- For an overview of other uses, see The Following (disambiguation).
The Children of the Sun, also known as The Following, is a faction featured in Dying Light: The Following. They are a cult-like group based out of the Countryside surrounding Harran, led by the Mother.
History[]
Most of the known history of the Children of the Sun was researched by Atilla while he stayed with Jasmine and Amir, the current Mother and her husband, before the outbreak of the Harran Virus. According to his research, the group dates back to shortly after the founding of Harran, when in the 13th century members of a nomadic hunter-gatherer tribe were led to the region by their spiritual leader, the Mother. Atilla theorised that they settled near Harran based on a vision from the Mother, which led them to the Countryside, which was so fertile it made more sense to settle it permanently than continue being nomads. The group had no written language prior to settling near Harran, and subsequently assimilated into the language of the region, leaving little trace of their nomadic origins. Overtime, they further assimilated into the local society, but maintained their cultural traditions surrounding the Mother, despite opposition from the locals outside their ranks, who viewed the Mother as a evil witch-like figure.
A survivor met at Jasir's Farm, Jamal, reveals that fifty years before the events of the Following a massacre took place, and the Children were banned as an illegal religious sect by the government, forcing them underground. With the outbreak of the Harran Virus, the Children of the Sun experienced a resurgence, as members of the group turned to their old traditions and the Mother for guidance during the crisis. The Faceless, the most devout members of the Children, sought out the Mother, and espoused the beliefs of the Children to survivors in the Countryside, who banded together under their leadership. Their use of a military chemical that provided a limited immunity to the virus led to rumours of the group spreading into the city, causing Kyle Crane to leave Harran to investigate.
02 February 2022
12 February 2016
30 January 2015
Beliefs[]
The Children of the Sun believe in the Cult of the Sun, Sky and Wind, and are led by the Mother, a spiritual leader. The Mother is a matriarchal figure, descended along a single continuous family line since before the group settled near Harran. While they were nomads, the Mother was responsible for guiding the group by entering a trance like state, and they moved to new hunting grounds according to the Mother's visions. The group interpreted the forces of nature as divine, and the main constants they saw in their travels, the sun, sky and, wind, formed a holy trinity in their religion. They prayed to the sun, believing that the sun was the house of their god and a extension of heaven (the sky) itself, and viewed the wind as a messenger of the heavens.
The most well documented part of their belief systems is their funerary tradition, which has remained in place since at least the 12th century. The Children of the Sun do not bury or cremate their dead, instead dressing the bodies in ceremonial robes and masks and leaving them to be taken by heaven. As the bodies decomposed scavenging birds, which the Children view as symbols of heaven's mercy and messengers of the wind, would pick away at the bodies and by doing so return the dead to the sun.
One of their prophecies is the legend of the God of the Sun, a messianic figure who would return to them during a great plague to cleanse the earth of the plague's poison.
The Mother is destined to bring the God of the Sun to earth, and during the events of the Following the Children believe that the prophecy is taking place.
Known members[]
- The Mother, revered leader of the group.
- Jasir, farm's scommunity leader.
- Bilal, gas station's scommunity leader.
See Also[]
- The Faceless, the Mother's acolytes.