Khatism Creation Narrative - "Te'hil"

Below is one of the earliest attested scrolls of the Te'hil, a document describing the creation of the world according to the theology of Khatism. The Saydore Scroll, the document in question, is kept at the Geha Mountain Temple of the Sky in North Eastern Belore in the Lu Territory, near the border of Shuki.

Written in Hyan, the common tongue of Belore. It is merely one of the oldest copies, as tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of copies fill the homes, libraries and tents of the Khatti.

## The Te'hil

(Note 1)[1] "Before the world was, there was the Origin of all things, and that Origin was a single, beautiful seed.

Though the void surrounded the Origin it rested until the eternal time was right, and a shoot came forth from the seed,

and an achingly beautiful tree came forth and filled the void with its roots and boughs.

[2]"In the flowering time, a single lovely flower sprang forth and resting in the midst of its pedals was Khat.

Khat stretched herself and knew, for she was goddess over this world.

Even as she came forth the Void stirred and began to choke the life of the Tree of Origins.

Khat made mighty strivings, and smote back the Void, sending it scurrying away.

(Note 2)

[3]"The Tree of Origins however, was ravaged.  Its branches shattered, its roots choked to death and it lay cracked and sundered.

[4]"Khat knew what must be, and brought forth a great mortar and pestle, and crushing up the trunk

she made soil and stone and from these she made the world.

Then, she ground down the leaves and made the sky, and appointed them with clouds,

and cycles of storm, and seasons that the world might grow back eternally.

Then, she ground down the sap and made the seas, and appointed them with waves

and tides and rains to fill the land, that it may keep a cycle of water to the life of all.

[5]"Then, she took the broken pedals of the flower and ground them down and filled the world with life.

[6]"It was incomplete.  The goddess saw her reflection in the waves, and took it forth,

saw her shadow on the soil, and took it forth,

and saw the pleasure that the beasts and creatures had in her presence and she took a measure of it,

and breathing over it she made it a spirit, then called it Woman, and to give her creation a gift,

that it too might have completion she brought forth a second spirit, and called to Man.

[7]"Thus was the world made, given birth to and shaped by its mother.

Thus was the land filled, given creatures that crawl, swim and fly by their mother.

Thus was the field blessed, given grasses and trees and all by the mother.

Thus was Maitenah (Note 3) peopled, given the living souls who live, and work and strive by their mother.

[8]"So did Khat become born, become mother, become goddess.

So were people born, her reflection, her shadow, her presence.

So let us live, let us do, and by doing so let us praise."

## Notes

1. Some scholars believe that the last two and three sections of the Te'hil contain a quality of being songs, or memory poems and date far later than the earlier composition. While it is the common belief of Khatti that this is a historical account, scholars of religion tend to treat it as little more than poetic theology and early hymnody or creedal statements.
2. Brytheoris, ancient Vaanthian scholar, argued that the form of the work is indeed a whole, and that it is a form of so-called "concrete poem" with at least one section between verses 2 & 4 missing, since the stanza system seems to be based on line numbers 3,4,5,1,6,1,5,4,3. However, the so called "First five stanza" is missing, leaving the poem at a disjointed - 3,4,1,6,1,5,4,3. Brytheoris found this curious since so many of the adherents find numbers, puzzles and meanings so terribly important, even going so far as to have certain sacred texts be acrostics. Thus in his treatise, *On the Curious Faith of the Mountain Peoples of Belorea: Pursuant to the Religious Writings of the Khatists of Belorean,* he proposed that a section of the creation narrative was removed either purposefully or by accident and urged future scholars to seek fragmentary scrolls to prove or disprove his thesis.
3. Maitenah is an ancient Hyan name for the world. It is etymologically rooted in the word Maita, meaning mother, and its grammar would imply a state of being mother forever., lit. 'eternal mother.'