Aiskolas

From Proto-Sumric *aisekolas- (“blaze, raging fire”), cognate to Hajec aisokolas (“bonfire”).

The aiskolas is a form of fire spirit, and is one of the elyruwė (“fragrant spirits”), som of the Sun and Moon. In some legends it appears as if the aiskolas is a single, individual entity where in other stories and traditions it appears as if the aiscolas is a whole race of spirit which acts as both good and evil towards humans. In legends where it appears as an individual the Aiskolas (with the capital letter insinuating the individual) has the form of a large bird, although giant in overall size he is quite thin and far from bulky, with an elongated neck and long ropey tail. The feathers gleam with a bright golden colour and each flap of his wings leaves bursts of flames in the air which quickly vanish. The Aiskolas generally has a negative view of humans as is shown by his actions in the legends. In one such legend, during a festival, some humans were building a large bonfire on top of a small hill, at the base of which lay their camp. It burned so large that it outshone all the stars in the sky giving the night sky a very black and plain appearance. It was so bright that it caught the attention of Aiskolas who wasn't impressed with the show of flame and grandeur. Rather he was insulted that a human would attempt to shine a light brighter than himself. So he flew down to the human camp and with a great flap of his wings he summoned a great flame which devoured every tent, and any unfortunate soul in them. The resulting fire burned not just yellow, but blue and white as its flames cracked and roared into the night. Aiskolas's fire burned so bright that the sunless night sky grew blue and full as if it was noon on a sunny day. The fire burned so hot that everything nearby was either burned or melted, the flesh of any nearby humans erupted into flame, the forests and grass were scorched, the ash itself burned into oblivion, even the rock and stone melted. As the fire raged on the ground collapsed and fell into itself leaving a massive crack in the land which to this day still exists as the Ẹlcheuvúr (“scorched ravine”) just north of the village Tofi in modern day Terchlu. This legend is the last where Aiscolas appears as an individual, having been struck by the powerful thunder god Kialge as a punishment for causing such destruction.

In rituals and tradition the aiskolas appears as a race of sprite like beings, almost as household spirits. In these traditions an aiskolas is said to be born of man. When a man urinates outside at night within view of the moon and afterwards he has sex with his wife, an aiskolas is conceived along with a human child. The association of the moon with the aiskolas is due to the very masculine quality which is prescribed to the spirit, with the moon being viewed as a masculine entity in sumric belief. During the birth of this child the aiskolas spirit is also born although it does not manifest itself physically, rather when the baby is born, the aiskolas flees and is absorbed by the nearest flame. As such it is tradition for a flame to be lit nearby where the birth takes place so that the aiskolas can flee into it. When the child labour is finished, a pot of broth or soup is cooked on the same fire which is then fed to the woman. The spirit of the aiscolas is transferred to the broth via the heat of the fire, then into the mother when eaten, and then into the baby when it is breastfed. Having completed this cycle the aiskolas comes of age and leaves the child when it falls asleep after its first breastfeeding. After this the spirit will still follow the family around. From time to time small offerings of human breastmilk may be left out in return for promise of warmth and nutrition, as the aiskolas's association with fire extends to include cooked food. This role of the spirit shows it as a benevolent and giving spirit. If the human sibling of the aiskolas grows up to become a crow tamer then it is believed that the first crow that he tames will be the physical manifestation of his spirit brother. The crow being symbolic of both the bird like appearance of the spirit and the black ash of its fire. Such a crow is called mylmñüral (“animal brother”). An aiskolas born this way is thought of as a family member, as a sibling to the baby and as the child of the mother but not of the man. The paternity of the aiscolas is said to belong to the moon instead of the man who impregnated the woman with the human child. This is likely due to the role of the moon being the condition of the aiskolas's conception in the first place, but also because the Aiskolas of the older legends was himself the son of the moon and the sun.

If during the childbirth a nearby fire is not prepared then the aiskolas will flee to the nearest campfire wherever that may be. If said campfire was being used for cooking then anyone who eats food cooked by it is said to become enemies of the mother and her family. It may also happen that the family members will be cursed with boils on the skin, or with scabs that may not heal. This role of the spirit shows it as a malevolent and mischievous spirit. In order to fend off such ailments, the mother and the man must entice the aiskolas spirit to return to them by lighting a large and smokey fire. Insults are written on a piece of cloth which is then tossed in the fire. This enrages the spirit who then shows up, often in the form of a black crow. Once the aiskolas has appeared the woman bares her breasts and shouts at the crow, the man may bare his own penis and yell. This confrontation by baring the body parts essential in the creation of the aiskolas, the penis which it was conceived by and the breasts which it passed through in the form of milk, reminds the spirit of its humanly origin causing it to flee in shame and to never bother the family again. This itself has spawned another tradition that prohibits the heating of breastmilk, for if breastmilk is poured into a fire it will attract a nearby aiskolas spirit which will burden the family with its mischief. This aiskolas is in contrast to the older and much more epic Aiskolas. For in legends Aiskolas had no qualms about killing humans and could do so very easily, yet this sprite like creature of rituals is seen as a non-violent being. While it may cause grief upon humans it can never kill them, it can also be driven away as mentioned earlier. The Aiskolas of old could never be deterred by any human display. This is an example of semantic bleaching of mythical beings which appear in older tales as epic and majestic beings but exist in later folklore as household deities or mischievous sprites.

Names in other Languages

 * Old Sumrë: Aiskolas
 * Old Naumes: Aikkalaz
 * Middle Naumes: Ekalz

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