Here printed, for the first time since the English-language edition of Morton’s History of The Society saw publication in 1902, is the pyramid of SOL membership ranking:

There is some dispute as to the date of the Society’s beginning, but certainly by the 8th century, CE, there is evidence in European monastic texts of a game erroneously called “Ullumat” which is “played by Contestints divers and stranje, in far-flunged Playces.” The game itself may have had less notable beginnings as a simple game of cards which was, for reason still unknown, adopted and augmented by the nascent SOL over time.

While the current world population of SOL members is thought to be somewhat small, it is by no means the lowest ebb of the Society roles. The SOL has undergone many different eras of growth and decline; it is believed that after the so-called Heathen Blood Scour of 1245, there existed as few as a dozen SOL members worldwide.

The Congress of Vienna, taking a break from negotiations for a game.

We hope that the reintroduction of the game and the accompanying literature will only help grow the ranks of the Society around the world. Follow Illimat on social media as we share more history of The Society of Luminaries.