CCXCIV

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A picture of two bad stars.

Išení hurás pentha.

Išení hurás pentha.

"Two bad stars."

The origin of this izanyoža remains uncertain to this day. Some of the more popular folk explanations are listed below:

  • Early in his reign, Rage Nasko was wont to sleep in the servants' quarters, for various (specific) reasons, and it was on such a night that he was awoken by his bodyguard Twolone. Though Nasko was groggy, he read the concern in Twolone's face, and asked him what the matter was. Išení hurás pentha was all he said, and he grabbed his master's hand and dragged him bodily out of the room. Not more than an hour later, the roof of the servants quarters collapsed, killing most, and burying alive those that were not crushed initially. Nasko would forever afterward heed the advice and warnings of his bodyguard without question (which, ultimately, would be his undoing).

  • Anenthal Lapažel, shortly after the death of Rage Nasko, was freed from prison by a number of his followers. It was night, and though he was weak and hungry, he asked his followers to take him to the body of Rage Nasko. In a scene later immortalized by countless painters (both skilled and unskilled), Lapažel's disciples picked him up and carried him to the courtyard of Nasko's palace. There, bathed in moonlight, he saw the bodies of Rage Nasko and his advisor, Anyožal Khanthol, their clothes still red with blood. Though bitter, Lapažel fell to his knees, and, bowing his head, whispered Išení hurás pentha...

  • Shortly after the official end of the twenty-first great war between Ansenlas and Njaamay, a privateer from Ansenlas sacked an Njaamay vessel, relieving of it of its cargo and crew. The Njaamala, infuriated, demanded restitution. Rage Nasko brought the privateer before him and gave him a thorough dressing down. In addition, Nasko ordered the privateer to go to the Njaamala with a peace offering, to avoid any further flare-ups between the two nations. This the privateer did, though his mission was unsuccessful. Twenty-four days later, he was found wandering along a beach in north Ansenlas, his clothing torn, his ship lost, his crew drowned. Rage Nasko, furious, demanded an explanation. The privateer told him that his ship had lost its way and wandered into a great storm that led to its destruction. When asked how he, an experienced sailor, had lost his way, the privateer replied Išení hurás pentha. Those, it is said, were his last words on earth.

Just as the origin of this izanyoža remains a mystery, so does the current usage. It seems that different speech communities use it in different ways at different times. Some groups contend that one ought to use this izanyoža to indicate that danger lies ahead. Others insist that it's to be used to apologize for a mistake one has made. Children often use it sarcastically to mock their parents when they're worrying over finances, while parents will often use it to threaten their children if they're being bad. Still others use it as a kind of catch-all reply when they have nothing better to say. Which is right? It's impossible to say.


Vocabulary List

  • išeni (n.) star (note: plural is išení)
  • huras (adj.) wicked, evil (note: plural is hurás)
  • pentha (adj.) two

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