Sakami

Sakami
Member of the Akuan pantheon and the Saints of Vistaraland
Vorpestian: Fountain of Life Spirit of the flood, erosion and the rain Patron of fishermen Akuanist: Goddess of the currents and tides, childhood and guidance Patron deity of fishers Vierist/Viktorist: Patron saint of Vorpest and fishermen
Other names	Sajjamni, Sajaamni
Abode	Seafloor
Symbols	Saatuinen charms, fishhooks, lighthouses
Day	June 12 (official) May 1 (traditional)
Parents	Elias of Vorpest (Saint)
Offspring	The continents and islands (Vorpestian myth)
Region	Primarily Vorpest, Akuanist worship in Nystatiszna, Vakrestrender and Cryria
Ethnic group	Vorpestians
Festivals	Saint Sajaamni's Day Elegy of Kasirstrom/Day of the Tides

Sakami (Vorpestian: Sajjamni, Vistarian: Sajaamni) is a deity worshipped in several religions as a figure relating to tides and currents, as well as a patron of fishermen. As a deity, worship of Sakami began on and around the island of Vorpest by the Basstatur civilizations, dating to around the 5th Century BCE and far preceding the arrival of Ulvrikian and later Vistari control of the island, and she remains the most worshipped goddess amongst native Vorpestians who were not converted during Eyjarian and early Vistari rule. Due to this deep connection with the people of the island, the adoption of Sakami into the mythos of religions which arrived on the island became a common practice, with Sakami in some form represented in Akuanism, Vierist Ademarism and Viktorism as a figure of significant importance.

In contemporary worship, Sakami is a venerated deity in both Vorpestian folk religion and Akuanism, with numerous places of worship dotted around Sint Arend as well as the coastal areas of the island. Though primarily worshipped on the island of Vorpest itself, Sakami additionally has a significant number of Akuanist shrines devoted to her along the coasts of Nystatiszna and Vakrestrender, as well as the goddess devoted to by the only two Akuanist shrines in Cryria. This spread did not occur in a significant amount in Vierism or Viktorism however, as her representation as a Saint generally limited her praise to the island and the wider Vorpestian diaspora within the Vistari Commonwealth.

Despite this, throughout Vistaraland Sakami (most commonly addressed as Sint Sajaamni), has been noted as a culturally important figure, with small often fish-shaped charms bearing the word Saaji as a shorthand for the figure often sold at port towns in order to wish good luck to those going overseas, especially by boat. These charms, called Saatuinen (a portmanteau of Sajaamni and Fortuinen - meaning Fortunes), are sold across the Vistari Commonwealth, transcending their original cultural and religious ties, and are often collected as mementos for long journeys, with a collection of Saatuinen often shown as a sign of pride for those well-travelled. As well as Saatuinen, the 12th of June remains a holiday in a number of regions within Vistaraland in celebration of Saint Saatuinen's Day, in which tradition dictates the donation of items which have gone recently unused followed by a meal of fish to celebrate the generosity displayed in the Vierist myth.

Vorpestian folk religion

According to Vorpestian folklore, Sajjamni is the spirit of floods, erosion, rain and patron of all life, as the figure who brought about the Great Flood which covered the primordial Urth with water in order to allow it to sustain the first life from the seas, notably comparable to the microorganisms that arose from Urth's oceans, though Vorpestian folklore makes little reference as to what this first life looked like. In addition, Vorpestian creation myths suggest Sajjamni as having painted the lands of the world, including the island of Vorpest itself, as her children. According to later Vorpestian myths relating to Sakami, the erosion caused by the sea is Sakami’s test to her children, with those who fail sinking under to return to her within the ocean. Hundreds of unique myths are believed to exist around her, most prominently as a patron of fishermen, whom had called out to her when lost at sea only to find themselves dragged by the current to the isle of Vorpest, believed by some to be her favoured child.

Akuanist deity

Within Akuanism tradition, Sakami remains a goddess, however is significantly reduced in prominence due to her role generally being taken by Akua herself. Sakami retains dominion of the currents and as a patron deity of fishers, however has also gained over time a relation to childhood and guidance as Akuan stories paint her as a deity who once caused floods with her tears, before Akua guided her into controlling her power to help Urthians to cross the seas. A number of stories surrounding her remain analogous to the original Vorpestian myths, however noticeably change her in temperament in reflecting the shift made between representations of her. Despite this, a number of native Vorpestian sites remain explicitly welcoming to Akuanists, and have generally been regarded with respect due to their significance to followers of a shared deity.

Saint Sajaamni

In Viktorist and Vierist theology, Sajaamni is the Patron Saint of Vorpest and fishermen, with myths centred around her as a lighthouse keeper's daughter, who swam to save a group of lost fishermen whose ship had capsized after they had stopped to pray for a good catch, drowning herself to save their lives. According to some retellings, the fishermen proceeded to catch enough to feed the starving village the girl had come from for years, with respects paid to her through the gifting of fish to the hungry in order to carry along the good will left in her sacrifice. Though historians debate the origin of the story, the coastal town of Kasirstrom annually holds religious festivals on Saint Sajaamni's Day in which the story is re-enacted to honour her spirit due to the belief the events took place on the old site of the town.