Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Patterns Discerned 1: The Demons of Dlamélish and Hriháyal

Six demons appear to be affiliated with the Emerald Ladies Dlamélish and Hriháyal: Uléla is of the substance of Dlamélish and the essence of Hriháyal; Pa'íya, of the essence of Dlamélish and the substance of Hriháyal; and Quyóve, of the essence of Dlamélish and the substance of another (?). Of the remaining three, Marággu is uncertain but "may be" of the substance and essence of Dlamélish, Rü'ütlánesh is "allied" with the Emerald Ladies, and Ngüngéthib, servitor of Rü'ütlánesh, is also clearly aligned with Dlamélish and Hriháyal. Their name-glyphs are shown below.


The Name-Glyphs of the Demons Affiliated with Dlamélish and Hriháyal


One central element that we see repeated prominently in four of the six glyphs (Rü'ütlánesh, Uléla, Pa'íya, and Marággu) is a pair of voided lozenges, one superposed above the other. This is an element I recall from the original Patterns of Hidden Discernment, where it was referred to as the "Twin Orbs of Ecstasy" (Twin orbs, or maybe "dual globes," something like that, anyway). The meaning of the "Twin Orbs" was, I think, never clear, but I will note they appear in the name-glyph of mighty Lord Rü'ütlánesh, where they almost certainly represent mouths. Therefore it might be more appropriate (if less poetic) to call this the "Mouth-Over-Mouth" motif, likely representing shared sensuality or shared sensation. This design element is probably the single most diagnostic feature of the demons aligned with Dlamélish and Hriháyal.


The "Twin Orbs of Ecstasy" or "Mouth-over-Mouth" Motif, Highlighted in Red


Sensation may be shared, but for the Emerald Ladies, shared sensation may not mean shared pleasure. In three cases (Rü'ütlánesh, Pa'íya, and Marággu), broad emanations extend to the left, either from the lower mouth, or from the juncture between the two. I believe these emanations represent, broadly, the exudation of sensual power, particularly signifying one participant's achievement of gratification at the expense of another, and I refer to this motif as the "Emanation of Baleful Ardour." However, it should be noted that these emanations vary in detail according to the particular potency of each demon. In the glyphs of Rü'ütlánesh and Pa'íya, whose sensual powers focus on the consumption and extraction of life-force, the exudation takes the form of a broad, grasping (or beckoning) three-clawed appendage; in the glyph for Marággu, whose powers are more concerned with deception and obfuscation, the emanation is (rather obviously) phallic: instead of embracing and devouring, it insinuates and penetrates.


The "Emanation of Baleful Ardour" Motif, Highlighted in Red


The third common element consists of a horizontal rod overlying or underlying the "Mouth-Over-Mouth" element in three of these glyphs (Rü'ütlánesh, Uléla, and Marággu). This rod terminates at one end in a closed loop, and at the other end in an open curl. In a general way this resembles the "Longbone" motif we will see when we examine the demons affiliated with Lord Sárku later on, except in the latter case, the terminal loops are both closed. I suspect that in both cases, this element represents the Bákte, the physical body: with closed loops (Sárku), it represents the body after death, or in "undeath;" however, with one open loop (Dlamélish/Hriháyal), it represents the body in the full vigor of life. Although ultimately this element symbolizes the Bákte, it more specifically depicts a barbed staff, phallus or whip (or depending on context, potentially all of these things). The three barbs are most evident in the glyph for Rü'ütlánesh, where they appear, viciously sharp, midway along the length of the staff. In the glyphs for Uléla, and Marággu, the triple barbs appear again, midway along the shaft, but they are "closed" by a curling scroll so they seem blunted and no longer resemble barbs at all. However, as we shall see later, this identical "blunted-triple-barb" element also appears, in a completely different context, in the glyph for the demon Kekkéka. Kekkéka has no known affiliation with the Emerald Ladies, but he is known as "the One of Many Barbed Hooks," and I am confident that the "blunted-triple-barb" element is indeed barbed, and absolutely congruent with the triple barbs in the glyph for Rü'ütlánesh. It is possible that the scroll that caps the barbs signifies that they are embedded in a squirming victim's flesh, and the "blunted-triple-barb" may thus broadly represent "the realization of pain" (as opposed to simply the threat of pain).


The "Barbed Staff" Motif and Associated Elements, Highlighted in Red.
Arrows indicate the "Blunted-Triple-Barb" element


In the glyphs for Uléla, and Marággu (but not Rü'ütlánesh), sinuous arabesques emanate from one end of this Barbed Staff. I have a vague recollection that the original Patterns of Hidden Discernment identified numerous whips and flails in these glyphs; I am less certain, since sinuous arabesques are rather common in all of the  glyphs (and in many Tékumel scripts), but in these two glyphs, where they curl from the ends of the Barbed Staff, I am fairly confident that they do indeed represent the tails of whips. Therefore, while the Barbed Staff may ultimately symbolize the Bákte in general, it likely also represents the juxtaposition of pleasure and pain so favoured by the Emerald Ladies (and Hriháyal in particular).

So that's about it for shared elements in the name-glyphs of the demons affiliated with Dlamélish and Hriháyal. There is a possible second variant of the "Barbed Staff" in Rü'ütlánesh's glyph, and a possible whip extending as a secondary "Emanation" from Pa'íya's; these may be significant, but I am uncertain of these elements. There are a number of other curlicues and some small free-standing elements, but I cannot guess what they mean. You'd think the raw energy, lusts, and desires of the Pedhétl would be represented somewhere here, but darned if I can find it. Perhaps it is implicit in the open-ended (living) Bákte of the Barbed Staff or the conjunction of the Mouth-Over-Mouth; or perhaps it manifests as the Emanation of Baleful Ardour.

The glyphs for Quyóve and Ngüngéthib contain no elements in common with the others, and remain a mystery to me at this point. I will note that Quyóve is not only a demon (if she is that at all) but also (as "Quyó"), is one of the Shadow-Gods of Livyánu, while Ngüngéthib, judging by her name, is also of Livyáni origin. It is possible that the elements in their glyphs derive from earlier Livyáni symbologies rather different from anything in the Engsvanyáli tradition.

Next up:  the demons of Sárku/Durritlámish. Lots of good stuff there!

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