The Gods of Pegāna · Chapter
Of How the Gods Whelmed Sidith explained
The people of Sidith, suffering from pestilence, famine, and war, demand their High Prophet Arb-Rin-Hadith confront the gods directly.
What happens
The people of Sidith, suffering from pestilence, famine, and war, demand their High Prophet Arb-Rin-Hadith confront the gods directly. After the gods refuse to help, the people send him to appeal to Māna-Yood-Sushāī, who is never to be prayed to. Arb-Rin-Hadith climbs Mount Aghrinaun and disappears upon reaching the summit, never to be seen again. Sidith is later destroyed by a fierce tribe.
Themes in this chapter
The Illusion of Religious Authority
The High Prophet's prayers go unanswered for years, and his confrontation with the gods yields no relief, leading the people to reject the temple's authority and ultimately the gods themselves.
Suffering and Death
The chapter is steeped in the suffering of Sidith's people from pestilence, famine, and war, culminating in the destruction of the entire valley.
Characters to notice
- Arb-Rin-Hadith
High Prophet of All the gods save One, who is forced by the people to confront the gods and later Māna-Yood-Sushāī, disappearing on the summit.
- Kib
One of the gods prayed to by the priests in the Temple of All the gods save One.
- Sish
One of the gods prayed to by the priests in the Temple of All the gods save One.
- Pegāna Mung
One of the gods prayed to by the priests in the Temple of All the gods save One.
- Māna-Yood-Sushāī
The god to whom none may pray, who is sought by Arb-Rin-Hadith and causes his disappearance.
Key passages
“For a long while a man may hear the droning of little insects and yet not be aware that he hath heard them, so may the gods not hear our prayers at first until they have been very oft repeated.”
Just as a person might not notice the buzzing of insects until it has gone on for a while, the gods may only hear prayers after they have been repeated many times.
The priests rationalize the gods' apparent silence by comparing prayers to persistent but unnoticed sounds.
“The faces of the gods are iron and their mouths set hard. There is no hope from the gods.”
The gods are unyielding and silent, offering no hope to the people of Sidith.
Arb-Rin-Hadith reports the gods' refusal to help after his confrontation on Aghrinaun.