Seerhood
Seerhood, that is the state or condition of being a seer, is rather uncommon in *Ltyssiar. The condition of a seer is characterized by an attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occult ritual or practice. Using various methods seers ascertain their interpretations of how a querent should proceed by reading signs, events, or omens, or through contact or interaction with supernatural agencies such as spirits, gods or god-like-beings.
Seers have a higher degree of connection to the spiritual realm, *Issyaltar, than other mortal beings, rendering them ideal bridges between realms. They are often asked by mortals or spiritual beings to pass on messages, prophecies or warnings. Seers can use a variety of means to communicate with *Issyaltar, those means often depend on a seer’s nation of origin or on their knowledge of spiritual customs.
Moreover, not all seers have the same affinity to their powers and some have an easier time than others getting in contact with other realms. More powerful seers sometimes charge their assistance a hefty penny. Their popularity and rarity make seerhood highly susceptible to fraud or imposters. Many families lost their savings to charlatans and other imposters. The most famous seer is actually an imposter, Mestophilus Conrad Malherbe who lived in Engeon three centuries B.S.E.. Seers are also often the victims of suspicion, distrust or discrimination.
Naming conventions
Different ways seers are called throughout countries and time, “spirit-touche / blessed”, some languages equate “seer” and “shaman” as they use the same word…
Definition
The most common definition of a seer is …
In his magnum opus, Clairvoyants en Angéon : Histoire d’un canular moderne (Eng: Seers of Engeon : History of a modern hoax), whose writing deeply influenced public perception of seers, most notably in Engeon, the historian Isidore Cornelius describes them as such.
« Un « voyant » n’est rien d’autre qu’un escroc vêtu de vêtements bigarrés se faisant passer pour un prophète afin de voler l’argent de ceux ayant le malheur d’être nés privés d’un semblant de fonctions cognitives ». (Cornelius 79)
Description
- Functions and actions of seers
- Special relation to the spiritual realm
- Specific regional practices
- Power levels and capabilities
- Spiritual projection
- Travelling to another realm
- Societal role : jobs, social function and place in society, who goes to seers and why…
- Brief summary per nation
Origins
- Statistics and numbers
- Frequency
- Why some people are seers and others not
- From birth + identifying marks (cf definition)
- Frequency among a family : why do some families have more seers than others?
- Hereditary?
- Frequency per nation : why do some nations have more seers than others?
Public perception, charlatans and discrimination
- Highly informed by Mephistophilus’s crimes and Isidore Cornelius’s work on the subject as well as various essays and publications by historians, academics and clerics alike.
- False and anti-seers, fraud and imposters
- Repression in Engeon, laws, edicts and decrees
- Discrimination against seers (cast out, executions…), differing laws depending on nations and periods of time
Cultural depictions
- In folklore and popular myths
- Cultural depictions
- …: popular archetype in comedic theater and popular stories, mockery of a seer, the character is a bumbling moron and charlatan.
Famous and infamous seers
- Noah the Prophet and two of his children (Achava the Eloquent and Silo)
Mephistophilus Conrad Malherbe, also known as Mephisto the anti-seer is infamous for pretending to be a seer and (several crimes), most of the repression against seers in Placeholder 1 is attributed to him by historians such as Isidore Cornelius in his mangum opus Clairvoyants en Angéon : Histoire d’un canular moderne (Eng: Seers of Engeon : History of a modern hoax) which describes Mephistophilus as the archetype of the modern seer.
- … who allegedly prophesied King … ’s ultimate demise and was burned to the stake for it.