Tags

, ,

Much has been conjectured about Mognokum’s chase of the newcomer, and some very late manuscripts constructed long, elaborate tales concerning this episode. However, the earliest records have a gap and begin the history anew when Mognokum catches the other being.

A note here on the newcomer’s name is in order: Ogdolgan. That name is not given in the histories; however, over time, it became traditional to refer to the third being in this way. Ogdolgan means “The one who wounds” but it goes beyond the simple wound inflicted on Mognokum. To break down the name (in actuality more of a title):

  • dolg = “to heal, to set right” + -an = a nominalizing suffix that signifies “one who” or “that which” (It was also used in uman) therefore dolgan = “one who heals, one who sets (things) right”
  • og- = a prefix denoting the opposite of something, comparable (in some ways) to English anti- or dis-.
  • ogdolgan = “the one who wounds, the one who sets things on the wrong path”

Like the controversy over Galyluma’s origins, there is debate over whether Ogdolgan was a co-existent being from before time or rather somehow came into being as part of Mognokum’s desire.

The former theory would mean that all three original beings (i.e., Mognokum, Galyluma, and Ogdolgan) were able to breath the breath of life and come into existence sui generis separate from each other. According to this theory, the interplay between the breath of these three is what has given rise to the world (and, indeed, the entire cosmos).

The latter theory (i.e., Mognokum gave raise to Ogdolgan) implies that Ogdolgan was spurned or rejected in some way by Mognokum before committing to Galyluma (even though Ogdolgan was the second to meet with Mognokum) and this is what led to Ogdolgan’s wounding of Mognokum. Those who reject this theory point to the fact that it would appear from the Third Words (“Who are you?”) that Mognokum was not aware of Ogdolgan’s presence in the void. Others point out that Mognokum was also seemingly unaware of Galyluma’s presence before her arrival as well.