My answer to a world religions final question.
Using the central conceptual structures of “primal” religion, construct your own primal religion. 40%
Answer:
My “primal religion” would be called Luna. Those who follow it in their everyday life is called “Lunatics.” Developed in the Appalachian Mountains, Luna is as much of a culture as it is a religion. It impacts every single iota of the Lunatics, who adhere to the messages of its stories. The story has been handed down over generations by speech and not by written word, and everyone knows it to be true. The story is of a god, Luna, who chose to decent upon the earth. As Luna approached, the earth reached out to this divine being, leaving a trail of mountains at his wake. Luna finally landed at what is now Mount Mitchelle, North Carolina, which is the highest peak of the Appalachian Mountains. He planted the seeds of all great things, plants and animals alike. But he chose a combination of special seeds, a male one called Appal and a female one called Lachia, to represent his image on earth. This seed took on the form of what is now human beings, who called themselves Appalachian. Satisfied that the Appalachians could fertilize the lands themselves, Luna left to watch over the sky, never to return. What is now recognized as the moon is Luna’s eye, looking down on earth. But Luna’s influence is over all the sky, day and night. At a full moon, Luna is looking directly down on earth. But at any other point in time, Luna is looking elsewhere. At a new moon, Luna is looking away from earth. At a crescent moon, Luna is looking at either direction of the skies, towards other heavenly stars.
The Appalachian people are all Lunatics. They tell stories such as these to not only talk about their origin, but to drive every minute of their lives. Because the Lunatics were all created by Luna, the link to the community is always greater than the individual’s link to him/herself. Mount Mitchelle is the most sacred place, and a temple with the spherical moon is atop the highest point of the temple at this highest mountain. They believe that the more often Luna looks down at earth, the better their crops will be. These Lunatics also have shamans, who are female virgins, and are highly revered, although this is not always the case in other primal religions. At every cyclical full moon, the highest ranking female shaman enters the temple herself and sacrifices the heart of a deer, which will bring about great fertility for all the land, plants, animals, and humans alike. This occurs 12 times over the course of a year, after which the rituals start all over again, representing cyclical time, just as cyclical as the moon itself and the route it takes across the skies. Each shaman’s objective is for Luna to cover the sun, thus reminding the Lunatics and declaring to the world that Luna is the greatest god of all. Only one shaman has been successful, and the Lunatics await the return of this shaman, which will be revealed to them at the next total solar eclipse.