The Thalnom Roywa (Mawkan pronunciation: [ˈθɑlnɔm ˈɾɔjwɐ], The Lives of the Thalnor) is a series of texts chronicling the lives of Thalo Thennelo and his descendants, collectively known as the Thalnor, written by Anneo Allomonnan ca. 590–630.
About Anneo
Anneo was born ca. 550 in southern Mawon. He was orphaned at a young age and adopted by the priest Allomo Maydhonnan, who raised him in the monastery at Balos in Tronyo in southern Arlonn. Allomo’s father was the influential priest and politician Maydho, who had spent his youth in Frowlonn under the tutelage of Fraya the Foreknowledgeful, before becoming a priest of the temple at Brownos in 507, and later serving as the high priest of Balos from 517 until his retirement in 548.
Anneo left Balos in 573, then in his early twenties, and found employment in the monastery at Fessos in Kwelmak, Arlonn. He remained there until 584, when he was transferred to Meastalv, an imperial chartered temple on the continent. At Meastalv, Anneo was a contemporary of Elme Rǫ́khlakh, who would later become Emperor Elme VII, and with whom he developed a close personal friendship. He also began a secret relationship with Owvo Kelnoannan, a fellow Eymic priest. Their affair was discovered in 588, after which Owvo was executed, and Anneo was branded and exiled, only being spared death following an intervention by Elme VII, who had become the emperor the year prior.
Anneo returned to Eymalonn and entered into the monastery at Hufa in Bitta, Wulhwyg, where he remained until his death in 631. The Thalnom Roywa were completed while Anneo was a priest at Hufa, however the exact dates of their authorship are uncertain.
Summary
The Thalnom Roywa tell the stories of Thalo Thennelo and his descendants, from Thalo’s life in the early fourth century YA to those of his great-great-great-grandchildren in the mid-fifth century. Their lives intersect with a number of signifcant historical events of the period in question, aligning particularly with the history of the Kingdom of Mawon, in which much of the action in the texts takes place. See below for a breakdown of the constiuent texts and the approximate time periods they cover.
Two other texts covering similar material are known. The earliest is Loth oy Lay (The Wolf and the Fox), composed in Mawon ca. 400. This is a poetic account of Thalo’s early deeds, focussing on the mythological aspects of his tale, principally his dealings with the elf Knale and the twin trolls. Thalnom Tayn (The Tale of the Thalnor), is a later prose account of the lives of all of the Thalnor, first written in the early sixth century YA. This text is thought to be the foundation on which Anneo’s Thalnom Roywa are built, although its content is much sparser.
Texts
- Thalonn Tayn
- Concerning the life of Thalo Thennelo (301–333).