Encyclopedia of New Taragos

Part of Literature of Otheia
The Encyclopedia of New Taragos is a widely distributed nonfiction work published in multiple volumes. It was authored by Barisson Hemah, and is common across the Augkarate of Otheia. The full title reads New Taragos, or the Academy full of all science, divided into subjects and classes, for the wise ones to record, for the fools to learn, for the politicians to practice, for the melancholics to entertain, and so forth.
Judging from the content, and inclusion of numerous stories, anecdotes, and description of exotic phenomena and countries, the work was intended for popular consumption rather than scholarly sourcing, and is aimed to arouse the readers curiosity and desire to learn.
The encyclopedia has been subject to ridicule throughout its history, being viewed by the enlightened as an example of ignorance, superstition and stupidity, contrasting with common Otheiae thought. Despite this, it is seen as a comedic work, and so is found in many households. This is due to several memorable entries, often quoted.
One such entry is the entry for Cow. “Cow: if you don’t know what a cow is, all hope is lost.”
Many of these definitions are often quoted, used as a colorful equivalent of the statement "the concept is more obvious than it appears to be from its more technical definition".
The humor was unintentional, the author likely saw no benefit to defining such common objects. Nevertheless, there are some 20 pages dedicated to the history and breeds of cattle.
The work is well sourced, including data of more than two-hundred writers dating from antiquity to the present, with the addition of personal annotations and opinions from the author himself. One such relates to the topic of Dragons, Hemah writing: “Dragons certainly exist, I myself bore witness to one such skeleton upon my visit to Ariac. Each rib was larger than a common sabre, the beast must have been fearsome indeed.
Category:Literature of Otheia