Jenolites
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Scriptural narrative
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Matriarchal Era
In the scriptural narrative, the Jenolites trace their origins to a series of cultural heroes, the first of which being the matriarch Mothúdul. After proving herself by solving a puzzle (presented either on a seeing stone[note 1] or from a shadag[note 2]), Mothúdul establishes a sacred well in the Pass of Hands and debates the Lord of Clouds, traditionally held to be an Oratian magistrate. Because of her intervention, there breaks out a Battle of Twelve Kings, resulting in Mothúdul’s first cousin, Goul, leading a tribe from Orat into the mountains. Having completed this task, he turns into a rock pillar after meditating in the sea for 22 days. Mothúdul becomes miraculously pregnant, and gives birth to the patriarch Zurduli after twelve months of gestation. The narrative associates each of the descendants of Zurduli as becoming progenitors of the tribes of the continent, who gradually replace the indigenous inhabitants, of the land[note 3] and defeat their divine patrons the Ijorunn.[note 4] The sons of Zurduli compete to earn his blessing, by collectively conquering 13 cities and performing miraculous feats. However, his daughter Qordul performs the greatest feat by flying to heaven, causing Zurduli to bless her line as being eternal priests. The story of Zurduli ends with a vision on his deathbed of a future great revealing.
Qordul leads a great multitude of tribes into the Land of Stargalon where she meets the god Jana’ah and receives several prophecies. The tribes construct a temple in Jana’s Grove, after which two Heaveners appear, who guard its entrance with flaming swords. The tribes disperse, losing knowledge of the location of the Grove (or alternatively the Grove leaves the human realm). Qordul anoints a young warrior named Panonpalo, and tasks him with uniting the land in the name of Jana, before descending into a cave and disappearing. Under Panonpalo, the people do battle with the Oratians, who are stopped in battle by the sound of Mothúdul’s Horn. After forty years, Panonpalo conquers a kingdom stretching across all of Stargalon and conquers the holy city of Zor, which is called Zorqojanyahol (“the mound of the most high god”). An election selects Joreh as the first Regent of God, after which Panonpalo dies of his wounds after wrestling an orca named Shaviouth.
Arjalah cycle
The Book of Levitations ends with the death of Panonpalo, but the Janist scriptural narrative continues with the Book of Bargains, also known as the "Jenolite Book of Kings". The main focus of this section is to establish a continuity from Panonpalo to Arjalah, and from there the rest of the Jenolite chiefs down to the Oratian conquest. Despite the election of Joreh, a man named Arjalah claims to inherit the lands of Panonpalo, establishing a centralized government across the entire Stargalon Valley. He creates a magnificent court in the city of Kara, which becomes home to dozens of distinguished princes and warriors from across all "thirteen cities of the Jenolites". Arjalah's "Court of Kara" is the focus of many epic traditions, several of which are recorded in the Book of Bargains, and also by local folklore. Among their adventures are the slaying of many fire giants (Ijorunn), and in one case the hunting of a mountain-sized boar, the Gennasha. The most prominent member of this court is Ambinian, the legendary military leader, who establishes a dynasty which patronizes the prophet Gúlijalah, as detailed further in the Book of Gúlijalah.
Arjalah is succeeded as king by his son Carvo "the Wise", who relocates the capital from Kara to his own city of Zarpatulr. Said to have a vast imagination and insatiable curiosity, Carvo desires to expand his knowledge and wisdom by testing every physical and magical phenomenon on Earth. He constructs a vast network of underground chambers, extending for thirty fathoms beneath the city of Zarpatulr. In these chambers he places hundreds of unique objects and experiments, ranging from the mundane to otherworldly in nature. For example, one chamber is designed to measure the maximum length a cricket can jump, while another contains a Seeing Stone linked to a world of evil spirits. Still other chambers have various monsters imprisoned, such as men with the heads of dogs or bulls. Carvo is here depicted as rather callous if not irresponsible for the lives of those in charge of conducting these experiments, some of whom never see the light of the Sun ever again. But he believes that the revelation of new knowledge and wisdom are worth the risk, which is depicted as an admirable virtue.
Sat Galodin, when into the great hall
stormed Chelajal fair, rightful heir.
So said the queen-that-was-meant:
"Unseat at once from thy theft-horde
Wicked aunt, face me as a woman or
I shall cast thou upon the floor
As a dog who lurches up to the table
Trying for morsels warm but unearned."
So cast Galodin a crooked smile, and hark:
"Such petty speech affects me not, for
In rulership does one come to see that
That trifles abound the world over and
All the time one wills upon the smallest
Is more time than ever need be spent."
The queen-of-stolen-throne, usurper-of-niece
Waved her hand high above her head, calling
Forth a figure as of yet shrouded in shadow:
"Cybo! My love! At once here I have returned
A flame of true passion within me beckoned
In the vile cells of Galodin, the thief-queen,
My thoughts of thee like lightning piercing
Through darkest and foulest of tempests!"
So exclaimed the brave daughter of Carvo,
Yet her eyes grew wider at the sight of love
First in shock that tumbled down like rock
On mountain-cliff into burning madness.
"Foul and vile thief-queen! What sorcery
Hast thou rendered upon the fair Prince
That he appears as such shambling and
Trembling before thee! For no man I loved
Would blindly bind self in bondage thus to
A wretched witch of wielded word!" And laughed
Galodin heartily; to see such fury from a
girl, thus barely a woman, amused the queen
For her own heart held no such youthful passion.
So she spake, cooly, smile curling: "Gaze
Upon thy 'love' and see, the power of Galodin!"
So the queen-of-stolen-throne reared her head,
Towards sky-portal she her eyes drew heavily,
Her tongue moving now of its own accord, she
Spake in no word mortal woman might utter free
Of doubts of committing grevious sin; and so
Covered her hears did Cheljal but Wetul, moving
Forward now, returned his own enchantment.
Louder and louder, a first a mutter, but now
Thunder rang out across the queenly hall as
Sorceress upon sorcerer added word of power
And word of pain to the air that languished
In the hot light of summer day, until, with
Shriek aloud, did Galodin so exclaim, aghast:
"Impudent wizard! You dare challenge Galodin,
Mighty Queen of Own Right, with the very magics
Devised of her own power?" So the wizard laughed.
"Hark and see, the one whose words so devised!"
So did Galodin see as Wetul lowered his hood
And a great whiteness overcame the thief-queen
Who so spake: "Wetul! Deviant! Breaker-of-oath!
Indeed did thy enchantment impress upon mine own
Stronger together forged bond between us, mentor
Once but menace now! Alas, I shall not perish to
One who once served me as thee!" And so let out
Thief-queen a great roar, as winter wind on plain.
Backwards flew Wetul, thrown against pillar as
The sea throws itself upon rocks in midst of storm,
So to Cheljal he spake: "Now! Defeat her while she
Has spent her power thus, upon me and not thee!"
And so rushed forward did the brave queen-to-be
Gallantly stride across queenly hall to do battle
Against the sorceress-queen Galodin, seeress,
Once wise and respected, but now bent upon power
And wanton for secrets unearned by mortal ears.
When Carvo dies, he wills the kingdom to his only daughter, Cheljal. Cheljal is described as a fierce and brave warrior, a cut above her peers in terms of agility and proficiency with weapons. She is betrothed to marry Cybo, the son of Ambinian, and by the time of Carvo's death they have grown steadily fond of each other. However, Carvo's sister Galodin immediately seizes the throne in a coup, placing Cheljal under arrest. Galodin transforms the chambers of Zarpatulr from a house of learning into a prison, re-arranging the corridors to become a labyrinth of confusing passageways, and there she locks up Cheljal and all her political supporters in the deepest part of the maze. As for Cybo, Cheljal plans to forcefully take his hand in marriage in Cheljal's absence. But Cheljal allies with an imprisoned sorcerer named Wetul, and together the two of them manage to escape the maze after overcoming many trials and tribulations.
In a rather colorful and dramatic passage, Cheljal manages to defeat Queen Galodin and rescue her true love. However, it is at this point that Wetul reveals his true intentions, and using a magic spell he banishes both Cheljal and Galodin back into the labyrinth, taking control of the kingdom for himself. After putting aside their differences, the two women work together to escape the maze once again, and confront the evil sorcerer in a final battle. Cheljal uses a Seeing Stone to banish Wetul to the dark side of the moon, finally putting the conflict to an end. Cheljal is then crowned as Queen of Stargalon, with Cybo as her faithful consort. She relocates the capital back to the city of Kara, and before long the city of Zarpatulr becomes totally abandoned and forgotten.
Cheljal proves to be a great military leader in her own right, further centralizing the kingdom back to the capital. But she is also noted for balancing this trait with her great piety, as she sponsors further expansion of the Zorist priesthood and erects a monument to Lady Biomi.[note 5] She ultimately predeceases her husband Cybo, uniting the houses of Arjalah and Ambinian into a single dynasty. After the death of Cybo, there is a period of civil war in which Stargalon is divided between three courts: Skeniraqa ruling at Leoni, Ononduaga ruling at Kara, and the rulership of Yotungilah. When this conflict is concluded, Yotungilah reuniteds the three courts into a single nation. As Yortungilah's death is foretold by the prophesies of Gúlijalah, he wills that the kingship after him should pass to the House of Joreh, namely Morqulayah and his descendants.
Book of Malisons
The subsequent Book of Malisons abruptly transitions to a setting in which "the ancient laws and obligations were most often forgotten", and Stargalon is divided into multiple regencies and tribes, further disturbed by the arrival of "Travelers from the Sea". The story retells the previous election of Joreh, revealed as Jana's Regent after solving the "Mystery of the Eleven Birds".[note 6] It is then recounted how a curse was placed on the line of Arjalah, because "he claimed the title of most high".[note 7] The rest of the book is divided into six individual stories, each focusing on a different hero or leader.
In the first story, the high priestess Lanonsyoni is asked by Arjalah to cede the treasures of Zor to him, so that he might melt them down to create a spear capable of slaying the Gennasha. Instead, Lanonsyoni grants him a feather, stating that faith through Jana would make the feather as powerful as a spear. Arjalah kills the Gennasha (just as in the Book of Bargains), but feels emboldened with the power of the feather to seek out more fame and glory. He hunts down "the Gennasha's mother"[note 8] on the "Island of Dagen"[note 9] and attacks it as well, but is mortally wounded in the battle; Lanonsyoni remarks that the forces of Jana cannot be misused for evil intents. In the second story, a "chief of Kara" angered by the death of Arjalah named Tuunosha requests that Carvo the Wise (also known as Carvoquabosh) join an alliance against Lanonsyoni for "selling defective amulets". Carvo instead decrees that Lanonsyoni receive a chance to defend herself. An army descends on Zor, and a contingent of 700 priests and seers challenges the high priestess to a duel. Lanonsyoni performs a series of miracles, including walking on water while the 700 priests drown in their attempt. Convinced of the power of Jana, Tuunosha performs a sacrifice and declares he will repay Lanonsyoni for his insults. Angered by the killing of the 700 priests, a priestess of the Crooked Finger tribe, called the Juqonishi ("Ambivalent One"), shapeshifts into Tuunosha's form, but is discovered as she does not wear one of the defective amulets.[note 10] The Kara chiefs slaughter the Crooked Finger army; Tuunosha is mortally wounded in the fighting but dies satisfied his life repays the debt for his family. Carvo gives praise to the amulets, which are called more useful than previously imagined, and donates Tuunosha's as an offering to the city of Zor.
The third story describes the Return of Joreh. A highly poetic section, the Return of Joreh is often read as a metaphor for the turning of seasons, the cycle of life, or as an etiology for the phenomenon of nostalgia. Joreh's exit for which he is returning is never explained – although he is praised for traveling to "a state of contemplation" – and now an old man he comments on the things he no longer recognizes. After a grand parade, Joreh learns that he has predeceased his son, Neporquel. He visits his grandson, Herongisda and delivers a prophecy:
Hark! Thine own hour will beset the next sons, yet
I saw a speck of life outside such griefs,
whence hands hardly find a tear, inasmuch pain passes,
fathers don't grow old, fires never turn to ashes,
suns don't set, tire not for the day not relent,
passionate peace awaits, I dreamt
- — Malisons 4:16
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The story concludes with Joreh falling asleep under a willow tree, becoming one with the roots. In the fourth story, the widow of Arjalah, Dagihasi remains bitter at the priests of Zor for the death of her husband. Stealing items from the Chambers of Zarpatulr, she creates stilts that make her as large as a giant. She gains a following of widows, wounded soldiers, orphans, and urban poor in Zarpatulr and takes this army to a hill outside the city. Founding her own throne, the Dagihasites collect the wounded and the dead from the battlefields of Stargalon for many years and create a powerful fortress. The city of Kara languishes without its common people, so Carvo dispatches Ambinian to make peace. Ambinian travels to the court of Dagihasi, who declares she will relent if Ambinian enacts vengeance on Lanonsyoni. However, when Ambinian travels to Zor he learns that Lanonsyoni is no where to be seen; her daughter Qenangida relays that she has turned into a great lake, and asks, "must you take vengeance on the water despite the plight of the fish?"[note 11] Ambinian takes Qenangida captive instead. Dagihasi allows people back to the cities and the fields but keeps her fortress intact, and soon after there is famine and plague in the lands around Kara. Qenangida while in captivity meditates and enters Carvo's dreams, during which she duels the prophets of Kara and defeats them. Moved by this dream, Carvo travels to the court of Dagihasi and tearfully reconnects with his mother. Thus is made the Dagihasi Promise that charity shall always be extended to the poor, and Qenangida is released with a promise that Stargalon will always keep and respect the priestesses in Zor.[note 12]
The fifth story begins after the death of Cybo, and a description of how the court of Kara languished and fought amongst itself due to the influence of the foreign attendants of Biomi. Several sons of the late ruler do battle with each other, including Skeniraqa, Ononduaga, and Yotungilah, who each go their separate ways and lead separate tribes. During this time arises the Great Prophet (later identified as Gúlijalah), who sings songs of the future adventures of the Cyboites and prophesizes the fall of Kara. The youngest son, Yotungilah, deciphers a Seeing Stone's riddle using the words of Gúlijalah, learning that the artifacts of Jana have not been properly venerated based on the deciphered instructions. He undertakes several labors and recovers these artifacts, laying them to rest in a Sarcophagus of Ancients. Carrying the Sarcophagus into battle, Yotungilah defeats his brothers and seizes the remnants of the kingdom, although several chiefs rebuke him. Ordered to repay his victories by depositing the Sarcophagus at Zor, Yotungilah does so, but steals a ring from the Sarcophagus before doing so. He builds a new palace in the city, then begins a series of conquests lasting forty years. The tribes of Stargalon meanwhile pay upkeep to the temple at Zor.
The final story begins in the reign of Herongisda's son Morqulayah, who slowly unites the tribes of Stargalon in a new alliance. In one instance, he destroys a tribe worshipping Biomi'ah with Mothúdul’s Horn. He seeks to sail to the Island of Dagen, but finds the island is gone and the seas too fierce to continue; his ship wrecks and he loses the horn in the process. Nonetheless he slays a Stoneman named Asneviramnah on the coast, causing the Great Prophet to summon him to Zor. There it is again prophesized the end of Kara, most especially after they are cursed for the theft of Jana's Ring. Morqulayah attempts to relay this information to Yotungilah, but the old king finds the weight of the ring weighs him down from fleeing. The Smiting of Kara occurs, when a great blast ascends from the sky and levels the city; Morqulayah flees with the last of Arjalah's house. The Great Prophet gathers the many tribes, who swear the Peace Oath. They promise to follow the ancient laws, to support and protect the independent priests of Zor, to rule kindly by one another, and to "never relent to a king". The "Mothers of Stargalon" come together in a council, and 11,870 men volunteer to serve the priests of Zor (later nicknamed "Jana's Elect").
Book of Gúlijalah
The Book of Gúlijalah serves as both the hagiography of the Prophet Gúlijalah, and also a compilation of works attributed to him, including his hymns, oracles, and legislations. Gúlijalah is the most venerated figure of Jenolite literature, and the Smiting of Kara during his lifetime is the climax of the first half of the Jenolite scriptures.
The book begins with a description of the life of Ambinian, and the epic wars he fought against Oratian invaders. When Ambinian faces off against overwhelming numbers, he humbles himself to the city of Zor, and sponsors sacrifices being carried out by Joreh the Regent of God. Joreh is impressed by Ambinian's piety, and allows him to borrow a "piece of Jana" to use against the invaders. With enough prayers and acts of humility, Ambinian is able to use the artifact to channel the power of Jana, summoning an army of spirits to decimate the Oratian army. Although he is tempted by the unlimited power of this weapon, Ambinian fulfills his promise and gifts the artifact to Zor.
The narrative skips forward in time, introducing the Nativity of Gúlijalah during the reign of Ambinian's son, Cybo. On the day of the Prophet's birth, many birds come to bow before the infant, and a new star appears in the night sky directly over the Stargalon Valley[note 13]. According to tradition, the Prophet was a descendant of the reigning high priestess and either the son or nephew of Morqulayah, representing a unification of the regency line and the priestess line, and both dynasty's powers. The child's parents take him to the temple at Zor eight days later, and ask the High Priestess to elucidate from the Seeing Stones what future the child holds. Heongisda, who was regent at the time, says that he will be blessed with the sight to see into people's hearts and minds, and to see across time and space, and so he was named Gúlijalah, meaning "sight of God". Unfortunately, this name proved ironic, as it soon became apparent that Gúlijalah was born fully blind. Disgusted by this turn of events, the Prophet's parents force him out of the house, although he is only two years old. A group of Heaveners come to his side, and lead the child into the great temple of Zor, where he remains for the next ten years. Birds would come to bring him food, so that he never needs to beg for sustenance. As soon as he turns twelve years old, the High Priestess suggests that it would be indecent for a man beyond maturity to live in the temple. So they arrange for Gúlijalah to be married to the priestess Saraquya, and by this contract he is compelled to relocate from the holy place.
Many years later, after Cybo's death the Kingdom of Kara falls into a civil war between his three sons: Skeniraqa, Ononduaga, and Yotungilah. Ononduaga becomes the strongest contender, and soon after he kills Skeniraqa and forces Yotungilah into exile. But as soon as Ononduaga solidifies his control over the state, his ambitions turn toward the holy city of Zor, for the House of Arjalah has a long-standing rivalry against the priesthood at Zor and the allied House of Joreh, which remain the only things standing in their way of controlling the entire Land of Stargalon. So Ononduaga sends a vast army to quickly occupy the city, and he loots the temple of all its precious relics, monetary wealth, and other fineries. Zendaqaryoni, the daughter of Qenangida, is numbered among the martyrs who defied Ononduaga's reign. Likewise the Prophet Gúlijalah boldly speaks out against this tyranny, and he utters many prophesies that this transgression against God will spell doom for the Kingdom of Kara. He says, "I may not be able to see your eyes, but I can see the heavy stone of guilt that weighs on your heart, chained to the anchor of your sins link by link". Ononduaga gives orders to have the Prophet captured, but a flock of birds pick up Gúlijalah and carry him far into the wilderness, where he survives miraculously for forty days and forty nights.
It comes to pass at this time that Yotungilah grows sick, and his remaining followers are worried that his fight against Ononduaga will die with him. But instead of accepting the aid of any doctor, Yotungilah insists on seeking out the help of the Prophet Gúlijalah, to ask him to intercede with Jana. Gúlijalah comes to Yotungilah and blesses him, and his illness is miraculously cleansed. Then Gúlijalah offers to help the prince in his fight for the throne of Kara, but only if he promises to return all of the holy relics and treasures to Zor. So Yotungilah gives a solemn oath before Jana and Mothúdul that he will. The armies of Yotungilah and Ononduaga prepare to do battle against one another, although the incumbent king has far greater numbers. But Gúlijalah stands at a high mountain, and stretches his hands over the battlefield, and at that moment a great cloud of darkness falls over the land, blocking out the sun and moon. Then bolts of lightning fall from heaven against Ononduaga's army, along with fiery hail larger than a man's fist. After Ononduaga is killed and his army surrenders, the plagues immediately dissipate and Yotungilah is proclaimed the rightful king of Kara.
Shortly after these things take place, Yotungilah sends mercenaries all across the kingdom of Kara, and he meticulously tracks down every single relic and treasure, including those which Ononduaga had stolen from the city of Zor. Then he gathers all of these things into a great box suspended on two poles, which is called the Sarcophagus of the Ancients. And the King of Kara discovers that whenever he carries this box into battle, all of his enemies fell helplessly to his will, with the same miracles that Gúlijalah performed against his brother. So Yotungilah tries to go back against his word to the Prophet, in order to keep this unlimited power to himself. He argues that with these powers he could obtain great wealth for the people of the kingdom, as was prescribed in the Dagihasi Promise. But Gúlijalah rebukes this notion, saying "you have all the nobles and merchants in your land who you can tax, this is wealth that belongs to the poor. But you may not violate any part of the sacred property of the priesthood, for this belongs to Jana". So King Yotungilah relents, and he relinquishes the Sarcophagus of the Ancients over to the priests of Zor. But a ring of Jana, the smallest piece of the treasures therein, he secretly keeps for himself.
It blackens the heart, hardens beyond measure;
A coal-hearted king cannot rule a kingdom-god-given.
Such as I have seen, wrath shall come upon all who bow
Thoughtless and selfish, to a throne corrupt;
So shall become lest ill deed is undone
Who hear not the divine word, wrath deserve!
At once, all the sins of the king will rain thus
Upon his people, for a king is no king without subject;
So to subject that sees evil in their home and shirks
But Gúlijalah's eyes are not deceived, and he sees through the king's secret intentions. The Prophet relayes to Morqulayah the Regent of God all the terrifying visions he has received, indicating that Kara would be imminently destroyed for their insolence against Jana. Morqulayah goes to Kara and tells all these things to King Yotungilah, explaining that all he needed to do was relinquish the ring and the people of Kara would be spared. But the king becomes so thoroughly intoxicated with the lust of power that he was no longer is able to part ways with such a precious object, even at the cost of his own kingdom. Yotungilah attempts to flee from the city before the smiting can happen, but he suddenly finds that the ring has miraculously become incredibly heavy, so that he can not move it off the floor. And so, the king of Kara dies still clutching the precious treasure that he had staked his life on. Nonetheless, Morqulayah spends some time preaching throughout the city of the imminent day of judgement, and that all those who follow the instructions of Gúlijalah would be spared. The sky rolls back like a scroll, and a gigantic ball of fire descends from heaven on the city. Every tree catches fire and every stone melts, such that the entire region is bathed in molten rock. Only Morqulayah and all those who listened to his preaching escape the city in time. These survivors became organized as a new tribe that slowly rebuilds a "new city"[note 14], ruled over by Yotungilah's daughter, Talullah. After the death of Morqulayah, Gúlijalah oversees the election of his successor, Awinita. Awinita is said to be a great ruler, most famous for defending the Jenolites multiple times from the Northonans of Orat, who threaten their very existence. These wars are further detailed in other Jenolite books.
This narrative comprises about one third of the Book of Gúlijalah. The next section of text includes various hymns composed by the Prophet, which are among the foremost works of poetry in the ancient world (along with the Hymns of Haten and the Kallean Book of Hymns). The next section includes various oracles and judgements against neighboring tribes and nations, including the states of Kara, Paquldoron, Orat, the Skypriots, and beasts from the Island of Dagen. Many of these tribes mentioned in the text disappeared sometime before the Venerable Era, and in some cases the Book of Gúlijalah is the only source for their existence at all. The last part of the text includes various laws and legislations, namely the Great Oath of Peace that formalized the confederacy of tribes around Zor, affirming the domination of the high priestesses. The book concludes with commentaries, traditionally attributed to Nesoliah. Among these writings is the decree that the pious will never again inhabit such a place as Kara, for which Jana removed from the earth forever as a warning for rebellion against the eternal laws.
Book of Dirges
At His birth. A chorus of bird song
Sweetly rang valley across
and in melodious harmony sang
"Welcome," they, creatures of sky;
An infant, prophet-of-doom-to-come!
Glorious heaven opened gates aloft
So succoured Stargalon, verdant-spring rain,
Yet like tears upon cheek in time of great joy
None knew yet the power of His sight
Although vision of mortal Earth eluded him
So clear to Him was the light of god.
Alas, now has come to pass
Prophet, so wise, from this life
None can escape the end-tribute;
No-ever how wise the sage
Can break even the tend'rest of
bundles; Jana alone gives life.
As the clouds drift at night
Scraping the stars, dancing wisps
Around moon aloft, how they end
Like the life of man, at once
Beautiful, at next, foreboding
A portent of spring; death unto life.
We look upon the dead with tears
Welled in our eyes, and we wonder
What one morrow more may have brought;
Why now, we utter alone, What deservéd
Now the suffering of mine own self?
But tears, like rain, bring life anew.
Cleansed, as Kara-magnificent though
It was–cannot escape the will of god.
For no day passes where death alone
Occurs without absence of new birth
And greatest memory holds those thoughts
Which stir most disquietously the heart.
So let us mourn, but let us also give thanks
To life spent serving no nobler purpose than His.
Blessed be the doomseer-of-Kara, He that saw
Beyond the feigned magnificence of kings
To gaze upon the glory that god gave alone
To no man but to all that is upon mortal earth.
The Book of Dirges acts as an anthology of 114 songs and poems, divided into six books of 19, and concludes the principal section of the Jenolite scripture. The majority of the poems have been traditionally attributed to Gúlijalah, Nesoliah, or the later poet-seer Asnumorah. Overall, Dirges speaks of the time at the end of Gúlijalah's ministry and the time after, especially commenting on the Smiting of Kara, which serves an important theological purpose as a grave reminder of violation of the eternal laws. Other key subjects are Yotungilah's daughter, the heroine Talullah, as well as the famed conqueror Panonpalo. A large portion of the dirges also speak to mythological stories of the matriarchal period or before, while about 20 are absent any commentary on mythological or historical events. Dirge 114, also called the "Song of Zurduli" invokes eschatological imagery of the last revealing.
Book of Hammers
The Book of Hammers is an anthology consisting of several historical and dynastic narratives, set in the time period after the life of Gúlijalah and up to the Oratian conquest in 970 AA. The book can be roughly divided into the following sections:
- The Elder Passages
- Hammers 1–12: Chronicles of the Naamasah tribe and the city of Jasur
- Hammers 13–20: Saga of Talullah and her daughters
- Hammers 21–24: Night journey of Nesoliah into the Dreamworld; Vision of the Final Days
- Hammers 25–30: Concerning the Search for the Sacred Well
- Hammers 31–34: The Blinding of Ajerqorah and the fate of his house
- Hammers 35–39: The Oratian–Goulite War and the Warning of Fúthonoah
- The Younger Passages
- Hammers 40–49: Chronicles of the Tasunusa tribe from the time of Saguqonoah
- Hammers 50–58: Chronicles of the Qanasi tribe and the Lesser Arjalahites
- Hammers 58–61: Concerning the Annual Festivals of Songs and Ordeni the Bard
- Hammers 62–72: Chronicles of the House of Jomri to the Siege of Jasur; Discovery of Gúlijalah's Testament
- Hammers 73–79: Jarotha's Great Alliance; Summoning of the Ghosts of Barbgolo
- Hammers 80–90: Apex of the Oratian War; the Preservation of the Temple; Curse of the Nations
Awinita cycle
In the days after the kingship was lost from Kara, Awinita the son of Maqeda becomes ruler of Jasur. He does good in the eyes of Jana, and he swears to protect the priests of Zor from outside threats all his days. And in turn, the High Priestess affirms God's blessing on the House of Awinita, and anoints him regent at the city of Zor. In those days, the King of the Northonans sends a mighty army on horseback into the Stargalon region. They are described as having a towering height and equally bulked in muscle, making war against their neighboring lands as often as one might go for a jog. Assuming this invasion to be another tributary raid from Orat, the Regent of Jasur levies his standard defenses at the gates of the city[note 15], anticipating the slow, methodical movements that are typical of Oratian tactics. But the Northonans, who fought entirely on horseback, swiftly surround the armies of Jasur, and thereafter capture the city itself. This battle happens so quickly that news of the invasion does not reach Awinita until after the city has fallen. The Northonans proceed to pillage the Naamasahites, until every man over three cubits in height is cut down by the sword.
Panic strikes the other cities of the region, and many people immediately flee to the hills and highlands in the east, mostly taking refuge in the city of Zor. This proves to be an effective tactic against the Northonans, who find it much harder to maintain a tactical advantage while traveling through mountains. But as winter begins to set in, the King of the Northonans coordinates his army to push directly for the city of Zor, crossing over a lake that had frozen over. It was on this lake that Awinita brings to bear the entire army of Jasur to fight back against the invaders. But as the heat of battle intensifies, the ice beneath their feet begins to buckle and crack. Awinita anticipates this scenario from the start, and pulls back the Naamasahite army to a safer position. As for the Northonans, the incredible weight of their stature proves to be their undoing, as the ice shatters beneath their feet, swallowing all of the king's horses and all of the king's men. Thus Awinita makes well on his promise to protect the priests of Zor with every ounce of his strength.
Awinita returns to the court of Jasur, and he declares that his descendants shall reign to the third generation. Soon news of Awinita's valor spreads across the Stargalon region, and many other tribes near the city of Zor begin flocking to his banner, hoping to likewise receive the protection of his army and the blessings of Jana. But Awinita made it clear that he intended not to repeat the mistakes of the kings of Kara, who boasted of their strength in defiance of the ordinances of God. Instead, the ruler of Jasur respects the sovereignty of Zor, and he humbles himself to do the bidding of Jana's will as delivered from the High Priestess.
Awinita has a daughter named Wenunah, who he loves more than all the treasures of the world. Just as he would with any treasure, the king of Jasur gives strict orders to have her safely confined to the palace while he is away at war. But determined to experience the outside world, Wenunah quietly escapes the palace to mingle among the common people of Jasur. Disguising herself in common clothes, Wenunah spends the next week living among the farmers and peasants in and around the city. At that time, she becomes friends with an Oratian merchant named Arnoquah. Arnoquah is very obtuse about his family and background, and this aura of mystery further excites Wenunah's interest, until the two of them fall in love. But at the end of seven days, Arnoquah suddenly leaves early in the morning, leaving only a shoe behind. And as Wenunah follows him, she discovers that Arnoquah is actually a prince of Oratian royalty who was on a mission to spy on the Jenolites under, the guise of a merchant caravan, but they refuse to let her any closer as they believe her to be a simple peasant. Wenunah is frustrated by this turn of events, and wonders why Arnoquah never had the resolve to reveal his true identity. That is, until she realizes that she also did not reveal her identity to him.
Awinita eventually dies of old age, and Wenunah becomes anointed as Regent of the Naamasahites. But prior to his death, Awinita sends an embassy to extend an alliance with the King of Orat, seeking their aid to defend from future attacks by the Northonans. So dozens of Oratian princes and eligible Kurakas came to visit the court of Jasur, from which Wenunah was to pick her husband. But the queen surprises everyone when she insists that she would only marry a man who could fit the shoe, which she had been keeping hidden all these years. Arnoquah, the prince from Zoan, comes forward to claim ownership of the shoe, but he explains that he could not accept the love of any woman except for the peasant who he met those years ago. Wenunah reveals herself to be that same woman, and the two of them became united as husband and wife.
Wenunah does what is right in the eyes of Jana, even better than her father Awinita had done. She leads the armies of the Naamasahites to expand the borders of Jasur, and she cedes various lands and estates to the priests of Zor. She consecrates the city of Jasur in Jana's name, and in her days drunkenness and immodesty are strictly forbidden. To that end, Wenunah banishes the perverted people from the land[note 16], and breaks down the altars and shrines of any god other than Jana. After taking the borders of Jasur to their largest extent, a third of the Stargalon region, Wenunah appoints lords and magistrates to administrate the new territory, granting them lands that their descendants could rule after them. Late in her reign, it comes to pass that the merchants of Jasur mount a revolt against these magistrates. They capture the village of Jetta outside of Jasur, where they break down the walls of the lord's house and seize his estate. Wenunah labels these merchants as traitors, saying, "Why do you raise arms against the people who Jana has appointed over you? You have not only thrown away your lives, but also your souls." Wenunah quickly captures the city of Jetta, and all the merchants who did not capitulate are cut down with the sword.
At that time, Wenunah inquires the prophets if her reign would be known as the greatest in Jenolite history, because of her faithfulness to Jana. The prophets respond that indeed her reign has been blessed more than any other ruler so far, but there is yet another ruler after her which will be even greater, and will be known as the greatest of any ruler in the world[note 17].
Wenunah and Arnoquah are succeeded by their son, Luoquliah. Luoquliah does what is evil in the eyes of Jana, and he allows the city of Jasur to become lax in its morality, until it turns into a wretched hive of scum and villainy. He spends the treasury of his ancestors on opulent parties filled with the most perverse delights, and the magistrates under him imitate this same behavior. While Luoquliah does continue to pay homage to the priests of Zor, and fulfill the other rituals in service of Jana, all of these things are a veil of hypocrisy meant to dissuade attention from his evil deeds. But Ahijalah the seer rebukes the House of Awinita, and he says to Luoquliah, "Because of the sins you have committed, all of the people under you will likewise suffer. And if you do not repent, then you will likewise lose the throne that God gave you". After, the King of Orat invades Stargalon and defeats Luoquliah in battle, and afterwards sacks the city of Naonila. And the King of Orat compels Luoquliah to pay a large amount of silver, gold, and slaves as tribute. The next year, Luoquliah is deposed as king by Jomri the son of Jenún, who was leader of Jasur's military.
Talullah
Sections 13–20 of the text detail the life of the heroine Talullah, a figure also featured briefly in the Book of Gúlijalah as well as in a number of Dirges. It is briefly recalled how when Talullah was born a ghost named Shamog'quran visited Kara and imprinted a mark onto the baby's neck. Not knowing the meaning of this, the mother Isoqudul asks several prophets and seers, who come to three contradictory prophecies. The priestess of Biomi say Talullah will conquer a great empire, will construct a temple in Kara, and will raise a statue of a man with wings. The twin mages of the Juqonishi state that the girl will despair, that her horse will be shot by arrows, that her tears will spawn a famine, and her sons will grow hungry. Lastly, the prophet of Jana state that the House of Arjalah will perish but that Talullah will survive its destruction, that she will redeem these past transgressions despite never being queen, and that she will become wise like Lanonsyoni. Annoyed that the last prophecy "comforted the lady's heart", months later the followers of Biomi attempt to assassinate the Janist prophet with a snake. The infant Talullah, learning to walk early, comes upon the snake first and tramples it. Many years later, when Talullah is an adolescent, a shadag appears in Kara and shows her to a secret tunnel beneath the keep. Unable to enter himself, he directs her down into the passage, where it's said she learns "the true origins and secrets befalling the House of Arjalah". There also she finds the tombs of 20 men marked with swords on their graves, and stacks of ancient coins with unknown faces. In Kara, Talullah participates in the quests to find the missing pieces of Jana, and personally delivers a golden rib to the Sarcophagus of the Ancients. When Morqulayah warns of the destruction of Kara that the Prophet Gúlijalah foretold, Talullah recalls she dreamed of such an event. She flees with his contingent and leads a number of survivors just before the Smiting of Kara.
Becoming separated in the night after Kara's fall, Talullah wanders in the wilderness with a small number of survivors. Feeling that she has been led astray from the path to Zor due to her impurity, she builds a purification lodge. The people take turns in the purification lodge lasting hours, while Talullah miraculously stays for 10 days and nights. When she emerges she discovers her camp has grown into a small town, because herogs have emerged from the forests and have constructed markets.[note 18] Flown into a rage that the people are constructing a new city, Talullah gives a prophetic speech on the nature of their curse and their future. She then smashes the market stalls and razes the makeshift temple the people have constructed. Some of the people flee in terror and join with the herogs in the woods, selecting a man named Jaqutsi as their champion. Angered by Talullah's actions, these forces decide to attack Talullah's smaller contingent, and they harass her group as they travel through the woods for many days. One night Talullah decides to make a stand, performs a sacrifice to Jana'ah, and then does battle with Jaqutsi's army. They have a great battle lasting until sunrise, in which Jaqutsi's army is routed, and the champion has his horse shot out from under him while fleeing, crushing his leg.[note 19]
After many weeks Talullah reaches the city of Zor with a band of followers, now only numbering 220. However, she declares she is not worthy to enter the sanctuary without a gift worthy of Jana and proportional to her family's sin. As such she goes back into the wilderness and tracks down an animal sacrifice. First she finds a magical butterfly, but after a brief battle the butterfly is snatched up by a bird. She battles against the bird, but after the bird is snatched up by a dog. She battles the dog, but again the dog is snatched up by a lion. After another long battle this time the lion is subdued, at which point it opens its mouth and whispers a word of thanks; a spirit exits the lion's nostrils and drifts toward the heavens. Taking the carcass to Zor, Talullah is let into the city. Over the course of many years, Talullah studies "the first seven scrolls" and becomes an apprentice priestess. She seeks entrance into the inner layer of the city to see the great prophet Gúlijalah and learn his wisdom, but the prophet declares, "I know who you are, yet you do not; because you stand before me with four legs and a heart of the eternal realm of Barbgolo". Convinced she has not achieved the requisite wisdom, Talullah goes into self-exile. After many months of wandering she encounters an elderly man in the forests who gives many riddles. Seeking to learn from the man, Talullah agrees to fetch him a cup of water from the tallest mountain in Stargalon, Mount Qora, to rejuvenate his memory.
Talullah begins a long trek into the lands of the mountains, during which time she has several encounters. First she finds a hidden city underneath a waterfall, and decides the winner of a contest of poets. Impressed by her judgement, one of the poets Etowoyah asks for her hand in marriage, but she declines. A second, Yethqoam, challenges her to a duel for the right to wed her, but loses. A third, Teyethogoah, kidnaps her in her sleep with bag made of blessed orca skin. When Talullah awakes she is in a cell and bound with chains until a marriage ceremony can take place; the marriage officiator warns that their union will be cursed. Teyethogoah's domain is then assaulted by an army led by the one-legged champion Jaqutsi, seeking revenge on Talullah and mistaking the land as willingly co-ruled by her. Escaping from bondage by the destruction of the prison walls, Talullah traps Teyethogoah in his magical orca-skin bag and leaves him. Jaqutsi pillages the land for many days and becomes its ruler, turning the locals against Talullah as the source of their misery.
Finally reaching the summit of Qora, Talullah fills a cup with water, and begins to descend while holding the cup upright in one hand. During the descent she performs several feats, including the hunting of a deer with her other hand, a wrestling match with a man named Eaomoah, and the building of a cottage for an elderly couple near the town of Nagratistli. After traveling for some time, with the cup still held up, she discovers that Jaqutsi has raised a great army of a thousand horsemen, ten thousand spears, and a number of giant falcons. Their army ravages across Stargalon and lays siege to the wise old man's tower in the forest. Upon arriving to see her destination blocked, she challenges Jaqutsi to a one-on-one duel noting that they both lack an appendage (as she must fight one-handed with the cup in one hand). There they do battle and Talullah manages to keep the water from spilling, and Jaqutsi is greatly injured when his sword hand is cut off. Before he can be slain, the falcons drag Jaqutsi to safety; the army retreats after them. Giving the water to the old man, it is revealed that he is Qesha, a second son of the old regent Joreh, who achieved an enormous lifespan but was still cursed to receive the pain of aging. Qesha delivers a sermon revealing many ancient laws and pieces of wisdom, and trains Talullah for a year. Among his speeches is a message to be fruitful and have many descendants, for he foresees a great lineage for Talullah.
Therefore, she next searches for a husband. After many adventures which attracted several companions to her side,[note 20] Talullah comes across the city of Musgistli and impresses its council with a speech on divine knowledge. After challenging a masked prince[note 21] to a board game and reaching a draw, Talullah is impressed and asks to marry the prince. However, this angers the regent-consort, Pequanan, who fears Talullah will usurp the position of her daughter, Staqualah. Pequanan first tries to get rid of Talullah by challenging her to an impossible task: to traverse the cursed land beyond Kara where no man walks in and lives.
She enters this land and sees a great vision "unseeable for any mortal eyes", in which there are monsters blotting out the sun and ghosts which prowl the land, however, the ghosts miraculously do not harm her. Coming upon labyrinthine ruins, she finds they lead to the place that Jana "touched" and tore the earth asunder. From a seeing stone, she learned that she is possessed with the spirit of Shamog'quran from many years ago, which is what allowed her to pass into the realm of ghosts. There arises the skeleton of the great chief himself, revealing he brought Talullah here to reclaim both his spirit and her mortal body. The undead remains of Shamog'quran and Talullah do battle which wounds her greatly. She invokes the knowledge from the crypts below Kara and calls upon the 20 dead kings to rise and assist her, allowing Shamog'quran to be defeated, his spirit removed from Talullah. The ghosts reveal they are among the Ghosts of Barbgalo, and speak that the great fortune of Kara set aside in the crypts has paid for these services, but now Talullah must leave the ghostly plane. The high king prophecies that the ghostly realm will be sealed once they have completed their last quest, taking the land with them from the mortal world. Returning to Musgistli with a "black stone" from the ghosts, this success infuriates Pequanan further. Pequanan pays a Son of Wetul[note 22] with the black stone to kill "the one who desires the throne", however, rather than killing Talullah the mage's curse kills Staqualah.
The section concludes with several brief mentions of Talullah's primary daughters, often called the Talullids, which include Gaqotha who traveled to the moon, Jasnunah who ruled Musgistli, and many other rulers and heroines. Over the course of Talullah's adventures she is said to have raised seven seeing stones, delivered 12 people's babies, judged 33 contests of skill, performed 60 reburial feasts, blessed a thousand children, and gave 9,000 sheep to the poor. Later in life, having cured herself of the ghost's touch and finally worthy of entering the inner sanctum of Zor, Talullah met Gúlijalah and received a great number of secret sayings of his.[note 23] She then receives the honor of being one of the nine legendary witnesses who watched as he ascended from the mortal realm, thus ending the time of the prophet on earth.
Oratian–Goulite War
Chapters 35-39 of the Book of Hammers details the events of the Oratian–Goulite War. Reman the King of Orat brings his armies to invade the Stargalon region, primarily to attack the Goulites. His reputation as a conqueror beyond the typical autocrats of Orat is revealed after he crushes and enslaves the Skypriots who lived to the south. It is also recalled how one of Reman's ancestor, named Mardou[note 24], was present when Goul first left the Kingdom of Orat, and that now he has returned to enact his vengeance and reclaim the Goulites under the empire. Reman first sends an ultimatum ahead of his army to the Goulites, demanding that they should submit to an appointed Kuraka from Orat, that they should pay the miqta tax and the child tax, and abandon their local gods to worship the gods of Orat.[note 25]
When news of the Oratian arrival reaches Serahallah, a King of the Goulites, he becomes petrified with fright and calls together all of his advisors and seers to give him advice. The advisors say that Serahallah should take courage, and muster his forces from among his people and among his allies to stop the Oratian advancement at the valley of Jerokoam. The seers of Dul concur with this advice, and say that the gods of Stargalon and the Nurma will prove stronger than the gods of Orat. But one seer of Jana, named Fúthonoah, gives a prophecy that this is not a battle the Goulites will win, and that standing up against the Oratians would only sacrifice the lives of his people for nothing. Reman, he claims, had been called to be Jana's instrument of justice, because the land had been tainted by the sins of the people and had instigated the Lord's wrath. He advised that Serahallah flee the Goulite capital city of Eroah, and retreat to the mountains near the city of Zor. Instead, Serahallah listens to the seers of Dul, and he orders that all people who suggest they should surrender be arrested as cowards and traitors. Fúthonoah is arrested and locked in a dungeon deep in Eroah.
Then Serahallah raises all the troops that he can reasonably conscript and prepares to fight the Oratians at the valley of Jerokoam. While the Goulites are spread out across many cities, and are divided between seven major clans and dozens of minor clans, upon hearing the news of Reman's approach, the clans put aside their differences to assemble a united army, creating one of the largest armies that Stargalon had ever yet seen. Serahallah sends letters all across the Stargalon region, to both friend and foe, asking all to contribute men for this endeavor. But the other rulers of Stargalon do not respond, because they do not believe that the Oratian army poses as much of a threat as Serahallah claims. Rather, they see the massive army of the Goulites as the real threat, and they suspect this call to arms to be a ruse to let the other Stargalon cities lower their defenses. Or even if the Oratians are a legitimate threat, then this would only serve to weaken a potential rival, they reason.
After the other people of Stargalon refuse to help the Goulites, a chapter of the Book of Hammers is dedicated to describing the Goulite order of battle. Each of the seven Goulite clans contribute an excess of 7,000 men, resulting in a implausible total of 49,158 troops. These are arranged into three flanks, in addition to multiple rows of reserve troops behind them. The same chapter also details the types of soldiers involved, including various classes of archers, foot soldiers, slingers, chariots and horsemen. But when Reman brings his army to the Jerokoam valley, the Book of Hammers describes this forces as "stretching from horizon to horizon"[note 26]. When the Oratians let fly a barrage of arrows, the sheer number of projectiles briefly turns the valley from day to night. Reman himself does not lead the army from the front lines, but instead stands upon a rock situated on a nearby cliff face,[note 27] accompanied only by his servants and a few Douist philosophers.
Many Goulite solders in the center panic at this sight, causing several regiments to start routing even before the Oratians have fully closed their advance. But Serahallah is determined not to give up so easily, and he decides to use the weakening of his center to his advantage. As the Oratians press further against the center, the king calls the left and right flanks to close in from two sides, hoping to have Reman's army surrounded. But surprisingly, the King of Orat anticipates this ploy. The reserve forces of Orat join into the battle, and quickly spread out like a crescent moon around the two flanks of the Goulites. Now it is the Goulites being attacked on two sides, one force within the circle and one from without. In desperation, Serahallah decides to lead a strike force of 50 men (including archers and footmen) to sneak up against Reman's position on the cliff, hoping that he may decapitate the beast. And Serahallah says to himself, "what kind of coward would refuse to lead his armies in person?" But when they attempt to kill the Oratian king these men fail to reach the cliff.[note 28]
Thus the Goulites lose the battle of Jerokoam, and Serahallah falls back to Eroah with only a fraction of his surviving army. As soon as news of the battle reaches Eroah, the slavers and merchants of the city rally around a man named Adnan, who says, "resisting against the Oratians is surely madness. Let us instead prove we are friends of Reman and enemies of Serahallah, so that they will show us mercy." As soon as the Goulite king arrives at the palace, Adnan launches a coup d'état that seizes control of the city, and he has Serahallah killed. Then Adnan throws open the gates of the city, and allows Reman's army to occupy it without a struggle. When Reman finds that Fúthonoah was locked in prison, and that he originally advised the king to surrender to Orat, Reman orders him to be released at once and allows him to leave the city unscathed. Defiant, Fúthonoah delivers a prophecy regarding Reman's ultimate fate and the future course of the war. Then Reman abolishes all the armies and nobility of the Goulites, and he appoints a Kuraka from Orat to rule over them instead. He tears down both the shrines to Dul and the altars to Jana, abolishing the priesthood and capturing the priests.
Then he builds a large alter in Eroah, and says to them, "Today is the first Day of Undesirables in your land. It is the most sacred day of the year among the people of Orat, and you will learn to joyously embrace it as well. For today is the beginning of your service to the gods of Orat." Reman gathers together all the people who supported Serahallah – the priests and seers of Dul, the royal household of Goul, and the military officers of the Goulite clans – and one by one, all of them are ceremoniously executed on the alter, until the streets are said to be paved in blood. Among those who die include all those who had followed in the sins of Serahallah, and had imitated the offenses of the Goulite leaders. But Adnan, who had betrayed the city in favor of the king of Orat, is granted the high honor of holding Reman's sandals for the rest of his campaign. Then Reman constructs new shrines in the city, dedicated to his ancestors and to Dou the god of Orat. The mountain strongholds are gradually conquered and razed, with countless people being slaughtered by the invaders. But it is said that Fúthonoah makes one last sacrifice to Jana, whereby he asks for mercy upon the people of Stargalon, and then an earthquake strikes in the mountains which devastates many Oratians. The Oratian excursion north is stopped and they return south to tend to their lands, taking with them enormous plunder and slaves, and leaving the once proud Goulite lands abandoned or in ruins. Nonetheless, this intervention temporarily puts a stop to the Oratian threat, but Fúthonoah reiterates his prophecy that Jana has issued only a light reprise, and that if the people do not repent they will be exterminated like the Goulites, in what becomes known as the Warning of Fúthonoah. However, it is said that this call was almost completely ignored in Stargalon, with the rulers of the land content with the Oratian threat having never materialized.[note 29]
House of Jomri
Hammers 62–72 tells the rise and fall of the House of Jomri, beginning with the titular character in the court of Jasur. As a young man, Jomri takes part in the Battle of the Whips in support of his oathed-brother Segeliah of Nour, albeit they lose, owing to Jomri's faithlessness in Jana. Recovering from his wounds, Jomri joins a mercenary company which makes its way to Morqinsarti, and impressed by Jomri's skills, the city's people name him captain of the guard. It is in the service of this city that Jomri encounters a warlock in the forests who tells the man of his destiny and his secret lineage from the regents of old. Inspired by this, Jomri returns to Jasur and he joins a rebellion over the taxes raised to pay the Oratians. Furthermore, Luoquliah melts down a statue raised for Jana, and gives the gold to the invaders in a great sacrilege. After Luoquliah is chased from Jasur, Jomri is elected regent after catching Luoquliah's pet sparrow with an arrow, and being declared "the one that Jana chose". Collectively Jomri rules for about 30 years, although his reign faces many challenges. It is said that after failing to restore the proper rites after the fall of Luoquliah that Jomri was expelled by his own people, and he spent many years as a nomad rebuilding his strength and performing penance. Among his crimes were the fact he took an Oratian for a second wife, and failed to make pilgrimage to Zor. On another occasion, the goading of his son to take part in a steer-wrestle results in his son's death.
Three sons of Luoquliah come to take the throne of Jasur for a time, but Jomri raises an army of exiles and raids the land, before killing the sons in battle with the help of Targútheti the Wanderer. On the throne for the second time, Jomri clashes with the priests who criticize his many improprieties. Nonetheless, Jomri expands Jasur's borders many times over, uniting seven of the twenty tribes. He presses a claim to the Tasunusa regency, who led a confederacy of five other tribes, but ultimately is repulsed. Later in life when his son and heir Neqemaah falls ill, Jomri repents and performs a sacrifice to Jana to save the son's life. The prophets warn, the son will survive but will not immediately succeed, for Jana's will is expressed by the joguinsawi and their right to choose. When Jomri is on his deathbed, he swears a promise on behalf of his house to follow the laws. Neqemaah later seeks to prove his worthiness and recollect the tribes, as tribes are known to disunite upon the death of a regent. However, for the remainder of the text the many rulers of the cities fail to unite the tribes and continue to fight amongst themselves, until Jarotha's Great Alliance in the wake of the Oratian war, and the final summoning of the Ghosts of Barbgolo.
Neqemaah works hard to subjugate the cities of Stargalon, but his advancement is quickly checked by the coastal city of Seibe. The armies of Seibe are more powerful than Jasur, and the narrow geography of Stargalon prevents Jasur from making any significant expansion as long as Seibe still stands. So after Naqemaah fails in three battles against Seibe, he asks the high priestess why he has been so unsuccessful in this regard. The priestess explain that the city of Seibe has found greater favor from Jana than the House of Jomri, because their ruler was a righteous man who did not commit the acts of immorality that Jomri had done. Neqemaah is disgusted that the favor of Jana would be so fickle in this way, and in his heart his desire for power over Stargalon exceeds his devotion to God. So Neqemaah begins devoting himself to many gods of the Nurma, to see if their favor would be more satisfactory than Jana's. He sets up altars and pillars to Dul under every green tree, and gives burnt offerings to the old gods of Stargalon.
Then Neqemaah inquires of the priests of Dul, asking how to obtain the ultimate power of the gods. The apostate priests tell him that if he sets up a monument of Biomi in the sanctuary of the temple of Zor, then he will obtain the power to wipe out all his enemies. Therefore Neqemaah reaches out his hand against the priests of Jana, seizing the lands that were given to them by Wenunah. He suppresses the autonomy of the city of Zor, and seeks to build a monument of Biomi in the sanctuary. But Uwetjana the Prophet says to Neqemaah, "You do not know what you are asking for, or what you are unleashing by doing this evil deed. No power ever comes without a cost, and the cost you relinquish to these false gods will be worth more than your own life". Neqemaah does not listen to the prophet, and goes through with his apostasy in order to achieve ultimate power. He also allies with the Goulites to the south, marrying a new spouse from the House of Serahallah, and partitioning the lands along the mountains.
As a result, evil spirits posing as gods endow Neqemaah with phenomenal power, such that he wipes out the armies of Seibe. But the consequences of these actions take a great toll on Neqemaah's life. His eyes became blood red, and his skin becomes sickly pale. He becomes no longer satiated by bread or water, but instead hungers for the blood of human beings. Neqemaah sacrifices many of his own people as burnt offerings to false gods, and drains their blood for him to feast on. Uwetjana and all the prophets unilaterally condemn Neqemaah's actions, and demand that he should put an end to this apostasy and turn his heart back to Jana. Uwetjana says to him, "Thus says Lord Jana, 'if you do not take heed the words of my statues and my prophets, and follow after other gods in this way, then my wrath shall be poured out against all of the children of Goul, for which there will be no mercy. And I will send my instrument of justice against the House of Jomri and the city of Jasur, and the religion that you did not take to heart will be taken away from you entirely.'"
But Neqemaah's heart becomes hardened, and he proceeds to persecute the prophets and drove them out of the city of Jasur. Uwetjana begins to despair, and he cries out to Jana asking what happened to the promises given to Mothúdul and her children, now that Jasur has fallen into sin. Then Jana sends a Heavener to comfort Uwetjana, and guides him to find a seeing stone hidden deep within the mountains. On this stone is etched the entire life and oracles of the Prophet Gúlijalah, revealing that all of these things that happened in Jasur had been foretold from ages past. So Uwetjana wrote down all of these words, and instructs them to his disciples who take them all to memory, among them being Nesoliah the great prophet.
At that time, Neqemaah makes war against Segeliah of Nour, the very same person who made an oath of peace with Jomri. Segeliah beseeches the Prophet Uwetjana for an intervention. The prophet comes to the city and says to him, "I don't do this for merely your own sake, but so that all people will see that the power of Jana supersedes that of these false gods". Uwetjana prays over the battle, and the armies of Nour defeat Neqemaah and drove him back to the city of Seibe. Seeing as the spirit of Jana has deserted the regent, Uwetjana supports the election of Neqemaah's kinsman, Temassah. Urged to subdue Neqemaah in battle by the chiefs, Temassah instead heeds Uwetjana's advice and remains patient that Neqemaah will fall when it is Jana's will. This patience is tested when a group of deserters flock to Neqemaah's banner, but Temassah remains resolute. He continues to be tested when a third claimant, Semoshelah, son of Qarshoah (also from the tribe of Naamasah), declares himself regent and sets out to capture Neqemaah himself. However, while these two fight, the Qusites reemerge from the sea,[note 30] and they retake their city of Seibe. In his hubris, Semoshelah rides hurriedly back to Seibe through the night, and his horse is startled by a lightning bolt and bucks, causing him to fall to his death. The fate of Neqemaah meanwhile is relayed differently at various points in the text, with Hammers 67:15 stating he saw the errors of his ways and repented, before dying of a sickness brought on by his unnatural studies and consumption of human flesh.
Having outlived the other claimants, Temassah brings his armies to bear against those who continued to resist, but otherwise offers clemency to all those who repent, and he leads a campaign to crush the priests of Biomi patronized by his predecessor. A great number of priests are killed, and the statue of Biomi which they intended to carry into Zor and place in the sanctuary is instead captured and cut into five pieces, each buried in one of the five corners of Stargalon.[note 31]
Described as an excellent ruler by the text for his religious commitment, it is briefly mentioned that Temassah did not command the same number of tribes as Jomri.[note 32] However, he also heeds the Warning of Fúthonoah (Hammers 39) and pledges to fortify the mountain passes, and to subjugate the mountain people who aid the Oratians. Over many years, he seeks to destroy a tribe called the Derothusa (“people born of the darkness”),[note 33] who are aided by a council of herogs, who enslave those they capture in the mines. Temassah builds several stone towers on the mountaintops, to warn the people of Stargalon should the invaders pass the mountains. Most importantly, Temassah has the testament of Gúlijalah which Uwetjana discovered codified as new law, finding that the land has for many years been operating unknowingly in a state of impropriety. He therefore gives a proper sacrifice at Zor and donates the spoils of war taken from Neqemaah and Semoshelah, whose armies the regent looted. It is briefly mentioned that Temassah also paid homage to a mausoleum created for the great heroine Talullah, whose death is recalled as occurring previously after a deep bout of meditation. He prepares an elixir made from oil poured over the sarcophagus for protection of his spirit.
After five years, Temassah dies of food poisoning and several claimants seek out the regency. A man named Qaquoah appears in Jasur claiming to be the son of Neqemaah, and to prove his lineage, the repentance of his family, and his worthiness as leader, he undergoes a trial by fire. Convinced by this action, he is embraced by the clan mother Jaqoroth, who elects they follow him. Many others in the Naamasah tribe (three out of five clans) elect Temassah’s son Zejaralah as regent, and the two form an uneasy peace. Two minor tribes, the Saresi and Megirotha, elect a man named Nurumah who rejects the high taxes of the Jomrites and their building projects, instead focusing solely on adherence to the laws. The rest of the tribes once united by Jomri disperse, with one of them, the Qorasah, joining the Qanasi–Suoasqua alliance formed against Temassah, which by this time has turned into a confederacy under the First Beloved Jasiturah, who defeated the Qusites in the Pass of Hands. Thus the chronicle of the Jasurites concludes with the city at its nadir, before a resurgence during the Oratian War, when Jarotha performed labors to unite all the tribes, including those of Jasur.
Jarotha's Great Alliance
In Hammers 73–79 begins the Oratian War proper, in which Reman brings his full army to bear into the Stargalon Valley for the first time. After the fall of the Goulites and the harrying of Temassah, the mountain passes and mines are occupied by minor warring marauders and herogs, who build slaving camps and raid each other. It is mentioned that Temassah established a knighthood, the Barúqdún, who patrol the underground caverns and man the stone watchtowers, but after many years of neglect due to the infighting among the Naamasah, this order becomes underfunded and forgotten. One famous ranger of the order is Númurquran ("wanderer wrestling with a ghost"), a man cursed to a solitary, long life, due to his possession by a restless spirit. Despite the disintegration of the Barúqdún, he keeps up the duties of the order, travels into the deep, and slays Haqechep, a creature which sought to crown himself king of the underground and unite the mountains.[note 34] It is discovered that many of the watchtowers have been destroyed, others are captured by raiders, and in some its guards having been corrupted by spirits or madness. Thus Númurquran slays many of the occupants of the towers, though elsewhere the undead continue to reign. At the end of Hammers 73, the Oratians arrive on the horizon, and Númurquran rushes to light a signal fire at the peak of Mount Shesheb. He buys Stargalon some time by bringing down rubble in tunnels, tricking the Oratian columns into traveling the wrong passageways, and by harassing scouts and supply trains. Seeking vengeance upon the creatures and men allied to the Oratians, Númurquran tracks down one chieftain Asqurpandon, who gives the Oratians knowledge in exchange for promises of riches and power as a Goulite king. The chieftain is slain, although Númurquran is mortally wounded and dies, as the Oratians pass through the mountains.
Flooding into the valley, the Oratians raid in every direction, razing many cities and enslaving thousands. The high priestess Jarotha, who had tried in vain to preach warnings to the people for many years, now is listened to by the tribes. At Zor, several regents swear an oath of peace to unite against the Oratians. For others, Jarotha must travel to their lands and persuade them, delivering many miracles and prophecies. She decrees to the Qanasi, "He who clings to the earth like a maiden tree will find it strangles them." When it is discovered the Oratians have obliterated the Duraqah clan, and their leader's body was found being gripped by the village's sacred maiden tree by twisting branches, the Qanasi swear their support. Over time most tribes set aside their differences, but a man named Gamosinda ("one who doubts") still rejects the efforts of Jarotha and leads a group of defectors. They are said to disappear into the mountains, their fates unknown. Similarly, the city of Seibe rejects Jarotha and the Jenolites, and none come to their aid when the city is razed to the ground. Seeing that they still do not have enough soldiers, Jarotha and allies travel to the desolate land that Jana touched, and speak to the Ghosts of Barbgalo. They negotiate for the ghost soldiers to come forth and ride alongside the Jenolites, in which case their debt will be repaid, and Jana will close the ghostly plane and ascend it from earth. After a long period of pillaging, the Oratians arrogantly march into the plains seeing the Jenolites as posing little resistance. However, it is at this time that Jarotha marches the combined army of the tribes against Reman. Although still outnumbered, the assembled army is the largest yet seen, making the Battle of the Plains the largest battle in Stargalon history. After drawing the Oratian army into a clash with the bulk of the Jenolite army, Jarotha leads a cavalry charge across the plain from the side, and when they crash into the Oratian army it is said the Ghosts of Barbgalo appear alongside them, more than doubling the amount of cavalry on impact. After much fighting, the Oratians pull back, and Jarotha gives a sacrifice to Jana with the spoils.
Although they achieve this great victory, the Jenolites are dismayed to find the Oratians don't retreat fully, and for many years the Oratians continue to conquer across Stargalon. Becoming self-assured, many in the alliance bicker over the spoils of war or the strategy taken, exacerbated by old rivalries, causing inconsistent results in battle. Although Jarotha keeps together the coalition, in the sixth year of the war she suffers from a "madness of the stomach" which collapses her senses, and after some time she dies at Qoj Tulsi, the birthplace of her father. The alliance leaders attend her funeral, uncertain of their future. Although a great council tries to keep to the many laws and prescriptions made by her in governing the coalition, many personalities try to rise ahead. Jarotha's daughter and successor, Perunoth, enters a self-imposed exile in a tower on Mount Neja, after receiving a vision to study sacred texts in isolation. Seeing the need to not overly favor one tribe over another, the council elects a lowly soldier named Jamoroah as First Beloved, who achieves some successes. However, a quos named Qorgnishi breaks from the orders of the First Beloved and leads his soldiers in a separate attack. Other leaders begin to cooperate less and tend to their own lands, finding the Oratians are now targeting each city individually. However, this proves folly, and the Jenolites suffer an immense defeat and lose the city of Jasur, killing Quos Zejaralah, two of his sons, two sisters of Perunoth, and many clan mothers.
Stargalon having fallen, the Oratians besiege Zor itself. There the great prophet Nesoliah takes up the defense, after receiving a vision from Jana. When Nesoliah strikes the ground, the walls of the city are brought down upon the Oratians. All earthly possessions he discards before them, reasoning that all objects of gold are mere trinkets compared to Jana. Then he debates Reman and convinces the Oratians to cease, and miraculously they depart without destroying the temple.[note 35] After performing a great purification ritual, Nesoliah delivers a Curse of the Nations, lamenting the division of man into numerous peoples, and how their divisions have led to immense destruction. He curses the nations who disunite in the face of crisis, but prophesizes that there is much left to the history of the Jenolites.
Book of the Elect
While the historical narrative of the Jenolites concludes with the Book of Hammers, the Eternal Zoragra (as opposed to the Late Teachings) includes the Book of the Elect. Largely a prophetic book of esoteric revelations, including prophecies regarding the Final Revealing and the end of humanity, the book gives several prophecies that are veiled descriptions of events during and after the Oratian conquest. In the process of describing the conduct of the Elect, a class of righteous individuals, the book also makes several allusions to past characters of the scripture in passing, which serve as important explanations of later epithets (e.g. Elect 34:15: "[Spiders] seek a patient hand; And did Mothúdul not also sprout eight legs for strand-travel?").
Book of Nesoliah
The Book of Nesoliah is an anthology of oracles and visions attributed to the Prophet Nesoliah, who was active in the first half of the tenth century AA. The first twelve chapters of the book are generally regarded to be written by the Prophet himself, or otherwise someone among his school of theology. Chapters 1-4 is word-for-word identical with Hammers 21-24, detailing the apocalyptic visions that Nesoliah received when descending into the Dreamworld. Chapters 5-12 follow a very similar style and vocabulary, simultaneously giving a picture of the end of the world and a picture of Jana's Grove in Heaven. These visions are heavily steeped in metaphors and cryptic descriptions, leading to a variety of alternate interpretations from the same passage. Generally, these passages have a running theme of passive resistance against godless or demonic forces, symbolized by giant beasts with composite animal features.
The rest of the Book of Nesoliah takes a drastic shift in tone and language, and was probably written by an unknown author sometime at the end of the tenth century AA. Chapters 13-23 are effectively a refutation of Douism, denouncing the Oratians for their violent and authoritarian practices in the name of "liberation". It particularly calls out Orat's suppression of local religions, and their attempts to force the Jenolites to worship Reman and his ancestors. Chapters 24-36 continue with prophesies of the future, but the ambiguous generalities of the earlier chapters are done away with. Instead, these chapters call out specific nations and places that will receive Jana's wrath, even foretelling specific battles and circumstances that will lead to their downfall. The longest passage describes the decline of Orat's empire in visceral detail, describing it as "a whore on the back of a vulture". Other passages are directed towards other tribes and people groups within the Stargalon region, either criticizing their misguided reliance on pagan gods (the Nurmic religion) or calling out their acceptance of Douism.
Chapters 37-48 describe a great temple in Jana's Grove in painstaking detail, emulating the perfect implementation to laws and principles laid out by Gulijallah.
Historical Jenolites
Origins
The exact origins for the Jenolites are unknown, with various theories having been proposed. Traditionally, the Jenolites were linked to a migration out of Ancient Orat. The story of Mothúdul, traditionally dated to 1300 AA, may speak to a cultural memory of migration out of the Oratian region into Stargalon, with the story of the Twelve Kings being related to the civil wars that transpired during the fall of the Middle Kingdom. It has also been proposed that the Jenolite narrative drew inspiration from the Kalleanite Exodus. However, most historians reject a migratory conquest model as there is no widespread evidence of a separate people group migrating into Stargalon from Orat in settlement remains. Instead it is proposed that the Jenolites began as a branch of the indigenous Stargalonians who gradually differentiated themselves through their religion centered around the worship of Jana. The Jenolites may have also been the descendants of peoples settled in the region after the establishment of the New Kingdom in Orat, based on inscriptions of Miktal the Restorer, which allude to pushing back “the Split Mountain Host” and subjugating several tribes of the east. Due to the later emergence of an anti-monarchical tradition in Jenolite culture, it has also been proposed that the Jenolites were descended from those who broke away from the hierarchical city states of the Bronze Age, and intermarried with pastoralists and migratory groups, some of which could have been Oratian.
The earliest reference to the name "Jenol" as a distinct people group in the historical record emerged in c. 1071, in the form of the Kalamis Stele, raised in the early Iron Age by Oratian ruler Kalamis the Swift to commemorate a successful campaign against the Jenolites and other groups of the region. Awinita is the first leader of the Jenolites whose name appears as the patron of certain Seeing Stones, thereby making him the oldest Jenolite ruler attested by extrascriptural sources. He is also identified as "Onida" at the Kedah obelisk, which lists out various people groups who paid tribute to the Northonan King Kalamis "the Swift". The dating of this obelisk is somewhat in dispute, as Kalamis was known to claim some of the acts of his father (Shada Shethu) as his own. These were the most powerful Northonan kings in recorded history, who subjugated the northern half of Orat in the wake of the Kalleanite Exodus. The Northonans are generally believed to have originated out of the Skypriot plains south of Stargalon, but to what extent they exerted influence over the Jenolites, if at all, is unclear.
Many historians have attempted to connect the events of the Jenolite scriptures with the destructive civil conflict that occurred in the Middle Kingdom of Orat, called the War of Five Kings (1282-1265 AA). This is slightly later than the traditional date from the Jenolite Calendar, but according to Poth's revised chronology this can be reconciled by reinterpreting a few chronological references in the Book of Bargains. While there isn't any contemporary evidence for Goul's exodus, there are many examples of mass emigrations of foreign tribes in the last years of the Middle Kingdom, and at least one source implies that a similar event happened at some point in the past. While this theory has a strong following, especially adherents of Poth's revised chronology, it is not the leading view of most academics.
Based on archaeological evidence, the majority of modern scholars consider the story of the matriarchs to be national myth narratives constructed centuries later. The oldest historically-confirmed monarchs in the Jenolite scriptures are several generations removed from Mothúdul, although the stories of the earlier matriarchs may preserve some historical reality. The historical matriarchs are believed to have likely worshiped the Stargalonian god Dul’uh, which is preserved in the names of the matriarchs and key locations containing linguistic reference to “dul”, such as in Mothúdul and Qordul. In Jenolite scripture, the word “dul” is also used as a generic term meaning “lord” in several passages, before the use of the name Jana after Levitations 11:3. Scholars have proposed that this text is likely a composite of two separate sources, one preserving the story of Dul worship, which incorporates more spiritual traditions associated with his cult, and a story of the Janist tradition, in which Jana is anthropomorphized as speaking to Qordul.
Archaeology confirms the thirteen principal cities of the Stargalon Valley date back to at least the 13th century AA, and were built on top of older settlements that are Neolithic in origin. Relatively early on, Zor emerged as an important religious site, whose leaders commanded respect among the Jenolites on account of their accumulation of religious artifacts. However, the archaeology suggests that these cities operated as completely independent polities, and at no time were part of a unified kingdom. It is often suggested that the "Court of Kara" and similar conferences in the Book of Bargains alludes to a loose confederacy of states, of which Zor may have been hegemon. Despite a high degree of later romanticization, no archaeological evidence has been found to confirm the existence of the "Labyrinth of Zarpatulr" or the city of Kara, leading some scholars to propose that both sites should be understood to be metaphorical, similar to the mystical "Island of Dagen". Alternatively, Kara may have been a nomadic tent city, with the story in the text preserving a memory of Jenolite pastoral roots. Although not corresponding to urban remains, several palace complexes destroyed during the time period have been linked to the "Smiting of Kara", which are key to the chronology of the semi-legendary era. The bronze age complex that once stood at Qoj Kara was destroyed in some natural disaster before the emergence of a nearby iron age site at Naonila. No consensus has been reached on the exact nature of this catastrophe, but events similar to it have been identified in other regions of North Methona around the same time. For example, the natural upheavals associated with the End of the Middle Kingdom of Orat, which are also described in the Kallean scriptures, share several features in common. The plagues called down by Gúlijalah himself may also be remnants of this same event. If correct, this places the events of the Book of Gúlijalah roughly between 1110–1100 AA.
Archaic period
Historians generally agree that the archetypal Jenolite configuration consisted of several autonomous polities or "tribes" – at their height numbering about 20 – which had begun to emerge by the 11th century AA. At the conclusion of the late Nurmic period (1500–1000 AA), there was a gradual transition from semi-nomadic and agropastoralist life to settled agriculture, which contributed to a greater consolidation of smaller village complexes into urban centers. Additionally, many tribes seem to have formed confederations to these major tribes, either willingly or through subjugation, creating a complex network of tribal and clan affiliations, which over time became subsumed as urban identities. In most cases these tribes disavowed the title of "king", preferring the use of "regent" (quos or qoos; sometimes also translated as "high chief") as a replacement, or in the case of intertribal alliances or major confederations, the title "First Beloved" ("[palo]yati"), a term also used for transregional legendary figures such as Panonpalo. However, the majority of tribes replaced or augmented executive power with an assembly of "chiefs" (joguin, pl. joguinsawi; or ilyema, pl. ilyemiqan), usually assembled from influential members of each clan and elected by the tribal mothers. If a regent was present, he/she was usually affirmed by this council, although many tribes had hereditary regents, making them effectively monarchs in all but name. The tribal mothers were influential in their own right, as the head of the constituent clans of any given tribe, and possibly as members of chieftain councils themselves, or even as simultaneous regents (e.g. Quos Poroquah, Mother of the Nunahasi clan, led the Tasunusa from c. 744 to 702 AA). Sometimes the head of the tribal mothers, also known as the Othna'oth ("mother of mothers"), was considered the leading figure and became the de facto "queen" of a given tribe.
Early on during the urbanization of Stargalon, the city of Zorqojanyahol emerged as an important trade city, which imported cultic objects to become a transregional religious center appealing to a large number of religious groups. The city was governed by a matriarchal high priesthood which according to legend was descended from the prophet Qordul, also known as the Qaqurmite dynasty, and which may have originated as one of the several tribes, or as an elite group which branched off from a major Jenolite tribe, such as the Naamasah. In scripture, Zor is described as commanding a neutral position in the affairs of the whole region, and being collectively respected by all secular rulers. However, there is considerable archaeological and textual evidence to suggest that Zor was initially joined by a plethora of other temple sites, placing the supposed Zorist centrality as a later invention. The temple site at Qojdul (literally meaning "House of God") was at least as important in the archaic period, based on excavation of its large campus. The site is described in the Book of Bargains as being a home to the patriarch Zurduli, but in the Book of Gúlijalah the site is castigated as an affront to Jana, including for its apparently indecent renovations by a chieftain named Ajerqorah. This suggests a later revision to show the inferiority of their rival by the Zorist scriptural compilers. Over time the Zorist rites diffused into the region, namely the prescriptions against weapons and blood-spilling in the city, and the annual pilgrimages and regional festivals. Yet there is also evidence of conflict in the archaeological layers below the present site, showing this ideal was initially not always reached.
Key urbanized tribes included the Veranseyah tribe centered around cities such as Duroquela and Qoj Muri, the Usuroah tribe of Ishtangti, the Tasunusa tribe centered around Musgistli, and the Qurowah tribe centered around Nour. Although evidently not a major force at the start of the archaic period, the Naamasah tribe later became among the most powerful confederations in Stargalon, and appears to have sponsored a special connection to the high priestesses of Zor. This tribe appears to have created a symbiotic relationship with the temple city, offering protection in exchange for divine assurance and prestige, or possibly Zor was initially an off-shoot of the Naamasahites. Additionally, the Zorist priesthood provided a divine support for the central government of Jasur, enabling the nobility appointed by the hereditary monarchy to subvert power of local clan leaders and migratory merchants. Alternatively, Naamasah ascended to a premiere position and retrojectively asserted a special relationship with Zor, given their undeniable success. In either case, by the time of the Zorist redaction of the Jenolite scriptures, Naamasah from its principal city of Jasur was given preeminence. In the Book of Bargains, the tribal patriarch Joreh is called the "first" Regent of God, being directly elected by Panonpalo. This serves to imply the House of Joreh's claim as the rightful rulers of all Stargalon, juxtaposed with the rival House of Arjalah, which fails to achieve Zor's blessing. The inability to conclusively find evidence for the early Arjalahites has led some scholars to assert the dynasty was constructed to serve a theological function as opponents of Joreh. However, the story of the dynasty almost certainly speaks to a historical reality of multiple dynasties fighting between each other. There is also evidence of multiple tribal leaders connecting their dynasties to the Arjalahites, usually through the famed king Yotungilah, implying either a historical connection to a real dynasty, or that the legendary dynasty did not initially have a negative connotation as the Zorists sources imply. Notably, both the Tasunusa and the Suoasqua claimed descent from Yotungilah's daughter, the heroine Talullah, while the Qanasi claimed descent from a brother of Carvoquabosh ("Carvo the Wise"). Importantly, the historically attested prophet Nesoliah was said to have lived in Jasur.
Jasur is also notable as its chief Awinita is the first historically attested leader outside the Jenolite scripture, being mentioned on surviving Seeing Stones from the 11th century, and also referenced in the Restoration Stele. This monument raised by Miktal the Restorer of Orat mentions the subjugation of the "House of Awenat" and a sack of Naonila in 1027, an event also mentioned in Jenolite sources. Similarly, the Jerush Stele (c. 1010s) mentions several important details about the "House of Jomri" and its usurpation of the throne of Jasur, an event described in the Book of Dirges and elsewhere as taking place during the reign of Awinita's grandson. The Oratian sources indicate that the House of Awenat and other Jenolite tribes aligned themselves with the Sixth Dynasty of Orat ruling from Xios, which were opposed to the Northonans ruling in Dhiss. This makes it likely that Awinita did arrange a marriage with an Oratian noble as mentioned in the Book of Hammers.
Oratian Domination
The House of Jomri ruled in Jasur a couple of generations prior to the conquest of Stargalon by Reman the Great. The royal chronicles of Reman's reign attests to eight battles over the course of the war: Jerokoam, Er, Mount Shsheb, Duraqah Woods, Siebe, Mount Meja, Jasur, and Zor. No mention is ever made of the Jenolite victories described in the Book of Hammers. However, this does not necessarily prove that these victories were entirely fictitious, either. Historical revisionism is a sacred tradition of Douist philosophy, and successive generations of Oratian historians (especially during the reign of Apef V) had a religious obligation to either erase or reinterpret any evidence that could be used as a criticism of Douism. While the Battle of the Plains may not have happened in a literal sense, it is very likely an amalgamation of many smaller victories the Jenolites had at some point or other during the campaign. Poth's historical assessment claims that the Oratian tactics would have been forced into very asymmetric battles when faced off against the tactics of the Nurmic and Goulite people, necessitating a drawn-out campaign with more than a few setbacks.
During the course of the war, the Jenolite tribes rallied behind the priesthood of Zor into a pan-Stargalon alliance known as the Jarotha Confederation. While the High Priestess Jarotha did not live long enough to see the war's final outcome, the alliance proved to be a landmark achievement in the political evolution of the region, and was used as a prototype for the independent Stargalon state which formed two hundred years later.
Oratian rule over Stargalon lasted for slightly less than a century, up until the Great Jenolite Revolt under Shada Apef V. During that time, Orat's influence had a profound impact on the cultural and religious development of the Jenolites. The Stargalon region was divided into three provinces, each administrated by a Kuraka appointed directly by the Shada. Like the rest of the empire, the Oratians attempted a policy of gradual assimilation of the Jenolites known as the Doutang system (a predecessor of the modern Doutang debates). The Doutang system first carefully studies and analyzes the religious traditions of the native people, then uses a number of social institutions to steadily undermine these traditions, and reeducate the population with Douist beliefs. These institutions include the Qayyan system (food collectivization), the Miqta (or labor tax) and the Kreena (or child tax). Feudal relations and market economies were officially suppressed, as well as public professions of faith.
The Doutang system had mixed results across different parts of Stargalon. A total of ten Kreena facilities and dozens of Qello silos have been identified by archaeologists from this time period, but others may have been lost or destroyed. The largest concentration of these facilities are found in the Goulite region, where Douism was most successfully received. While traces of the Nurmic religion, most notably the cult of Dul, persisted after Oratian rule ended, these traces only existed as syncretic traditions within Douism. Contrary to what is implied by the Book of Nesoliah and other scriptures, the Oratians never made non-Douist religions illegal. The Janist priesthood at Zor continued to grow in influence, and the temple remained unmolested until the reign of Apef V. In fact, there is evidence to suggest that some of the hypothetical documents used as source material for the Jenolite scriptures may have received royal patronage, suggested by the royalist slant in such texts as the Book of Bargains. Orat's main goal through the Doutang system was striking a balance between the cultural diversity of the region, so that no single ethnic group could become strong enough to challenge their rule.
There is evidence that the Jenolites actively resisted the Doutang system almost immediately after being subjugated. None of the taxation records from Dhiss ever matches the population and food production that Stargalon would have sustained. This discrepancy is most profound outside the Goulite province, as the other two provinces spanned across rural hinterlands and mountains. Mercantilism still existed at the city of Seibe, and many local feudal titles persisted even under the de jure authority of the resident Kuraka. It is sometimes argued that the apathy Orat had towards the Zorist priesthood had less to do with benevolent toleration, and moreso a fear of reprisal from the native population. For example, the historian Poth points out that the writings of Konnu the Wise condemned the existence of autonomous organized religion, and supported the dissolution of the Ona priesthood back in Orat.
The Prophet Nesoliah was active as both a seer and cultural icon in the early years of this period, mostly operating out of the city of Jasur. Nesoliah is regarded as the second-most important figure for the early development of the Janist religion, after the Prophet Gulijallah. Several books by Nesoliah have survived down to the present day, most of which are commentaries on Gulijallah's life and teachings. He is also believed to have written at least the first twelve chapters of the Book of Nesoliah, and one epistle is dubious attributed to him. Nesoliah was certainly an active figure, if not principle founder, of the Jenolite resistance movement against Douism. Full biographies of his life were written during the Venerable Era, included within historical annals following the tradition of Gallo of Kedah. While these sources are hundreds of years after his death, some basic facts of his life are certainly true, such as his martyrdom around 960 AA, as these details are reiterated in the First Epistle of Meluoyah.
Partly out of resistance to the Douist religion, and partly being directly inspired by it, the Jenolites experienced a cultural renaissance during this period that eventually led to the consolidation of the Janist religion. Literacy increased dramatically among the elites, marking the end of the Archaic Stargalon script and the beginning of the Middle Era. A critical analysis of the Book of Nesoliah (where different sections of the book were written by Nesoliah's disciples over multiple generations) indicates that the Janist religion evolved from a loose cultural tradition into a fully systemized set of doctrines, and a fleshed out theological model.
Two key sources for this evolution are the writings of Jasjurdo and Meluoyah, who lived at the end of the tenth century AA. Both of these texts allude to how sophisticated the Jenolite religion had become, and how the high priestess of Zor had become its leading central authority. The epistles of Meluoyah associates the worship of Jana with a kind of national identity, and the epistle of Jasjudo contains a manifesto that is the earliest known Janist creed. While both sources condemn Douism, there is a far greater emphasis on condemning other religious traditions (such as the Nurmic religion, cult of Biomi and heretical groups of Janists) that fall outside of the authority of the Zorist priesthood. This indicates that unity of doctrine was of far greater importance in that generation than external resistance.
Scriptural analysis
Traditionally, the Jenolite scripture was assumed to be contemporary with the events it described, and was attributed directly to important prophets and leaders, such as Gúlijalah. However, beginning in the 19th century, inconsistencies in the modern text, as well as the discovery and analysis of contradictory literary traditions present among the historical Jenolites, led scholars to propose a compilation or Multitextual Theory to explain the creation of the Jenolite scripture. The vast majority of the modern scripture is believed to have been written between 700 and 300 AA, partially in response to the introduction of Douism and Oratian rulership, centuries after the events they claim to describe. The writings or compilation work of this period would have been conducted by a priestly class centered around the city of Zor, who sought to codify Zorist religious practice and authority as central to traditional religion, retroactively asserting themselves into older forms of the stories. Several hypothetical sources have been proposed, with the Book of Levitations for example typically being subdivided into Janist and Dulist currents, which were then interwoven into one text, leading to several possible inconsistencies and doublets.
The traditions associated with the city of Zor and its religious order within the Jenolite scripture is commonly attributed to an independent "Hieratic Source", estimated to have arisen after the 8th century AA. According to the Multitextual Theory, earlier sources for the books of Bargains and Levitations were compiled by a priestly class established in or centered around the city. Levitations would have been edited and augmented with the addition of about a third of its modern content by these priests, mostly to retroactively justify the existence of the subsequent priestly order by rooting it in ancient foundational myths. While several textual clues persist pointing to an original form of the story, which may potentially speak to authentic religious beliefs of the 13th century AA, the text has been shaped to reflect later practice. Notably, the later half of Levitations features Qordul establishing a priestly line that's given supreme sovereignty. There is also several doublets regarding Mothúdul, such as alternate versions of the carrying of the altars. Likewise, the Book of Bargains contains several framing devices meant to imply a great curse upon the House or Arjalah for claiming the title of king, leading scholars to believe the text is an editing of a foreign dynastic mythology to conform to a pro-Zorist religious understanding.
A fourth possible source is the Gúlijalist source, associated with the titular prophetic figure and the ethical teachings he may have espoused. The Prophet Gúlijalah is a semi-legendary figure, regarded as the most important codifier of the Janist religion, who lived sometime around the late 12th century AA. While there is no contemporary documentation of his life, he is described in the Jenolite scriptures as being contemporary with Awinita the son of Morqulayah, who is the oldest Jenolite ruler for which there is extrascriptural evidence for his existence. Most of the hymns in the Book of Gúlijalah are theorized to go back to a historical prophet, deviating heavily from the fundamental marks of either the Hieratic or the monarchist schools. It is therefore generally accepted that these were penned by Gúlijalah himself, or alternatively a disciple or school following in his tradition. The rest of the Book of Gúlijalah, however, overlaps with the Hieratic school. The Panonpalo Cycle is linguistically and conceptually linked to the later Book of Gúlijalah, which likely represents a national myth of the Gúlijalist school meant to retroactively justify the unification of Stargalon, as it proposes the tribes had a common origin centuries prior despite a lack of evidence for such a unified state. In the process of compiling the Jenolite scriptures, it is possible that the Panonpalo Cycle formed as a hybrid of multiple local legends throughout the Stargalon Valley, where the local heroes of each city were synthesized into one person. Ambinian and Arjalah of Kara are two possible prototypes for this epic. While the Book of Bargains distinguishes Arjalah and Panonpalo as two separate individuals, other sources such as the Songs of Jatom seem to use their names interchangeably, leading some scholars to refer to Arjalah as "Panonpalo II Arjalah".
There is a jarring contradiction between the setting of Bargains and Malisons: the former implies the land was unified under a monarch, in which several rival cities and peoples have been annihilated (e.g. Jasur, Paquldoron, Musgistli, Nour) while the latter picks up with these peoples coexisting with Jenolites and no unified monarchy to speak of. Similarly, archeological excavations of early iron age settlements indicate no evidence of a violent conquest around the time of a historical Arjalah; Paquldoron notably was uninhabited from about 1800 to 1000 AA (the exception is Musgustli, for which there is definitive evidence of a great fire around the year 1250 AA, the city's foundations being built over). The Book of Malisons is mostly attributed to the Hieratic School, especially concerning its anti-monarchical, pro-Zorist themes, which seek to establish the supremacy of a transregional priestly city state centered at Zor. Although all the stories of the text follow this narrative goal, it is likely that the six stories featured in the text were originally different regional traditions and heroic narratives, which were later adapted into a shared mythology. This is most evidenced by the apparently parallel dynasties of Joreh and Arjalah, which are effectively two separate monarchies that have become coexistent and intertwined.
The Book of Malisons and the Book of Gúlijalah both revolve around a running theme of religious responsibility for the health of the population, uniquely linking moral and ethical codes of conduct with legal prescriptions. Among Gúlijalist themes are a focus on caring for the needy, as exemplified by the Dagihasi Promise, and the supremacy of the religious authorities, through the Great Peace Oath. If Jenolite scripture was taken at face value, secular society was completely subservient to religious authority, despite fragmentation into multiple independent polities. Alternatively, it has also been theorized that the secular prescriptions preserved in the text were written in response to Douist philosophy, as Konnu the Wise wrote that the secular state should be responsible for the welfare of the people and supplant the need for religion. The argument between Gúlijalah and Yotungilah seem to be framed as a Doutang debate. This lends more weight to the Hieratic source being written after the tenth century AA, when Douism was introduced to the region.
The fifth book of the Jenolite scriptures departs from the narrative structure of the preceding four in being solely composed of a series of funerary hymns. Modern scholarship holds that the first hymn in the Dirges was written explicitly pertaining the passing of the Prophet Gúlijalah, and that this first hymn may have once been located at the end of the Book of Gúlijalah. However, Dirges 1, as it is now known, was later removed from the Book of Gúlijalah and used as the beginning of a fifth separate book containing poetry touching upon the subjects of death, time, and the transient nature of the world of mortals. To this extent, Dirges 1 is thought to significantly predate the successive poems that follow it in the Book of Dirges. The later Dirges (62–113) show considerable eclecticism and speak to events across Stargalon, including in rival dynasties. Dirge 114, also called the "Song of Zurduli", is almost certainly the latest in the section, being dated to the fourth century AA due to its prophetic commenting on events of that time period.
The Book of Hammers has the pro-Zorist leanings of the hieratic school, but is evidently ignorant of the formalities and rituals of the Zorist priesthood. This suggests that the book was either made by someone less formally educated than the author of the Book of Malisons, or more likely the Book of Hammers was written in an older time period before these rituals were fully accepted. Although presenting itself as a chronicle of historical events, the Book of Hammers has a very clear theological thesis, using the last rulers of Jasur as a moral lesson against impiety. The conquest of Orat is portrayed as a divine punishment for the city's moral failures, necessitating obedience of the people to the institutional religion.
Religion
The historical Jenolite religion, also known as "Janism" by modern scholars, constitutes the religious beliefs and practices of the ancient Jenolite tribes. Janism is understood to be an essentially henotheistic branch of the Stargalonian religious culture emerging in the late Nurmic period (1500–1000 AA), characterized by its elevation of Jana as the national god of the Jenolite tribes. Also venerated was a consort of Jana, who was either Qandash or Dul, and several lesser deities, including Biomi (sometimes called Jana's daughter), Nuun'ah, and Temuoyah. Also existing was a possible third tier of local and ancestral cults, many of which evolved into heavanic beings in Jenolite scripture. The Jenolite religion was originally highly decentralized, with archaeological evidence of multiple temples being discovered from the Jenolite period, despite later Jenolite texts associating worship around a primary temple at Zor. There existed a high-ranking priestly class, likely descended from the Talisan tradition, which served as attendants for the temple at Zor, as well as in the role of legal authorities, scribes, political advisors, and medical professionals. Intersecting with this group was a large number of prophets and seers, as well as "anointed" secular monarchs sometimes called "regents" (in reference to serving in the stead of a god).
Jenolite religion is typically understood as a synthesis of multiple cultural traditions, having its roots in the Stargalonian religion, which is itself a composite of the Meto-Qurian and Burvian civilizations. The Meto-Qurian migration, constituting a slow diffusion of people into the lower Qopulian Plateau (typically dated to after 2600 AA), introduced the historical Nurmic religion into the northern Methonian continent, which was practiced from c. 2000–1500 AA. From this tradition developed Talisanism in the late Nurnic period (1500–1000 AA), as well as another Meto-Qurian complex which rejected Talisanical ideology in favor of the ascetic Qorama movement, giving rise to the modern religion of Stedism alongside the Jarogula Empire. Between 1000 and 500 AA the "Stargalonian synthesis" developed, during which the decline of Talisanism gave rise to a synthesis incorporating Qoramic and Oratian influences, possibly in a response to pressure from the growth of Douism and Stedism. Also contributing to the decline of the Talisans was the reemergence of urbanization during the late Nurmic period and early Iron Age, disrupting the traditional powerbases of the Talisan class. This "new Talisanism" appealed to rulers in the Stargalon region, as it combined local religious traditions with the practical advice and power of the Talisan class. During this period, the first Talisanical texts were created, primarily preserving a form of the mythology held by the influential Veranseyah tribe. Among these writings were the Nurmas, a collection from which the Nurmic period retroactively receives its name. The oldest hymns of the Nurmas are dated to 1600–1300 AA, providing background for the historical Nurmic religion, albeit the texts represent a later, elite-centric religion not necessarily corresponding to popular practices or beliefs. Jenolite scripture emerged almost a millennium later, and it is unclear to what extent Jenolites revered the earlier Nurmic traditions. Several passages of their scripture appear to quote large sections of the Nurmas, the prophets also on occasion quote sections of the Nurmic texts, indicating some level of awareness and shared use.
The emergence of Janist worship is unknown, although evidence for a Jana cult has been discovered dated to as early as 1800 AA, alongside other Stargalonian deities. There is strong evidence to suggest that the Jenolites originally worshipped Dul as a national god, based on archaeological remains and references preserved in scripture, although how a shift in hierarchy occurred is unclear. Excavations of the temple complex at Zor reveals that the city housed idol statues for multiple iterations of Jana and other deities simultaneously, despite the later prescription against depiction of Jana. The centrality of Zor may have originated in its importance as a trade center, attracting worshippers from all across the region and importing cultic rituals and statues into a shared temple complex, which later evolved into the temple to Jana and the practice of pilgrimage. In addition to the pilgrimage ritual, the Jenolites were known to perform sacrifices and other sacred rites, many of which shared across the region and in subsequent religious movements. This includes the rites of the sacred fire, the purification lodge, the female puberty ceremony, the reburial feast, the orb toss, and the dream quest.
For a long time, it was theorized that the Nurmic religion was directly inspired by the Pre-Douist polytheistic religion of Ancient Orat, due to many similarities between the two. For example, the Ijorunn bear similarities to the predynastic demigods that are also referenced in the Kallean scriptures, and Jana himself may be a counterpart of the Ona Cult. Jana's Grove may be connected to the "Tree of Life" motif found in Predynastic Oratian tombs. This theory has lost much of its support in recent years, however. It is now believed that these connections speak to the Burvian influence in Stargalon, as well as a hypothetical Proto-Methonan religion which existed sometime before 3000 AA, from which both the Pre-Douist Oratian religion and Nurmic culture descend.
Writing System
Stargalon script is a pictographic writing system which first appears in the 14th century AA. While it is the oldest known writing system in northeast Methona, it was rarely used prior to the eighth century AA. The earliest samples of this writing system are inscribed on Seeing Stones, which are religious monuments meant to intercede with the gods or other mystical beings. Janist scriptures imply there to be over a hundred such monuments at one time or another, but so far only 38 have been uncovered. Outside of these divinatory inscriptions, much of the history and laws of the Jenolites were kept strictly by oral tradition.
Starting in the eighth century AA, there was a dramatic shift towards literacy among the elites, which is when some of the earliest books of Janist scriptures date from. Many non-religious forms of literature have also been identified from this time, such as a cache of letters found in the city of Kara. This shift is most often attributed to the influence of Orat, after part of the region was annexed by Reman the Great in 970 AA, and Douism was introduced to Stargalon over the next few centuries.
Notes
- ↑ In Jenolite literature, seeing stones are described as large pillars erected in wilderness regions, usually containing a cryptic inscription. The Book of Bargains as well as several Songs of Jatom preserve the view of the seeing stones as being portals to other dimensions or locations, allowing supernatural figures to look through the stone on those in the human realm. Their inscriptions were said to be riddles, codes, and incantations meant to open the portal and reveal divine knowledge. Bargains describes the Mothúdul Stone as being erected by divine powers, while the Epistle of Jasjurdo implies it was raised by giants.
- ↑ The nature of the shadags are unclear, although later depictions imply they were heavenly beings with mixed humanoid and canine features. Alternatively, it has been proposed that the shadag myth preserves an ancient belief in other divine beings, which were later revised to a role as supernatural messengers.
- ↑ According to the Book of Levitations, there were three principal sons of Zurduli:
- Bariqulyah of the East (Bariqulyah na Cuonar), progenitor of all Cuonarite peoples
- Getsaliyah of the North (Getsaliyah na Binoq), progenitor of all Binoquite peoples
- Polmantiq of the South (Polm atil na Qus), progenitor of all Qusite peoples
The originators of the Levitations myths, a probably landlocked people, apparently did not ascribe a "progenitor of the west", due to the fact that Stargalon was bordered to the west by water. This generally synchronizes with the Stargalonian tradition that the ocean belonged to the gods and could not be given to man. However, later traditions and works, especially outside the Jenolite scriptures, began to associate the west with Juqonishi, a word that also appears in the Book of Malisons as a title meaning "The Ambivalent One". - ↑ Usually translated as “fire giants”, from the Gezic root words “ij” meaning “fire” and “oror” meaning “impressive”. Based on the Book of Levitations, the Ijorunn are described as powerful beings with snake-like appendages and heads, and in popular culture have been depicted as being giant in height. However, based on literary reconstruction it has been proposed that the Ijorunn were initially viewed as an alternative set of deities associated with the city of Larchulam, whose worship involved the use of snake augury. The use of snake imagery in depictions of the Ijorunn is theorized to represent a priestly school of thought associated with distancing the Jenolites from the Larchulamian traditions.
- ↑ Lady Biomi is a divine figure of Janism, also known as the "daughter of Jana". She was initially worshipped as a deity in her own right, but in the Venerable Era her status was reduced to more of a divine helper or shadag. Those who connect the the Jenolites to the Kalleanite Exodus point out linguistic similarities between Biomi and Bomi, who was the wife of the Prophet Hobin.
- ↑ The poem of the Mystery of the Eleven Birds is widely considered by scholars of ancient Jenolite language to be among the oldest passages in the entire Jenolite scriptural tradition, with some scholars placing the text as early as the 14th century AA. It notably uses several linguistic constructions that would have been largely alien to Iron Age Jenolites, based on comparison with later texts, as well as mythological allusions not seen elsewhere in the Jenolite scripture. The abrupt shift in language has led historians to assume this text was inserted into an otherwise far more recent section.
- ↑ The Hieratic Source in the Jenolite scripture frequently claims that the sole king of the land is Jana, preferring the title of "regent" for secular rulers who serve Jana in the human realm. Lending credence to a multi-textual compilation, in the previous Book of Bargains as well as elsewhere in the scripture the title of "king" is applied to human rulers regardless, and evidently kingship would not be unheard of in the late Jenolite period.
- ↑ The Jenolite scriptural narrative gives almost no information about the Gennasha's mother and lacks a proper description. Based on only one other mention in passing, the Song of Vyasoni, it is implied that the Gennasha's mother was a normal sized boar, adding to the message of Arjalah's surprise defeat. In the apocryphal Tadunoshopi Letter (dated to the 4th century AA), the Gennasha reappears with no reference to boar characteristics whatsoever.
- ↑ Although theorized to correspond to a real island, including by figures within the Jenolite scripture and later historical works, it is commonly understood that the Island of Dagen was a metaphorical place lost to mankind. This is based on its etymology from the Gezic word "daeg", meaning "unknowable", as well as its description in later texts. For example, in the Book of Malisons, the decision by Morqulayah to try and find Dagen is described as a great folly, for which he is punished by having Mothúdul’s Horn lost to the ocean. Similarly, the prophet Gúlijalah frequently refers to Dagen as a metaphor for divine mystery and human's hubris:
- "He who thinks the word of most high will not come to pass will be pass thinking they have reached Dagen." (Gúlijalah 11:37)
- "Because it has been willed that the seasons transpire, that cycle continues unabated, but only until He has willed it to cease. Just as it is willed that the tides come to pass on the shore, and just as the Island of Dagen cannot be gazed upon by man or fallen into the grasp of Morqulayah; because all things obey the laws of Jana." (Gúlijalah 30:3–5)
- ↑ Evidently referring to a title of a powerful rival deity or priestess, the Juqonishi may be an interpretation of the deity Uqonesh who was associated with "multiple faces", or a cult associated with her worship. Outside the Jenolite scripture and in later traditions, the Juqonishi appears to have evolved from a title referring to any number of powerful magic users to a specific being associated with the westward direction (as shown in setting sun imagery), who acts as a bringer of trickery and misery.
- ↑ The story of Dagihasi's vengeance is commonly read as a parable of "not punishing the daughter for the sins of the mother", which appears to be an innovation on the part of the Jenolite scripture, compared to other contemporary law codes of the region. This story also serves as the apparent origin story for the great Lake Yoni, located west of Zor.
- ↑ The Dagihasi Promise represents one of the longest sections of the Jenolite scripture pertaining to legal and moral obligations, before the introduction of Gúlijalah. Considered the archetypal Hieratic code, the Dagihasi Promise prescribed moral obligations to care for the poor, sick, wounded, and widowed, creating a general expectation of charity. The promise also created the first oath to the supremacy of the priestesses of Zor, effectively subjugating all secular rulers to the authority of Jana.
- ↑ Gulijalah's star is a supernova remnant that is estimated to have first become visible to Earth in the 12th century AA. This is the most popular theory for the "new star" thought to herald the birth of Gulijalah. However, the Nolist theologian Arjalah Jenn points out that putting too much credit to a natural event for this passage weakens its spiritual significance. For this reason, most Nolist scholars tend to de-emphasize this theory. It was a common belief in the Bronze Age, as mentioned in the Kallean scriptures, that each region of the world had a special star directly over it, either for practical or divination purposes
- ↑ There are several theological and historical interpretations of this nebulous creation of a "new city" described in Gúlijalah 39:
- In the literal sense, it has been interpreted as saying the survivors of Kara built a new city, corresponding to one of the major capital cities of the influential Jenolite tribes that emerged in the late Nurmic period:
- The founding of the city of Qosretesi is generally dated to c. 1100–1000 AA, possibly representing a population that fled from an initial Oratian incursion into the lower Qopulian Plateau. It has been proposed that the Smiting of Kara may speak to a cultural memory of this destructive war, which prompted the formation of new cities in the Lake Yoni region.
- The city of Paquldoron, which the Book of Bargains lists as being conquered by Arjalah, was uninhabited from 1800 to 1000 AA, with a new settlement arising on the location around the traditional date of the fall of Kara. The connection of this city once belonging to Arjalah also lends credence to its status as a "new" Karan city.
- Although archaeological excavation of the city of Jasur indicate a continual habitation and a lack of major overhaul around the time in question, as the city eventually rose to become a major Jenolite capital city it is possible this passage was thought of as referring this city. The "Seal of Jalquriah" discovered in 2002 makes reference to the "House of Jasur and the New Kara", for example.
- The common theological interpretation of the passage is that the "new city" is a metaphorical reimagining of the relationship between humans and Jana. The Janists denounced the old world, with its association with improper worship, in favor of a new "city of god".
- The proclamation of the "new city" seems to imply the consecration of a new center of religious worship:
- The overwhelming view of the compilers of the Jenolite scripture was that the sole religious center of the people was Zor, and that the "new city" was the people beginning the reconsecration of the Zorist temple.
- Because of the passage not listing the new temple by name, other groups are known to have cited this passage as referring to their own religious centers. The most famous of which, denounced in late Jenolite scripture, is the temple at Mount Emoth, which appears to have been a temple primarily exalted by the Jeqemians that rivaled Zor in power for a time.
- The new age religious movement Revelism (founded in 1809) attributes this passage to an exodus out of Methona and the revealing of new laws to the Revelers.
- Jenolite maximalists and Nolist scholars, who hold that Kara was a literal historical city, often argue that the new city means that a city called Kara was refounded, on or near the same location as Old Kara. While this view clashes with the Book of Gúlijalah and the commentaries of Nesoliah, which hold that "eyes never again glanced at any stone of Kara, nor did any living thing ever go to that place..." (Gúlijalah 44:3), others read the frequent denouncements against Kara as being motivated from the opposite taking place.
- The ancient Nolist apologist Nehemuoyah of Yargur (f. 200s AA) argued there was a clear distinction between Old Kara and New Kara in the writings of Gúlijalah, based on the Prophecy of the Second Raven, which describes every event befalling man as happening twice. In his chronology, the Smiting of Kara occurred in 1080 AA, and the Second Fall of Kara occurred in 801 AA.
- Jenolite scholar Ampoth Loyosena proposed that the late Jenolite commentaries preserve an idea of the follies of Kara being repeated, for which the commentaries in Gúlijalah were written to denounce. In his view, the description of Kara's smiting speaks to a great sacking that occurred, possibly by the hypothetical "Great Alliance" (first proposed in the 19th century) opposed to Karan domination. The city wasn't destroyed outright, but existed in some highly weakened capacity until eventually withering away after never recovering its relevance.
- Alternatively, most scholars hold the doublet of Kara's destruction to be the combination of two independent versions of the same story, whose details were then reconciled together. Jenolite minimalists and centrists generally hold that the continued denouncements of Kara are the result of Kara being a catchall for impious behavior; the return of the city is a return to depravity, not a literal resettlement.
- In the literal sense, it has been interpreted as saying the survivors of Kara built a new city, corresponding to one of the major capital cities of the influential Jenolite tribes that emerged in the late Nurmic period:
- ↑ If this battle actually happened, it is likely that the city of Jasur was an independent state fighting the Seventh Dynasty of Orat on its own. Archaeology shows that Jasur went through major reconstruction sometime around this period, which is sometimes associated with the Smiting of Kara.
- ↑ This word bide (perverted ones) is unclear in its meaning, and has been a particular point of discussion in recent years between Nolist theologians, due to its implication on modern social norms
- ↑ This has been viewed as a more cryptic prophesy of the Book of Hammers, and it isn't clear what the author originally intended this to be alluding to. Various candidates among Jenolite history have been suggested as the intended subject. However, the predominate opinion among scholars is that this statement is meant to be a hyperbolic proverb, stating that in general there will always be a better person in the future. Alternatively, Nolist theologians view this prophesy as an allusion to the end times, pointing to a passage of similar wording in the oracles of Nesoliah. This passage is popular among Kallean apologists as supposedly referring to King Iram the Great of Limnos
- ↑ The herogs appear to be a supernatural being in Stargalonian folklore, commonly presented as living in the wilderness and being associated with crafts. Although sometimes translated literally as "small people", leading to the implication that the herogs were of very small height in popular culture, in the Tusoloti it is explained that their "smallness" referred to their low respect for the laws, their rudeness, and lack of integrity. The most complete physical description of such creatures in the Zoragra come from the Epistle of Jasjurdo 3:29: "they who are hunched over and prowling like animals, hair dripping to their knees with long tongues barely contained in jaws; they are surrounded by great trees and cannot look a fine priest in the eyes; they are white from lack of sunlight and have eyes that burn red". There also appears to be a hierarchy of different herogs, with the Tusoloti mentioning the "spirit herogs", "blue herogs", and "those of the Firey Mountain", although what these designations mean is not elaborated upon.
- ↑ This battle is also the subject of the poem contained in Dirge 44.
- ↑ Tallulah's adventures were further elaborated upon in several Dirges, sections of the Zoragra, and extrascriptural texts. Dirge 83 describes Tallulah's riddle-battle with the poet Opeqidah, while Dirge 101 describes a conversation between Talullah and Qesha. In the Book of the Elect it is briefly mentioned how Talullah learned to catch salmon with her hands, prompting an attack by a sea-monster called the Greqon.
- ↑ It was a common practice in the archaic period for unmarried men accepting challenges to wear inexpressive masks, which possibly evolved from the war-time practice of corpse despoiling after a successful duel.
- ↑ This term was often applied to powerful mages and legendary figures associated with lunar magic, not necessarily of blood relation to the figure Wetul, who was said to be childless.
- ↑ A common motif in later sections of the Jenolite scripture, and elsewhere in the commentaries and wisdom texts, is to ascribe a saying as being relayed to the author by Talullah from Gúlijalah, sometimes through other truthful wise elders and influential philosophers as intermediaries.
- ↑ This figure is not found in Oratian sources (and neither is the Goulite exodus either). Although the name is composed of Oratian words (meaning "man of the Dou" or "man of order"), it isn't attested as ever being used in Oratian history. It is possibly meant to be a theophoric name, as typical of Jenolite figures, assuming the Dou as the "god" in this case.
- ↑ This is a consistent confusion in the Jenolite scriptures, as the author seems to think that Douism is a religion that worships the Dou as a god. Other passages suggest that the Oratians worship former Shadas as gods too, which is likely a misinterpretation of Douist ancestral veneration
- ↑ Oratian tactics relied heavily on overwhelming numbers, owed to the efficient conscription system based on the miqta labor tax. Typically, a single Oratian army was numbered at up to 100,000 men. However, Reman the Great made reforms to streamline and perfect the miqta system around 978 AA, at which point some armies may have grown larger than this.
- ↑ Reman's Rock near Jerokoam City is a popular tourist attraction today, where local folklore claims it to be the very spot that marks Orat's first incursion to Stargalon.
- ↑ In an anecdote recorded in the Oratian Book of Rhoda, possibly referring to this same event, it is said that when archers let fly their arrows against the King, he drew his sword and deflected the arrows out of the air. Then, he sliced through assassins sent against him, until the rest fled in terror. Then Reman says to them, "I do not watch from afar out of cowardice, but because this is not a battle at all, but merely a sport." Reman the Great's reputation in swordsmanship was one of his most defining traits during his lifetime. Oratian sources frequently list his accomplishments among local competitions in Dhiss. The Book of Rhoda in the Kallean scriptures also calls him "the greatest swordsman in Orat".
- ↑ The story of the conflict with the Oratians is split into two halves, with each bookending a respective half of the Book of Hammers. As a complete work, Hammers creates a parallel story structure between the two sections of the war; sections are mirrored to show a similar cycle between the Elder Passages and Younger Passages, with involves some parts being told out of chronological order or with compressed time. According to Hammers 90, the period of time between the fall of the Goulites and the second invasion is exactly three years, implying that much of the second half of the Book of Hammers occurs before Hammers 39 chronologically.
- ↑ Qusites refers to the progeny of Polmantiq of the South, one of the sons of Zurduli, and the term was generally applied in the Jenolite scripture to refer to any group from the Oratian region, including the Oratians themselves initially, although later in the text the term Oratian becomes more widely used. Here it refers to the founders of Seibe and its inhabitants being generally from a non-Jenolite group, indicating the beginning of Oratian influence in Jenolite affairs. It is theorized that the compilers of the Jenolite scripture, living after the time of a major Oratian invasion, may have anachronistically described such an Oratian city as existing at the time of the House of Jomri, because of an association that the city held in their contemporary view. While excavations of the later settlement of Seibe indicate that the location was inhabited during this period, relative chronology of Oratian pottery implies that the Oratian city was likely not founded yet in the 11th century.
- ↑ This alludes to an archaic practice of dividing up cultic symbols and idols into multiple pieces upon the defeat of a tribe and the capture of its religious sanctuaries, as cutting up a statue was seen as a way of dispersing and diluting the power of the deity. This likely was also the inspiration behind the story of Jana’s “missing pieces”, as featured prominently in the Book of Malisons. While an example of the initial paradigm that the Janists were drawing from, the pieces archetype was eventually revolted against by the Hieratic School, who instead cultivated the idea of Jana’s indivisibility and universality outside the realm of tangible objects. As a result, the story in Malisons likely speaks to an older traditional story still drawing from this original paradigm, which was revised in several ways, e.g. the expansion of Jana’s pieces to be extremely numerous and scattered across the entire land, representing that his power must be incredibly greater than any other deity, and the implication that Jana transcends past the pieces themselves. The Prophet Gúlijalah represents a further departure, in that he seems to imply the power of the idols are meaningless in several passages, an idea later expanded upon by Nesoliah into an iconoclastic view. However, this makes the inclusion of the cutting up of the Biomi statue a curious remnant in the story in Hammers, demonstrating that although prescriptions away from the use of idols were made, the tradition of venerating and fearing the power of idols was still alive at the time of the House of Jomri. Alternatively, it has been proposed this is a detail added by later writers to show there was still a level of primitiveness in the Jomri dynasty which the later priesthood remedied, as this event is alluded to in the Second Epistle of Meluoyah as reflecting poorly on the people of that period.
- ↑ Generally the Hieratic Source describes the greatness of rulers in terms of their commitment to Jana and their patronage of the temple at Zor, regardless of their skill as secular administrators. As a result Temassah is described favorably for his religious reform, despite losing several wars and having a relatively short reign, while long-standing rulers who successfully reign for multiple decades may be described negatively in the text, should they not keep to the religious laws. Although only mentioned in passing, it is likely that Temassah suffered a defeat against an alliance of the Qanasi and Suoasqua tribes, which is alluded to in Hammers 54, and is explained in greater detail in the Book of Contentions.
- ↑ Not considered a historical tribe, the Derothusa seem to refer to a group of people who abandoned their tribal affiliations to “live in darkness” in the mountains, and became deformed as a result. The Derothusa would subsequently become a common symbol of corruption across the rest of the Jenolite scripture.
- ↑ The formation of the Barúqdún is elaborated upon in the Book of the Elect, as well as Dirges 90, however, full details of the life of Númurquran are largely absent, making him a popular character in apocrypha.
- ↑ The historicity of this tale has been fiercely debated, with some holding that Zor was indeed sacked and looted by the Oratians, with the story of their withdrawal being a later invention. Others hold that the Oratians were indeed persuaded to retreat for unknown reasons, possibly after being paid off with an immense tribute or because of a greater threat breaking out elsewhere. Scholars also debate if Reman was actually present at the time of this siege, as Oratian sources imply his subordinates looted the last mountain strongholds while Reman returned to Orat proper. It has been theorized that the attack on Zor may have been by a prince or governor seeking to prove himself to Reman, who then had to depart to deal with the succession upon news of Reman's death. Additionally, while not mentioning the events regarding Nesoliah explicitly, victory steles erected by Reman refer to "trapping the lunatics in a cage". Seemingly a reference to Zorist moon rituals, which Oratian sources saw as leading to madness, this might imply Reman did not capture Zor, and is instead spinning this failure as a positive by portraying it as a "trapping".
