"The Origin of Iskendra"
The Pharaoh's Heir and the Sun Radiant
"The Origin of Iskendra" is the foundational myth of the Palladian Empire, and its successor state, the Imperium of Iskendra and its capital, the city of Iskendra.
Summary
Long ago, when the rosy fingertips of dawn crested over the Mithril Age rim, the first kingdom of mortals, Temekan, was ruled by a Pharaoh named Tiakken. The Pharaoh was blessed with many wives, hearty subjects, and twelve of the loveliest daughters Uriah had ever graced with light. The loveliest of these daughters was his youngest child, a girl named Salama. Her hair was flowed like a garment made of black silk, her skin seemed smooth and unblemished as a shaded Marrow dune at dusk. Her chin and nose rose proud like the cliffs of the Mashiq. Her dark eyes danced with life, like a pool that catches the stars of a clear night.
One day, while he was visiting the Pharaoh’s kingdom, the Sun Radiant saw a glimpse of Salama playing her harp in the court garden. Never before had the king of the gods desired a mortal woman before, and never would he again. Enchanted, Uriah took the form of his animal harbinger, a golden eagle, and flew up to Salama.
“Youngest princess of Temekan, thine gentle song hath soothed my wild nature. Thine fingers hath woven a spell that could halt the sun above. If it pleases thine heart, I am thine servant now until the end of time,” said eagle-eyed Uriah.
The Princess blushed mightily at the god’s words. “Thou flatters me. But I do not know you, Eagle. A bird may land on one’s hand only to peck out one’s eyes.”
“Thou art wise beyond thine years, but what I say is true. Thou hast snared mine heart. Name thine deed, and I shall prove mine devotion to thee.”
“My father takes us hawking on the morrow. Accompany me and I shall grant thee thine request.”
The next day, the Pharaoh and his twelve daughters and thirty six of their retainers set out for the Garden of the Sun, where the waters run coolest during the heat of the day and the game runs wild and free. Pharaoh and his nine oldest daughters set out to hunt hippopotamus in the river. Meanwhile Salama and her two older sisters, Bitek and Nemet took to the dunes with their servants to go hawking.
“Let us see who’s bird can bring back the largest rabbit,” said the sisters and each pulled hoods off their birds. “And worry not, dearest Salama. Thou hath never succeeded before, but mayhaps the gods will smile upon thee today,” the other sisters joked.
Salama set her jaw and whispered to the Eagle, “bring me a prize worthy of thine desire.”
The Eagle took off. He circled the world once, twice, and a third time before finding his quarry. He dove into the far jungles of Hakoa and returned with a strange beast. It was the size of a horse, with the body and head of a jack rabbit, the spots of a leopard and a spiral horn on it’s head the length of a man’s forearm. It’s pelt was made of golden fur and soft as a cloud. And the Lord Uriah said, “I bring thee Rehu, the Golden Almiraj, a prize worth the sum of my desire for thee!”
Though impressed, the Princess’s sisters were envious of her prize and cried out, “We said rabbit, not almiraj! We cannot dine on this anymore than we can dine on sand or stone. If thine bird insists on being foolish in it’s quarry, have it catch for us a supple calf that we may feast upon this eve!”
The Princess grimaced and held the Eagle on her arm. She whispered to it, “bring me a prize as large as thine affection.”
The Eagle took off. He circled the world once, twice, and a third time before finding his quarry. He dove into the cold tundra of Auloa and returned with a huge beast. It stood tall as the palace walls, with a pair of mighty spiraled horns made of silver. It’s hide was a dark grey and its hooves were made of iron. And the Lord Uriah said, “I bring thee Uroad, the Silver Aurochs, a prize almost as large of my affection for thee!”
The party ate Silver Aurochs and it fed their servants and them and all the nearby tribes people. But that night, the winds on the dunes were cold and the sisters said to Princess Salama, “We are cold and do not have the warmth to make it through the night. If thine foolish bird will not stop squawking, perhaps it can fetch us some warm clothes or furs.”
The Princess groaned and set the Eagle to the sky saying in a hushed whisper, “bring me a prize that feels as warm as thine love for me.”
The Eagle took off. He circled the world once, twice, and a third time but could not find anything in the material plane that matched how his love burned for the Princess. Finally, he looked to the Celestial sphere, and returned with a great disk of light. It blazed bronze and gold and brass and it lit the camp on fire. The sisters and servants of Salama screamed in anguish being so close to the heat. But Salama did not burn. She saw a silhouette of a male figure set against the light who shielded her from harm. And the Lord Uriah said, “I bring thee the Radiant Sun, a prize that burns as warm as my love for thee!”
The Princess and the Sun Radiant embraced one another lay together that night wrapped together in the heat of true love.
But the next day, when the sun was to rise, it rose late. The day’s dawn did not come and all was cast in darkness. The other gods noticed this error and found Uriah sleeping with a mortal woman. Porcia, the Sow Mother, whom had been Uriah’s wife since the beginning of the beginning, was consumed with rage and grief. Seeing his wife so upset, Uriah immediately returned to the Celestial Mountains and resumed his duties to the Sun. The Princess awoke to find her lover gone and to find herself surrounded by the ashes of her sisters and their retinue.
When the Pharaoh found the Princess, he was just as unhappy as the Sow Mother, for his two favorite daughters had been killed. Seeing his youngest daughter in this state, and overcome with rage, the Pharaoh said, “I know not what foul thing did this to thee but know this—thou hath disgraced thine family and brought death unto thine house. I cast thee out from the realm of Temekan. And should thee ever return, know that I shall fell thee where thou stands.”
And so the Princess stood and took to the back of Rehu. She rode across the Marrow Desert for many days and nights as the Sow Mother’s anger grew. On the far side of the world, the Sow Mother fumed at the mortal’s seduction of her husband and sent her favorite daughter, Rashi to punish them. Rashi took on the form of Telerashi and sent storm and sleet against the people. For three long months, the world suffered her wrath. This was the first winter.
As she traveled, the Princess grew weary and her almiraj nearly died in the cold. Though she could see the sun above her, she could not feel it’s warmth. She cried out, “Lord Eagle, who visited me and showed me love and devotion most kind, protect me! Show your beloved mercy in this darkest hour!”
An Eagle flew to her and said, “Though I can no longer be with thee as thou knew me, know that I will always watch over thee and guide thee. Thou hast been given a new destiny, a great destiny. Thine name will always be remembered and thine children will become strong and beloved as the sun on a cool day. Go to the land of Kanesh, where the golden hook carves the sea of brass. There, thee shall find peace.”
And so the Princess continued her journey. She braved the wicked days and frosty nights of the Marrow Desert. She crossed the dune shore cliffs of Mashiq. She wandered beneath the high peaks and narrow valleys of Kanesh until finally she came upon the Sea of Brass. She saw a great plain of fertile grasses and twelve hills like steps that led to a proud bluff. At the top of this hill, she found a sycamore tree and an Eagle that looked down at her.
“Thou hast arrived. And now so have our children.” And the Princess went into labor and gave birth to a pair of beautiful twins, Kananes and Koréni, the founders of the city we call home. She called the city Ilusukon, which means in Temekanian, “Place of the Sycamore.”
Historical Basis
While Princess Salama, Kananes, and Kóreni appear to be mythic figures or at least amalgamations of several different historical figures, there were several Temekanian pharaohs called Tiakken. Additionally, prior to the founding of the Palladian Empire, the city of Iskendra was a small town of several thousand and was called at least by its residents Ilusukon. Moreover, the name Ilusukon does derive from the root word for sycamore tree in Temekanian but it is unclear when exactly the town of Ilusukon was founded or if it was truly founded by a Temekanian migrant family. However, much of the rest of the story appears to be suspect.
Spread
The story of Princess Salama and Uriah is one of the most famous legends in all of Nioa if not Holos at large. It is in many ways a foundational text for both the Palladian Empire and its successor the Imperium of Iskendra. It reinforced the Palladians's belief that their rule and their empire was divinely ordained, even if according to the story, Uriah intended for Salama to found a city-state and not a continent spanning theocracy.
In Literature
The most popular account of the story comes from the works of Stygia the Chronicler, a Palladian historian writing in the 6th Century A.C.D.
In Art
- The Princess Column in the center of the Agora Promenade depicts the story. Images spiral up from the bottom and the pinnacle is crowned with a bronze eagle.
- Both the Cothons of Kananes and Kóreni are representations of the two mythic children of Princess Salama.
Date of First Recording
Early Palladian Era ~900 B.S.A. (~100-200 A.D.C.)
Date of Setting
Early Mithril Era
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