The Legend of Thengosh

Thengosh was a hero who managed to save all of Xiveri when the war between the god of dark and goddess of light threatened to destroy it once and for all. The story was first told in The Thengoshia, an epic fantasy whose author was either anonymous or has been lost to time.

Summary

This takes place during the horrible drought near the beginning of the formation of Xiveri, right after it was first created. It begins when Thengosh, a man in the working class, enlists in the army to support his wife after she gets pregnant. While on patrol, he then witnesses the destruction of an entire mountain with a fireball that comes from the sun, and then a rainstorm suddenly forming over the remains of the mountain. Numerous more instances of this happens, and Thengosh keeps witnessing them as he rises in the ranks of the military. Eventually, he approaches the ruler, Ngelothi, with his concerns, and Ngelothi gives him the okay to take a squadron to the highest peak in the nation and make sacrifices to both the god of dark and goddess of light, which then summons the two deities. Thengosh attempts to make negotiations of peace between the two, but they scorn him, uniting in laughing at him instead, and he lashes out and gets into a battle with the two of them, somehow managing to hold his own. However, he is eventually defeated, and his men carry him back to the capital where he's nursed back to health. He insists on going back to the peak, and it happens again. Over and over, it keeps happening. Then, finally, he invites his wife to the capital and they convene, and he comes up with a new plan. He forms an entire army and has them hide in camouflage on top of the mountain, and summons the two deities again. This time, as soon as they materialize, he attacks them with the entire army, and eventually pushes them together, which brings both of them incredible pain. He extracts an oath from both of them that they will keep the world out of their fights and to keep the destruction to an absolute minimum, and only then does he let them go. He then returns back and is greatly celebrated, and finds his wife with his child at five years old, and she welcomes him back with open arms.

Historical Basis

Though there is a general named Thengosh in the records, none of the occurrences of the myth are actually backed up by history, though he was a very accomplished general.

Spread

Everyone knows it by name and know that the character exists and is a general, but they don't know what happens in the myth. It is, of course, kept within the borders of Xiveri and typically within the natural boundaries of mountains to the north and east and a river to the south and west.

Variations & Mutation

There haven't been any variations, because the first record of it is the written record of The Thengoshia, and that written record is still preserved in perfect condition. As a result, the myth isn't easily changed.

Cultural Reception

It's not incredibly important to Xiverith culture or identity, though Thengosh is known far and wide across the nation. It's a case of him being known, but not really influential. The only influence he really has is teaching the lesson that if something fails the first time, you should come up with a new way to do it instead of just trying again the exact same way, which fits with the Xiverith's ideals of constant innovation.

In Literature

There've definitely been a few different versions of the story, such as translating it to an epic poem or a play, etc. However, because it originates in literature, it's much harder to integrate the story into literature in different ways.