The Great Darkness and Namiira
TMEMC here. If you’ve read my two past submissions, you know I’ve been obsessed with the Khajiiti mythos as of late. Specifically, (LINK) Words of Clan Mother Ahnissi and “The Great Darkness”; and how that might fit into our understanding of creation. Here I will present my conclusion. The culmination of all my thoughts on the matter.
#THE GREAT DARKNESS
The Great Darkness is decay. A subgradient of PSJJJ. Padomay IS NOT; Anu IS. The two are constantly at odds, for they are opposites. I ask, how can you have IS NOT when you have IS? Where is the overlap? How can you take what IS and make it NOT? There are two options:
Do it in one fell swoop, IS + NOT = IS NOT. Before the creation of Time this was a common occurrence. Et’Ada both existed and didn’t; taking shape yet simultaneously becoming shapeless. After Time began, however, et’Ada were able to crystallize and understand themselves; complicating the matter and leading to the necessary creation of our next option.
Do it in phase. IS +N = IS N IS N + O = IS NO IS NO + T = IS NOT The slow, gradual transformation of IS into IS NOT. In this regard, Decay (Namiira) is a true aspect of Padomay; a true element of change. But not necessarily changing into something new. Changing into less than you were before. Decay: a REVERSE element of change. Reverse the spelling of the name: Namiira => Ariiman (Ahriman).
##Who is Ahriman?
There are two known “Ahriman” that exist in the plane of metaphysical concepts. (Credit goes to SkoomaMudcrab for the Ahriman connection)
One: Taken from Zoroastrianism, an ancient monotheistic Iranian religion and religious philosophy (and ripped straight from Wikipedia). Bear in mind that Aka Mainyu is the Middle Persian equivalent of Ahriiman, the same entity in two different languages:
>>…. in Yasna 30.3, where the antithesis is however aka mainyu, aka being the Avestan language word for "evil". Hence, aka mainyu is the "evil spirit" or "evil mind" or "evil thought," as contrasted with spenta mainyu, the "bounteous spirit" with which Ahura Mazda conceived of creation, which then "was".
Here Aka Mainyu (Ahriiman) is Padomay while Spenta Mainyu is Anu. In the interest of time I’ll summarize some additional info: Not only being prescribed as “generally evil”, Ahriman is taken to represent “non-reality” and is stated to have “never been and never will be.” Ahriiman IS NOT. Further, one Martin Haug goes on to argue in the 1800’s that both Spenta Mainyu and Aka Mainyu are “created by Ahura Mazda and should be regarded as his respective ‘creative’ and ‘destructive’ emanations.”
Two: From a much later time period and no doubt built upon the previous; from the philosophy of Anthroposophy. The basic concept of which is the following (and also shamelessly ripped from Wikipedia):
>>Two spiritual adversaries …… are often described through their mythological embodiments, Lucifer and his counterpart Ahriman….. Lucifer is the light spirit, which "plays on human pride and offers the delusion of divinity", but also motivates creativity and spirituality; Ahriman is the dark spirit, which tempts human beings to "...deny [their] link with divinity and to live entirely on the material plane"
Not much need be said of this. I needn’t argue that there exists a serious analogue to ANU and PADOMAY; its self evident. Ahriman: the dark spirit which tempts [human] beings to live entirely on the material plane. A similarity to “The Great Darkness” which enters Lorkhaj’s heart and leads to his creation of Mundus aka “the mortal plane”.
##Namiira-Ariiman
Zoroastrianism and Anthroposophy construct strong arguments that both Ahriman is the Great Darkness (which corrupts Lorkhan) and that Ahriman is likely Padomay; yet not a strong argument that Namiira is Ahriman (apart from the two being semiordnilap). However, we know the et’Ada are just aspects. I contend that Namiira/Ariiman/TheGreatDarkness is the aspect of Padomay that exists as a result of Lorkhan’s trick. It always was (or had the potential to be) but was unable to form prior to Mundus.
>>And Fadomai gave birth to Lorkhaj, the last of her litter, in the Great Darkness. And the Heart of Lorkhaj was filled with the Great Darkness. And when he was born, the Great Darkness knew its name and it was Namiira.
Here we see Lorkhan being filled with “The Great Darkness” and also Namiira’s existence as a result of Lorkhan. The two are inexorably linked. Decay as a concept has no place without Lorkhan. This is because decay had nowhere to exist before the foundation of Mundus, the et’Ada as we know them were timeless. But once Mundus was crafted:
>>.. Lorkhan knew, this world contained more limitations than not and was therefore hardly a thing of Anu at all. Mundus was the House of Sithis. As their aspects began to die off, many of the et'Ada vanished completely. Some escaped, ….[Others] transformed themselves into the Ehlnofey, the Earthbones, ... Each generation was weaker than the last..
Lorkhan’s trick resulted in the decay of the participating et’Ada. Resulted in decay’s BIRTH. For the first time something that WAS is now dying or dead. IS => IS NOT. Namiira/Ahriman is the element of Padomay that exists because of Mundus. Mundus exists because of Lorkhan. Ergo, there is no Namiira/Ahriman without Lorkhan. Further, Lorkhan’s creation was cursed by decay from the get-go, and that decay was Namiira/The Great Darkness. A circle connecting the two, (the center of which is Mundus, as always) further enforced by their relationship in (LINK) Litter-Mates of Darkness
##Conclusion
Decay could not exist before Mundus. This new element (Decay) was given a name, and that name was Namiira. Namiira was the curse of Mundus. Mundus was the crux of Lorkhan. Thus, Decay lies at the heart of Lorkhan. Additionally, Decay is the slow process of IS => IS NOT. The plodding element of Padomay dubbed Ariiman/Namiira; and it is “The Great Darkness”.