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Varshani historiography: Difference between revisions
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Legendweavery was a cultural expectation of all Varshani leaders and most high [[Varshani caste system|caste men]] to produce a historical recounting of their life's work as well as those of their predecessors and ancestors. The term "legendweavery" or "legendweave" is usually used to refer to this tradition, being an imprecise translation of a [[Hieratic Varshani]] term. Initially oral, the legendweaves became written by ca. 1200 AD. Most legendweaves were crafted by the individual discussing events with notable elders, including their own recounting, consulting other legendweaves and other written sources, as well as the introduction of fantastical events or even deliberately altering the facts and placements of events in order to complete the story. Consequently, legendweaves were viewed to be less concerned with facts and more with the major moral or theme of the story. Unlike Occidental histories, most legendweaves are not concerned with necessarily presenting an impartial view; many 17th-century legendweaves, for example, include a statement by the author that the description of events has been deliberately altered because the author wished it to be so and, with their version being more satisfactory, that is the "true history" of events. Legendweaves were not "published" in the Occidental sense, but commonly more than one written copy was created and distributed to all living individuals who participated in the events described there in. Friends and supporters of the legendweaver would also distribute copies of their legendweave and destroy copies of their rivals' works. | Legendweavery was a cultural expectation of all Varshani leaders and most high [[Varshani caste system|caste men]] to produce a historical recounting of their life's work as well as those of their predecessors and ancestors. The term "legendweavery" or "legendweave" is usually used to refer to this tradition, being an imprecise translation of a [[Hieratic Varshani]] term. Initially oral, the legendweaves became written by ca. 1200 AD. Most legendweaves were crafted by the individual discussing events with notable elders, including their own recounting, consulting other legendweaves and other written sources, as well as the introduction of fantastical events or even deliberately altering the facts and placements of events in order to complete the story. Consequently, legendweaves were viewed to be less concerned with facts and more with the major moral or theme of the story. Unlike Occidental histories, most legendweaves are not concerned with necessarily presenting an impartial view; many 17th-century legendweaves, for example, include a statement by the author that the description of events has been deliberately altered because the author wished it to be so and, with their version being more satisfactory, that is the "true history" of events. Legendweaves were not "published" in the Occidental sense, but commonly more than one written copy was created and distributed to all living individuals who participated in the events described there in. Friends and supporters of the legendweaver would also distribute copies of their legendweave and destroy copies of their rivals' works. | ||
In pre-Deluge Varshan, no legendweave was more valued or given higher cultural authority than that of Zurgs, whose overarching legal authority included even legally binding positions on chronologies and historical events. This force of law often meant that earlier legendweaves, if known, were deliberately altered or destroyed if their account differed from that of a Zurgite legendweave. This practice left many extant legendweaves having confused narratives which often run contrary to the original theme. The alteration of legendweaves, already having fantastical chronologies in their unaltered state, often left a completely garbled historical chronology. These altered legendweaves were continually used by later legendweavers as source material. A post-Deluge survey of available digitized legendweaves in [[2028]] indicated that only around 15% had a "chronology which was half correct or better". Despite these issues, these materials remained central to the history and cultural memory of Zurgite Varshan. | In pre-Deluge Varshan, no legendweave was more valued or given higher cultural authority than that of Zurgs, whose overarching legal authority included even legally binding positions on chronologies and historical events. This force of law often meant that earlier legendweaves, if known, were deliberately altered or destroyed if their account differed from that of a Zurgite legendweave. This practice left many extant legendweaves having confused narratives which often run contrary to the original theme. The alteration of legendweaves, already having fantastical chronologies in their unaltered state, often left a completely garbled historical chronology. These altered legendweaves were continually used by later legendweavers as source material. A post-Deluge survey of available digitized legendweaves in [[2028]] indicated that only around 15% had a "chronology which was half correct or better". Despite these issues, these materials remained central to the history and cultural memory of [[Zurgite Varshan]]. | ||
===Different concepts of history=== | ===Different concepts of history=== | ||
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==Žuqul problem== | ==Žuqul problem== | ||
The Žuqul problem is the culmination of conflicting chronologies, dark times, and general issues with Varshani historiography. Most scholars agree with the assessment of P. G. W. Gelema Jr. who called it "the catastrophic center of Varshani history". It relates to the time of the reign of the Zurg Žuqul I. Žuqul is credited with functionally establishing Varshani social system that existed until the [[Final War of the Deluge]], creating [[Orthodox Arzalism]] and entrenching [[Orthodox Arzalism#The_Death_God|the Death God]] at the center of Varshani religion and life. The majority of available outside sources from the [[North Songun civlization]] and a plurality of legendweaves place the reign of Žuqul in the 15th century, with his reforms occurring as a reaction to [[Aster's expedition]]. However, archaeologically verifiable plinths and monuments, as well as a minority of well-constructed legendweaves, place the reign of Žuqul during the {{wp|iron age}}, in the period of [[Varshani_historiography#Dark_time|dark time]] around 400 BC. Efforts by scholars to argue that sources simply conflate two same-named rulers have proven difficult to conclusively prove, since an iron age Žuqulid death cult is attested in the archaeological record. Arguments that the latter Žuqul patterned his reign after the earlier one have also proven problematic due to previously unknown archaeological sites attributing successes of the latter Žuqul to the earlier Žuqul. These same events are attributed to the 15th century Žuqul by North Songun contemporaries. Many historians hope that unknown sources and materials in [[Anzo]] will solve the dispute, but Žuqul remains a mystifying figure to most historians in the 2030s. | The Žuqul problem is the culmination of conflicting chronologies, dark times, and general issues with Varshani historiography. Most scholars agree with the assessment of P. G. W. Gelema Jr. who called it "the catastrophic center of Varshani history". It relates to the time of the reign of the Zurg Žuqul I. Žuqul is credited with functionally establishing Varshani social system that existed until the [[Final War of the Deluge]], creating [[Orthodox Arzalism]] and entrenching [[Orthodox Arzalism#The_Death_God|the Death God]] at the center of Varshani religion and life. The majority of available outside sources from the [[North Songun civlization]] and a plurality of legendweaves place the reign of Žuqul in the 15th century, with his reforms occurring as a reaction to [[Aster's expedition]]. However, archaeologically verifiable plinths and monuments, as well as a minority of well-constructed legendweaves, place the reign of Žuqul during the {{wp|iron age}}, in the period of [[Varshani_historiography#Dark_time|dark time]] around 400 BC. Efforts by scholars to argue that sources simply conflate two same-named rulers have proven difficult to conclusively prove, since an iron age Žuqulid death cult is attested in the archaeological record. Arguments that the latter Žuqul patterned his reign after the earlier one have also proven problematic due to previously unknown archaeological sites attributing successes of the latter Žuqul to the earlier Žuqul. These same events are attributed to the 15th century Žuqul by North Songun contemporaries. Many historians hope that unknown sources and materials in [[Anzo]] will solve the dispute, but Žuqul remains a mystifying figure to most historians in the 2030s. | ||
{{Template:Award winning article}} | |||
[[Category:2023 Award winning pages]] | [[Category:2023 Award winning pages]] | ||
[[Category:IXWB]] | [[Category:IXWB]] | ||
[[Category: Varshan]] | [[Category: Varshan]] | ||
[[Category: History]] | [[Category: History]] | ||