Other Religious Aspects
The Lethani
When Kvothe travels to the country of Ademre, he finds that the Adem people have a very strange culture. They govern their own lives with a religion they call the Lethani. This is a very difficult concept that resembles a philosophy given to them through 99 stories told by a woman on her deathbed. Even though the Adem do not concern themselves with a god, their religion dominates their lives. It can be comparable to Buddhism in that the religion does not have a god, but a mortal they follow in the footsteps of. No Adem claims to understand the Lethani; they follow what they think is right and honorable with the help of the 99 stories. Much like Buddhism is a path to enlightenment, the Lethani is meant to give people a better way of life.11 Adem, like Buddhists, strive for perfection. In the novels, Kvothe answers questions by the Lethani by letting his mind slip in a meditative state where he answers questions without thinking. I think the author implies that people are instinctually pure, but is corrupted by consequence of society. It is when Kvothe thinks about his experiences in the past that he fails to answer questions to the philosophy of the Lethani. The theme of consequence is supported by the myths of the creation war and the Chandrian.
Nature Religion
In a way, the Kingkiller Chronicle supports the ideas of some nature religions. Here is a general basis for nature religion that will help support my argument:
When Kvothe travels to the country of Ademre, he finds that the Adem people have a very strange culture. They govern their own lives with a religion they call the Lethani. This is a very difficult concept that resembles a philosophy given to them through 99 stories told by a woman on her deathbed. Even though the Adem do not concern themselves with a god, their religion dominates their lives. It can be comparable to Buddhism in that the religion does not have a god, but a mortal they follow in the footsteps of. No Adem claims to understand the Lethani; they follow what they think is right and honorable with the help of the 99 stories. Much like Buddhism is a path to enlightenment, the Lethani is meant to give people a better way of life.11 Adem, like Buddhists, strive for perfection. In the novels, Kvothe answers questions by the Lethani by letting his mind slip in a meditative state where he answers questions without thinking. I think the author implies that people are instinctually pure, but is corrupted by consequence of society. It is when Kvothe thinks about his experiences in the past that he fails to answer questions to the philosophy of the Lethani. The theme of consequence is supported by the myths of the creation war and the Chandrian.
Nature Religion
In a way, the Kingkiller Chronicle supports the ideas of some nature religions. Here is a general basis for nature religion that will help support my argument:
Nature religions are generally focused upon the idea that gods and other supernatural powers can be found through the direct experience of natural events and natural objects.12
In the Kingkiller Chronicle, gods and supernatural powers are most definitely found in nature and natural events. One of the types of magic in the books is referred to as naming. By completely understanding a thing, a person might call its name and have power over it. This can be done with anything. As seen in the books, names have been called of the wind, stone, fire, and other people. This shows that supernatural power can be found in natural objects. There are even stories of the moon and stars having a name. Some nature religions hold the belief that all natural things have spirits and that you must live without offending nature. This exact idea is expressed in the story of the creation war. The listeners were angry because the shapers exerted their power over nature instead of living with it. The idea of all things having complex names that can be spoken to create supernatural events somewhat resembles the idea of all things having a spirit that one may speak to.