Friday 10 April 2015

I is for Irenic


For this year's A-Z Challenge I have selected a word from the dictionary for each day and written a story around it with a 100 word limit. For extra interest I have chosen words that are unknown or unfamiliar to me. All definitions are from the Oxford Dictionary & Thesaurus 2007 Edition. Today's word is Irenic.

Irenic: Intended or intending to maintain or bring about peace.

Vantu’s irenic mission was to bring peace to warring tribes throughout Africa, a mission he believed ordained by the gods. But he had never seen anything like this.

The Tokono tribe were split by their dispute over the origin of rice. One side believed it originated from the toenail clippings of the great God Onardor. The other side held that it embodied the souls of maggots which had died before becoming flies.

Vantu resolved the issue by telling all parties they were lucky to have rice to eat, but if they kept killing each other, rival tribes would steal it. 

35 comments:

Alex Hurst said...

This is a great drabble! A fully incapsulated story is hard to achieve in such a low word count limit, but you pulled it off. Loved the imagery of the toenail clippings.

Alex Hurst, A Fantasy Author in Kyoto
A-Z Blogging in April Participant

Michael Abayomi said...

Toenail clippings? Really!? LOL.

Anonymous said...

Great word. Ewww at the origins.

JeffO said...

Another day, another new word--I'm learning a lot!

Jennifer Hawes said...

It's amazing what some people fight about. Just quit arguing and eat the rice:)

Sophie Duncan said...

A very practical fellow, your Vantu :)
Sophie
Sophie's Thoughts & Fumbles
FB3X
Wittegen Press

Heather R. Holden said...

LOL, love it! Vantu sounds very wise... :P

Varsha said...

Loved the post and learn't a new word. Thank you :)

Annalisa Crawford said...

I think if rice was descended from either of those things, I'd happily abstain!

Annalisa, writing A-Z vignettes, at Wake Up, Eat, Write, Sleep

Misha Gerrick said...

Good strategy. ;-)

Keith's Ramblings said...

Now this I like! I really must try to use it.

Sarah Foster said...

Haha! Those origins don't make rice sound very appetizing...

Tamara Narayan said...

Toenail clippings vs. maggots. I think Vantu had the right idea on not focussing on the origin at all. Yech!

Tasha Duncan-Drake said...

LOL - well that is a very practical solution :)
Tasha
Tasha's Thinkings | Wittegen Press | FB3X (AC)

T. Powell Coltrin said...

Maggots have souls before becoming flies? Great post. Love the new word, too.

Chrys Fey said...

I need to use "irenic" in my writing!

Stephen Tremp said...

Toe nail clippings, eh? I hope they were properly washed first.

Stephen Tremp
A to Z Co-host
Twitter: @StephenTremp

Julie Flanders said...

LOL I love rice but now I'm afraid I won't be able to get toenail clippings out of my mind when eating it. Not that maggots would be any better. Gross LOL.

Bish Denham said...

Maggot souls... Hmmm. Vantu sounds like a wise man.

cleemckenzie said...

Where DO you find these words? The dictionary? Really? I think I'd better start reading that book again. Loved the origin of rice dispute. Not sure I'll eat rice again, however.

betty said...

I think Vantu had great wisdom that he dispensed to these two tribes; I hope his mission did prove to be peaceful down the road.

betty

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

LOL. You might have just ruined rice for me. Dead maggots?

Anonymous said...

Neither of those beliefs make me more inclined to eat more rice! LOL

~Patricia Lynne aka Patricia Josephine~
Member of C. Lee's Muffin Commando Squad
Story Dam
Patricia Lynne, Indie Author

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

I wouldn't want to eat either...

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Nick - that's not an enticing story line ... but I do like rice on occasions .. if I can forget this post - I'll carry on that way!!

However Irenic is a good word to know about .. cheers Hilary

Liz A. said...

Ick. That may just put my off rice permanently.

Liz A. from Laws of Gravity

J E Oneil said...

Irenic is an interesting word. I wonder what it's origins are.

Donna K. Weaver said...

Wow. That's fascinating. Legend?

Jean Davis said...

You make me laugh. Ick! But hilarious at the same time.

Pearson Report said...

Ditto to Jean's comment - I laughed. Yes, I yucked, and ewwed… but I laughed nonetheless - great little story.

Sent with smiles, Jenny, Pearson Report
2015 A to Z Challenge Ambassador
@PearsonReport

Anonymous said...

Well done, and you managed to make me giggle, too.

loverofwords said...

It is such a weird word, you are a true wordsmith for figuring out a story.

Unknown said...

What a great theme for the challenge! I'm going to have to try to work that word into everyday conversation--imagine the looks on people's faces! :)

djinnia said...

'Tis amusing. I grin at thee.

Michelle Wallace said...

Good drabble!
(Toe clippings?)