Not too long ago I made a blog post about a poem I once wrote. Well, for today’s post, I want to share the world where that poem belongs. Below is a brief history, background into the culture, and brief language introduction to the Hikarans of Spira, a world I created long ago for a roleplay.
Hikarans © to A.M. Molloy.
The people of Spira, a planet located in a distant galaxy, are proud races, yet none are more proud than the Hikarans who inhabit 87.6% of the planet. Most Hikarans reside in the capital city of Bal'Thor, located of the coast of the Hüinzha Sea in the Ezhrainen continent. They are said to have been the first race created when the gods made the planet inhabitable.
Hikaran's have a humanoid appearance at first glance, however, there are ways to tell them apart from humans. Because Hikarans are a tribal race, their best features are their legs. They are usually longer and more muscular than humans to provide an excellent jumping range. Because of this feature, most Hikarans are hunters, the majority of them being female. All Hikarans are born with pure white hair and the colour of their hair does not change as they age. On the off occasion, the pigment may be off in their hair, and sometimes eyes, and can vary to a very light blond.
The key factor in noticing a Hikaran from a human, however, is once glance at their eyes. Hikaran eyes are pure white, with no visual pupil. The healthier one is, the whiter their eyes are. If one is sick, or injured, you can tell by the color of their eyes, which turn blue, also with no visible pupil. The darker the blue their eyes become, the closer they are to death. When their eyes are completely black, it means they have passed on and are sent to Sinaz, the God of Death. When a Hikaran becomes blind, their eyes turn grey, sometimes with a slight shade of green. If blind and not well, their eyes become grey-blue, with the gray being prominent. If they have passed on, their eyes are completely dark grey, with a light blue mix.
For the Hikarans, another key difference that separates them from humans is their aging process. A Hikaran will stop aging after puberty, usually around the ages of sixteen to eighteen, and remain looking youthful for the rest of their lives. This may cause confusing in other races when meeting a Hikaran family, for those of all ages, grandparent, parent, and child, all appear to be the same age. Hikarans are almost immortal in this sense, for they can live to be thousands of years old. They can die from sickness or be killed in battle, however.
As a tribal race, Hikarans have painted blue markings on their bodies, while royals can use gold if they chose. Each symbol on their arms mean something different, but only a Royal can wear the markings for Life and Death. As shown below, these are a few examples of said symbols. The first symbol shown represents life while the second represents death. Other symbols include community, peace, family, and so on.
(Hand Ref: http://www.dragoart.com/tuts/11554/1/1/how-to-draw-muscles.htm)
The markings on their bodies are painted using special paint, Ha’kar, that stays on permanently like a tattoo until removed by a special kind of remover paint. Only by using the removal paint, He’kar, can the markings be removed from the body.
Hikaran culture is rich in history and unique rules. A few cultural notes are worth looking into.
There aren’t many thieves in the capital city of Bal’Thor. The people who are thieves are very good at what they do, however, so that they don’t get caught. Thieves keep low on Spira. First offence is branding, second is loss of your writing hand and third is hanging. Whether it’s the Royal’s crown or a loaf of bread, it makes no difference.
At sixteen, female Hikarans would build their own doll to remind themselves that they are no longer a child. Also, in marriages it is the oldest sibling who gives the approval of whether or not the female gets to marry the male, or vice versa. If there are no siblings, the task falls unto the mother of the child to be married.
Hikarans always throw a big town party right before a war, (hosted by the royals), to get the town pumped and ready for war. The Hikaran battle cry is ‘For Life, For Country, For Honour!’
The current royal, and ruler of the Hikarans, is Svetla Sa’Den. It is also worth noting that royal members must learn and master as many instruments as possible, as it is they who entertain their guest at parties.
Right before doing what is commonly known as ‘The Tradition’ (or sex in our culture), one usually says “I give myself to you. I surrender”. (Girls say ‘I give myself to you’. Boys will say ‘I surrender’) If these words are not said, it’s usually considered prostitution.
When near the presence of a graveyard, a Hikaran will always walk with their heads bowed down and breath out slowly. They will never intake air near the dead out of respect for those who cannot breath no more. This is possible due to a Hikaran's lung capacity being larger than a human's.
The most noticeable cultural aspect is how a Hikaran will greet one another. Hikarans great each other by placing both hands, in a fist, to their chest, and thrusting them forward. This symbolizes that they as a person and the gods up above recognize them as a whole. This gesture also signifies the standard greeting, "I myself, see you, as the Gods above."
Hikarans are a very religious race and they worship many gods and goddesses. The goddess Kidaha is the literal heart of the planet Spira and she is one of the few gods who reside on the planet as opposed to the heavens with the other immortals. To many of the planets residents, Kidaha's decision to live amongst the mortals was a foolish one and some even fear for their lives. If Kidaha were to ever be killed, the planet would die alongside her, and with it, the people. Yet the goddesses love for her people and the planet was too strong to live her immortal days among the heavens. She enjoys life as a peaceful woman and is said to live in the capital city of Bal'Thor.
Other gods tend to visit the mortal realm from time to time, the most common being Shinoda, who enjoys aiding the lost goddess Aowyne in her attempts of a normal everyday life. A tragic event in the heavens left Aowyne wounded on the planet Spira with no memories of her former godlike self. If she were to ever recall, her powers would return tenfold and in turn destroy the planet. Therefore, Shinoda exercises his power so that Aowyne may life out her life in peace as a mortal and keeps her from finding out who she really is.
Below are the most prayed to gods and goddess of Spira, worshiped not only by the Hikarans, but by the rest of the planet as well.
Kidaha (Goddess of Spira and the heart of the planet)
Shiesta (3rd), Ouganda (2nd), Shinoda (1st) (The 3 top Gods. Rulers of the Hikaran Gods and Goddess’)
Aowyne (Lost goddess of magic)
Sinaz (God of death)
Zamir (God of the Underworld, husband to Mehélia)
Mehélia (Goddess of air, wife of Zemir)
Yava (Sun goddess)
Umon (Scribe and Scholar to the Gods)
Florydia (Goddess of Beauty and very vain)
Uffa (Cat-like god. God of strength and war)
Iyana (Goddess of health)
Keowa (God of fertility)
Rarity (Goddess of harmony. She is the only Goddess to appear completely Hikaran in form and is extremely shy)
As part of their religious beliefs, a Hikaran promise is more than just a word. To a Hikaran, a promise is what keeps the natural balance of the world in order. They never make a promise they cannot keep. To them, promises are a legal bind between them and whomever they made the promise with. It was once said that an unnamed god came down from the heavens and gave the lesson of the promise. This lesson was about keeping honour between yourself and your comrade and in turn aiding you keep honour with the gods. Therefore, as long as one can remember, no Hikaran would ever make a promise they can't keep.
As set forth by the royals, if one did happen to break a promise, depending on the severity, they will be banned from, (in order), their house, town, country, and eventually, the planet. Hikarans firmly believe that the reason people die is because somewhere in their life, they forgot about a promise they made and broke it and therefore the gods punish them by death. As a result, being called a ‘promise breaker’ is the worst possible insult you can give to a Hikaran. Therefore, instead of saying 'I promise' they would say 'I swear', which holds just as much value as a promise, without the threat of banishment and death.
As part of the Hikaran tradition, the Starlight Celebration is the most celebrated holiday in their culture. It is believed that during the 27th moon of Ishtar (November 18th in the human calendar) was the date that the gods created Spira. Many festivities are done and no one is to work on this day. A more modern tradition, however, is the telling of the tale of Isolde and Seryestin. For on that day they stopped a war between their planet and the planet Bashira. Every Hikaran knows the story of the two war heroes and some even worship them just as they would a god.
The story tells of how the Hikaran born werewolf, Isolde, and his werewolf Deskravesk lover, Sereystin, died heroes of Spira. They saved millions by defeating the corrupt General Mudurk at Prison Guard. Prison Guard is a ruthless place on the planet Bashira where every captured person is tortured beyond recognition. The tale tells the story form beginning to end and is sung every year during the Starlight Celebration festival in honour of these war heroes. Though the two lovers died, it is rumored that Isolde and Sereystin are actually still alive, hiding from the people of Bashira, and along with their twin children, Sorren and Rhyx, live happily somewhere on Spira.
The Tale of Isolde and Sereystin
The moonlight bathes the road to redemption
Sweet howls of the night; the melody sings
Crazed yet sane, blood shall be shed
War rages on in the world
Kill the horror that lies in the soul
Unable to break free from sins committed
Cry out, cry out; silence fills the land
Poisoned veins will stand alone
Behold thy beauty of sweet summers night
Hail to the captive; sweet innocence arises
Wanting without knowing; unable to achieve
Darkness falls over the land once again
Be swift for death shall chase; killer of the night
Arise the sun to darkness still
Wanting without knowing; separated against will
Death to many, death to all, once again
Races of the world reunite; self inflicted damage
Captured once more; break free from hell
Twice dawn comes, blood still floods the land
Clash of blades; six hits, one death
Adorned blackness; victory arises
Fighter of love, fighter of peace
Striking blow through heart and soul
Death has been defeated
Rest well sweet child. Fear no more
Peaceful night now fills thy heart
Young love will last forever; sweet dreams
Eyes of sorrow have lifted
*****
The Hikaran Language:
Though Hikarans populate 87.6% of the planet Spira, the Hikaran language is the fifth most common language on the planet, the first being Deskravesk. The written word is considered a gift from the Gods. Therefore, when writing traditionally, it is written from top to bottom, left to right. Signifying the Gods sending their gift from above to be received by mortals below; and from doing wrong, (left), as in doing bad choices, to be righted, (right).
There are twenty seven letters in the Hikaran alphabet, however, there are a total of thirty-two characters in the written language.The Hikaran alphabet and symbols.
The Hikaran alphabet and symbols.
The Hikaran Number system:
0 = nok 6 = ni
1 = sīg 7 = rah
2 = kō 8 = nō
3 = nā 9 = dõs
4 = sar 10 = re
5 = me 100 = sīgnokkō
A simple sentence in Hikaran follows the following sentence structure: subject - object - verb, unlike English where it is subject - verb - object. The verb always goes at the end of the sentence. It is believed that because verbs are actions - and actions done by a person are gifts from the gods - that the verb goes at the end so the gods above know that the people below understand their spoken gift.
The Hikaran language is also filled with particles that tell the listener what the subject is about. The most common particle is the subject marker he (pronounced heugh with a hard h and emphasis on the ugh). Others include the possessive marker, ko, (similar to the 's in English), the sentence enders ne, kra, and shi. Each of the sentence enders add a different feeling to the sentence and have no real grammatical value.
An example sentence in Hikaran would be the following common phrase, uttered often due to the inherent evil that resides within the un-pure body.
Ex: Anel he baka ei.
Translated, this sentence means 'Evil is here', or a literal translation, 'Evil he here is'. The red symbol in the Hikaran text represents the sentence marker, he. The green characters is the highlighted verb, ei (part of the verb to be conjugation). The very last symbol, the small one at the bottom right, represents the Hikaran version of a period.
In Hikaran, the vowels are pronounced as follows:
a as the 'a' in 'father'
e as the 'e' in 'get'
i as the 'i' in 'pin'
o as the 'o' in 'lot'
u as the 'u' in 'put'
The consonants are pronounced the same as in English for the most part. However, a few of them change sound depending on where they are placed in a word. For instance, 'h' has a hard guttural sound when it is placed at the start of a word where 'e' is the next letter. An example is in the subject marker he.
To understand the other sentence particles, we will continue to use the common phrase, 'Evil is here'.
When showing possession of something, the marker ko is used. In this example, 'Anel he ko baka ei', translates to 'Evil is mine'. The subject particle he is never left out, and the possessive particle ko follows the subject particle. Because of the use of ko, the verb of ei becomes 'mine' when translated.
The particle ne, when added to the end of the sentence, gives off a feeling of agreement, most commonly translated as 'right' or 'yeah' in English. 'Anel he baka ei ne' translates in English as 'Evil is here, right?'. It may also give off a feeling of uncertainty.
The particle kra, when added to the end of the sentence, gives off a feeling of wanting. It's commonly used at the end of a question sentence and implies that you want more information from the listener. 'Anel he baka ei kra?' will translate to 'I want evil to be here?'
The particle shi, when added to the end of the sentence, is almost as if expressing a verbal exclamation point. It also gives of the air of excitement. 'Anel he baka ei shi' will translate to 'Evil is here!'.
*****
As the Hikaran's would say, "Anel he baka ei. Kashaha, mazqa yc yba ocklz hkwer." (Evil is here. So remember to bring peace to the world).
