- Hi'shu: The main Goddess of Tanism. A goddess of beauty said to have created the world so that others may appreciate her beauty. She embodies the heavens, especially the majesty of the stars.
- Manu Iz: A popular God of Tanism. A god of beauty often described as the brother, husband, or son of Hi'shu. While Hi'shu encompasses all beauty, Manu Iz is specifically understood to represent 'Artificial' or 'Human' beauty. That is, the beauty present in and created by sentient beings in the form of art.
- Suriatsa: A popular God of Tanism. A god of beauty often described as the brother, husband, or son of Hi'shu. While Hi'shu encompasses all beauty, Suriatsa is specifically understood to represent 'Natural' beauty. That is, the effortless beauty present in the natural world.
- Jangdanban: A minor God of Tanism with his own branch cult of worship, called Jangism. Jangdanban is popularly worshipped by doctors, physicians, warriors, prostitutes, and the elderly. He is a god of healing and of physique refining. In terms of beauty, he represents the aesthetic appreciation of the human body's form.
- Supreme God: A God worshipped by the Anbai. Those living in Anba have their own major branch of Tanism, called Sunset Tanism. Sunset Tanism is an archaic form of Tanism, where the long-forgotten earliest practices are still widespread. In the same vein, it has not adopted some of the more modern figures and traditions.
- Vile Omniscient Darkness: A God worshipped by the Chuyoun. Those living in Pangi Chuyou have their own major branch of Tanism, called Yinao. Yinao is a divergent form of general Tanism, which is focused heavily on darker subjects, and more extremist practices, such as cannibalism, human sacrifice and ritual branding.
Traditions
Lᴀɢᴜɴɪsᴍ
The philosophical tradition of Lagunism is intricately tied in with Tanism. Lagunism derives from the word Lagun, meaning Balance. An ancient philosopher (whose name has been lost, but is referred to by the title 'Wise Ancestor' or sometimes 'Master Lagun') wrote the texts that would form the basis of this tradition. Later works in this field made way for the understanding of certain scientific concepts, such as the water cycle and superior irrigation techniques. Lagunism is based on the idea that every object, category or property within nature has an opposite in near or exactly equal quantity or quality.
A major Lagunist practice is that of the 108 Auras. Each of the 108 Auras are related to a specific part or process of the human body. These auras are invisible counterparts to these anatomical realities, and it is thought that specified rituals can be used to target these auras, resolving physical and spiritual ailments. The 108 Auras were introduced by the deceased philosopher named Doctor Wu Tangong Ji, who was infamous in his time for being a swindler and unfaithful husband.
Tᴀᴊᴀɴᴀ Wᴇɴsʜɪ
Another superstition is that of Tajana Wenshi (lit. Spatial Esoterica).
A major aspect of Tajana Wenshi is the Nine Divisions, which separates an enclosed space into nine equal sections. The Nine Divisions are interrupted by doors or other passageways, and so refer to a single 'room' rather than a whole 'building':
- Gu'weng (Northwest) / Heavenly Order, Beauty: As Tanism in general focuses on the ideal of 'beauty' it is not surprising that it has a place in the Tajana Wenshi. Furthermore, beauty as the 'order of heaven' makes sense given the Tanist world creation myth
- Jan'weng (Midnorth) / Heavenly Balance, Life: Combining 'Beauty' and 'Ugliness' one gets life, which has both moments of beauty and ugliness. Interpreted in reverse, the experience of life necessarily has moments of joy (beauty) and suffering (ugliness). Otherwise, one would be living in heavenly paradise or hellish punishment, which would mean the soul has moved on from mortal existence (life).
- Shi'weng (Northeast) / Heavenly Chaos, Ugliness: As Chaos is the opposite of Order, Ugliness is the opposite of Beauty. Mythologically, many early Tanist tales tell of numerous calamities that befell the Earth when Heaven was in turmoil. These were often due to the outbursts of Hi'shu, when she was displeased by some form of ugliness within her presence.
- Gu'jan (Midwest) / Earthly Order, The Empire: Ever since the first States were formed, political leadership has been said to be 'backed by the Heavens'. Whether there is any truth to this divine right of emperors, or if it merely sophistry spread by false believers to justify the oppression of those in power, remains unclear. However, it is undeniable that among the people, the Emperors, their Courts, and the practice of Statecraft is seen as a semi-heavenly disposition. Devotion to the Emperor borders on religious zealotry, among the most loyal to the thrones.
- Jan'ur (Middle Middle) / Earthly Balance, Nature: Devolved from 'Life' (Heavenly Balance) is Nature. The difference between the two in this context is that Life refers to the experience of sentient beings, while Nature refers to the natural world both physically and in it's essence. An alternative way to interpret this Division is through the ancient philosophical concept of 'Within nature, all things exist in balance with each other', which forms the foundation of Lagunism.
- Shi'jan (Mideast) / Earthly Chaos, Warfare: The opposite of the Empire is 'Warfare', or more specifically, the situation of 'total warfare bringing anarchy'. As battlefields are notoriously chaotic, even when discipline exists among soldiers, it makes sense for Warfare to be the form of Earthly Chaos. However, the chaos of war extends beyond the immediate battlefield. 'In times of war, wise minds are worth piles of gold, yet reckless minds prevail' is a famous saying by the third Fa Emperor's eldest court scholar, Luyi Tinwafu.
- Gu'ban (Southwest) / Underworldly Order, Punishment: The natural order of the underworld is understood to be punishment. The reason for punishment after death in Tanist belief is not due to a moral necessity, but in order to cleanly shed the karma of the past life by paying upfront for one's wrongdoings. Punishment in the underworld is also similar to punishment in the earthly realm, as it is hoped - at least nominally - that those being punished will reach enlightenment while paying penance, and repent.
- Jan'ban (Midsouth) / Underworldly Balance, Rebirth: In order to maintain balance among the three realms, mortal lives must be finite, and new lives must continuously emerge. To facilitate this, the underworld ensures that mortal souls of the dead can be purified in a two step process before being reborn into the world.
- Shi'ban (Southeast) / Underworldly Chaos, Forgetfulness: Forgetfulness is the opposite of Punishment, in the sense that one is not meant to learn anything from Forgetfulness. The second step of rebirth is to have one's memories and lessons learned in life erased. There are numerous argued reasons for this, ranging from 'ensuring one can let go of their previous attachments and start anew' to 'the heavens would become jealous of those who grow too wise through accumulating countless lives'. Some Tanist branches and cults believe that these 'erased' memories are actually not permanently lost, but are instead stored as ingots of lard in the Underworld. It is said that whenever a soul revisits the underworld after their last death, they are given 9 days and 9 nights to feast on the lard of their previous life's memories, allowing them to be 'whole' for a brief moment before undergoing the two steps of rebirth. This is called the 'Festival of Eating Memories' and is practiced mainly in Pangi Chuyou. An alternative myth states that these ingots of lard are not actually stored in cellars for souls to reclaim in the future, but rather they are consumed by evil beings known as 'Starving Glutton Devils' - obese demonic spirits who are cursed to experience eternal hunger and self-loathing, usually due to their excesses in life.
Fᴏᴜʀ Aɴᴄɪᴇɴᴛ Gʀᴀssᴇs
- Su Grass, a common herb (see its entry in Cookbook)
- Wi-leu Grass. Not particularly edible, it's just normal grass. The term 'Wi-leu' is rarely used to describe grass except in contexts where it needs to be differentiated from amongst the Four Ancient Grasses.
- Caiyo Grass. A grass rumored to have mystical properties such as glowing under full moonlight and retracting into the ground when a beautiful woman dies tragically.
- Hair of Hi'shu. The hair of the goddess Hi'shu has been attested to be similar to grass. Some poets have described it as having the smell of 'fresh dew upon blades of grass' while some uncommon myths tell that even before creating the world, Hi'shu wove the destiny of all humans using her luscious hair as thread.
Gᴇɴᴇʀᴀʟ Pʜɪʟᴏsᴏᴘʜʏ
"Every last aspect of creation, no matter it's insignificance or how adverse it is to the proclivities of man, contains such unspeakable, limitless beauty as to bring any man to tears"
- "Lei Yu" proto-Krissh philosopher widely considered the "Grandfather of Culture" and sometimes the "Brightness Ancestor" (c. 0 DW)
"Everything that begins will end, and everything that ends will begin again"
- Unknown proto-Krissh philosopher (c. 50 DW)
"Life is as full of greetings as it is farewells"
- Unknown proto-Krissh philosopher (c. 100 DW)
Cᴏᴍᴍᴏɴ Sᴀʏɪɴɢs
"Clutter is avarice is folly (kozi taepung sui)"
- Tajana Wenshi principle
"Eating horsemeat" is a saying meaning "having fallen on hard times"
- Common saying. See Horsemeat in Cookbook
"Village Bowl politics" is a saying meaning "meaningless bickering"
- Common saying. See Village Bowls in Cookbook
"Old men at a Village Bowl" is a saying meaning "the centers of attention at an event"
- Common saying. See Village Bowls in Cookbook
"Fatty at a Village Bowl" is a saying meaning "someone who is out of place"
- Common saying. See Village Bowls in Cookbook