Xanthian

This is an article about an ancient religion, not to be confused with Xanthines, a class of natural alkaloid compounds; Xanthic acid, an organic acid, or; Xanthate, a salt made from the acid.

This article is about the Xanthian-Straightae religion of the ancient Straightae Australiasians, not to be confused with the historic Greek city of Xanthia, nor its inhabitants, also known as Xanthians. Please read this article on the Straightae to learn more.

The Xanthians were (predominantly ethnic Straightae) followers of an esoteric, pre-historic duotheistic religion (believing in two deities) associated with the Straights, sometimes referred to by scholars as Xanthianism, or more specifically the Xanthian-Straightae belief system. Despite being the official state religion of the Straights, most of its inhabitants were of other ethnicities, namely Braapers. As such, the religion was most likely exclusive to the upper-class of Straightae settlers, meanwhile colonial subjects maintained unique practices.

Xanthian religious and racial philosophies are seemingly intertwined. The Straightae employed a strict racial hierarchy under the central belief that the Straights began as the ancestors of a different biological race, potentially one of celestial origin. However, historians rightfully speculate that many aspects of Xanthian religious practice are simply unknown, with their only known reference as a historical people being within the context of Homobroism, an entirely separate religion. Like the Homobros, Xanthians likely did not have any active distinction between their conception of material and immaterial forms of reality. Instead, physical reality, in similar fashion to the Homobros, is more portrayed as a connection between the individual self and its external surroundings.

Due to the absence of any literature to compare directly with Homobro religious texts, and also the likelihood that the 15th-century Straights practiced a different form of Xanthianism than the religious practices of the Straights mentioned in the Book of Clyde, historians have very little definite knowledge on the details of their religion, let alone an accurate history of its development over time.

Etymology

Xanthian was originally used to describe the people of Xanthus, an ancient Lycian city. In the early 20th century, Straighti religious and cultural practices were heavily scrutinized by British schools of archaeologists in order to conclude that the Straights, unlike most Aborigines, believed in two deities, only one of which is portrayed as humanoid in form.

At the time, archaeologists also believed that the Straights were probably a neighbor civilization of the Braapers, with similar cultural origins. For this reason, the religion began to be termed as Xanthian sometime between the late 1890's and mid-1900's. This was most likely done in reference to the relationship between the Xanthian and Dorian peoples of Ancient Greece. (The historical Xanthians are known for their notable degree of syncretism with other cultures, such as the Persians).

Symbolism

20th-century archaeological excavations into historical Straighti sites have revealed two distinct symbols which are found repeatedly throughout various artistic works, and in numerous objects, some of which appear to be commodities rather than practical items.

According to the extent of current historical knowledge, these symbols do not appear within other civilizations, such as that of the Braapers, the only other civilization that is known to have interacted with the Straights for several hundred years. Straights' seemingly dispersed presence amongst Braaper colonies points more towards a racial hierarchy than a shared culture; the exclusivity of Xanthian symbolism appears to support this theory.

The two most commonly referenced symbols are the Xanthian swastika, an equilateral symbol with bent arms (geometrically equivalent to a swastika) that is consistently depicted as tapering off from each of the arms and spiraling inwards. The other symbol, the Xanthian pride flag, is a rainbow-colored symbol which seemingly portrays a spectrum of the following colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple.

Brief controversy

In 2021, a native Aborigine was accused of using these symbols together to incite feelings of shock and anger amongst Australians; he was subsequently relieved of all charges before any preliminary court hearing and subsequently issued an apology by the Office of Prosecutorial Conduct for "such an embarrassing display of gross ignorance on behalf of an eager prosecution."

There is, in fact, none relationship whatsoever between these symbols and the German Hakenkruz nor the homosexual fag flag, respectively. Instead, history suggests that any such resemblance is a matter of coincidence, as the symbols obtained their meanings independently of each other. And yet, there remain some who claim that 'homobro' and 'straight' were chosen derogatorily, when in fact they were not.

Most ironically, the name Homobro has some etymological relation to the word 'homosexual' (with homo meaning 'same,' in both cases), however, it is actually based off an archaic, Anglicized spelling of the Braaper word "houmobouera," which itself in a Latinization that, in turn, turned houmo into 'homo,' and bouera into the German word brüder (from Homo-breuder, which continues to be the German language word for the tribe). English archaeologists eventually adopted the word "homobro" after it was shown that the two tribes were not as syncretic as once believed, making the word appropriate (meaning 'same-brothers,' thus entailing their separation from the outside world, perhaps used with some attempt to draw greater media interest).

At the time, the word 'homosexual' had not yet been coined, neither were opposite-sex relationships commonly described as 'straights.' And so, the sexual orientations named 'homosexual' and 'heterosexual' do not bear any conceivable relation to Xanthian rainbow imagery other than perhaps the Greek root 'homo' itself. There is no historical basis to suggest that the Straights held similar meanings of sexual liberation to the rainbow symbol as do we today, and those suggesting such may either be referring to the Greek city of Xanthia or another historical concept within classical antiquity, not to be confused with the Xanthian-Straighti religion.

In modern practice

Xanthianism has made a small revival amongst the global community in recent times, due to its seemingly unique belief system and the Straights' repeated use of symbols with unknown meanings. Many symbols in the Xanthian alphabet have been likened to those within the Braaper spoken language which, in spite of the similarities, bears distinct linguistic differences which make it closer to that of the Aborigines than the proposed language of the Xanthan Straights.

However, revival efforts directed towards the religion are by-and-large unable to provide any significant theology or other religious philosophy with which to defend the small amount of knowledge regarding their symbolism. As such, Xanthianism is regarded more as a superstitious practice than an actual religion, which is much more in keeping with its known remnants.

The radical revolutionary sect of Braapers, known as the Commune of Tradition Keepers, is claimed to make repeated use of Xanthian swastika, used in order to signify their rejection of the traditional Braaper cultural identity; this was done in addition to their disavowal of Clyde Homobro, for which all their communal beliefs are strictly forbidden from the colonies. Interestingly, Xanthian symbolism is not recognizable to most Braapers as having cultural significance, and so it is not at all considered offensive in its own right.

In response to Clydeposting, Walter, among other Ezo adherents, embedded Xanthian symbolism within some of his works. This was apparently designed to anger the Clydeian Rouge, who consider the Ezo ideology to be blasphemous and intolerable.