tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84081205286064845092024-03-19T06:01:25.735-03:00Pagálnikèlikh gàQadóshumashumámrakoiThe Discernment of the Dual DaisPrincipe dell'Estriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18090298455153620573noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8408120528606484509.post-91897672193316095152018-12-30T14:06:00.001-04:002018-12-30T14:06:54.982-04:00Patterns Discerned 4: The Demons of Ksárul and GrugánuSo. On to the demons associated with Ksárul and Grugánu. I've been putting this off, in part because I had other things on my plate, and in part because things get more difficult at this point. It's not that there are no patterns to discern here, but the patterns become more diffuse. Gone are the widespread, obvious expressions of affiliation that we saw with Sárku (the "<i>Bákte</i> in Death" and "Worm Triumphant"), with Hrü'ü (the "Errant <i>Chusétl</i>"), and even with Dlamélish (the "Mouth-over-Mouth" and "Barbed Staff").
Instead, with the name-glyphs of Ksárul's allies we see affiliation expressed more subtly, with diverse elements that vary greatly in execution, that in no case are found in the majority of glyphs, and that are not combined in patterned ways. It is as though the ancient mages that composed these glyphs were coy, tentative, and uncertain about the true allegiances of these demons.
<br><br>
Twelve demons are said to be affiliated with Ksárul the Doomed Prince of the Blue Room, and His cohort Grugánu. Húrsha and Erbulé are of the substance and essence of Ksárul. The major demon Ge'én is said to have a "clear friendship" for Ksárul and Grugánu, and
Giritlén, as we have seen, is ambiguously and rather unhelpfully said to be of the substance and essence of Hrü'ü or Ksárul (or Their cohorts). Héssa is of the essence of Ksárul but unknown substance,
Chéssa of the essence of Grugánu and the substance of Ksárul, and
Mi'royél of the substance and essence of Grugánu. The remaining five demons share affiliation with other deities: Qu'ú is of the essence of Grugánu but the substance of Chiténg; Njénü of the essence of Ksárul but the substance of Sárku; Mishomúu of the substance of Ksárul but the essence of Sárku; Zanátl of the substance of Ksárul but the essence of Hrü'ü; and Uní of the essence of Ksárul but the substance of Hrü'ü.
<br><br><br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8gao0x-JZhP4aqp_I3qBT_9y6xNYhOxPYHUm6B0x0NyselCOXvjT7OqJ-L0VkTku8M1bRYJklMhINQ3CARgNGWwVH5G9qWJXMcem-s7_FEH_FDtylrS2_ITTZs2r2PoIM5H4sWS17Mlt_/s1600/ksarul2c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8gao0x-JZhP4aqp_I3qBT_9y6xNYhOxPYHUm6B0x0NyselCOXvjT7OqJ-L0VkTku8M1bRYJklMhINQ3CARgNGWwVH5G9qWJXMcem-s7_FEH_FDtylrS2_ITTZs2r2PoIM5H4sWS17Mlt_/s400/ksarul2c.jpg" width="400" height="141" data-original-width="1578" data-original-height="556" /></a></div>
<br>
<center><b>The "Three-Barred Box" or "Blue Room" Motif, Highlighted in Red </b></center>
<br><br>
The most common shared element, although it is only found in five glyphs (those of Chéssa, Héssa, Húrsha, Njénü, and Giritlén), consists of a more-or-less rectangular device defined by three slender vertical lines, which I will refer to as the "three-barred box." In two glyphs (Chéssa and Héssa), two such "boxes" are stacked, one atop the other. In two others (Húrsha and Giritlén), the "boxes" have no tops and the "lines" are less clearly-defined, but I believe these glyphs nevertheless quote or reference the same "three-barred box" motif. A sixth glyph, that of Uní, also displays three very short vertical lines in the lower register, and this too may be a very truncated version of the "three-barred box," although I am uncertain of this. I am also uncertain what the "three-barred box" motif is supposed to depict. It may depict the catafalque upon which the Doomed Prince lies dreaming. Or (more likely in my opinion) it may depict the hanging azure draperies (or aurora) which surrounds the Blue Room in which He is imprisoned. In either case, I suspect it broadly represents the Blue Room as a whole.
<br><br><br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDNa5axnwbOmhDpz_1kyRJ6zE7-hIgiV7h_GPpBgd1rL-USr2Y5HIVqDU3w3OCqYpSGI4AWxJHHpQEu90jvVXX2IN-Vmv-jmsghdXgv9mnmSVJmRGEXGb1_hRVojlcYm6CFMPz0Dl0JsvO/s1600/ksarul2a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDNa5axnwbOmhDpz_1kyRJ6zE7-hIgiV7h_GPpBgd1rL-USr2Y5HIVqDU3w3OCqYpSGI4AWxJHHpQEu90jvVXX2IN-Vmv-jmsghdXgv9mnmSVJmRGEXGb1_hRVojlcYm6CFMPz0Dl0JsvO/s400/ksarul2a.jpg" width="400" height="167" data-original-width="1104" data-original-height="462" /></a></div>
<br>
<center><b>The "Half-Lidded Eyes," "Drooping Mouth," and Associated Elements of the "Dreaming <i>Chusétl</i>" Motif</b></center>
<br><br>
A second element, visible in the name-glyphs of Húrsha, Erbulé, and Mi'royél, is a pair of crescents arrayed side-by-side. This element resembles a pair of eyes, and it recalls the "wide-opened eyes" we saw in the demons affiliated with Lord Hrü'ü except that the bottoms of the "eyes" are missing. As a result, these "half-lidded eyes" now have a rather different quality, and appear somnolent rather than alert. I propose that the "half-lidded eyes" also represent the <i>Chusétl</i>, the Shadow-Self of dreams and visions, but that in this form they represent the "Dreaming <i>Chusétl</i>," or "<i>Chusétl</i> in Repose," a reference to the sleeping Doomed Prince.
<br><br>
In all three cases, curling emanations emerge from the right-hand side of the "half-lidded eyes" and arch over them to extend to the left. Once again, I suggest that these represent exudations or manifestations of power by the "Dreaming <i>Chusétl</i>," again a reference to the powers of the sleeping Lord Ksárul. It is interesting that unlike the emanations from Hrü'ü's "Errant <i>Chusétl</i>," these emerge initially from the hidden right (the "back-side" in scripts read from the right) before moving "forward" to the left. These emanations may therefore reflect Ksárul's penchant for secrecy and surprise. Perhaps we could even call them "ambush emanations." Two glyphs (Erbulé, and Mi'royél) exhibit a second emanation that curls downward, beneath the "eyes," but remains to the right.
<br><br>
In the glyphs for Húrsha and Erbulé (but not Mi'royél), the "half-lidded eyes" are underlain by a wide, drooping "mouth." Although it is only present in these two glyphs, both of these demons have the strongest and clearest affiliation with Ksárul, and I firmly believe that the "drooping mouth" is somehow a part of the overall "Dreaming <i>Chusétl</i>" motif. Actually, it is not entirely true that the "drooping mouth" is limited to these two demons: we also see it in the name-glyph of the major demon Marássu (see previous post). In fact, Marássu's glyph displays all of the elements of the "Dreaming <i>Chusétl</i>" motif: the "half-lidded eyes," the "drooping mouth," and both the upturned and downturned "ambush emanations" emerging from the right. While Marássu is known to be "friendly" to Ksárul, his glyph suggests a much stronger affiliation than that.
<br><br>
Two other elements should be addressed. Again, neither appears in very many glyphs, and yet both do appear to be associated with the demons allied with Ksárul, and rarely appear elsewhere.
<br><br><br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUvvEAUCMHaAhzfF4v1xu-c02pWXDFKNuOSNPaHM7of-dJTZBum8w3XiokZNToEQhNh7aAjOdznkxC2C9zUxabzxH4LNjvrzYAnlNb7_iRoQE-izlLIONhqBKQio1u2zXYT4DSSXp6gk2_/s1600/ksarul2b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUvvEAUCMHaAhzfF4v1xu-c02pWXDFKNuOSNPaHM7of-dJTZBum8w3XiokZNToEQhNh7aAjOdznkxC2C9zUxabzxH4LNjvrzYAnlNb7_iRoQE-izlLIONhqBKQio1u2zXYT4DSSXp6gk2_/s400/ksarul2b.jpg" width="400" height="154" data-original-width="1320" data-original-height="507" /></a></div>
<br>
<center><b>The "Trumpet" Motif, Highlighted in Red</b></center>
<br><br>
One of these elements is the "trumpet" motif, composed of one or more triangular forms flaring widely toward the left. "Trumpet" elements of various sorts are recognizable in the glyphs for Erbulé, Mi'royél, and Mishomúu. As to what these elements depict, it is possible that they do indeed depict trumpets or some other variety of sound-producing instrument. It is interesting in this regard that the "trumpet" motif is characteristic of the glyph of the demon Ó. Lord Ó has no identified affiliation with Ksárul or with any other deity, but he is titled "He Who Echoes Between the Planes," and is described as "a breath of sound which is not sound." We may guess that the "trumpet" motif pertains in some way to vibration, resonance, and interplanetary energies. Beyond that, it is hard to say what it might signify, in terms of the theology and mythos of Lord Ksárul: the clarion that summoned His forces at Dórmoron Plain? The final key that will stir the Doomed Prince from His slumber? Something other, signifying his dreaming insinuation between the Planes? We can only guess.
<br><br><br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV4HymPDNxzbZMTsotM3Ck15rw9pDt5SjNY151X6mRzezivEk_s_52975zXI5wm7-Fo1IUWMe-6dB80Sjb22LNVf3QJZq89U1TqazfWQwTXj5dnX6PI48jzx7kjVjMmGum7cF7j1uZarwc/s1600/ksarul2d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV4HymPDNxzbZMTsotM3Ck15rw9pDt5SjNY151X6mRzezivEk_s_52975zXI5wm7-Fo1IUWMe-6dB80Sjb22LNVf3QJZq89U1TqazfWQwTXj5dnX6PI48jzx7kjVjMmGum7cF7j1uZarwc/s400/ksarul2d.jpg" width="400" height="147" data-original-width="1223" data-original-height="450" /></a></div>
<br>
<center><b>The "Claw of Grugánu" Motif, Highlighted in Red</b></center>
<br><br>
The final element, and possibly the most iffy, is a curling taloned- claw device that we see, in quite different forms, in the glyphs of Mishomúu, the major demon Ge'én, and possibly Húrsha as well. This element is perhaps clearest in the glyph for Ge'én, where it is a free-standing element consisting of a four-taloned claw and forearm (or foreleg). In Mishomúu's glyph, a three-taloned claw emerges from the "Trumpet" motif, and in Húrsha's, a three-, four-, or even five-taloned claw extends from the "three-barred box." This should be a fairly obvious expression of alliance with Grugánu, although it is noteworthy that none of the demons that display the "Claw of Grugánu" element have a specific affinity with Grugánu (as opposed to His Master, Ksárul).
Principe dell'Estriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18090298455153620573noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8408120528606484509.post-65286660650447196252018-12-02T09:19:00.000-04:002018-12-21T20:39:12.508-04:00Patterns Discerned 3: The Demons of Hrü'ü and WúruTwelve demons are somehow affiliated with the Supreme Principle of Change Hrü'ü and His cohort Wúru. However, in general this is a motley grouping, whose allegiances are often uncertain.
<br><br>
Only three (Durún, Ka'íng and Narkonáa) are categorically stated to be of the substance and essence of these Deities; Hrgásh supposedly is as well, but this is "hearsay," while the major demon Marássu is apparently "allied" to these two deities (and His glyph allegedly displays this alliance). Giritlén is ambiguously said to be of the substance and essence of Hrü'ü or Ksárul (or Their cohorts), while Gurushá is of the substance of Wúru but unknown essence, and Chríya is of the essence of Hrü'ü but unknown substance. The remaining four of these demons show mixed allegiances: Neré is of the substance of Wúru but the essence of Sárku; Mikoyél of the essence of Wúru but the substance of Chiténg; Zanátl of the essence of Hrü'ü but the substance of Ksárul; and Uní is of the essence of Ksárul but the substance of Hrü'ü.
<br><br>
With demons of such diverse (or mysterious) allegiances, we might hope to find some element diagnostic of affiliation with Hrü'ü and Wúru, but we would surely expect to see many enigmatic or unidentifiable elements. This is indeed the case; and if you think the demons of Lord Hrü'ü are obscure, wait until we start looking at Lord Ksárul! Holy Moley!
<br><br><br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXUDlpVx6NiQaAQxqeTL15a5D5NYUCSL6-jI5XQ7uAvJpH59hkyQA-runvri3148kqgGNmhUudyj7fwKCv_9m52J4uQSQP8E75GmFrKIuvMMefYFeZt8e4dktyNcS06W58_Kw5YvNZhe7S/s1600/Hry%2527y2a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXUDlpVx6NiQaAQxqeTL15a5D5NYUCSL6-jI5XQ7uAvJpH59hkyQA-runvri3148kqgGNmhUudyj7fwKCv_9m52J4uQSQP8E75GmFrKIuvMMefYFeZt8e4dktyNcS06W58_Kw5YvNZhe7S/s400/Hry%2527y2a.jpg" width="400" height="182" data-original-width="1048" data-original-height="478" /></a></div>
<br>
<center><b>The "Wide-Opened Eyes" or "Errant <i>Chusétl</i>" Motif, Highlighted in Red </b></center>
<br><br>
The most obvious common element in these glyphs, present in eight of the twelve (those for Ka'íng, Giritlén, Neré, Narkonáa, Hrgásh, Zanátl, Chríya, and Mikoyél), is a pair of vertical ovals, arranged side-by-side. In most cases, these are joined by two slender ligatures (although Ka'íng's glyph has four, while for Chríya and Mikoyél, the ovals are pressed close together with no space for any ligatures at all). In three cases (Hrgásh, Chríya, and Mikoyél), these ovals are further joined by one or more chevrons at the top. This odd double-oval element gives many of these glyphs a quality of wide-eyed staring faces, and indeed it is tempting to see them as depicting widely opened eyes. This may be what this element literally depicts, but it must represent something more. The design most strongly recalls the symbol of Drá, cohort of Lord Hnálla, but this cannot be. Can it? Instead, I am going to suggest that it represents the <i>Chusétl</i>, the "Shadow-Self," the self of dreams and visions, the ethereal counterpart of the <i>Hlákme</i>. Specifically, I believe that the "Wide-Opened Eyes" motif represents the "Errant <i>Chusétl</i>," actively wandering the Planes Beyond, seeking Truth in Darkness, and perceiving the glories of perpetual Change; this in contradistinction to the "<i>Chusétl</i> in Repose" or "Dreaming <i>Chusétl</i>" that we will see in a later post.
<br><br><br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq5h1NBthy4BBr_bTv3jAmRRv2WNlE9qJOS_uAoev4BpclLcgHuTZwjpQRVocM_-VztRJUR0BsTCKubrZLBGr_lfkNr0YkVadtDiId-Cy3DNPkTHVGRD5Z_nXH8PC9RIq2wpcX1gxd542x/s1600/Hry%2527y2b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq5h1NBthy4BBr_bTv3jAmRRv2WNlE9qJOS_uAoev4BpclLcgHuTZwjpQRVocM_-VztRJUR0BsTCKubrZLBGr_lfkNr0YkVadtDiId-Cy3DNPkTHVGRD5Z_nXH8PC9RIq2wpcX1gxd542x/s400/Hry%2527y2b.jpg" width="400" height="182" data-original-width="1048" data-original-height="478" /></a></div>
<br>
<center><b>Examples of the "Emanations" from the "Errant <i>Chusétl</i>," Highlighted in Red </b></center>
<br><br>
In all cases, additional elements emanate from the top or side of one or both "eyes" of the "Errant <i>Chusétl</i>." These emanations vary widely and each is unique, but there are broadly two types: exuberant plumed arabesques curling toward the left (Ka'íng, Giritlén, Neré, Hrgásh, and Mikoyél); or short, spindly "antennae" projecting to the left and right, and sometimes upward as well (Narkonáa, Zanátl, and possibly Chríya). We can guess that these projections from the Shadow-Self represent various forms of perception, learning, and manifestation by the <i>Chusétl</i>, but their precise meanings remain unclear.
<br><br>
Other elements, particularly in the lower register of each glyph, are also difficult to interpret. The glyph for Zanátl includes a closed-loop representation of the "<i>Bákte</i> in Death," which is unexpected, since Zanátl has no (known) affiliation with Lord Sárku.
Neré, who does have some allegiance to Sárku, displays the right-hand end of the "<i>Bákte</i>," which projects from one side of the "Errant <i>Chusétl</i>." On the other side, apparently emerging from both the end of the <i>Bákte</i>" and the side of the <i>Chusétl</i>, is a plumed emanation. Even this is unexpected, since the <i>Chusétl</i> is not believed to survive the death of the <i>Bákte</i>. Perhaps this half-<i>Bákte</i> represents part of an open-ended living (or sleeping?) <i>Bákte</i>.
<br><br><br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwJL6Zxszh0t-O3fdfKWodjpbjJmeFzdomBgMHrhtcYZ8xpJIE_TZ-Q9QqnIZdJwTeUUAGKkLKdsoVMrEWLeEvY8puEyeJ454_QSvos0OzydiXPS9HF94uhO5qOlWasXprPWJW_Q1BweHd/s1600/Hry%2527y3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwJL6Zxszh0t-O3fdfKWodjpbjJmeFzdomBgMHrhtcYZ8xpJIE_TZ-Q9QqnIZdJwTeUUAGKkLKdsoVMrEWLeEvY8puEyeJ454_QSvos0OzydiXPS9HF94uhO5qOlWasXprPWJW_Q1BweHd/s400/Hry%2527y3.jpg" width="400" height="180" data-original-width="1140" data-original-height="514" /></a></div>
<br>
<center><b>Possible "Portrait-Glyphs"</b></center>
<br><br>
Three of these glyphs may consist of visual representations of demons, rather than abstract symbols. The name-glyph for Durún certainly appears to be a profile portrait of the demonic Beast which is the Steed of Lord Hrü'ü. The glyphs for Chríya and Mikoyél exhibit staring eyes that lack the connecting ligatures of other glyphs, and these may represent literal portrait eyes, rather than the symbolic "eyes" of the "Errant <i>Chusétl</i>" motif. Chríya's glyph certainly looks like the "frightening face" device employed on the shields of warriors. The glyph for Mikoyél looks rather like a portrait as well, of an entity holding a staff or scythe, but perhaps we should reserve further comment until we discuss the demons affiliated with Vimúhla.
<br><br><br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmF2Vy2J1Yo5gfv_ofBQPoZJDRL5HUUUqEHT6ggbDvIdnlWoACGcaYFeWjDdmISg8sUqn4qvBLwAAcwpzlqhs1zZ8P-Tc7UHRRlft54o9dO8AREECbSW2zcuGqPgoZpkr1waeaIUwfDFEg/s1600/Hry%2527y4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmF2Vy2J1Yo5gfv_ofBQPoZJDRL5HUUUqEHT6ggbDvIdnlWoACGcaYFeWjDdmISg8sUqn4qvBLwAAcwpzlqhs1zZ8P-Tc7UHRRlft54o9dO8AREECbSW2zcuGqPgoZpkr1waeaIUwfDFEg/s400/Hry%2527y4.jpg" width="400" height="162" data-original-width="1212" data-original-height="491" /></a></div>
<br>
<center><b>Enigmatic Glyphs </b></center>
<br><br>
Finally, three glyphs (those for Uní, Gurushá, and Marássu) display none of the common elements, and also do not appear to be portraits. Uní's glyph is dominated by what appears to be a variant of the <i>Bákte</i>-<i>Hlákme</i>-Worm combination (a variant identical to that found in Kurritlakál's glyph, discussed in the previous post). This combination should strongly indicate affiliation with Lord Sárku, but no such affiliation is indicated in <i>Ebon Bindings</i>. The glyph for Gurushá is simply perplexing; it contains no elements I can recognize (yet), with the exception of three (!) possible four-pointed <i>Hlákme</i> stars. Finally, there is the glyph for Marássu the "Ever-Nearing Pursuer." This looks vaguely like it might be another portrait, depicting a fanged face. However, the half-lidded eyes and the drooping mouth may be symbolic content, specifically suggesting affiliation with Lord Ksárul, as we shall see in a later post. While Marássu is not unfriendly to Ksárul, it is surprising that his glyph shows affinity to Ksárul but not to Lord Hrü'ü.Principe dell'Estriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18090298455153620573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8408120528606484509.post-78135996326480047212018-11-29T18:56:00.001-04:002018-11-29T20:38:49.080-04:00Patterns Discerned 2: The Demons of Sárku and DurritlámishThirteen demons are affiliated with Sárku the Five-Headed Lord of Worms, and His cohort Durritlámish. Three major demons, Gereshmá'a, Kurritlakál and Srükárum, are variously described as being "allied" to Sárku and/or Durritlámish. Of the lesser demon lords, Ku'éth, Ktélu, Nyerebó, Missúm, and Ashónu are all of the substance and essence of Sárku, and Ssüssü is of the essence of Sárku and the substance of Durritlámish. The remaining four demons share affiliation with other deities: Njénü is of the substance of Sárku but the essence of Ksárul, Mishomúu of the essence of Sárku but the substance of Ksárul, Neré of the essence of Sárku but the substance of Wúru, and Kekkéka of the essence of Durritlámish but the substance of Chiténg.
<br><br>
With so many glyphs to consider, I will not attempt to display them all, but instead will focus on just a few examples for each motif.
<br><br><br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXYuPzN_ef-ZJZA_yHFKKnTCXYXUjUDto0y2NxBlY__lckcTchIMv0nnQdz4v9NDokkDZWbOI48RajB2G7cwqNJQ8Vdf-I8UqON78PCCUQtjl0lsV0cddl3ORe00rPNTD_hn0Kt5ATfD8A/s1600/sarku2a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXYuPzN_ef-ZJZA_yHFKKnTCXYXUjUDto0y2NxBlY__lckcTchIMv0nnQdz4v9NDokkDZWbOI48RajB2G7cwqNJQ8Vdf-I8UqON78PCCUQtjl0lsV0cddl3ORe00rPNTD_hn0Kt5ATfD8A/s400/sarku2a.jpg" width="400" height="176" data-original-width="1209" data-original-height="531" /></a></div>
<br>
<center><b>The "<i>Bákte</i> in Death" Motif, Highlighted in Red </b></center>
<br><br>
The first common element to consider is a horizontal bar displayed in nine of these thirteen glyphs (those for Nyerebó, Ku'éth, Ssüssü, Njénü, Ktélu, Ashónu, Gereshmá'a, Kurritlakál, and Missúm). This bar resembles the "Barbed Staff" motif described for the demons of Dlamélish and Hriháyal in the previous post, but differs in that it terminates at each end in a closed loop, upturned at the right end, and downturned at the left. This element likely depicts a human longbone, but I believe that it represents the physical body (the <i>Bákte</i>) as a whole, the closed loops signifying that it is the "<i>Bákte</i> in Death," entombed in the grave.
<br><br><br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiigqkWdGBNAF3VTVHDcW3549VOfCFpjV_PuLifLWbD6XoRuo8v1BNZZ7b3GwpdQSmlI8Cav2Ys5aBwI6fo51cJz4r4nhICWoIUJ_SKYh_mBGnFgXbhIxNZ8i3T8dQA3uN3FI-XaMLnnIAh/s1600/sarku2b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiigqkWdGBNAF3VTVHDcW3549VOfCFpjV_PuLifLWbD6XoRuo8v1BNZZ7b3GwpdQSmlI8Cav2Ys5aBwI6fo51cJz4r4nhICWoIUJ_SKYh_mBGnFgXbhIxNZ8i3T8dQA3uN3FI-XaMLnnIAh/s400/sarku2b.jpg" width="400" height="176" data-original-width="1209" data-original-height="531" /></a></div>
<br>
<center><b>The "Worm Triumphant" Motif, Highlighted in Red </b></center>
<br><br>
In eight of the nine instances where it is present (all but Missúm), the "<i>Bákte</i> in Death" motif is surmounted by a looped glyphic element marching inchworm-fashion toward the left. The right-hand end emerges from the <i>Bákte</i> itself, while the left-hand end rears to display a down-facing, spreading maw. I do not believe it is a stretch to see in this the "Worm Triumphant," feeding on the <i>Bákte</i> in its sarcophagus.
<br><br>
The combined "<i>Bákte</i> in Death" and "Worm Triumphant" are present in the majority of these name-glyphs and are the clearest diagnostic of affiliation with Lord Sárku.
<br><br><br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDD23lqcPw_wCOoEqUYhULbT5sB1yx6tjv0kor9q5NmjL8gsXUmO6WNMqVi3WVWQWintQ6w-idB-FsEdtLl2Q09czkaBPmwWYVz4uyrimZWJYHiZxi1phOZAhOFEfGy4UezvgLh2HxPRN2/s1600/sarku3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDD23lqcPw_wCOoEqUYhULbT5sB1yx6tjv0kor9q5NmjL8gsXUmO6WNMqVi3WVWQWintQ6w-idB-FsEdtLl2Q09czkaBPmwWYVz4uyrimZWJYHiZxi1phOZAhOFEfGy4UezvgLh2HxPRN2/s400/sarku3.jpg" width="400" height="217" data-original-width="817" data-original-height="444" /></a></div>
<br>
<center><b>The Major-Demon Variants of the "<i>Bákte</i> in Death" and "Worm Triumphant" Motifs</b></center>
<br><br>
Variants of this combination are seen in the glyphs of the major demons Gereshmá'a and Kurritlakál. In both cases, the mouth of the "Worm Triumphant" is augmented by pronged "lips," perhaps representing a suckered maw. In Kurritlakál's glyph, the <i>Bákte</i> and the "Worm" are modified somewhat, so that the combination can be drawn with a single stroke of the pen. Other variants include the glyph for Nyerebó, where the head of the Worm extends and curls down and around to feed from the underside of the <i>Bákte</i>, the glyph for Ssüssü with its unusual double <i>Bákte</i>, and the strange glyph for the demon Missúm ("Death"), which includes the "<i>Bákte</i> in Death" element, but oddly lacks the "Worm Triumphant."
<br><br><br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqz-aRLt7XqhuE3_LMLHHLqVnPq3uAnffZ9YaehikL0yYtk_LmtuX6GvOJEmYCsb9lIUU9LO1g_n8j44T4fvnM2vPv2amuLBZO7vVCvMyEZ-LpUh38nbIR31P8IB7gVm_WNrQQQXvZ1La7/s1600/sarku2c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqz-aRLt7XqhuE3_LMLHHLqVnPq3uAnffZ9YaehikL0yYtk_LmtuX6GvOJEmYCsb9lIUU9LO1g_n8j44T4fvnM2vPv2amuLBZO7vVCvMyEZ-LpUh38nbIR31P8IB7gVm_WNrQQQXvZ1La7/s400/sarku2c.jpg" width="400" height="176" data-original-width="1209" data-original-height="531" /></a></div>
<br>
<center><b>The"<i>Hlákme</i> Beside the Tomb" Motif, Highlighted in Red</b></center>
<br><br>
Only slightly less common, present in six (or possibly seven) of these glyphs is a third element: a four-pointed star, seen hovering somewhere above or below the <i>Bákte</i>. Now this is an element I remember from the original <i>Patterns of Hidden Discernment</i>, where it was interpreted as the "<i>Hlákme</i> beside the Tomb" ( after death, when the spirit-soul has departed, the <i>Hlákme</i>, the "Mind," is believed to linger in the tomb near the body it once inhabited).
<br><br>
Taken all together, the joint representation in these glyphs of the "<i>Bákte</i> in Death," the "<i>Hlákme</i> beside the Tomb," and the "Worm Triumphant" rather neatly encapsulates the theology of Lord Sárku.
<br><br><br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1KDI32tpLL7QNVRzg_PFFLAFnzFGkcARWN3Ga4DOz8Pc11GL87EZ0TlP5yffpHZLdlXjmys3h7wLuMcHpUEMztYR6vuL1Hxnt6p9o5XhmpCu-tb8M1BOncJvyMHrMuBiYrdr6e2ScYKZB/s1600/sarku4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1KDI32tpLL7QNVRzg_PFFLAFnzFGkcARWN3Ga4DOz8Pc11GL87EZ0TlP5yffpHZLdlXjmys3h7wLuMcHpUEMztYR6vuL1Hxnt6p9o5XhmpCu-tb8M1BOncJvyMHrMuBiYrdr6e2ScYKZB/s400/sarku4.jpg" width="400" height="180" data-original-width="1068" data-original-height="481" /></a></div>
<br>
<center><b>The "Five-Headed Worm of Sárku" Motif, Highlighted in Red </b></center>
<br><br>
There is only one more shared motif to discuss, a minor one in that it appears in only three glyphs (Gereshmá'a, Ashónu, and Neré). This consists of an amorphous five-pronged form that may reasonably be interpreted to represent the "Five-Headed Worm of Sárku." The glyph for Njénü includes a vaguely similar element, but there it has eight points, likely reflecting the fact that this demon is of the essence of Ksárul.
<br><br>
As with the demons of Dlamélish and Hriháyal, the name-glyphs of Sárku's demons include a number of additional elements that are unique to each demon and since they are not shared, they are difficult to interpret. And as with Dlamélish and Hriháyal, there are some glyphs that are even more perplexing. Some of these (Njénü,
Mishomúu, Neré and Kekkéka) clearly exhibit motifs pertaining to other deities, and may become more comprehensible in later posts.
<br><br><br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6XwGQrwTEA23GWS_S5junKoMu9WITnx8Kr46FJDHYw3Hei57Br9R2JQx8QRnMZMjed1WkkHOkLQiO3wQh1dRjQrruDARJk5OcnHiQjYe3aBv-1452nyocIcz9cAM_6Ew6r55FQGeuapVF/s1600/sarku5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6XwGQrwTEA23GWS_S5junKoMu9WITnx8Kr46FJDHYw3Hei57Br9R2JQx8QRnMZMjed1WkkHOkLQiO3wQh1dRjQrruDARJk5OcnHiQjYe3aBv-1452nyocIcz9cAM_6Ew6r55FQGeuapVF/s400/sarku5.jpg" width="400" height="335" data-original-width="619" data-original-height="519" /></a></div>
<br>
<center><b>Unusual Name-Glyphs </b></center>
<br><br>
However, two are particularly strange. Missúm's glyph displays a partly-infilled "<i>Bákte</i> in Death" element, and possibly an odd voided "<i>Hlákme</i> beside the Tomb," but otherwise has little in common with the other demons of Lord Sárku or indeed with any of the other name-glyphs in the <i>Book of Ebon Bindings</i>. The glyph for Lord Srükárum is stranger still. We are assured in the text of <i>Ebon Bindings</i> that this glyph contains elements of great symbolic meaning, and yet I see none: or at least, none suggesting affiliation with His masters, Sárku and Durritlámish; if anything, the "Wide-Open Eyes" in the glyph suggest allegiance to Lord Hrü'ü or perhaps Wúru. despite the declaration in <i>Ebon Bindings</i>, I suspect that this glyph is actually an example of a category of name-glyphs in which symbolic content is secondary (if present at all), and the primary goal is to present a "portrait," a representation of the demon's appearance. This may be a heretical view, but we will see further examples of these "portrait-glyphs" in later posts.
Principe dell'Estriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18090298455153620573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8408120528606484509.post-106338322549169292018-11-28T17:50:00.000-04:002018-11-28T18:42:53.416-04:00Patterns Discerned 1: The Demons of Dlamélish and HriháyalSix 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.
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVgqE6JRzxJbTPT5JNR0lSmdcpXa6Ogf7W0q09AksSn80-EsAssSh_cEoirPV4_Sa6rwkpMwfuGyFKg1NeXHdqMzIUupZ16J3O_btyIFrxU2JMAb1bjEWD-qOqJ5pGeyU4R33wtzppR3Ra/s1600/dlamelish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVgqE6JRzxJbTPT5JNR0lSmdcpXa6Ogf7W0q09AksSn80-EsAssSh_cEoirPV4_Sa6rwkpMwfuGyFKg1NeXHdqMzIUupZ16J3O_btyIFrxU2JMAb1bjEWD-qOqJ5pGeyU4R33wtzppR3Ra/s400/dlamelish.jpg" width="400" height="282" data-original-width="680" data-original-height="480" /></a></div>
<br>
<center><b>The Name-Glyphs of the Demons Affiliated with Dlamélish and Hriháyal </b></center>
<br><br>
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 <i>Patterns of Hidden Discernment</i>, 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.
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpUTcxmh0k6M2gmfjn0ejbH3ejqiiAyEAMT2iXgjOgADAtil_yPPw0Hcymo1B5m83oHVICzWG3NLE-L-hGHIGS2SBarBOvorzd75mz_cf2ycikhHq9sKUatU7Iuv5AO_YMZB6pqBcVB1_5/s1600/dlamelish2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpUTcxmh0k6M2gmfjn0ejbH3ejqiiAyEAMT2iXgjOgADAtil_yPPw0Hcymo1B5m83oHVICzWG3NLE-L-hGHIGS2SBarBOvorzd75mz_cf2ycikhHq9sKUatU7Iuv5AO_YMZB6pqBcVB1_5/s400/dlamelish2.jpg" width="372" height="400" data-original-width="480" data-original-height="516" /></a></div>
<br>
<center><b>The "Twin Orbs of Ecstasy" or "Mouth-over-Mouth" Motif, Highlighted in Red</b></center>
<br><br>
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.
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyvxlrizXmbziV0UXFEMGIyVXbIlUIon2QT2KB2QTvym4QiglL07VGS8YzRtzIPh0j1U-dbZu8SLdRC0q8Eq-MdU2RNSm9CC1utQ5WArgybyaaHZFBVF1MZfaLM8zhBhAl4b7xafb26pha/s1600/dlamelish3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyvxlrizXmbziV0UXFEMGIyVXbIlUIon2QT2KB2QTvym4QiglL07VGS8YzRtzIPh0j1U-dbZu8SLdRC0q8Eq-MdU2RNSm9CC1utQ5WArgybyaaHZFBVF1MZfaLM8zhBhAl4b7xafb26pha/s400/dlamelish3.jpg" width="400" height="144" data-original-width="854" data-original-height="307" /></a></div>
<br>
<center><b>The "Emanation of Baleful Ardour" Motif, Highlighted in Red </b></center>
<br><br>
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 <i>Bákte</i>, 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 <i>Bákte</i>, 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).
<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXYFEMa-HsI4mSQsJGoMVgVNsu9JLcLJnqO6NzLVN8j62FIx6_SLBWmC95y7sMmGvEotC6F4lhvFg5kmwL4WqPJYqZtejlL_HXmYnLk-wGnW_z0hBkgF89Cig7I_rH-pZx8lyir5ycgr4d/s1600/dlamelish4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXYFEMa-HsI4mSQsJGoMVgVNsu9JLcLJnqO6NzLVN8j62FIx6_SLBWmC95y7sMmGvEotC6F4lhvFg5kmwL4WqPJYqZtejlL_HXmYnLk-wGnW_z0hBkgF89Cig7I_rH-pZx8lyir5ycgr4d/s400/dlamelish4.jpg" width="400" height="139" data-original-width="854" data-original-height="296" /></a></div>
<br>
<center><b>The "Barbed Staff" Motif and Associated Elements, Highlighted in Red.<br>Arrows indicate the "Blunted-Triple-Barb" element </b></center>
<br><br>
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 <i>Patterns of Hidden Discernment</i> 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 <i>Bákte</i> in general, it likely also represents the juxtaposition of pleasure and pain so favoured by the Emerald Ladies (and Hriháyal in particular).
<br><br>
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 <i>Pedhétl</i> would be represented somewhere here, but darned if I can find it. Perhaps it is implicit in the open-ended (living) <i>Bákte</i> of the Barbed Staff or the conjunction of the Mouth-Over-Mouth; or perhaps it manifests as the Emanation of Baleful Ardour.
<br><br>
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.
<br><br>
Next up: the demons of Sárku/Durritlámish. Lots of good stuff there!Principe dell'Estriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18090298455153620573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8408120528606484509.post-80599015197629041262018-11-27T16:04:00.000-04:002018-11-27T17:33:24.290-04:00Patterns DiscernedThe <i>Book of Ebon Bindings</i> is one of the "crown jewels" of published materials for the Tékumel setting. Sadly, the latest edition came out in 1991, nearly 30 years ago. Those of you lucky enough to have a copy of this unique demonology (there were apparently about 1000 produced, in four editions, between 1978 and 1991) will surely have pondered the 54 elaborate name-glyphs for the demons described therein (one demon lacks a name-glyph).
<br><br>
Many of these demons are of the "substance" or the "essence" of the twenty Pavárian deities of Tékumel, and we are assured repeatedly in the text that these glyphs identify the deities to which these demons are affiliated. The glyphs likely also identify other characteristics of these entities as well, although this is less explicit. In any case, the demon name-glyphs are not just artistic squiggles (although they are certainly artistic), they are artful as well: there is supposedly pattern and meaning to be found in them. Most especially, the glyphs contain elements that reference specific deities.
<br><br>
We know this to be true, in part because an analysis of these glyphs, undertaken many years ago (likely in the early 1990s) masterfully identified the motifs associated with each deity, traced their occurrences in the glyphs, and interpreted their meaning.
<br><br>
I first encountered this analysis rather fortuitously, on the internet in the middle or late 1990s. I have it mind that I found it on a Princeton University FTP site, but I could be wrong about the host. It was a long time ago, and unfortunately, I no longer have a copy (or if I do, it is on an old 3.5" floppy I can no longer read). The analysis itself consisted simply of a series of scans of pencil sketches that broke down each glyph into its component parts, and named each element. it is possible there was more to the analysis than this, but the sketches were all I ever saw. Nevertheless, although rough and sketchy, the piece was breathtaking and clearly true to Tékumel, and for a long time, I assumed the sketches were by Professor Barker himself.
<br><br>
In later years, after the FTP site vanished, I made occasional enquiries on the Tékumel Yahoo group and eventually learned that this analysis was entitled the <i>Patterns of Hidden Discernment</i>, and that it was was done by Jamie Thomson. So it was not the Professor's work after all, but a fan piece. But such a brilliant fan piece! And one that apparently impressed the Professor greatly. Bob Alberti (whose webserver may have been where I discovered it) recalled that it "was a phenomenal piece of work. I don't think I've ever seen Professor Barker so impressed."
<br><br>
At the time, I was hoping to see the <i>Patterns of Hidden Discernment</i> republished, and I don't believe I was alone in that. I still hope to see that happen. But the last chatter around this was almost a decade ago, and I am not optimistic that the original <i>Patterns</i> will be available anytime soon. Tékumel publishing/republishing is often like that.
<br><br>
So pending the eventual (and sadly, unlikely) re-release of that brilliant analysis, I propose to undertake the same exercise here in this blog, from scratch. Starting all over again and re-inventing Jamie Thomson's wheel: a brand new effort to discern those hidden patterns. I do recall a couple of the details from the original. Not very many (naturally I will cite them when I do) and my discernment will surely not match the original, but it's better than nothing.
<br><br>
So what I propose to do, is group the demons according to the major Deities to which they are affiliated by essence/substance, where known (not initially distinguishing substance/essence, or deity/cohort) and look for shared elements in the name-glyphs that may be symbolic of particular deities. I think that is roughly what Jamie Thomson did, and I will say again that my effort to repeat his work will probably suck in comparison.
<br><br>
Of the 54 name-glyphs, 6 are of demons that appear to be affiliated with Dlamélish/Hriháyal, 13 are affiliated with Sárku/Durritlámish, 12 with Hrü'ü/Wúru, 12 with Ksárul/Grugánu, and 8 with Vimúhla/Chiténg. Bear in mind that some of these demons are of the essence of one Deity and the substance of another, so some of these name-glyphs will be examined twice. Once that is done, we can have a look at the remaining 16 demons whose substance and essence are unknown, and see if we can make any sense of those guys.
<br><br>
Ready? Alright then, fangen wir an and vamos a ver, next post we'll begin with Dlamélish/Hriháyal. Relatively few demons, few glyphs, some readily-apparent patterning (but not too much), and a good place to ease into this exercise.
Principe dell'Estriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18090298455153620573noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8408120528606484509.post-89976423112545978432017-11-26T10:07:00.003-04:002017-11-26T10:32:04.962-04:00New Tekumel Blog!Yes, there's a new Tekumel blog in town, and it could be YOUR blog too!<br><br>It's all about sharing game logs and battle accounts from Tekumel gamers around the world.<br><br> It is linked in my blog roll over on the right, you can check it out here:
<br><br>
http://actualplaysintekumel.blogspot.com
<br><br>
Are you running a Tekumel rpg? Gaming epic battles between the armies of the five empires?<br><br>
Please get in touch with the blog owner to be added as an author so you can share your own "Dispatches from the Imperium" with other Tekumelophiles!Principe dell'Estriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18090298455153620573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8408120528606484509.post-5502750796880854472017-10-09T13:58:00.000-03:002017-10-09T13:58:34.343-03:00...And Another Season EndsBack again, another season of fieldwork complete.<br><br>Not just another season though. The fieldwork is finished, so this was the final season for this project. A project I started 19 years ago. Damn. There's still analysis and writing to be done, but after all this time, it's hard to believe it's actually coming to a close.Principe dell'Estriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18090298455153620573noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8408120528606484509.post-5846343428475625612017-06-11T23:02:00.000-03:002017-06-11T23:05:35.315-03:00Another Season BeginsSo, lovely evening for grilling. We planked a salmon for dinner. It was nice.
<br><br>
Tomorrow I fly north to begin another field season. I have about a week of office-y prep and mobilization tasks and then its full-time fieldwork. I'll be bringing some Tekumel resources in the hope of doing more on the monasteries piece. Nothing much, just the Sourcebook and Vol 2 of Mitlanyal. But I have to say, I bring Tekumel material with me every year, and yet, I never end up finding time to tinker with Tekumel. If you notice my posting dates you'll see I always go pretty dark between roughly Canada Day (that's July 1) and Hallowe'en. Realistically, I will most likely go dark this summer as well. Field days are long and there's not much left of me between supper and bedtime. Just not as young as I used to be.
<br><br>
Oh well. That said, while my real-world reportage was out for review, I was able to sneak back to Tekumel and almost finish the Vimuhla/Chiteng section. So that's good.
<br><br>
Here's hoping this will be the year I have the energy to visit Tekumel in my evenings. If not, well, I'll see you in the fall!
<br><br>
have a great summer everyone Principe dell'Estriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18090298455153620573noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8408120528606484509.post-58923390400526751402017-04-23T12:58:00.001-03:002017-04-23T12:58:06.989-03:00Monasteries Update and a Language MatterSince early February I have been face and eyes into real-world report writing, so the monasteries piece has been on hold.
<br><br>
What I was able to do through January was, complete the finished text on Dlamelish/Hrihayal monasticism, and a short, very speculative section on monasticism among the Pariah worshippers. In addition, the section on Vimuhla/Chiteng is blocked out, and about half of it is finished text.
<br><br>
So that's where the piece stands right now. I'll return to it when I can.
<br><br>
An unrelated issue: it has been brought to my attention that over a year ago, when I released <i>Naval Warfare</i>, there was a conversation on a Tekumel Facebook page about the translation of my blog title. I don't do the Facebook thing, so I wasn't aware of it at the time.
<br><br>
Apparently people were able to parse the text pretty well, but there was some head-scratching over the "shuma" part (shuma=holy, shumashuma=most holy), because shuma isn't listed as a General Attitude Suffix (GAS) in the Tsolyani Language book.
<br><br>
Very true! It isn't, so I can understand the puzzlement. But I didn't just make it up. The Professor listed "shuma" as a GAS over in the Tsolyani Language Yahoo Group.
<br><br>
That group was originally set up for the Professor to give language lessons, that's what I joined for way back when. Obviously, with the Professor gone, it no longer serves quite the same purpose. But I recommend the group to anyone with an interest in the Tsolyani language. There's stuff in there you will not find in the Tsolyani Language book.
<br><br>
I have a link to it over on the right.Principe dell'Estriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18090298455153620573noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8408120528606484509.post-15543963339971767182016-11-20T16:17:00.000-04:002016-11-22T18:50:36.185-04:00So, monasteriesWell, it has been a very intensive field season this year, and a rather long one too.
<br><br>
Progress on the Tsolyanu monasteries piece has been limited as a result, but not non-existent.
<br><br>
There is precisely zero final text at this point. But what I do have so far, in addition to a document template, is a is a Word file of notes (with citations) that is complete to my satisfaction. This includes everything I could find on monasteries and monasticism from the major "official" sources (Sourcebook, Mitlanyal, Blue Room, Man of Gold etc. - special thanks to Howard Fielding for his advice and information re the monastery adventure in Adventures on Tekumel!). I also have some notes on monastic traditions of Earth for comparative purposes. Finally, this also includes notes on "unofficial" monasteries from fan materials like the Butrus Gazetteer, articles in the Book of Visitations of Glory etc. There isn't really a lot of unofficial material on this subject, but I am a firm believer in building other people's great unofficial material into my own (equally unofficial) Tekumel whenever I possibly can.
<br><br>
I mean, just imagine...if we shared and built together, we could create an unofficial Tekumel that was larger and more detailed than the original!
<br><br>
However, moving right along, my own Tekumel ambitions are, well, less ambitious than that. So getting back to monasteries, my notes add up to about 34 pages, plus a four-tab excel file. A lot of this is recursive, there are probably about 10 pages of "meat" in there. But there is also a lot of non-Canon material to add, to flesh out the bones. So this is looking at the moment like a 30-40 page document. Can I finish it before the new year, when fieldwork reporting will take over my life? Probably not. But I am ready to start, so I will get as far as I can.
<br><br>
I'll keep you posted.Principe dell'Estriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18090298455153620573noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8408120528606484509.post-63654799235903498602016-02-21T14:59:00.001-04:002016-02-21T16:11:16.210-04:00Further Pondering Tsolyáni MonasteriesSo I have been giving a bit more thought to a short monograph on Tsolyáni monasteries. Like I posted earlier, I would dump much of what I wrote in the 90s, and focus instead on how Tsolyáni monasteries actually operate vis-a-vis the Temples: a change I think would also make the monograph more useful for people who are "gaming" Tékumel.
<br><br>
There isn't that much information on Tsolyáni monasteries at all, and I think I have most of the reference materials I would need: <i>Mitlanyál</i>, <i>Man of Gold</i>, Sourcebook, etc. along with most or all of the piecemeal references to monasteries made over the years, including the Professor's one-paragraph description of monasteries in general from the Blue Room archives.
<br><br>
There is one thing I am missing. Apparently, one of the old <i>Adventures on Tekumel</i> books (<i>Beneath the Lands of Tsolyánu</i>?) includes an adventure set in a monastery. Since I don't have this, I am wondering how useful it might be. Is it a monastery we already know a fair bit about? Is there much description applicable to monasteries in general? If anyone out there already has a copy, I would love to hear your thoughts on how important a source it might be.
<br><br>
On another note, there are very few monasteries out there for which we have Tsolyáni names, but two that we do (the Ksárul "Kauingákte Monastery" and the Thúmis "Hauninngákte Monastery") both have the suffix (or stem element) "-ngákte" in their names. Anybody know what this might mean? I can't find -ngákte in the Tsolyáni language book at all.....Principe dell'Estriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18090298455153620573noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8408120528606484509.post-17701726332466670732016-02-14T15:35:00.001-04:002016-02-14T15:57:35.887-04:00Tekumeláni Naval Warfare - one week onIt has been a week since I released <i>Naval Warfare on Tékumel</i>, and I would like to thank everybody for your positive and encouraging responses. I have no idea how many times it has been downloaded (it seems that Dropbox won't actually tell me that) but based on the recent traffic on the blog, there must a be few of you out there! Thank you for your interest!
<br><br>
I haven't started work on any further Tékumel projects yet, and I don't expect to for another month or two at least. Instead, I have been roaming around the blogs and message boards and what-have-you, catching up on what I have been missing over the past year (quite a lot, as it turns out!, and some really interesting stuff!). I expect to continue in that vein for a while.
<br><br>
Once I do return to completing another fan contribution, what will it be?
<br><br>
The obvious choice is my ethnography of the Tsandáli Clan. It is my pet project, and has been for some years now, and it was, after all, the <i>raison d'etre</i> for starting this blog in the first place. Unfortunately, that is not a project that will reach completion any time soon. At the moment, the Tsandáli monograph stands at about 76 pages, about half of it rough notes. I have 12 illustrations complete, but that too is only about half of what I envision for the final product. And the ones that remain are the most complex illustrations I have planned. At a guess, I would estimate this study will come in at 120-150 pages, half-again or twice as large as <i>Naval Warfare</i>. This is looking like a deliverable for 2017 at the earliest.
<br><br>
There is another option. Believe me, I hate to defer the poor Tsandáli yet AGAIN to focus on something I can achieve faster, but I god help me, I am considering it.
<br><br>
See, I do have another essay lurking in the background, and that is a study of monasticism and monasteries in Tsolyánu. This was actually my first attempt at writing pseudo-scholarly Tékumel non-fiction, something I started back in the mid-90s. I abandoned it years ago because of difficulties in modelling how a monastic tradition might arise in a Tsolyáni cultural context. Sure I came up with a theory, but the more I looked at it, the more my theory seemed to be not only non-canon (which I am totally cool with) but significantly counter-canon (which I am not so cool with). The end result just didn't feel right. Nevertheless, there is some stuff in there I am pretty happy with, and even allowing for mission creep, I like to think a re-worked version might come in at 20-25 pages, a third the length of <i>Naval Warfare</i>. I only have one illustration that might work for this piece (on the cover), and no ideas for other illustrations to add, but if the scope could be kept to 20-25 pages, I might be okay with having no internal art at all.
<br><br>
Anyway, something I will be considering over the weeks to come....
Principe dell'Estriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18090298455153620573noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8408120528606484509.post-69585548771272309472016-02-07T12:51:00.003-04:002016-02-07T22:48:41.541-04:00Naval Warfare on Tékumel - done and available for free download!I must apologize for the long time that has passed since my last post (over a year!)
<br><br>
There are two reasons for the lapse in activity. The first is that it has been a busy year for me workwise. The second is that I have kind of kept myself cloistered from the Tékumel community at large, trying to devote my limited Tékumel time to completing my essay on naval warfare. I had really hoped to have it done in 2015, the 40th anniversary of the release of EPT. Obviously I didn't quite manage that, but close. The essay is finally done. Or as done as it is going to be.
<br><br>
The finished piece is an 81-page pdf, about 4.5meg in size. Pretty reasonable, I think.
<br><br>
If you would like a copy, just click the cover image at right to get the Dropbox link.
<br><br>
So what all are you getting? Well, it is a primer on naval warfare on Tékumel. Section 1 is a brief introduction. Section 2 discusses the history of naval warfare on Tékumel. Section 3 deals with naval architecture and the organization of fleets in the Five Empires. Section 4 covers the "modern" practice of naval warfare. Section 5 describes two historical naval engagements, to illustrate the points raised in Section 4. Section 6 offers some brief concluding observations. This is followed by a rather lengthy section of endnotes and then a brief list of references cited.
<br><br>
Now, a few words about what this essay isn't:
<br><br>
1) It isn't "official" canon Tékumel. It is a completely unofficial fan essay. In fact, there are a few instances (clearly identified in endnotes) where I explicitly depart from canon fact. Moreover, in the Tékumel of my imagination, it is still the reign of the 61st Seal Emperor Hirkáne “The Stone Upon Which the Universe Rests.” For me, subsequent canon historical events have not happened yet (and may never happen). The disclaimer required by the Tekumel Foundation for fan work appears on the first page of the Table of Contents.
<br><br>
2) It isn't a set of naval wargame rules. This is a pure fluff piece. I originally envisioned it as a naval equivalent of Professor Barker's "Military Formations of the Nations of the Universe" article published in the Dragon Magazine back in 1977. Although the scope grew over time, it is still intended to serve the same kind of role.
<br><br>
3) It isn't a quick read. I have to admit the style is a little pedantic and pseudo-scholarly. In fact, I even made the layout reminiscent of a social sciences monograph series from the 1950s-1970s. No apologies for that, it is just how I roll. Besides there was sometimes more than a hint of pedantry in the Professor's own work on Tékumel! Personally, I always kind of liked that....
<br><br>
4) It isn't professionally-illustrated. There are illustrations, in fact you will have seen a few samples already on this blog. I guess I would describe the style as "enthusiastic amateur" rather than professional. A professional artist could surely have done better, but for me, some of the fun of fan-non-fiction is building it yourself, so, for better or for worse, that's what I did.
<br><br>
5) It probably isn't for the newcomer to Tékumel. Prior familiarity with the world of Tékumel is assumed.
<br><br>
Anyhoo, if you aren't put off by what it ISN'T and you think you might be interested in what it IS, please feel free to download a copy. It should be a quick download, and it's free. I hope you find it interesting, and maybe even useful.
<br><br>
Fred
<br><br><br><br>
(ps Any problem with the download link, please let me know. I think it works, but I haven't used Dropbox before, so there could be glitches)
Principe dell'Estriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18090298455153620573noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8408120528606484509.post-85521896684596099832014-12-18T14:58:00.000-04:002014-12-18T15:51:05.330-04:00Tekumeláni Naval Warfare: Some ProgressSo next year will be the 40th anniversary of the original publication of <i>Empire of the Petal Throne</i>, and 2015 has been proclaimed "The Year of Tékumel!"
<br> <br>
Given my patchy attention to this blog over the past year, I probably shouldn't commit to producing anything to mark the occasion, but certainly, I would like to produce something Tekumeláni in 2015. More to the point, I would like to <i>finish</i> something Tekumeláni in 2015!
<br> <br>
To that end, I have decided to return to my naval treatise, probably the most finishable of my personal Tékumel projects.
<br> <br>
And I have made some progress!
<br> <br>
Until recently, the draft document focused on individual vessel tactics; fleet and flotilla deployments got short shrift. Now though, I have blocked out all of the principal naval formations and evolutions employed in the Five Empires. These are to be illustrated by discussing three fairly large historical naval actions: First Penóm in 2,019 A.S. (the Mu'uglavyáni invasion), Second Penóm in 2,020 A.S. (between the Tsolyáni relieving fleet and the Mu'ugalavyáni rear guard), and a more obscure action near Keruná in Háida Pakála, in 2,293 A.S., between Pakalayáni pirates and a Salarvyáni punitive expedition.
<br> <br>
I have blocked out the stories for each of these battles. Otherwise, progress on the battles is mixed; I have a complete series of maps for the action near Keruná, a partial series for First Penóm, and no maps yet for Second Penóm.
<br> <br>
Certainly, the maps are slowing me down. Originally I had planned to do very simple black and white maps, with simple ellipses for the shipses, and no over-elaborate Tekumeláni design hoo-hah. If I had stuck with that plan, I might be well on my way to finishing. Unfortunately, but perhaps predictably, I just couldn't leave well enough alone. I just had to Tékumelize the maps. Evidently, I am all about the elaborate Tekumeláni design hoo-hah.
<br> <br>
So now, it will be a bit of a slog, but I have to make my battle maps look more like this:
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPtHXT3pxPVF_qVcZakV3eO0g82mD7-8J7jq-z7tpbAIlV3QY8hDo5Bz1iGfLm0s6hQROFUtyNOeniNduLuxCiRkXBmTZRb1SZg6KVrY8Nr0VGMbOjteyORCabs8KCzbppAGtqRESZRWlA/s1600/PENOMNSE.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPtHXT3pxPVF_qVcZakV3eO0g82mD7-8J7jq-z7tpbAIlV3QY8hDo5Bz1iGfLm0s6hQROFUtyNOeniNduLuxCiRkXBmTZRb1SZg6KVrY8Nr0VGMbOjteyORCabs8KCzbppAGtqRESZRWlA/s1600/PENOMNSE.JPG" height="256" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
(This particular map shows the opening dispositions at First Penóm. The Mu'ugalavyáni to the left are just "shaking out" from their convoy columns, the Tsolyáni blocking force is deployed to the right)
<br> <br>
One depressing thing about putting a lot of work into Tékumelizing maps is that niggling feeling that it is only a waste of time. After all, we all know that Tekumeláni don't really make maps, not in the sense that we make maps. Yes they make "picture maps" but a picture map really wouldn't serve my purpose here. So here I am, trying to add Tékumel flavour to maps that perhaps could never exist on Tékumel.
<br> <br>
On the other hand, we do know that Tekumeláni do make specialized military maps, showing blocks of troops, movement arrows etc. I don't know what those maps look like, but they sound similar to Terran battle maps. So maybe, just maybe, these Tékumel-styled naval maps are something a Tsolyáni <i>Changkérdukoi</i> (Admiral) might recognize...Principe dell'Estriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18090298455153620573noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8408120528606484509.post-30325223700662595912014-11-09T14:05:00.000-04:002014-11-09T14:05:05.086-04:00On Returning in the FallWell, it is Fall once again. Another field season over, another chance to relax, however briefly, and return to Tekumel for a bit. And another chance to reflect on the decline in my blog contributions this year! Good lord, worse than last year by far.
Ah well. I think this year I shall keep mum about my Tekumel ambitions and just hope for the best.
In the meantime, I have some catching up to do. I expect lots has happened on Chirine's workbench over the last few months. There will be news on the F/fate of Tekumel. And more, much more!
And, quite exciting, it appears that there is a new blog out there about Tekumelani foodways and how to mimic them on earth. And best of all, by an author whose Tekumel stuff I have always enjoyed tremendously! I am seriously looking forward to this!
Oh yes, and I see I have a couple of very interesting emails to return, too.
No idea how long my nexus point to Tekumel will remain open this time, but I will try to make the most of it!Principe dell'Estriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18090298455153620573noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8408120528606484509.post-36981167133921336652014-01-19T14:57:00.000-04:002014-01-19T14:57:22.549-04:00Google+Apparently my refusal to sign up for Google+ means that I can no longer post comments on some of the blogs I like to pay attention to. Oh well. Even if I can no longer respond, at least I can still read them (until Google+ decides to forbid that too!).Principe dell'Estriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18090298455153620573noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8408120528606484509.post-77831080964602493232014-01-12T14:02:00.001-04:002014-01-13T16:12:15.582-04:00Prospect and RetrospectApparently the new year is the time to reflect on the past and the future of one's blog. So, two weeks in, here goes:
<br><br>
POST FREQUENCY
<br><br>
Ten posts in 2013. Now I am never going to be posting every day, or even every week, but surely I can manage once a month or better. I hereby resolve to do so. At least as an average (the summer months may be quiet for the foreseeable future).
<br><br>
POST CONTENT
<br><br>
I originally intended this blog to be quite narrowly-focused on the ethnography of the Tsandali Clan. Secondarily perhaps on Tekumelani naval warfare. I guess I have kept to that mandate fairly well. But I do suffer from distractibility: new ideas that get ahold of me and push away older projects. The Tsandali monograph is a prime example, relegating my naval warfare piece to long-term draftdom.
<br><br>
More recently, the map of the First Imperium, an idea that has been lurking for about six months and took over this fall. Actually, I had intended to work up a whole gamers guide to the First Imperium, pulling together what little we know about cities, clans, deities, history, architecture etc. and fleshing out the rest with unofficial fluff from my own imagination. The map was only supposed to be a part of that. But I really don't want to add any major projects until I have finished something. So for now, I am going to stop with the map. Maybe a gamers guide one day. Maybe not.
<br><br>
The art element has been fun. I like learning more and more about how to draw, and the blog has forced me to tinker more. Although, according to my countryman at the Tao of D&D what I derive from it is likely classified as "satisfaction" rather than "fun." Perhaps he is right. It is satisfying, not so much because I am ever satisfied with the result, but because each time I finish a map or a picture I learn something that opens up new possibilities for the next one.
<br><br>
LINKS
<br><br>
I really have to update my links. Some sites, some yahoo groups, have disappeared over the last year.
<br><br>
Most notably and most recently, Tekumel.com itself!!! WTF?
<br><br>
There are also some part-time Tekumel blogs I have discovered, and I should add those to my list.
<br><br>
On a related note, you may notice that I am not listed as "following" any blogs. That is because following/joining seems to require Friend Connect or Google+ and I am not yet convinced I really want to go there. But make no mistake, if you have a Tekumel related blog and I know about it, I am following you!
<br><br>
I follow some non-Tekumel gaming-related blogs as well, just because they have some quality of coolness. Maybe at some point I will post about the ones I follow and why.
<br><br>
PROJECTS AND PLANS
<br><br>
Okay, so here are my Tekumel-related plans for the coming year, more-or-less in order of priority:
<br><br>
1) Get back into some sculpting. I am determined to complete a portrait figure for a certain warrior-priest of Vimuhla. I expect I will do it in polymer clay, since it is a material I have at hand, and understand. But I would rather experiment with kneadatite, if I can find it somewhere I can just go to the store and pick it up.
<br><br>
2) Complete the environmental setting for Tenkare Prefecture. The complex tropical forest ecosystem of the Kikertla Hills still needs to be finalized. I have reduced my remaining art ambitions for this section to one cross-section of the valley, and one wildlife illustration. I do have a sketch of two little creatures chattering in the trees, but I haven't really tried to draw Tekumelani animals before, so it is a challenge finishing this.
<br><br>
3) Getting back to the Naval essay. I have no further artwork ambitions other than some simple maps of sea battles, so it is all about text, but still. Ever since I started on the Tsandali, I am afraid they (the Tsandali) have priority.
<br><br>
4) Project X. Something much more directly game-oriented than anything else I have even considered producing (I have not been an active gamer for 30 years). But I don't even want to think about this until I have some closure on my other more fluff-focused interests. So enough about that. Probably not this year.Principe dell'Estriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18090298455153620573noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8408120528606484509.post-31809151674072533552014-01-10T12:40:00.000-04:002014-01-10T12:40:21.530-04:00A Minor MilestoneWell, I managed to forget the anniversary, but I just realized that this blog turned 1 year old a couple of days ago.
There is still a lot of poop to clean up and many diaper changes to come, but it has learned to stand up by itself, and even walk a little. And it sleeps through the night, which is a blessing. Aren't they adorable at this age?Principe dell'Estriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18090298455153620573noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8408120528606484509.post-10382991946903915252014-01-07T12:20:00.000-04:002014-01-13T16:09:47.714-04:00An Odd little Tekumelani Map<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<b>INTRODUCTION</b></div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
I have recently come into possession of a rather curious document, a map showing the world of the First Imperium. The piece measures 58.5 x 41.25 cm, and is drawn in (faded) inks and pigments on (age-darkened) silk, possibly <i>güdru</i>. The script is Bednálljan Salarvyáni. </div>
</div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCxk-kLkhi_yjRx7xDjsRCXaA-TJk2K8yYkShNjWu3RuaqgB3DBnpPLByzDXQfoU2CwAf6xC6kdqPQBmq97p95n5Sf8TKlqPvgthw-NxDjp-HPs-DgaSYll6_-iWGGibRv8LQcj4eSdYyY/s1600/FirstImperiumMap.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_lm_5557="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCxk-kLkhi_yjRx7xDjsRCXaA-TJk2K8yYkShNjWu3RuaqgB3DBnpPLByzDXQfoU2CwAf6xC6kdqPQBmq97p95n5Sf8TKlqPvgthw-NxDjp-HPs-DgaSYll6_-iWGGibRv8LQcj4eSdYyY/s1600/FirstImperiumMap.JPG" height="225" hua="true" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
Mind you, I am not so naive as to believe that this is an authentic Bednálljan document. The chart appears to be "old," but it is inconceivable that a First Imperium textile could survive in this condition for tens of millenia. On the other hand, the apparent age of the piece may tell us nothing about its authenticity. When we consider that it charts the landscape of an alien world in an alien plane 100,000 years in our "future," perhaps its "age" is simply indescribable (and the story of how it came to rest in 21st-century Earth must be fascinating indeed!). Most telling, though, is the fact that its meticulous and scaled representation of coastlines and topography is at odds with all (known) Tekumeláni map-making traditions and capabilities. </div>
</div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<br />
As a result, I can only guess that this map was drawn by some alien visitor, rather than a resident, in Tékumel's bethorm. And yet, I am inclined to believe that this unknown visitor may have been a particularly well-informed observer, and that this map may be an accurate representation of the world of the First Imperium. Let's have a closer look shall we?</div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<br />
<br />
<b>ANALYSIS</b></div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<br />
<b>Ornament</b></div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<br />
The map is enclosed in a simple banded border, scaled (whether deliberately or fortuitously) in increments of approximately 400 modern Tsolyáni <i>tsányal</i>. The ordinal points at the corners of the map are overseen by the masks of four unidentified <i>sharétlyal</i> ("demons").</div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<br>The principal ornament is a rather interesting escutcheon. It depicts the goddess Tyalméya (who corresponds to the modern Dlamélish, but in Bednálljan times, was appparently an Aspect of Chótl "The Blinding Sun") seated on a divan, serenely countering, and ultimately overcoming, the bluff and bluster of the warring deities Jráka and Vaomáhl. This is, of course, the "Tyalméya and the Warring Deities" motif seen occasionally on coins of the early First Imperium. Although the theological reference is obscure, I am confident that the mythic content is secondary to its significance as political allegory. The viewer is expected to identify the goddess Tyalméya with the queen Nayári, founder of the First Imperium (an identification made quite explicit in the Bednálljan inscription on this document). The image of Tyalméya and the Warring Deities is thus a metaphor for Nayári's ruthless conquest of the rump states of the Dragon Warriors and the Fisherman Kings, and for her skillful manipulation of the sectarian strife between their temples: the Red Robes of Vaomáhl and the Black Robes of Jráka.</div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<br />
<br />
<b>Topography</b></div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<br />
The outlines of the continents are carefully drawn, and in general, reflect the coastlines we would expect to see in the region prior to the great cataclysm that marked the fall of Gánga. For example, a shallow sea covers the area that is now the Desert of Sighs and the central plain of Yán Kór, and the northern cities of Yán Kór are shown as city-states in an east-west-oriented archipelago (Pelesár is also one of these island city-states). The southern ocean is less radically transformed, but we can see that Gánga appears to have been a little larger than it is today, while the Flats of Tsechélnu and the Layóda Swamps were both present, but less extensive than in modern times. </div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<br>All of these are more-or-less what we would expect to see. But these expected configurations also reveal truths that are a little unexpected, or were to me. For example, it becomes clear that when the Desert of Sighs was ocean, the Swamps of Ksárul around Púrdimal were originally a coastal lowland or swampy rivermouth delta. It makes perfect sense, really. Also, we can see that when the plains of Yán Kór were ocean, not only was Sunráya a seaport, but so was Grái in Saá Allaqí. In fact, Saá Allaqí, which we think of now as a land of deserts and mountains, was during the First Imperium, a broad and likely fertile river valley reaching to the sea.</div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<br>There are a few other features of note. First, the forests which form the northern boundary of Salarvyá were once contiguous with the forests of Gilráya (again, not entirely unexpected), and appear to have extended south from modern Pecháno to join with the forests around Lake Mrissútl. Second, the terrain north of Salarvyá appears to have formed a more marked and extensive east-west band of desert terrain than we see today, reaching from the Sleeping Desert in the east (largely off the map), through modern Kilalámmu and into northeastern Tsolyánu , where it becomes the Desert of Eyági.</div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<br>For me, this desert region is the most interesting part of this map; the landscape that it reveals resolves a number of ambiguities and inconsistencies found in our documentary sources. </div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<br>For example, we are told that Nayári belonged to a "desert tribe" from the Dry Bay of Sú'um, and yet we are also told that prior to the Cataclysm, the Dry Bay of Sú'um was a large inland sea called "Lake Aridzó." This map resolves this puzzling inconsistency, clearly delineating Lake Aridzó but showing it surrounded by what appears to be desert terrain. We may infer that Lake Aridzo in the Bednálljan and Engsvanyáli periods was a desert lake perhaps analogous to the (much smaller) Ounianga Lakes of Earth. </div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
(<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ounianga_Serir_panorama.jpg">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ounianga_Serir_panorama.jpg</a>)</div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<br />
Similar inconsistencies are found in First Imperium descriptions of the Desert of Eyági. We are told that this region, including the city of Fasiltúm, was once a fertile land, named "The Vales of Ninár." And yet, we also read of campaigns against the desert peoples of the region, who found refuge in desert lands. </div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<br>Was it fertile, or was it desert? </div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<br>Again, this map appears to reconcile these conflicting descriptions. The Desert of Eyági is clearly shown, as extensive, or more so, than it is in modern Tsolyánu. But it is bisected by the narrow fertile valley of a river which flows, Nile-like, through the desert hills from Lake Aridzó down into the Tsolyáni central plain to debouch into the Mssúma near what I believe to be the city of Purdánim, downstream of Béy Sü. I speculate that this river was named the Ninár River, and its valley was the legendary "Vale of Ninár." The city of Fa'ásal (Fasiltúm) is shown at the head of navigation, most likely a gateway city, tributary to Purdánim, a caravanserai on an ancient trade route between the peoples of the Mssúma and the desert nomads of what is now northeastern Tsolyánu. In this context, the Nayári myth makes perfect sense. Nomads moving into Tsolyánu from the Lake Aridzó region would naturally follow the Ninár to Fa'ásal, and thence, the next obvious destination for Nayári would obviously be further downstream at fabled Purdánim, at the confluence with the Mssúma River. Here, at Purdánim, the young Nayári would climb to power, and ultimately, found an empire. </div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<br />
<br />
<b>Toponymy</b></div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<br />
The map indicates the principal cities of the First Imperium and surrounding lands with small truncated-pyramid symbols. Unfortunately, the original Bednálljan names for these cities were inscribed in a fugitive sepia-toned ink which has now almost entirely faded into obscurity. Because I regard this map as a curiosity rather than an authentic Bednálljan document, I have taken the liberty of over-writing the Bednálljan glyphs with Roman toponyms, to assist the Earthly reader. Have I thereby defaced an important historical document? I hope not. History will be my judge.</div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<br>Not that I have been able to identify every city. While studying this map it became apparent to me how few First Imperium toponyms we really know. In fact, the only authentic Bednálljan toponym I am aware of is Béy Síy (Béy Sü), the "Soul of the World." What we do have, particularly for the key cities of central Tsolyánu and, to a lesser extent, the city-states of Hekkhé (Yán Kór), is a series of toponyms dating to the last millenium of the First Imperium, through the end of the Tarishánde Dynasty. We do not know if these names were strictly "Bednálljan" in origin, or if they were "Proto-Engsvanyáli," but perhaps it doesn't matter. We can be confident that they were in current use in at least the latter days of the First Imperium, and probably much earlier. For the area of Mu'aghátl (modern Mu'ugalavyá) we have an additional series of "Early Engsvanyáli" toponyms that were again, likely in current use through the late First Imperium. Finally, we have another series of "Middle Engsvanyáli" toponyms that were likely similar to those of the First Imperium, but not identical. I have largely avoided using these on this map, but I have inserted a few, where no alternatives are known. These pertain principally to the land of Tsavrátl (modern Salarvyá) and include Liü Sánmu (Tsa'avtúlgu), Mmélökh (Mmillaká), and Chgáth (Jéggeth). Jekáral (Jaikalór) is the only instance in which I have used a Middle Engsvanyáli toponym for a city within modern Tsolyánu. </div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<br>There are additionally some topoynms which are not known for certain to be Bednálljan or Proto-Engsvanyáli, but which may well be. Examples include Gánga (which is not shown and in any case would have been inconsequential until the final years of the First Imperium) and Hmakuyál (also not shown, but presumably important, even in that era). Another example, of course, is storied, lost Purdánim itself. Since Purdánim fell into ruin after the First Imperium, we can guess that the name we know it by is original, but it may be a more recent Tsolyáni rendering of an earlier toponym. We simply do not know. Of course, the real mystery of Purdánim that has engaged scholars for millenia is not its name but its location. As is so often the case, the evidence is vague. We are variously told that it was situated northwest of Thráya, east of Usenánu, and north of Sétnakh (one source says 100 <i>tsányal</i> north of Sétnakh; we may discount this, since 100 <i>tsányal</i> is not far enough north of Setnakh to place it northwest of Thráya and east of Usenánu). If we triangulate betwen Thráya, Usenánu and Sétnakh, we reach a point on the Mssúma downstream of Béy Sü, where a major city-symbol is shown at the confluence of the Mssúma and the river I believe to be the Ninár. I believe that this strategic former river-confluence location, now buried beneath the silt of a river that has not flowed since the Cataclysm, is the site of lost Purdánim itself.</div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<br />
<br />
<b>Borders</b></div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<br />
The map does not indicate the borders of the First Imperium, a pity since if it did, we might be able to guess the specific period it purports to depict. The borders varied enormously over time, but in general terms, we know the First Imperium extended to encompass all of modern Tsolyánu, much of Hekkhé (Yán Kór) and Milumanayá, probably some or all of Ssédh Eléq (Saá Allaqí), southern Tsavrátl (Salarvyá) at least as far east as Tsatsayágga, and southeastern Mu'aghátl (Mu'ugalavyá); Llurusé (Livyanu), eastern Tsavrátl and N'lüss remained independent. </div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<br />
<br />
<b>CONCLUSION</b></div>
<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<br />
Meta-fluff aside, I hope anyone considering gaming in this era of Tekumel's history may find this map useful. <br />
<br />
The First Imperium would certainly make for a dramatic game setting: a brutal and somewhat chaotic age, when the Concordat did not exist, and religious strife was far more prevalent and overt than in modern Tsolyánu. Even when Imperial control was strongest, cities and regions were perhaps more autonomous than today, and more parochial. Travel from one city to another, from one cult-center to another, was more likely to be a risky and even scary journey into places unknown or poorly-understood. The ancient ruins of the day would be those of the Dragon Warriors, the Three States of the Triangle, the empire of Llyán, and even the Latter Times. <br />
<br />
(I do have a higher-resolution "untextured" editable copy of this map, so if anyone knows any toponyms I have missed, please let me know!) </div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<br /></div>
Principe dell'Estriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18090298455153620573noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8408120528606484509.post-40510207913928767022013-12-01T13:07:00.000-04:002013-12-01T13:07:44.425-04:00More Fun with Tsolyáni Calligrams<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
Perhaps "fun" isn't the right word. I actually found this one rather difficult to draw. </div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
And I had to tinker with the Tsolyáni script so much, I am not even certain it is legible anymore. </div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
Anybody care to take a stab at what it is supposed to say, and what it is supposed to represent? <br />
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9DxxetHXIu8Nvw1p1Xnrh06C07Ayz5ubZtuuFlmfkJ-2KB4nTRkp9vweJskl7fOzEwlyaYp81ly6LaJsKeouU-_0otjN643kw1uqTyumEIRBlGfndTj5ROkfC8t6zwo5ByCeSogepsMQZ/s1600/calligram.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_lm_747618="null" dua="true" height="157" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9DxxetHXIu8Nvw1p1Xnrh06C07Ayz5ubZtuuFlmfkJ-2KB4nTRkp9vweJskl7fOzEwlyaYp81ly6LaJsKeouU-_0otjN643kw1uqTyumEIRBlGfndTj5ROkfC8t6zwo5ByCeSogepsMQZ/s200/DURRIT3.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
Principe dell'Estriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18090298455153620573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8408120528606484509.post-36059300070668806312013-11-09T14:27:00.001-04:002013-11-09T16:17:55.529-04:00Back from the Field....<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
..where I have been almost continuously since May. It's been a great season, but it's good to be home. The last few days I have been trying to catch up a little on what's new on Tékumel. I was really quite taken by the doodle over on the Tékumel Project blog:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://thetekumelproject.blogspot.ca/2013/08/hayalun-tlakayila-excellent-ruby-eye.html">http://thetekumelproject.blogspot.ca/2013/08/hayalun-tlakayila-excellent-ruby-eye.html</a><br />
<br />
It clearly consists of Tsolyáni letters, although I can't quite assemble them into Tsolyani words. Nevertheless, it did get me thinking about Tsolyáni calligrams. <br><br>Do the Tsolyáni use calligrams? I decided they probably do. The compass rose on the EPT box cover certainly looks like it might be one (incidentally, I have always assumed that that element on the EPT box-top is supposed to be a representation of the Seal of the Imperium....does that make sense?). <br><br>Anyway, so I thought it might be fun to try my hand at a Tsolyáni calligram or two. And the obvious place to experiment is with deity names. So first, Dlamélish. Here's the name of the Deity wrapped clockwise around a central point. Special emphasis on the "-sh" consonant, since its double loops recall the "Twin Orbs of Ecstasy" from Jamie Thomson's superb analysis of the BoEB demon glyphs.</div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwcV9niUAmYagNPDjiYo08TssYXKnmSjv7t1CgH9d4EIu7QGlEx3Dh-ja6SDW-tLW6fI6B7kcLuobyDBveVnO9z2gRuSZQV2ETIXyGCvnlS6mVNjeH7482BD7mi_MqCIt1kWS91W_Y8Gcf/s1600/DLAMGL2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwcV9niUAmYagNPDjiYo08TssYXKnmSjv7t1CgH9d4EIu7QGlEx3Dh-ja6SDW-tLW6fI6B7kcLuobyDBveVnO9z2gRuSZQV2ETIXyGCvnlS6mVNjeH7482BD7mi_MqCIt1kWS91W_Y8Gcf/s200/DLAMGL2.JPG" width="200" zsa="true" /></a></div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
I am quite happy with it as is, but it rather fails as a calligram, since there is no particular visual image. So why don't we elongate the "-sh" even more to give the whole thing something of a lingam effect?</div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-n6XW5LMPuPabcTlg4UmYRQCdwqFcrPIFIOOotHyK2eSAPTgoCdtjTGM9mb8b4p7rsCVj_fwCEk-rKJdS0zCh1XwR78fwI9gTxPsO3TF6RPKyU0w5oyu7wVz0fnKjGVFMMHtv2AZ23y1W/s1600/DLAMGL4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-n6XW5LMPuPabcTlg4UmYRQCdwqFcrPIFIOOotHyK2eSAPTgoCdtjTGM9mb8b4p7rsCVj_fwCEk-rKJdS0zCh1XwR78fwI9gTxPsO3TF6RPKyU0w5oyu7wVz0fnKjGVFMMHtv2AZ23y1W/s200/DLAMGL4.JPG" width="141" zsa="true" /></a></div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
I think the Goddess would approve. Especially rendered in a nice Dlamélish-compliant silver on emerald green. So voila. The name "Dlamélish" in the form of a stylized barbed phallus.</div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE6JELix2J3aIWVAChhH2P9p-498exSeriU9ox0R2rybbfqXJMPuwI_7ISE3YQcdkMYL9dqmMGUDM6yGweLWisHMLAhMIgdkpqbzBrhyZ7rVHZfTULkOEFgZZXNje5ayaKjT6RvvmK8jKl/s1600/DLGLRED.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE6JELix2J3aIWVAChhH2P9p-498exSeriU9ox0R2rybbfqXJMPuwI_7ISE3YQcdkMYL9dqmMGUDM6yGweLWisHMLAhMIgdkpqbzBrhyZ7rVHZfTULkOEFgZZXNje5ayaKjT6RvvmK8jKl/s200/DLGLRED.JPG" width="141" zsa="true" /></a></div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
The next one I tried was Sárku. I was aiming to set the name in a pentagonal form, with a worm emerging from each corner. I even added the General Attitude Suffix "-dali" so I would have five consonants. Well, I kind of succeeded, but the results kind of sucked. I don't think you can impose a visual image on the word from the outset, you have to let it emerge from the characters.</div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
So then I decided to try something easier: Qón. Only two consonants. Should be easy, right? Well, it turns out it is. Qón is ridiculously easy to make calligrams with. Flip the letter "n" and the name "Qón" instantly turns into a stylized mace, the symbol of the Deity.</div>
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh47PlloSJ-1lX7lsEjsZd6ODeYXsE0lg7zx_qPvzdue343IxW8MArWb4OkIUx63z9_K9KfUZMJVUzw1OHAoJy8MWmJui9xvl86vGET1-MMfjJgdD__MDjL5vkC3IcWGrHZsDBDFxhY-NHX/s1600/QONGLWK2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh47PlloSJ-1lX7lsEjsZd6ODeYXsE0lg7zx_qPvzdue343IxW8MArWb4OkIUx63z9_K9KfUZMJVUzw1OHAoJy8MWmJui9xvl86vGET1-MMfjJgdD__MDjL5vkC3IcWGrHZsDBDFxhY-NHX/s200/QONGLWK2.JPG" width="120" zsa="true" /></a></div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
Write the name "Qón" as usual, but add a flourish to the vowel to turn it into an ear, move the double loops of the letter "n" forward to make nostrils and add a fanged element inside, and there you have the name "Qón" rendered as a canine beast-head. Sort of a demonic Snoopy-face. It was rather startling to see how easy that was!</div>
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1u0HyCXW1rUoMPDe_2SP0r3dlXmA5rUPVfSHhR01LqBd7wRqzM40GONmoRNmSVEdYtmYlEltTsKQapx6SUd4eFMURaoyybyvUstYc04WbHIwIoyJsr6W9g1Gyq8g9CfwKof_Scj04fs9R/s1600/QONHEAD.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1u0HyCXW1rUoMPDe_2SP0r3dlXmA5rUPVfSHhR01LqBd7wRqzM40GONmoRNmSVEdYtmYlEltTsKQapx6SUd4eFMURaoyybyvUstYc04WbHIwIoyJsr6W9g1Gyq8g9CfwKof_Scj04fs9R/s200/QONHEAD.JPG" width="200" zsa="true" /></a></div>
Principe dell'Estriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18090298455153620573noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8408120528606484509.post-84620247346063858462013-02-24T12:53:00.001-04:002013-02-24T12:53:24.437-04:00Update<h4 style="text-align: center; text-indent: -144px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Tsandáli Update</span></h4>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Still plugging away when I can at the natural setting chapter for the Tsandáli monograph. The overview of regional (i.e. Káijan<span style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US">) geology / geomorphology / hydrology </span></span><span style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US">is long since done. </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Zeroing in on the biotic zones of Tenkar<span style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US">é Prefecture, the Raná</span></span><span style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US">nga-Equnoyel Interfluvial Upland Zone is done (the upland combination of intensive <em>Dná</em> monoculture and <em>Hmá </em>husbandry makes for a pretty simple - and essentially anthropogenic - ecosystem, really).</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit;">The Equnoyel Valley Bottomland Zone (rather more complex but still a monocrop system, here based on <em>Yáfa</em>) is also done. </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="text-indent: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit;">The Kikértla Hills Zone (ecologically the most complex of the three with its multi-layered moist tropical forest) still needs more work. </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Part of the reason for the slowed pace is that returning to online Tekumel after some time away, I keep finding new (or new to me) unofficial Tékumel setting materials that may contain flora and fauna references. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Most of these don't discuss wild plants and (non-monstrous) animals as such. Probably the most extensive treatment is in the Butrus Gazetteer. But some other fan contributions make passing reference to food plants, technological plants, flowers used in offerings etc. that may suggest plants present in the forests of southern Tsolyánu.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">And I do believe in supporting other people's original fan setting ideas for Tékumel by adopting them into my own Tékumel (properly credited of course), if they feel right (and in this case, if they are plausible specifically for Káija). </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">For example, a characteristic tree of the Chákas is the "soaring" <em>Ebz</em></span><em>á</em><span style="font-family: inherit;"><em>l</em>, which in the Butrus Gazetteer is identified with the ceiba tree. I don't know that this is "official" Tékumel, but who cares. I really like this identification. A lot. So as far as I am concerned it is true, and the <em>Ebz</em></span><em>ályal</em><span style="font-family: inherit;"> of southern Tékumel, down in the Tsandáli neck of the woods, are ceibas too. Some other "unofficial" trees from Pan </span>Cháka<span style="font-family: inherit;"> will be showing up in my </span>Káijan forests as well.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Picture Time</span></h4>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Once again, a couple of pictures that aren't really related to the text. These are three figures I did quite a while ago using Sculpey III. Not the greatest material in the universe for a couple of reasons, but it has some properties that make it great for your first efforts if you are just starting out sculpting. I posted these over on the Tékumel Yahoo group...when?...almost a decade ago! Where does the time go? I wouldn't say my work has improved in the least since then, but I don't sweat that too much. It's fun just doing it.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3gddwatUdS7qM_lY2jcK_K5abWKsba6koXSgowLloWPmdD6u9afc9cOCl-17QahMRy5MfZBJsYqL4dRhpW50vljifhq0ky-n9KUuOq6YBTgBnNBNhDmn9B3Ak2huQ3Rc0QEkgnbLZs92I/s1600/hp.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="200" mea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3gddwatUdS7qM_lY2jcK_K5abWKsba6koXSgowLloWPmdD6u9afc9cOCl-17QahMRy5MfZBJsYqL4dRhpW50vljifhq0ky-n9KUuOq6YBTgBnNBNhDmn9B3Ak2huQ3Rc0QEkgnbLZs92I/s200/hp.JPG" width="157" /></span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYdntGBvF3-2Isdz5O_ONKCgNa02fe3Ni1DfxKC6Gwb9hfpyPRsuoDkvaay2ooX1gcBoElJo4zJdK1r7MsPT4somj5328Fr4zDMTXmjM32Q2HyvncaP3TwkVtE6cDfzThJnds94IrO4odE/s1600/MASTERS.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="220" mea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYdntGBvF3-2Isdz5O_ONKCgNa02fe3Ni1DfxKC6Gwb9hfpyPRsuoDkvaay2ooX1gcBoElJo4zJdK1r7MsPT4somj5328Fr4zDMTXmjM32Q2HyvncaP3TwkVtE6cDfzThJnds94IrO4odE/s320/MASTERS.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Actually, these figures are not totally unrelated to the subject, especially the two guards on the bottom. You'll notice the the male and female guard figures each have an agnathic demon face on their belts. In addition, the male guard wears a tabard with a sinuous, worm-like design which descends from the demon face almost like a tongue. The agnathic face, often fanged, is a design element particularly associated with Chav</span><span style="font-family: Garamond; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span lang="EN-US">í</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">n art, and it's one I really like working with (notice I gave the Dlamélish priestess in a previous post an agnathic-face-and-tabard garment too!)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Anyway, back when I was working on these figures I realized the motifs I was using on their clothing seemed to be a real mix of S</span>á<span style="font-family: inherit;">rku and Dlamélish elements. That got me pondering: what kind of social group in Tsolyanu would have people wearing this combination of S</span>á<span style="font-family: inherit;">rku and Dlamélish symbols?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The </span>Tsandáli<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Clan began as my attempt to answer that question. So in a way, these figures gave rise to the whole clan. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
Principe dell'Estriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18090298455153620573noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8408120528606484509.post-16584958205165768652013-02-05T00:20:00.000-04:002013-02-05T00:20:53.834-04:00Some MiscellanyOkay, some Tsandali-related miscellany.<br />
<br />
One thing I have noticed looking at the traffic here is that people are more likely to read a post if there is a picture attached, so I'll try to make sure I always have one to post. It might not always relate to the text however<span style="font-family: inherit;">. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinR78I8gqhpMxpGhcodbwrgUMq7shZa7hsjA4LtZJPqfq-UsgnX-zu_FhXYc-wPJtkQuW1eDtpIkiCDUKL13icUC_ZrpdK_mHOk-1F0lD2vWVrYTXLihNpHj6XBh4ZqFivvE5EUqN9xGYh/s1600/aladh2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ea="true" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinR78I8gqhpMxpGhcodbwrgUMq7shZa7hsjA4LtZJPqfq-UsgnX-zu_FhXYc-wPJtkQuW1eDtpIkiCDUKL13icUC_ZrpdK_mHOk-1F0lD2vWVrYTXLihNpHj6XBh4ZqFivvE5EUqN9xGYh/s400/aladh2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">This week a little vignette from the House of Perfect Poise in the Cloister of Al</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit;">á</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">dh, a courtyard in the Monastery of the Third Crescentine Aspect at Ngáye'</span>è<span style="font-family: inherit;">shu. This monastery of Hrih</span></i></b><b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit;">á</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">yal perched on a ridgetop overlooking the <span style="font-family: inherit;">Eq</span><span lang="EN-US">ú</span>noyel River is an important institution in Tenkare Prefecture, particularly for the Tsand</span></i></b><b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit;">á</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">li. Narrative dance is highly esteemed in the clanhouses of the largely illiterate Tsand</span></i></b><b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit;">á</span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">li, and many youths and maidens from the higher-ranking lineages of the clan are sent to </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ngáye'</span>è<span style="font-family: inherit;">shu to study the arts of </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Al</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit;">á</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">dh. Here we see a student assuming one of the Eighty-Seven Poses in the Twelfth Mode of the Lesser Epics, under the watchful eye of her instructor.</span></i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Moving right along, I am kind of happy to see that no one seems to have strong feelings about the precise location of the northern border of Kaija Province. Right now I am going through source materials, canon and non-canon alike, to see if I have missed any plants or animals that should be present in Kaija. Once that review is complete, I will be able to post the chapter on the environment and ecology of Tenkare Prefecture.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Looking ahead to the chapter on Tsandali agriculture, I have just posted a list of Tsandali agricultural terms over on the Tsolyani Language Yahoo Group. Criticism and comment are welcome.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Principe dell'Estriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18090298455153620573noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8408120528606484509.post-59808690500804274712013-01-27T22:24:00.000-04:002013-01-27T22:30:16.121-04:00More Tsandali - A couple of maps<div style="text-align: justify;">
Back to the Tsandali Clan. In the original monograph I go directly from the introduction to a review of the historic and mythic origins of the clan. The geographic setting then follows. It is tempting to do the same here, if only because outlining the Tsandali origin myth will at least explain what the "Dual Dais" is all about.</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
On the other hand, I think it is important to anchor the Tsandali in space, as well as in mythic and historic time, so I think I'll start now with a couple of maps, and post the origin myth later.<br />
<br />
So here's a map showing the location of Tenkare Prefecture, where 90% of the Tsandali clansmen live, in the eastern end of Kaija Province, at the north-central edge of Kaija Protectorate (the Protectorate is outlined in a bold white dashed line). The non-canon topographical features I have added are a "Gilraya Uplands" in the northern part of Gilraya Forest, extending west from Hrundano Rise east of Sokatis. I think it makes topographic/hydrological sense, forming a southern boundary for the Rananga watershed. Also, the "Kikertla Hills" separating the Equnoyel drainage from the Layoda swamps. They are essentially an extension of the Gilraya Uplands, and again I think they are kind of necessary for the hydrology to work.<br />
<br />
I know the map style is a weird hybrid between the "computery" and the calligraphic, certainly not something a native Tsolyani would generate, or even necessarily comprehend.<br />
<br />
But there's something else here that is potentially controversial, and that is the northern boundary of Kaija Protectorate. There was a bit of a Blue Room exchange about this back in the 90s that never really seemed to get resolved. I won't get into it just now. Suffice to say, what I've decided to do here is to run the northern boundary of Kaija along the interfluvial upland between the Equnoyel and the Rananga. Kind of splitting the difference between the two opposing positions.<br />
<br />
But that can be changed. No big deal. Comments?</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicxhbwEvFxv3RcIZvKjX_TcVEHWo-K2S9n9bKJHm3ONw_kt7SdPYZsrJGXf7LwR2r1TqKtOr4WOivdSGJycOdrj1L_oA1NPtXsBygjV7hQbdywj7jJrAVgPKEGtbbryebg7P8iQrFrbCuO/s1600/KAIJRED2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicxhbwEvFxv3RcIZvKjX_TcVEHWo-K2S9n9bKJHm3ONw_kt7SdPYZsrJGXf7LwR2r1TqKtOr4WOivdSGJycOdrj1L_oA1NPtXsBygjV7hQbdywj7jJrAVgPKEGtbbryebg7P8iQrFrbCuO/s400/KAIJRED2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
This second map is a hex, specifically #2817. Very "gamey" I know. This map shows Tenkare town and its environs. I distinguish 16 Duretl-Tsandali villages in the hills, but in the Equnoyel bottomlands I only show the major towns. This is part of the rural hinterland that feeds the voracious appetites of Jakalla. That makes it one of those "breadbasket of the Empire" hexes, so hundreds of thousands of people live here, mostly along the alluvial bottomland. It isn't practical to show all the lesser towns, villages and hamlets, there are just too many of them.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmwxJJfxJuuOKegaOG_DILtryLIJOj2WoBpopjCmsVimpq-8bnoHVUlK1BuSogGX7_L2QTTiK2QJXbsGqnGzPTnWZfyefZEmrkng0psRgVjE7RDxwfnrm8EEBkF2VfOQEa-Z2V4Pwy7Zn6/s1600/tenkare.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmwxJJfxJuuOKegaOG_DILtryLIJOj2WoBpopjCmsVimpq-8bnoHVUlK1BuSogGX7_L2QTTiK2QJXbsGqnGzPTnWZfyefZEmrkng0psRgVjE7RDxwfnrm8EEBkF2VfOQEa-Z2V4Pwy7Zn6/s640/tenkare.JPG" width="488" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Principe dell'Estriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18090298455153620573noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8408120528606484509.post-17412396739476528422013-01-23T15:48:00.001-04:002013-01-24T00:27:04.979-04:00Tsolyani Ships<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
As I mentioned in my first post I have been working on a little treatise on Tekumelani naval warfare. I haven't decided yet how to post it, since it doesn't break down very naturally into blog posts.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
I guess I'll find a way.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
In the meantime, I was very interested to read over at The Pewter-Pixel Wars (<a href="http://pewterpixelwars.blogspot.com/">http://pewterpixelwars.blogspot.com/</a>) about the challenges in wrestling with the problem of representing Tekumelani warships with earthly Hellenistic/Roman-style miniatures. It looks like pretty fiddly work at that scale, I look forward to seeing how it turns out.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
The question of what Tekumelani warships really look like is one that has always interested me. Yes we have text from a number of canon sources indicating that certain vessel types might be "like" pentekonters, others are "like" triremes etc. But more than the text descriptions, I am personally rather influenced by the little ships portrayed on the original EPT box cover. These have an over-the-top Tekumel design sensibility that sometimes looks a little improbable but surely must be right for the "look and feel" of Tekumelani ships.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
My own take on Tekumelani ships, at least in the Five Empires, is that like most material culture they have elaborate ornamentation: superstructural decoration that may look impractical, but is considered essential. Not a frill. In fact, if chlen-hide panels are used for some of this ornament it might even be vaguely functional since it would be somewhat armoured and would especially protect against flaming missiles. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
Here are a couple of screen-grabs from the working copy of my naval piece to show what I mean. Both of these vessels are supposed to be Tsolyani. I am not totally happy with the way my zoomorphic elements look like I just glommed them onto streamlined hulls (though that is more or less what I did!); ideally I think the hulls and the superstructures should have a more unitary look, but still, I think it is an approach that has possibilities.... and it may be one way we can make historical models look more Tekumelani.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXpsODnWPa5MXkgY5cEOz9b7BLfmgKe2JioPWzPRaoAfHxfL-rS1rZHDlHooLyUBsNQTQ2Rc2kyKBVFQ93ntQm2HAGckVoDkszhsMZYdPV6ehhg1zWKkUWXPNayQTmCp6NLPrGygvSzcp-/s1600/hrublog.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" jea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXpsODnWPa5MXkgY5cEOz9b7BLfmgKe2JioPWzPRaoAfHxfL-rS1rZHDlHooLyUBsNQTQ2Rc2kyKBVFQ93ntQm2HAGckVoDkszhsMZYdPV6ehhg1zWKkUWXPNayQTmCp6NLPrGygvSzcp-/s400/hrublog.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span id="goog_1692465929"></span><span id="goog_1692465930"></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCr5dcrM6VnaefUGxcv3EZw7cp7_7XyacjLJ5LiYgK_lrHtyOYFgwKy9tQwWB5WmTj8I0wTNUO83f3fedzKGKRyK7G61fowp0XtABegYJmMTZiQCM-240PoDzcwh05KNMNUqditTuKD69H/s1600/blogQel.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" jea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCr5dcrM6VnaefUGxcv3EZw7cp7_7XyacjLJ5LiYgK_lrHtyOYFgwKy9tQwWB5WmTj8I0wTNUO83f3fedzKGKRyK7G61fowp0XtABegYJmMTZiQCM-240PoDzcwh05KNMNUqditTuKD69H/s400/blogQel.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></div>
Incidentally, I understand that <i>Qadardalikoi </i>has illustrations of Tekumelani warships. Unfortunately, I don't have a copy. One day I will track one down. Or... did I see somewhere that a new edition may be published? Either way, if I can find a copy it will fill a major gap in my library.Principe dell'Estriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18090298455153620573noreply@blogger.com11