The Children of Mama interest check (Cult of Mama)
04-08-2022, 04:44 PM
(This post was last modified: 05-11-2022, 09:11 AM by Fir. Edited 2 times in total.)
Mama
The lady of the twisted pine’, or ‘The night witch’, or ‘Mama’
Mama could best be described as a being of eldritch horror made of bark and shadow, opal and.. Something else. Always lurking and always hungry. Do you know that uneasy feeling you get from time to time when you’re alone at night? This feeling is Mama trying to show you how much she loves you. Our bodies aren’t able to translate that love, it’s far too vast, thus we translate it as something more akin to being afraid. Mama doesn’t mind though. It makes her sad that most will never feel her love, but she would never hold anything like that over her children. Those lucky enough to walk in the light of her wonder, however, will be undoubtedly showered with her many gifts and blessings.
Colors: Forest green, deep brown, red, black
Symbols: Pine trees, mushrooms, deer, birds of prey
Altar Suggestions: Antlers, pine branches, pine cones, handmade idols, feathers
Food and Drink: Good quality alcohol, thigh meat, animal hearts, mushrooms
Service Offerings: Take time out of your day to spread Mama’s good word, protect pine forests, taking care of the community.
Contradictions: Being self-serving, following other deities, forming close relations with outsiders, doing anything to disrupt the forest.
The Lost Children
Anyone who dies without ever knowing mama’s sweet embrace will become a lost child. Lost children are angry, depressed, and extremely irrational. They wander the earth looking for their mama, and they don’t care who they hurt in the process. Often times misfortunes or tragic accidents can be blamed on the lost children.
The Found Children
Any follower of mama who dies becomes a found child. Mama brings you home so that you may know her love forever. Once a year Mama travels with her found children so that they might see their living family members again. This happens on Children’s Night.
The Four Holy Days
-Mothers Day- You make a sacrifice to Mama because she sacrifices for you year long. This sacrifice should actually be something you feel the effects of. If you leave a food sacrifice then you shouldn’t eat for the rest of the day, you sacrificed your food and now you go hungry for mama. You can also sacrifice things like relationships, time, sleep, or anything else you can think of. This day is to be celebrated within a week of the first snow fall.
-Children's Night- On this night the veil is at its thinnest and contact with deceased children, lost or found, is easiest. Offerings of all kinds are left around the bases of trees to show appreciation for the found children of Mama and songs are sung in attempt to bring the lost children home. This day is to be celebrated when the weather starts to get colder (around the first day of autumn)
-Gratitude Day- Today is a day for giving thanks to mama for bringing the warm weather back and for her continued struggle to not hurt you. Flowers, eggs, meats, and various herbs/vegetables are given to mama as a token of appreciation. Often small wooden coin like tokens will be hand crafted so that one can make a wish upon it and leave it with the offerings, and if you’re lucky mama might just grant that wish for you. (around the spring equinox)
-Blessed Day- On this day protection, fertility, and abundance rituals are cast by the priests and priestesses of mama that last up until the following blessed day of the next year. Special prayers of varying purpose are made for any family/individual that thinks they might need one. Various charms and tokens with different meanings are shared with one another. Marriages are a popular choice on Blessed day, and it’s not uncommon for new mothers to plan their pregnancies so that their pups might be born on this holy day. Food and drink are shared around a fire later in the night. (Summer equinox)
Other special occasions:
Marriage Ceremony: Water is taken and blessed by a priest or priestess of mama. A sprig of pine is used at the end of the ceremony to dip and shake the water on to the couple so that their relationship is deemed noticed and officially blessed by mama. All marriages must be held in the presence of at least one pine tree.
Birthing Ceremony: Similar to the above. Blessed water and a sprig of pine are taken to bless newborn babies with. A priestess or priest of mama will then name the children with names given to them by Mama.
Birthdays, or around your date of birth, are not for you, they’re for mama. You give mama gifts of your choosing and thank her for having you as her child.
When you die you are to be buried under a pine tree so that mama can find you and bring you home. The community will come together and tell stories about you in life, maybe even sing songs around a fire and share your favorite meal. It is a happy thing when someone returns home to mama, mourning is shunned.
Tidbits
-It isn’t uncommon to make and keep an altar to mama in your home.
-Prayer to mama is often done at night, every night. It keeps the lost children away.
-Offerings can be made to mama whenever one feels ever so inclined, but offerings must be given on holy days.
-Protection charms are often made and kept inside of the home as additional protection against the lost children. These charms generally consist of pine, pine wood, or feathers from a bird of prey.
-YOU MUST LEAVE DIRECTLY AFTER AN OFFERING OF FOOD TO MAMA. Mama cant always control her hunger when food is presented to her and unless you want to be eaten too it’s best to leave as swiftly as you can. Faster than even that if possible.
-Those in the community who doubt mama or ask too many questions will be punished.
*Fir has a chunky platypus companion named Yolwan wan.