Humans: Light Bless You

Hello all!

With the Warcraft movie coming out later this week, I wanted to take a look at the religions of some of the races in it.  The two most prominent are the humans and the orcs.  Because of this, I'll be talking about the human religion in WoW today and the orc religion next Monday.

The thing which the humans in World of Warcraft worship is known as the Light. I talked about it some in my post about the draenei, but the way humans interact with it is quite different from their space goat allies.

Knowledge of the Holy Light came later to the human culture in WoW, but when it did they embraced it wholeheartedly. It was introduced to them through a series of dreams, in which certain priests encountered geometrically shaped beings composed of pure light. These beings called themselves the naaru (the same beings whom the draenei worship). The naaru tutored the humans in the ways of the Holy Light, converting them to believers in the ancient universal force. With their belief came the ability to harness some of the Light's energy, allowing priests to heal others.

 

Unlike the draenei, the humans did not worship the naaru. They acknowledged that they were powerful beings who existed, but the humans devoted themselves solely to the Light.

The Light is interesting, because it isn't a being. It is not a divine entity that can be communicated with. It simply is. It dwells everywhere, in all things, and is an intrinsic part of the universe. Perhaps it would be best to think of the Light like the Force from Star Wars – not everyone believes in it, and not everyone can use it, but those who do and can are capable of performing extraordinary deeds.

Since the Light wasn't a god, per say, the humans created a religious movement which they thought was in keeping with the Light's ideals. Peace and altruism were emphasized, but so was justice. In roleplaying terms, their religious members were lawful good.

The main capital for the humans in Azeroth is called Stormwind. In the center of this majestic city lies the Cathedral of Light, their church.

While many believers of the Light became priests, there were also a fair number who became paladins. Paladins seek justice and retribution, and wield the Light to punish wrongdoers as well as heal the persecuted. In addition, servants of the Light are constantly at war with the enemies of the Light. In the beginning there was Light and Void, and the Void created servants every bit as much as the Light did. Those who devote themselves to the Light often find themselves pitted against the undead, who are creations of the Void.

A number of holy orders sprang up, filling their ranks with both paladins and priests – and their members were not just humans. Other races, including the dwarves and the blood elves, also believed in the Light and were able to tap into its power.

One of the first of these orders was known as the Knights of the Silver Hand. They drew their name from a famous being named Tyr who once walked Azeroth and defended it. Tyr lost his hand in a mighty battle, and it stood for a long time as a landmark in the land called Tirisfal Glades. Eventually, the humans found this hand. “The silver hand was a common symbol for the human tribes that inhabited the region. It appeared on clothing and pendants, worn to ward away evil spirits, protect warriors in battle, and cure disease. Many centuries later, it would come to represent a great order of paladins: Light-wielding warriors who placed self-sacrifice above all else.”

Unfortunately, some of those who worshiped the Light took their devotion into the boundaries of zealotry. One such organization was the Scarlet Crusade, who made their life's mission to destroy all undead.

There's an important distinction between two factions of undead in WoW: the Scourge, who are evil and seek to annihilate all living things; and the Forsaken, who were once members of the Scourge but broke away to seek their own path. The Forsaken are actually a playable race in World of Warcraft, and they are members of the Horde. In fact, some of the Forsaken have joined with other holy orders to try and stop the Scourge. A number of them worship the Light and seek to serve it.

The Scarlet Crusade cared not for this distinction. In its eyes, all undead were evil abominations to the Light. In their religious fervor they took things a step farther and decided to kill anyone who they thought might be undead, or infected and about to turn. They became racists and bigots, denying entry to any non-humans. The Alliance and the Horde alike turned against the Scarlet Crusade. Players are able to enter their various monasteries through quests and dungeons, attempting to destroy the order.

A far better order which arose was the Argent Dawn. The Argent Dawn made its mission to protect Azeroth from all threats from the forces of darkness. This includes the Scourge and the demonic army known as the Burning Legion. The Argent Dawn accepts all races, Alliance and Horde alike, including the Forsaken, into their ranks. Their sole mission is to use the Light to protect others.

These organizations changed when the Lich King arose – a mighty warrior who had formerly been a human prince named Arthas who served the Light. As the Lich King, Arthas controlled the Scourge. He sought to expand the undead's control and conquer the lands of Azeroth, beginning in the continent of Northrend. The threat was great enough to encourage the Argent Dawn and the Knights of the Silver Hand to band together. They formed a new organization composed of both orders, and dubbed it the Argent Crusade. The Argent Crusade took its greatest followers to Northrend to fight back against the Lich King.

However, that battle is a story for another time.

What do you guys think of the Light and the way the humans use it?

I'm super excited for the Warcraft movie, because they're showing Stormwind, including the Cathedral of Light.  It looks so pretty!

I'll see you all next week!