Chapter Text
As a child from a family of historians, the various aspects of historical curiosity always appealed to me from my youth. As I grow up, mythology remained as one of my steadfast companion. I have always been amazed by the wild imagination of the ancient bugs, on how they cast their mind so wild that they dreamt up heroes and beasts, battles and miracles, and entire new higher beings, even with existing pale beings to attribute the wonders of the world to and put their mind at rest. This is demonstrated by Ancient Hallownest (not to be mistaken with Great Hallownest, our country) and their wild troves of legends, unrestrained by the censure pale beings typically held over any worship not to their own.
The book will be divided into four parts. The first will be about the various pale beings Ancient Hallownestians imagined, as well as the White Lady, the historical pale being of Hallownest which will be included with the myths due to her relation to some of them. The second will be about the renowned figures of Hallownest, with notable inclusions such as the Great Nailsage Sly, or the Gray Prince. The third are about foreign figures adapted to Hallownestian Mythology, of which Hornet and the White Knight are the most prominent. The fourth part are about famous religious leaders of Ancient Hallownest, a feature unique to the kingdom itself.
Sources for the recorded myths include mythological accounts from many contemporary sources, which the most prominent listed below:
- Lemm the First, my ancestor, and a historian-collector with many preserved artifacts
- The Hallownestian Hunter's Journal, a bestiary of sorts, maintained by Hunter's of Ancient Hallownest, which includes some accounts of mythological beings
- Monomon's Archive, a collection of ancient scientific texts stored in advanced (for the time) acid tubes which hold no mythological relevance, but helps discern history from mythology
- Lurien's Collection, a series of paintings that depicts some mythological legends of Early Ancient Hallownest
- Weavenest Herrah's artifacts, which provides insight into Deepnest culture and mythology
- The Bretta Sagas, a Late Ancient Hallownest series of text that focuses primarily on contemporary heroes
For the Second Edition of the book, we have fixed the spelling and formatting mistakes left in the first book. Additionally, new artifacts for the Grimm Troupe was discovered at the Howling Cliffs that warrants a reclassification of their legends.
For the Third Edition of the book, per popular demand, Appendix A have been added, which adds additional information about the major sources used in the book. Appendix B contains new discoveries found after the High Queen allows historians to excavate the ruins of Ancient Hallownest to a greater degree after confirming permission from the White Lady last year through usage of the Elegy. Excavation around the Ancient Gardens are not allowed, however, for fear of disturbing her hibernation, which left potential for more discoveries when the White Lady eventually wakes.