The sky tore open.
Light spilled like blood.
The first gods were not lovers.
They were soldiers.
They split the mountains with their blades.
They burned the oceans to smoke.
The stars are the sparks of their dying breath.
The world is a battlefield that forgot its war.
1. Warfare as Sacred Memory
• War isn’t just politics—it’s cosmology. Every battle reenacts the gods’ first acts.
• Military service may be ritualized, with soldiers seen as inheritors of divine purpose.
• Weapons are heirlooms, often named after the original gods or battles they fought.
2. Architecture as Fortification
• Cities are built like scars: angular, defensive, austere.
• Beauty is found in resilience—stone that withstood siege, iron that never rusted.
• Even temples resemble bunkers, with altars shaped like blades or broken shields.
3. Philosophy of Endurance
• Life is suffering endured with dignity. Joy is suspect; grief is honest.
• Stoicism and fatalism dominate public discourse.
• Poets praise survival, not serenity. “To endure is to honor the gods.”
4. Rituals of Remembrance
• Creation is commemorated through annual “Wound Festivals,” where citizens reenact the tearing of the sky.
• Bloodletting or symbolic scarring may be part of rites of passage.
• Stars are invoked in funerals as remnants of divine sacrifice.
5. Art as Echo of Violence
• Visual art favors stark contrasts, jagged forms, and monochrome palettes.
• Music leans toward percussion and dissonance—rhythms that mimic marching or battle.
• Dance is martial, with movements drawn from combat drills.