Mythologies of South Jute

Mythologies of South Jute refer to the myths and legendary stories traditionally told by South Juteans, often collectively referred to as South Jutean mythology, although many of these myths are shared with other cultures.

As a country that sits at the northern coast of Ystel as a gateway between the seas and the tropical lands, such as Jute on one side and the temperate and cold countries of mainland Ystel on the other side, South Jute has been influenced by many of the cultures of the two throughout its history, but also many other ones that have used this gateway to Ystel in the past, such as the various empires trying to make inroads on the continent, the Saruan Empire and the Balak Empire. This has also led to many new local myths and so made mythology in South Jute as varied as its history.

Jutic myths

However, its foundation and most important influence remains the Jutic culture shared with Jute and Lufasa. As is the case with the latter, the different climate and environment in general have however led to it diverging significantly from the traditional Coastal Jutean mythology from which it descended, after the refugees from coastal Jute fleeing war in their tropical homeland first reached mainland Ystel about 2,000 years ago.

Divergence

As a result of the harrowing experience that was the flight across the Saru Sea with boats not made for ocean travel that saw the sea claim many victims, and the homeland left behind on the other side of it, the ocean became the most central theme in South Jutean mythology around which everything else revolved.

Many myths involving the ocean surface (the mythical term is saanuahad, after the Coastal Jutean word for it), everything below it (saanuva), the treacherous ocean waves (sau) and the salty water that they are made of (sauva) evolved. These were not characterized by fear or anxiety the way the famous Veil myth found in Coastal Jutean communities and Gfiewistan even in the present day is, but rather by a determination to cross them to return to the old homelands as soon as possible again, restrained by respect for the power of the wide waters and the dangers it can present.

This, coupled with a foundational tenet of Saandism, the traditional Jutic religion, requiring a balance to strike with nature to allow for a kind of harmony, led to the belief that if such a balance could be found with the ocean waves as well, a safer return trip may be possible. Building on the meditation techniques that had already been in use for centuries to, among other things, reduce anxiety when working in or near the jungles of their home island, South Juteans would attempt to tune into the movements of the waves and listen to what they were saying, which is said to be key to help travelers stay composed during a difficult trip on sea. This technique is known as musea mee, or “relaxation tradition”.

The origin and settlement-founding myths that make up the largest part of the traditional repository of Coastal Jute storytellers also remained important, but only formed a smaller part now.

Innovation

Some of these inherited myths tell how the stars in the sky helped proto-Juteans in mythical prehistory find the island they would end up calling their home, which led to many new stories surrounding the night sky emerging, and the kupe (South Jutean for “hope-givers, shiners”) the stars, as examples of celestial ee or “teachers”, that will guide travelers if they are attentive enough.

A lot of South Juteans became teachers themselves, too, following this renewed interest in the practice of skygazing, and a kind of astrology and proto-astronomy emerged (done from observation towers called matamekevuni) in the hopes of being able to replicate the navigational skills of the mythical proto-Juteans. Speculating on the abilities of their distant ancestors and their incredible boats proved to become popular and many new legends resembling tall tales appeared at the time. Nonetheless, according to oral tradition this, too led to life imitating fiction and attempts to build actual proper ocean-going boats and smaller ships began and over the centuries the ability of such vessels to withstand the harsh ocean conditions continued to improve.

New myths

The inland, auta, featured originally much less prominently in myths, likely due to it being of less interest to most inhabitants. However there are some exceptions, such as the myth surrounding a crater lake in the northeastern part of the country, called Unese Kuu or "Sky Grave". A gigantic stone was said to have been kicked down to earth by “sky waves” alongside a burning stick and hit the land long ago causing a big explosion that left behind a lake filled with strange water. It is generally accepted that this refers to the impact of a larger meteor that happened to be observed by South Juteans in the 5th century. This myth was after contact in the 19th century later reinterpreted by Lohetans as the myth of a celestial skull hammer.

Myths from other sources

Other myths surrounding the land turn up more when contact with Lufasa and Gfiewish cultures in the south increased after the 11th century, and when overseas empires began to leave their mark in the 17th century. The most famous one is the Balak myth of the legendary country of Ğisvez that reached South Jute in the 19th century, soon after independence. Ğisvez was later found out to be a corruption of Gollisad, the main harbor town of Loheta, and led to several expeditions to the country that established a friendship between both countries and made Loheta one of the first regular trading partners of the modern state of South Jute.