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<DIV align="center">The Importance of Where<br>
Ancient Tales of<br>
the Dwemer, Part III<br>
By Marobar Sul<br>
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<DIV align="left"><IMG src="Book/fancy_font/t_52x61.dds" width=52 height=61>he chieftain of Othrobar gathered his wise men together and said, "Every morning a tenfold of my flock are found butchered. What is the cause?"<br>
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Fangbith the Warleader said, "A Monster may be coming down from the Mountain and devouring your flock."<br>
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Ghorick the Healer said, "A strange new disease perhaps is to blame."<br>
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Beran the Priest said, "We must sacrifice to the Goddess for her to save us."<br>
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The wise men made sacrifices, and while they waited for their answers from the Goddess, Fangbith went to Mentor Joltereg and said, "You taught me well how to forge the cudgel of Zolia, and how to wield it in combat, but I must know now when it is wise to use my skill. Do I wait for the Goddess to reply, or the medicine to work, or do I hunt the Monster which I know is in the Mountain?"<br>
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"When is not important," said Joltereg. "Where is all that is important."<br>
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So Fangbith took his Zolic cudgel in hand and walked far through the dark forest until he came to the base of the Great Mountain. There he met two Monsters. One bloodied with the flesh of the chieftain of Othrobar's flock fought him while its mate fled. Fangbith remembered what his master had taught him, that "where" was all that was important.<br>
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He struck the Monster on each of its five vital points: head, groin, throat, back, and chest. Five blows to the five points and the Monster was slain. It was too heavy to carry with him, but still triumphant, Fangbith returned to Othrobar.<br>
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"I say I have slain the Monster that ate your flock," he cried.<br>
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"What proof have you that you have slain any Monster?" asked the chieftain.<br>
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"I say I have saved the flock with my medicine," said Ghorick the Healer.<br>
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"I say The Goddess has saved the flock by my sacrifices," said Beran the Priest.<br>
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Two mornings went by and the flocks were safe, but on the morning of the third day, another tenfold of the chieftain's flock was found butchered. Ghorick the Healer went to his study to find a new medicine. Beran the Priest prepared more sacrifices. Fangbith took his Zolic cudgel in hand, again, and walked far through the dark forest until he came to the base of the Great Mountain. There he met the other Monster, bloodied with the flesh of the chieftain of Othrobar's flock. They did battle, and again Fangbith remembered what his master had taught him, that "where" was all that was important.<br>
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He struck the Monster five times on the head and it fled. Chasing it along the mountain, he struck it five times in the groin and it fled. Running through the forest, Fangbith overtook the Monster and struck it five times in the throat and it fled. Entering into the fields of Othrobar, Fangbith overtook the Monster and struck it five times in the back and it fled. At the foot of the stronghold, the chieftain and his wise men emerged to the sound of the Monster wailing. There they beheld the Monster that had slain the chieftain's flock. Fangbith struck the Monster five times in the chest and it was slain.<br>
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A great feast was held in Fangbith's honor, and the flock of Othrobar was never again slain. Joltereg embraced his student and said, "You have at last learned the importance of where you strike your blows."<br>
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<DIV align="center">Publisher's Note<br>
<DIV align="left">This tale is another, which has an obvious origin among the Ashlander tribes of Vvardenfell and is one of their oldest tales. "Marobar Sul" merely changed the names of the character to sound more "Dwarven" and resold it as part of his collection. The Great Mountain in the tale is clearly "Red Mountain," despite its description of being forested. The Star-Fall and later eruptions destroyed the vegetation on Red Mountain, giving it the wasted appearance it has today.<br>
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This tale does have some scholarly interest, as it suggests a primitive Ashlander culture, but it talks of living in "strongholds" much like the ruined strongholds on Vvardenfell today. There are even references to a stronghold of "Othrobar" somewhere between Vvardenfell and Skyrim, but few strongholds outside of sparsely-settled Vvardenfell have survived to the present. Scholars do not agree on who built these strongholds or when, but I believe it is clear from this story and other evidence that the Ashlander tribes used these strongholds in the ancient past instead of making camps of wickwheat huts as they do today.<br>
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The play on words that forms the lesson of the fable -- that it is as important to know where the monster should be slain, at the stronghold, as it is to know where the monster must be struck on its body to be slain -- is typical of many Ashlander tales. Riddles, even ones as simple as this one, are loved by both the Ashlanders and the vanished Dwemer. Although the Dwemer are usually portrayed as presenting the riddles, rather than being the ones who solve it as in Ashlander tales.<br>
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<DIV align="center">「何処」の重要性<br>
Dwemerの昔話<br>
第三部<br>
Marobar Sul著<br>
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<DIV align="left"><IMG src="Book/fancy_font/t_52x61.dds" width=52 height=61>Othrobarの首長は博識な者たちを集めてこう言った。「毎朝私の家畜が10頭も死んでいる。どうしてだろうか?」<br>
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WarleaderのFangbithは「怪物が山から降りてきて家畜を食べているのです」と言った。<br>
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HealerのGhorickは「未知の病気ではないでしょうか」と言った。<br>
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PriestのBeranは「女神に生贄を捧げて救済を求めなければなりません」と言った。<br>
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博識な者たちは生贄を捧げた。女神の霊験が現われるのを待つ間、FangbithはMentor Jolteregの所へ行ってこう言った。「私についてZoliaの棍棒を鍛造したり戦いで武器を振り回わすことが得意だと思っているようですが、今こそ私の技術を使うべき時だと思うのです。女神の霊験や薬の効果を待つべきでしょうか。それとも山にいる怪物を倒しに行くべきでしょうか?」<br>
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「何時ということは重要でない」とJolteregは言った。「何処ということがなにより大事なのだ。」<br>
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FangbithはZolicの棍棒を持って、暗い森を通ってGreat Mountainのふもとへ向かった。そこには2匹の怪物がいた。Othrobarの首長の家畜の肉で血まみれになった怪物は、もう1匹の怪物が逃げる間Fangbithと戦った。Fangbithは彼の師匠が言っていた、「何処」こそが重要ということを思い出した。<br>
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彼は怪物の5つの急所を打ちつけた。急所とは、頭・睾丸・のど・背中・胸の5か所だ。5つの急所を5回殴ると怪物は死んだ。体を動かせないほど疲れていたが、Fangbithは意気揚々とOthrobarへ戻った。<br>
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「家畜を食べていた怪物を倒したぞ」と彼は叫んだ。<br>
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「怪物を倒したという証拠はどれだ?」と首長は尋ねた。<br>
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「私は薬で家畜を救いました」とHealerのGhorickは言った。<br>
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「私のささげ物で女神が家畜をお救いになられました」とPriestのBeranは言った。<br>
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2日が過ぎたが家畜は無事だった。しかし3日目の朝に首長の家畜が10頭殺されていた。HealerのGhorick新しい薬を見付けるため研究室へ行った。PriestのBeranはさらに多くの生贄を捧げた。Fangbithは再びZolicの棍棒を持って、暗い森を抜けてGreat Mountainのふもとまでやって来た。そこで、Othrobarの首長の家畜の肉で血まみれになっている怪物を見付けた。Fangbithは彼の師匠が言っていた「何処」こそが重要ということを再び思い出しながら戦った。<br>
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怪物の頭を5回叩くと、怪物は逃げていった。山の中を追いかけながら、Fangbithは怪物の睾丸を5回叩いた。怪物は逃げていった。森の中を走りながら、Fangbithは怪物ののどを5回叩いた。怪物は逃げていった。Othrobarの野原へ向かいながら、Fangbithは怪物に追いついて、怪物の背中を5回叩いた。怪物は逃げていった。砦にいた首長と博識な者たちは、怪物の泣き声を聞いて出てきた。彼らは首長の家畜を襲った怪物の姿をみたのだ。Fangbithは怪物の背中を5回叩いた。怪物は倒された。<br>
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Fangbithの功績を皆が称え、首長の家畜が殺されることはなくなった。Jolteregは弟子を抱擁してこう言った。「お前は、『何処で』怪物を打ち倒したらいいかということに気付いたのだな。」<br>
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<DIV align="center">出版者の注釈<br>
<DIV align="left">Vvardenfell島のAshlander族に伝わるものの中に似た話があるが、 この話は最も古いものの一つだ。「Marobar Sul」は単に登場人物の名前を「Dwarven」風に変えて、 彼の作品集の一部として転用したに過ぎない。この物語にでてくるGreat Mountainは、森についての描写があるが、明らかに「Red Mountain」のことである。隕石の落下とその後の噴火によりRed Mountainの植物は絶えてしまい、現在は荒廃した状態になっている。<br>
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この話は太古のAshlander族の文化が分かるという点で学術的に興味深いが、今日のVvardenfell島にある砦の遺跡のような「要塞」の中で生活していたということも伝えている。「首長」の要塞はVvardenfell島とSkyrimの間のどこかにあったようだが、Vvardenfell島の外に散在していた要塞は現在ほとんど残っていない。いつ誰が要塞を築いたかという点については学者の賛同は得られないが、この話で明らかだと思うし、太古のAshlander族が現在のようにwickwheatの小屋で野営する代りに要塞に住んでいたという証拠でもあると私は信じている。<br>
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どの場所で怪物を殺すかの重要性と怪物を倒すために体のどの部位を殴るべきかの重要性といった寓話の教訓となる言葉遊びは、Ashlander族の話でよくでてくる。このような単純なものも含め、なぞかけはAshlander族も消えてしまったDwemerも好きだったのだ。Dwemerの話として伝わっているなぞかけであっても、Ashlander族の物語として解釈すべきなのだ。<br>
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