Published in Science and Society Journal, Nondekhm 987:4 Issue
There are many interesting implications and fields of study that revolve around the myth of Srorqi’s fall from grace. The classic tale has become something we tell our children to convey the concept of not straying from the nest, to prevent them from flying too high, for setting their sights too far into the future—or, quite literally, the sky—and not paying attention to the important things in front of them. However, not many know the actual historical sources of the story, the fact that Srorqi did exist, although his name was not Srorqi, and that his flight did happen, and that the resentments towards the Ekhseti [Underground Ones] were resultant from recent conflicts. In fact, few people know that the story is anything but pure myth. My goal is to shed light upon these facets of the story which, I think, make it more broad in scope, and more thematically poignant.
The Elements of the Parable
Several thematic elements of the myth have notable historic context. By studying Iitháianese texts, sociological surveys of culture,—both ancient and contemporary—and examining our own history, both as a people, and as a nation, the full context of the parable can be revealed. I believe that there are too many elements of this parable that go unnoticed and unrecognized, and I wish to shed light upon them now. These elements include:
- The early practices and belief system of Iitháianism; in particular, the story of Rathu, the Creatrix.
- The real-life story of Srorqi, and the Queen of Vartiia.
- Conceptions and prejudices against the Ekhseti, the First Insurrection, and the Biological Exiles.
- The politics of Land-Farmers, and the early communal society of Aarturri.
- The Bharakthi [Illusion Web] Layer
The Story of Rathu
Rathu, literally translated as Fire One was a goddess that emerged during the earliest hunter/gatherer societies. It is believed that She existed before Existence, and created Herself out of nothingness. She became Infinity, She became Everything, She became Existence—an eternity of light and fire. However, She was unable to sustain the energy it took to Exist as Everything, and small parts of Her gave way slowly. She trembled, shook. Pieces of Her fell away from the Whole, until She was scattered across the Infinity, as spheres of Light, and Water. Her sweat petrified, became stone, and the waters filled the stone, creating Nsa-El. Her breath became the sky. She retracted herself into her original form—the orb of Light and Heat that brought light to Nsa-El, and instead summoned the pieces of her from across the Infinity to come and perform individual tasks. However, once entering the orb of Nsa-El, they effectively lost contact with Rathu, became rebellious, and made war among themselves.
Shar-la, the Green God, spread himself over the entire surface of Nsa-El. He created lush forests, fields of moss, and even covered the entirety of the waters. However, Akaari, the Whiteness God, covered all of Nsa-El, obliterating Shar-la’s influence. Rathu, sensing the uprising, sent Ekhai, the Mountain Lord, to lift Shar-la out of the layer of tundra created by Akaari. She sent Rissha, Goddess of Water, to melt those crevices in which Akaari still held sway, pushing Him to the poles.
She then sent Aspera, which literally translates as The One [Asperati meaning The Many], to hold residence on the surface of Nsa-El and act as her influence, her voice upon the surface of the planet. To do this, Aspera was forced to reproduce and recombine himself in many forms to populate every inch of the planet. He formed wings in himself, and his people, so that they could easily travel from one side of the planet to the other. And finally, Rathu could rest.
She was worshipped by many all throughout the continent of Aarturri as the Creatrix, the Mother of all Gods, and was placed on many personal alters in many villages. Even when the individual, lesser gods differed from location to location, Rathu remained consistent and everpresent. About the time that the actual Srorqi lived, in the 100-200’s:4, Iitháianism was at its peak in Aarturri, being somewhat of a nationally practiced religion. Ruins of temples to Rathu still stand even in some of the most remote and underdeveloped of citystates. Today, modern Iitháianism is the third most practiced religion in Aarturri. Contemporary cultures don’t acknowledge as much the creation myths of old. However, many of the traditions and rituals are still practiced in Iitháian temples. As well, most modern Iitháians believe—to some extent—in the Gods Around Them.
The Gods Around Us is a belief that everything in the world is a sacred object put here, for purpose, by Rathu Herself. It is a polytheistic belief in divinity in all aspects of the world around us, that for each element of Life, each part of Existence, there is a deity that rules over that element that was summoned from the Greater Sky [the Universe] by Rathu.
The Vartiiaan Empire
From somewhere between the 110’s and 120’s:4 through the 180’s, Queen Larakthmati reigned over Vartiia. Much has already been documented about her powerful, matriarchal rule, the sexism that reigned, and the “stone fist” with which she judged her people in her later years. Of her Consort, all that is commonly known is that he eventually became very meek, quiet, and ultimately forgettable. In fact, he is one of the least influential Queen’s Consorts in history.
The truth is, Larakthmati was the spawn of Queen Karatharti and her sometime Consort, Veshuuan. Karatharti had, at any given time during her reign, at least three Consorts, very much abused her power as Queen in many people’s opinions, and was also sexually abusive to, not only her Consorts but, when the time came, her daughter, the Princess. Larakthmati gained many of her mother’s faults—she, too, became addicted to coitus, abusive of males, and addicted to Bharakthi. However, Larakthmati’s reign also included cleaning up the kingdom, enforcing a policing system, and a fair judiciary system. She was most loved by her people, so much so that they remained blind to her faults.
She married a young, brown-skinned male from the Vehhusiati desert named Gehkhefthi. No one knows exactly why she ever married at all, let alone a foreigner from the desert. Some critics say it was to stir controversy, while others maintain that his most notable (and in this case, marryable) feature was his large phallus. At any rate, during the first few years, she seemed totally infatuated by him, and it seemed that they were happy together. Though as the years dragged on, she brought him to less functions and events, and began seeking elsewhere to find both physical and emotional sustenance.
Though most is lost of the religious institution of Vartiia—of which we know only that there was an enforced religion—we do know of one of the specific practices of it. Huge temples were erected to pay homage to the god of pleasure and entertainment at Larakthmati’s request, and would employ accredited devotees as holy prostitutes. Both male and female Vartiiaans could become holy prostitutes, however they were separated into different temples and, in most cases, the male prostitute temples were in poor condition. These temples encouraged explorations of any and all imaginable hedonistic practices, including coital union between two (or more) of the same sex. In addition, there were often drug traffickers posted just outside the temple gates selling Bharakthi.
Larakthmati loved these temples and frequented them often, not only as a customer, but she would also disguise herself and enter the female temples offering her own services. It was on one of these occasions that she became pregnant by one of her customers—who was later arrested and put to death on charges of “Sexual Deviation.” She carried the child to term, not once during pregnancy leaving the castle, keeping secret her state from all but her closest of handmaidens. The child was born, and immediately Larakthmati was disappointed as soon as she saw its’ sex.
She called together a council only three days after giving birth. The purpose, she told them, was to dispose of an abandoned infant of a known criminal. She told them that the nature of the crimes was such that she feared the child might be possessed or become possessed by the deceased father. The council, consisting of six females and four males, consensed on exile as the best option. Larakthmati chose the distant region of Aarturri, a continent of which she knew little more than its’ name, and that she had heard of other Queens using Aarturri to exile unwanted members of society.
Two of the male council members, Kheshru and Vorhthun, were chosen to take the child in a qiiritkha cart and abandon the child somewhere in Aarturri. The trek took three days on the strong wings of the qiiritkha. Kheshru and Vorhthun quickly learned upon their arrival in Aarturri, that there was a small village of Wingless. They laid the infant at the side of a trail outside the village, and left quickly. Larakthmati seemed delighted upon receiving the news that the child would be raised by Wingless.
Shortly after this time, however, Larakthmati became much more cold-hearted, began physically, sexually, and verbally abusing Gehkhefthi, and became more and more of a recluse in her own aerie. Many believe she never quite came to terms with abandoning the fruit of her own loins among the dregs of society, but many others disagree, and theories abound to the reasons behind her actions during this time.
The Insurrections and the Exiles
In 132:4, somewhere in the Karpaithi Mountains, just outside of Vartiia, the first Ekhseti are discovered above ground. The news was reported to Queen Larakthmati, who absentmindedly issued an order to attempt to domesticate the newly found land-animals to mine the mountains for obsidian. The order was followed through, and after a period of two marakhthi, it seemed as if the domestication was met with success.
Things went as normal for a time, as new Ekhseti were found and domesticated and trained to mine for obsidian, until 135. A report was made back to the Queen that the Ekhseti had escaped, several Asperati children in the mine were wounded, possibly dead, and the rest had searing wounds on various parts of their bodies. The Queen sent a brute squad to search the area, but to no avail.
Many years passed, the wounds suffered by the mineworkers never quite healed, but otherwise went forgotten. However, when they attempted to have childer, the infants were born without wings. These children were sent to the mines as soon after birth as possible, and became virtually slave labor. This was a common practice nationwide, as more Ekhseti were found aboveground, and the Aspirati residents attempted to domesticate and/or enslave them. In all cases, the same birth defect was found—childer born with no wings. The Wingless became a new class of people who had no rights, who were traded, and bred into slavery. Wingless Aspirati were seen as the lowest of the low, rejects of the gene pool, yet of the same lineage. It was for this latter reason that they felt that it was their right to oppress the Wingless.
In 197:4, the first Wingless Insurrection occurred. In a small, budding fiefdom 75 mendela south of Vartiia, named Usiira, the Wingless slaves united and jointly fought their oppressors while on a mining expedition. They stole several qiiritkhe, and flew as far from their homes as possible, landing in a new, unsettled land. These first few rebels founded Aarturri, and began cultivating land-crops, and starting farms. News of the insurrection spread throughout the nation, and soon nearly all Wingless slaves had escaped their captors.
Real Life Srorqi
Srorqi, or winged one, was raised by land-farmers in a particularly hostile environment. The Wingless society saw him as a constant reminder of their oppression, and Srorqi saw them as his own captors. He couldn’t help but feel like an outsider, living in a society completely foreign to his own anatomy. The elements of the story about Srorqi doing the full plow himself is said to be based on truth, his wings allowing him faster performance of his chores. True, too, is his desire to escape, but not included in the story was his most likely self-destructive attitude, another theory as to why he never halted his ascension.
Bharakthi
The final element vital to the full understanding of The Parable of the Fallen One is Srorqi’s stubborn ascension that, ultimately, led to his untimely death. Today, much is known about the layer of bharakthi in our upper atmosphere. We know that the bharakthi is the natural predator of the ahlkarkthi, which is, of course, the cause of the great “sun spot.” More important than that, however, is that the chemical composition of the bharakthi is such that it has psychotropic effects—it is a hallucinogenic drug.
It is supposed that Srorqi continued flying because he was experiencing effects of large quantities of the drug, possibly causing delusions of grandeur, or delerium. Bharakthi has a long history in our society, however, I won’t use this essay to go into detail on its history. It has long been one of the links we still have to our history, one of the practices that have always been performed—gathering bharakthi. Ultimately, it could be said that it was the cause of Srorqi’s demise. It wouldn’t be the first time the substance has been linked to erratic, irresponsible, uncontrollable behavior, and I wouldn’t be the first to say it could be the downfall of modern society.
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