The Six Heroes are the namesakes of the six tribes of Heban. Each has a myth and an animal associated with them, and in Kudure, they are believed to be guardian ancestors.
Adesu the jackal is called the Talking One for good reason. He is a loud and boisterous man of ambiguous morality in the various myths associated with him, and plays the role of a trickster figure. Many of his stories involve him not learning a moral lesson, but teaching others through his clever ways.
One of his first stories begins thus:
In a long-ago time there lived a boy named Adesu with his mother. His mother was often alone, since he would stray far into the wilderness to play on his own. One day, he came across a lion sleeping. He had no fear of lions despite what his mother warned, and he began to play with the lion's tangled mane, braiding it and knotting it. When the lion woke up, he saw the boy sitting on his back and let out a terrible roar. Adesu still did not fear the lion, so it said: "Do you not know that I will eat you if you do not run away?"
Adesu replied "I do not fear you. You cannot reach me, even if you want to."
The lion threw the boy off his back and snarled, showing his fangs as long as knives.
"I still don't fear you," Adesu said, "I think you're the greatest creature of all." Right there, he began talking about lions and kings, chattering more incessantly than the birds in the trees on the first rainy day. He talked and talked until the lion grew bored of him.
"If I let you go, will you stop talking?" The lion asked, frustrated by the endless noise, as Adesu had been following him around for some time.
Adesu nodded. "I will not talk to you any more, o great lion." With the lion no longer on his trail, he ran all the way home to his mother, who scolded him for bothering such a great beast. He didn't learn his lesson that day either.
Ehamda the lion is a proud and noble man. He is called Cloud Hair for his mane, which according to legend has never been cut. He is often a pompous or chiefly character in myths associated with him.
His most famous story begins as follows:
In a long-ago time there was a kingdom of lions. In that age, lions did not have manes, and a great covering of clouds blanketed the land, so no one could see the sun. Ehamda, the king of lions, wished for the clouds to go away so the sun could illuminate his golden fur. He made up his mind to climb the tallest mountain in his kingdom and scare the clouds away. He gathered a number of his kin to help him scare away the clouds, and together, they made their way to the base of the mountain.
The way up was easy at first, and Ehamda began to boast. "If the tallest mountain in my kingdom is nothing more than an anthill, then the clouds will be as thin as a hair and I will be able to tear them into shreads." The sky-spirit heard him, and in anger made the clouds rain down lightning and hail. Many of Ehamda's kin had to turn back, but Ehamda continued up the mountain.
When they were halfway up the mountain, the rains were mostly forgotten, and Ehamda became arrogant again. "The mountain reaches past the clouds. If my kingdom reaches to the heavens, the clouds are tresspassers and I have every right to scare them off." This time, the sky-spirit sent strong winds that made the sky dark with thicker clouds, and a fog blanketed the mountain. So many of Ehamda's followers left that he was all alone when he reached the top of the mountain.
Seeing that he made it up to the very top where the clouds were, he became vain and proud. "The silver of the clouds is nothing compared to my golden fur. The clouds are not worth keeping around," he proclaimed, roaring and swiping at the clouds. The sky-spirit became enraged and stole the shine from Ehamda's fur, making it as dull as sand. Ehamda, seeing this, roared louder in anger and frustration. The clouds parted as he clawed at them, sticking to his neck and tail. When the sun finally shone again, Ehamda was exhausted and felt defeated.
Ehamda reached the bottom of the mountain in shame that his most beautiful feature was gone. When he arrived, however, he found his people happier than ever. They saw the sun again, and were impressed by Ehamda's new mane, which they said looked like a headdress fit for a chieftan. When the sun shone brightly, his mane still had flecks of gold, and he passed his long mane down to all of his children.
Kesitian the eagle is known as a ruthless warrior and protector of her kin. In legends and myths, she is morally ambiguous, playing the role of both hero and antagonist.
Mundina the elephant is a kind and gentle mother and p
he/him - songbird/shrike
She/her - cheetah