Religious Tradition

First Murderer: What, art thou afraid?
Second Murderer: Not to kill him, having a warrant; but to be damned for killing him, from the which no warrant can defend me. William Shakespeare, Richard III (Act 1, Scene 4)

Religion plays a large role in the people of Arthurian Britain - from the common peasant to the great nobles. As warriors, knights live close to the grim reality of death at all times, and spiritual life provides some comfort and guidance for them.

A character’s religious beliefs, practices, etc. decide their Tutelary Patron, may influence what Passions they want to aim for, or which others in their tradition may want to steer them towards, and which Obligations they may keep. The Clergy is also limited to the Christian religion, and some Literacies are taught as liturgical languages.

This is a pretty small set of mechanical implications¹, but this doesn’t make the field any less important to the characters and their worlds.

Religion in Britain

Christianity is the dominant religion in Logres, as it is in most of the fragments of the old Roman empire. Pre-Christian practices of the island, which we call Pagan still live on, especially in less Romanized areas², and the Saxons have brought with them their own Heathen religion, worshipping gods like Wotan and Thunor.

Other religions, such as Judaism, are present in Britain but fairly rare, and it’s possible in your journeys to run into even more distant traditions.

The lines between these religious traditions often blur. There are Christians who keep shrines to old gods in their barns or back rooms, Heathen Saxons who openly wear both Thunor’s hammer and the cross of Christ on the same well-worn charm-necklaces, and Pagans whose litanies include not just Roman imports like Mercury or Mithras, but similarly imported prayers to the Blessed Virgin or grim Wotan “just in case”.

Religious conflict and debate³ are a part of the Arthurian times, but not often outright hostility or violence. Nobles tend to tolerate vassal knights and kinsmen of other religions with the same tolerance as their co-religionists who don’t fit their moral expectations, as long as the knight is loyal and respects their observances. Religion may certainly exacerbate other cultural, political and personal issues in feuds and conflicts, but none of the major religions have gotten a widespread taste for forced conversions of holy wars yet.

Footnotes

1. At least because most are suggestions that can be interpreted many ways. ↩

2. The Romans brought their own traditions in their invasion, which are a core part of Paganism in the areas influenced by them. However, Christianity spread through the empire’s networks of trade and literacy and became its primary religion well before it fell. ↩

3. Including so much intra-religion debate. ↩