~Beyond the Border~ > Aya's Personals Section
Pesco and Serpentarius (Season 1)
Pesco:
You take monetary value too literally. To conquer me, you need to master wealth and the great beasts of the land. That was the purpose of the dual representation.
Tell me, izinyoka, what is the story of procreation of this land?
Serp:
There are many stories that have been told about the creation of the land, and how people came to live there. I've heard one in particular about a snake. Now, this particular snake might have been called Tharu, or Thware, or Hlathu, depending on who you ask, and to hear the story told, he must have had some major psychological issues. Not that that's is part of the story. I'm just reaching my own conclusions here. After all, why else would he split himself in two? Maybe he had a secret ambition to be a worm.
In any case, this snake split himself in two, and named one half Touhou Thoho, and the other, Tshamutshila. This splitting process gave the two new snakes a bad case of the munchies, and so they went off in different directions to go look for food. Tshamutshila found a nearby town, and because he was such a sexy beast, like all snakes, he was immensely popular with the ladies. He took a bunch of wives, built and filled a tremendous kraal, gave birth to numerous children, and became the chieftain of his own tribe.
They say that it's to this snake that the people of that region owe their heritage. As to why he's not around anymore, supposedly his twin, Thoho, took another tactic to get fed. He, like many cold-blooded folks in the present day, realized that you can earn more with song and dance than with the sweat of your brow. He became an entertainer. I imagine it must have created quite a stir - look at the uproar over Elvis's pelvic gyrations, and imagine how much worse it'd have been if he were a snake.
Anyway, his tour finally took him to the village where his twin, Tshamutshila, ruled. Tshamutshila didn't want to go out and see his twin perform (maybe Tharu's psychological issue had been self-loathing?), but eventually his numerous wives managed to persuade him... by one method or another. Yet as soon as the two snake-halves saw each other, they were drawn back together, and they formed back into Tharu. Perhaps figuring that his days as a chieftain and as an entertainer were both over, the snake slithered back into the woods, and in this language we now refer to him as the python.
Now, the peoples of your land have a proper respect for the snake. Those who do not revere it live in fear of it. The former, at least, are likely to trace their beginnings to it, and I'm sure that this is not the only such story. That you call me izinyoka implies that you had such a story in mind. Is this it?
Pesco:
Erm no.
The Origins of Procreation
Long ago a man and a woman came down from heaven, while another man and woman came out of the ground. The Lord of Heaven also sent a python, the non-poisonous snake, which made its home in a river. In the beginning men and women had no children, they had no desire for one another and did not know the process of procreation and birth. It was the Python who taught them. He asked the men and women if they had any children, and on being told that they had none, the Python said he would make the women conceive. He told the couples to stand facing each other, then he went into the river and came out with his mouth full of water. This he sprayed on their bellies, saying "Kus, kus" (words that are still used in clan rituals). Then the Python told the couples to go home and lie together, and the women conceived and bore children. These children took the spirit of the river where the Python lived as their clan spirit. Members of that clan hold the python as taboo; they must never kill it, and if they find a python that has died or been killed by someone else, they put white clay on it and bury it human fashion.
(OOC: More later)
Pesco:
I'll commend you for you efforts thus far. But know that they are nowhere near enough to win me.
The majestic ibhubesi is the king of all beasts. Find me 2 local representations, 1 international representation and 1 representation in song.
(OOC: The bookie will have the answers for judging purposes. Put labels with your links, I'm on the phone today.)
Serp:
So, you actually meant the origin of procreation itself. That's... quite awesome. I believe we've established that the snake is a natural ruler, a master of the finer arts, and literally wrote the book on sex. This only reaffirms my resolve - you shall be mine, and so I present to you the next challenge fulfilled. Behold the lion in all its glory! First, a contemporary illustration:
Next, a purportedly authentic statuette:
A Western representation showing respect for the beat's spirit:
And my favorite, the representation in song.
Alright, maybe Lion-o and the Cowardly Lion from the Wizard of Oz aren't the most majestic of representations, but I'm still bitter about the hairy bastards claiming the title of the "king of beasts." After all, you never hear about lions inventing sex. Your move, inhlanzi.