The Westfaring: A Map, and Some Notions

The Westfaring ‘following the Trail of the Dead’:

1. Encounter with Lhankor Mhy[1] and Issaries. This may have been somewhere around Dorastor or Lakrene[2]. It may have been on or near a mountaintop, as Orlanth is still flying to reach the West. It has been plausibly argued that Lhankor Mhy was a Sorcerer. Issaries had similar Western connections and is venerated as St. Ashara in Maniria.

There is also the somewhat disturbing possibility that Dorastor originally had primeval connections to Knowledge and Sharing, and thus was an ideal spot for the rebirth of Nysalor.

Issaries Town was in Dorastor before the Bright Empire.

Another possible site of importance for this event is Eneal, where was ‘the Temple of the Truth of Lhankor Mhy’ in a Vingkotling hill fort, and the nearby City of Ten Thousand Magicians, a centre of sorcerous learning. Lakrene is home to many Garzeen merchants [GtG I, p.342]. However, Lhankor Mhy is most likely connected to Lankst, a region of northern Ralios inhabited by Kachisti who were freed from Sorcerous rule by Orlanth himself. The Hero-paths of the Lightbringers passed through Lankst (GtG I, p.388).

2. The Lightless/Dead Forest/Nightwood and battle with Konagog and Vonagog. Orlanth is on foot because Eurmal had stolen his flying boots. This was a sleeping forest that covered nearly all of Ralios west of Delela.

[Parntor was ‘out hunting during the Sword and Helm War’ and thus survived it, though all of his brothers were killed. He was seeking the Doe Woman in ‘the lands where a cold wind always blew, and summer was like a day of ours’ [BoHM, p.120]. If she was one of the Galinini, this was probably northern Ralios, that is the Deadwood where Orlanth, LM, and Issaries were.]

After he lost his Air Rune, Orlanth, interestingly, was able to proceed out of his sacred territory, that is, the mountaintops, and enter the lowlands of Ralios.

[Estali in Ralios has sacred connections to Lhankor Mhy and to the Great Green Lady [Ernalda]]

Orlanth was equated with the Ralian god Humat in the First Age (c.180).

In Delela Orlanth fought the trolls at Voran’s Hill. Presumably they halted their hostilities to fight Chaos afterwards.

3. Alliance with Shankgaro of Hakiliv and the Uz near Hankarantal ‘where the cliffs cannot be scaled’ [in Ralios, Rockwood Mountains] against Chaos/ the ‘lesser Kajaboorings’. The Trolls recount a ‘great victory’ against Kajabor and Wakboth led by Zorak Zoran[3] near Hrelar Amali later in the Age of Chaos [see Trollpak, Uz Lore, p.9]. In the GtG, this is called ‘Hate Kills Everything’. ZZ killed Krjalk here, or cut him into a million pieces.

4. Encounter with Chalana Arroy and Flesh Man [Eneral the Old in Dangkae myth]. Flesh Man leads them after Eurmal; because Flesh Man was insane he could discern Eurmal’s route. Flesh Man may be Orlanth himself stripped of his divinity. Note that Hrelar Amali is where Eurmal killed Flamal and sacrificed his wooden body to make the first campfire, saving Humankind. But for this he was sentenced to death, and Orlanth and CA had to rescue him from that...

Chalana Arroy is possibly identical to Xemela, the mother of Hrestol, who shares many features with her, as well as a similar geography (Seshnela). Xemela ‘sacrificed herself’ to heal her sick people.

Chalana Arroy/Xemela is yet another ‘solution to sickness/starvation’ hero.

5. Rescue of Eurmal at Sorcerer’s Town. This appears to be Frowal.

6. Meeting with Ginna Jar at the Western Ocean; here the Lightbringers, unable to fly or leap, had to find a way across the sea. Orphalland, the far western tip of Sheshnela, has a link to Orlanth – there is the sacred tomb of the demigod Damol, ‘lord of the West’ and son of ‘Aerlit’ an Air god – Aerlit being in fact also described as the father of Malkion in Wyrm’s Footnotes.]