Bireithu 'Imráhh
General introduction
Bireithu 'Imráhh is a myth-historical figure from the Duinikens distant past. Through historical sources and correlations he can be assumed to have lived during the latter third of the Era of the Trees. He was a man known for his wisdom, which led to a number of important cultural achievements being attributed to him. Some of these attributions have been called into question or even been disproven entirely. Also some are calling his very existence in question. Nonetheless he stays one of the most important figures in Duiniken history.
Historical context and personal life
Based on the meticulous records of the Duiniken in their inscriptions, Bireithu 'Imráhh can be traced back to around six hundred years before the Great Scorching. His lifetime is generally placed around the kings 'Oumenahh, Sí'ular und Rainboug who expanded the Duinikens settlement area all across the lands south of the Sévo Mountains, saw technological advancements and economical growth through the discovery of different ores on the eastern slopes of the Central Erana Mountain Range and the establishment of trade with the Andaperna people and a people of Joun that settled in the nowadays dangerous and nigh insurmountable Moiyeli Swamplands.
Not much is known about Bireithu 'Imráhhs personal life as only his achievements are frequently noted. Most information about him is drawn from the Srúta Nou, the oldest version of which can only be dated to shortly before the Great Scorching, thus rendering it an unreliable source. The Duiniken take the contents of this epic constructed from different personalities as historical truth. While most of the latter half of the Srúta Nou can be backed up with archaeological and historiographic prove like kings lists, royal or aristocratic inscriptions, tombstones and even songs or incantations, prove for the first half is sparse and of questionable quality. Some figures or events, even from the earliest times covered can be pinpointed with astounding accuracy, while others stay in the realm of literature alone. This is especially true for times, when no military conflicts, natural desasters, civil unrest or the like happened. These stretches are written in an encomiastic style, lacking facts and dates to pinpoint what is described. One of these stretches of text is the one around Bireithu 'Imráhhs lifetimes. Tarrabaenian scholars call this effect díra déstra (the curse of peace).
Should the Srúta Nou be trustworthy, Bireithu 'Imráhh was a better of man from a now lost settlement called Leikád, which supposedly lay not to far from present day Savína. He was master over his own and several minor households depending on him. His wealth came from horticulture and he is frequently presented as either owning orchards, woodlands, wandering in woodlands and so on. He's mostly portraiyed as having a bright mind from early childhood and experimenting with and making use of ressources around him, thus making several inventions of agricultural or cultural significance.
Research and controversy
Achievements attributed to him
During his lifetime almost the entire area of Duinis Talou, the Duinikens settlement area, was covered with forests or shrubland, as the climate was more moist during the Era of the Trees. Fruit bearing trees like apple trees, pear trees or plums were common and widespread in many varieties. One account tells of Bireithu 'Imráhh walking through his orchard after a storm, being struck by the loss of otherwise perfectly well grown branches. He is said to have prepared a concoction usually put on trees where branches were cut of with a saw to prevent rot and fungal infections. With this he treated the damaged parts of the trees and tied broken off branches back onto them. Only one year later he noticed something peculiar: Some trees bore different varieties of one fruit, for example two varieties of apple on one tree. He also noticed stronger growth and in the following years better quality fruit. Observing and noting, he intentionally continued to break off branches and reattach them to other trees. Thus he invented grafting in fruit-bearing trees.
The most important, but also unreliably contributed invention is the Duiniken Cursive. The legend goes as follows:
One night master Bireithu 'Imráhh, held a reception with a big feast and cider. When the stars rose highest and the moon shone brightest, he went outside to get a breath of the fresh September night air. Stepping on his porch, he noticed on the grass, shimmering in the moonlight, the traces of the slugs. He thought them artful and made up a poem about the silvery slithering before heading back in to his guests. However, after sending home the guests, he could not fall asleep. Again he stepped on the porch, the slugs now gone but their traces still glistening in the lights of the night. "Gone they are, after their little get-together, yet they left the traces of their conversations." Then it struck him: If the slugs could leave behind traces of their encounters, how could humans not do that, too? He did not fall asleep that night, nor the night thereafter. Instead he smeared a mix of soot and water and honey all over wooden planks until finally it made sense to him, where the curves should start and end and what the slugs might have whispered to one another. And so a sound was attributed to each swirl, as Bireithu 'Imráhh envisioned that to have been the voices of the slugs. This was the birth of Duiniken Cursive.
Following the invention of Duiniken Cursive, Bireithu 'Imráhh is said to also have experimented further with the slugs and to have invented 'ou'ithahh, the medium used to make the famous smooth Duiniken stone carvings, which was subsequently won from 'Ásehhrág Korhheith.
Facts versus fiction
Considering the long distance in time and the fragmentary nature of contemporary sources on Bireithu 'Imráhh, much around his person has been disputed, even his very existence. Fact is, that while he might have existed as a singular human being of that name, he might also be an artificial character, created by combining several historical figures of his time. This could explain his very disparate talents, stretching from agriculture over chemistry to inventing a whole alphabet. On the other hand some of the inventions attributed to him can be traced back to a very specific point in time, hinting more at a single regular person. Another issue brought up is his name, which is only a description of his role or appearance. He was a wise man (bireithu) clad in a coat ('imráhh), which was quite a common item of clothing during that time. Neither part of his name is used as an actual name in Proto-Duinis 'Éch or following stages of Duinis 'Éch. As a last hint, the earliest dated inscription in Duiniken Cursive was found close to where he is said to have lived and was written about 600 to 650 years before the Great Scorching, coinciding well in space and time with the so called Bireithu 'Imráhh.
Historical impact
The historical impact of Bireithu 'Imráhh is immeasurable. On the one hand he seemingly singlehandedly invented grafting, enabling the people to get higher yields from the fruit-bearing trees they grew as well as inventing a form of writing that enabled Duiniken knowledge to be passed through the tumultuous and desastrous time of the Great Scorching as well as through the constant wars with the Messellat Mdûlûn. Prior to the invention of Duiniken Cursive and 'ou'ithahh, memorising texts seems to have been the only form preserving and transmitting knowledge. If any writing existed before, which might well be the case, it was used on perishable materials which have not survived.
However, on Tarrabaenian grounds some shards of pottery or clay tables have been found, showing traces of writing. This writing appears to be cuneiform as it is used in Andaperna up to this day. It is unclear, wether these inscriptions were of Duiniken origin or written by tavellers or traders from Andaperna. The symbols used differ from any form of cuneiform known from Andaperna and the clay of the pottery or tablets was locally sourced. While deciphering them might shed more light on the Duinikens past, for now the inscriptions made in Duiniken Cursive stay the most important source of knowledge to this very day.
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