I'm comparing societies that don't vilify mages and magic as part of their religious doctrine with Andrastian society. The Dalish clans are also the remanants of the nation of the Dales, while Rivain is still a kingdom.
Please don't invoke real world religion when addressing the Chantry. I'm not going to compare a ficticious religious organization with a real one.
In Thedas, we have societies where magic is treated with respect, and isn't feared. Gaider even said when abominations take place in these societies, they see it akin to a "natural disaster". There's a clear difference, and that's in part to how the people are taught to view magic and mages.
"Today, the Chasind are considered largely peaceful, though their ways are still primitive compared to our own. In the Korcari Wilds they live in strange-looking huts built on stilts or even built into the great treetops. They paint their faces and are split into small tribes ruled by shamans like those amongst the Avvars. There are many tales of these shamans having learned their magic from the 'Witches of the Wilds,' witches that inspire as much terror as they do awe and gratitude even if there is no definitive proof they exist. In particular, the tale of Flemeth, the greatest witch of the wilds, is celebrated amongst all tribes." - Sister Petrine, Chantry scholar.
All three of your examples involve small clan/tribal societies where magic specifically has a place of honor. That is different than small uneducated villages that fear magic because they don't understand it.
I was specifically not referring to real world religions, but just pointing out the fact that in our history often times people were accused of magic to explain bad things happening and summarily killed without a religious context.
Having survived 3 Category 4 or 5 hurricanes, I can tell you right now, if I had a way to lock up said hurricanes rather than experiencing their destructive power I would.
Ok, here is another lore reply on the Chasind.
The rest of the time, the shamans mirror the suspicious hostility that exists between the clans, and to an even greater degree. Exchange of knowledge is almost unheard of, and spells are guarded jealously. Each shaman will take an apprentice to train, but much of that 'apprenticeship' is little more than indentured servitude, with the apprentice forced to do the shaman's bidding, while learning basic, nonmagical healing skills, such as herbcraft, and only the most basic of magics.
The reasons for this are twofold: first, the only way that an apprentice may assume the position of shaman is upon the death of his master. Occasionally, this happens through natural causes, but more frequently, when the apprentice gains sufficient skill and the shaman grows weaker with age, student will challenge master to a magical duel to the death (more subtle means, such as assassination, have also been utilized, but are considerably riskier). This gives the shaman a powerful incentive to withhold the teaching of his strongest spells until he is growing close to death, and it is not unusual for apprenticeships to last for decades.
The second reason is that attrition among apprentices is extremely high; over half perish, either learning their early spells (those involving lightning and fire are particularly risky), or during the test of the spirits, a ritual similar to the Harrowing of the Circle. An apprentice is tied securely to a tree or rock, and his master places a large amount of drakestongue beneath his tongue. He enters the spirit world, encountering both demons and benevolent spirits. If a demon overwhelms him (or if the shaman does not particularly like this apprentice), his throat will be cut, and another apprentice will be recruited in his place.
It is because of this that apprentices to the shamans have little to no status within the clan until after they have passed the test of the spirits; at an age where most young men are learning to hunt and fight, and are selecting prospective wives to court, an apprentice shaman is learning herbcraft, how to fish and trap animals, and the most basic of spells, and is not considered a good prospect for a husband until after he has passed his test (and perhaps not even then, depending upon how young and vital the current shaman is).
Women are not permitted to be shamans. The awe in which the Chasind hold the legendary Witches of the Wilds is laced with more than a little fear, as well, and any girl who displays magical ability is taken from her clan and tied to an altar well away from any Chasind settlements, as an offering to Flemeth and her daughters. These women always vanish in the night, and none have been seen again.
http://wardensvigil....iki/The_Chasind
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