Ëlhyaean Mythology: Rhanan's Parable
Rhanan's Parable is an ancient Ekoran myth from the Jollì Steppes, a region in Ëlhyaea known for its windswept grasslands, wild horses, and nomadic tribes. It is a parable about justice and law, and a foundational story for the Ekoran approach to criminality and community safety. Though written versions were suppressed or condemned at various times throughout Feloran history, the parable persisted through the Imperial Era, passed down (via oral tradition) for generations before the Feloran Empire annexed the region.
Summary
Long ago, in the vast plains of the Jollì Steppes, was a tribe like any other. They set up temporary villages near sources of food, following the migrations of the animals and the growth cycles of the plants that sustained them. They followed the ways of their ancestors for generations, steeped in the traditions of the ancient Elves, who made the journey to this plane generations ago. The people of this village lived in the shadow these harsh laws, handed down by the old ones—laws that promised justice through strict punishments. For every wrong, there was a defined, absolute, consequence: bodily mutilation for theft, public lashing for dishonour, and execution for murder.
The elders always said these laws protected their people, that without them, they would have never survived the harsh, unforgiving world their ancestors had migrated to. Violence, though rare, was not unknown. A sibling murdered in jealousy, a spouse attacked in anger, or food stolen by the desperate and the hungry. The village elders claimed these acts were inevitable, and that their laws, though brutal, were just. Some of tribe, however, silently questioned this wisdom.
Most articulate and forthright among them was Rhanan, a kindly farmer who raised goats and provided foods like milk, yogurt, and cheese to the tribe. He believed that justice was not merely about punishment but about prevention. He saw that the lashings and executions only came after the harm had been done – even worse, he saw that many supposed criminals had been wrongly accused, their pleas of innocence proven right only after their punishment. Further still, the pain of the victims was not eased by the suffering of the guilty, and yet, the crimes continued.
He tried to speak out, but the elders scoffed at him. "The laws of the Elves have stood for ages untold," the village head declared. "Who are you, Rhanan, to question them? We do not change what has been passed down by those wiser than us." At another village meeting, when a village Elder's daughter was pardoned for dereliction of her duty as a guardswoman, he tried again to point out the hypocrisy of the Old Law, which allowed for such things but was never used to save an innocent person from certain death.
It was for this that he, along with his wife, son, and mother, were exiled from the tribe. Despite his isolation, Rhanan remained steadfast in his belief. He sought to return one day to teach the younger generations that justice was created every day, through the contributions of the whole tribe, not meted out as retributions for acts that didn't need to happen in the first place. Finally, the winds of change blew through the Jollì Steppes one fateful day, and there was no going back.
A murder was committed—an innocent woman, falsely accused by the village elders of killing her daughter, was lynched on their initiative by a mob. Beaten to death by her neighbours, her blood soaked the earth, and as her spirit departed, the skies above the village darkened. That night, a supernatural force descended upon the people. Commentaries by various Lëkabrì and Ëlhyaean monks have characterized this force not as a specific spirit or the soul of the departed, but rather as the outcome of generations of the community's executions. One Druid's Writing in particular states that, "having damaged the Kebulöv with their vengeful ways, it Kura's soul was the final blow that upset the natural balance between life, death, and spirit."
In the days that followed, innumerable self-aware forces of selfish chaos unleashed, and a strange madness overtook the village. The villagers, having lost its natural protections against the demonic forces of other realms, was stripped of the moral barriers that had once restrained them. Fear of the law no longer held sway. Realizing that it was far easier to commit acts of violence (and get away with them) than they had been led to believe, the people turned on one another. Neighbours stole from neighbours, friends betrayed friends, and violence spread like wildfire through the once-peaceful village.
The village teetered on the brink of collapse, its people consumed by chaos. Yet, in this darkness, Rhanan saw his chance. He gathered the youngest among them—the children and the young adults who had not yet been fully consumed by the madness—and led them away from the chaos. He spoke to them of a new way of life, a way of justice that did not rely on punishment but on community.
"Justice," Rhanan told them, "is not in the breaking of bodies but in the building of bonds. When we care for each other, when we serve our neighbors, when we see to it that none go hungry or desperate, we prevent these crimes from happening. Violence comes from pain, fear, and desperation."
The young ones listened, and together, they began to rebuild. They tended to the wounded, fed the hungry, and mediated disputes before they could erupt into violence. They helped each other in ways that had never been done before. Slowly, the madness lifted, and the curse was broken.
As the village healed, they abandoned their old ways. Most of the elders had been among the first to die in the chaos. No longer did they look to the harsh laws of their ancestors for justice. Instead, they looked to one another. Rhanan’s teachings spread throughout the village, and soon, to other villages on the Jollì Steppes. They understood that true justice lay not in retribution, but in creating a society where violence had no place to begin with.
The village thrived. It grew in peace, in power, and in population, becoming a beacon of harmony across the steppes. And the story of Rhanan's teachings was passed down through the generations, a sacred story of the dangers of vengeance and retribution.
Thus, the ancient Ekoran legal system was born—a system based not on punishment, but on rehabilitation and forgiveness.
Historical Basis
Set during a time before the arrival of Feloran law, the myth centers around a village grappling with occasional acts of violence and theft, typical in such isolated settlements. The villagers, like many others of their time, adhered to the Elven laws passed down from before the Ekorans' arrival in the material plane. These laws, focused on severe corporal and capital punishment, were common throughout ancient Feloran, Formen, and other elven societies, and are still practiced in many Elven states to this day.
The village is never named in the legend, but the names of the characters and the description of the environment suggests a location near the present-day settlement of Illebel. The central figure in the myth, a villager named Rhanan, is believed to have been a historical figure, and not simply a mythological invention. Several other Ekoran codices, scrolls, and a few Feloran tablets all reference a Rin'an, the old Ekoran spelling of Rhanan. These sources speak of a religious reformer and political leader who believed that justice lay not in punishment but in improving social and economic conditions.
Cultural Reception
Rhanan's Parable remains a cornerstone of Ekoran legal philosophy. Even after the annexation of the Jollì Steppes by the Feloran Empire, and subsequent attempts by Court-aligned Ekoran religious leaders to establish an orthodoxy supportive of Feloran interests, the teachings of Rhanan influenced local governance, and the idea of justice as a communal responsibility persisted. Scholars of Ëlhyaea consider this myth one of the key cultural artifacts that shaped the region's development and its people’s identity, especially in the face of outside influence.
Especially in secular or reformist parts of Feloran society, the myth is still retold today as a cautionary tale, reminding the people that true justice is not found in punishment, but in the prevention of harm and the nurturing of a compassionate community.
