002 -- The Disappearance of Jemahl and the Five Tribes

Continued excerpt from the Scrolls of Rahm, translated by Dr. Ahmad Ba of the Royal Asfarian Society of Thought.


Chapter II

And so the gods dissappeared from Eos. At first the people were afraid. They knew not where their gods had gone, or why they had left. Life was good, but they felt dissastisfied and unsure -- how could they know Jemahl's will? The people prayed to thier god but he did not answer. Finally a man stood forward, and said he would go into the mountains and find their wayward god. Everyone called him foolish, but he left anyway. Many months passed with no word from the man. Most of the other men had proclaimed him dead, saying "he was foolish to pursue Jemahl. He has surely been killed." But it was not so; the man strode back into the village one day, strong and healthy, and said, "People! Listen to me, for I have spoken to the god!"

At this everyone was amazed. They gathered around him quickly, but not to closely for he was now standing taller than anyone else in the village. He continued, "I have been to Jemahl. He will not come back to us! But listen people, I have been given a name; I am Kuk!" And so Kuk was the first person to have a name.

And at this the people all started talking loudly, for they wanted names of their own. But Kuk was not finished, and yelled "Wait! Jemahl told me something else as well!" And the people were quiet once again. "I am your chief! I will decide where we live, and when to plant, and who my wives will be. I do this because Jemahl speaks through my lips and acts with my hands!"* And Kuk glared at the gathered crowd, daring any to challenge him. No one did, for they knew that god's strength was great.

And so the first chief of Jemahl's people was Kuk. He had four sons, and his third son . . .


Translator's note:

At this point the scrolls begin to map an exhaustive genealogical history of Jemahl's people. Although important at the time to maintain tribal cohesion, this history is largely irrelevant to the larger meaning of the text. For those who are interested, a complete list is included in Appendix B. This translation continues at the formation of the five tribes. At this point Jemahl's people have become quite prosperous -- note the change in language from "chieftain" to "king," as well as "village" to "city."

The third son of Racker was Abae . He had five sons: Jos, Ebel, Abdun, Artma, and Ende. Of his five, the eldest, Jos, was favored to become the next king. But on Artma's eighteenth birthday, something strange happened. Artma could not be found anywhere. Abae sent all of his best servants to look for him, but he was nowhere to be found. And so a great wailing went up from Abae and his whole house, for the King's son was feared dead.

Several weeks later, everyone had given up on Artma except for Abae. His grief for his lost son was so great he could not eat, drink, or rest. Walking in the garden alone at midnight, he heard a strange sound, and before he could move his son Artma came out of the bushes. "Father!" said he, and they embraced weeping. After some time, Abae asked him "Where have you been all this time, my son?"

At this Artma's face lit up. "Father! I have seen the most wonderous things. A winged spirit came to me in the night and led me up the river. At first I was afraid and would not follow, but he turned and I recognized him. He took me by the hand and we flew through the night, farther than I have ever gone. Finally, in the morning, we stood on a mountain and looked over a great waterfall that feeds the river."

At this his father was amazed, for as often as Jemahl's people sailed up the river they had never found a place like the one that Artma desribed. Artma continued,

"He said that he would give me and my children this land forever, and that great fortune would come to me when I return to it. My children and livestock will multiply, the land will be fertile, and the children of Jemahl will prosper. I came back here to gather my house and depart. Father, I must go!"

But at this Abae frowned. "Son, do you wish to divide the people of Jemahl? Surely, he will not be pleased at this. And what of your family? You would be lost to us again."

"Father, the face the spirit showed me was Jemahl's. It is god's will. I must go."

"But how will you get there?"

"Do you not remember? The spirit showed me the way; I remember every turn of the river."

Abae looked into his son's eyes and realized that it was true; he had to go, and Abae could not stop him. He embraced him again.

"Very well, Artma. Take your house and go with my blessing, and with Jemahl's blessing, and with the blessing of Rahm himself!"

There was great amazement at Artma's reappearance the next day. Even more amazing was his decision to take his whole house upriver. His younger brother, Ende, was a skilled boatsman, and decided to go with Artma as his inheritance would be small otherwise. Their wives and families began to make preparations, along with some of the people of Jemahl who would go with them.

But Jos was dissatisfied. Artma's departure meant a diminshing in the people he was to lead. He called his other two brothers together and said:

"What is this? Our younger brother thinks he can steal from us so easily? We are the leaders of these people, not him!"

They replied. "You are not the king yet, Jos, for as long as our father Abae lives. He is letting Artma go -- it is the will of Jemahl and we must not interfere."

But still Jos was angry. And so, in the dead of night, he snuck in and slew his father as he slept. Then he ordered his men to go and sieze Artma and Ende before they could leave.

But Artma was forewarned. Ende had seen his brother Jos's anger, and so had gotten their boats ready in secret. Quickly Artma and Ende escaped with their houses up the river before Jos's men could arrive. Before they left, Ende's sailors chopped up all the other boats in the city, and Jace could not follow them.

When Ebel and Abdun found out what Jos had done the next morning, they were scared. "He is king now, and has gone against Jemahl's will. We will not stay here any longer, for surely god's wrath will come quickly to this place!"

And so Ebel and Abdun left the next day with their houses. As older siblings, they had strong houses, and so Jace could not stand against them both. They set out across the plains, journeying for some weeks until they found another river. Following it, they eventually came to the edge of a great desert where the river emptied into a great ocean. At the end of the river, they said to one another:

"Come brother, the land is great and empty. Let the house of Abdun take the left, and the house of Ebel take the right, and let us build a great city where they come together so we can be ever joined against Jos." And so built their homes at the mouth of the river and called it Merrech.

Meanwhile Artma and Ende reached the head of the river, just as the spirit had said. The people built their homes there, and called it Ammat. The land was fertile and the people were happy. Ende's house soon grew restless, however, and returned to the river, spreading along it's length with fast boats and great skill.

After all this Jos was very angry. The greater part of the people of Jemahl were with him, but he had lost many. The city of Jemahl was empty. His brothers were too far away to easily attack. Every time he sent his soldiers to attack Artma, Ende's cunning boatmen stopped his boats. Every time he sent his soldiers to attack Ebel, Abdun's swift warriors would attack out of the desert and burn his wagons until the host starved and was defeated. Jos could not reunite the people of Jemahl.

Thus, even as the brothers died, the five tribes of Jemahl were created from their five houses. The Josites, the Ebelites, the Abdun, the Artmar, and the Endites. The people of Jemahl were scattered, until the coming of Ahmed the Conqueror, a great King of the Josites.

End Chapter II

*Note: alternately, replace with the more modern "through me!"

001 -- In the Beginning

Excerpt from the Scrolls of Rahm, translated by Dr. Ahmad Ba of the Asfarian Royal Society of Thought.

Chapter I

In the beginning, there was Rahm. And Rahm walked alone through the darkness, and was content for a time.

Soon, though, Rahm grew bored of the darkness. He grabbed a hold of the dark and twisted and twisted until there was form. The darkness was in some places rock, in some places water, and in some places air. Rahm found joy in exploring this new world he had created, and named it Eos.

But Rahm grew lonely with this life. After a time, he created a wife to accompany him through the darkness. He drew her out of his stomach, and she was lovely.

Even so, together they became wearied of this new world. Rahm could not think of what to do, but Rahm's wife suggested they make children to shepherd this world and create new things. Rahm and his wife created two children, a son and a daughter. Rahm pulled the bone from his left arm, and made his son Jemahl. He was brave and wise. Rahm pulled the bone from his right arm, and made his daughter Saripha. She was swift and loving.

Rahm truly loved both his children, and so he gave them great gifts. To Jemahl, he gave his left eye, an orb that burned so bright that it lit up the entire world when held above. To Saripha, he gave his right eye, a sphere that with it's shadowy glow could see through any substance.

But still the world was cold and still. So Rahm laid down on the ground, and gave his body to the Earth so that is should live. The only part that he saved was his heart, which he split in two and gave to his two children. Then Rahm was tired, having given his body away, and went to sleep.

Rahm's wife saw him lay down and give his body to the earth. She picked up his ashes in both hands and blew on them so that they should spread everywhere. Her hands became the wind that spreads life across Eos.

Rahm's children awoke upon the ground, wondering at what had happened. They could feel the life within the earth waiting to be released, but were puzzled. "Here, I will throw this light into the sky so we can see." said Jemahl, and threw Rahm's eye into the sky so hard that it stayed there. Everything was bright, and the life in the ground knew it could grow but knew not why. "Here, I will throw this light into the sky so we can know what we are." said Saripha, and she threw Rahm's other eye so high into the sky that it stayed as well. And the life in the ground knew why to grow but not how. So Jemahl and Saripha decided each light should share the sky, and so the world began to grow.

Much time passed, and Jemahl and Saripha wandered the world as life grew from the ground. Trees sprang from the hills, and grasses crept along the rivers. They made many things out of clay, twisting the earth into animals that roamed freely across the land. They played games, hiding things under the ground or on top of mountains for the other to find. Finally, though, they became bored, and could not think of anything else to do.

"What shall we do?" asked Jemahl.

"Let us see who can make the most wonderful creature from this earth, and compare." said Saripha.

And so they each went to their own parts of the world. Jemahl crossed a great desert to his own favorite dark clay at the mouth of the river. Here he crafted a wonderous creature, unique beyond all other creatures he had made so far.

Saripha instead passed through a forest, finding her favorite clay at the joining of two smaller rivers. Her bright, light clay was formed into an amazing creature, unique beyond all other creatures she had made so far.

And so Jemahl and Saripha swam to their favorite place, an island in the middle of the great sea. Both expecting to surprise the other, they showed their creations only to be surprised. The heart of Rahm within them had led them both to create the same animal! Their creations could build things just as Jemahl and Saripha could. Jemahl and Saripha taught them many things, and called them people.

And so the people decided to build a great city upon the island. And so the people built a great city with the help of Jemahl and Saripha. When the city was completed, they asked, "Who shall lead this great city?" And there was a great disaster.

Jemahl and Saripha fought. They both thought that their own people were the best to lead the city, and so tried to kill as many of the other people as they could. The people fought as well, inventing many terrible machines of war and destruction with the two siblings' help. Finally there were no people left, and Jemahl and Saripha fought for many years on the island alone.

But neither could beat the other. Jemahl was too strong, and Saripha too swift, and they both had half the heart of Rahm. Finally they lay exhausted on their island, and looking around them saw the destruction their quarrel had wrought. They wept at the pain and suffering that the people had suffered, and at their own ingenuity at destroying life -- but still they could not acknowledge that the other's creation was as good as their own.

Finally they decided upon a solution. Jemahl and Saripha would go to their own favorite places, and make more people from the clay. They would never meet again, for fear of creating another disaster like before. Each could be alone with their people, and could create as they liked without causing another disaster. Weeping, brother and sister embraced before leaving the island, never to see one another again. As they left, the island sank into the sea forever.

So Jemahl and Saripha went again to their favorite places, and again made people, and stayed among them and taught for a time. And so for a time things were good, until one day Jemahl and Sarihpa disappeared from the land. And so the people did not know what to do, and were afraid.

End Chapter I