Reading the Heavens
After watching too much FromSoft YouTube Content1 I've been thinking a lot about the night sky. Namely, the degree to which our night sky is obscured by light pollution and how that wouldn't be true in a pre-industrial fantasy setting. Before the advent of electric light, we lived far closer to the heavens.2 People would observe the movement of constellations across the sky as seasons change. The movement of planets. The phases of the moons. And things like eclipses, comets, and meteor showers would be far more dramatic events.
So, here are some questions I scribbled in my notebook this morning.
About the Movement of Celestial Bodies
What in the heavens can anyone observe with their naked eyes? Moons? Stars? Wanderers (planets)?
What is predictable with the knowledge and tools that are widely available? The phases of the moons? Are there individuals or groups with greater predictive powers than others?
What kinds of things do people believe they can learn from the movements of celestial bodies? Whose job is it to interpret the heavens?
What tools, facilities, and reference materials are needed to interpret the heavens?
What is the significance of a comet? An eclipse? A meteor shower?
How does astrology interact with other forms of divination? Is one form of "evidence" considered higher than others? Or are they used for different purposes?
What is the relationship between what people believe about astrology and what is true? If wizards can use magic and priests can call on their deities to perform miracles, it's not unreasonable for the secrets of fate to be gleaned from the stars.
Is magic influenced by the movements of celestial bodies?
Omen Post Facto
Something else to think about is how seemingly spontaneous and unpredictable celestial events like comets and eclipses might come after and change or highlight the implications of otherwise momentous events.
For example, after the assassination of Julius Caeser in 44 BCE, there were reports of a comet that shone for days during his funeral celebration. This omen was taken as evidence of Caesar's deification and used in part to justify the rise of his great-nephew Octavian to become Rome's first emperor.3
Maybe the gods send celestial omens to highlight important events or to indicate their favor or disfavor at the outcome of historical happenings. A comet for favor? An eclipse for disfavor? The Sun literally closing its eyes on the world.
Or, perhaps the priesthood has knowledge of celestial events and deliberately times important funerals and celebrations to coincide with comets, eclipses, meteor showers, etc.?
In Closing
Thank you for reading my scribbles about the heavens in pre-industrial fantasy settings.
Zeit gezunt!
Namely, Tarnished Archaeologist's videos about Bloodborne.↩
Of course, in a setting with pervasive/convenient magic, the light spell may basically replace electric light in terms of producing light pollution. But at that point, is it really a pre-industrial setting?↩
Of course, our evidence for the comet comes from documents written like 20 years after it supposedly occurred. It may have been made up.↩