Erinor has a rich cultural history of myths and legends. Whilst many of the most ancient legends and religious mythologies have been lost in the mists of time, principally due to the destruction of Cata varsea and the subsequent collapse of the Erinoran civilisation known as Khera Varsad, most of those created during the Erinoran Dark Ages and beyond have survived and are well known in Erinor, especially those pertaining to Revara, or to the first Erinoran king, Syarkho Qenarid. Versions of these stories can be found in literature, music, film and even video games as exemplified by the popular 'historical tourism' game Cadin asa'si.
Here we have attempted to collate some of the most well-known myths and legends from across Erinoran history for your edification and enjoyment. We hope you enjoy reading them as much as we have enjoyed finding and editing them.
Jina pikhea Jina-Khuryo, Curator of the Erinoran National Museum of Ethnography, Ciria.
Contents:
1) Hremin Tacirid - The Revaran Creation Account.
Hremin Tacirid - The Revaran Creation Account.
Translated from the Old Erinoran by Qenara Fisa-Vrasso, from a copy of Decsin Revara dated to approximately 590 CE, which is held in the library of the Mena Tacirid, Ciria.
Jusin ura’si: Avana - Chapter One: The Beginning.
In the beginning there was Tacino, the Creator.
Tacino had created many worlds. He put all his love and all his skill into every one and each was good and right and perfect. But when he was finished in his work he found that it did not satisfy him and that he desired only to create from nothing once again. Each new creation was a marvel, full of things that had never been before, but nothing was new to Tacino for he knew them full well before he had even begun. And so the universe filled with world after world, each one shining down upon the others, each aloof, aloft and alone. Tacino wandered between them and, unable to find joy in any of them, he ached to start over once more.
So, one day, Tacino made beings like himself, those able to create from nothing at all and then to shape their creations at will. But he granted them only a measure of his full power, that they might not know in advance all that they would achieve. He made six in all, three male and three female and he called them Revanim, the Ones who Dream, for they would only be able to imagine what they might create, not see it in all its fullness.
The first Revanim were Ratyano, Tyaniro and Ranino, Vicara, Syatya and Jera. They looked upon Tacino in the moment they were created and at once imagined that they did not need him and so, at once, they were alone. They had separated themselves from Tacino and now formed a world without him. Though the light of Tacino’s many other worlds still shone upon them, they were six alone and no more.
At first, this world had no form and, though the Revanim could imagine it any way they wanted, they could not settle upon a design between them. Thus, they made more Revanim, beings more lowly than themselves, who nevertheless possessed the skill to sculpt creation to their will.
And they sent them out
In twos and threes
To sculpt the mountains,
scatter trees,
To roll out plains
And pour out seas.
Each did as they saw fit, designing according to their hearts’ desires, yet, when their work was seen as a whole, it was rich and ordered and beautiful.
At the end of the day, they came together and admired what they had created. They agreed that it was good and, for a time, it was.
For many days the Revanim enjoyed the world they had created, exploring its immensity and discovering the work of their kin. One would show another a waterfall, or a hummingbird or a whale and the other would smile and clap their hands and sing a song. And so, piece by piece, they learned the wonders of their world and, day by day, their joy grew less. Soon, one waterfall was much like another, or too much like a brother’s, or not beautiful enough, or too beautiful by far. The Revanim learned to be bored and possessive, to look down at some and rage, jealous at others. One by one, then two by two, then more and more as the days passed by, they split and schemed, whispered, gossipped and conspired.
And when the whispers stopped, they fought.
Jusin asa’si: Marcar Revanirs - Chapter Two: The Wars of the Dreamers.
Word against word, will poised against will, the dreams of one or the dreams of many; it mattered not, for each cast their shadow on another. Mountains rose and fell in an instant and the flatland rippled and buckled and cracked open. Forests were deluged by oceans, whilst the seas boiled dry. The clouds roiled and spat fire and the sky shattered to rain down shards of ice upon the earth. Order fell to chaos and beauty to dust and rust and death.
Revanim fell to be crushed by their own creations or scorched by winds of change, suffocated by nothingness. Lovers watched each other die, or themselves killed out of revenge, out of jealousy, out of the passions of the heart and the deep, unquenchable bloodlust of the corrupted soul.
But there were times of peace: months of impassioned, yet bloodless debate when Ranino stepped forward to end the violence, nights that seemed like years when Vicara would sing and all would listen and weep for their sins, moments when Jera would speak and all would be united in hope at the possibilities of the future. The six could sway the many for a time and each time it seemed they had succeeded at something more permanent, the chance of reconciliation.
But then they would have to step away, and in their place would come some slight, some disagreement, som dark emotion to start the violence all over again.
Factions formed, grew, splintered. Some claimed to follow Ratyano, others Tyaniro. Others still supported Syatya and claimed her birthright as their own. The six themselves, however, remained truly neutral and grew tired of their children’s squabbles.
A council was held, known as Hrasyin Jranid, to determine what could be done to end the fighting. The six agreed that all other options had been exhausted and that the world was from the endless fighting. Ratyano proposed to banish the lesser dreamers and the other five agreed, although Syatya was reluctant.
So the six began work on a gateway from their world to Tacino’s creation. It was unlike anything they had ever done before and it took them many days and nights of strenuous toil. Vicara would sing to them from time to time, filling their minds with images of hope. Jera would dance or chant and they saw the purpose of all they had made unfolding before them along the path they had chosen. Ranino worked through their plans and Tyaniro carried all these things to Ratyano, who held them together until they were ready to be made into reality. Only Syatya resisted, as she was always wont to do, but the others accepted this of her and thought nothing of it.
By dawn on the forty-first day, the gateway was complete. It towered above the landscape and gleamed wondrously in the morning night, for it was made of gold and precious stones. The Six looked upon it and thought that this was the greatest thing they had ever made.
Then Syatya stepped forward, opened the gateway, and let the Nightmares in.
(This post was last modified: 05-29-2016, 06:07 PM by Seraph.)
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Jusin te’si: Terkho Revaril qendei - Chapter Three: The Time of Nightmares.
Now, the Nightmares had been birthed by all the evil the lesser Revanim had committed with and against one another, but they had had no freedom to exist in the world of the Revanim themselves until Syatya had willed it to be so, for she cannot abide restrictions and confinement.
They came through the gateway in a flood, all darkness, heat and blades, swarming and slashing, searing and scorching. They turned the sky to moonless night in their wake, blackened the earth and wilted the grass, woke mountains from their slumber and primed the clouds with thunder. The Six were left staggered and bleeding and confused.
The nearest factions of the lesser Revanim were not so fortunate. The Nightmares descended upon them like night itself and eviscerated them all. They crawled over the remains, learned all they could and, taking the shape of those they had killed, they moved on.
And so the Nightmares advanced across the world, twisting anything which had not yet been destroyed by the Revanim themselves, killing what they could and giving any who resisted a long, hard struggle before they took wing and fled.
The Six and all the survivors rallied together in the light of Khardo Siread, which shone even during the night and the darkness of the Nightmares could not quench it.
Ratyano raised his voice.
“We have seen the fruits of our discord and tasted the bitter tears of consequence and we have learned well. These Nightmares will not be defeated by individual heroics, nor by division in our ranks, for therein lies the beginning of this chaos, not its end.
“No, we must put difference behind us, apologise and forgive so that we might unite against this foe with righteousness as our weapons.” And he plunged his fist into the slope of Khardo Siread and drew out a sword of gleaming crystal, so clear and bright that it seemed brilliant white even in the light of the mountain. It was called Anturin sicaren and Ratyano was never after seen without its light in his hand.
With Anturin sicaren raised aloft, Ratyano led the Revanim into battle. The Nightmares amassed in greater numbers than even before, but, though the battle raged for many days and the sky was rent with light and dark ‘til it bled lightning and rained thick and dark, they were no match for all the surviving Revanim working as one mind. Nightmares and Revanim fell to the earth, never to rise again, but the darkness was pressed backwards and back and back they were pushed until they had nowhere to run but through the gateway and out into the universe beyond.
As the last Nightmare slipped through the gate, Ratyano sealed it with his sword, which shone brighter than ever before, blinding the nearest Revanim.
Jusin vis’si: Feoldim Revanirs - Chapter Four: The Children of the Dreamers.
The Six knew that the peace between the lesser Revanim, brought about by the defeat of the Nightmares, would not hold very long if they continued to have nothing to do, so they began to devise ways to add to their creation.
“We should make more beings like ourselves,” declared Ratyano, “able to think and talk and create, but we must not let them have the power to change the world with just their minds, else they might destroy what we have made and bring more Nightmares to this world.”
The other five agreed and each went away to begin working on their own interpretations of the plan. The Feoldar Ratyanod (The Sons of Ratyano) would be strong and brave, to stand guard at the gate of the world and let no Nightmare or demon pass, whilst the Feoldi Vicarad (The Daughters of Vicara) would be beautiful and pure, every sound they made would become music and everything they touched would become art. The Feoldi Jerad were to become travellers and explorers, cartographers and adventurers, experiencing all that had been created through new senses, but the Feoldar Raninod were to be scientists and philosophers, understanding all that had been made and building the future the knowledge they had gained. Tyaniro’s creation was not to be a people, but a language, so that they might communicate clearly and live in peace with one another, but Syatya, always bold and impulsive, did not merely plan, she created her children at once.
The Feoldim Syatyad were wild and free. They took to the forests and spread throughout them, learning all they could of the plants and trees, birds and animals. They were good at hiding, for Syatya wanted them to be free forever, but they were mischievous too, and so it was not very long before the other Revanim discovered them and demanded that Syatya be called to account.
Hrasyin Firid, the Court of the Five, was held and they demanded that Syatya unmake the Feoldim Syatyad. Syatya refused and fled into the forest with her children. Ratyano posted a guard around the forest, but Syatya, enraged at being so contained, declared the forest to be Arutyarca Artil, the Kingdom of Trees and from it marched the Feoldim Syatyad in their thousands. The Revanim, led by the Five, were more powerful than any of Syatya’s creations, but there were so many of them and they were so wild and tricksome that they soon tired of fighting the war against them.
Hrasyin Firid convened again and, this time, they agreed that they must combine their efforts to create a people who would be able to fight the Feoldim Syatyad without them. They had all the skills of the Five in moderation - Ratyano’s strength, Vicara’s artistry, Jera’s sense of adventure, Ranino’s insight - and they spoke with Tyaniro’s language, Syaqin aren, the beautiful tongue. But they lacked Syatya’s free will, for they would obey every word commanded them by the Five.
The Revanim brought them forth out of mountains and the trees and gathered them together and they named them the Cujerim, the builders, for they made things with their own hands.
Jusin fir’si: Cata varsea - Chapter Five: The Golden City.
The Cujerim were curious and industrious. They spread quickly from the place of their birth and began to explore the world around them. They tried to understand all that they saw and used what they learned to make exploring, understanding and living in the world easier for themselves and their families. They also turned what they knew of the world around them into beautiful art, music and poetry. The Revanim watched them with pride as they mirrored their creators, so like each of the Five were they.
The one thing they lacked was freedom, for that was Syatya’s domain. Instead, they obeyed the Revanim utterly, never questioning an order, not even from the lesser Dreamers, and so the first of mankind's many crimes was committed: a man murdered another for they had both been commanded to love the same woman, and all for the entertainment of one of their gods.
The Five learned about this and were greatly angered. They punished the lesser Dreamer, banishing him into the wilderness, and they taught the Cujerim that they must only obey the Five, which, of course, they agreed to do.
So, the Cujerim began to worship the Five and built temples and statues in their honour all throughout the land, but though the Five were pleased with these offerings, the Cujerim were never satisfied and so, with the gifts they had been given, they dreamt up a great city where the Revanim and Cujerim could live alongside each other. Again, the Five were pleased and they showed the Cujerim places where good stone and precious gems and metals could be mined from beneath the mountains.
The city was built in the shadow of the mountains, many times larger than any of the Cujerim’s other settlements, and when the stonework was finished they lined it with gold and decorated it with many images of the deeds of the Revanim. The Five and all their children, Revanim and Cujerim alike, celebrated with a great feast which lasted for many days and filled the streets of the city, which they had named Cata varsea, with light and colour, beautiful music and fragrant aromas.
But the Feoldim Syatyad had been watching all of this and they reported to Syatya all that they had seen and heard. She was greatly angered that she had not been included in the adoration of the Cujerim and she pitied them also, for they had no freedom to choose what was best for themselves. So, Syatya spoke of her concerns with her children and they agreed that the city must be destroyed so that those within could know the freedom of the forest.
Jusin jran’si: Marco Feoldirs Revanirs - Chapter Six: The War of the Children of the Dreamers.
The Feoldim Syatyad hit the city at night when most of the inhabitants were asleep. They climbed the walls as if they were trees and sneaked into the houses of the Cujerim. The men and women they gave terrible nightmares but the children and babies they kidnapped and took into the forest. The Cujerim slept poorly that night.
When they awoke and found their children gone the city was filled with the sound of wailing and the streets were flooded with tears. The leader of the Cujerim, known as Yeno cireo, called all the men of the city together in the Vallano Menil and made this speech,
“ Last night we sensed a shade upon our dreams,
A darkness we had never felt before,
And as we slept we thought we heard the screams
Of little ones asleep across the floor.
With dawn we found our nightmares come to life
As all our homes were filled with empty cots
And each of us has now a hollowed wife,
A hollowed soul, our lives but hollowed lots.
There none can be who caused this great distress
Save those whose rebel hearts wish nought but ill.
So now, I vow, we’ll seek out cruel mistress
Death and fight with bloodlust for the kill,
For nothing right will ever be until
We take revenge and put our rage to rest.”
The men took up arms and marched out of the city towards the forest.
First, they took axes to the trees, cutting them down in tens and hundreds, building them up like a broken wall along the fringes of the meadow. Next, they set fire to the branches and made the smoke billow in amongst those trees that still stood until the Feoldim Syatyad were forced to come running out through the gaps in the wall to be felled like trees themselves.
Then the women of Cata varsea awoke from their grief and looked out from the windows of the city to see the butcher’s work in which their men had become lost, and they ran outside as one to stop them.
In the bloody, smoke-filled meadow, the men saw not their wives, nor heard their cries to stop. And so, when they ran out in front to become shadows against the flames, they could not tell them from their enemy and their axeheads struck deep into the flesh of those they loved.
Then Yeno cireo saw the bloodied form of Jina area, his wife beneath his feet and he dropped his weapon and fell to his knees beside her. She stared into his eyes and, with the faintest breath, sang this song ere she died.
“ Yeno, my darling do not be dismayed
Though my heart has been riven by fate’s bitter blade
‘Tis not I, but our children your war has betrayed,
For they sleep now, I know it, atop these old trees.
Our enemy hid them, yet our enemy flees;
The forest is flame and our enemy flees!
I will sleep now, my darling, but save them, I pray.
The furnace is growing, yet I fade away… “
As Jina area passed away before him, Yeno cireo rose to his feet and, with a cry of rage and sorrow led the men of the Cujerim into the forest inferno, slaughtering the fleeing Feoldim Syatyad as they went. Many died in the fire or from the smoke, but, when the survivors emerged that evening, they brought the children with them.
This was but the first action in a war that lasted for three generations and about which many other tales have been told, of the deeds of the Revanim, both brave and fell, of battle of Khardo Siread and the darkness that befell it and of the great love affair of Ratyano and Vicara, which took them away from the live of mortals for many years and allowed much sorrow to be sown. By the time the final battle had been fought, however, the forest that had dominated the land had become many times smaller, the Feoldim Syatyad had all but been wiped out and Syatya herself had submitted, with great reluctance, to the will of the Five.
(This post was last modified: 07-29-2016, 05:28 PM by Seraph.)
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