A Story by Clan Mother Ko'zasha (Notes on the Khajiiti interpretation of the god Ius)

^I've ^been ^scrounging ^around ^the ^UESP ^and ^was ^looking ^at ^the ^belief ^systems ^of ^the ^various ^races. ^Then ^I ^came ^upon ^stories ^about ^Ius, ^the ^Animal ^God ^who ^is ^recognized ^in ^parts ^of ^Elsweyr. ^I ^figure ^that ^some ^Khajiit ^would ^find ^some ^way ^to ^fit ^him ^into ^their ^belief ^system. ^The ^problem ^is, ^since ^he's ^only ^mentioned ^in ^one ^game, ^not ^much ^is ^even ^known ^about ^him. ^This ^is ^my ^attempt ^at ^trying ^to ^create ^a ^Khajiit ^interpretation ^of ^Ius. ^A ^lot ^of ^mystery ^surrounds ^him ^and ^I ^put ^that ^into ^his ^character. ^Excuse ^my ^sloppy ^Ta'agra ^too, ^I ^have ^no ^idea ^what ^I'm ^doing. ^Please ^tell ^me ^if ^my ^lore ^is ^incorrect ^so ^I ^can ^fix ^it! ^So, ^here ^it ^is: ^some ^research ^notes ^from ^a ^scholar.

 

> As part of a historical compilation I've been planning to publish in a book, I've requested to listen to folk stories from various groups in the area. I'm grateful that a Khajiiti Clan Mother, an old cat by the name of Ko'zasha, has allowed me to listen in on a historical storytime for young Khajiit. > > I've simply written down what I heard from the matron. Rough translation notes will be on the bottom. > > -J. >

 

Come, little ones, and let Ko'zasha tell you a story! Gather around. Come now. Even you, ma'liter^{1 . This one knows you will like this story. Lhajiito'oh, jaji kor irat'var}2 . It is not too scary of a tale.

I have told you the stories of the Clan Mothers before me, of our creation and the rules of the world. Father Ahnurr and Mother Fadomai, and how they bore the litters of the gods.

Well, the story of one of the mewling kittens was lost to time. We remember not which litter he came from, or the moment he was born. But he was small, and sick, and disfigured, and so they named him Ius.

Mok'oh^3 , children, for Ius grew stronger as the phases came and left. He grew and could fend for himself strongly. He was very quiet, but when he did utter words, they were powerful and wise. Yet he still shambled around with an arched back and a disfigured form, and the others did not think as highly of him or treat him the same. This filled his heart with agitation and restlessness, yet Ius was wise and never struck out against his littermates. So Ius often left his home and wandered the world, hidden to all.

Ius watched the blessed, the men, and the mer, but it was the beasts that fascinated him the most. He watched as the beasts took the burden of the two-legged, often taking pain and sadness just to serve their masters. Ius was made angry at the abuse that the animals suffered, yet he knew that civilization itself depended on the lesser creatures. That is why Ius chose the animals as his own, and swore to protect them.

Ius made himself visible to the beasts, and approached them. He shambled over and whispered in their ears, and gave them their language. Though Ius was strange-looking and slow, the animals grew to love him and treated him as the highest. And so the beasts spread his story across the world. The animals respected Ius so, and they agreed to keep the secret of their silent speech. Like many Khajiit secrets, it has been well-kept, and that is why the common two-legged cannot converse with the beasts of Nirn.

Ius soon returned to his littermates and told them of all that had transpired. They grew a new respect for him and accepted him as their own. And while Ius was still a very quiet cat to his littermates, he knew the silent beast language by heart and would speak openly to all the animals of Nirn. He rarely shows himself to the two-legged, and that is why his story has almost been forgotten by the sands of time.

What was that, ja'Tsabhi^4 ? Oh, a time when he showed himself to the two-legged? Ah, let this one think for a moment...

Many moons ago it was harvest season. The nights were long and dotted with the stars. Kha'jay krimir var, teko'i^5 . The air was crisp and touched your whiskers lightly, causing excitement to turn in your belly.

A man with pale skin and sharp eyes owned the biggest farm in the town. The full harvest lined his pocket with gold, causing him to walk even taller than before and sneer upon those below him. He was filled with pride and greed, and loved to make his friends feel jealous of him. What better way to get attention than to hold the largest festival there could be, just for yourself and your friends?

After inviting those closest to him, the man prepared for the feast. He rolled kegs and kegs of sweet meads and ciders to his home. He gathered baskets of maize, breads, and fruits. He took the milk from the cows, the eggs from the chickens, and even plucked the feathers from the turkeys to make a decorative piece.

Ah, but this was not enough. The tall man was not pleased, for the thing he loved most was to have wrath over the smaller ones. He desired meat. "Killing just one or two pigs is not grand enough. No, not at all," said he. "No, for my worth to show I must prepare all of my animals!"

So the man grabbed his axe and went to his farmyard. One by one, the man killed every animal he could find. The piglets were too small to eat yet, and yet he culled them. The elderly goat would be tough and not very good to eat, and yet he took her life too. "What a grand feast this will be!" said the evil man with a blood-stained face. He took the fuzzy chicks as well, even though they were of no use to eat. The wrath-filled bloodlust was too much for one like him.

At last, the wretched-looking man came upon a gentle ox who was hiding in the corner of the pasture. The man approached the ox with his blade slowly, getting closer and closer by the second. The ox looked left and right, up and down, and yet he knew he could not run. Just as the farmer had raised his blade above his head, the ox prayed to Ius, begging for help.

A flash of light appeared before the farmer, and there was Ius! Ius was filled with such anger at the evil man's treatment of the animals, his rage nearly crisped the grass where he stepped. He grabbed a long rod nearby that the farmer had used to beat the animals with when they would not obey him and struck the man down with a great force. The man's axe clattered to the floor and broke into two. Ius glared right into the farmer's beady eyes, staring into his soul, and screamed, "Thjiz'famer, ahziss var dar jer fusozay!"^6 And suddenly Ius opened his maw, and with a snap, ate up the farmer in an instant.

The ox was saved and escaped into the forest with the blessing of Ius, who took the farmer's whipping rod and has used it to this day as a tool of justice. The evil man could hurt no creature again. As for the festival, when the farmer's friends arrived, they of course found no sign of him. They did, however, help themselves to the barrels of mead they found in his home.

So are the ways of the dro'Ius^{7 . He protects the poor animals of this world and serves justice to those cruel to them. Do not forget his story, ja'khajiit}8 , for it teaches us to respect those different from us. You can find strength in every beast, person, and form of life out there, no matter its appearance. Even the winds and the earth below us have power. Treat your littermates and cousins as equals.

Now storytime is over. Vaba tenurr^9 . Go and sleep now, and maybe tomorrow this one will tell you another tale.

 

> 1: "Little brother". Appeared to be a bit of a rambunctious kit but apparently liked the story enough to sit still. > > 2: "Don't run away, for I know an important life". To elaborate, she's saying not to leave because the story is about an important figure. > > 3: "Do not worry". > > 4: "Little Tsabhi". A young khajiit girl who asked Clan Mother Ko'zasha about the story. > > 5: "The moons smiled with sugar, full". A khajiit figure of speech is to say that moonbeams are made out of sugar. Just a way to say that the moons were full and and bright. > > 6: "Foolish farmer, I will kill you without regret!" > > 7: "The Respected Ius". > > 8: "Little Khajiit". > > 9: "It is nighttime."