Submitted: 9 August 1997

A Thousand Years We Sing of Freedom: The Story of The Sithrengaen

by Kesstrell Sagbotttom

"History is the lies of the victors
written in the blood of the vanquished"

A Modiarzi proverb sometimes attributed to Teiro

Foreword

It is my honor to set to paper an ancient oral tradition. Stories passed from father to son, mother to daughter in the lonely moors of Therengia, in the squalor of the Crossingıs Middens, in the western wilds of Zoluren, indeed, anywhere the spurned seeds of the ancient free clans of the Sithren were scattered. These words were whispered in private, for they were considered treason. Even now, in light of the hysterical evocations of long dead Teiro and Lanival, I fear their impact. I set them forth as a scholar and a friend to these good people, some of whom have lived among the Olvi and been like family to me and mine.

Signed,
Kesstrell Sagbotttom of the Arthe Dale Sagbotttoms,
Bard in training.



The gamgweth, Sithrengaen, is here used to describe those people descended from the old human clans of the northern moors that have retained some part of their ancient traditions in an unbroken line from the time prior to Akoreg²s "uniting" of the clans. There are, of course, as many fragments of these traditions as there were clans.

It is not my intent to lump them together. There were several related languages and numerous dialects that survive mostly in family and given names and to a lesser degree in gamgweth itself. Gael, for example, an ancient term for "the people" may be related to the gamgweth suffix -gaen. Those who have tried to retain these traditions though a thousand years of oppression refer to themselves by many names, Gaels, Moorlanders, Clansmen, Sithreners, Highlanders, among others. The people of Wolf Clan may be the only remnant of these people to have remained as an intact clan due to their migration and relative isolation, though it is rumored that there may be other such groups in isolated regions of Theringia. Their origins are retained in their dress, (kilts, sporrans, tams, torques, etc.), odd dialects and speech patterns, and in their fierce independence.

Official Elanthian history depicts the time prior to Akoreg as a time of wars and chaos and The Ram himself and later Lanival as heroic saviors. Indeed they have been elevated beyond historical figures into religious ones. The Sithrengaen tradition views them and this period in a much different light.

The time of the clans was a time of freedom and glory. These were warrior people and the fighting among the clans and races was an integral part of their culture. These were not the massive slaughters of Lanivalıs time. Rather, they were tests of manhood, rights of passage, ending on the field and not the ³starry road². Each clan had its own healers and holy ones to care for the fallen. Akoreg is seen in most of their stories as an ambitious bully seeking to expand his clan at the expense of all others. An unbiased look at official Elanthian history seems to bear this out. He did not try to unite the existing clans, but rather tried to absorb them into his own. The Ram is often a trickster figure in their childrenıs tales, pompous, greedy and treacherous but often held up to the scorn of the people by heroic figures or by "Wolf" in animal tales. Lanival is not taken so lightly.

The traditional stories of his time are fewer and have been suppressed more effectively by the wider "Elanthian" culture. In fact, many that have been assimilated more effectively view him as the hero we were raised to believe in or at worst, the lesser of two evils. Dragons were feared and considered evil. So, tales of his relationship with the wyrm Glacis cast him in a bad light. His half-elven heritage is also very significant.

The faery folk, a catch all, that included the Elves; Gor'Togs; and Olvi; (not to be confused with the lesser fae) were viewed with varying degrees of awe, fear, respect or affection as were the S'kra Mur. Individual clans were often allied with groups from other races against rival clans. Unions were inevitable and were sometimes accepted, sometimes taboo, based on the traditions of the particular clan. Elves were generally viewed as a favorable match.

Scorn of Elotheans is, however, a common thread in many of the surviving traditions. They are seen as half elves who set themselves up as the betters of both elves and humans. Their assertion that they alone sprang from the thoughts of the Immortals is galling to the Sithrengaen. This seems to be due in large part to what followed the war.

The lands Lanival so generously granted to the barons of Therengia were the ancient homelands of the Sithrengaen. They were semi nomadic. Each clan had its favored hunting grounds and pastures but no one "owned" the land. In their view, they belonged to the land. This was apparently Lanival's view as well, since those who resisted became vassals and serf of the barons or the servants of the Elothean aristocracy in Riverhaven. This tradition is still quite strong. The Dunshade holdings south of Therenborough are particularly hated as this area contains many ancient, sacred spots. There is a tradition of spitting on the sign marking the Dunshadeıs property that is still practiced. These places are said to be older than the gods (meaning the familiar Elanthian pantheon).

At least one of these places, a standing stone, is familiar to any who have traveled from Langenfirth to Therenborough. To this day it is regularly adorned with flowers. There are also sacred sites further south. The ring of stones on the Northern trade route is consistent with similar rings in the moorlands and the present day site of Arthe Dale is said to be a sacred glen.

I report these views as a scholar, but I believe there is much to learn from them. I hope to publish further scholarly works on the Sithrengaen, transcriptions of their songs and stories, oral histories and scientific investigations of their ancient holy places. I hope they will enlighten and interest all the people of Elanthia and help them to understand the legacy of a people often scorned. The lesson, the truth, of their thousand year song is that if war does come to Elanthia, it is important to unite for defense, but to fiercely resist any attempt to give up our freedom to any dictator out of fear, no matter how heroic or seemingly benevolent. Freedom must not become a copper kronar to buy safety or order.


(Special thanks to Wayfarer Pheilan O'Pheilan for much of the primary source material and family and personal recollections.)