Illirfrain

Almost every culture have a myth or a legend to explain the curious Blackenbird from the North. The Blackenbirds from the North are notoriously know for always be near death, either someone who is dying or someone who is dead. They are almost always near forests, where they are gathered in large groups.  
Beware of the Blackenbirds from the North,
they are creatures Rathias brought forth.
During war, in trees they shall wait
And the fallen warriors they shall duplicate
Chaos and Infighting
amongst the people they shall bring
But who can if the fallen are alive or dead
foe or friend.
Illirfrain they are named
And they are truly ill-famed.
- An old Irathian poem about the Illirfrain

Summary

The Irathian version which is written in the Book of Irath:

These events took place ages after Irath created the Tilor O Irath'Miesdys , and Rathias was furious because they were able to defeat her Dymórleshra. She wanted to make the followers of Irath to suffer and thus sought out Nuswardin to find a solution to this problem.
How about using blackenbirds to scare them? We Nuswardin knows how to control the blacken bird race. And you know how much the children of light fears the dark.
Said Rhaksha, the leader of the Nuswardin.
How about making Blackenbirds into something different? If I give them some of my darkness, and you make them consume the soldiers on the battlefield, they could take shape of the Dynbodaul they had consumed and also its intelligence, create chaos with their malicious intentions that comes from my darkness.
Answered Rathias, The following day they created the Illirfrain. Rathias sent down her Dymórleshra to the south, and the Order fought against them. No one noticed the blackenbirds waited in the nearby trees for the right time to consume the fallen warriors on the battlefield. Several days later mistrust, infighting, and chaos seemed to be everywhere and anywhere in the Western part of Agia.   Irath had discovered far too late the Illirfrain, and she knew something had to be done, thus she sent a flood to cover most lands with water, saving only the Holy City and mountains, with only those she trusted not to be any Illirfrain. Those who distracted the Illirfrain to be drowned by the flood, became the martyrs.   After this event Irath made another Harawyr clan kill the Nuswardin, so Rathias could no longer control the blackenbirds, and therefore making it a lot more difficulty for her to make more Illirfrain. Rathias created more Illirfrain out of spite in the last ages before her death, and no one knows where any of them are.

Historical Basis

Scholars believe the myth were created to explain a time of infighting, chaos, and wars that happened both between countries and between organisations inside countries. If you believe in the Irathian and Rathianic versions, it happened after the second Dymórleshraen war, other smaller culture believes it's much older. If you ask me whether these are real, I can only answer that it only matter if you believe or fear them to be real.

Spread

Watch out for your Illirfrain friend.
- a common Irathian idiom

The myth is quite common, and many have written poems about them. The idiom to the left is very common in the Western part of Agia, and is meant as a warning when a friend suddenly changes their personality.
The myth about the Illirfrain have spread across most of the Northern and Western part of Agia, the South don't have any Blackenbirds, thus the myth have never reached the South.

In Literature

There are many writers who uses the Illirfrain as villains for their stories and poems, since a fallen warrior not known to be dead suddenly changes his behaviour rather drastically and fights every value he used to stand for, makes for a great villain.
Related Ethnicities
Related Species
Related Organizations



Cover image: Illirfrain by PanthersEye

Comments

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Dec 5, 2021 14:52 by Angantyr

I like the difference between the myth version and how scholars think it to be a fantastic explanation, plus the flood gives it a pretty dark undertone and makes the other side not the typical "good, because we try to avoid killing" but rather "good, because we will do anything to eradicate evil".   Bonus points for embedding the myth into an idiom. It gives the story another level of depth. <3

Playing around with words and worlds
Dec 5, 2021 15:41

Aww thank you <3 The Flood will be explained later on. I'm so happy for your comment :D Once I've written the Scrolls of Rathias, I will write this version into this myth as well :D

Check out my On the Shoulders of Giants article: Satlonia
Dec 6, 2021 16:05

Loving the contrast of the myth and the scholars! It explains a lot about the cultures at play and the struggles they faced at the time! I would love to know why exactly scholars believe the myth was created to explain the time of infighting. Do they have certain evidence that points towards this infighting which corresponds with the myth? Is that evidence documents, weaponry, maybe signs of the flood somewhere in nature or on ruins? Stuff like that. ^^   Keep up the good work!

Jan 19, 2022 16:04

A very interesting myth! I do love how the idiom and their representation in literature came about.

Co-creator of the fantasy worlds Isekai & Seireitei
Co-creator of the TTRPG System Storybook