Noddism

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Noddism is the study of lore pertaining to Caine and Enoch.

The term "noddism" derives from the mythical Land of Nod, a place "east of Eden" to where Caine was banished after the murder of his brother Abel. Noddist scholars are also generally interested in the activities of the Antediluvians and Gehenna.

Religious And Secular Noddism

Noddism takes at least two paths: in the Sabbat, Noddism invariably refers to the Path of Caine (a Path of Enlightenment devoted to emulating the mythical Caine). As a Gehenna Cult writ large, the Sabbat uses Noddism as a theological cornerstone, complete with a recognized heretical cult (the Path of Lilith). Noddists provide the intellectual reason for the Sabbat: as an agency for Caine to work his will in the Final Nights. Also, followers of the Road of Heaven are frequently referred to as Noddists (but also as the Faithful).

Outside of the Sabbat, there are a variety of secular Noddist scholars, even among the Camarilla - although it's not a widely popular practice. Secular Noddists may accept part or all of the Caine myth, but do not attach the same eschatological significance that the Sabbat do.

Modern Noddist scholars are likely to be influenced by scholarly trends among the Kine and interpret Noddist material in a more worldly sense; Beckett is famous for arguing that the Caine and Abel story is a metaphor for agrarian and hunter-gatherer communities in conflict.

Noddist Activities

Noddists spend a lot of time hunting down source material. The most famous Noddist source is the Book of Nod, which details Caine's wanderings after killing Abel. The Book is not one single volume but a collection of different fragmentary texts which are assembled under one narrative. Noddists also seek out archaeological information on early vampiric civilization but generally do not focus their study on much after the fall of the Second city when conventional (that is, Kine) history provides an overarching narrative.

Known Noddist Sources

-- The Book of Nod, the version used by the Sabbat in the Final Nights as standard reference, likely related to the one carried together by Aristotle de Laurent, recently extended with the text of the Shroud of Kaymakli.

-- The Erciyes Fragments, rumored to be the most complete version of the original book created by the Cappadocians, transcripted by the ghoul Niccolo Giovanni in the Dark Ages

-- The Ubar Chronicles, first referenced by the Toreador Katherine of Montpellier

-- The Codex of the Damned, a sorcerous tome pinned by the priests of the Gangrel Methuselah Miclantecuhtli

-- The Karavalanisha Vrana, the vedic poem of the indian Ravnos that tells of the creation of Zapathasura

-- The Gospels of Irad & Adah

-- The Testament of the Demon Finder of Hattin

-- The God-Regent Translations, used as references in the Dark Ages

Inquisitors sometimes pursue those who adhere to heretical scriptures, like the infamous Euagetaematikon, the Canticle of Japheth, the Gospel of Laodice and the Revelations of the Dark Mother.

Major Noddist Scholars

-- Beckett

-- Aristotle deLaurent

-- Ayisha Jocastian

-- Sascha Vykos