Janani's Folly

Janani's Folly is a story told by the southern Cesnockwe tribes warning of the dangers of bothering the spirit Shadiya with personal questions and doubting the truth of her answers.

Summary

In the days of war, when men went off to defend their homes from the threat of the Rinduma, Janani saw his lover Bilatan off with a kiss for good luck. A year passed, and the war still continued without the warrior's return. Eager to see his lover again, Janani was willing to risk a visit to Shadiya's Peak and seek an answer from the island spirit Shadiya.
As he was leaving the village, he turned to look at the Purple-Footed Fox statue and noticed a fox sitting beside one of the offering plates of erranberries, watching him with knowing eyes. Transfixed, he walked toward the fox who place the object in its mouth on the ground in front of him before grabbing a bunch of erranberries and disappearing through the hole in the wall. 
He picked it up, discovering it to be a section of cord braided together with a strange assortment of beads. He didn't know what use it could be to him, but he carried it with him across the waters to the Isle of Serenity. He waited three days on the scorched shores of the island to hear Shadiya's whistling through the steam vents before he proceeded to the top of the volcano.
As he reached the mouth of the volcano, Shadiya looked upon his heart and grew angry that he would trouble her with such a trivial question. Fearing that she would Serenade him to a fiery death, something within Janani told him to pull out the fox's gift.
Shadiya's anger subsided as she took the braided cord from him and wrapped it around her wrist. She held it over a steam vent, and as the rushing air passed over the beads it whistled a haunting chord. A smile came to her face as she whistled in harmony. Surprised and pleased by the unexpected gift, she looked upon Janani with a look of pity. "He will return by summer's end," she said. "But you will not recognize his face, not because he has changed, but because you have."
Janani was overjoyed to hear the return was imminent, but he couldn't believe her audacity at saying he wouldn't recognize Bilatan. He saw Bilatan's face in his dreams every night, gazed upon an imagofist's portrait of him every day. The notion that he would forget the man's face was ludicrous. But the night before the warriors' return, Janani stumbled into a fire and ended up with burning embers in his eyes, blinding him. Just as Shadiya had predicted, Bilatan returned by summer's end, but Janani could not recognize him by a face he could not see.

Historical Basis

There are several myths associated with the wars between the southern Cesnockwe tribes and the Rinduma believed to have occurred between 320 and 275 AN.

Spread

There is disagreement of which tribe is responsible for the first telling of this myth, but the tribes inhabiting the Purple Foot Islands each have their own version. Often, Janani is said to be part of a different tribe than the person telling the story.

Variations & Mutation

Some tellings change the genders of Janani and/or Bilatan. Some tellings also claim that a hawk swooped down upon Janani on his return to his home island and gouged his eyes out.

Date of First Recording

160 AN

Date of Setting

302 AN

Related Ethnicities

• Cesnockwe

Related Locations

• Purple Foot Islands
• Shadiya's Peak