Every Sunday I run a Special relating to my writing endeavours and the world of Aeyuu, which is the stage for many stories developed further through the Tales from Aeyuu Patreon. These Blogs are closely tied with my novel-to-be, The Age of Silence, which is basically a story about Love, Sacrifice, and Death.
Previous Special Arcs:
0. TAoS Themes (3 journals)
1. The Syrilae (7 journals)
2. The Necrolore (6 journals)
Today we shall delve into one of the oldest set of stories and myths on the continent of Aun: the Denumbra.
This myth finds its origin a long, long time ago, when Humans still were slaves to the mighty Elves of Aun. Legend narrates that, before the dawn of all life, there existed two great Goddesses who oversaw the world: Aeyin, purveyor of light and life, and Tenumbra, ruler of darkness and decay. These two divinities existed side by side for eternity, until a disagreement on the fate of the world pulled them in opposite directions.
After a long and arduous argument turned ferocious war, Aeyin, having gained the upper hand, slew Tenumbra and tore her limb for limb. In order for Tenumbra never to rise to power again, Aeyin granted sentience to Tenumbra's limbs and they became entities upon themselves: the Denumbra.
In subsequent Human folklore the link to Tenumbra was all but lost. The Denumbra became shadow creatures, monsters, eaters of unruly children and of unwary travelers. According to rumour, none who have ever met a Denumbra face to face has lived to tell the tale. But certain legends persisted through time and generations...
Tales of the Reaper are numerous and disjointed; some picture Death as a scythe-wielding man, others grant him monstrous features hidden beneath a cape; yet others, namely in Korinda, speak of Death as being a woman clad in black who can kill a man with but a single touch. It is interesting to note that, in Elven lore, the Grim Reaper is a non-existent figure; to them, there is but one Death, and her name is Tenumbra, the deadly Goddess whose spirit is said to still haunt the lands.
There are numerous records of the Grim Reaper appearing to Humans, yet none were ever corroborated. Death is a legendary figure of tremendous power, the potential for its existence holding sway over Humans for generations. Many a Human has ever hoped to defeat Death itself - an endeavour that has led to the discovery of alchemy, and more.
No legend has persisted through the millenia as the story of the Witch of Hahel, who in certain stories is depicted as a many-tentacled monstrousity devouring innocent men, women and children. The town of Hahel was destroyed over five millenia ago, nothing but overgrown ruins remaining on lands that are still believed to be cursed. Surrounding cities carry on the myth of the Witch and celebrate her disappearance once a year.
Some stories tell of a mighty warrior who laid waste to the Witch's lair and cut her head off; others depict the Witch as an unnaturally beautiful seductress who swayed the townsmen into killing their own wives and children, and who was dispatched by women turning against her. The Witch is often depicted as a creature of shadow and feminine allure, for all stories tell a similar tale: that of men, lost to the Witch's beauty and the madness induced by her power.
To this day, women deemed of great beauty are sacrificed in those parts, lest the Witch return to lay waste to their communities.
One of the ghastlier legends - and the only one that may be more truth than myth. It has happened, over the centuries and more, that horribly mutilated male bodies were discovered in the most unexpected of places: inn rooms, tightly locked homes, whorehouses. No one heard them scream; no one noticed anything until the morning and their remains were discovered, shredded as though by a voracious nest of rodents.
The Devourer is often depicted as a grotesque humanoid whose head comprises of tentacles that are, in fact, leeches - long, worm-like creatures hailing from the old swamplands and that invaded most of the Human lands. These worm-like things may look like lost branches, but once they catch the scent of flesh, their bodies open up along their entire lengths to reveal rows upon rows of sharp little teeth - which is how the Devourer's tentacle-like 'face' is depicted as.
Despite proof of its existence, the Devourer has never been seen by anyone who survived to tell the tale.
Thanks for reading and stay tuned for the next Sunday Special, same Blogger channel :D
Previous Special Arcs:
0. TAoS Themes (3 journals)
1. The Syrilae (7 journals)
2. The Necrolore (6 journals)
Today we shall delve into one of the oldest set of stories and myths on the continent of Aun: the Denumbra.
The Denumbra: origin myth
This myth finds its origin a long, long time ago, when Humans still were slaves to the mighty Elves of Aun. Legend narrates that, before the dawn of all life, there existed two great Goddesses who oversaw the world: Aeyin, purveyor of light and life, and Tenumbra, ruler of darkness and decay. These two divinities existed side by side for eternity, until a disagreement on the fate of the world pulled them in opposite directions.
After a long and arduous argument turned ferocious war, Aeyin, having gained the upper hand, slew Tenumbra and tore her limb for limb. In order for Tenumbra never to rise to power again, Aeyin granted sentience to Tenumbra's limbs and they became entities upon themselves: the Denumbra.
In subsequent Human folklore the link to Tenumbra was all but lost. The Denumbra became shadow creatures, monsters, eaters of unruly children and of unwary travelers. According to rumour, none who have ever met a Denumbra face to face has lived to tell the tale. But certain legends persisted through time and generations...
The Grim Reaper
Tales of the Reaper are numerous and disjointed; some picture Death as a scythe-wielding man, others grant him monstrous features hidden beneath a cape; yet others, namely in Korinda, speak of Death as being a woman clad in black who can kill a man with but a single touch. It is interesting to note that, in Elven lore, the Grim Reaper is a non-existent figure; to them, there is but one Death, and her name is Tenumbra, the deadly Goddess whose spirit is said to still haunt the lands.
There are numerous records of the Grim Reaper appearing to Humans, yet none were ever corroborated. Death is a legendary figure of tremendous power, the potential for its existence holding sway over Humans for generations. Many a Human has ever hoped to defeat Death itself - an endeavour that has led to the discovery of alchemy, and more.
The Witch of Hahel
No legend has persisted through the millenia as the story of the Witch of Hahel, who in certain stories is depicted as a many-tentacled monstrousity devouring innocent men, women and children. The town of Hahel was destroyed over five millenia ago, nothing but overgrown ruins remaining on lands that are still believed to be cursed. Surrounding cities carry on the myth of the Witch and celebrate her disappearance once a year.
Some stories tell of a mighty warrior who laid waste to the Witch's lair and cut her head off; others depict the Witch as an unnaturally beautiful seductress who swayed the townsmen into killing their own wives and children, and who was dispatched by women turning against her. The Witch is often depicted as a creature of shadow and feminine allure, for all stories tell a similar tale: that of men, lost to the Witch's beauty and the madness induced by her power.
To this day, women deemed of great beauty are sacrificed in those parts, lest the Witch return to lay waste to their communities.
The Devourer
One of the ghastlier legends - and the only one that may be more truth than myth. It has happened, over the centuries and more, that horribly mutilated male bodies were discovered in the most unexpected of places: inn rooms, tightly locked homes, whorehouses. No one heard them scream; no one noticed anything until the morning and their remains were discovered, shredded as though by a voracious nest of rodents.
The Devourer is often depicted as a grotesque humanoid whose head comprises of tentacles that are, in fact, leeches - long, worm-like creatures hailing from the old swamplands and that invaded most of the Human lands. These worm-like things may look like lost branches, but once they catch the scent of flesh, their bodies open up along their entire lengths to reveal rows upon rows of sharp little teeth - which is how the Devourer's tentacle-like 'face' is depicted as.
Despite proof of its existence, the Devourer has never been seen by anyone who survived to tell the tale.
* * *
And that is all for this week. I'll be doing a part 2 next week because I feel like writing up more legends ;)
Thanks for reading and stay tuned for the next Sunday Special, same Blogger channel :D
Enjoying the world of Aeyuu?
Please consider Supporting me
on Patreon. Thank you ^^
No comments:
Post a Comment