Prepared by Niu, edited by Djinn and Taishyr:
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It has been a while, readers. First, my apology to those who have been distressed by my long hiatus, but such anguish will not last, as you are going to find the wait to be vastly worthwhile. I have spent my time gathering myths and legends of a world that has much remained unexplored, and the many seekers for the truth of that world will be most thrilled by my discovery. I shall present you with the Ogre Battle Saga, the story that was left untold ever since the disappearance of its most fervent raconteur: Yoshihiko Takei. And, as the introduction to the saga, allow me to cite from his legacy;
"In the beginning, there is no division between the heaven and earth; existing only in a soup-like state, filled only by the void... A ray of light was then born from that world, the light that then gave birth to the darkness. Two giants were born; Galinga was born from the light and Vendiga was born from the darkness, and thus begun their never ending battle."
With those words, the Zeteginea faith was spread in the area surrounded by the Eastern Balkan Peninsula, Aegean Sea, Black Sea, and the Caspian Sea between 4000 and 3000 BC. Until the Hitties unified the territories centering around the Asia Minor in 3000 B.C., the Zeteginea mythical gods were the focal point of worship. These facts were revealed by the detailed information inscribed on the clay tablets discovered in an excavation that was conducted in the late 19th centuries. The tablets were dated to be from the Ancient Babylonian era (1900~1700 B.C.), with Sumerian cuneiform inscribed on them. The unidentified author is presumed to have been a historian of Sumeria, based on his own words. Those tablets, recording the myth of creation, the birth of humanity, wars involving the gods, and the history of Zeteginea, have been widely known as the Ancient Zandan tablets, bearing the name of the Zandan Ruins that it was discovered from. The Ancient Zandan tablets not only recorded heroic legends, it also presented us many historical facts on the life of the people of the past.
After the discovery of the Ancient Zandan tablets, a French excavation team discovered a large amount of clay tablets inscribed with cuneiform in the Ruin of Doura (the ruins by the shore of the Black Sea). It was interpreted to be a legacy from the Ancient Babylonian era just like the Ancient Zandan tablets, and like the Ancient Zandan tablets, it was written in the same Sumerian cuneiform. The content is an epic poetic tale based on the myths and heroic legends of the time. The discovery astonished the world as much as the discoveries of the Greek Tales such as Homeros's Odysseia and Ilias. This poetic tale is the very Ogre Battle Saga that we are all familiar with. It is a war, begun back in the time when the gods first created the humans, and the demons of the Netherworld created the ogres to be their servants. By the mischief of Demundza, who has ruled over both the Land of the Dead and the Netherworld, humans and ogres engaged in a battle over the sovereignty of the earth. The battle lasted thousands of years and eventually became a huge war that engulfed the gods of the heaven and the demons themselves in its violence. Based on the Ancient Zandan tablets which also recorded the Ogre Battle Saga, the tale lasts a total of 8 chapters, ending with the unification of the continent (around 3200 B.C.). With many of the heroes of the Zeteginea myth appearing in the content, the people related to the progressive change of the Zenobian Kingdom that eventually unified the continent are the primary center of attention. Within are many tragic tales, such as the tale between Princess Rapnica and Gran the Swordsman, which reveals to us the instantism and adrenaline-seeking nature of the people of the time.
"In the distant past, power meant everything; it is a time when the teachings of steel and the evil of the darkness dominated Zeteginea." Famous for that line, the Ogre Battle has become the subject of various operas and stage plays, and by the time of 20th century, productions by Hollywood and Broadway. For example, the seventh Chapter of the Ogre Battle Saga, portraying the struggle in the Valeria Islands, which float on the west of Oberro Sea, has been used recently. The anarchy of the Ocean Kingdom Valeria after the passing of its king, the segregation of its ethnicity, and the civil war that finally erupted, leading to the formation of Bacrum Valeria Country, Gargastan Kingdom, and the Walstanian people, who lost their home. The battle over the Valeria Islands presents itself as an outstanding heroic legend, and as exceptional among many of Ogre Battle Saga's own episodes. Even in the past, it has been a representative part of the saga that has been made into other excellent productions. Unfortunately, the saga wasn't as recognized in Japan, as the Greek or Norse myths were explored far more heavily, but the memory of Chapter Five of the Saga being ported into a Super Famicom game is still fresh in my mind. The saga will likely become more recognized in Japan in the future. As a researcher, I am certainly looking forward to it.
Excerpt from the "Research Introduction of the Ogre Battle Saga" by Yoshihiko Takei
First printed by the Research Institue of Ancient Land Journal in 1969
Excerpt from the 11th print, printed in 1993
