Selected Sources: Glanos of Ashtan

By: Wivylma Posted on: April 28, 2008

Historian's Note: The personal feud between Glanos and Sahart*, the founders of Ashtan and Shallam, is legendary. They loved the same woman, Enalia, and though she bore three children to each, the brothers eventually grew embittered at the thought of sharing her. After a painful quarrel they departed, and many people followed each. This marked the beginning of millennia of conflict between the two cities, which continues today, although its intensity has diminished.

The following letter was found between the pages of a history of the first cycle of the wars between Shallam and Ashtan. The event which it describes is never referenced elsewhere. The authenticity of the event may well be doubted, but the letter's interest as an insightful document into the affairs of an early Ashtani family cannot be denied.

• For more on Sahart, please see "Sahart of Shallam"

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Dearest Atlin,

News reached me today that you are seeking to become one of the first leaders of this new city-state we are calling Ashtan. My son, I am more proud of you than I can express in a single letter. To think that my grandfather's father was rebelling against the Shallamese invaders, and now my own son leads a group of men which is taking back our land and rebuilding our glorious city!

I would like to tell you a story. Busy as you are, it is worth taking time to think about. I heard it from my own mother, who heard it from her father, and he from his. We can trace its roots back to a man named Atlin--yes, I named you after him. Do you remember that you used to ask me why I chose the name? Well, now you are old enough to know. The story begins when Atlin was young, much younger than you are now. It was the night before the great invasion of Ashtan. Those were the days of our city's heroes, when Glanos himself stood on the walls and defended his people against Shallam's attacks. Glanos was very, very old. My mother told me that Atlin believed he would never grow to be that old, and perhaps he was right, for Glanos' life was unusually long. I will tell it to you in our modern Achaean, although doubtless the words spoken sounded different at the time.

"Atlin," Glanos said, "Come here for a while. Sit with me and talk."

Atlin approached him. He was a sort of page to Glanos, tending to the old man's needs. This was not the first time that Glanos requested his presence at night, just for the sake of having company.

"I am going to tell you a story," Glanos whispered, seating Atlin on a stool by his feet. "You must remember it, and tell it to your own son when I am gone. I feel that day coming when I will go from here and return to Maya's care. I am ready to rest and dream of Enalia, for my bones are weary, and this world pains me."

Glanos paused and closed his eyes for a moment. Atlin wondered if he had dozed off. He almost moved to leave the old man in peace, but Glanos continued, his eyes still half-closed.

"My brother's name is Sahart, as you know. He was my dearest friend, long, long ago. We shared everything. We hunted together, ate together, drank from the same cup of wine, slept in the same room, and at times we seemed to share our very thoughts. And we shared one other thing: love. But you know the story of how love drove us apart. That is not the story you need to hear.

"Before this long cycle of battles, perhaps 800 years ago, I was looking for valuable minerals. We needed them to forge weapons and strengthen our new settlement, and the Vashnar range held too many dangers. I found a deposit in the Siroccian mountains. Delighted, I began to sing a joyful song. Yes, I sang in those days! Don't look so alarmed. I was young then, and when I saw the precious minerals the world seemed bright and kindly.

"By chance, Sahart was in that same range, looking for a supply of his own. He heard my voice echoing in the canyons, full of vitality. He would know it anywhere. In that moment, an amazing thing happened. We had not seen each other in years, and had parted as bitter enemies. But as I sang, I heard my dear brother's voice quietly joining mine in the harmonies we had learned together, when we were young and thought that nothing could ever part us.

"I saw him coming over a ridge. As he walked toward me, I thought how old he looked. There were new creases around his mouth, and his eyes held more sorrow than ever before. When they met mine, we stopped singing. I ran across the distance between us and hugged him fiercely. It was impetuous, a gesture of love that I gave without thought. Long habit can explain it, maybe. But he hugged me back, and we smiled at each other and looked each other over carefully, seeing what the years and the burdens of leadership had changed about the other's form.

"The next part of the story you know already. Everyone knows it, in fact. We realized that we sought the same thing, and we argued. We both knew that our colonies desperately needed the resources of the Siroccians, and that no joyful song could mend what lay between us. We fought bitterly. We brought back the old pain of Enalia and the newer pains of separation and our toils in the wilderness.

"And so, Atlin, this is what I want you to know: I loved my brother. He was dearer to me than anything in the world. And much of me loves him still, longs to give him this new city if it means that we can be together again. There is only one thing that keeps me from doing that, and it is you. You and all the other citizens, asleep in the houses around us. You yourself are a descendant of the men who followed me after my first quarrel with my brother. They trusted me, and many of them died because of it. Now we have built this settlement and dedicated it to the idea of freedom, and I am bound by their faith in me.

"Tomorrow, this young city will add another sorrow to its history. I am the grandson of Callisto and Sinope, and some clarity of sight is left to me. I will fall tomorrow, and my brother will fall with me. We will die together. It is fitting, really. I will do my duty and kill my brother, die protecting this city. But I need you to know, Atlin, that I long to embrace him instead."

That is the story as it was told to me. My son, you must make of it what you will. It is not my way of telling you to stop fighting the Shallamese. On the contrary! Your efforts to reclaim our territory make me proud. I only want you to understand the burdens that rest upon this city's leaders, and to consider carefully whether you are ready to bear them.

With love.

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Questions for Analysis

1. Based on the story told in the letter, how would you characterize Glanos?

2. Do any recorded historical events support the story? How would a

historian determine whether the events described actually happened?

3. What divided Ashtan and Shallam, according to the letter? Compare and contrast this to the modern conflict.

4. From this source and the companion source on Sahart, how would you characterize Enalia?

5. Draw the family tree of Glanos and Sahart. Which people are mentioned in the letter? Why do you think they were chosen?