Almic and the Ram
Perimaeus' Account of Almic and the Ram
What follows is the first written account of a myth originating with the tribes of Acrad. So ubiquitous was this myth that the earliest maps of northern Acrad by the imperial cartographers call the land north of Markosia (today known as South Markosia) as "Almikia." Still, Perimaeus did not write The Barbarian Folklores of the Eastern Tribes until 536 SA 5, a full 341 years after the events are supposed to have occurred, and several generations into the conquests of Acrad.
In a time before now, when Famine was upon the land in the wake of the Ruiner of Karkoth, a man called Almic lived among his people who had been driven to wandering in search of bounty and better fortune, for all the land was dead.
Almic had two brothers and together they agreed to search for a place for their people to dwell, looking for plenty that might be shared among the realms of others.
The elder brother went among the elves to ask on behalf of his people, but he was turned away by their princess who said, "Karkoth has drawn the Abyss upon itself, for darkness begets suffering. We will not welcome your people into our hearts for the specter of wickedness yet clings to you."
The middle brother sought sanctuary among the dwarves, and though he was deferential was rebuked. The Dwarf King said to him, "Your people have come to reap what you have sown with the gods. As you have taken life and laid waste, so you now suffer the same and cry out for succor. And despair you should, for this doom is the meed you have earned with your profane works."
Troubled, the two brothers of Almic returned to their people in despair. But Almic had not gone to the elves, nor had he gone to the dwarves. Almic had gone to the land of the giants, who were ignorant of the gods, for what his people needed. The youngest of the brothers, Almic made prayers and offerings from what little he still possessed that the gods might bless him to perservere and save his people.
Almic traveled until he could no longer recall the way home and his supplies had dwindled to a few coins and some beans. By then, he had been some years away from home, and offered up the last of his supplies and gold to the gods if they would see him to his destination. But Almic had already arrived into the land of the giants. In this wilderness, he discovered a pasture marked by great stones and grazed by sheep as great in stature as a horse. Surely, Almic thought, this is a land of plenty where my people can live, however seeing no house for a shepherd, Almic set out to find the master of the sheep and ask for hospitality on behalf of his people.
As night drew close, Almic sought the shelter of a nearby cave and discovered it was already inhabited, for the trappings of dwelling were here and there within. Venturing further within, he discovered three giants roasting a sheep and introduced himself as a traveler hoping for some shelter for the night. The giants, thinking themselves to be whispering secretly though quite audibly to Almic's ears, wondered aloud whether they should permit him to stay, whether he might have any treasures to offer them if they did, and whether he mightn't be better to them as a meal. Finally, it was agreed among the giants that the stranger should stay and eat of their mutton and drink of their ale, for while they did desire to eat him, he looked road-worn and thin and would need to be fattened up to make a proper meal.
Almic, having heard all of this began to form a plan of escape, and in the meantime did eat and drink as his hosts bid. The giants, Myopis, Hyperopis, and Amblyopis asked much about Almic and where he had come from, but he was vague in his explanations. He did not tell them whence he had come or let on that he had become lost, only that there were many people like him in his homeland who would rejoice of such rich and genial hosts. His flattery did him credit in the eyes of the giants, and when he offered to return and lead his people back to the giants' cave if only the giants would provide him with gifts and sheep to show to his people, the giants, blinded by their gluttony and greed, did not detect deception.
The next morning the giants presented their gift to Almic: two splendid hunting dogs, one of their giant rams and a cart of grain. As he left the lair of the three giants, Almic knew he could neither deliver his people to be eaten by giants nor could he expect them to live on one cart of grain and a giant sheep. He would have to go back, and trick the giants into giving him more.
Almic once more appealed to the gods for aid saying, "You have delivered me safely to the land of the giants, but I know not the way of returning home. So endow me with the cunning to face the trials that await me, that I might ease the suffering of my people." That night, while camped near a broad stone, a traveler asked to share Almic's camp in exchange for divine counsel to which Almic judiciously agreed. This stranger was, in truth, Hakeon, and the god had come to warn him that the giants would follow him this time and that he would have difficulty to transport the grain, dogs, and the sheep over the Brunwater River. There the giants would catch up to him and either eat him or follow him to his people. Hakeon gave Almic a pouch of bewitched briar seeds, telling him that they would grow into a wild and gnarled fence against the giants and buy him time.
When Almic returned to the giants, they demanded to know why he hadn't brought his people before them after their gifts. Almic explained that his people were not greatly impressed by the gifts and they would need more sheep and grain to be persuaded to see the giants. Myopis, Hyperopis, and Amblyopis did not see his lies for what they were, but Hakeon's words bore true for though the giants gave Almic more grain and sheep, it was not long before he noticed they were following him.
When he reached the banks of the Brunwater, Almic realized the problem facing him. Although he had food and sheep to spare, he did not have the means to safely cross the river with all that the giants had given him, and if he left the hounds with the sheep, his flock might be diminished, but just as bad, if he left the sheep with the grain they might deplete the food stores for his people. And to compound the issue, he had not long before Myopis, Hyperopis, and Amblyopis would be upon him. Trusting in Hakeon, Almic first crossed the river with his sheep, then he returned to the west bank and cast the seeds of the briar about and was amazed to see a gnarled and thorny forest appear before his eyes, obscuring the giants' vision of him and thwarting their progress. The exact methods by which he safely got his grain, his sheep, and his hounds across the river is now something of a puzzle to test the acuity of young minds, and is not traditionally preserved in tellings of the myth, relying on the audience to puzzle it out. However, Almic did cross safely with his goods and animals, and intended to return to his people.
But the gods were not done with Almic. Traveling home, he had received a vision commanding him to gather his people and lead them to the place the gods had prepared for them, where they would prosper and the gifts won by the gods' blessings and Almic's faith would multiply. Thus Almic became a prophet, leading his people to the place the gods had prepared. There they found the barbarians of Karkoth who remained and Almic brokered a peace between the barbarians and his people, teaching them of the gods. This ended the famine caused by the Ruiner of Karkoth, and prosperity was known where Almic's people lived. To celebrate this, on the anniversary of the peace, Almic sacrificed the ram he had been given by the giants and hosted a feast between his people and these barbarians who became known in later days as the West Karkothi. Thereafter, Almic lived the rest of his days as a shepherd-king and cleric, and his people spread throughout land.
Legacy and Cultural Impact
The myth of Almic and the Ram provides an understanding of a sense of shared cultural heritage among the tribes of pre-Corsovian Acrad. Among the people of the northern prefectures, the roasting of a ram is still a practice to celebrate marriages, thus it can perhaps be inferred that the peace between the barbarians and Almic's people was gained not only through faith-based edification, but also through marriage. Indeed, it is believed that many chiefs of the tribes encountered by the Ost-Corsovs in their conquests of Acrad were directly descended from Almic.
Almic is one of several cultural heroes venerated as a saint noncanonically, especially in Memorial Stones. He is also said to be the ancestor of Reinvald, the last chief of the hill tribes, and Vendar the Dragonslayer both of which are revered as saints or beatified figures in the communities tied to their legacies.
The Perimaean Text
According to Perimaeus' version of the myth, which contradicts several versions (and even itself) on this point, Almic and his people were ancient Karkothi barbarians, and the reader is likely meant to infer that they therefore also practiced human sacrifice and ritualized live-burials. Hereby Perimaeus records one of the principle founding myths of the indigenous tribes of Acrad/Almikia while undercutting their legitimacy as a society by emphasizing or exaggerating their ties to the Karkoth barbarians and their religious cults.
It is also worth noting that this version does not paint the dwarves or the elves in particularly good light either, as they would be seen to violate the Corsovian custom of reciprocal hospitality. Interestingly, where both the dwarves and elves are represented singularly by unnamed ruling class representatives, a princess in the case of the elves and a king in the case of the dwarves (though it should be noted that the dwarvish word which is closest in meaning to "king" has no gendered connotations, while to the Corsovians then and now, "king" absolutely has gender associations), the giants are different. Not only are they represented in the plural, there are three giants, but they are also individuals having names and different opinions about what to do about Almic. Additionally, they are not presented as elites of their society, instead they appear to be shepherds. They do still fail to live up to Corsovian ideals of hospitality however, as while they do decide to host Almic, their intentions are dishonest as they plan to eat him and only initially let him go once they believe he will bring more people back for them to eat.
Almic had two brothers and together they agreed to search for a place for their people to dwell, looking for plenty that might be shared among the realms of others.
The elder brother went among the elves to ask on behalf of his people, but he was turned away by their princess who said, "Karkoth has drawn the Abyss upon itself, for darkness begets suffering. We will not welcome your people into our hearts for the specter of wickedness yet clings to you."
The middle brother sought sanctuary among the dwarves, and though he was deferential was rebuked. The Dwarf King said to him, "Your people have come to reap what you have sown with the gods. As you have taken life and laid waste, so you now suffer the same and cry out for succor. And despair you should, for this doom is the meed you have earned with your profane works."
Troubled, the two brothers of Almic returned to their people in despair. But Almic had not gone to the elves, nor had he gone to the dwarves. Almic had gone to the land of the giants, who were ignorant of the gods, for what his people needed. The youngest of the brothers, Almic made prayers and offerings from what little he still possessed that the gods might bless him to perservere and save his people.
Almic traveled until he could no longer recall the way home and his supplies had dwindled to a few coins and some beans. By then, he had been some years away from home, and offered up the last of his supplies and gold to the gods if they would see him to his destination. But Almic had already arrived into the land of the giants. In this wilderness, he discovered a pasture marked by great stones and grazed by sheep as great in stature as a horse. Surely, Almic thought, this is a land of plenty where my people can live, however seeing no house for a shepherd, Almic set out to find the master of the sheep and ask for hospitality on behalf of his people.
As night drew close, Almic sought the shelter of a nearby cave and discovered it was already inhabited, for the trappings of dwelling were here and there within. Venturing further within, he discovered three giants roasting a sheep and introduced himself as a traveler hoping for some shelter for the night. The giants, thinking themselves to be whispering secretly though quite audibly to Almic's ears, wondered aloud whether they should permit him to stay, whether he might have any treasures to offer them if they did, and whether he mightn't be better to them as a meal. Finally, it was agreed among the giants that the stranger should stay and eat of their mutton and drink of their ale, for while they did desire to eat him, he looked road-worn and thin and would need to be fattened up to make a proper meal.
Almic, having heard all of this began to form a plan of escape, and in the meantime did eat and drink as his hosts bid. The giants, Myopis, Hyperopis, and Amblyopis asked much about Almic and where he had come from, but he was vague in his explanations. He did not tell them whence he had come or let on that he had become lost, only that there were many people like him in his homeland who would rejoice of such rich and genial hosts. His flattery did him credit in the eyes of the giants, and when he offered to return and lead his people back to the giants' cave if only the giants would provide him with gifts and sheep to show to his people, the giants, blinded by their gluttony and greed, did not detect deception.
The next morning the giants presented their gift to Almic: two splendid hunting dogs, one of their giant rams and a cart of grain. As he left the lair of the three giants, Almic knew he could neither deliver his people to be eaten by giants nor could he expect them to live on one cart of grain and a giant sheep. He would have to go back, and trick the giants into giving him more.
Almic once more appealed to the gods for aid saying, "You have delivered me safely to the land of the giants, but I know not the way of returning home. So endow me with the cunning to face the trials that await me, that I might ease the suffering of my people." That night, while camped near a broad stone, a traveler asked to share Almic's camp in exchange for divine counsel to which Almic judiciously agreed. This stranger was, in truth, Hakeon, and the god had come to warn him that the giants would follow him this time and that he would have difficulty to transport the grain, dogs, and the sheep over the Brunwater River. There the giants would catch up to him and either eat him or follow him to his people. Hakeon gave Almic a pouch of bewitched briar seeds, telling him that they would grow into a wild and gnarled fence against the giants and buy him time.
When Almic returned to the giants, they demanded to know why he hadn't brought his people before them after their gifts. Almic explained that his people were not greatly impressed by the gifts and they would need more sheep and grain to be persuaded to see the giants. Myopis, Hyperopis, and Amblyopis did not see his lies for what they were, but Hakeon's words bore true for though the giants gave Almic more grain and sheep, it was not long before he noticed they were following him.
When he reached the banks of the Brunwater, Almic realized the problem facing him. Although he had food and sheep to spare, he did not have the means to safely cross the river with all that the giants had given him, and if he left the hounds with the sheep, his flock might be diminished, but just as bad, if he left the sheep with the grain they might deplete the food stores for his people. And to compound the issue, he had not long before Myopis, Hyperopis, and Amblyopis would be upon him. Trusting in Hakeon, Almic first crossed the river with his sheep, then he returned to the west bank and cast the seeds of the briar about and was amazed to see a gnarled and thorny forest appear before his eyes, obscuring the giants' vision of him and thwarting their progress. The exact methods by which he safely got his grain, his sheep, and his hounds across the river is now something of a puzzle to test the acuity of young minds, and is not traditionally preserved in tellings of the myth, relying on the audience to puzzle it out. However, Almic did cross safely with his goods and animals, and intended to return to his people.
But the gods were not done with Almic. Traveling home, he had received a vision commanding him to gather his people and lead them to the place the gods had prepared for them, where they would prosper and the gifts won by the gods' blessings and Almic's faith would multiply. Thus Almic became a prophet, leading his people to the place the gods had prepared. There they found the barbarians of Karkoth who remained and Almic brokered a peace between the barbarians and his people, teaching them of the gods. This ended the famine caused by the Ruiner of Karkoth, and prosperity was known where Almic's people lived. To celebrate this, on the anniversary of the peace, Almic sacrificed the ram he had been given by the giants and hosted a feast between his people and these barbarians who became known in later days as the West Karkothi. Thereafter, Almic lived the rest of his days as a shepherd-king and cleric, and his people spread throughout land.
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