Villagers worship their own religion - while it differs slightly from village to village, it follows the same base rules. Illager religion is based off of this (since they are descended from villagers) however it is very much different and I will go into it in the future!
All villagers are sworn by an Oath of Peace, meaning they are strict pacifists outside of life or death scenarios. Even then, you are expected to feel extremely guilty about any form of self defence, and it is only permitted if there is no option to flee.
The Oath is part of their devout religion - They worship three gods, the God of Harvest, the God of Spirits and the God of Prosperity.
They are often just shortened to their functions (Harvest, Spirit and Prosperity).
Their gods bring good fortune when obeyed, but bring disaster when meddled with. They aren’t portrayed as having specific forms, rather, they’re portrayed as more forces of nature.
The Harvest brings forth comfort, fertility, food and the health of the land in exchange that villagers swear to take care of the animals, plants and the land, treat them well and do not take what you do not need. The Harvest is often portrayed as a friend/protector of children, and villagers believe the Harvest bestows life into their hefty iron protectors. The Harvest is a force not to be reckoned with, however, as when it is disrespected, it will bring famine, disease and infertility. When a villager has a miscarriage/stillborn child, it is often seen as an omen of the Harvest’s disapproval with what the village might have been doing.
The Spirit is the villager’s God of death, life and morals. The Spirit is a neutral force, and is considered the most powerful. It is often portrayed as a strange blue figure, and the creatures it is associated with are Endermen (due to their mysterious nature) Allays (representing purity) and goats*. The spirit is potentially the villager’s interpretation of having observed soul magic.
*Goats are an animal that also represents death in villager culture. This is why goat horns are used by illagers in raids - Its a symbolic, and literal way to say ‘We’re coming to kill you all’. Pretty grim if you think about it.
The Spirit has given villagers the gift of compassion, and if villagers fail to use the Spirit’s gift, the villager will be punished in life and in death. The Spirit is one of the driving forces behind the villager’s Oath of Peace. The Spirit also requires villagers to have restraint over urges (such as anger, lust, greed, etc).
Illagers are regarded as being cursed by The Spirit for breaking the Oath.
Humans (heroes/players) are also considered to be related to The Spirit, due to their neutrality between good and bad. Also because they’re just extremely weird to villagers so they jumped to what sounded to be the most logical conclusion - The gods be testin us……
Villagers consider things like totems of undying, prolonged longevity (like keeping yourself alive to unnatural lengths with magic), stuff of that nature to be an extreme sin because not only are they magic (STUFF OF THE ILL…) but they defy the Spirit’s wishes.
Finally, the Propserity. The Prosperity is, well, the God of wealth (duh) as well as love, romance, humor, community and luck. It is often portrayed as a golden rabbit with emerald eyes. The Prosperity has its own special holiday - At the crack of spring as the flowers start to bloom, a very grand festival is held, where villages from neighbouring biomes will congregate to celebrate and share information, goods, currency and perhaps……find love……. During the Festival of Prosperity, you are encouraged to wear bright colours and preferably have dried or fresh flowers or lacey clothes on your person. Single villagers may dance with other of their own or neighbouring communities, and, like Valentine’s Day, they are encouraged to find love.
The custom is to give your desired partner various edible and wearable gifts (both partners will do this to one another). The most popular gift is breads or carbohydrates in general. If you’re a real Casanova you might present your lover a fresh cake/confectionary with your hands exposed. That’s considered very intimate, and in this context, very romantic. Though if you expose your hands when not in use during any other occasion when not with your lover then you’ll be considered a harlot.
Unlike the other 2 gods, Prosperity is more laid back. If you cheat on your lover, steal, or lie, however, then you will be breaking Prosperity’s oath and it will curse you with the misfortune of judgement, poverty and a broken heart.
There is another deity that is ‘newer’ in a sense it has become more widely taught in some villages however it is not as widespread as the three gods. This one, however is a demon, and is not worshipped, rather feared and warded way.
This demon is called the Terror and it manifests itself in creatures such as the vex, all nether organisms (that villagers have seen and documented), ravagers, the undead, phantoms and most importantly, illagers.
The Terror represents everything villagers are frightened of - it’s like a boogeyman of sorts. It is often portrayed as an imp-like creature, a hog, ravager, or a maddened, bloodied vindicator. Villagers who believe in The Terror think that it lives inside illagers, born from the Spirit’s curse. It lives to torment, maim and kill the innocent, and is basically pure evil.
The Terror lives in physical and emotional violence, nightmares and the night.
Cats are dream protectors of villagers - they are considered spiritual warriors, servants of The Spirit, that fight the Terror each night. This stems from cats preying on a rather frightening animal called the Phantom. When cats purr, villagers believe that the cat is casting a spell which creates a barrier to ward off The Terror. Cats are very sacred to villagers, and if you hurt one you’re gonna be in big trouble I’ll tell you that.
If you are abusive, violent or hateful in a village, you will be considered cursed with the Terror, and may be banished.
If a villager has trauma, sensory issues, anxiety or basically any kind of mental illness, they will be given their own pet cat (basically the medieval version of a modern day support animal). This cat is owned by you specifically, unlike the other cats which are owned communally. Villagers do not have the modern medical knowledge to understand psychology or how it works, but they believe anxiety, grief, panic, worry etc is The Terror trying to attack you, so you are to be watched over by a new feline friend. Given purring actually does have calming effects on the brain, it might just help out! (Also, life is always better with a kitty in it!)
