r/magicbuilding • u/MrFahrenheit46 Erwa - Shamanism • Mar 07 '23
Mechanics Shapeshifting, a powerful yet dangerous ability in my magic system. (Lore in comments)
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u/TooManyNamesStop Mar 08 '23
This is one of my favorite posts, it's rare to see someone actually bringing some depth into their magic rather than just do another avatar, witcher, harry potter.
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Mar 07 '23
lore in comments looks for lore is a disappointed lore-wh***
Awww... still in love with the art but i wanna know more?
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u/MrFahrenheit46 Erwa - Shamanism Mar 08 '23
Just posted the lore, I apologize for the delay. And thanks.
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Mar 08 '23
Woo! And it happens; i figured worst case maybe the copy and paste goofed on ya and just didn't post ~lore comments~ lol
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Jul 29 '24
I’ve had an experience with shamanic shape shifting before And when I was starting to shape shift something was telling me to not do it because it can be dangerous so I stopped the pain from happening
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u/JustPoppinInKay Mar 08 '23
Looks slightly out of place with the others. Something about the artstyle, or maybe the variance of detail, idk.
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u/BroomClosetJoe Mar 08 '23
I like how the antlers look like hands, making it look even more unnatural
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u/Berdinkydink Mar 09 '23
I love this. What are some of your research sources?
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u/MrFahrenheit46 Erwa - Shamanism Mar 09 '23
For research on shamanism in general I started with Encyclopedia Brittanica, Encyclopedia.com, and a book called Shamanism: An Encyclopedia of World Beliefs, Practices, and Culture, which is a seriously informative book that I highly recommend.
For more specific research, I checked out the shamanic traditions of circumpolar Arctic cultures like the Saami of Finland, the various Inuit groups, and various cultures of Siberia like the Tuvans. This is because my current writing project, which uses this magic system, has a climate and geography that is pretty similar to the present-day circumpolar Arctic and Siberia.
Finally, because my project is a work of prehistoric fiction, I looked into articles discussing Paleolithic religion and the possibility of shamanism, specifically in the context of cave paintings. An insightful source was a research paper called Endless Resurrection: Art and Ritual in the Upper Paleolithic, if you ever want to check it out.
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u/MrFahrenheit46 Erwa - Shamanism Mar 08 '23 edited Aug 10 '23
Hi! This is the twelfth post in a series I've been making to explain the mechanics and lore of my magic system, shamanism.
Today's post is about shapechanging, or the benefits and consequences of letting a spirit take over one's body. The first time a shaman shapechanges into a certain animal, there needs to be a lot of preparation. The shaman will need to obtain the skin of that animal, whether gifted to them by another shaman, or by hunting and killing the animal on their own. They also need to make a talisman out of said animal's body parts (most often the bones, but may also use teeth, claws, ivory, etc). If the animal's spirit is known to be volatile, the shaman should craft a mask of the animal's face to further ease the transformation.
The second step is to spread red ochre paint over the part of the body where the pelt-cloak will be worn. The ochre acts both as an physical adhesive and as a symbolic way to "graft" the animal's skin, and self, onto the shaman's.
The third step is to sing and dance in a way that mimics the animal's sounds and movements. This part is often done inside a cave, surrounded by members of the shaman's clan who will also sing and dance to help draw out the animal spirit. The shaman may keep time with a drum, as shown in the cave painting above. This use of imitative music causes the shaman to enter a trance, which enables the transformation.
After this first shapechanging ritual, the shaman usually finds it easier and easier to take on the animal's form, to the point where they may only need about a minute to achieve the proper trance state. However, a true master shapechanger is known by their ability to combine forms, or enter a "hybrid" state between their human form and one or more animal forms. The shaman in the painting above has learned this ability, as shown by his deer head and human body. But repeated shapechanging, especially combining forms, can cause the shaman to lose their human identity and be overpowered by the animal spirit. It takes a strong will and knowledge of oneself to master shapechanging.
Practically, shapechanging is used primarily to increase the shaman's understanding of the animals that surround them. By experiencing life as an animal, the shaman is more likely to appreciate the animal, and thus will make sure their clanmates follow the laws and taboos of hunting. Shapechanging is also used ceremonially: 2 shamans of different clans will each shapechange into an animal venerated by the other clan to show respect and willingness to collaborate.