Fic: "From The Young Scholar's Annotated 'Urrikada'" (1/1) (SV: Reunion'verse)
From The Young Scholar’s Annotated ‘Urrikada’, or Tales of Urrika, With Extensive Footnotes by Don-Nar, Professor of Early Literature, the University at Kryptonopolis
by LJ
Reunion’verse
The following version of this popular tale of Kal of Urrika is among the latest stories recorded in the Urrikada, but is one of the earliest extant versions of the tale. We know it is not the earliest due to various motifs: the repetitive final line came into vogue later, which had been preceded by repetitive multiple lines as seen in other Urrikada tales; Kal’s visit to Cha-O, not established as a market city until the alliance between Tchirin and Urrika during the reign of Stor-El, Kal’s grandson (other versions retain the likely original, namely the town of Tileks, an active port city during Kal’s reign); the references to Kina’s father, which came into vogue for women two centuries after Kal and Kina (see historical essay in appendix). Several stanzas seem to be missing, primarily upon Kal’s return to Urrika; the epilogue is also not original, likely replacing original material during the Protectorate of Sin-Akh for Jun-El, when shorter, sung poems became briefly popular. Nearly every other version commits at least half the poem to Kal’s attempts at wooing Kina incognito, giving us our modern idiom of praise ‘as blind as Kina No-Di’ for an individual who uncovers a secret and nobly holds silent until officially informed.
The following is a translation into modern Kryptonian; see Ker-Fis’s manuscript compilation for a well-glossed original. Selected annotations follow the text.
The Tale of Kal, Bethgar of Urrika, and How He Finally Managed to Get Himself Married
Now I’ll tell the tale of Kal,
Lord of bethgars, King of Urrika,
Uniter of many, tyrant of none,
law-giver, justice-seeker, honor-bound
by promises to mal-fortuned parents. 5
His banner bore the sigil of air,
His banner was bluer than fanya flowers,
His banner was carried over ocean and land.
Born of the House of El in the land of Urrika
Tall he grew, noble of face and deed. 10
He forgave debts, he forgave wrong-doing
when it was the child of error.
His advisors and tutors taught him well.
And he was as strong of body as he was
of mind and soul. His banner 15
was carried gladly over ocean and land.
When at the age of marriage he arrived, he
knew greed stirred the hearts of many.
He put down the banner bearing the sigil of air.
He removed the red band that sons of El wore. 20
He set aside armor and weapons rarely used.
He set aside fine articles of clothing
and wore what others had worn.
His banner he left at home and crossed an ocean.
He slipped out a door and walked away. 25
No one knew a Prince of Urrika without the band of red,
or fine-woven coats, and kilts with many pleats.
He wore a simple tunic and a simple hat.
The brow of wisdom was hidden from sight.
Now he knew he was ready to go among the people. 30
Now he was ready for she who says, “He belongs to me.”
His banner he left at home and crossed an ocean.
In the land of Kiria, one of ten, he was careful to conceal
the voice of a Prince of Urrika, well-schooled.
But soon he knew Kiria could not produce a daughter for him 35
for there were women too full of the sigil of soil:
they grew proud and strong but no fire to temper them;
no air to make them dance; no water to make them storm.
One month he traveled Kiria and found her not.
He left his banner behind and crossed an ocean. 40
The Province of Tchirin next he found,
one not aligned, but not opposed, he knew,
to a treaty of peace with a local bride. Another month
he wandered Cha-O, the market city, where skilled women,
and men, too, sought their fortunes with Rao’s fire. 45
But too fiery were they. No water to make them changeable;
no air to make them dance; no soil to make them strong.
He left his banner behind and crossed an ocean.
Full of air and ever-moving were the women of Gri,
another aligned with Urrika. They flitted, 50
never stopping to speak with him, though he tried;
he sought every assistance to know their hearts and minds.
He humbled himself before every pair of brown eyes,
before every wise brow, each one that caught his attention.
But dizziness soon overtook him. 55
He left his banner behind and crossed an ocean.
The fourth land was Sonka, islands aligned with El.
He swam among the fish-women, hoping eagerly
for she who would say, “He belongs to me.”
But coastal storms are short but damaging. 60
Their attentions lacked fidelity and care.
‘O woe to El!’ cried Kal, Bethgar of Urrika,
King of many, tyrant of none.
He left his banner behind and crossed a great ocean.
Home again to Urrika came disguised Kal, 65
and crying out exclamations of woe.
‘Four lands traversed,’ said he to Rao,
‘and nought for it. No one will say,
He belongs to me. No woman lives in the world
with soil to balance my air, or water to balance my fire, 70
or with air to match or fire to match.’
He longed for his banner, left behind to cross an ocean.
So sat he by a bush of fanya flowers
and Kina, daughter of No-Di, passed by.
She saw him, dressed unlike a Prince of Urrika, 75
and said, “Unless you are the King, these five months gone,
What woe could possibly befall you, man?
Surely you did not leave your kingdom without a word,
surely you have not been gone and feared dead,
surely you did not leave a banner behind to cross an ocean?” 80
He looked upon Kina, daughter of No-Di.
She looked to him like the daughter of Ker
fallen to Akypta like a comet, starry-haired,
but she stood and spoke like a daughter of Urrika.
There was plenty of water and soil to grow fanya 85
to match the fire and air in his soul.
Wisdom decorated her well-spoken words, bringing attention
to the decision to leave his banner behind to cross an ocean.
Not a thought to the people of Urrika, left behind him.
No word of his health had he sent to old advisors 90
who’d raised him for mal-fortuned parents.
“You speak wise words, daughter of No-Di,
for the woe that befell me is nothing to Urrika’s woe
at the loss of her first son. O forgive him!
Noble mother, forgive your favored son, 95
who left his banner behind and crossed an ocean!”
“Well should she,” Kina said, “when the son
of Urrika asks for it. I don’t know you, countryman,
though you speak like a well-schooled prince.
Come you from Akryptonol, or from Polis, 100
or are you but schooled in the land of Urrika?
They call me a spinster, for I am thirty-five years unwed,
and one like a Prince of Urrika could be good enough to be mine,
even if he left his banner behind to cross an ocean.”
Then the same he, long-lost Prince and Bethgar, 105
knew a worthy woman was before him.
He knew he could not yet return to El
before he had completed his goals.
And so gently, but not to truly conceal himself,
he spoke with the daughter of No-Di, 110
and made his interest carefully known,
no longer regretting leaving his banner behind to cross an ocean.
Many are the tales which tell all
that Kal, Prince and Bethgar, did to woo
the daughter of No-Di, wise star-haired Kina. 115
Many, too, are the tales of the great adventures
in the lands of Kiria, of Tchirin, of Gri, and of Sonka,
and the final return to Urrika and El.
But now know that Kina said, “He belongs to me -
And the banner, the land, and the ocean, too!” 120
Notes
2 bethgar An ancient royal title. As Bethgar of Urrika, Kal held the highest noble rank existing at the time of the Great Awakening and commanded the loyalties of lower-ranking bethgars, princes, and lords.
5 malfortuned parents Kal’s father (first Bethgar of Urrika) and mother died during an epidemic. Due to the upheavals and disorders of the age, the exact date is unknown.
6 sigil of air An antiquated symbol representing the House of El (elek - ‘air’, at times synonymous with ‘breath’, ‘spirit’, ‘word’, ‘flightiness’, ‘movement’, ‘dance’).
7 bluer than fanya flowers Archaeobotany informs us that fanya flowers have been bred to bloom in a variety of different shades of blue and violet over the millennia. It is believed that the shade of blue used by the nobles of Urrika at the time of the Great Awakening is genetically similar to current vogues in horticulture.
17 age of marriage As his parents were dead and his regents (‘advisors and tutors’ of line 13) apparently (and inexplicably) declined to arrange a match, Kal was free to seek a consort of his own choosing once he reached the age of majority.
18 greed Kryptonians at this time still employed monetary reimbursement for goods and services; nobles held great monetary wealth through their landholdings, possessing by law all products of the land.
20 red band See ‘Creation Myth’; red is representative of the deity Rao.
39 brow of wisdom Ancient Kryptonians found broad foreheads attractive, as they were believed to be indicative of brain size and thus intelligence and wisdom; as Bethgar of Urrika, Kal would have been expected to be wise, regardless of age. Contemporary art supports a theory that he may well have had an attractively large forehead.
31 He belongs to me See ‘Creation Myth’. It is universally accepted that in Krypton’s prehistory, most societies were matrilineal, following a reasonable ‘chain of birth’ ideology. During the industro-agricultural revolution, men began to acquire some power within these societies and were allowed to inherit their fathers’ names and standing, possibly as an encouragement for social stability. By the time of the Great Awakening, noble lines were patrilineal but required matrilineal acquiescence; the Traditionalist marriage vows date to this period and are based on these antique beliefs.
33 one of ten The ten kingdoms united under Kal’s rule, the predecessor to the modern Kryptonian state; four small kingdoms remained outside his direct control during his lifetime.
36 sigil of soil Symbolic of strength, growth, solidarity, fidelity; associated with clay and metals as well as crop-soil. ‘Fire’ would keep ‘soil’ in check (tempering metal, burning crops) and ‘water’ would create turbulence (oxidizing metal, causing roots to grow).
39 her An appropriate bride.
44 Cha-O As mentioned in the introduction, it is universally accepted that Cha-O was not the actual city visited. Other traditions give Tileks, a port city not far from where Cha-O would be established, as the location of Kal’s sojourn in Tchirin.
58 fish-women Though some ancient legends of ‘mer-women’ exist in sailors’ tales, it is likely that the poet is simply over-colorful in this case and simply means ‘women of Sonka’.
60 But coastal storms are short but damaging The women of Sonka had short, perhaps violent tempers, but calmed quickly.
82-83 daughter of Ker/fallen to Akypta like a comet, starry haired See ‘Creation Myth’; reference to the deity Akrypta, a mother-goddess and symbol of highest beauty.
85 plenty of water and soil to grow fanya ‘She was a good match’, fanya being a symbolic flower for the House of El specifically; other Urrika noble families used other blue flowers.
94 her first son ‘Current ruler of Urrika’; Bethgars were poetically referred to as ‘first sons of Urrika’.
96 Noble mother The kingdom of Urrika, a feminine entity.
100 Akryptonol, or from Polis The twin cities of ancient Urrika that today roughly coincide with Kryptonopolis.
101 thirty-five years unwed Poetic; ‘uncommonly old to be unmarried’. Another indication of later alteration; other versions use twenty-eight years (seven (na) by the four elements) rather than thirty-five years (seven (na) by the five elements). The following line may indicate that she was simply allowed to be very selective in her suitors; other Kal-and-Kina tales support this reasoning, indicating that her mother was gravely ill or dead, which allowed her to choose her own husband.
A/N: I need a more family friendly summary here and here. Suggestions are welcome.
by LJ
Reunion’verse
The following version of this popular tale of Kal of Urrika is among the latest stories recorded in the Urrikada, but is one of the earliest extant versions of the tale. We know it is not the earliest due to various motifs: the repetitive final line came into vogue later, which had been preceded by repetitive multiple lines as seen in other Urrikada tales; Kal’s visit to Cha-O, not established as a market city until the alliance between Tchirin and Urrika during the reign of Stor-El, Kal’s grandson (other versions retain the likely original, namely the town of Tileks, an active port city during Kal’s reign); the references to Kina’s father, which came into vogue for women two centuries after Kal and Kina (see historical essay in appendix). Several stanzas seem to be missing, primarily upon Kal’s return to Urrika; the epilogue is also not original, likely replacing original material during the Protectorate of Sin-Akh for Jun-El, when shorter, sung poems became briefly popular. Nearly every other version commits at least half the poem to Kal’s attempts at wooing Kina incognito, giving us our modern idiom of praise ‘as blind as Kina No-Di’ for an individual who uncovers a secret and nobly holds silent until officially informed.
The following is a translation into modern Kryptonian; see Ker-Fis’s manuscript compilation for a well-glossed original. Selected annotations follow the text.
The Tale of Kal, Bethgar of Urrika, and How He Finally Managed to Get Himself Married
Now I’ll tell the tale of Kal,
Lord of bethgars, King of Urrika,
Uniter of many, tyrant of none,
law-giver, justice-seeker, honor-bound
by promises to mal-fortuned parents. 5
His banner bore the sigil of air,
His banner was bluer than fanya flowers,
His banner was carried over ocean and land.
Born of the House of El in the land of Urrika
Tall he grew, noble of face and deed. 10
He forgave debts, he forgave wrong-doing
when it was the child of error.
His advisors and tutors taught him well.
And he was as strong of body as he was
of mind and soul. His banner 15
was carried gladly over ocean and land.
When at the age of marriage he arrived, he
knew greed stirred the hearts of many.
He put down the banner bearing the sigil of air.
He removed the red band that sons of El wore. 20
He set aside armor and weapons rarely used.
He set aside fine articles of clothing
and wore what others had worn.
His banner he left at home and crossed an ocean.
He slipped out a door and walked away. 25
No one knew a Prince of Urrika without the band of red,
or fine-woven coats, and kilts with many pleats.
He wore a simple tunic and a simple hat.
The brow of wisdom was hidden from sight.
Now he knew he was ready to go among the people. 30
Now he was ready for she who says, “He belongs to me.”
His banner he left at home and crossed an ocean.
In the land of Kiria, one of ten, he was careful to conceal
the voice of a Prince of Urrika, well-schooled.
But soon he knew Kiria could not produce a daughter for him 35
for there were women too full of the sigil of soil:
they grew proud and strong but no fire to temper them;
no air to make them dance; no water to make them storm.
One month he traveled Kiria and found her not.
He left his banner behind and crossed an ocean. 40
The Province of Tchirin next he found,
one not aligned, but not opposed, he knew,
to a treaty of peace with a local bride. Another month
he wandered Cha-O, the market city, where skilled women,
and men, too, sought their fortunes with Rao’s fire. 45
But too fiery were they. No water to make them changeable;
no air to make them dance; no soil to make them strong.
He left his banner behind and crossed an ocean.
Full of air and ever-moving were the women of Gri,
another aligned with Urrika. They flitted, 50
never stopping to speak with him, though he tried;
he sought every assistance to know their hearts and minds.
He humbled himself before every pair of brown eyes,
before every wise brow, each one that caught his attention.
But dizziness soon overtook him. 55
He left his banner behind and crossed an ocean.
The fourth land was Sonka, islands aligned with El.
He swam among the fish-women, hoping eagerly
for she who would say, “He belongs to me.”
But coastal storms are short but damaging. 60
Their attentions lacked fidelity and care.
‘O woe to El!’ cried Kal, Bethgar of Urrika,
King of many, tyrant of none.
He left his banner behind and crossed a great ocean.
Home again to Urrika came disguised Kal, 65
and crying out exclamations of woe.
‘Four lands traversed,’ said he to Rao,
‘and nought for it. No one will say,
He belongs to me. No woman lives in the world
with soil to balance my air, or water to balance my fire, 70
or with air to match or fire to match.’
He longed for his banner, left behind to cross an ocean.
So sat he by a bush of fanya flowers
and Kina, daughter of No-Di, passed by.
She saw him, dressed unlike a Prince of Urrika, 75
and said, “Unless you are the King, these five months gone,
What woe could possibly befall you, man?
Surely you did not leave your kingdom without a word,
surely you have not been gone and feared dead,
surely you did not leave a banner behind to cross an ocean?” 80
He looked upon Kina, daughter of No-Di.
She looked to him like the daughter of Ker
fallen to Akypta like a comet, starry-haired,
but she stood and spoke like a daughter of Urrika.
There was plenty of water and soil to grow fanya 85
to match the fire and air in his soul.
Wisdom decorated her well-spoken words, bringing attention
to the decision to leave his banner behind to cross an ocean.
Not a thought to the people of Urrika, left behind him.
No word of his health had he sent to old advisors 90
who’d raised him for mal-fortuned parents.
“You speak wise words, daughter of No-Di,
for the woe that befell me is nothing to Urrika’s woe
at the loss of her first son. O forgive him!
Noble mother, forgive your favored son, 95
who left his banner behind and crossed an ocean!”
“Well should she,” Kina said, “when the son
of Urrika asks for it. I don’t know you, countryman,
though you speak like a well-schooled prince.
Come you from Akryptonol, or from Polis, 100
or are you but schooled in the land of Urrika?
They call me a spinster, for I am thirty-five years unwed,
and one like a Prince of Urrika could be good enough to be mine,
even if he left his banner behind to cross an ocean.”
Then the same he, long-lost Prince and Bethgar, 105
knew a worthy woman was before him.
He knew he could not yet return to El
before he had completed his goals.
And so gently, but not to truly conceal himself,
he spoke with the daughter of No-Di, 110
and made his interest carefully known,
no longer regretting leaving his banner behind to cross an ocean.
Many are the tales which tell all
that Kal, Prince and Bethgar, did to woo
the daughter of No-Di, wise star-haired Kina. 115
Many, too, are the tales of the great adventures
in the lands of Kiria, of Tchirin, of Gri, and of Sonka,
and the final return to Urrika and El.
But now know that Kina said, “He belongs to me -
And the banner, the land, and the ocean, too!” 120
Notes
2 bethgar An ancient royal title. As Bethgar of Urrika, Kal held the highest noble rank existing at the time of the Great Awakening and commanded the loyalties of lower-ranking bethgars, princes, and lords.
5 malfortuned parents Kal’s father (first Bethgar of Urrika) and mother died during an epidemic. Due to the upheavals and disorders of the age, the exact date is unknown.
6 sigil of air An antiquated symbol representing the House of El (elek - ‘air’, at times synonymous with ‘breath’, ‘spirit’, ‘word’, ‘flightiness’, ‘movement’, ‘dance’).
7 bluer than fanya flowers Archaeobotany informs us that fanya flowers have been bred to bloom in a variety of different shades of blue and violet over the millennia. It is believed that the shade of blue used by the nobles of Urrika at the time of the Great Awakening is genetically similar to current vogues in horticulture.
17 age of marriage As his parents were dead and his regents (‘advisors and tutors’ of line 13) apparently (and inexplicably) declined to arrange a match, Kal was free to seek a consort of his own choosing once he reached the age of majority.
18 greed Kryptonians at this time still employed monetary reimbursement for goods and services; nobles held great monetary wealth through their landholdings, possessing by law all products of the land.
20 red band See ‘Creation Myth’; red is representative of the deity Rao.
39 brow of wisdom Ancient Kryptonians found broad foreheads attractive, as they were believed to be indicative of brain size and thus intelligence and wisdom; as Bethgar of Urrika, Kal would have been expected to be wise, regardless of age. Contemporary art supports a theory that he may well have had an attractively large forehead.
31 He belongs to me See ‘Creation Myth’. It is universally accepted that in Krypton’s prehistory, most societies were matrilineal, following a reasonable ‘chain of birth’ ideology. During the industro-agricultural revolution, men began to acquire some power within these societies and were allowed to inherit their fathers’ names and standing, possibly as an encouragement for social stability. By the time of the Great Awakening, noble lines were patrilineal but required matrilineal acquiescence; the Traditionalist marriage vows date to this period and are based on these antique beliefs.
33 one of ten The ten kingdoms united under Kal’s rule, the predecessor to the modern Kryptonian state; four small kingdoms remained outside his direct control during his lifetime.
36 sigil of soil Symbolic of strength, growth, solidarity, fidelity; associated with clay and metals as well as crop-soil. ‘Fire’ would keep ‘soil’ in check (tempering metal, burning crops) and ‘water’ would create turbulence (oxidizing metal, causing roots to grow).
39 her An appropriate bride.
44 Cha-O As mentioned in the introduction, it is universally accepted that Cha-O was not the actual city visited. Other traditions give Tileks, a port city not far from where Cha-O would be established, as the location of Kal’s sojourn in Tchirin.
58 fish-women Though some ancient legends of ‘mer-women’ exist in sailors’ tales, it is likely that the poet is simply over-colorful in this case and simply means ‘women of Sonka’.
60 But coastal storms are short but damaging The women of Sonka had short, perhaps violent tempers, but calmed quickly.
82-83 daughter of Ker/fallen to Akypta like a comet, starry haired See ‘Creation Myth’; reference to the deity Akrypta, a mother-goddess and symbol of highest beauty.
85 plenty of water and soil to grow fanya ‘She was a good match’, fanya being a symbolic flower for the House of El specifically; other Urrika noble families used other blue flowers.
94 her first son ‘Current ruler of Urrika’; Bethgars were poetically referred to as ‘first sons of Urrika’.
96 Noble mother The kingdom of Urrika, a feminine entity.
100 Akryptonol, or from Polis The twin cities of ancient Urrika that today roughly coincide with Kryptonopolis.
101 thirty-five years unwed Poetic; ‘uncommonly old to be unmarried’. Another indication of later alteration; other versions use twenty-eight years (seven (na) by the four elements) rather than thirty-five years (seven (na) by the five elements). The following line may indicate that she was simply allowed to be very selective in her suitors; other Kal-and-Kina tales support this reasoning, indicating that her mother was gravely ill or dead, which allowed her to choose her own husband.
A/N: I need a more family friendly summary here and here. Suggestions are welcome.