The Shaman - storm, earth and fire!

Shaman - meaning “one who knows”.

The shaman knows the culture of his or her community well, and acts accordingly. Thus, their audience knows the used symbols and meanings. This is why shamanism has and will always be efficient within the Horde. Orcs in the audience trust it. Such a belief system can appear to its members with certainty of knowledge. The traditional way of the Orcs is an obvious preference over the mess that the Fel energy caused within Orcish Society. — this explains the above described etymology for the word “shaman”.

The Shaman’s role within the Horde is basic, the shaman calls upon the elements to lend the individual their powers in order to cause damage to those who would harm them and heal the individual or his/her allies, even reuniting a dead individual with their fallen body. As mentioned before, this is the basic concept given to us by the Lore.
But what is a shaman? Do we have enough knowledge based on the above to Roleplay the concept successfully? This is why I have drafted a write up on as much information as I can gather from the previous games, the Lore, my knowledge of African Shamanism and a little research on the side.

Although the shaman may seem wise and serene at first glance, they are a formidable foe; and when angered, their wrath is as fierce as those who have a connection to eternals or nature. Orcs see the shaman as one who, as a consequence of a personal psychological crisis, has gained a certain and extremely potent power of his own – the ability to commune and be guided by the elements. The deeds that they can perform stagger and amaze the common people of the Horde and the more powerful in society came to the conclusion long ago never to anger the shaman. Thankfully though, power abused for personal gain or the use of factors that are unnatural are quickly denied by the spirits and as a result the Shaman’s call for aid will go unanswered. This is why there is no such thing as an evil shaman within the lore. (Sadly, this was later contradicted by Blizzard with the introduction of the “Dark Shaman” within Hellfire) The elements do not see in good or evil, they only see.

As a broad example, these psychological crisis’ can include anything from near death experiences caused by disease (since disease is seen as a bad spirit), being savaged by wild animals as a youngling or even being struck by lightning. It is explained that the stress obtained during these events opens the hidden “eye” that can see into the spirit world.
A big part of shamanism is Offerings to the spirits, nothing can be demanded, you will notice further up in the description I have put the word lend in bold letters. A Shaman is nothing without the spirits or the power lent to them by the elementals. Rituals are almost always started by offering gifts to the elements. These are normally small tokens of respect than large elaborate gifts. The spirits need nothing from the material world, only to know that their conveyers are humble.

Drek'thar:
The wolves are not tamed, not as you might understand the word. They have come to be our friends because I invited them. It is a part of being a shaman. We have a bond with the things of the natural world, and strive always to work in harmony with them. Warlocks would term them spells, but we shamans simply term them calls. We ask, the powers we work with answer. Or not, as they will. I can call the snows, and wind, and lightning. The trees may bend to me when I ask. The rivers may flow where I ask them to.

Thrall:
If your power is so great, then why do you continue to live in such a harsh place? If what you are saying is true, you could turn this barren mountaintop into a lush garden. Food would never be difficult to come by, your enemies would never find you—

Drek'thar (angrily):
And I would violate the primary agreement with the elements, and nothing of nature would ever respond to me again! Do you understand nothing? Have the humans sunk their greedy talons in you so deeply that you cannot see what lies at the heart of a shaman's power? I am granted these things because I ask, with respect in my heart, and I am willing to offer something in return. I request only the barest needs for myself and my people. At times, I ask great things, but only when the cause is good and just and wholesome. In return, I thank these powers, knowing they are borrowed only, never bought. They come to me because they choose to, not because I demand it! These are not slaves, Thrall. They are powerful entities who come of their own free will, who are companions in my magic, not my servants. Pagh! You will never understand.

Shamanism and Races

Tauren
Tauren knows their own lineage - some spanning more than ten generations - and has been able to recite it since they were a calf. By learning the great tales of their ancestry, the Tauren will connect to one or two of their forefathers with whom they identify. Their lives therefore, become homages to their ancestors, and all through their life, the living Tauren will seek guidance from and serve in the name of the spirit of that forbearer and the Earth Mother.

Orc
Orcs have less dedication to their lineage, and focus more on the raw elements for their power. This can be attributed to the severing of the shamanistic line on Draenor in favor of foul demonic magic. The Burning Legion lured them from the powers of nature, and forced them into an ethnic cleansing against the Draenei. This action so upset the spirits of Oshu'gun, that they severed their connections with the Orcs, stripping them of their shamanistic powers. Now, having recently shaken off their demonic yoke, the Orcs have engaged in a process of rediscovering their old traditions under the guidance of their Warchief Thrall and the Tauren race. The Orcs have traded dark unions for vision quests, summoning rituals with prayer, and defiled citadels for sweat lodges.

Troll
Much like the rebirth in Orcish culture, the Darkspear Tribe has found a savior in Thrall and the practices of shamanism. The old ways of voodoo hexes, cannibalism, and non-animal sacrifice are being replaced by a more divine set of beliefs. No longer do these trolls feast upon the corpses of their fallen as the undead do. However, they do still practice voodoo and they taught Hex to their allies, they have brought out a different elemental totem, as well as learning orcs and tauren more about restoration and regeneration. They are finding, under the guidance of the older shamanistic races, more civilized ways to appease their bloodthirsty ancestry. As the Orcs found guidance towards the divine from the Tauren, so now do the Trolls find their path through the Orcs.

Totems and Animals

The use of totem items such as rocks and wooden statuettes is common; these items are believed to have special powers and an animating spirit. Such practices are presumably very ancient and date back to the times when the Orcs existed in Nagrand in tune with the natural elements.

“A totem is any supposed entity that watches over or assists a group of people, such as a family, clan, or tribe”

Totems support larger groups than the individual person. In kinship and descent, if the apical ancestor of a clan is nonOrcish, it is called a totem. Normally this belief is accompanied by a totemic myth. Orcs and Tauren both use totems, but –very- differently, Orcs believe that the mis-named totem poles of the Tauren are not totemic in nature, rather they are heraldic in nature. They feature many different designs (bears, birds, frogs, people, and various supernatural beings and aquatic creatures) that function as family or chiefly crests and to recount stories owned by those families or chiefs, and/or to commemorate special occasions.

That being said, Similarly, the wolf is identified in Orcish culture as a sacred animal: the wolf is capable of moving freely on the ground, in the water, and in the spiritual worlds (like the shaman's soul). A useful spell used by all shamans, Ghost wolf.. or “The wolf dream” as Xenya of the Warsong Blades likes to call it, is a great representation of this. Many shaman go on “Vision quests” through the spiritual worlds to gain insight or during rituals. Usually with the use of herbs or potions created by themselves or other shamans.


Concept
Much to the disagreement of the Kal’dorei, Orcish Shamanism has its roots set deep within the animistic and natural way of the elements. So much in fact that they are able to perform deeds that border on miracles sometimes causing disbelief from the masses.

Examples of these seemingly unassociated phenomena are:

Healing the sick and the removal of disease or poison.
This may be based closely on the spiritual concepts of the belief system of the people served by the shaman. It may consist of the retrieving the lost spirit of the ill person or just a cleansing ritual, poison and Disease are after all, just bad spirits.

Scarcity of hunted game
Shamans also perform rain-making ceremonies and can allegedly improve a hunter's ability to catch animals, this is vital within the tribal society that the Horde is. This is explained as “releasing” the souls of the animals from their hidden abodes or physical husks. Besides that, many taboos may prescribe the behavior of people towards game, so that the souls of the animals do not feel angry or hurt, or the pleased soul of the already killed prey can tell the other, still living animals, that they can let themselves to be caught and killed.

Bringing back the dead and the infertility of women
Has been performed by contacting the spirit of the fallen or expected child to be born and convincing them to return back to the body. It is important to note that this is not a forceful procedure, if the spirit does not wish to return it will stay within the spiritual realm.

Extreme Talent
A prime example is the enhancement Shaman, his specialization and focus is drawn from the elements, so much so that it seems his weapons strike with the force of ice and fire. This could also be applied to a person who is able to memorize long texts or songs (and play an instrument) may be regarded as having achieved this ability through contact with the spirits. Story telling is a very popular practice amongst the “Far Seer” type of shaman.