Work Text:
The Nature of Gods and Worship
Hat Guy
Submitted to the Vahumana Darshan in partial fulfillment of the requirements in Humanitarian Studies at the Sumeru Akademiya, Vahumana Darshan, Sumeru City
Throughout the entirety of history, people have worshiped gods. No matter what culture or nation, people will find something to revere and pray to. Nowadays, whenever people think of gods, most people immediately think of the seven Archons that each govern a specific region. In addition to the Archons though, there is no shortage of other, unaffiliated gods, that all have their own worshippers and followers. In that sense, having a god can be seen as a unifying feature across all cultures and civilizations in Teyvat. However, despite the apparent universal nature of revering a god and worshiping them, there is yet to be any official definition detailing what a god is. Additionally, the act of worship itself is very rarely, if at all, studied. This paper seeks to explore and more accurately detail the definition of "god", as well as the nature of worship itself.
(This introduction is just like you! Straightforward and to the point! And also a little short, hehe. Excellent so far!)
One of the easiest ways to determine what a god is is to look at the potential differences between a god and any other living thing. After all, if people worship some beings and revere them as deities, and don't for others, then there must be some intrinsic difference between a god and something that is not a god. One possible key difference is power. After all, most gods that come to mind are powerful beings, and people, especially humans, often revere a god for their strength and might.
(Starting strong with this point I see. Of course, one of the first things that comes to mind when thinking about gods is their might, so immediately you address what the initial thoughts of the reader might be. Very good!)
There are many stories detailing the might of the gods. For example, Mondstadt legend and folklore often state that the Anemo Archon molded the fields of Mondstadt by shearing mountains (Musk, 2019). For an additional example, Inazuman folklore also states that the Musoujin Gorge in Inazuma's Yashiori Island was formed due to the island being struck by the Electro Archon (Aqaba, 2021). There are several more examples, but gods having immense power and strength appears to be a very common trend.
(Citing folklore might be unconventional for other fields, but for Haravatat and Vahumana papers specifically, they're remnants of human history. I'm glad you didn't shy away from these sorts of sources! I also see you're citing sources outside of the Akademiya. That's good! Despite collaborating with many non-Akademiya affiliated experts in their fields, Akademiya scholars are still often too prideful or hesitant to include findings and citations from outside sources into their papers. I'm glad you don't think that way!)
However, it is difficult to claim that it is exclusively power that makes an individual entity a god. There are several reasons why this can not be. For one, having power is not a thing exclusive to gods. While it is true that few beings can match the sheer power that most gods possess, there are still some that do. For a very recent and renowned example, Aether, colloquially referred to as the Traveler, has faced and defeated several gods and god-like beings before, such as Osial, Dvalin, and the Electro Archon herself (The Steambird, 2022). Despite being able to match gods in strength and power, he is not revered as one. Additionally, if power was all people worshiped gods for, then a god losing power would cease to make them a god. However, this is not the case. Several gods, for example, have died. Orobashi no Mikoto, the god of the people of Watatsumi Island in Inazuma, for example, was said to have been killed in a battle with the Raiden Shogun (Aqaba, 2021). Despite being quite literally powerless now on account of being deceased, the people of Watatsumi still venerate their god. Additionally, the Scarlet King Deshret has also been long deceased, but is still worshiped by devoted followers in Sumeru's deserts (Tirzad, 2020). It can be argued that some gods' power persists after death, but this power is still technically no longer in the possession of that god, and has instead dispersed. Clearly, despite their gods no longer technically holding any power, people still deem them gods, and worthy of worship. Immortality, by extension, is also a poor qualification for being a god, as evidently some gods have died and therefore are not completely immortal.
(You did not provide an example of the powers of a god persisting after death, which is a shame. Still though, a very sound argument, backed by other scholar's papers and findings! Citing a news outlet is also an interesting choice, but seeing as the information presented is true and verifiable, I'll let this one slide)
For another potential difference, gods are often described as "divine". Additionally, there are no creatures or beings in Teyvat that are not gods that are described as divine, except perhaps in a metaphorical or superlative sense. Therefore, "divinity" appears to be the distinction between what is a god and what is not. Unfortunately, "divinity" has no clear definition.
For some, divinity may be equated to a connection to Celestia. After all, it is said that Celestia is the home of the gods, although there is very little literature on the subject. However, we do know that any non-god that is able to ascend to Celestia becomes considered a god. According to Mondstadt folklore, Lady Vanessa, one of Mondstadt's historical heroes, ascended to Celestia and became a god (Musk, 2021). In that sense, a connection to Celestia seems to be a strong indicator of divinity; of being a god. However, while it is true that all entities that have a connection with Celestia are gods, it is also true that not all gods are shown to have a connection to Celestia. For example, while there are many references to King Deshret in ruins and ancient literature, there is no mention of Celestia, or any alleged connection that the god had with it (Iris, 2022). Additionally, followers of Orobashi no Mikoto make no mention of Celestia in any of their worship or written literature (Aqaba, 2021). It is still possible that these gods do have connections to Celestia that have simply been omitted or unmentioned, but until that is proven, a connection to Celestia can not be the sole requirement for divinity.
(A very fair assessment! As one of the gods myself, I'm not quite allowed to tell you about the nature of Celestia exactly. Besides, isn't it more fun if you find that out yourself? Still, I can say that you're on the right track with your reasoning. I'm proud of this paper so far! It may not be perfect, but it's perfectly sound in all the places it should be!)
That being said, there is one particular similarity between all gods that can be clearly observed. All gods are worshiped. There is no being in Teyvat that is considered a god that is not worshiped or followed in some respect. Every Archon, every deity, every single god has had followers of some kind. This is the only uniting similarity that can be found in all gods across the world, so it can be claimed that this is the sole requirement for divinity. Beings are not worshiped because they are deemed gods. Beings are deemed gods because they are worshiped. In that sense, in order to understand the nature of gods, one must first understand the nature of worship. Again, there must be some key difference between beings that are gods and beings that are not, that inspire worship in people.
Again, another uniting similarity can be clearly observed across all cultures. All people worship gods because they gain something from their power. People do not worship gods they hate; they do not praise gods and venerate gods that give them nothing. All gods are worshiped because the worshippers receive something in return. Whether it be protection, or blessings, or prosperity.
(That's a very practical way of looking at the relationship between a god and their people. And while I'd like to think it's a little more than that, and its base level, I can't find that I disagree! It's like a merchant selling goods. A merchant is a merchant because they offer their wares to people in exchange for Mora, much like how you say a god is a god because they offer their blessings to people in exchange for worship. A very interesting take!)
It can be argued that not all gods are benevolent and kind, and therefore some gods exist that do not bestow anything upon their worshippers. Decarabian, for example, was Mondstadt's founder, and he was considered a god despite the people hating him and deeming him a tyrant (Musk, 2018). However, one point against this argument is that people used to worship him. He became a god because the people of Mondstadt, the city he founded, regarded him as such. Nobody in Mondstadt nowadays would ever call Decarabian their god. The people of Mondstadt rebelled against him long ago, and overthrew him (Musk, 2018). In that sense, Decarabian was still deemed a god due to people's worship, it is simply that people have since stopped worshiping him. By the same token, he's no longer considered Mondstadt's god.
(While the argument exists that Decarabian is still a god despite not receiving worship, I do understand your point. Unfortunately, it is not the strongest point you have made in this paper so far. That's okay though! That's why I'm giving comments for revision in the first place!)
Another argument can be made with the Raiden Shogun. She is still considered Inazuma's god, and yet for a very long period of time many people hated her due to her tyrannical rule. However, during this time, she still had her worshippers. While it can be argued that the Raiden Shogun did not bestow any graces to her people during this time, invalidating the claim that people worship to receive something in return, it is still true that some people believed they did receive something from the Raiden Shogun. That foolish tengu that serves her, for example, has found purpose by her side. The Tenryou Commission head at that time took advantage of the Vision Hunt Decree. I'm sure there were many war profiteers that took advantage of the civil unrest too.
(Okay, using adjectives like foolish is a little too informal and personal for an academic paper. Also, while everything you've said is technically true, there's no sources that you used to back all this up. Your personal experiences aren't enough to make a paper I'm afraid.)
All in all, a god doesn't have to be benevolent or kind like the Dendro Archon for people to deem them worthy of worship. Even a foolish, idiotic god like the Raiden Shogun can gain respect and praise as long as she keeps some people happy. A god can be the type to continue helping out people out of nothing but the goodness of their hearts, or they can be the type that leaves their son in the middle of nowhere to fend for themselves. Either way, there'll be some morons that deem them worthy of veneration.
(I appreciate the compliment! But, uh, I'm not sure I appreciate the insults against the Electro Archon. I know how you feel about her, really, but that has no place in an academic paper like this. And again, that last part is a very personal anecdote, that you can't verify! This part needs serious revision)
In that sense, people's worship of gods is inherently flawed. Honestly, some people should really just learn to achieve things by themselves and work for their desires instead of praying to an entity that locks herself in her mental room all day and doesn't even know how to cook, much less run a country properly. It's ridiculous.
(Okay the jabs at your mother are getting more and more obvious, and the paper is becoming more and more personal. This isn't the place to vent your frustrations. You know that if you ever need to vent like this, you can just talk to me right? Actually, that being said, meet me after you get this paper back. You clearly need to talk but haven't reached out so I'm gonna make you.)
(Overall remarks: The paper started out strongly, but the latter parts of the paper lacked decisive and verifiable evidence to support your claims. Additionally, the last part of this got way too personal for academic writing. This is overall the worst paper you've submitted so far. I'm a little sad. I know you can do better than this, and you already have! Your usual papers are far more put together than this. I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to insist that you revise this one heavily.)
(Final Mark: F)