Arpapella (Mound of, Tree of, Legend of)

The Tree of Arpapella is located to the east of the old capital city, Uzda.  At the time of the fall of the Uzdamalian Empire, it enjoyed a brisk tourism business and kitchsy souvenier trade.

Mythology - the Legend of Arpapella (Early Period of the Uzdamalian Empire)

The tree of Arpapella was the supposed location of Borpo's triumphant return from battle.  As the story goes, Borpo was the youngest and most arrogant of The Great God's sons.  When the townspeople suffered from great hunger, Borpo, seeking admiration, volunteered to lead twenty of the most virile men into the West to find food.  Borpo and his crew reached the coast and set asail.  After two months of sailing in circles, Borpo's crew was dead. Borpo had made endless promises of a lush and resplendent land, full of food, and was shocked when his crew died on him. Being immortal, he had not taken responsibility for ensuring that his crew's needs would be met.

Borpo intended to return with the bodies of his men. While at sea, he concocted a ficticious faraway land, and a ficticious battle, (The Battle Of Arpapella). Unfortunately, he remained lost for another year, and the bodies were all bleached into skeletons by the son.

When he finally returned, he brought just the skulls, and buried them under a tree, (The Tree of Arpapella). The legend continued that anyone who eats fruit from the tree will believe his story.  Since the town was suffering from a famine, everyone ate from the tree, and Borpo successfuly hid his incompetence from the people.

Literary impact

The theme of The Incompetent Warrior Who Never Recieves His Comeuppance is clearly rooted in the Legend Of Arpapella.  This theme is revisited in classic works such as "The Postman Had Sex With My Mom" and "Dear Mr. God, my god, my god."

Role of the Legend in the Later and Last Periods of the Uzdamalian Empire

Linguistically, the legend remained omnipresent in such phrases as:

- "to end up a buried skull", meaning to die in vain or exert effort with no reward. 

- "to find Arpapella", meaning to lie with such grandiosity that one successfully hoodwinks everyone

- "to eat from the tree", meaning to suspend one's better judgement out of dire need.

At the time of the Later Period, religion had largely fallen out of favor, and the Legend was regarded as a parable.  The Later Period was characterized by an emotional resignation, and the bleak lesson illustrated by Borpo's success reflects this cynicism.

During the Last Period, religious fundamentalism once again arose, and the mound of Arpapella became the focus of controversy. (The oak tree which had been planted during the Later Period was destroyed during the Siege Of Evangelicals.)  With the rise of the Evangelicals, the legend was once more regarded as a factual account of history.

Related topics:

Chronology by era: Early, Later and Last Periods

Siege of Evangelicals