Otherfaith

What is the Otherfaith?

The Otherfaith is a modern polytheist religion, founded in 2010. The tradition reveres a group of new deities (meaning gods that aren’t found in historical records or folklore). It was born out of the Pagan and polytheist religious movements and, along with being polytheist, is an animistic tradition. Practice in the Otherfaith is focused on prayer and ritual devotion as well as storytelling and story interpretation.

Who are the Other People?

‘Other People’, at its simplest, refers to the practitioners of the Otherfaith – similar to how ‘Christian’ is the word used by those practicing Christianity. One becomes an Other Person when they dedicate themselves ritualistically to the gods of the tradition. As the Otherfaith is not an exclusive religion, it is expected and encouraged that Other People will participate in other religious traditions and practices.

Practitioners may call themselves an Other Person, one of the Other People, or a follower of the Otherfaith. All are correct.

Who are the Gods?

The Other People revere a group of gods known as the Four+ Gods. Four deities originally revealed themselves to Aine Llewellyn, the founder of the Otherfaith, earning them the moniker ‘the Four Gods’. Eventually, four more deities revealed themselves to the Other People (beginning in late 2013 and ending in 2016). The latter quartet of deities were syncretic forms of the elder four, however, so the title of ‘the Four Gods’ remained.

The pantheon is most often written as ‘the Four+ Gods’. When spoken aloud the plus sign is not spoken, with speakers often using the phrase ‘Four & Four Gods’ instead. The term Four+ Gods, Four/Four Gods, Four & Four Gods, or simply Four Gods envelopes all of the Other People’s deities.

A simple breakdown of the gods is below:

Clarene, first of the gods, deity of harvest and slaughter
Ophelia, lover to the Clarene, god of waters and weeping
Laetha, a god split into pieces, deity of fire and song
Dierne, lover to the Laetha, god of the heavens and pleasure
Laethelia, syncretic form of the Laetha and Ophelia, god of joy and the sea
Ophelene, syncretic form of the Ophelia and Clarene, god of retribution and justice
Darren, syncretic form of the Dierne and Clarene, god of solitude and doubt
Liathane, syncretic form of the Laetha and Dierne, god of chaos and calamity

More information on the Otherfaith can be found on the Otherfaith website.

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