麻豆社

Keriga and Kerei

The storyteller sat under a tree, and, when a good crowd had gathered, he told this story.

"As the twin brothers Keriga and Kerei grew up, they could not help but notice that, year by year, the sea was getting closer to their home.

From their earliest years, they could remember their friends being taken away by their parents as one house after another became flooded, and then slowly disappeared completely under the sea.

Now, when they went out in their fishing boat, they could look down through the clear water, and see houses, streets, shops below them. What was once a big town was now just a few houses huddled on the shore.

As their houses were taken over by the sea, people had to move right away, because this was happening to the whole nation of Lycia; it was slowly disappearing under the sea, so the Lycians were settling in other countries, spread far and wide.

Now, the sea was lapping against the steps of Keriga and Kerei's house, and it was time for the family to leave, too.

They travelled for weeks, until they came to a great city in another country, where they settled down. Most people in the city did not speak their language, and the family lived in a few streets where there were other Lycians.

As they grew, Keriga and Kerei began to move apart. While Keriga stayed in the few streets of Lycian houses, and took a job working with Lycians, Kerei started to move out into the bigger city, and got work with the people of the city, learning their language.

In time, he moved out of the Lycian streets altogether.

Years went by, and the brothers became complete strangers to one another, but then, as these things happen, their father became very ill, and everyone thought he was going to die. He desperately wanted to see Kerei for the last time, but no one in the family knew where he was.

Keriga volunteered to find him.

Since he and Kerei were twins, they looked alike, virtually identical, in fact. So, Keriga thought that he would ask people if they knew a Lycian who looked just like himself.

After all, there were very few Lycians out in the city, so he should find his brother easily.

Keriga set off into the great city, which was still a very strange place to him, even though it had been his home now for many years.

He began his search, but it was far more difficult than he had imagined, partly because he did not speak the language of the people very well. People tried to help, though, and over and over again, someone would say, "Oh yes, I know a Lycian, but he doesn't look anything like you."

After days of this, Keriga began to despair of ever finding his brother.

However, almost from the start of his search, some people had said, "Oh yes, I know a man who looks just like you, virtually identical, in fact. But he isn't a Lycian."

"Oh no, thank you so much, but that can't be my brother," Keriga would say, and carry on his search. Sometimes, a person would even give this man a name, and it was always the same. "He is called Keith."

"No, no, my brother is called Kerei," Keriga would always say. Then one man said, "Look, this man Keith looks so much like you, why don't you give up your search for a little while, and go and see him, just out of curiosity? Keriga thought, 'Well, why not?'"

"So," the storyteller said, "off he went, and you are probably far ahead of me, and have guessed that this man, who everyone called Keith and said was not a Lycian, was, of course, Kerei, and a Lycian.

As soon as Keriga had explained that their father was dying, the two set off to see him, but on the way, they began to argue.

"Why," Keriga asked, "aren't you proud to be a Lycian, and to use your Lycian name. Your name is your birth right, and you shouldn't throw it away."

"I am not proud to be a Lycian," Kerei replied, "because there are no such people as Lycians. Don't you remember, that Lycia is completely under the sea by now, it does not exist?

Without a land of Lycia, how can there be Lycians? I call myself Keith and not Kerei, because I do not want to be part of a people who don't exist."

"But," countered Keriga, "you are denying who you are, you are living a lie. You do not need a land to know who you are, you do not need a Lycia to be a Lycian!"

"Well," Kerei was angry, "why are you not proud to live in this great city?

This city is full of fascinating people, and amazing sights, but you know nothing of any of it, because you do not even speak the language, and stay cooped up in your own little area, never going anywhere."

"So," said the storyteller, "on they bickered, neither giving way to the other.

But who was right?

What I would say is that both were right, and both were wrong. I would say that you do not need a land to know who you are and to be proud of who you are: who you are is who you are, not where you are.

We live in a mighty big world, full of fascinating people, and we can be part of that world without losing who we are.