Lurlinism

Lurlinism is the pre-Unionist pagan religion of Oz, a faith centered on the Fairy Queen Lurline and her daughter Ozma. Though largely displaced by the worship of the Unnamed God, Lurlinism survives in folk memory, seasonal celebrations, and as a potent symbol of resistance against the Wizard's regime. Its mythology provides an alternative origin story for Oz and its creatures, and its rituals offer a counterpoint to the austerity of official Unionism.

Mythology and Cosmology

Lurlinist cosmology holds that the Fairy Queen Lurline flew over the sandy wastes and, spotting the green and lovely land of Oz below, created it from the desert. She left her daughter Ozma to rule the country, promising to return in its darkest hour. This narrative directly challenges the Unionist claim that the Unnamed God is the sole creator and ruler. The myth also explains the origin of Animals: in one version, animals who swam through Lurline's urine to reach the farther shore were given the gifts of consciousness and language, becoming Animals. This origin story, while denigrating, provides a foundational myth for the sentient creatures of Oz. The Oziad, a heroic poem, is a key Lurlinist text, though its authority is disputed by Unionists who see it as a "frilly, romantic poem of older, harsher legends."

Practices and Beliefs

Lurlinism involves the veneration of Lurline and her daughter Ozma, and its practices include seasonal festivals, the use of totems and charms, and a belief in the Other Land, an afterlife. The feast of Lurlinemas, with its green and gold decorations, candles, and gift-giving, is the most visible surviving Lurlinist celebration, though it has been appropriated by Unionist chapels. The faith also includes a belief in the Time Dragon, a creature who dreams the world and will burn it in flames when he awakes. This apocalyptic vision contrasts with the more orderly eschatology of Unionism. The Straw Man, a pagan charm worn by field-workers against crop pests, is another surviving Lurlinist practice, one that Frex notes was revived during the Great Drought and once involved human sacrifice.

Political Significance and Suppression

Lurlinism is viewed with suspicion and hostility by the Unionist establishment and the Wizard's regime. Frex, a Unionist minister, denounces it as "arrant pagan nonsense" and a threat to traditional values. The Wizard's government actively suppresses Lurlinist expression, as seen when proctors break up a student celebration involving an old statue of Lurline, deeming it "intolerably retrograde, even royalist." The faith becomes a coded language of resistance: royalists who hope for the return of Ozma Tippetarius are effectively Lurlinists, and the celebration of Lurlinemas itself can be an act of defiance. The Clock of the Time Dragon, a traveling entertainment that combines spectacle with prophecy, is a Lurlinist artifact that challenges Unionist authority, and its arrival in Rush Margins precipitates a crisis for Frex. The faith's emphasis on prophecy and oracles, as opposed to the Unnamed God's unknowable will, makes it a threat to centralized religious and political power.

Survival and Legacy

Despite official suppression, Lurlinism persists in the hearts of many Ozians, particularly among the rural and the elderly. Nanny, a lifelong servant of the Thropp family, openly professes her devotion to Lurline, declaring, "Old folks like me are allowed to." The faith's mythology continues to shape popular understanding of Oz's history and destiny. The belief that Ozma Tippetarius is frozen in a cave, waiting to return and rule, is a persistent Lurlinist hope that fuels royalist sentiment. The Princess Nastoya of the Scrow, an Elephant living under a spell as a human, embodies a Lurlinist reverence for the natural world and its magical transformations. Even after the Wizard's fall, the legacy of Lurlinism endures in the stories told about Ozma, the shoes, and the Witch, demonstrating the enduring power of its myths to shape the land's identity and its people's aspirations.