The Khajiit Tower

First: re-read this - http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Words_of_Clan_Mother_Ahnissi

BEGINNINGS

Ostensibly this is a creation myth for the Khajiit and explains how they are “altered Elves”; it also explains their connection to, and adoration of, Azura. I would suggest there is much, much more going on. The key is in recognizing where the differences with other creation stories lie, and what they signify.

It’s important to note that, according to the Khajiit, the relationship of Ahnurr and Fadomai (Anu and his Other) was not defined by conflict (as in every other myth). For the Khaj the protonym of the universe isn’t Conflict but Love. (This may be why the worship of Mara is so important to them; more on that another time). So everything that follows is understood, not as part of an eternal cycle of conflict within the One trying to understand himself, but as eternal actions of love and affection.

Ahnurr and Fadomai have two litters together. Ahnurr said to her, "Let us wed and make children to share our happiness." Interesting that the reason for wedding and child-bearing is to share happiness. Those of you familiar with Eastern Orthodoxy may hear echoes of perichoresis in this. After the second, however, Ahnurr said, "Two litters is enough, for too many children will steal our happiness." A telling statement.

But Fadomai (chaos, ephemerality, Sithis, Void-that-is-filled through child-bearing) pitied her daughter Khenarthi who was lonely and became pregnant again by tricking Ahnurr. The children of this union are Jone, Jode, Nirni, Azurah, and later on: Lorkhaj (more on this). It wasn’t the et’ada who created the world, according to the Khajiit. But the compassion of Fadomai for her daughter.

Ahnurr did not take it well; he struck his wife and “she fled to birth the last of her litter far away in the Great Darkness.” 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.” Later, when Lorkhaj “creates a place for Nirni’s children” he doesn’t create the world (its already there) but “the Heart of Lorkhaj was filled with the Great Darkness, and Lorkhaj tricked his siblings so that they were forced into this new place with Nirni. And many of Fadomai's children escaped and became the stars. And many of Fadomai's children died to make Nirni's path stable. And the survivors stayed and punished Lorkhaj.” Lorkhaj doesn’t –create- the world, but binds others to it.

“The children of Fadomai tore out the Heart of Lorkhaj and hid it deep within Nirni. And they said, ‘We curse you, noisy Lorkhaj, to walk Nirni for many phases.’ But Nirni soon forgave Lorkhaj for Nirni could make children. And she filled herself with children…”

And why do the Khajiit have children? To share their joy. Maybe the Khajiit don’t hate Lorkhaj, maybe they are grateful that he gave them a place to share their joy. Maybe joy is the heart of what it means to be Khajiit. And maybe the taking of moon sugar is “sharing in his body”…rather like another myth I’m fond of. :-)

But now we get the real crux of it all.

ANU’S DREAM

"’Ja-Kha'jay, to you Fadomai gives the Lattice, for what is steadier than the phases of the moons? Your eternal motions will protect us from Ahnurr's anger.’ And the moons left to take their place in the heavens. And Ahnurr growled and shook the Great Darkness, but he could not cross the Lattice.”

As she’s dying Fadomai gives her children the Lattice – the shaping of the Khajiit by the phases of the moon – to protect them from Ahnurr’s anger. Their “eternal motions” protect the children from their father’s anger. So: why do the many forms of Khajiit, and the motions of the moon (progress of Time) protect from Ahnurr’s anger?

Because they show Ahnurr that change is possible. This is where things get a bit Meta.

Its been accepted that the Anu of “A Children’s Anuad” is the Amaranth of the TES dream. His story is told in the first few paragraphs of the book found here:
http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:A_Children%27s_Anuad

Note this passage: “Nir became pregnant, but before she gave birth, Padomay returned, professing his love for Nir. She told him that she loved only Anu, and Padomay beat her in rage. Anu returned, fought Padomay, and cast him outside Time. Nir gave birth to Creation, but died from her injuries soon after. Anu, grieving, hid himself in the sun and slept.”

In the Meta-world of the Godhead’s dream (top level dream where the story of Anu and Nir takes place) Nir is murdered by Padomay who is in turn killed by his brother Anu. Nir gives birth but dies of her wounds, and Anu hides himself in the sun to sleep. TES is Anu’s dream.

Note the similarities of the names Nir (wife/mother) and Nirni (who desires a place for her children). Note the similarities between Meta-Padomay’s actions (“beat her in rage”) and Ahnurr’s actions (“Ahnurr struck Fadomai”). Now remember that the other name for Tamriel is “Arena.”

The Dream of Meta-Anu is him working through his grief.

A JUNIGIAN MATRIX OF TRAUMA AND THERAPY

Meta-Anu is in extraordinary pain at the loss of his wife (and perhaps he also believes his children – how can they live without their mother?). He, like many who struggle through grief, hides away and tries to “sleep it away.” His subconscious, unable to cope with the magnitude of his grief and pain, externalizes them into a Dream. He identifies himself with his Meta-Brother (Other, which is to say his darker Self; note the Light/Dark in “Children”) so that his placeholder in the Dream (Ahnurr) acts like Meta-Padomay. That Fadomai takes an echo of his brother’s name suggests he may think Meta-Padomay did what he did because he (Anu) did not love his brother/other/self as he should have. There is also the issue that Anu-Padomay-Nir form an alchemical trinity, a conflict that must be resolved by the “resolution of opposites” (A/P) and is not, leading to Nir’s death. She dies because he cannot resolve the conflicts within himself. It may even be that Meta-Padomay is simply a name for Anu’s own inner darkness, and not an actual person at all. However you view it – Anu blames himself for her death.

Jung tells us that the subconscious seeks unification, it seeks peace within itself. Many of the manifestations of a turbulent subconscious (nightmares, nervous ticks, erratic emotions – please note some of these may have physical/emotional causes but we are here dealing with psychological catalysts) exist to communicate to the conscious mind that all is not well, and some form of resolution is needed. Anu’s Dream is that resolution; it is his subconscious working through his guilt, grief, and pain.

But with pain of this magnitude it is easy to lose hope, and Anu’s subconscious loses itself in an eternal cycle of conflict – the mirror of Anu’s struggle with his own inner darkness. That is why the protonym of Tamriel is Conflict – because it is the Arena in which his subconscious tries to work through his turmoil. It isn’t simply the play of Empires and people seeking power – its his own inability to face his dark side and (a la Sun Tzu) embrace it as a part of his whole self. Instead he tries to run away from it. That is what the Amaranth represents – another hiding in the sun, another running from the pain. I understand that this puts a rather different spin on C0DA but Anu-as-Amaranth came from MK and its implications are quite nasty when paired with the story of Jubal.

But as the Tower of the Dream, the Khajiit say, “You don’t have to run.”

THE TOWER OF THE DREAM

So the Lattice (time and the possibility of change) serves to protect Anu’s dream (his subconscious’ struggle for resolution) from his rage, despair, and desire to run away. The Khajiit, with their many forms, show Anu that change is possible. Their acceptance of being bound to Nirni and gratitude to Lorkhaj for a place to share their joy tell Anu that life can be good again.

But Nirn is Anu’s Arena and his pain is so great that he cannot believe the message of hope – and hates those who bring it. That is why, “The Khajiit must be the best survivors, for Nirni will be jealous, and she will make the sands harsh and the forests unforgiving, and the Khajiit will always be hungry and at war with Nirni."

And Anu will resist their message of hope, so "The Khajiit must be the best deceivers, for they must always hide their nature from the children of Ahnurr." (here children of Ahnurr can be understood as his myth-projections of conflict)

And, "The Khajiit must be the best climbers, for if Masser and Secunda fail, they must climb Khenarthi's breath to set the moons back in their courses” because the Dream (the struggle of the subconscious) may fail. It falls to the Khajiit to maintain the Arena, the struggle for Anu’s healing, and to give their suffering father what he needs most – hope.

“And Azurah bound the new Khajiit to the Lunar Lattice, as is proper for Nirni's secret defenders.”

Khajiit defend Nirn, which is to say, the hope that our father may find healing.

And thus, “A Khajiit C0DA.” And more specifically, Ra’zhiin’s prayer at the end.

Because truly: love overcometh all things.

And we thought they were all drug addicts.