John Harding

The prayer below was found with the remains of a unnamed dead Lankhor Mhy worshiper on the north bank of the junction of Sounders River and the Good Canal. He is known to archivists as “The Good Canal Scholar” and is well known to present day students as an authority on chants and customs of the Praxians. His home temple and name remain unknown to us to this day. The majority of the bundle of parchment was too damaged to read due to water damage. What could be pieced together from the remains indicated that he was researching the customs of the various tribes. The remains however are still one the best sources for customs and songs of the Praxians.

The following is a facsimile of one of the better preserved pages from the collection.

Theodopolus Pandarus

A Plea to Waha

Oh, Waha, whose voice I hear in the herds
Butcher of the herds, hear me

I come to you as one of the Endrawaha
I am small, I need your wisdom to guide my hand
Open my ears so that I may learn to your ways
Make me wise so that I may know the things you have taught the Endrawaha
The lessons you have written in every hoof and pelt

May I cut as you taught us
May my hand be steady
May my knife be sharp
May my cut be peaceful in the way you taught us

Make my arm strong and hand sure
That I may take without pain

Make me ever ready with sharp knife and steady hand,
So that when life fades as it must,
I may face the judge without shame.

Oh, Waha, whose voice I hear in the herds
Butcher of the herds, hear me

“I originally heard this prayer when I was allowed to attend an initiation ceremony of Impala Tribe youths but I also heard variations of this from other tribes including the Sable and Bison. Even though it is an initiation prayer it is also used by men of all ages as an invocation before they undertake a hard or particularly meaningful task. It seems to only be used when the task is not of a martial nature and is said to focus the mind on the task in hand, giving good luck to the person reciting it.

Young men are prone to use it before formally courting one of the tribes maids. however I also came across it being used before young men were sent out to seek particularly dry lumps of dung for the cooking fires. I am not sure whether this was increase the luck of the men in finding the said dung or to fortify them during the task in hand. It would seems to be very much a multi use prayer ...never let its be said that the Praxians are not a romantic breed!”

The Good Canal Scholar
Fragment 10.1