ARMAGEDDON, THE END OF DAYS |
1. Human denotation for the supposed End of Days (elvish: "móh'dainías", lit. "Darkness of Days"). Depending on race, tribe and belief there exist various different myths on this topic and to mention all of them would fill whole books. Several minor and major religions, which have preached Armageddon (especially those which were common at the end of the first millenium of the Santharian Calendar) have vanished altogether in the course of time. But the idea and fear of the world being torn assunder by the will of the Gods (as the priests claim) or the force of elemental powers (so say scentists) still has its place in the heads of all races.
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The most renown as well as mysterious myth in this context is the legendary
twelvth chapter of the elven myth of creation,
the Cárpa'dosía.
This chapter has a major impact especially on dark elven beliefs, but also plays
an important role in the concepts of human
sects deriving from elven lore, e.g. at the
Blood Sisters of Sanchentour, who are supposed to still practise dark rituals in
the sewers under Nyermersys. The
Cárpa'dosían chapter is titled
somewhat irritating "Of Naught". Even the title suggests that this chapter may
be fake and not contained in the original myth, a possibility, which experts
also seem confirmed in the slightly different style used in these passages. But
as it is unsure where and when the
Cárpa'dosían myth was written down (and if it contained all chapters from
the beginning on), the assumption of the fake chapter can neither be confirmed
nor denied. However, it is a fact that the chapter was lost for many centuries
before it was re-discovered, but only to pose new questions, which remain still
unanswered.
In a very early chapter of the Cárpa'dosía
it is written that Avá
saw
Coór the Shaodw Himself as the reflection of
Herself in the world and that She had the wish to awake from her Dream.
Avá then pondered upon the
thought that She couldn't awake, because She might
realize to be just the Dream of another. There's only one very vague hint
indicated by Avá's last expressed
thought that this other might be Her supposed creation
itself - a paradoxon. Thus it is
interpreted that whenever the Goddess awakes the Dream will end. The world will
tear assunder and Avá will lose Her identity.
Many artists have tried to capture these moments of Armageddon in their
pictures, one of the most famous interpretations of this topic you can see above
- note that also the androgynous features of
Avá's face are intentionally drawn by the artist.
In Chapter VIII this early notion of Avá is
intensified, but the thought is moved away from the High Goddess to another
level the author calls the "Naught". There exist many different speculations
about the real meaning of the Naught and whole generations of philosophers still
work on uncovering the riddles. However, the main idea the myth contained in the
chapter tries to convey seems to be the complete destruction of the picture
given in the mentioned prior passage. Time is reduced to the moment of creation
and in this very moment lies as well its own destruction, not only as a seed but
as its consequence. Birth and Armageddon are one, because the Naught knows no
time. The Naught is Life and Death and it is the essence on which being is based
on, not being itself, it is the essence of Avá's
slumber. The Naught is completely different from
Avá and nothing can be said about it. But in the same way the Naught is
Avá and nothing can be said about Her. With
this paradoxon ends the weird last secret chapter of the famous Cárpa'dosía.
- Modern Santharian interpretations
following the School of the Sensuals founded by
Athiost identify the Naught with the Xeuá,
a very daring thesis, but which opens complete new perspectives on the
re-interpretation of Cárpa'dosían
myth.
2. The ultimate legendary wizard's spell said to be capeable of destroying the
whole world within an instance. The existence of this spell of course is only of
theoretical nature, but it is interesting and sometimes of even striking
co-incidence that many different cultures seem to share the knowledge of the
spell's existence, yes, even the orcish shamans
up north, the Uon'kh'al'on of the Losh'oc tribe, have their own legend about
casting Armageddon. Most myths have in common that a long ritual is necessary,
which unifies all tidal forces of life itself, of darkness and light, good and
evil, law and chaos and all contradictions within the barriers of reality in
order to focus them back into the Void.
Often it is mentioned that at this unique ritual powerful sorcerers of different
races are necessary to execute it, a detail, which is obviously strongly
influenced by the elven myth where the races
sprang directly from the elements.
Well, what exactly will happen when Armageddon is cast, nobody knows, not even
the myth, but maybe this all has its unknown purpose. Therefore let us conclude
here with the wise words of the only recently deceased philosopher Aumounor, who
always had a tendency of hitting the nail on the head, even while speaking about
the most unexplainable things: "There exists no real reason at all to cast
Armageddon. Does that mean that Armageddon will never be cast? No, it doesn't.
There be must another reason, and I have the strong sentiment that it is
unreal..."
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