Belore Worship

Belore was a sun god that was part of the old elven pantheon as a counterpart to Elune, though after the War of the Ancients he fell out of favor with the kaldorei people. However, his importance remained among the highborne that were exiled across the sea and eventually settled in Quel'Thalas, and he became the sole deity worshipped amongst their people. Amongst the quel'dorei, the sun was viewed as a physical manifestation of the god himself.

Aspects of Belore

Amongst the quel'dorei (and later sin'dorei), Belore was believed to be a god of the following:

Notably, the phoenix was viewed as a symbol of Belore as well as the ruling family of Sunstrider, thus many depictions of the god took the form of a radiant bird wreathed in fire.

Cultural Reverence

Even though Belore was recognized as a god among the elven people, religious practice was not a central part of their culture like the Elune worship of the kaldorei. While there were priests dedicated to the god of the sun, the high elves did not typically partake in organized ritual and the honoring of the sun was normally a casual and personal experience. As a result, churches and temples honoring Belore were not built, with priesthoods instead choosing to live and work in monasteries that also frequently doubled as orphanages as the buildings were well equipped for communal living.

Priests of Belore normally took an active role in the maintenance of public green spaces and orchards, as the sun's light created life and nourishment that the elven people could then partake of. Thus it wasn't uncommon for such priests to have an affinity for the natural world that brushed upon the nature magics more thoroughly harnessed by kaldorei druids.

For the general populace, reverence was found in the general appreciation of the sun. Many homes possessed sunrooms that families could spend time reading in, and the generally open nature of many quel'dorei buildings ensured that natural light filtered through most living spaces. Artisans frequently crafted in the outdoors, and sunbathing was seen as a means to both pay heed to Belore and also embrace the natural beauty and freedom that many quel'dorei relished. As a result, advice to take a stroll in the sunlight was given to chase away negative feelings or creative fatigue.

Affiliation with the Holy Light

The former high priest Vandellor Everpost had spent a great deal of time studying the tenets of the Holy Light that were worshipped by their neighbors in Lordaeron, and as a result he had come to the conclusion that the Holy Light was simply the human take on Belore, and thus the core of their respective religions were synonymous even if worship and personification was done differently. Due to the casual relationship the elves had with their god, this was an ultimately accepted theory, and it was spread to be the accepted truth.

It had been Vandellor's hope that forging a connection between the depictions of the Holy Light and Belore would help solidify an allyship between Quel'Thalas and Lordaeron, as he had witnessed Lordaeron's history of holy crusades, and the approach had been successful for many years.

Rituals

While religious rituals were more sparce in high elven society than those of many other cultures, there were still certain ceremonies where a priest would be involved in some capacity to offer the blessing of Belore over the event.

Coronation Ceremony

Due to the lengthy life spans of the elves, the coronation of a new monarch was not a common occurrence and ultimately only happened once every few thousand years. However, due to the affiliation of the royal family and the symbol of the phoenix, which was also a symbol of Belore, a high priest normally presided over the event and called for the rise of the new monarch to usher their people into a new age of prosperity. This ceremony was heavily affiliated with the symbol of rebirth, with the new monarch rising stronger from the foundations of their predecessor.

Marriage Ceremony

The opulence of high elven marriage varied heavily depending on the status and preference of the couple being wed, with more affluent families normally having larger and more robust celebrations. However, the marriage ceremony itself was actually very short, and only required the presence of a recognized member of the priesthood. True to the similar themes of rebirth and strength that was present in much of high elven culture, the core of the ceremony involved the joining of two flames into a singular, larger one, which represented the joining of two lives into one. This was normally done through lighting two ends of a shear scarf woven with incense, which would then release a pleasant fragrance when burned.

The design and chosen incense of the scarf was normally personal to those being wed, and marriage scarves of ornate design and magical make that would shed flames of different colors or other effects were popular requests of artisans. Couples of magical talent also frequently used their own magic to conjure flames so that their magics intermingled as well as the metaphorical flames of their lives.

Category: Religion