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cienie-isengardu · 1 year ago

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Cienie’s take on Mandalorian Culture: Kad Ha’rangir and mandalorian traditional weapons, p. 4

part 1 — part 2 — part 3

Tie-in material implies that Taungs were familiar with swords (Roon era and maybe even the early colonization of Mandalore), however the overwhelming majority of sources connect the original Mandalorians to mythosaur axes and spear-like weapons. At the same time, the further from Taung hegemony, the more visible swords became, as can be observed in:

material equipment of warriors

art and broadly understood traditional culture

political sphere.

To find a sensible answer on how truly important were swords in regard to Kad Ha’rangir, we need to examine the correlation between weapons, chronology and religion.

Sources in general are in agreement that Taungs were religious warrior species who worshiped many gods but at some point, the original Mandalorians switched from more traditional polytheism into worshiping the War itself. Tie-in materials however do not completely overlap in regard to time and person responsible for this spiritual reformation.

The History of the Mandalorians [Insider #80]:

“But following the Mandalorians’ epic clashes with the insectoids of Nevoota, war, once a ritual form of worship to Mandalorian gods, became itself divine and reverential.”

The article implies the religious change happened before The Sith War (3996 BBY). The Essential Guide to Warfare states that Nevoota was attacked in 4024 BBY.

Excerpted from "Industry. Honor. Savagery: Shaping the Mandalorian Soul" keynote address by Vilnau Teupt, 412th Proceedings of Galactic Anthropology and History, Brentaat Academy, 24 ABY [The Essential Guide to Warfare]:

“The final years of the fifth millennium BBY brought a Taung religious reformation. Instead of worshipping Kad Ha’rangir, the Taungs elevated war itself as to the pinnacle of their cosmology - to make a war was effectively to be divine. The reasons for this momentous change are imperfectly understood, but Mandalorian legend holds that the clan leader known as Mandalore the Indomitable had a vision while on the mysterious world Shogun, returning to the clan with world of the revelation he’d received. Soon after this reformation, the Crusaders raided the galaxy’s central systems. In 4024 BBY they attacked the planet Nevoota in the Colonies, exterminating its species during a three-year campaign.”

Again, the change happened years before The Sith War, yet the guide claims the religious reformation comes from Mandalore the Indomitable and happened before the attack on Nevoota.

The Old Republic game’s Galactic History 42: The Nevoota Extinction codex

Lore Entry: This datacron holds unheard of power and knowledge collected by an ancient race. You access its power and discover writings which are clearly only one small piece of a massive galactic history: Some years before the Old Sith Wars, the Nevoota--a species of insectoid aliens from the Balmorra system--found themselves facing an army of disciplined warriors in distinctive armor. The warriors were Mandalorian Crusaders, testing themselves against the galaxy's deadliest species. However, the Nevoota were a challenge even for the Mandalorians. Possessing superior numbers and utterly disdainful of death, the Nevoota fought a four-year campaign under the cunning warlord Ithcharaka--but finally the Mandalorians hunted the Nevoota to extinction. This conflict had a profound effect on Mandalorian culture. The Mandalorians began to see war itself as an end, not just a means of conquest. Through war, Mandalorian society found its highest expression. When Mandalore the Indomitable eventually rose to power, he led a people who demanded nothing less than the greatest challenges the galaxy could offer.

The change happened before The Sith War AND before Mandalore the Indomitable rose to power.

Those three sources vary from each other in details, but we can assume the reformation happened around 4024 BBY, which gives almost three decades before Mandalore the Indomitable challenged Ulic Qel-Droma and Mandalorians took part in The Sith War. Three decades isn't long enough time to erase previously established religious traditions albeit the change could affect to some degree the understanding of mythology and perception of the gods.

Tie-in sources written after the most intensive period of expanding mandalorian lore (2005-2009) like "Industry. Honor. Savagery: Shaping the Mandalorian Soul” [The Essential Guide to Warfare, 2012] and Death Watch Manifesto [Bounty Hunter Code, 2013] understandably add Kad Ha’rangir as a god worshiped by Taungs which is a nice connection between various media. However both mentioned above articles are in-universe sources, meaning the modern authors may be wrong about Taung!Mandalorian culture, which is also understandable, as the Taung species has been extinct for almost four thousand years. That said, I do not deny the existence of Kad Ha’rangir in itself but I do wonder if Taungs knew him under this exact name. Can we truly be sure that “Kad'' wasn't added over the years to either create connection to swords as the weapon favored by human Mandalorians or as a reconstruction of almost forgotten mythical knowledge done for cultural and/or political reasons?

Let’s think about it for a moment. Taung faith itself changed from waging war as a ritual form of worship to Mandalorian gods, to war itself being divine and reverential. Thus the personification of gods turned into a different, less anthropomorphic concept. Mandalore the Indomitable leads his warriors under the new understanding of the religion, up to his death in 3996 BBY.

Sadly, there are not many sources for the spiritual aspect of Crusaders beyond the religious reformation, so the eventual cult of sword could be related to ceremonies alone - events we simply didn’t have a chance to see. A fair argument however tie-in material implies that Mandalore the Indomitable and the Ultimate weren’t just military leaders but also spiritual authorities, as both were said to have received a vision on a surreal Shogun planet that determined the shape of mandalorian culture of their times. Did those two leaders truly have visions their people blindly believe or is that just part of myths passed down through the generations, we can’t be sure. Yet if we agree the Mandalores could received an vision from gods - thus having a magical connection to higher powers - then they were the best suited to carry on ceremonial items (swords) in the name of Kad Ha’rangir or War itself but Indomitable and Ultimate carried axes - a traditional Mandalorian (Taung) weapon of cultural meaning yet archaic compared to more advanced blasters.

We could also argue that Indomitable displayed some sort of magic belief, as he acknowledges Ulic Qel-Droma as a Jedi (thus he most likely was aware of Ulic’s special powers) yet Aleema, who also was using Dark Side to cast powerful illusions, was considered by him a witch - a name generally connected to magic.

Granted, Mandalore heard about those two before he attacked Teta System, however Force widely was identified as magic across the galaxy, even in more modern times. Mandalorians weren’t “primitive” society and encountered many different species through decades of conquests yet Ulic’s unnatural powers got him the title of Jedi (Knight) while Aleema was called a witch. Her specific abilities could be easily tied down to Hod Ha’ran, the trickster god of visions but also could nicely be linked to prehistoric Taung Priestly Sisterhood - a very rare mention of female Taung - known from The Unknown Regions Sourcebook and whose teaching became one of three ancient philosophical schools whose culmination gave a birth to Sorcerers of Rhand:

The third school is an offshoot of the Warriors of the Shadow - Taung soldiers beaten by the Battalions of Zhell in the prehistory of Coruscant. After surviving the war and a volcanic plume of ash that filled the skies for two years, the priestly sisterhood of the Taungs fled to the Unknown Regions to seek atonement through meditation and insight.

The Mandalorian Crusader logo, as described by Death Watch Manifesto, is said to symbolize the circle of life and death while the sharp points represent the weapon of warriors. The triangle-like shape definitely resembles the shape of mythosaur axes than any swords.

The Crusader symbol could be seen on Mandalore the Indomitable’s mask - an “sacred” item representing the right to rule over all Mandalorians and even on his bracer:

Granted, the symbol wasn't always presented in the same way[8] and in some frame(s) even looked more like stylized animal/beast rather than a circle with sharp points but generally, the symbol is strongly related to Crusaders introduced in Tales of the Jedi: The Sith War (1995-1996).

In-universe and out-universe understandably, there is no mention of Kad Ha’rangir from Mandalore the Indomitable or his fellow Mandalorians in original comics - in the first case, the religion switched from gods to War as principle, in the letter, the concept of Kad Ha’rangir did not exist yet.

When Mandalore the Ultimate rose to power, slowly but steadily the Neo Crusaders dominated Mandalorian culture. Their logo is based on Crusader symbol (circle with sharp points resembling shape of mythosaur axes) but with added image of Mandalorian skull. The period of 3996 to 3960 BBY is either:

a continuation of worshiping War itself,

coming back to the traditional religion,

finding common ground between those two concepts or

rejecting the faith completely.

The sources did not explore much the mythological-magical aspect of Mandalorian people of that time, however we still can catch a glimpse of such elements.

For one, the same as previous leader, Mandalore the Ultimate is said to received a vision[9].

Excerpted from "Industry. Honor. Savagery: Shaping the Mandalorian Soul" keynote address by Vilnau Teupt. 412th Proceedings of Galactic Anthropology and History, Brentaat Academy [The Essential Guide to Warfare]:

Mandalore the Ultimate had seen many battles and knew his fellow Mandalorian Crusaders were brave and skilled. But the new Taung clan leader wondered how much that mattered. His people remained a fractious society of restless adventure seekers, with little to show for their efforts but stolen technologies and a slice of space on the outskirts of the Republic. There was a better way and Mandalore the Ultimate was determined to find it. The defeated Crusaders returned to Mandalorian Space to learn their leader had received a new vision on Shogun: From now on, non-Taungs who proved themselves in battle and upheld the Mandalorian warrior code were full members of the clans. Moreover, the Crusaders would no longer simply pillage worlds and move on like some terrible storm. Now they would hold the territory they conquered, creating an industrial society based on warrior codes. Warriors would rule, supported by farmers, artisans, and manufactures who accepted their place in the Mandalorian hierarchy, with slaves and those without honor below them.

Death Watch Manifesto [Bounty Hunter Code]:

“Of the ancient Mandalores, we hold none in higher esteem than Mandalore the Ultimate, the Great Shadow Father of our clans. On Shogun, then as now the planet of visions, Mandalore the Ultimate received a staggering prophecy: The age of Taung was ending, but their great work was unfinished. To survive, the Mando’ade must be transformed. It was a terrible burden, but Mandalore the Ultimate bore it with honor. He opened the clans to all who proved themselves in battle and followed the warrior code. Non-Taung were no longer confined to vassalship, but could be full-fledged Mandalorian warriors. Our forefathers were among these new Mando’ade, and soon proved that they were ready to lead the clans.”

The same as with Indomitable, the new Mandalore received the vision on Shogun planet that could be recognized as a sacred (magical) place and who knows, maybe each new leader was obligated to seek there a sign from the gods and act on the given vision?

The interpretation of Force as a magic is visible during Mandalorian Wars, though sources don’t provide us with examples of such belief coming directly from Taung themselves.

The Secret Journal of Doctor Demagol [This story takes place 3964 - 3963 B.B.Y.]

Entry #6025: The first arrivals. Mand'alor has kept his word. A transport has arrived bearing Jedi prisoners. The war has not even begun in earnest, and yet I have my first subjects. I will continue as before, categorizing differences in Jedi versus base members of their species. These are meager pickings to begin with. A Rodian and another human. Why must they always be humans? How I long to find a Trandoshan Jedi, to compare my past control groups. Vivisection experiments become so much easier when limbs can be regrown. Who says there are no second chances? I was less pleased to see who brought them here: Pulsipher. According to his message, Mand'alor sent Pulsipher here to be my "aide" -- but I can hardly imagine anyone less suitable. We agree on only one thing: "The Force" is pseudo-scientific claptrap -- a tale spun by the Jedi to keep the people in awe. A secret well of power, from which only the selected few may draw? How offensive. But Pulsipher rejects my conclusions that "Force powers" are inborn genetic traits -- natural mutations, that any being can be modified to have. What does he think gives Jedi their powers? Why, magic, of course! Mystic talismans and trinkets, that's what he believes! I realize that Mand'alor is trying to cover all his options -- but really. Perhaps he could send me a Wookiee witch doctor on the next transport.

and

Entry #6087: [...] But I worry the Republic will collapse before I can produce results. I have learned a great deal about Jedi physiology from the subjects here, supplementing what I learned on Osadia. We didn't have living adult Jedi to study on the New Generation Project -- just preserved genetic samples. But, thus far, knowing what a Jedi looks like on a molecular level has told me little about what makes one a Jedi. I am half-prepared to believe this "Force" is an actual external phenomenon. Pulsipher is telling Mand'alor of my failings, I am sure. Often I have seen him skulking about, scribbling notes to send off. That is, when he is not in the lockdown ogling the Jedi's lightsabers. He acts as if some ancient spirit will rise from them to transform him into a Mandalorian Knight. Sheer fantasy.

(Side note: another example of “witch” coming from Mandalorians. Interestingly, according to Rohlan Dyre who investigated Demagol’s history, the man in question was trained by Mandalore the Indomitable himself

who first uttered this term in regard to Aleema.)

Knight of the Old Republic #26 (Vector, part II)

"I believe the so-called "Force", the power of the Jedi and the Sith comes not from the people, but from their possessions! Artifacts of power beyond science -- they are the enemy we face!

Knights of the Old Republic: War #2

Kra'ake: "Shut up, Carrick! I saw that lightsaber. I put up with Kace and his Knights because Mand'alor says to -- but I won't have sorcerers in my rank! A warrior fights with blade and blaster!"

Kace: I know it offends some of you to have a former Jedi in your ranks. Mandalorians win with arms, not tricks and magic!

Zayne: [...] I'm surprised there's so much superstition here about Force-users. Ko Sornell: There was a rumor about Force magic causing the disaster on Jebble -- that was an induction station too, come to think of it. Zayne: Er... yes. But I don't understand. If you all fear Jedi, why's you let Kace and his peope join? Ko Sornell: I have no idea. Mand'alor authorized it -- that's good enough for me.

Knights of the Old Republic: War #5

Ko Sornell: All the warriors here are stealing shuttles and leaving. They’d rather win without your magic and without involving children. You never understood that, Kace. Yes, when our battles create orphans, we adopt them but we don’t steal children from their parents or guardians. No victory is worth that!

It is hard to say how much of the presented above superstitions comes directly from mandalorian culture and its take on magic and how much of those are the result of diverse religious experiences of “converted” people. The sources implies Mandalore the Ultimate wasn’t against having Force sensitive Knights in his rank, nor did protested against Demagol’s science research to uncover the secret of Force. At the same time, the Mandalore himself wasn’t afraid of Jedi or their “magic”, as could be seen during short encounter with Alek (KotOR #20) or from the fact he challenged Revan to a one on one duel. Similarly, there are Mandalorians like Rohlan Dyre and Canderous Ordo who won’t blame “mystic powers” for giving Jedi an advantage in fight but treat the “unfair” battle as a great challenge for warriors to overcome. As Rohlan recorded:

Demagol begins with one correct point -- a fight with a Jedi isn't a fair fight. Special powers are a crutch that a real warrior doesn't want or need; and stars help us when someone gets those powers that shouldn't. Like that Malak. I can tell he's going to be a piece of work. But then Demagol thinks our warriors should take the crutch for themselves. That's dead wrong. I know what real Mandalorians think. Sure, we didn't like to see the clans being beaten by Jedi -- but we weren't humiliated, and we're not jealous. We're just annoyed at the people who lost. They bring a bigger gun? You fight harder. They bring the Force? You fight harder! If Mandalore the Indomitable had wanted to defeat Ulic Qel-Droma -- he should have been more indomitable! [The Secret Journal of Demagol]

Mentioned examples give us an interesting outlook at Mandalorian society during Mandalorian Wars and the opposite takes on Force. There are a number of warriors who perceive Force as “magic” and Force-users as "sorcerers" and some wanted to understand and/or obtain that power for Mandalore and Mandalorians. There are also those who acknowledged the Force as something special and unique yet not something a true warrior should desire or need.

Interestingly, beside the mention of Pulsipher who “in the lockdown ogling the Jedi's lightsabers” and acting “as if some ancient spirit will rise from them to transform him into a Mandalorian Knight”, the Mandalorians are indifferent or outright disapproving of the lightsabers - for example, like Kra'ake was about Zayne using his lightsaber to disarm enemy’s weapons instead of using blaster (KotOR: War #2)

This supports my belief that Mandalorians did not have widely understood swords and sabers in any special regard. So far I did not notice anyone connecting Jedi (the sorcerer’s) lightsaber to any of their mythological deities. Even Mandalore the Indomitable, during his fight with Ulic, called Jedi’s lightsaber “a bloodthirsty weapon”, impling that a simple weapon of his forefathers is the honorable weapon [The Sith War #1].

Additional example of what I personally consider to be Mandalorian, potentially religious and/or magical practice is the use of skulls and candles, as was seen with Demagol and Cassus Fett - two very opposite types of characters with different approaches to mandalorian matters. Interestingly, in both cases, the mentioned items were placed within their “workshop” sphere - in laboratory (KotOR#10)

and temporary headquarters respectively (KotOR #23 & 24).

Even if skulls and bones were part of Demagol’s studies, candles alone in both cases had no useful purpose, as presented places clearly had an access to electricity and advanced technology providing light (and heat?). Presence of such items especially is interesting as Demagol did not believe Force to be magic and Cassus was busy leading invasion on Taris, yet presumably both dedicated their precious time and effort to equip their “personal” space with objects that seems to not have any impact on their actual living / working conditions. Even more surprising in the case of Cassus Fett, as his headquarter was a temporary place. Which is why I consider those skulls and candles a potential example of artifacts whose purpose fulfill some magical-religious needs or unexplained customs. Those of course could be some sort of trophies but interestingly, Mandalorians of Hidden Chain from The Old Republic MMORPG also kept skulls in various places of their headquarters

while Shae Vizla kept her trophies and mementos(?) nicely displayed in showcases

which gives a feeling of the different purposes and there is 300 years of the time interval between those two eras.

With those examples, I think it is safe to assume the religious-magic aspect is still alive within the full-fledged Mandalorians. Its shape and impact on society may be greatly reduced if not be just an echo of the old faith, the same as mythological interpretation of gods, once treated as literal stories[10] now could lose its importance when the number of Mandalorians was multiplied by the mass of new recruits. However it wasn’t completely erased by material needs nor pragmatic choices. It is hard to tell how religious were Taungs (represented by Mandalore the Ultimate) at this point in history, especially with so many changes done to ensure Mandalorian victory but I think we can cross out the possibility that religion was completely rejected.

The same as The Sith War, the Knights of the Old Republic did not provide a direct mention of Mandalorian gods (with a special emphasis on Kad Ha’rangir). As much as it is understandable with original source in which Taung as ancient Mandalorians debuted (1995-1996) and the original KotOR game (2003), the lack of such mention in KotOR & KotOR: War comics is surprising, as those two series were published from 2006 to 2012 and a lot of mandalorian elements were taken from Karen Traviss’s Republic Commando & Legacy of the Force book series and additional tie-in work. Those elements include the use of mando’a, both as singular words (e.g. oya) and the more “formal” phrase emphasizing the sincerity of character’s oath/intention, as was seen with Zayne Carrick revoking the “Haat, Ijaat, Haa'it” [Truth, Honor, Vision] formula while sealing a pact (promise) with Mandalorian Ko Sornell.

This detail too could be interpret as sign of religious-magic element as I personally see the Haat, Ijaat, Haa'it formule as swearing by the triad of mandalorian gods, in which Truth, Honor and Vision represents Arasuum, Kad Ha’rangir and Hod Ha’ran respectively. And yes, I identify Arasuum with Truth (something unchangeable) as I strongly believe he was not a god of stagnation and laziness originally but a god of death but I will leave this matter for another part of Cienie’s take on Mandalorian Culture larger project.

Mandalorians of this era still most likely cultivate their religious traditions to some degree however so far beside Pulsipher ogling lightsabers, the warriors themselves showed little interest in this kind of weapon. The typical, traditional axe is seen mainly in regard to Mandalore the Ultimate (Taung) and is a continuation of previously established in The Sith War tradition while the weapons used by warriors - beside blasters - vary from each other.

Mandalore the Ultimate not only opened ranks to outsiders but also indicated vital changes that will shape future generations - including approach to political and warfare matters. The mandalorian culture spread through the galaxy and assimilated a great number of Republic citizens, however in contrast to Crusaders from previous decades, one of Neo-Crusaders’ goals was “conversion” of non-Mandalorian people - whether someone wanted it or not.

The original Taung (Mandalorian) culture, as far as the sources showed, was homogeneous, however the Neo-Crusaders’ approach created problems the warriors did not have encountered before. As Mandalore the Ultimate admitted:

So many new recruits. Different species, different armors, different languages -- and not enough time to learn our ways.

The crisis Mandalorian culture faced will have far-reaching consequences - yes, there were new recruits to carry on Taung legacy even after their deaths, but their great number made it difficult to properly assimilate and teach the newcomers. As the Mandalore noted, those people spoke in different languages which I think could explain why (modern) mando’a is so similar to Basic language, as logically thinking Basic was the most common language in which recruits from different species could communicate and if there wasn’t time nor proper teachers to help understand the mandalorian grammar, it naturally could superseded the Taung original language complexity. Though that matter deserves a separate analysis as sources do not dwell much on linguistics aspects of lore, and simply use mando’a as a neat bridge between different mandalorian eras.

Same thing most likely happened with original laws, as Taungs held in great respect complex Canons of Honor while new recruits were introduced to very simplified Resol’nare (Six Action) as a major cultural determinant

and the Resol’nare survived to modern times while Canons became obscurity. The overwhelming mass of new recruits (sometimes outright forced into Mandalorian ranks) and lack of proper time and opportunity to learn and adapt into warrior culture definitely affected future generations of Mandalorians. The important question is, did Mandalore the Ultimate and his fellow Taung/original Mandalorians pass down mythological knowledge in a relatively unchanged version or did they adapt it to their cause of leaving “legacy” to not be forgotten? Because Mandalore was presented as someone willing to use “mythology” in such fashion. Like the story of Rohlan the Questioner whose “dying speech” he wrote himself to uphold the importance of Mandalore title

or even the previously mentioned songs [part III] in which The Rage of Shadow Warriors though share name with an epic poem of struggle over ancient Notron (Coruscant) may be Taung “plea” to be remembered by their successors. Also, allowing Cassus Fett to change individual armor uniquity into very similar sets of armor in which a specific color represents certain ranks for better control over troopers is a clear sign how far Mandalore was willing to give up or modify the tradition of his forefathers to preserve at least some of Taung heritage.

So far there was little to no evidence of the cult of swords and its connection to Kad Ha’rangir but plenty of hints for both religious-magical aspects and vital cultural changes. Mandalore the Ultimate died and Taungs, officially[11], went extinct. The Mandalorian society became divided and leaderless, driving many veterans and latest recruits into mercenary work or giving up the warrior past entirely. Those who remained, slowly rebuilded their ranks while searching for “sacred” Mandalore Mask - an item Revan took after defeating the Ultimate and hid in hopes to demoralize and break Mandalorian spirit. There are not many sources about that era, even less in regard to religious matters. Ordo Canderous was the first human Mandalore, known as the Preserver as he tried to bring Mandalorians to their honorable warrior ways. However the cultural schism between well-paid mercenaries and warriors fighting for their own cause won’t be resolved and with passing time, the dispute will grow deeper and lead to clashes between traditionalists and soldiers of fortune.

As far as I managed to check available sources about times of Canderous Ordo, still no mention of Kad Ha’rangir, the mythosaur axe becoming obscurity while swords are a more common sight between post-Neo Crusader Mandalorians, as could be noticed in

KotOR (2003)

KotOR: Sith Lords (2006) which Mandalorians under Ordo’s leadership

[Next part] The Old Republic MMORPG game takes place a few hundred years after Mandalore the Indomitable, The Ultimate and the Preserver (Wookiepedia claims the history of SWTOR currently covers the era of 3643–3626 BBY). For the first time an in-universe source contemporary with the events taking place directly mentions Kad Ha’rangir and praying practice...

SIDENOTES:

[8] An examples how the Crusader logo was presented beside the typical circle with sharp (triangle) points:

Animal/beast shape

Sun(?) symbol

[9] The Old Republic: Revan book - leading into the storyline of the SWTOR - claims Mandalore the Ultimate was manipulated by the Sith and the so-called vision of victory over the Republic wasn’t his.

“Mandalore helped the Sith find Dramath’s hidden crypt,” he continued. “The Sith took the remains to give to his Master, and in exchange he told Mandalore of a vision his Master had had of the Mandalorians rising up against the Republic. He told him they would conquer world after world, crushing their enemies until the Republic collapsed in on itself. He promised the Mandalorians a glorious victory, and Mandalore believed him.” “Mandalore the Ultimate wouldn’t lead us into war against the Republic just because some stranger told him we’d win,” Canderous protested. “It’s more complicated than that. The Sith used the power of the dark side to manipulate him. Only as Mandalore lay dying at my feet was the spell finally broken and he realized he’d been tricked. That was why he told me about this place. So I could come and see for myself.” “This doesn’t make any sense,” Canderous said. “You say the Sith tricked Mandalore into attacking the Republic. But why?” “I don’t know,” Revan admitted. “Maybe it was a test of your strength. Or ours. Maybe the Sith are planning another invasion, and they sought to weaken the Republic.”

SWTOR's The Galactic History #67: Mandalore the Ultimate claims:

Later Jedi would believe Sith influences propelled the Mandalorians into war, but the Mandalorians themselves claimed to be driven only by the chance for conquest and revenge.

So the matter of Sith's influence is up to debate, I guess.

[10] Mandalorians: People and Culture [Insider #86] says:

Mandalorians were once intensely religious but disillusionment with the old fanaticism and warship of war itself gave way to a far less supernatural belief system among modern Mandalorians. They now regard creation tales, such as Akaanati’kar’oya (The War of Life and Death), as parables to illustrate a deeper philosophical meaning rather than literal supernaturalism.

what itself fits nicely the switch from religious Taung into more money-oriented mandalorian mercenaries. However the same article undermines the existence of Taungs in the first place by this:

And they’re probably not even the original Mandalorian race. Anthropologists disagree about their roots; did they begin as humans or, as a few academics still claim, a gray-skinned non-human species. Whichever theory you find most convincing, they became a species of predominantly human nomadic warriors.

I personally accept this source in regard to Taung religiosity but at the same time I advise taking a caution approach to it. Mandalorians: History and People has a lot of contradictions that sometimes go against generally accepted Mandalorian norms.

[11] KotOR Campaign Guide claims Canderous Ordo met a Taung after Mandalorians Wars:

“In thanks, Revan returns to him the traditional mask of Mandalore, and Canderous sets out to reunite the Mandalorians. In so doing, Canderous happens upon an ailing Taung claiming to be the true Mandalore, and calling Mandalore the Ultimate a usurper with Sith ties. Before dying, this nameless Mandalorian presents his armor and clan to Canderous, asking him to preserve the old ways.”

This little story may be seen as another “tale” turned into mandalorian legend and/or cultural tool but also present a possibility that some Taung survived Battle of Malachor and lived for another decades and we simply have no clue about that. So far I have not heard about any hybrid between Taung and humans or other alien species though so I think it is safe to assume they died out at some point as sources claims.

#star wars #cienie's take on mandalorian culture #kad ha'rangir #mandalorians #mandalorian culture #mandalorian religion #mandalorian crusaders #mandalorian neo crusaders #i hoped to wrap up all matters in this part but NOPE i hit the limit of images #and SWTOR provided too many stuff to talk about

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