81st Turn, Seventh Year, Twenty-First Cycle, Chroday

Previous Entry

Next Entry

From the Journal of Aframos Longjourney, Pilgrim

With notes by Avos Torr, Scholar of Rheve Library

Chroday, Twenty-first Cycle, Seventh Year, 81st Turn

Sixty-Sixth Day in the Trees

We travel alone once again. Our erstwhile companion left us this afternoon.

Torne and I had finally taken the courage to ask him if he was the hunter Torne had heard of.

He smiled at us. He told us that he was not. He said that our confusion was not unexpected, however. He is the father of that hunter. And then he told his story.

Once, he and his family were under the watch of a god. The god was a jealous god, and wanted them to prove their love for it. One part in ten of their food went to the god. In that time, Benadam was a farmer, and he gave grains to the god. His brother was a shepherd, and gave mutton to the god.

The god decided it liked the blood of the lamb, and was pleased with Benadam's brother. The god was not pleased with Benadam. This caused strife between the brothers.

Benadam's brother was vain, and began to mock him for his failure. Finally, Benadam attacked his brother in anger. They had never fought before. Benadam, the stronger, won the fight. He had won too well. His brother was dead. Benadam said that his family had never seen death before. It had been an accident, but the god did not believe him. He was exiled.

He was also marked. The horns on his head are the mark of that god's anger¹. All animals know the mark, and all of his family knew it as well. It marked that any who harmed him would be harmed in turn, and several times greater. The god did not want the family to kill him. Not for kindness, but because the god wished to see Benadam's wandering.

Benadam wandered for a long time, and finally found a wife among another people. He had many children, but he did not grow old. Nor did he die. Neither old age nor death wished to risk his curse. He has wandered since. The Earth will not give up any sustenance to him, and so he can never farm again. He can only hunt. And so he became the first huntsman.

The leader of the Wild Hunt, as it is called, is his son, by a goddess. He sees his son at times, and sometimes joins in the hunt. But what he truly hunts, he told us, is his own death.

I pray that he will succeed, one day.

+Translations

More From This Author

DrEverettMann's Other Works
Entries	81st Turn, Seventh Year, Seventeenth Cycle, Byrday • 81st Turn, Seventh Year, Fifteenth Cycle, Skyday • 81st Turn, Seventh Year, Twenty-Second Cycle, Skyday • 81st Turn, Seventh Year, Twenty-Third Cycle, Skyday • Colors • The Six Day Week, Being an Account of Simon Heller's Last Days in the Unwaking, Part Two • 81st Turn, Seventh Year, Twenty-Fourth Cycle, Byrday • 81st Turn, Seventh Year, Twenty Fourth Cycle, Marday • 81st Turn, Seventh Year, Thirteenth Cycle, Skalday • 81st Turn, Seventh Year, Twenty-Third Cycle, Tresday • 81st Turn, Seventh Year, Seventeenth Cycle, Tresday • 81st Turn, Seventh Year, Twenty Fourth Cycle, Erevday • 81st Turn, Seventh Year, Twenty-First Cycle, Byrday • Very Strong • 81st Turn, Seventh Year, Fifteenth Cycle, Byrday •
Other

Footnotes

1. Presumably, Benadam (and the leader of the Wild Hunt, known variously as Hearn, Heran, Herian, and Harel) is of a species related to, but distinct from humanity. This would account for the antlers, as well as the extended lifespan. Given the improbability of antlers evolving spontaneously, I suspect that they are a magically created species, perhaps made by the "god" Benadam mentions. Wizards have been known to act thus in the past. Honestly, give a man a bit of power and it goes straight to his pointy hat.