Hashuruilé Culture

The culture of the Hashurukasane has had deep and far-reaching impacts on the culture of the Empire as a whole. Arising independently from the south, the culture of Hashuru was a curious mix of influences from the north as well as native elements, themselves conditioned by the natural surroundings of Hashuru.

Objects, Themes and Symbols
The subtropical climate of their homeland has always meant a greater variety of plants and animals existed side by side with the people of Hashuru. Their art and literature is accordingly much richer in natural forms than in the north.

In the religious beliefs of the Hashurukasane, fire and water play a special significance. The Ansarién, a vast and long river, is accordingly viewed as a holy place, the very embodiment of water; several sites along its banks are sites of pilgrimage, but the most holy site is in the northeastern corner of Hashuru, where the Ansarién flows into Lake Condova; this area is known as the 'gates of the deities'.

Of the animals of Hashuru, three - the bear, the leopard and the eagle - are especially venerated by the Hashurukasane; the bear (korha) is a symbol of strength, while the leopard (pugakh) symbolises cunning and the eagle (atyun) symbolises agility and swiftness. Tellingly, the bear is seen as first among the three, and is especially viewed as a royal and noble animal; the royal house is called the Korhaten Birtyunit, the 'sons/house of the bear'.

Among trees, in common with the north, the Hashurukasane venerate the chestnut which is widespread and an important source of sustenance and sweetness. The teak tree, whose wood is versatile, highly resistant to decay and insect attack and requires little maintenance, is also held in high esteem; it is seen as an embodiment of the ideal man - multitalented, upright, independent and incorruptible.

Flowers are a very common motif throughout the art and literature of the Hashurukasane. They favour two flowers in particular as symbols of prosperity and good tidings; these are the hibiscus, which they consider the king of flowers, and the dog rose, which is considered the queen.

Literature
Main Article: Literature of Hashurukoské

Hashurukoské, the language (or languages) spoken by the Hashurukasane, has a literary tradition almost as long as that of the Tarakasane, written first in the logographic Hashuruilé glyphs and then in the Cilmbing Script used for Itarakoské. This tradition included a considerable amount of prose, but the literature of Hashuru is most famous for its long, narrative poems, as well as its songs.

Literature was often seen to have a religious function to the Hashurukasane as well; a major genre of poetry was religious, and even that which is not explicitly religious often contains mystical elements in their descriptions of natural forces.