#emnor

Death

The Imnura word barax literally means “no life.”  It refers to the concept of death as well as the state of being dead.  That being so, barax has no adjectival form.  The word rut, which means “to finish,” is used with the genitive a to refer to a particular individual’s death.  Rut is also used to mean “to die.”  The word oir, “to change,” refers to the process of changing from a living thing to a non-living thing.

Barax O ax lo gilin.

“I do not fear death.”

O ruta ax lo gilin.

“I do not fear my death.”

Rut gilino O ax na.

“I am not afraid to die.”

Barax is also commonly used to refer to non-living matter.  Rocks and metals are considered dead.  In Imnura thinking, the difference between living matter and dead matter is movement.  It is also commonly asserted that tree trunks are dead while their leaves are alive (bar).  Water and fire are also considered living.

The Funeral

The word baradi is derived from barax and diwa, the latter of which means “to celebrate” or “a party.”  Accordingly, funerals in Emnor are typically parties during which the life and contributions of the deceased, as well as the lives of those who survive him or her, are celebrated.  The family of the departed cremates the remains in a private ceremony before the funeral.  This ceremony may be called sjiyad, or “that which burns.”  It may also be called by the more formal name, gumidifaira, or gumai: “ceremony of ashes.”  A rich family may be able to afford its own gumipalio, or ash house, where they may store the ashes of their family members.  More often than not, and especially for less wealthy families, the gumi are poured into the wind after a sjiyad ceremony in a facility operated by the local rikhëpalio (district house).  Few Imnura bodies are ever buried.

Beredo are festive affairs, where the bereft pay their respects with songs and toasts (esjuen).  Children are encouraged to attend.  It is considered very important  that children learn about death early, and that they never come to fear it.  At a baradi party, emotional outpourings are expected, be they joyful or otherwise.  Indeed, the purpose of the baradi is for the community to help the bereaved deal with grief by embracing them.  Grief (oir iora, “the sadness of the change from life to death”) is expected and honored accordingly

Gumidifaira ceremonies are usually far more somber, though it’s not uncommon for both the baradi and the gumai to be combined into a single celebration.  Generally, only very close family members attend the gumai.  It’s customary for the rest of the family to pitch in and purchase a mourning plaque from the gumipalio.  This would be given to the spouse or children of the deceased, or to whomever else was closest to the deceased in life. 

The Afterlife

In English, we might ask, “Where do we go when we die?”  This question would be difficult for an Emnora to grasp at first, as their word for “go,” sain, only refers to the autonomous movement of living creatures.  Sara refers to being transported by someone or something else.

The idea that we go to a place when we die – that is, the idea that we are transported somewhere or that we consciously travel – would probably be nonsensical to the Imnura, since what they understand about death involves total cessation of will (no) and a permanent change in the living spirit (ako).

The Imnura don’t believe in an afterlife.  Barax is the absolute opposite of bar, as is evident in its form, and the idea that one may be at once alive and dead would seem silly in Emnor.   In their understanding, heaven is a state of being.  On death, the ako ceases to be a part of the ëasu, or human realm, and becomes part of the surath, or the larger world.  The Great Birds are considered the highest expression of the ako in the surath.  It could be said that, in a sense, on death the ako becomes a full part of nature and is removed from all human concerns.  Some even assert that the living spirit might be reincarnated as a tree, a flame, a breeze, or some other non-human thing that is considered alive.  Consciousness is obliterated at death, and the ako is not believed to retain its human identity in any way.

Death as an Entity

Fiorath, the deer, is the Imnura personification of barax.  She is also called Ëana, “the severer.”

In the oldest extant folk stories of Fiorath, she is identified with the kai, nature spirits said to live in the walls of the Great Rift.  She appears as a silver clad woman with the head of a stag.  This androgynous aspect is common in early lehan myths of deities and other spirits.  Occasionally, Fiorath is depicted riding a stag, or she may have the legs of a bird and eagle-like wings.  She has one eye on the right side of her head, and she wears many rings on her slender fingers.  She may appear emaciated or full-figured and beautiful, depending on the story. 

In most tales, Fiorath appears to a dying person in his or her last moments, easing the transition from ëasu to surath.  She may also oversee the reincarnation of eku.  Modern stories frequently see her seducing young soldiers away from their human lovers and luring them to the edge of a cliff. There they either fall to their deaths or discover the ruse. 

Fiorath is a myth, a figure from folk tales, and few actually believe in her.  Nonetheless, it is often said of someone who has recently died: “Nu Fiorath nim oir,” – “Fiorath changed him.”

Graves and Ashes

As mentioned above, burial of the dead is uncommon in Emnor.  It’s generally seen as a waste.   The dead are also considered unclean, and there are many who fear that burying them in the ground will bring back the terrible disease that killed the Founders [as described in my book The King’s Eagle].  There are no cemeteries in Emnor.  On the rare occasion that a body is not cremated, they are usually placed on an umën limara, a withering tower.  This is essentially burial by exposure.  The body is left exposed to scavengers and the elements on top of the tower.  After even the bones have degraded, whatever material remains is washed from the tower by rain.  Amin limara are usually built on the lower slopes, and are almost exclusively the property of wealthier families.  A third method of disposal, and the least common, is to allow a body to be eaten by Great Birds.  This method is called iarath dëolana, or bird’s vanity.This is discouraged, as many suspect that allowing Great Birds to taste human flesh may inspire them to turn on their masters and kill them.  Only a handful of Imnura have been treated in such a way after death, all of them high-ranking bird riders.  They were fed to their own birds, as per their wishes.  It should be noted that Great Birds have shown no particular taste for human meat.  When iarath dëolana is performed, the body is rarely fully consumed.  Once the birds discard it, it is cremated.

Terms To Know

barax - no life; death; non-living matter

ruta (pl. rate) - one's finish; an individual's death

oir (pl. uor) - to change; the [perceptible] change from living to non-living

baradi (pl. beredo) - funeral party

sjiyad; gumidifaira, gumai - cremation ceremony

gumipalio - ashes house; crematorium

gumi - ashes (no singular form)

oir iora - grief of change; the sadness of the change from life to death

sain - to go

sara - to be transported

no (pl. nu) - will

ako (pl. eku) - life spirit; life energy; soul

bar - life; to live

ëasu - human realm; the world of human affairs

surath - larger realm; the natural world

Fiorath, Ëana - the deer; severer; mythical death spirit

kue (pl. kai) - a certain type of nature spirit

umën limara (pl. amin limara)- tower of withering

iarath dëolana - bird's vanity

School and Work School Words:

oapalio (building- "to teach house") 2. owior (concept of education)

oa - to teach/that which is taught

oayad/oad - teacher

owëa - to learn

owëad - one who learns

iowa/iya - to study/that which is studied

iowad - one who studies, another word for student

mëwa - to know/knowledge

ioka - to read

halor - to write/writings

tiora - to speak, say

(In English, we say "I do not speak Imnura."  Tiora essentially means "to say." "Imnura O ax lo tiora - "I do not say Imnura" sounds incorrect.  The correct form would be "Imnura O ax lo ithir" - "I do not use Imnura" or "Ithir Imnura O ax mëwa" - "I do not know how to use Imnura."  Ithir means "to use" and "to speak a language.") Owior, schooling, is compulsory from the ages of 5 to 13.  At 13, one has the option to continue schooling in a rikhëaliara, or district institution (colloquially called a rikha or alia).  A student who opts to continue his or her education is often called ludao, or "that which boils."  Accordingly, rikha teachers are occasionally referred to as lëd, or "boilers." A child's first years in owior are spent partly at the oapalio, the brick-and-mortar school building, and partly at home with either an irië, or tutor, or with his or her parents.  The irië will frequently be a family member, or even a bokijad, but it's not uncommon for tutors to be employees of the oapalio assigned by the district.  The period during which a student is taught both at home and at school is called khaiwëa - "divided learning."  During khaiwëa, most students spend half of one week going to school and the other half learning at home.  This is the usual arrangement, but most schools encourage families to arrange special schedules according to their children's needs.  Khaiwëa may last for 5 years, or it may only last for two.  Each district decides on its own how long the period of divided learning shall be, and a new arrangement is made at the beginning of every school year. The school year, or këtl (extent/period), begins on the fifteenth day of Glaodora (about September 4th) and ends on the last day of Orinoa (about June 23rd).  School is in session 14 days a week, and a school day generally lasts from 9 am (mati) to 3 pm (voti, or 1500).  A typical school day consists of an hour for rolini (lunch) and four 70 minute classes (kiuwe).  All subjects (ue) are taught in the same room, with teachers moving between classrooms from këowa to këowa.  It's common for Imnura students to have the day of the third full moon of the year off.  This is called voiro, or moonday. Even in rikha schools, grades are given along a scale from 1.0 to 4.0.  This scale is called the vohai - "decimal."  Work Words:

thor - to form, manipulate; to work

thorad - worker

thorai - employment; place of work

ithij - employee (one who is used)

ithirad - employer (one who uses)

thola - job, task, career (lit: work to do)

Imnura children usually being looking for work at the age of 13.  This usually takes the form of an apprenticeship (beth) with a family member or local craftsman (ithorad).  Males and females are welcomed equally into the workplace.  While it's common for a beth in one career to translate into full time work in that career, it's just as likely that a bethad (apprentice) will move on to a higher level beth once the terms of his or her first beth have expired.  Of course, the duties of a thirteen-year-old bethad would not be demanding at first, if only for safety's sake in the more dangerous professions.  Common choices for an Imnura child's first beth (bethma) are:

liyarad - farmer

sumbethorad/ sumbethad - blacksmith

ilirad - librarian

girekod - butcher

ramësad - cooper

kërathor - clockmaker

linod - cobbler

lorod/ kiojad - journalist/publisher

spijethor - luthier

gethad - lawyer

broaga - priest

The average life expectancy in Emnor is 50-60.  In most districts, one is eligible to retire (soera) to the support of the state at the age of 40, though retirement benefits (soeronarë - rest money) are generally meager.  It's common for retired folk to move in with their children or with other relatives, as they usually aren't given enough of a wage by the state to support themselves.  Furthermore, it is considered a matter of pride to be able to support one's parents in their old age.  If a man is particularly well off, people may say of him, "Oë O baorinara nu dio ismaru," or "He could also support my family." Terms to Know

tiora - to say

ithir - to use; to speak a language

alia - institution

rikhëaliara/rikha/alia - district's institution; college

ludao - boil; that which boils

luad (pl. lëd) - boiler

irië (pl. oroi) - tutor

khaiwëa - divided learning; time spent learning both at home and at school

këtl - extent, period; school year

rolini/roli (pl. rilene) - from "small" and "afternoon"; lunch

këowa (pl. kiuwe) - session; class

voiro - the thrid full moon of the year; moonday, a school holiday

vohai (pl. vuhëo) - from "ten" and "stop"; decimal; school grading system

beth (pl. bith) - apprenticeship

ithorad - one who makes; craftsman, tradesman

bethad - apprentice

bethma - first apprenticeship

soera - to rest; retirement

soeronarë - rest money, money to rest; retirement benefits