Resurgence of the Old Religion

Over the final decades of the Yophenthean Empire up to the Ambrasian Reformation, ca 930 to ca 1140, many people throughout the former empire rejected the full religion of Arathracianism and reverted to the world of the gods of the Old Religion. The consequences of this change persisted throughout the Middle Ages and many continue to the modern day. Most of the restored worshipers of the Old Religion were farmers, peasants, serfs. many merchants, and many groups of people whose independence from the empire restored a love of their former religions and cultural practices. Some merchants, soldiers, aristocrats, scholars, and of course Arathracian priests were among those who continued to practice the Arathracian Religion.

Arathracianism apologists often point out that the decline of the Arathracian Church paved the way for the incursion of humanlike savages and the spread of the worship of Chaos Gods. Opponents counter by saying that the decline of the Arathracian Church reflected its own shortcomings.

Scholars have observed that the decades and centuries of the so called Resurgence of the Old Religion was truly a time of loosening of the power of Arathracianism and a continued diversification of religion that had begun during the late empire and continued into the Middle Ages. High Mandonism, Late Yophenthean Mystery Cults, Incarnandism, Imzaha, Ambrasianism, Harmonism, and later Chaos Cults existed alongside the worship of the gods of the Old Religion.

It is important to remember that during the Late Yophenthean Empire, many religious movements arose, not just a return to the worship of the Old Religion. Mystery Cults arose along with conservative movements in the Arathracian Church as well as the Ambrasian Reformation.

See Also

• Ambrasian Reformation
• Arathracianism
• High Mandonism
• Late Yophenthean Mystery Cults
• Old Religion
• Religions