On the Origins of the Nordic Totemic Religion

I have wondered, down the years, why it is that we revere the particular creatures that we do. What is it about Fox, Hawk, Wolf, Moth, Bear, Whale, Owl, Snake, and Dragon that we hold those creatures sacred above all others? It is not coincidence.

I have scryed the outside world, and watched faiths rise and fall. But common threads weave through many, if you look hard enough. The nords that remained after the fall of our Dragon lords changed their faith, over time. The sacred animals fell out of favour, to be replaced by gods. But those gods bore much similarity to our totems. As Fox guides us so we do not fall for the Woodland Man's tricks, so Shor warned Ysgramor before Herma Mora changed him into an elf. As Whale can hold a man alive in his belly, so Stuhn taught the rebels to take prisoners. As Hawk flies free in the sky and gave us her voice, so Kyne rules over the wind and taught men of the Thu'um.

There are more parallels. Those qualities we see in every bear, they attribute to a god called Tsun. Instead of moths, they venerate their Dibella. This is too much to be chance. In every case, the attributes we see in every creature they call one spirit, one god. For this to be the case, they must be connected in truth. These spirits that now have names must have given part of themselves to their totem creatures, or why would we have recognised those creatures as worthy of our reverence? Why choose those nine except that we could sense, unconsciously, their divinity?

One aspect is particularly interesting. The force of greatness and destruction, the eater of all that we know as Dragon, the rebels name Alduin. They condense the entirety of Dragonkind onto the High Lord of the dragons. And I cannot help but wonder - is that why our Lord went mad?