great Spirit, Elohim, asking Him to bless the pair, and he declares them mates. All the wolves howl in unison, the newly mated pair embrace, and they all begin to celebrate. The new pair receive gifts, often in the colors of pink, gold, and some instances white, to symbolize perfection. They eat the feast, and they guide the pair to their den so they can have their "honeymoon." They give their congratulations to the newly mated pair and they proceed to leave.
Leap of Faith; a test of faith. This is a ceremony that gives many an uneasy stomach, but it is one of the most important ceremonies in Eden. Wolves that have been born into the pack at one year of age, and those who recently joined but do not know their calling, are summoned to Zozyr's Glory to jump from one of the cliffs into the ocean below. It is usually the lowest ones, so that the wolves are not fatally harmed during the ceremony. Those who are weak of faith, lost or just want to know who they are take part in this ceremony to solidify their faith in Elohim. They pray before jumping down the cliff, and hope that Elohim will save them from the fall, and that he will guide them afterwards. It is a way they demonstrate their faith in their deity to everyone and to Elohim himself. They believe that Elohim speaks to them while they jump, in the ocean or a few days after the ceremony. Once they know what to do, they speak to the Haimovi and choose their new rank and embark on their new journey into knowing their calling and purpose.
Journey to Elysium - when a loved one leaves earth. There are two versions to this ceremony, but both are held with the utmost respect and heaviest of hearts. Once a cherished member of Eden passes on to paradise, no matter how old or how young, a solemn ceremony takes place and every member is expected to cooperate in its execution. The wolf that passed away is brought to its burial ground, and a deep hole is dug out by various members. The family of the wolf in question surround the burial ground and they say a few words about their loved one, and together they pray so that Elohim receives that wolf in his paradise. They howl in unison, and the wolf's family members bring in the things that the wolf loved the most and place them in the hole alongside the wolf. These things may be stuff in the wolf's favorite color, their favorite flowers, or something that the wolf may have been passionate about during its time alive. They are then buried while a white flower is placed on top of the grave.
The other version happens when a Haimovi or Kimak passes away into Elysium. The wolves gather around in unison to mourn their leader while they take the body to its burial ground, singing hymns to Elohim and praying that their Hamovi is well received in Elysium. They go around and find as many white flowers as they can, and rip off their petals. Once they put the body in its place, they throw the white petals and howl as their fall while lifting up a prayer to Elohim, hoping that the Great Spirit will guide their Haimovi's soul into Elysium. They all say something about their leader, and everyone puts in their burial ground a gift that talks about who they thought their leader was. Then they cover the hole that they made and they spend most of the day quiet, mourning their leader until the Yuma is placed in the Haimovi's place the following day.
Genesis - beginning; origin; ceremony to welcome the newborns. Pups are the most loved beings in the pack, and they are treated with the most care and passion possible. This ceremony is a fun, happy and loving one that unites the pack as a whole and celebrates the birth of new pups. Once the female gives birth, the next day hunters make sure to kill various prey to make a feast, and the Yenene orders the Alos and the Abeques and Abequas to gather herbs and flowers. They adorn the head of the new mother and father with flowers and the Yenene and the Alos pray for Elohim's blessing for their new bundles of joy. They dance and eat, and everyone brings gifts to celebrate the new parents and everyone comes to see the new members of the family. The ceremony lasts all day, from the moment the pups are born, until the moon is high in the sky. Once they finish with the ceremony, they do a last prayer before leaving the new parents alone with their pups.
H I S T O R Y
Thanatos was the only born pup in a stable home in the island of Tas'alea. The couple loved him very much and he was very cherished in the early stages of his puphood. His mother was calm, submissive and nurturing, and his father was strong, dominant but gentle and completely in love with his mate. Thanatos grew up the first months of his life with a close-knit family that did everything and anything together. One day, when he was six months old, the happiness of his early days ended when his mother fell gravely ill and passed away, and his father, no longer able to bare with the heartbreak of his beloved's passing, took his own life by jumping out of a cliff. This moment was the one thing that began to fracture Thanatos's mind from an early puphood. A small, but tangible anger began to grow inside of the little pup's heart, and this anger would continue to fuel him until he grew up. However, his world made a 360 degree turn when he met the black Kenai known as Kuruk, who took Thanatos into his family and grew up as his sibling.
After a couple of years, the brothers grew up, and so did their adventures together, which were numerous and filled with many experiences that shaped who they are today. During the course of his life alongside Kuruk, they met a lot of wolves, but there was one who always shined the brightest--Nova. She became a pivotal point in Kuruk and Thanatos's relationship, and she would end up in a classic love triangle, loving Thanatos but thinking about Kuruk. Thanatos and Kuruk were always bickering over her, since they both shared mutual interest on her. But, in the midst of it all, Kuruk had an idea--to create a pack. Even if Thanatos was not completely okay with the pack ideals his brother had, he decided to go along with it and help him find a perfect place to call home. In one of these searches, Thanatos found a small pup, named Kiara. What stood out about her were her beautiful eyes--purple, bright and all in all filled with wonder. They decided to take her home and adopt her as their own; it was in this moment that Thanatos began to believe that the Great Spirit really did exist due to her strange eyes. One day, Kuruk left for an unknown endeavor to never come back. Thanatos tried to push back his worries, but the stress and anxiety that came with those feelings never lingered. However, due to Kuruk's disappearance, things between Nova and Thanatos solidified so much that they became mates.
It was in this time of stress and preoccupation that Thanatos had a dream: to create the pack that his brother desired. He wanted to create it in his honor, with the pack ideals he thought were going to please the Great Spirit. He began to believe in this said spirit more and more, clinging on to him as his only hope, praying to him daily for Kuruk's safe return. After some time, Thanatos found himself exploring the land of Tiayr--a beautiful paradise filled with wonder in every turn. It was in this land that Thanatos began to listen to the Great Spirit's voice and it was also in this place where he felt closer to the Spirit. He claimed the lands the next day after a vision he had, in which the Great Spirit revealed himself as Elohim in the form of a white buck. Elohim commanded him to create a pack named Eden, and once he woke up, he claimed the Tiayr to create a pack that would honor Elohim, and that would cherish the memory of Kuruk as the spark behind it all.
B A S I C S
Members: Thanatos , Nova Aviana Ulysses , Kiara , Elijah , Kenai Takoda
Lands: Tiayr
Alliances: None
Founding Member(s): Thanatos , Nova Aviana Ulysses , Kiara , Leilah, Aaliyah
T I E R - O N E
Haimovi: Thanatos
Wikimak: Nova Aviana Ulysses
Ogema: Elijah
Numes:
Yenene:
Quatelaqa:
Otaktay:
T I E R - T W O
Ahiga: Elijah
Pallaton:
Akando:
Alo:
Abeque/Abequa:
T I E R - T H R E E
Hastiin/Mahal: Kenai , Takoda
Halain/Ehawee:
Yuma:
Milat: Kiara
Ayashe:
T I E R - F O U R
Yanisin:
/ Abequa
• Caretakers & Gathererers • ah-bah-kay / ah-bah-kuh The Abeque is another class where both male and females are welcome. Although there are traditional roles for each of the sexes, within this field, it is not uncommon for those lines to be crossed. Abeque assist the Yenene and the Healers in gathering required herbs, and destroying those no longer useful. They help prepare for spiritual ceremonies and rituals. Abeque are also caretakers to the young and the increasingly old. They can perform first aid if they have acquired the knowledge. This class is most often seen as the training ground for males striving to be a Yenene in the future or females desiring to be an Alo, although it does not necessitate that individuals eventually move in to either of those fields. An individual could be a life-long Abeque or choose to alter their position within the pack to either Akando or Pallaton. 
