Asullus Anguli XX ... (Asullus’ Corner)
What’s In A Name ?
Well, now, one o’ our Gentle Readers, a fair maid goin’ by the name o’ Marcia JM o’ Carmelle ha’written this ol’ Mule lately wantin’ to know more o’ how me Master, Thaddeus o’ the North Tower, came by his son’s name – Akireu. Well, I, along wi’ me fellow researcher, the Spritae Morphia, ha’ been lookin’ into this particular question an’ will do our best to try to answer this query as posed above, here below.
I’m assumin’ here that most o’ ye Gentle Readers know that the Story o’ me Master, Thaddeus o’ Beewicke, ha’ to do wi’ a Great Prophecy, likely originated, orchestrated or at least supported by the Lady, herself. Now in that Prophecy it says, basically, that to defeat the Great Evil comin’ down the pike, eight points o’ the Compass be needed plus four more which are to be comin’ from the chief Compass point himself—or, now that I thinks on it, could ha’ been a herself – why not?
In anyways, each point is supposed to be represented by a special lassie or lad an’ it’ll be up to them to do the job. Now, as it turns out, it’s to be the Chief Compass point’s first child that’s to be a special drivin’ force, an’ that turns out to be Akireu. Point here bein’ Akireu (our Westlands Emperor, o’ course an’ none other) is the one that was singled out all those centuries ago by the Prophecy writers as the one to unite the folks an’ rule the land once all the hard work was done.
Now it do cross my mind as to whether those that wrote those ancient scrolls knew it was to be Akireu specifically, or whether they just had in mind someone like Akireu. I ha’ no idea aboot that but am curious. If any o’ ye Gentle Readers ha’ such an opinion on this topic, I’d love to be hearin’ from ye concernin’ it all.
All right, so now we got the lad an’ next is the question, how do we calls him?
Well, to me own ears Akireu sounds as a bit o’ an odd name – no’ particularly someone from around an’ aboot these parts, I’m thinkin’. So, I asked Brother Cartographus regardin’ this an’ he thinks it be a left over name from the long-ago, meanin’ fer sure, from the time o’ the First. Now, Master Iam, himself o’ the First an’ Guardian o’ the Orbis Magnus, ha’ noted, so I’m told, that the First did no’ immediately ha’ the Lingua Imperatoria right from the get go. His opinion was that it was built up – like lots o’ other things – o’er time, changin’ here an’ there wi’ the centuries. That meant, then, that the folks back then would ha’ called him by a ‘way different halin’.
An' if that be true, then one should consider, I must suppose, what they would ha’ cause to call him in various places, at various times. Fer example, ye see, not all the people o’ those that would be the First went north. ‘Tis said some stayed behind an’ tended their home-fires while others did, indeed go north, fer the purpose, I be sad to say, o’ huntin’ down an’ puttin’ an end to the Fathers o’ Men., who ha’ gone north afore them.
So when it was that a portion o’ the early Men left the Southlands an’ moved to the Northlands, then it was that they began to call themselves the First. An’, naturally, as I ha’ said, when yer groups separate o’er enou’ time they start talkin’ different an’ makin’ knives different an’ goin’ to the bathroom different an’ so on. An’, if that be true, then two groups, originally o’ the same stock, that be left apart fer enou’ time, will get to the point where no one o’ them can recognize the other. Humans. Funny business.
Anyways, after a bit, Brother Cartophagus pointed sweet Morphia an’ meself to the Early Cultural History portion o’ the Imperial Library at Fornia, as we were goin’ there anyway, an’ that’s the place as where we made our unearthin’s.
The most intriguin’ one o’ those finds was one as took us some time to discover, an’ that only because o’ runnin’ into, all convenient-like, an Ancient One who was happenin’ to be doin’ some o’ his own research at Fornia at the same time we were there thereaboots.
Bein’ both bold an’ curious—or more likely just nosey—our little Spritae did approach said fellow wi’ our query, an’ he was good enou’ to interrupt his studies an’ look to see how our lad’d be called in the Land o’ the Cin all those ages ago.
Turns out, that ha’ our Emperor been born in an’ amongst the Cinnian people, then his name might ha’ been closer to Ligyron, accordin’ to our Ancient One consultant. We both thought that was interestin’ an’ certainly made a note o’ it.
But that was by no means the last o’ the story. So, we worked on an’ we found that on account o’ the factors mentioned above, those who ha’ originally remained in the Southlands would ha’ named him somethin’ quite different – to wit, Akhilleus.
The First, howe’er, that had gone north would ha’ picked a different name fer him, an’ that’s the one as he is known by down to this day – Akireu. Now some ha’ pondered on the why’s an’ wherefore’s o’ such a choice. I, meself, ha’ no such idea. But I ha’ heard it said that the Lady, who ha’ always been said to ha’ smiled on the First, especially, ha’ taken that form o’ the name an’ whispered it to our dear darlin’ Ethne o’ Tarandon, the boy’s tragic momma, at the time o’ the name-givin’. Well, good fer her an’ the Gods do rest her soul fer all that she went through o’er her short life.
Now, there do be one final form o’ the name that I’m thinkin’ should be written down here on this crinkly parchment. An, that, o’ course, would be the form on the name which we all would ha’ found used in the Lingua Imperatoria. An’ that name, o’ course, would ha’ been Achilles.
Now, personally, it seems to me that Achilles do roll off this old mule’s tongue a mite easier than Akireu, but I no’ be complainin’ aboot any wishes as are wished fer by the Lady--nor e’en questionin’ them as it comes to that.
So, that be the matter o’ how our Emperor Akireu got his verra own name. If any o’ ye Gentle Readers do no’ like the sound o’ it yerself an’ ye happen to be somewhere where it’s likely ye’re to be introduced to him, ye always ha’ the option o’ no’ sayin’ the offendin’ phonics at all. ‘Yer Majesty’ will, methinks, do just fine.
Well, a new topic is next on me list to mander on aboot, but until that time as it appears…
Fare-thee-well.
Asullus
Mule-in-Residence
The Great North Tower, Northfast
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