Aut

Definition and Usage

In Orth, an aut is a formal rite by which a Math or concent carries out a collective act. Earlier senses recorded in The Dictionary describe an individual act; later usage standardizes the communal, liturgical meaning within the mathic world.

First Appearance and Context

The term is used intramuros to name both routine services and extraordinary convocations. In witnessed practice, major auts assemble the community in the Mynster, with cohorts gathered behind their screens.

Observed Rites

• Dawn aut: a brief morning service, routine and lightly attended.
• Eliger aut: follows distinctive bell changes and receives inductees into orders.
• Voco: a rare, solemn aut by which a fraa or suur is formally called out to serve the Sæcular Power; the community treats it as a mourning‑and‑farewell moment.

Ceremonial Structure and Elements

• Phased rite led by a hierarch: an officiant reads the call and may proceed through distinct phases; in exceptional cases additional names can be inserted mid‑rite from a sealed list.
• Call‑and‑response: the named person answers in set words; the assembly replies with chant or hymn (a low, sustained bass by senior cohorts has been heard).
• Bells and timing: recognizable bell patterns precede notable auts. Significant auts can be convened at unusual hours, not only during daytime observances.
• Setting and arrangement: conducted in a large communal hall such as the Mynster; the congregation assembles behind perforated screens.

Current Status

Aut remains central to communal life: routine dawn observances continue, Eliger auts mark induction, and Voco functions as a standing rite for rare external calls.