Revision as of 19:46, 31 March 2015

Introduction

This page is intended to a compendium of the many tales and myths of ogre kind for anyone interested in them. As you may know ogre tribes divide and join many times over many years and so do the myths they live by. So it is not uncommon for neighboring tribes to have vastly different ideas about the same gods. In this case following a tale you may see a Variation Note where a tribe may restate the differences between their beliefs. For more information about ogre's habits and culture see the Ogre page and the personal pages of the Known Ogres.

The Urungnar: U'ron and his Children

Urungnar is a word that means 'children of the giant', the giant being U'ron father god of all ogres. When he was cast down by the jealous, fearful other gods his body became a mountain but his soul split in four and made manifest in 4 children: fiery Ugangi, wise Utezni, mischievous Uchronos, and gentle Una. The first set of stories are theirs.

The Allfather

Bugbears say Marjack was first among the gods and father to all. Goblyns would name their god Melashekhaad as the creator of all things, but ogres care little of these gods. To us there is only U’ron. The giant ogre named U’ron was born from the union of earth and sky. He grew and grew until he was so immense that all the other gods feared he would crush them, even Melashekhaad who fancied himself most powerful of the gods. While the others begged Melashekhaad for the permission to create their own spawn, U’ron toiled alone and fathered the first generation of ogres, the Garad.

U’ron sculpted the ogre’s powerful body from stone and sewed veins of warm water through their limbs so they might move. However, these husks were slow and lifeless so he breathed air into their lungs so they could run and speak. Last he sparked fires in their hearts and minds so that they became both wise and passionate. U’ron labored and made many Garad, which were larger and more powerful then ogres are today. However, his work did not go unnoticed. As ogres became more numerous the other gods began to create their own spawn but still they quivered when U'ron was near. Melashekhaad could not abide U'ron and plotted with the other gods to slay him. By some trickery they slew the giant and smote his body down onto the earth where it heaped into a great mountain range.

The Garad were both saddened and enraged by the gods’ murder of U’ron and climbed the U’ronnag. At the peak, they found four children that they called Utezni, Ugangi, Uchronos, and Una – the Urungnar. Some of the Garad demanded that they kill the children believing them to be a curse or trick sent by Melashekhaad to kill them. A Garad name Krollo who was one of the earliest born from U’ron protected them. Unfortunately, this caused a rift among ogres, who are notoriously stubborn and single minded. The rift fractured them into new tribes.

Utezni's Crossing

In his youth, Utezni was rarely in one place for very long. He would wander the wilds for months at a time leaving leadership to his siblings. During one of his journeys, he came to a long coast. The water rose up in a powerful wave that overcame the land and swept Utezni out to sea.

Utezni awoke clutching the trunk of a large tree with no land in sight. He clung to the tree trunk for thirteen days. Shadowy shapes circled below and lights danced in the sky. Utezni gazed into shadow and plucked from it knowledge of the worlds and all things in them. When Utezni returned he found his tree had washed up on a sandy shore.

Utezni wandered aimlessly unable to find his way. The shadows tore through his mind giving him no rest. He stumbled into a clearing ringed by tall pines. In the clearing –he would later call Vapnem – were five standing stones. Utezni built a pit lined with cobbles and struck a fire into it. Bellowing and beating his chest, Utezni demanded the pain in his head to stop but it would not. Desperate for relief Utezni took his hunting axe and lopped off his left hand. Wisdom came to him as his blood fell to the forest floor. On the five stones, he carved thirteen totems and recorded the wisdom of the cosmos with runes of his own design, stained with his own blood. When he had finished, Utezni seared his wound on a hot stone. The stone bound itself to Utezni’s arm. Utezni could not sever it and set off for home. When he arrived Uchronos chiseled his bound stone into shape and Utezni learned to use it as a new hand. As for his old one, Utezni boiled the flesh away and wore the bones in a pouch for the rest of his time on earth. These bones were passed down from shaman to shaman; some were given to chieftains other to warriors. They possessed great power and were prized. Now only seven of Utezni’s bones’ remain together and are in the possession of Utezni’s Shaman.

Uchronos and the Dwarves

It came to be that Uchronos was climbing some mountains just for the thrill of it. As he perched on the cliff face, the wind carried to him the strange sounds of hammers ringing. He whistled and Thog took wing to seek out the source. When Thog returned he told Uchronos that just above him was a window, not more then a crack in the mountainside to allow light and air, which looked into some sort of room where large fires burned and tiny, hairy, pink-things labored.

Uchronos was intrigued and crept up to the crack and cautiously watched these strange creatures work. They smelted metal and formed shapes making all sorts of shining things but what interested Uchronos most was their weapons. Ogres only made weapons with wood, stone, and bone – nothing like what the mountain pinks had.

When night fell the dwarves set down their hammers and lifted up their horns quaffing mead and ale. It did not take long for Uchronos to realize there were three chiefs among these dwarves, each boasting about their latest creations. One had fashioned a sword or fine metal and silver inlay, another had made a broach of fine jewels, the last a war horn gilded and inscribed. Uchronos spoke to his raven, Orr, who speaks for Uchronos. Orr moved swiftly through the shadows and alighted on a rock. From here, it mimicked the voice of the Swordsmith claiming that neither of the other two could fashion a weapon as fine as his. The Jewelsmith scoffed and the Hornsmith jumped to his feet – after all the Swordsmith had no right to make such a claim. As for the Swordsmith, he thought the Hornsmith had said it. Uchronos then mimicked the Jewelsmith saying that he was capable but perhaps the Hornsmith was not since he did not possess the skill to work steel. The Hornsmith grew red and cursed the Jewelsmith’s beard. Uchronos spoke again saying that the Swordsmith’s beard was thin and falling out, and the Hornsmith’s had the consistency of wet stone-moss. Those were fighting words. All three dwarves leapt up and fought, tugging at each other’s beards. Suddenly a stranger’s voice issued a challenge.

The dwarves would work for three days to create the finest weapon they could. Happily and with little thought the dwarves agreed and set to work. Uchronos sent forth his second raven, Thog, who quietly watched everything the dwarves did. In that way Uchronos saw, through Thog’s eyes, all the secrets of the dwarf-smiths.

At last, they unveiled their projects: a sword, axe, and spear of incredibly quality. Finally, Uchronos released his last raven, Yrr, who is death. Yrr landed amongst the dwarves and startled them. Before they could move, swift and silent Uchronos had opened their throats – spilling their blood onto the polished stone floor.

Satisfied with his knife work, Uchronos examined the weapons. They were to splendid, light, and sharp but far to small for his tastes. The Trickster god had learned what he wanted to know and returned to the tribe with arms full of tools and materials.

He labored for many days and forged a mighty oaken boar-spear and wicked knife with steel the color of smoke. The spear he gifted to his warrior brother Ugangi who thought it a fine weapon. The knife he kept for himself. Utezni admired both and inscribed them with runes of power.

Utezni's Children

Utezni had two children, Kra'nok and Ulv who would go on to have their own. Generation after generation, Utezni's blood beget terrifying warriors and mystic shaman, all great chieftains of their people. Here is recorded their sagas.

The Garad and other Heroes

The Garad, as aforementioned, were the first generation of ogres sculpted by U'ron himself and were the most powerful of ogre kind - except the Urungnar themsevles.

Many Tribes

This section is devoted to the records of the many tribes of the ogres, or those that are remembered. Some of these tribes are extinct, broken by war or ogre stubbornness. Yet still some tribes remain both strong or in fragments. These are their stories.

Dictionary of Gods and Heroes

A list of primary characters in the tales of the Urungnar and Garad including animal servants and legendary locations. Most entries also include a meaning of the name in the partially lost Stone Tongue of the ogres.

Garad: meaning 'first/old-ones', a term referring to the first ogres sculpted by U'ron's hand.

Orr: meaning 'swift', one of Uchronos' three ravens who does his bidding. Orr is Uchronos' messenger and speaks with his voice.

Tarn: meaning 'devourer', a great black wolf with eyes of flame who scours battlefields to find the souls of the warrior dead and lead them to Ugangi in the world beyond. A favored sign of warriors.

Thog: meaning 'silent', one of Uchronos' three ravens who does his bidding. Uchronos sees through Thog's eyes and goes where Uchronos cannot.

Uchronos: U'chronos, Ukronos, the Sly, the Smiler, the Trickster, the Betrayer, Raven-Eye, One-Eye. Urungnar God of the winds, birds, craftsmen, and the afterlife. Uchronos tore out his eye to prove his manliness and had it replaced by a black, glass eye made by Utezni, called his Raven-Eye, See-Eye, that can peer into the fates of ogres. He keeps three ravens: Yrr, Thog, and Orr. With his Raven-Eye Uchronos sees the death of ogres and sends his ravens to fetch them to the afterlife. Betrayed and killed his brother Ugangi for the love of Una but was consumed by his rage fire becoming wind. Name means 'great-darkness'.

Ugangi: U'gangi, the Wild, the Terrible, Fire-Brand, Flame-Beard, god of fire, warriors, destruction, and the slain. Ugangi conquered fire and all other foemen and was second to none, not even his brother-chieftain Utezni. He was betrayed by Uchronos and ascended into a raging flame. He resides in the U'tiek and despises his brother. His companion wolf Tarn gathers warrior dead to join his warband in the world beyond. Name means 'great-rage-flame'.

Una: U'na, Lady of the Sea, goddess of water, change, rebirth, healing, fertility, and understanding. She first learned healing arts from the Lake and River Spirits but was given greater understanding by Utezni. Name means 'great-healer'.

U'ron: known as Ule, Uron, Allfather, the Giant. Gave life to the first ogres. Slain by the other gods who feared him. His body became a mountain range known as the U'ronnag. Name means 'great-father' in the Stone Tongue.

U'ronnag: means 'great-father's peak(s), the mountains formed from the corpse of U'ron.

Urungnar: means 'great-child(ren), referring to U'ron himself and the four children made of U'ron's soul: Una, Uchronos, Utezni, and Ugangi.

U'tiek: meaning 'great-tree', World-tree, tree of souls, Utezni's tree, gateway to the afterlife where Utezni bound all souls to journey. Sought by the Karanduawn ogre tribe.

Utezni: Far Wanderer, Stone-Hand, Foremost of Chieftains, the Wise, Wizard Maker, Patron of Wanderers, the Tale-Teller, god of earth, justice, wisdom, chieftains, shaman, and wizards. Utezni cut off his left hand to become wise, was the most skilled of wizards, created the Stone Tongue, was the first chief, wandered the worlds for a thousand years and fathered children. He returned to the U'tiek and ascended into the earth but still visits the living in the guise of a old shaman. His name means 'great-wisdom'.

Vapnem: the five standing stones where Utezni recorded the widsom of the world. Their location is lost to ogres today.

Yrr: meaning 'death', one of Uchronos' three ravens who does his bidding. Yrr seeks out the dead and guides them to the afterlife.

The Reliquary

A collection of relics of heroes and gods and thier locations.

Uchronos' Long Knives:' crafted by Uchronos, two knives of gray, patterned steel and ironwood, inscribed by Utezni, location unknown (presumed destroyed)
Ugangi's Spear: crafted by Uchronos, a boar spear made of gray steel and oak, inscribed by Utezni, location unknown (presumed destroyed)
U'ronnag: mountain resting place of U'ron, locaiton unknown
U'teik: the tree of souls gateway to the afterlife, location unknown
U'tezni's Fingers: several have been lost, currently kept by the Wandering Shaman
Vapnem: five standing stones where Utezni recorded the wisdom of the world, location unknown