Story of Keshen

1

Once, a child of Merenga asked her mother: “why are we not allowed to leave this city?”

The mother replied “because, my child, when we were young, when your father and I were young, we entered this land in search of our Meratzgia. When we settled here, however, temptation came and told us “this land is rich and prosperous. You should stay here and not move on.”

But the high priest, the good Nila Khoruni, spoke on our behalf, declaring that we are the loyal servants of Hamara and that we do not give in to temptation so easily. So temptation brought forth summer and made the world around us bloom and warm.

The many unfaithful Mitzianga, the ekega Kishi, may they be turned into rich soil for our crops, saw the summer and said “perhaps this land is better than anything we could ever hope to be brought to. Perhaps we should stay here.” And so they left. But temptation was not done. Temptation brought forth traders from whom we were introduced to fine jewelries, rich foods, great tools and more to draw us from Hamara’s path.

More unfaithful Mitzianga, may they sleep forever in silk wraps, saw these fineries and said “perhaps the people of this land have enough to offer us. We will join them.” And so they left. Now temptation was growing impatient. This time, he came to the outskirts of our village and asked “what makes you so unwilling to reside in this world God has brought you to?”

The high priest, blessed be he, again spoke and said “We are not so greedy as those who left us, nor are we content with this land as the people who live here. We are loyal to Hamara, and for that we will be rewarded with a land filled with milk and honey.”

So temptation had an idea. He produced giant cattle and goats that produced enough milk to fill cauldrons at a time, and bees that made hives with honey that bled honey like a wound bleeds blood. Some more unfaithful Mitzianga, may their skin become grass and may they fall into goat pens, deserted us too. This time, temptation was impressed by the people’s steadfastness. He came again to Merenga and asked “I have given you a land of milk and honey. Why is this not enough for you?”

The high priest, may he never die, spoke again. “What we are searching for can only be given to us by Hamara and no other. To prevent any more of our people from falling for your trickery, the faithful among us will build fences to shield ourselves from you.”

And the mother concludes “and that, my child, is why we may not leave this city. We must prove ourselves to Hamara and be ready to answer the call to leave this place for our Meratzgia.”

2

A student of a priest of the Ekhulena asked his teacher “what did Hamara say to Ilian e Edan, may his memory be a blessing, before his sons led us into this land?”

The teacher said in response “As our lord Ilian e Edan, may his name be cherished, lay on his deathbed, God sent an angel down to issue one last command. God’s message was this: my final test for you to prove your people worthy is to live for four generations in a prosperous land before I call you to your Meratzgia. Four generations will be enough for the teachings of your people to be purified and ensure that the iniquity of Gadrosha is not repeated. This land will satiate you for that time, and your numbers will grow in these years, but you must not see this as your home.”

The student asked “what will be God’s signal for us to leave here?”

The teacher said “When Ilian e Edan led us from Gadrosha, God sent a golden stag to guide us away from that land. When his sons brought us into this land, Konian e Ilian, may he live to be one hundred and twenty, followed a golden stag to where we built our city. It is likely, then, that God’s signal for us will also be a golden stag, and it will lead us to our Meratzgia.”

3

This is a true story told by the high priest himself.

There once was a child who got too curious. He would spend days by the walls of Merenga, peering out between the slats to see what was beyond them. One day, he was urged by curiosity to sneak out. Curiosity told him “what is the harm in looking? You will not live here forever, so why not take it in while you have the chance?”

The child waited until night and snuck out, just as curiosity told him to. In the night, illuminated by the moons and the Beta Khulatz, he saw great things. He saw giant black cows, giant white-coated sheep and giant birds of all colors. He saw monsters with the heads of eagles, serpents with many heads and men with bodies like snakes. He saw wolves with silver coats, foxes with copper coats and deer with golden coats.

When he returned to the city he met truth. Truth told him “you must tell your parents what you have done. Be honest and be pure; lie and be unfaithful.” So the child went to his parents, who became concerned. In the morning they brought him to the high priest and told him “our son has ventured out into the wilderness, but he is just a boy. Please, your eminence, allow him to redeem himself.”

The high priest placed his hands on the boy’s shoulders. “Sadly, no exceptions can be made in God’s laws. We must punish the unfaithful with the gravest punishment we can use: banishment. You, as the parents, are free to join him along with any other family, but no truly faithful soul would ever leave this city for anything.”

And so the boy and his family left Merenga, never to return. And that is what happens to each person who is bested by curiosity.

4

Listen, child, for if you do not, you will suffer the same fate as the mother I speak of. Once, she was a happy young wife of a pleasant young man. However, she said before having her first child that “I will only have two children. One will be lonely and three is too many for me.” That night, she was visited by a demon that bewitched her. When her child was ready to be born, it came out as a monster. It had the horns of a goat and legs of a chicken, and made the midwife flee with fright. The mother wept over her cursed child, but she knew the law, and she gave him to the high priest for cleansing. As you well know, the cleansing never works, as there is no power a human can wield that can undo such a curse. The child died in the process, as all cursed children do.

The young lady tried again to bear a child, still hopeful and cheerful. This child again was born with animalistic features. So she tried again. Again, another beast instead of a child. So she went to the high priest and asked “good high priest, why is it that I am cursed to bear beastly offspring?”

The high priest told her “God has commanded us to bear many children. Women who proclaim a certain number to be sufficient for them are deemed ungrateful and therefore are vulnerable to such curses. Your only option is to pledge more children to your people.”

So the woman apologized to God and promised that she would have children until she was infertile, and the high priest performed a rite to release her from the curse. That night she conceived another child, which came out as a healthy little boy without any animal features. The woman was overjoyed and thanked the high priest and God. Fulfilling her promise, she continued to have more children for years on end.