The Myth of the Blisrene
"My grandmama used to tell me the story the Blisrene. It, according to legend, was this huge monster that would devour me and my little brother if we didn't go to sleep. To this day my brother claims he saw the monster. I'm not sure if I believe him." - Kelani Oakbar
Summary
Just beyond the village of Woodhearth is an abandoned hut. Children are told not to go near it. They say a monstrous creature lives there and whenever children get to close, the creature eats them.
The creature has been described by some as a mass of twisting, pitch black limbs that claw and grasp at anything, or anyone, within reach. It's said to have glowing silver eyes. This is a trait which makes many people think it is some kind of fallen Angel . The noise it makes sounds distorted, although people have likened it to the sound of multiple women crying together.
The people of Woodhearth call the creature the Blisrene.
While no children have been taken or eaten by it in centuries, the verdure of Woodhearth still use the stories of this monster to get their children to behave and listen to them.
Historical Basis
While the Blisrene does not seem to really exist, a woman associated with the Knowledge-Keepers of Thala, Nemay Wildflame has theorized that the legend came about due to a rash of kidnappings in the area. The perpetrator of these crimes was never found, leading the village to make up the legend in an attempt to make sense of the tragic loss.
There was at one point, as far as Nemay can tell, a hut in the area where the Blisrene supposedly came from. Consulting her sources, however, led her to believe it was actually a hut used by a hunting family of verdure who were known to the village.
Spread
This legend is one passed down only in the verdure community of Woodhearth. Very few other people know of it and even fewer care due to the tensions between the verdure and the people of Wirrowwir.
Variations & Mutation
There are only two large variations made when it comes to this myth. As Nemay notes, "There seems to be a disagreement between the verdure as to how many children were actually taken by the Blisrene. I have been told as low as three but as high as 26." The other variation has to do with the hut. Nemay believes that the hut was added to the legend later, as surely the townsfolk knew at the time it was being used as a hunting lodge by members of their community.
Cultural Reception
This legend is a staple in the stories a young verdure would be told growing up in Woodhearth. Due to it being use as something to scare children into behaving, it is a story that has an impact of the children during formative years.
In Literature
Other than the book Nemay Wildflame wrote on the subject, it has been a purely oral story, passed down from generation to generation.
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