¤ The Cult of Emilion 

excerpt from Bretonnia-sourcebook, Book4a-Religion, p15

The cult of Emilion, god of wine, is a peculiarly Bretonnian institution. Essentially Emilion is a human version of the Elven Liadriel, though this would certainly not be admitted by Bretonnians. The origins of the cult are uncertain, but worship of Emilion is fairly localised, being found primarily in the areas of Bordeleaux and Gascogne, though in other wine producing regions of Bretonnia Emilion is also acknowledged. Emilion is the spirit of the vine, and his worship is concerned with all aspects of viniculture, from growing the grapes to making and selling the wine, and finally to drinking it. There are innumerable cultic rituals passed down in families that are followed superstitiously in the vineyards, and which are said to guarantee the wine is of a consistently good quality. The cult's major celebrations occur around the grape harvest in mid summer, and tend to involve much drinking, often leading to decadent parties. The cult's only real stricture is the drinking of wine with each meal, though the god encourages a general bonhomie and appreciation of the finer things in life in his worshippers. In areas where the cult is strong it tends to replace the worship of Taal (and to a certain extent Affairiche, though the god of trade is not as significant in the vineyards in any case), and the few clerics of Emilion are often counted as "really" being clerics of Taal. They certainly treat the Cardinal of Taal as "their Cardinal", and tend to share many of the larger cult's concerns. The cult wields considerable power in the Bordeleaux region and at the Gascogne regional parliament.

¤ In Search of Bretonnia 10-02-2005