Some will know from my last post that my new book; The dread Damnable and Macabre will be out on the 29th of this month. For those that don't know, do not worry, I will be reminding everyone regularly until the release date and beyond.
I mentioned in a previous post that the book consists of Two novellas, "Baranguiel" and "The Tractor" as well as a bunch of short stories. I have been getting many messages and e-mails asking me about "Baranguiel" as it is a rarely known story.
Baranguiel (known later as "The", "Baranguiel") was one of the many wives or concubines of "Cyrus the Great" Ruler of the Persian empire around 500 to 600 BCE. Despite being a modernizer and rather ethical for his time (generally a good guy) it is thought that he treated his huge harem; both wives and concubines, rumored to be over a thousand women dreadfully when they did not conceive immediately.
It is thought that he had them branded, partially so he could remember which he had already had sex with but also that they did not conceive. Beatings were often handed out to those women who were no pregnant and those he did not deign to sleep with. It was after all the virginal Honor of thier lives to sleep with the great king. One of the kings' favourites is known only as Baranguiel. It is said that she accepted the beatings and brandings for the other younger Wives to spare them the pain and suffering.
For those that screamed a finger was snapped, those that bled were made to bleed, those that wept were disfigured and those that displeased were broken upon a wheel.
Baranguiel accepted those punishments upon herself to spare the other younger women until one so displeased Cyrus that he ordered her stoned to death. Her name was Lilith.
Baranguil accepted the punishment though it is said that Cyrus wept for her death.
No one knows if there is any truth to this story. Baranguiel seems an odd name for someone in his conquered lands, Lilith also. Perhaps, the tale is nothing but a fiction, but I wondered what such a fantastical figure would think of me and my dealings with the opposite sex.
I suspect that no man is truly Innocent.