Covenant religion



The Covenant Empire is founded on and united by a single religion, based upon the worship of the ancient race of beings known as the Forerunners.

Background
According to Covenant religion, the Forerunners, a race of enlightened beings regarded as nearly omniscient and all-powerful, discovered a way to transcend the physical world and became divine gods by activating the Halos, or "Sacred Rings" as referred to by members of the Covenant. When this happened, the Halos uplifted the Forerunners into trans-sentience, but left all lesser, unworthy races behind. The Covenant (or at least the San 'Shyuum) believe themselves to be the chosen inheritors of the Forerunners, and seek to reclaim their lost technology and use all the "gifts" the Forerunners left behind. Their ultimate goal, however, is to locate and activate the Halo Installations. In doing so, they believe that all faithful adherents to the Covenant Religion will be uplifted as the Forerunners were, and become divine beings. All client races of the Covenant follow the Prophets in the hopes of also ascending into godhood.

Reformists and Stoics
The Covenant religion was first practiced on Janjur Qom, the San 'Shyuum homeworld, between two factions, the Stoics and the Reformists. Although both factions believe in the prophecy of ascendancy and the holiness of artifacts left behind by their gods, they also held different views on how the religion should be practised; the Reformists believed that the religion could spread throughout the galaxy by using their gods' ship but the Stoics viewed their actions as desecrating the memory of the gods. Thus initiating the San 'Shyuum Civil War, a conflict which resulted in the defeat of the Stoics which gave the Reformists the lead in expanding the Covenant religion.

Conflict and spread
While the exact date remains unrecorded, the Ages of Conflict spanned over thousand of years and was a significant period in the spreading of the Covenant religion and formation of the Covenant Empire. In First Age, the San 'Shyuum Reformists eventually encountered a saurian species known as the Sangheili. The Sangheili, much like the the San 'Shyuum Stoics, believed that the way the Reformists treated the holy artifacts left by their gods were heresy. This unfortunate encounter soon lead to the Sangheili-San 'Shyuum War. The war ended with the submission of the Sangheili into the Reformists faction and the eventual formation of the Covenant Empire.

From here on, the Sangheili would take the role as the warriors of the Covenant Empire with the San 'Shyuum acting as their superiors in advising them on how to achieve the greater good of the Great Journey.

Development and rebellion
"Ask the Oracle about Halo...how they would sacrifice us all for nothing!"

- Sesa 'Refumee to the Arbiter.

The development of the Covenant religion spanned over seven ages; the Age of Abandonment, Ages of Conflict, Age of Reconciliation, Age of Discovery, Age of Conversion, Ages of Doubt and the Ages of Reclamation. These ages saw the rise of the Covenant Empire and witnessed its tremendous influential power in the spread of the Covenant Religion during the Ages of Conflict; the Unggoy became the subsequent species to submit into the Covenant religion and the Covenant Empire, followed by the Kig-yar (though most were influenced by the prized rewards granted by the San 'Shyuum). The Jiralhanae were the last extraterrestrial species to join the Covenant religion.

The Covenant religion was not entirely perfect without internal and heretical conflicts; throughout developmental history of the religion, several events arose such as the Heretic Uprising on Alpha Halo in the Ninth Age of Reclamation. Such events would require the Arbiter in order to restore peace to the Covenant Empire and to prevent the spread of the non-believers.

The rise and fall
"In a moment, I will light the rings! And all who believe... shall be saved!"

- The Prophet of Truth

The Covenant religion was at its peak when a Covenant fleet discovered their first "Sacred Ring". This discovery called for the presence of High Charity, the Covenant Holy City, which was essential for the initiation of the Great Journey. However, efforts to ignite the ring was prevented by a demon of the UNSC. Soon after, another "Sacred Ring" was discovered when the High Prophet of Regret made a slipspace travel to the Substance system. Unfortunately, the activation of this ring was also prevented by the UNSC. It was at this period when the High Prophet of Regret was killed by the very same demon that destroyed the first Sacred Ring. This unfortunate event also gave rise of the Jiralhanae in taking over the role of the Sangheili in the Covenant Empire. The Sangheili was also subsequently expunged from the Covenant Empire following the events of the Great Schism. Though not destroyed like the previous Sacred Ring, this second Sacred Ring along with other undiscovered Halos were put on a standby mode during the Covenant civil war. These Halos can only be activated by a central hub known simply as the Ark.

The High Prophet of Truth was aware of this fact and left early before the UNSC intervened the activation of the second Sacred Ring. During the Covenant invasion of Earth, the Prophetical San 'Shyuum had his fleet excavating an ancient installation that would enable him and his fleet to journey towards the Ark. The UNSC along with its new newfound allies, the Separatists, traveled to the Ark and assisted one another to prevent the Prophetical San 'Shyuum from activating the Halos. They were successful in doing so, and had also destroyed the path to the Ark, removing the threat of the Halos.

Following the Great Schism and the death of the Prophet of Truth, the Covenant effectively dissolved. For more than six years, the member species of the Covenant fought a brutal civil war. Immediately following Truth's death, the San 'Shyuum sought to save themselves from the rage of the Sangheili, and so provided the Jiralhanae with new weapons, ships and other tools to aid in their protection. During this period the Prophets, who already had been few in number, largely disappeared, leading to rumours that they had actually finally achieved the Great Journey.

Even amongst the Covenant Separatists their ancient religion held for millennia was not completely abandoned. As one Sangheili Shipmaster believed, "he knew his gods were out there, but he had no idea what they wanted." The species of the Covenant had always relied on the Prophets to lead them in spiritual matters. The devout Sangheili in particular had not had any need for their own religious leaders for centuries, and now found that no one among them had the knowledge or the ability to comprehend the will of the gods. For a people whose sole purpose had been enforcing their gods' will, this was terrifying.

The Great Journey
The Great Journey is the central goal of the Covenant religion. According to the Covenant, the Forerunners initiated the first Great Journey through the use of the seven Halos, or sacred rings, which unleashed a "divine wind" that swept through the galaxy and elevated the Forerunners to godhood. The Covenant seeks to do the same by finding and activating the sacred rings, which would transcend those worthy to the divine beyond, a heavenly paradise they will share with the Forerunners. The non-believers and those unworthy of the journey would be left behind, as punishment for their heresy.

In addition to being their overall goal, the Covenant also employ the term "Great Journey" in a broader sense; as an expression of the path to transcendence, both collectively and individually. For example, a Sangheili warrior's individual "Great Journey" is said to start when they first begin their training.

The Halo Array
The Halos, otherwise referred to as "Sacred Rings" or "Holy Rings" by members of the Covenant, were seven holy artifacts that, when activated, would propel all "worthy" individuals in the galaxy into a heavenly paradise, where they would exist as divine beings. This could only be achieved by the retrieval of the "Sacred Icon", a holy artifact that would activate the rings.

From the inception of the Covenant religion, the Covenant Empire has scoured all known star systems within their reach, relentless in finding at least one of these Sacred Rings. The search for the rings spanned over seven Ages; the Age of Reclamation was the age in which the Covenant Empire has finally came into contact of two Sacred Rings. The first contact was short-lived, as the first Halo was destroyed by a Demon, while the firing of the second was stopped due to UNSC intervention.

The Flood
The Flood, or "The Parasite" as referred to by members of the Covenant, are an unholy, virulent species regarded as one of many tests and obstacles that the believers of the Covenant must conquer in order to achieve the Great Journey. According to the Covenant, the Flood were vanquished by the Forerunners long ago, and were purged from existence when the Great Journey commenced. The latter was later revealed to be false, however, when the Flood reappeared on one of the Sacred Rings.

The Governors of Contrition, a radical sect within the Covenant religion, believed the Flood to be Forerunner creations and therefore sacred. Their views were not widely accepted, however.

Oracles
The Covenant refer to all Forerunner AIs as "Oracles". They believe these constructs to hold holy knowledge regarding the Great Journey, and hold their words as sacred truths. Mendicant Bias and the Monitors are all regarded as oracles by the Covenant.

The Arbiter
"Here rest the vanguard of the Great Journey, every Arbiter from first to last. Each one created and consumed in times of extraordinary crisis."

- The Prophet of Truth to the Arbiter.

An Arbiter is a traditional and religious title hold by a Sangheili in times of great distress and pressure. An Arbiter would only be required to undertake tasks given out by the High Prophets and would be expected to sacrifice their life for the advancement of the Covenant Empire and achievement of the Great Journey.

Demons
The Covenant refer to the UNSC's SPARTANs as "Demons," and regard them with a mixture of contempt and superstitious fear.

Sangheili
The Sangheili were once the most devout believers in the San 'Shyuum' vision. However, the relationships between the Sangheili and San 'Shyuum became stagnant and distinct; both species eventually questioned one another about their belief in the Covenant religion.

The events at Delta Halo, and their replacement by the Jiralhanae further muddied the Sangheili belief in the San 'Shyuum and their goal. After the betrayal of the Sangheili was broadcast, the Sangheili became enraged and opposed the leadership of the High Prophets, subsequently leading to the Great Shism. It is unknown as to whether the Sangheili would still believe in the Covenant religion; the Arbiter Thel 'Vadam was said to be a non-believer of the religion by the High Prophet of Truth, though the exact truth behind this remark remains unknown, whereas other Sangheili figures such as Xytan 'Jar Wattinree still believed in the religion.

Jiralhanae
The latest addition to the Covenant Empire, the Jiralhanae at the time of their inception were largely disorganized and were essentially barbarians without any known belief system. The San 'Shyuum sought to improve the species by associating them closely with the hierarchy figures, enabling them to embrace the Covenant religion with ease. For the most part, the Jiralhanae were blindly loyal to the San 'Shyuum, obeying every command.

Unggoy
Many Unggoy care little for religion, as they were forced into the Covenant, but those that do stayed loyal to the San 'Shyuum during the Great Schism.

As a species, their opinions may be split; while many of the Unggoy that Dadab attempts to sermon to are too unintelligent to give any thought to religious matters, the fact that at least some Unggoy are shown to hold mass prayer sessions lasting up to an hour or more as well as Dadab's adopted role of a preacher in itself is testament to the fact that a large number of Unggoy are active believers.

Kig-yar
The Kig-Yar served more as hired mercenaries than true believers, but still remained with the San 'Shyuum during the Great Schism. Their religious beliefs are unknown, but their loyalty to the San 'Shyuum is unquestionable, though this is more likely because they wished to be on the side of the more powerful faction. This choice later proved to be an unwise decision.

Others
Likewise, Yanme'e and Lekgolo seem to feel no need for religion in their societies, but continued to follow the Prophets. As a result of their hive-minded lifestyle, the Yanme'e obeyed the San 'Shyuum without thought or question. Individual beliefs may have played a part in the Lekgolo's decision, but they may have sided with the Loyalists for the same reason as the Kig-Yar, if not for beliefs. At least some Lekgolo have sided with the Sangheili in their opposition, however.

As artificial sentient bio-mechanical organisms, Huragok were created by the Forerunners. They have no interest in religion, preferring to focus their attentions onto the technology they are responsible for. Even prior to the Great Schism, Huragok seemed to remain neutral in any fights, one even going as far as to create a gift symbolizing peace for the humans and helping the humans escape.

Trivia

 * On Installation 00, several Terminals can be found left by the Forerunners describing the activation of the Halo Array as the "Great Journey." Through such terminals on other Forerunner installations, the Covenant may have learned of the name and used it to apply to their religion in yet another case of misinterpretation.
 * Th fall of the Covenant period can perhaps be understood as somewhat being akin the Protestant Reformation in Western Christianity. A loss of faith in a society's religious leaders did not lead to a complete abandonment of said religion's deities. Rather it led to a period of intense conflict as various factions began to develop their own new interpretations of ancient beliefs. Although the Sangheili no longer believed in the Prophets as the messengers of the gods or in the Great Journey as they had described it, they still believed in their gods.