Library of Londarios: Ancestors of the Lenshi Kings (1998)

This document was apparantly compiled around 300 ST to flatter the Pelandan royal house by citing their heroic ancestry. In the process, it also gives a fragmentary history of the mythic age events in the Arcos River Valley. This document has obvious relationship with the “Coming of Lendarsh”, which appeared appeared on page 86 of The Entekosiad.

The Zaytenerae

In the beginning Sky Creator [Sky Creator. Now associated to be Dayzatar.] came upon the earth, and where he touched it life began. The first place that he touched was later called Flight of Birds. [Flight of Birds. Is this the DH Senthoros? GRoY claims its ruler was “Zayteneras.”] It was in a wide field where all of the wild grasses grew. In the old days, when everyone was holy without trying, anyone who went there could fly up to the Sky World. The Sky World called this world the Little World, because everything had such limitations compared to their own realm.

No beings lived in the Little World in those days. There was only the mindless life of plants and water. Some of the beings of the Sky World grew curious about this place, and they came down the Sky Ladder. At first they only visited briefly, and then went back up. But some were more curious, and decided to make forms for themselves to inhabit in the Little World.

The Sky Beings who took on form were called the Zatenae.

[Zatanae. The sky beings, who have many different names.] They were the first inhabitants of the Little World. The Zatenae were naturally curious, and they did many things when they were upon the Little World. They made the way to reproduce themselves. Later, when they knew more, they wanted differences between each other. They then made a way to reproduce themselves, but be different. but in all of this making, they did not make beings who retained memory of their origins. This way they made the many races of humans who are doomed to never understand the ways of the cosmos.

Dulau Maro and the Ancestor Tribe

At first, in the earliest times, both humans and deities walked in this world together. But it could not stay so easily. It was human beings – our own ancestors – who made it bad first.

Bijib did it, damn him. We liked Bijib before he was anyone. Then one day he told the ancestors that they should be separate from animals, because all the animals were like humans sometimes. But people couldn’t do it alone, and so Bijib gave fire to the human beings, and none of the animals could use it. Because of this the animals went away from the peoples’ camps, angry and unwilling to help any more. As a result, afterwards people had to hunt and to work for food, instead of being fed.

But Bijib wasn’t done yet. He went among the gods and made them think that they wanted to be separate too, even though they didn’t know how to do it. So Bijib gave them Ourphaz, and people could not use it. They thought that this would make the people into their food.

But people did not leave, like the animals had, because they knew what would happen, and so they wanted a part of Ourphaz. There was Dulau Maro, [Dulau Maro. “Ancestor who made us.”] called the Smart Man, who lived among the people and who calculated what to do. He did what he had to do to get some from the gods: he stole, he sacrificed, and he made a prayer which they could not ignore.

Then Smart Man reminded people what they had to do to get a share of ourphaz from the gods, and so they started to sacrifice. This way they kept in contact with the gods, who wanted to be separate. And that is why animals are food for people, but people and not just food for the gods, but also worship. These first sacrificers are called the Ancestor Tribe. They knew the four types of sacrifices.

Dulau Maro was the leader of the Ancestor Tribe. During his reign the people were beset by many monsters. These are the great battles of the Ancestor Tribe: again the ice, against the nightmen, against the Foraz, and against the ernzal. Dalau Maro thwarted the first, fought the second, tricked the third, and hid from the fourth. They won some and they lost some, as is the way. But in the end they met a foe from whom they could only flee. A forest came, marching as if roots were feet, and crowded into the pastures of the Ancestors. First they chopped, but the trees struck back. Then the Ancestors burned, but the Tree People came out with bows and killed them. Without a place to graze their goats, the Ancestor Tribe moved away.

Hurfor and the Starlight Tribe

There was a great man among the Ancestor Tribe who was called Hurfor. He was a son of Dulau Maro. It was he who led the people when they moved out of the war zone of the forest people.

Hurfor led the Ancestor Tribe north until they came to the wide land called Unstevos. [Unstevos. Now called Estvenor]

At that time another people, called the Kalrius, also moved into that region. They were led by Darnlo the Red, a fierce fighter who spat death. First the warriors from the two tribes met in battle, warrior against warrior, hero against hero, and wife against windstorm, all of them desperate to have a place to live.

At first they were all equal and the battle went this way and then that way, no one winning at all.

Then Darnlo got help from the god named Devkuroski, [Devkuroski. An underworld god of the easterners. Also called “Dweller Below” and “Evil God.”] who never made friends. Devkuroski told his priests to create a great field of ice to fight upon, thinking this would weaken the warriors of the Ancestor Tribe. So Darnlo called upon his grandfather to help him, and a terrible ice storm blew in from the north. It froze everything, and made the ground so unfamiliar that the Ancestors could not walk upon it. After this, the Kalrius warriors began to win.

But then one of their clans, called the Brighteyes, came under the warmth of the Gold Wheel. [Gold Wheel. A nickname for their god, who is Kargzant.] They found that to be very pleasing, and their leader plucked a Kanar flower [Kanar flower. A sign of peace.] and bore it to Hurfor. For a share of the warmth, they promised to aid Hurfor and his Ancestor Tribe. The Brighteyes returned to their camp, and after they were in their tents they packed their goods. After everyone was asleep, they set fire to everything and fled. The Kalrius did not know how to put out a fire, and it spread madly until everything that was flammable was burnt. The fire was so huge that it melted all the ice. The ice flowed to become the Lake of Death. [Lake of Death. A mythical place, being the watery connection between the world of Life and Unstevos, the Land of Death. But modernly this is also associated to be the Elf Sea.] The water covered all of Unstevos, and then overflowed its banks. Hurfor and the people followed the fleeing water, until they came to a place where it was dry, where they set up camp.

The people called their new land Andarkon, and they called themselves the Starlight Tribe. Hurfor was their leader. Andarkon was a good place to live. They worshiped the god Kargzant, because he was brave and the brightest god in the sky. He hovered over them the elders, shining and giving blessings to all. When the people were attacked without warning by Peng and Fung, the Monster Twins, Kargzant then drove off with his light alone. The folk recognized his strength, and they fell down and worshipped Kargzant. When Kargzant spoke he divided the people into three types, the herds into three types, and the generations into three types. Afterwards it was the task of the priests to keep away the demons, and of the people to keep the goats healthy.

Kuranits and the Kuranits Tribe

The peaceful land of Andarkon became too crowded for the people to live in. Kargzant told the people that some would have to move to survive. He told them that “As the Ancient Tribe traveled here to become the Starlight Tribe, so must you travel again too to become the four tribes.”

At this command, the people met to determine what they should do. The bravest among them swore to follow their new god to the north to find a new home. Their leader was named Kuranits, and his god was named Kalikos.

The Northern Star Tribe were beset with no problems which they could not overcome.

First Kuranits conquered the EstJedde, [EstJedde. “Not-flyers.” Probably the people who rode upon great demibirds.] a tribe of people which ate men and others. This was when the Nine Horses were all freed.

The second problem was when the tribe came to a great wall of ice where digijelm swarmed. They sent their god Kalikos with a glowing rock to destroy the ice. After he destroyed the Ice Palace he rose into the sky to signal the folks of his victory and warn them of the coming floods.

The floods were the third great problem. Kuranits led his people to the highest hill tops. When the raging waters attacked the hero Kuranits dived into the raging waters. He found his way into the underwater lair of OvoNartos, the water god who ruled this flood. Kuranits tied him up with nestis weeds, and that way brought the river under control. The river revealed its name to be Arcos.

The next great dilemma was the Vakkos. Kuranits hated the Sky Hunger. It was a huge metal bird which ate people. It swept down upon the people as they travelled along the river.

Kuranits went and found the tall tree which held its nest. He climbed it and hid there until it returned, whereupon Kuranits slew the monster bird with a thrust from below. Afterwards Kuranits always decorated his clothing with its bright feathers. So covered, he could not be harmed by enemy weapons.

Kuranits performed so many deeds that the people of his tribe were proud to say, “I am a man of Kuranits” even long after he was dead. That way the tribe was called the Kuranits tribe after him.

They called their land Orsardau, which means Land of Victory.

Targos and the Targos Tribe

Six generations after the great king had been laid to rest, the Kuranits tribe decided that there was not enough room for everyone any more. They waited until Kargzant was bold, then they divided the people up into groups. Leaders were chosen to take each group onward.

The West Tribe selected Targos, a son of Kargzant, to be their chief. They followed the great river until they passed the Ventes Stone. After more travel they came to a wide land which was inhabited only by the Eferventes, [Eferventes. Literally, “Beyond the Ventes (rock).”] a reindeer-herding folk. These inferior folks were enslaved by Targos, and his people settled in good pastures. The land was named Targosland after him [later renamed Esvuthil], and they were called the Targos Tribe.

At first the lands of the Targos Tribe were fertile, but while they were living here the worst thing occurred. The Evil Lord came into the sky, and blotted out all which was bright. He seized all women and threatened to destroy them unless the men did as he said. He took away [nearly] all the horses. The Dweller Beneath took away all the food animals. The Evil God ordered people to eat each other rather than starve. Some men called the Efertargos [Efertargos. Literally “Beyond Targos.”] took to hunting down the Eferventes, who were half beasts and thus half edible.

Hestus, son of Hurfor

Hestus, the son of Hurfor, was the one who broke the many terrible curses upon the land and people. He cut himself with fierce determination, and planted magic rocks in the wounds. He called an ancient demon forth, who taught him to paint himself to detect detection and injury. He prayed to his gods, and then crept into the enemy lair. There he freed the Reindeer Woman, and when he emerged there were many herds stampeding about the plains. The people caught a few, but still went hungry. Then Hestus son of Herfor searched the sky world until he found the Dog Star. He prayed to it, and led the people in worship, until they got help from Dog. Dog could not kill the beasts, but he frightened them into the spears of the men. The men slew the deer, and shared the food with Dog. This way Hestus provided for his people.

Almost all horses had been killed or died. There was little food for them anywhere. Hestus had one which he kept as a memento and link with his ancestors. He always treated it as a creature of honor and virtue. He said if it were a person, it would be his queen.

One day the Dweller Beneath invited Hestus to a banquet, as all were invited eventually. Before he went Hestus prepared himself with a sacred rite. Hestus sacrificed his beloved horse to the god, spiking the meat with red pepper and dirt from Zurin. He threw them into the cauldron of the Evil God. The cooking vat broke when virtue entered it, and with it broke his power. Hurfor destroyed his foe and returned. After that the tribe called themselves the Hurfor.

Lenshis and the Lenshis Tribe

The Hurfor tribe grew strong and conquered all the lands around them. They owned all the deer and people there. At last they were too crowded and recalled the methods of their ancestors. They prayed to Kargzant for instruction. They divided the people into groups.

One tribe followed a chief named Lenshis. Lenshis could make fire start by staring at something. They went west and after passing the Urus Stone [Urus Stone. A very tall [75 yards above the ground] standing stone [now fallen.]] went on for many days. At last they entered Veturus Amari. The region was littered with vast abandoned ruins where the gods used to live. A beautiful river wound through the region, and there were many painted standing stones where ghosts and spirits could be awakened.

At Horse Rocks Lenshis set up a monument to the extinct breeds of horses which were lost. He made the sacrifices there so these lost ancestors would be remembered, and would aid their surviving cousins. Lenshis had two kinds of horses: the carrying ones and the pulling ones. Because of his great devotion to them, these herds became numerous, and everyone was glad to live in such a good place.

Keternung the Explorer

Keternung was one of the sons of Lenshis. Keternung had spent his life studying the stars as they had reappeared overhead, and he had listened to the elders speak of the changes which had come to the sky in their lives. He learned all that he could from them, and was the first to put together their separate information. He was also the first person to divide the sky into zones so different people could talk about it. He always was dissatisfied with the extent of his knowledge and desired to know more about the sky.

Keternung decided to seek the Starlight Tribe to learn from them. He travelled backwards upon the route of his ancestors, going upriver along the mighty Arcos. He went through the long and dangerous voyage to the ancestral lands so that he could talk to the Starlight Ancestors. He went across the lands ruled by the Targos tribes, and made peace with them to do it. Then he followed the river upward, but he found no more ancestors beyond the Targos. The Kuranits Tribe was gone, and the fierce Kashis grazed their reindeer herds there instead. Past them was only the Ungariong Tribe, who said that they did not know of the land called Andarkon. They also knew less of the stars than Keternung. He painted many hides to teach them, but he returned home disappointed.

War Against the Bull

The Lenshis tribe thrived in their lands. They lived peacefully until an enemy came from the west. These were bull-riding folks. They did not fight only with swords, but also their beasts fought with their horns. Whenever they thundered down upon an army the soldiers were terrified. However, King Lenshi overcame them by digging a great trench which they did not see.

Trapped by the fall, the warriors were easy prey in the hole. This fight stopped the invasion. It is called the Bull Is Stopped battle. It was near Kevrinth. The losers surrendered their beasts. This way the Lenshis became herders of cattle. Tenkoros was the Champion of that battle, and to honor him Lenshis gave him and his heirs the fields where the battle had taken place. The horses raised there hate bulls, and will not flee from them in battle.

Urstenum

Urstenum was a grandson of Lenshis. His father was Kardanum. He protected his people from all outside aggressors. He had many troubles with raiders from the east. The people were called the Kitargos (“not-Targos.”) The Kitargos claimed that they could take any women to marry. When the eastern Lenshis complained that their sisters and daughters were being taken away King Urstenum was concerned. he went in person to the Kitargos king to confer. Instead of talk and a shared conflagration of baaves, Urstenum was attacked. However, the king had powerful guardians who warned him in time. His own men killed the ambushers instead. Then Urstenum gathered his warriors and attacked the Kitargos. They fought back, and because they had sold their souls to a demon they slew many. But Kargzant is stronger than demons, and proved it that day. The dog-heads were slain, and their skins are still displayed as trophies by the victors.

More warriors came from the east and attacked Urstenum, who sent his own scouts deep into the Targos lands. They discovered that the whole of the Targos people had become so corrupt that they were now all Kitargos. Urstenum was grieved by the loss of his ancient tribal kin, and sought to punish the Kitargos. All of the people in that land were either slain or made into slaves. That way Urstenum became lord of that land too.

The Descendants of Urstenum

Urstenum had many strong sons. One day Rasarande was hunting and he became lost. He found himself confronted by a white and red striped woman. She blessed him, and said she was Kadenara. If he could please her, then she would protect him too. Urstenum burned baaves for her, and she was pleased.

Afterwards Rasarande, the son of Urstenum, moved into the ruins of Thukeros, which became the Lenshis First City. His father was impressed and gave him command of the regions around the city. Rasarande renamed the land to be the Veshtargos.

Afterwards Reveenum, the nephew of Resarande, called together all of the Lenshis lords, near and far. They all came, and they listened to Rasarande and they watched the sacred display of his new gods. They then reswore their ancestors’ oaths to the heir of Lenshis, and called him King Resarande.

Resarande had two sons. One ruled in Veshtargos, and the younger ruled in Lenshis. The Younger King in Lenshis was confronted with…

Greg

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