- "The glory of the Carja is the Sun's glory, reflected. We Sun-Priests are but glimmers of its great light."
- ―Reverent Irid[1]
Sun-Priests are the religious leaders in the Carja tribe in Horizon Zero Dawn.
Role[]
Sun-Priests serve as the religious leaders of the Carja. They are based out of the Temple of the Sun in the capital city of Meridian. Their duty is to serve the Sun-King and interpret his divine will. As such, they hold the second highest rank in Carja society.[1] They observe the sun and stars, cast auguries, manage the treasury, serve as magistrates to decide conflicts among Carja of lesser rank[2] and as envoys during diplomatic missions,[1][3] and perform daily hymns of praise to the Sun: once at dawn, once at midday, and once at twilight.[4]
Believing the Sun-King to be the embodiment of the sun itself, Sun-Priests will pull down their hoods while in the Sun-King's presence, in order to not behold his light directly.[1]
A particular Sun-Priest is sometimes called the High Priest,[5][6] although it's never established what exactly this means.
Keeping in line with the historically patriarchal structure of Carja society, Sun-Priests are exclusively male, with Mournful Namman arguing that they should allow woman and non-Carja to also hold Sun-Priesthood.[7]
History[]
Sun-Priesthood dates back to the reign of the first Sun-King Araman, who proclaimed Sun-Priests "most precious and worthy of safekeeping".[8]
The Red Raids[]
During the reign of Sun-King Jiran, some Sun-Priests followed Jiran blindly, insisting that as the Chosen of the Sun, Jiran's word was unimpeachable, while some among the Temple objected to the Red Raids, such as Mournful Namman's brother, and were put to death for it.[7] Some began to abuse their authority to sexually exploit women.[9]
Following the Liberation of Meridian, the majority of the Temple fled to Sunfall with the rest of Jiran's loyalists. The Sun-Priests who have replaced them in Meridian seem to share Avad's progressive agenda. However, as seen with Abiding Jahamin, not all who remained in Meridian share his ideals.
Attire[]
Alternate Sun-Priest attire.
A Shadow Carja Sun-Priest.
Sun-Priests traditionally wear robes dyed red with cinnabar,[1] accompanied with gold and white accents and blue thread with white gloves.
Alternate Shadow Carja Sun-Priest attire.
The Sun-Priests in the Shadow Carja wear robes similar in design, but with a color palette matching that of the Shadow Carja: colored black with grey and red accents and gold thread with red gloves.
Known Sun-Priests[]
Carja[]
.png "Abiding Jahamin (HZDR).png (1.62 MB)")
.png "Hishavan (HZDR).png (611 KB)")
.png "Mournful Namman (HZDR).png (1.55 MB)")
.png "Reverent Irid (HZDR).png (634 KB)")
- Exacting Varan[10]
- Irrefutable Pashaman
- The herbalist in Barren Light
Shadow Carja[]
.png "Lucent Bahavas (HZDR).png (1.62 MB)")
Gallery[]
Official Artwork[]
Concept Art[]
Screenshots[]
Horizon Zero Dawn[]
Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered[]
.png "Sun-Priest (Shadow Carja; HZDR; 1).png (626 KB)")
.png "Sun-Priest (Shadow Carja; HZDR; 2).png (1.19 MB)")
.png "Sun-Priest (Shadow Carja; HZDR; 3).png (2.7 MB)")
Trivia[]
- Sun-Priests appear to be based off of Bishops in the Catholic religion.
- The lyrics to the songs that the Sun-Priests sing at the temples contain the names of all the Sun-Kings, with the exception of Jiran.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 As mentioned by Reverent Irid during Mother's Heart.
- ↑ Page 617 of the Horizon Zero Dawn Collector's Edition Guide.
- ↑ The Embassy
- ↑ As heard in Meridian.
- ↑ As mentioned by Sylens during The Mountain That Fell.
- ↑ History of Sunfall
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 As mentioned by Mournful Namman during Honor The Fallen.
- ↑ As mentioned by Studious Vuadis during To The Brink.
- ↑ As mentioned by Furahni during Frontier Justice.
- ↑ The Liberation