Láhh Slouránom

General overview

Láhh Slouránom is a term meaning 'abduction of women' in Duinis 'Éch and is a phenomenon associated with the goddess Mó Duilpóhh. Sometimes when girls are brought up under difficult circumstances, are getting married against their will or already in a bad marriage, they will just disappear. This disappearance is what is called láhh slouranom. The explanation for this depends on the perspective: In some cases Mó Duilpóhh is seen as a vindicator for women suffering under the capriciousness of their social environment, in some cases she is seen a the avenger for Men, who ended up with a bad wife and are getting relieved by her disappearance.

One version of the story

We know of a man, Dármit 'ohh Luin was his name, who always got the short end of a deal. His mother, the shrewed, never loved him much, preferring poor Dármits older brother. She knew, like the father, a family of friends, having two girl-children. The older was clever and fair and eager, while the younger was no more than a nuisance. The mother, though, caring for her oldest, wanted an arranged marriage. The family of friends, afraid to forever keep the younger, made a deal with the 'ohh Luins: If the older son marries the older daughter, then the younger son must marry the younger. With no second thought the mother agreed, as she cared not for poor Dármit. [/in

So it came, that Dármit ended up living with a horrid wife. She did not care for her own or her husbands name and soon their home was as rotten as her core. Dármit pleaded to his parents and hers to relieve him of this woman, but to no avail, because the ones did not care, the others not dare. In his anguish he prayed to the gods for help. And heard he was for after a week, the horrid was no longer seen.

Another version of the story

Taken she was, a láhh slouránom, Rihhid the Careful, as slandered she got by her own husband, after not carrying his baby. Rihhid the Careful had been a decent woman, about that there was no doubt. Her husband, not cherishing her heart, did not forgive her barrenness, showed her no sign of acceptance. So beaten she was, despised and neglected, only left to herself. In her hopelessness she prayed: 'Oh Mó Duilpóhh, deliver me from this wretched existence. Though I know you cannot touch Men, touch me instead with your gentle hands and lead me away from this sorry life!' And after she thusly had spoken, she soon saw a dream in the night: The goddess stroke her forehead, told her to go to the big oaken tree in the forest on a warm Septembers afternoon.

And so Rihhid did and was welcomed as warmly as the autumnal sun shined. She never saw her husband again.

A grain of truth

Women going missing is a phenomenon taken seriously among the Duiniken. One version of the story suggests, that there might be a connection to the Priestresses of Tán Nám, who also take women out of miserable circumstances. Their cult is a mystery, though, so nobody knows, what deeds are done by them and are part of their repertoire. In case of the story of Rihhid, it might well be a rendition of a woman getting rescued into the cult by the Sáladeires.