Talk:An Graveth

In the Old Wiki, I also found an entry Crevethyck. I assume it's obsolete, but just in case I'll include its contents here:

Crevethyck is the form of old Celtic Paganism native to the Arvorec Isles [see: http://www.geocities.com/arvorec/index.html]. It has since spread to Kemr and to an extent Little Britain. More information can be found here: http://www.geocities.com/arvorec/faith.html .

IJzeren Jan 01:03, 9 Feb 2005 (PST).

I hope that Deiniol takes a look in here...this is more or less his domain. BoArthur

Mr. Jones...do you want possibly to put a note about famous adherents to An Graveth?BoArthur

Eventually, yes. However, I've still got to do sections on Cosmology, Eschatology, Ecclesiastical History, Druidical Hierarchy, Rituals and Festivals, Transmigratory Rituals, Exegetical Works, Philosophy and Cravethistic "Alchemy" This, as I say, is still very much a work in progress, to be added to slowly! ;o) Deiniol

Is this based on a religion *here* as Mormonism, or is this a compendium of your own creation? BoArthur

A little of both really. An Graveth is a hypothetical continuation of historic Gaulish paganism, so I'm working from a historical base. Obviously my own religious thoughts influence and to a certan extent shape Cravethism (I'm a reconstructionist Romano-Celtic pagan myself), so yes, it is both based on a real world religion here (my own) and there's a certain amount of invention (which will particularly be seen in the Ecclesiastical History and Druidical Hierarchy sections). Deiniol

Quote

I recently found this quote while trawling the Conlang-l archives. Padraic wrote it about the Arvorchedeth, and I rather liked it, so I thougt I'd preserve it here where I can find it again

"And - fuck - why sanitise the issue? They AREN'T Christians! They're bloody Pagans, and not the frufru one from column A and one from column B New Age Paganettes you find at Ren Fests and the like. These are blood and bones Old Time Religionists." Deiniol 14:37, 15 Mar 2005 (PST)

I wonder if *there* "the wicker man" is a light arvocec comedy ?--Marc Pasquin 07:30, 18 Mar 2005 (PST)

If so, then Dan first will have to translate the song "Sumer is icumen in, lhude sing cucu!" into Arvorec! And he better make sure that the metre fits the songs! :))) IJzeren Jan 09:29, 18 Mar 2005 (PST)

Give me time, just give me time... <evil grin> Deiniol

Dead link

The link given automatically redirects to http://www.arvorec.net/arvorec/404.html . Abdul-aziz 03:52, 6 July 2006 (PDT)

That's because I haven't finished the Cravethism page and uploaded it yet. Patience, my lad! Deiniol 06:17, 6 July 2006 (PDT)

How long did it take you to translate the error page? BoArthur 10:34, 6 July 2006 (PDT)

Fifteen minutes. Most of which was spent thinking up words for "Internet" and "Explorer"! Deiniol 15:29, 6 July 2006 (PDT)

Neat! Did you know I have something similar: http://www.geocities.com/wenedyk/language/lessons.html ? —IJzeren Jan ^Uszkiełtu? 06:06, 7 July 2006 (PDT)

Who do you think I copied the code from? :D Deiniol 08:26, 7 July 2006 (PDT)

From an Old Email From Dan

Philosophical Core of An Graveth

At the heart of An Graveth lies not the gods, nor the druids, but a common understanding of how the world works and why. As was pointed out earlier, all religions seek to explain the world in a spiritually satisfying way. It is this explanation which marks Cravethism out as unique and separate, not only from other contemporary religions but also from the classical Celtic paganism of ancient Gaul.

This unique exegesis is intricately related to the faith's creation myth[1]. Cravethism teaches that the primordial state of existence, the "blank slate", was all that is was united and of the same unknowable substance, everything was cyvadhaesec, undifferentiated, united. Then came the first division, when the undifferentiated whole separated itself into two, the first polarity, which Talchan names havon and gaeavon, which can be translated "energy" and "matter"[2]. The characteristics of havon are expansion, chaos, creation and destruction. The characteristics of gaeavon are immobility, order and stagnation.

As is well known, the theme of triads is a recurrent one throughout Cravedhec belief. It is in the creation myth where it finds its most basic expression. The Cravedhec Triadic Principle states that there can be no meeting between opposites, and therefore, for there to be a cyvônaeth, or mediation, of the opposites, there must be a harmony, which has something in common with each of the extremes. The harmony both connects the extremes, but also keeps them separate by occupying the gap between them. The harmony which unites and divides havon and gaeavon is gwyraen, which can be translated "cosmic order, harmony, truth, universal consciousness". Gwyraen is the universe aware of itself.

According to Talchan, this Consciousness desired self knowledge, and in an attemt to understand its unimaginable essence gwyraen went about ordering and changing both havon and gaeavon, creating of them aelbyth, the physical universe. In order to know its creation better, gwyraen split itself into many parts and became immanent in the physical world.

As these emanations of gwyraen descended into aelbyth, many became entranced by it and forgot their true origin and unity and identified themselves with the physical world. The truth which forgets itself becomes the lie. Of course, the degree to which these emanations identified with aelbyth and forgot their true nature differed. Those who fell farthest from gwyraen became evil and self-identifying- the angethlow. Those who remained closest are the gods. Those who fell somewhere in the middle are humanity, unable to escape the physical world and so condemned to reincarnation yet somehow still aware that there is "something more".

It is from this explanation[3] that the essential teachings of Cravethism derive. The task of humanity is to realise their true nature as part of gwyraen and by doing so achieve reunion with it, to achieve escape from reincarnation, to achieve pywys "rest" The gods, by virtue of being "closer to the source" can guide and help humanity to realise this. However the angethlow are constantly attempting to pervert the will of gwyraen.

[1] Students of Pythagorean theogony will notice the evident parallels here.

[2] These terms should not be understood in terms of modern physics, rather in the sense that "energy" is the principle of animation and "matter" is the principle of immobility.

[3] Note of course that there was another "Creation Myth", which was seen as an allegorical version of this one.