The Ksehyl is the legendary battle between Bemwe De and Bemwe Gehan, and marks 0 KS, the calendar year in which it took place (KS itself is an abbreviation for kse.hyl). This battle is the founding myth for the Lake and Great River Wajahe and the Imyes, the former tracing their origins to the alliance of Bemwe Gehan and the latter to that of Bemwe De. The Clan and City of Ksehen, and the systems of governance for the Predynastic Period at large, would also claim direct descent from Bemwe Gehan, and his title of Chuzde. The Ksehyl is also considered the beginning of the Historical Reckoning, separating it from the neolithic that preceded it, and marking the origins of civilization itself.
In the legendary tale, bɛmɰɛ dɛ and gɛhæn were chiefs of their small, localized clans of the wœːɥøːɥ (Wajahe). In this time, the clans, which were small groups of nomadic or semi-nomadic Wajahe, were ruled by their Clan Chief and his Comitatus. Occasionally, one clan would defeat another, and the losing chief would join the comitatus of the victorious chief, a formalized relationship of subservience that would never last beyond a single generation. bɛmɰɛ dɛ and gɛhæn were both excellent warriors and statesmen, and had great ambitions to be the ones that would rule the Wajahe. gɛhæn hailed from the Eastern Lakes and bɛmɰɛ dɛ from the northeastern steppe - through a mix of conquest, diplomacy, and small-scale skirmishes, they came to divide the Wajahe in two. bɛmɰɛ dɛ opted to simply remove the chiefs from the various other clans he essentially ruled, and put himself in their place as their chief; gɛhæn would soon follow this. These two rival centers of power could never coexist, and though the two were personal friends, their ambition outstripped any feelings of brotherhood. They would make battle in the steppe, in which bɛmɰɛ dɛ was victorious.
bɛmɰɛ dɛ had the choice to execute his rival, which would have guaranteed his undisputed power over the Wajahe. However, his warriors at large all admired gɛhæn, who, despite having fewer men by his side, held his ground well and won several skirmishes in a flashy manner. In addition, their friendship remained, and in this instance, bɛmɰɛ dɛ’s ambition was not outpaced by his compassion and honor. Instead, the two reached an agreement, where gɛhæn would join bɛmɰɛ dɛ’s comitatus, and become named bɛmɰɛ gɛhæn, taking the name of his adversaries birthmother as any member joining a comitatus would. Many of the clans that were under bɛmɰɛ gɛhæn would by taken by bɛmɰɛ dɛ, however, the land around the lakes remained under bɛmɰɛ gɛhæn as his personal domain. These territorial divisions were formalized, with bɛmɰɛ dɛ taking the title of bwuzðɛ (The Chief of the Skies) and bɛmɰɛ gɛhæn taking the title of t͡ɕᵝuzðɛ (The Chief of the Earth) - both titles would be hereditary. Though centralized power would end after the deaths of both of these warriors, the titles, and their respective domains, would remain relevant in a cultural and political context for nearly two millennia. This tale ends with the deaths of both chiefs, and their ascension to Godhood, overseen by Aiokkais himself, who was so pleased by their actions that he allowed the first phase of the afterlife, the journey upriver, to be skipped.
This battle is largely considered a mythological event, and Bemwe De and Bemwe Gehan are considered mythological figures. There is essentially no evidence pointing to either of them having existed at any point, or even to the existence of two parallel unifying figures. However, there was a period of early centralization, which can be evidenced from the emergence of the Vacant Clan institution (which is attested without a doubt). The standard approach to the tale is that neither figure actually existed, and both represent a gradual centralization that would take place between clans over 5-600 years of history by two major predynastic lineages, ending around 425 KS.
Notes
- Both Bemwe De and Bemwe Gehan were female.
- Bemwe De and Bemwe Gehan are regional gods. Some cultures, for example the Ejee, have very different myths and stories connected to these gods.