THE KIRCHE DER ELFE-UND-KOBOLDE

(The Church of Elves and Goblins)

The Kirche der Elfe-und-Kobalde is the State Church of the Principality. The Prince Himself is the hereditary Archbishop of the Church, but is tolerant of all forms of belief (or non-belief) within His lands.

The beliefs and practices of the Church are based on the ancient European folklore regarding the "little folk"; elves, goblins, sprites, and other spirits found at the hearth and in the wild. These spirits of nature are seen as both helpful and harmful. As helpful spirits they are to be honored and thanked with small offerings. As harmful spirits they are to be appeased and mollified with the same.

There are no regular worship services, but the Church does celebrate several holidays; all are attended with joyous celebrations. The major holidays are as follow:

Midsummer (June 21st): The highest holy day of the Church calendar. On Midsummer's Eve, the doors to the Seelie Court stand wide open and the faeries and mortals dance together.

Halloween (October 31st): The night when the veil between our mortal world and the world of the dead is lifted, even if only for a brief time. The spirits of our ancestors walk among us.

Yuletide (December 21st - January 1st): The passing of the old year and the birth of the new. A time for friends and family to gather together, feasts to be enjoyed, and gifts exchanged.

In general, the Church is a very unobtrusive and genial institution. It demands little in the way of dogma and yet provides an important basis of ritual.

The Order of the Grey Dragon

It has pleased His Grace the Archbishop to issue a fons honorum for a Chivalric Order of Knighthood, intended to honor those who have undertaken significant accomplishments in the kindly yet mischevious spirit of the faery realm. This is the Order of the Grey Dragon.

While nominations may be made by any member of the Order in question, the final decision to approve or disapprove is made by the chief of the Order. The Order sponsors an annual Investiture ceremony (which all members who are physically able to are expected to attend).