Mandalorians had their own religion, the basic tenets of which have fluctuated over the centuries.
At one time, Mandalorians were deeply religious beings, but the combination of disillusion with the old ways and the increasing warlike tendencies of the race led to a more pragmatic view of the galaxy around them.
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Religious Beliefs
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| The Mandalorian religion reflected the sensibilities and values of the Mandalorians. Like the culture itself, it changed over the years, but still maintained its fundamental tenets. In ancient times, Mandalorians were intensely religious, worshipping war and taking their myths literally. However disillusionment with devastating wars of conquest led to a re-interpretation of the stories as parables, to confer philosophical meaning rather than fact.
In Mandalorian myth, the sloth-god Arasuum eternally fought the destroyer god Kad Ha'rangir. This represented the constant struggle between stagnation, and the opportunity for change that stemmed from destruction. Every Mandalorian warrior who died supposedly joined an army in the afterlife; there they defended their wives and children, who lived on in an enduring, peaceful homestead. This was viewed as the only place where Mandalorians could finally settle down permanently.
Later generations moved away from a belief in a literal heaven to emphasize the idea of the manda. The manda was described as "a combination of the collective state of being, the essence of being Mandalorian, and an oversoul." To be part of it, a Mandalorian must understand their culture and truly live out its ideals. Otherwise, they would be a dar'manda–someone who was ignorant of their heritage, and would have no soul and no afterlife. This was regarded as a fate worse than death. This emphasis on culture helped to preserve the identity of the Mandalorians even when scattered across the galaxy.
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Aspects of Mandalorian Mythology
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| Arasuum
In the Mandalorian religion, Arasuum was the sloth god and the personification of stagnation, idleness and consumption. In Mandalorian myth, Arasuum eternally fought the destroyer god Kad Ha'rangir, who forced change and growth upon the universe. This represented the constant struggle between stagnation, and the opportunity for change that stemmed from destruction.
Kad Ha'rangir
Kad Ha'rangir was, in the Mandalorian religion, the destroyer god, who forced change and growth upon the universe. In Mandalorian myth, Kad Ha'rangir eternally fought the sloth god Arasuum. This represented the constant struggle between stagnation, and the opportunity for change that stemmed from destruction.
Akaanati'kar'oya
Akaanati'kar'oya (Mando'a for The War of Life and Death) was the creation myth of the Mandalorians. While it was interpreted literally during the time of the Mandalorian Crusaders and Neo-Crusaders, Civil War-era Mandalorians viewed such myths as parables.
Manda
Manda is a mystical concept in Mandalorian philosophy. It was derived from the old belief in a literal heaven, described as "a combination of the collective state of being, the essence of being Mandalorian, and an oversoul." To be part of it, a Mandalorian must understand their culture and truly live out its ideals. Otherwise, they would be a dar'manda–someone who was ignorant of their heritage, and would have no soul and no afterlife. This was regarded as a fate worse than death. This emphasis on culture helped to preserve the identity of the Mandalorians even when scattered across the galaxy.
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