4742
Aveli, The Travels of Aveli, Bk. 1; 1322. III. Hirka
Alex_Pan
::Legend tells of a female orc who was cursed with abnormally long hair. The Elder recounting the ta le says that the hair spanned the distance of three long-swords; but I discard this as humbug, seein g as how an orc with any amount of hair is considered to them as obscenely long hair. In either case , the orc, Hirka, was considered to be "normal" at one point in her life. She had won the affection of a particular orc who later became her life-mate. Of course, from what I understood of what the Elder had explained to me, a certain shaman was jealou s that Hirka had selected this orc over himself. ::He cursed Hirka, to be disgustingly ugly, vile smelling, and rancid beyond imagination. I must, ho wever, interject with the notion that what the Elder described to me as being "ugly" and "vile" to b e the exact opposite of what they are. It is things like this that fascinate me about this particular species of creatures; or mammal, more specifically. In any case, Hirka morphed from a beautiful orc into some sort of vile creature; appa rently so ugly that it is not even within one's capacity to think it. Among other effects, she was cursed with long, thick, hair which would grow back onto her head after cutting it like a weed; "like da 'umies", according to the Elder. ::Hirka was exiled from her tribe, with her new-born baby, to live alone in the desert for the unsig htly creatures of the night to pretty upon. But Hirka was resilient. The first night, she used her h air to fashion a tarp, in order to make a tent to sleep. The second night, she used her hair fashion a cradle, for her baby to rest. The third, she used her hair to fashion a blanket, to keep the baby warm. The fourth night, she used her hair to fashion a rope for the cradle, and slung it over a high branc h with the baby; as she was subdued by the relentless creatures of the night. ::Hirka was later found, and her baby, still alive. The baby later grew up to become a great warrior and the chieftain of the tribe; and Hirka was worshiped as a goddess for her long hair which kept t he great chieftain alive.