Song of Siwa

Song of Siwa Synopsis

Song of Siwa: Chapter Summaries Beginning (lines 1-65). Ethereal description of the hidden valley Siwa;Marzuk and his clan of Ice-Age hunters seek protection from environmental changes; Marzuk senses approaching ice will doom his people; Marzuk leads his clan to new caves near the Sea of Vanton; Pine-tree spirits speak to Marzuk that death awaits if his clan remains by the sea; Marzuk completes construction of pine-log rafts to cross the Sea of Vanton; Clan members debate whether or not to trust and follow Marzuk; Marzuk and followers depart while the others remain behind; Wind and waves batter the rafts as they cross the Sea of Vanton; Weakest clan members are swept overboard and disappear; Survivors reach the shore of what is now North Africa; Clan members who remained behind perish under layers of grinding glacial ice; The hidden valley Siwa awaits its first human occupants. Eastward (lines 66-149). The North African coastal lands breed illness and danger among Marzuks clan; The clan splits: Marzuk leads his faction southward while others remain along the coast;The clan passes through high mountains into the vast Sahara region;Illness and danger continue to plague Marzuks clan during their journey;Many clansmen lose hope and begin to murmur;God Zaghilie sends messenger bird and a life-saving spring is revealed;Gosla, Marzuks mate, promises to erect a temple to god Zaghilie at journeys end;Feathers from the messenger bird float earth-ward as symbols of hope and safety;Renewed in spirit Marzuks clan continue their eastward trek. Promise (lines 150-277). The long march continues as clan members fear god-sent promise was only a vision;Advance scouts cross the Great Sand Sea and view the Siwa for the first time;Scouts report that the Siwa is filled with wild game and springs of clear water; Marzuks clan reaches the Siwa and establishes their settlement near Aghourmi hill;Clan members erect Zaghilis temple atop Aghourmi thus fulfilling Goslas promise;Clan members offer sacred green stones as ritual offerings to god Zaghili;Zaghili descends and promises clan protection if his rules are followed;Rules for clan behavior, personal dress, and body ornamentation are identified;Mothers must display sunburst designs on their dress symbolic of Zaghilis feathers;Fathers must prepare silver disks for virgin daughters to wear;Daughters must wear their disks until marriage, then pass them to younger sisters;Sons must honor their fathers and mothers;Zaghili promises Gosla the line of Marzuk will flourish if his requirements are followed;Zaghili requires clan leaders to wear the horns of Gurzel [ram-god] as a symbol of power;Zaghili specifies rules for maintaining Aghourmis temple flame;Zaghili promises that if rules are kept Marzuks line will not experience strife;Zaghili blocks the suns light; The clan agrees to honor Zaghilis requirements and sunlight returns to the Siwa; The grace of Zaghili now resides within the line of Marzuk. Manhood (lines 278-489). Relation on clan hunting and tracking skills;Relation on the valor and strength of Marzuk;Gosla becomes pregnant;Relation on clan birth practices;Gosla delivers twins as birth attendants watch in fear;Gosla rejects clan tradition that requires the death of one twin;Relation on the growth and maturation of the twins Zel and Zechen;Zel and Zechen mature and undergo initiation, scarification rituals, and fasting;Each twin required to prepare spear points, track, and kill a farna [leopard];Zechen killed by a farna during his hunting initiation;Zel kills a farna, honors his father, and becomes a man. Death (lines 490-573). Marzuk anguishes over the death of his son Zechen;Glims cautionary words uttered at the birthing time of the twins are recalled; Relation on the aging of Marzuk and Gosla;Relation on Goslas illness and impending death;Death of Gosla;Rela

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