The Language of Life

Before Kōna existed, there was a council of elder gods who lived on another planet called Tened Kanat, close enough to Kōna that it can be seen in the night sky, but far enough that no humans from Kōna could ever reach it. The elder gods lived amongst the people of Tened Kanat, but things had gone horribly wrong there, and the whole world was in chaos, with no way of saving it. The gods had involved themselves too much in the affairs of the humans, and they had taken sides in conflicts, which caused political imbalance and many bloody wars. By the time the gods realized what they had done by taking sides and stoking fires, it was too late to save Tened Kanat, and they agreed to start over with a new world. They abandoned the humans of their world, and held a meeting to discuss the creation of the new world; everyone agreed that they should not live amongst the humans, and that they must keep their distance and allow people to resolve their own conflicts. It was decided that they must stay together for all eternity, in order to keep watch over each other and ensure that none of them involved themselves with the new world. Furthermore, to prevent any verbal trickery or spells, they agreed that they must chant together while they sat, thereby keeping their voices occupied at all times. This chant has become known as the language of life, or Tsit Id Mon, in the Hadzo tongue. The gods sat together and began a chant of creation, which brought Kōna into existence. First formed the high mountains of the world, with their snowy, glacial peaks representing the purity of the world. Then, the rivers ran down from the mountains into the lowlands and brought life to the rest of the earth's places. Finally, the rivers flowed into the ocean, filling it and joining all together to represent unity and strength. Once the earth was complete, with seasons, weather, and living things, the last humans from Tened Kanat were brought to Kōna and spread apart all over her surface, ensuring that they would not meet again for a very long time, and would thus forget their meaningless conflicts. The earth was created, but the gods have kept their word to each other, and their chant continues to this day, as they sit in the lonely ruins of the old world forever. It is said that when the two world pass close to each other during the festival of Alignment, you can still hear their voices coming down from the stars.

Cultural Reception

While the myth of Tsit Id Mon is not believed by all Tanadszomo, it is certainly believed by many, and known by all. Tsit Id Mon has often been used by tribe leaders to convince their people of great necessities, or of a sacred deed; Kōna was created to improve on the old world, and humans must hold up their end of the bargain. Many conflicts between tribes have been avoided because both sides refuse to fight, either out of gratitude for the creation of their world, or for fear of angering the elder gods. Some have even tried to reach the old world during Alignment, in an attempt to locate the elder gods and thank them. None have been successful yet; previous attempts have included using magic to fly as high as possible, taming griffons and flying them above the clouds, or even building a tower to reach Tened Kanat (this is the origin of Dzedz Kanat).

In Art

There has been a great deal of art inspired by the myth of the old world, and the creation of Kōna. Because so many believe in the sanctity of the other world, and in the existence of the elder gods who speak the language of life till this day, they have been the subject of many religious works of art, featured often on paintings, statues, and even weapons and armor. Tened Kanat is most often depicted as a far away object, something that is known to be impossible to reach, but is so tempting anyway that one simply has to try; some artists have even depicted the old world as a temptress or succubus.

Related Ethnicities