Just because you don't agree with some things taught in Christianity doesn't mean you should start a new religion. How to Create a Fantasy Religion RELIGION. Darkness offsets the light, whether it be an actual religion or the undercurrent of rebellion against the King. Check out the Privacy Policy for more information. You should also have a basic idea for how the god is represented by the people following the religion. This post may contain affiliate links. Of the people that believe, how strongly to they believe in the religious teachings, and how likely are they to attend every gathering and obey every arbitrary custom? We are doing a project that we have to create a fictional (made up) religion . Some religions even encourage cannibalizing their deceased loved ones. However, there are many other common themes that you can draw inspiration from if you are having trouble coming up with something: Creation stories should also involve some sort of explanation for how humans (or whatever species you’re working with) came to be. One of the ways to add a little life to your fictional society is to add a religion and system of beliefs for them to subscribe to. Creating a Fictional Religion for Your Story, What to Consider when Creating a Fictional Religion, How to Create Structure for the Fictional Religion, How to Create Powerful Beings for Your Story’s Religion, Creating Traditions and Rituals for a Fictional Religion, Creating Ethics for Your Fictional Religion, The Ultimate Guide to Creating a Fictional Species, Creating a Fictional Culture: Step by Step, How to Write a Character Falling Asleep in First-Person, How to Write a Character Bio (With Examples! In addition to the history and politics, you should think about what kind of influence the religion has had on the arts. A culture that thinks like this could be petrified at the sight of a solar eclipse. Check it out!). Was it planted by those in power to keep people complacent and obedient? Creating fictional religions can be dangerous. A trader might hold a god of travel or trade above the other gods of the pantheon, but he would certainly pay the god of fertility resp… DISCLAIMER: by "real," I mean the religion has an indisputable effect on observable reality in your story. I like to drift of, pondering how my fictional world is different to the one we inhabit, and how it’s similar. Or, the religion could be completely bogus and fabricated by a political organization to maintain power over the common people. Convincing Fictional Religion. These aren’t strictly required, but they can add another dimension to the pantheon. Do they need to worry about heat, cold, or both? To create this article, 11 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. If you really can’t stand to see another ad again, then please consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. One of the other big topics that religions address is what happens after a person dies. In some fantasy worlds, the religion that the culture believes in could be real, and it could have actual, real gods that look over the world. Through this process, however, I’ve had to figure out how the actual world works. The answer to this will heavily affect all other aspects of that religion. Write down ideas for what this god or goddess is like: is this deity good or evil? This article has been viewed 10,927 times. (Psst… If you haven’t created your own species yet, you should try it! 3 Identify traditions and rituals. Souls become part of the world after death, as soil, plants, or water. Make a flag, design the army and political system and it’s done? You may have a world where the crusade serve an ulterior motive or both. Go out there and be creative, I know you can make something great! People may offer sacrifices to her out of fear that she would not raise the sun and leave the world in darkness. eval(ez_write_tag([[300,600],'allwritealright_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_5',108,'0','0'])); First and foremost, religions can be categorized by what they consider to be divine. Despite the disagreement on the details, there are two prevailing theories that consistently appear throughout different cultures and religions. This name generator will give you 10 random names for followings, cults, churches, sects and other religious groups, both with good and more dire intentions. A trickster god may be avoided at all costs, unless absolutely necessary. What kind of impact has it had on music, paintings, sculptures, poetry, and more? For example, the Strong God Philiicities saw the planet of Itchidora's inhabitants as a nuisance and began to attempt to wipe out the planet before the Caring Goddess Aria trapped him in a prison in the middle of the planet. This is an example of an Ex Nihilo creation story, where the world is made out of absolutely nothing. For example, you may have a dominant religion that closely resembles Christianity and less dominant religions that combine elements of Buddhism and Taoism. For example, Strong God Philiicities.Step 2, Give the god a title. This article has been viewed 10,927 times. Write down any traditions that are practiced as part of the culture. Hopefully by now, you at least have some vague idea of what you want to achieve with your religion, so you can move on to the specifics. It is much easier for a society—especially an early society—to blame rain on a deity instead of understanding the natural processes of the water cycle. Make a list of all the quotes, passages, entire books, songs, poems, whatever, that have the weight of ultimate truth for you. This could mean offering sacrifices, fasting, or holding a festival to honor the god despite the fear they invoke. we already chose the founder (it's a woman) lol. It should sound original, with a touch of Greek, if you wish. Maybe he always has to be referred to in that context, otherwise your characters have broken the rules of your work's … For example, you may have a dominant religion that closely resembles Christianity and less dominant religions that combine elements of Buddhism and Taoism. The world could easily have more religions, but following rule #1 of Dungeoncraft (never force yourself to create more than you need) and because a clash of religions isn’t part of the early campaign, two religions is actually more than enough for now. eval(ez_write_tag([[250,250],'allwritealright_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_3',116,'0','0'])); Religion is a universal concept across human cultures. Generally though, beliefs will include one or more of the following: 1. Now, our example Sun Goddess might have other jobs besides raising the sun each day. NOPE! Even if your religion only has one god, it is important to decide how that god behaves, and whether they are vengeful or merciful.eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'allwritealright_com-box-4','ezslot_7',109,'0','0'])); Some deities are evil, and rather than worship them, people might attempt to appease them in order to avoid their wrath. Other religions began by deviating from an existing one. Creating different versions of your religion could help create a world which is diverse and feels more authentic. My goal with this website isn't to make you the greatest writer in the world. Question: I really want to make fully fleshed-out religions for my people in my book world. Does it influence the way individuals decorate their homes and public spaces? eval(ez_write_tag([[250,250],'allwritealright_com-medrectangle-1','ezslot_2',113,'0','0']));report this adCopyright © 2020 All Write Alright. Or, was it devised as a way of explaining natural processes without any scientific understanding? For example, hands are a common symbol in many religions, because of how they can symbolize comfort and protection. Maybe it’s better. I don't just want to take the default path of "this is the god of war, this is the king of the gods" and all that. Are there religious fanatics, and if so, how many? If you are an author, screenwriter, or video game loreist (a person that writes video game lore) focused on setting your work in other worlds, it is quite possible that you will end up needing to make up a religion for the world in your work. Other religions forbid the practice of cremation, because of the belief in a bodily resurrection. I was going to answer more questions from this same blogger, but I don’t think my religion is as in depth – theologically speaking – as the religions of our world. Once you have finished you will have your own personal Bible. If you include a real religion, try to get it right. 5 Surprisingly effective back stretches to feel better, FAST. There are no limits to the things you can have your people worship, but they need to worship something. You can share new information you learned from practicing this religion, or you can create a memoir. We're looking at it (presumably) from a more anthropological point of view, with the understanding that the religion is fictional. For example, it may be considered a fatal crime to eat a specific food, or to dress in a certain way. There are many other ways that you could craft an afterlife story for your religion. She could also be associated with personal strength and independence. If you’ve created a fictional society, species, or even an entire world, then you’re probably looking for ways to make it seem more authentic. It would be harder to justify someone not believing in a god that has been proven to be real in one way or another. Decide on Cultural Traditions. Some of these works can be found by searching for his name online. This is the fun part. Then, you can decide how the gods and goddesses all relate to each other, or if they do at all. In this case, we will create The Gentle Goddess Dietima. The first step in creating a fictional religion is deciding what you want the religion to be, and what you want it to do. Of course, if your religion is based around a single deity, they could just be referred to as “God” or “All-Powerful” or something along those lines. You already have one, actually, but just haven’t organized it or acknowledged it. What’s considered sacred in your religion? For a more in-depth explanation of how to create a fictional religion for your culture, take a look at my article: Creating a Fictional Religion. Religions come in many shapes and sizes, so you can find a unique structure that fits the plan you have in mind. Consider the ancient Egyptian society, and how much their belief in the afterlife impacted how they buried the dead. To convey a point or to brighten the light, writers will sometimes create a religion that opposes the truth. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/4\/49\/Choose-a-God-%28or-Gods%29-Step-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Choose-a-God-%28or-Gods%29-Step-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/4\/49\/Choose-a-God-%28or-Gods%29-Step-3.jpg\/aid5678281-v4-728px-Choose-a-God-%28or-Gods%29-Step-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"