100 miles off the western coast of Ireland lies the mystical island of Sharn. It was a beautiful land of green rolling hills, mountains, and rivers, where horses and red deer ran wild and colorful peacocks wandered the woods. It was not until BC 3500 that a human stood on the shores of Sharn, when it was first settled by peaceful tribes of farmers that traveled in curraghs from the west coast of Ireland, in hopes of a better life.
Sharn was very similar to its neighbor, Ireland, in many respects. One of which was the natural resources available, although there were some natural resources only Sharn possessed. Junta, a dark redwood, sprouted up from the ground and provided lumber for artisans and homes. It was the finest wood on Earth for instruments, having the best acoustics. Limestone was found in the mountains. It was used in large building construction and in sea walls to protect the harbor. And in various locations around the island, you could find spring water. Peat from western bogs was a common source for cooking fires and heat in the bitter cold of winter. Hundreds of sheep freely grazed in the Hills of Droimneach on the east coast and the Swarnt Hills of the south. Artisans lived in these hills, knitting sheep’s wool into decorative clothing. Among such were sweaters, hats, mittens, gloves, scarves, and blankets. These Sharnee textiles were renowned and prized throughout the world for their warmth and beautiful craftsmanship. However, only the rich and families of artisans could afford to buy knitted Sharnee clothing; one pair of winter gloves, made by an experienced artisan, cost as low as twelve peacock feathers, which was the equivalent to a year’s wage of an average person, to as high as a hundred peacock feathers for large blankets. Sheep skins cost slightly less at anywhere from six to fifty peacock feathers, as there was not as much expertise involved. Red deer provided clothing from their skin and meat and was commonly used as one of the ingredients of ancient Sharnee curry recipes. The Karnalatee peacocks, indigenous to only Sharn, provided colorful feathers for beautiful coats and tapestries, solely crafted in Sharn. Peacock feathers were also the monetary unit of Sharn. However, over the centuries that the Sharnee used Karnalatee peacock feathers as money, Karnalatee peacocks were endangered, and later completely extinct. Today, an average-sized Karnlatee peacock feather of a length of 2 meters would have cost $100.
Karnalatee peacocks were found in the south, where there were also the luscious green Swarnt Hills and the Gwarthiniar, which is a forest of junta. On the west side of the island were the Bogs of Darnyan and Rionis, the origin of the river Skeita, and the end of a Bruailleanach tributary, Molekai. To the north, the elevation rose and the Arianwen Mountains reached a height of 2,000 meters, which was where the river Bruailleanach orginated. Up north, is where the northern hemisphere’s only volcano was located – Mount Iadrat. It is said that hundreds of years ago, Sharn was created by lava, flowing from Mount Iadrat, when Sharh’rtna – goddess of the universe – commanded the god Iadratidon to create a beautiful land in her name. It is also said after Sharn was first created Sharh’rtna grew so bored of waiting for the lava to cool that she created the Arianwen Mountains – the highest and coldest mountain range on Earth at the time. These mountains were believed to be white, hence the name Arianwen, which is the Gaelic word for white. They met the sea on the north coast at cliffs of 500 meters. The Hills of Droimneach, the three Eard Laks – Pnart, Jatal, and Dooelt – and the Bruailleanach tributary Meida covered the eastern side of the island. From these points, the land greatly declined into the sea, dropping one hundred meters below the median elevation of Sharn. This is where the harbor and capital city – Kunarncha – were found. Limestone comprised of what the Sharnee thought made an impregnable sea wall. But, in BC 1600, the sea wall of limestone, weathered by wind and rain, eventually leaked. However, because the capital city of Kunarcha was 100 meters below sea level, it flooded rapidly and all of its population, which was 100, 000, were sent to their deaths. The goddess Sharh’rtna became so enraged at the prospect that some of her people and the Sharnee center of everything – from politics to art – were destroyed that she cursed the sea god, Orpheous, for doing such a deed. She lashed out at him and began to warm the Sun to evaporate all his waters. Little did she know that as the Sun, she could not control the areas to which she affected and she brought drought to her people, and eventually death because of the blinding instinct for revenge. Sharh’rtna could not bear to see the remains of the once beautiful green lands of Sharn, where musical orchestras, choirs, and dancing filled the atmposphere, as a desert-like, sandy, and desolate, without song, dance, or music and with the dry skeletons of her people. This broke Sharh’rtna’s heart. She decided to give her Sharnee a proper burial and gave a last command to the god Iadratidon. She told him to erupt, using all the lava he had left, and give Sharn to the waters of the sea god Orpheous, forgiving him for his act. She then created talking underwater creatures and people of mermaids and mermen to fill the empty place in her heart. These mer-people created a civilization in BC 300 that far surpassed Egypt, Kush, and Mesopotamia – technologically, aesthetically, knowledgeably, and musically. A girl that could be described by all of these was Mershandu of Edora.
She was born on the Dancing Moon Festival in BC 271. She was loved by all who met her, and many did for she traveled Sharn frequently to present her voice. Mershandu was a fiery singer and her red hair matched perfectly with her personality. During her time, sea creatures could talk and learn, however they did not have any rights. With the help of the sea creatures, Sharn could have been as advanced as the 10th century, however discrimination, apprehension, and misunderstanding prevented that.
There was one half-sea creature, half-merman named Urtessis. He was a foul creature, so foul he came out only at night so that he would not be arrested for the vile things he said to mer-children and mer-adults. He had an extensive vocabulary, spanning every Sharnee to Irish word ever created. But, as a child, he had an abusive father, always drunk and never home. When he was home, it was to force Urtessis’ mother for money, although Urtessis’ father refused to marry her. It ended badly; Urtessis’ mother went mad from pain and stabbed Urtessis’ father dead, eight times. She was convicted in the Sharnee courts of first-degree homicide and sentenced to live out her days in a mental institute. Urtessis was thrown between foster homes until he gained legal independence, because of his sinister appearance and family background. He was involved in the kidnap of Queen Kurtada, but was proven “not guilty,” on the assumption and evidence Urtessis had planted for the forensic team. Everyone knew the evidence was fake, but they could not prove it. Urtessis became an icon and a stereotype for all sea-creatures, although he was only half-sea creature and many sea creatures were the kindest and most considate species underwater. Urtessis went to one of Mershandu’s pro-sea creature rights concerts and the lyrics transformed him so profoundly that he became a priest.
The merpeople and sea creatures were astounded alike. They immediately consulted the goddess Sharh’rtna, if Mershandu was qualified to become queen, after all she was only 20. Sharh’rtna, thrilled for her young protégée, thought nothing else in the universe could be more fitting. However, Mershandu did not wish to become queen; she wanted a simple life of music and solitude to transform the lives of others. It took a year of persuasion for her to accept the monarchy. Then in BC 250, she made an address accepting the public’s offer and swore her oath. She appointed Urtessis as her consoler in foreign affairs. In fact, she became quiet close friends with him and during her reign Urtessis introduced Queen Mershandu to her husband, King Kellan, king of Ireland.
They fell in love immediately, letting nothing stop their marriage (BC 245), not even the problem of where to live, as King Kellan could not exist in the underwater for more than a few minutes. This union between the underwaters of Sharn and the land of Ireland was advantageous for both nations and they enjoyed a fruitful relationship. The Sharnee, now an underwater people, knew every bump, curve, and current of the Atlantic Ocean. They became the scouts in times of war for the Irish, who were a seafaring and warrior people. But, war seldom occurred in what the Sharnee call the Golden Age of Sharn.
Sharn and Ireland grew powerful from trade mainly with each other, making none oppose them. The Sharnee merchants would ride to Irish trading ships, west of Ireland, on dolphins. Beautifully stunning Sharnee pearls, music, and instruments, carved from an underwater junta, were traded for ships, waterproof literature, and glass, metal, and gold items.
Today, this trade still takes place on the western coast of Ireland. I have seen it. But, the Sharnee have discovered methods of protecting themselves from those who would use or harm them, such in the case of the Little Mermaid. This is the first written account of humans about the land called Sharn.