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Ilertav, Grand BehemothAccording to the Dutri, Ilertav was first called the Biheamohhk Gogonmon, which Nikina explained to translate to Behemoth Grand. It is for this reason that he's referred to as the King of Beasts, and somewhat similarly, the King of the World. The King of Beasts was named Iletahv (normally written Ilertav) by both Nikina and Forganad. He is one of two Viyar, considered to be so great in power that he almost matches the gods.
HistoryShortly after his birth, Ilertav created the physical Riiga, named it, created mountains and seas, and then breathed life into it. Soon after, Raildon and Shyokro were born and together they fought Ilertav for dominion over Riiga. Ilertav emerged the victor and created sixteen temples in celebration. It's then said that he populated the temples, but with who, it is not known. The missing Dutri pieces are believed to explain the now-absent race. After this, it seemed that Ilertav remained dormant for a long time: in the Dutri, he makes no other appearances till the birth of Komulokon, and after that he goes back into "hiding". The next big appearance Ilertav makes is in the year 0, known as The Darkness. After killing Renin and his son, Ernamin, Murluron supposedly began to rain down fire from his spout upon the forest and the armies not long after, and as the forest and temple and people burned, it is said that Ilertav smelt the destruction and descended to Riiga from his watching place. The only thing that humans could see was a thunderstorm swirl up around the Whale, and soon after it went higher in the sky and then headed straight for the ocean, almost as though he was thrown downwards. The Black Whale plunged into the ocean some way south of Etalz, out in the deep sea, and the priests said that the Whale was sealed by Ilertav. After this, it seemed to everyone that Ilertav went back into hiding, like many of the greater children of the gods seem to do. Even during The Darkness, Ilertav did not reveal himself directly to humans. King of BeastsIlertav is sometimes thought of as a fourth god because his power is so great. Not only was he the first thing to be after the three gods, but scriptures in Hunnuklad described him as being able to touch high clouds and a being mostly resembling a lion with great black horns and majestic robes. He has the best sense of smell in Riiga, and can sense heightened emotion among mortals. It is also said he can tear holes in the material of the world and so nothing can escape his grasp. He is not loud or aggressive and speaks in an ancient tongue no mortal can understand. When he scrapes a hole in the sky, it rains, and when the clouds are beautiful, he is content. When lightning strikes, he is sad, and when strong winds blow, he moves. Aside from having a powerful affinity with the nature of the world, he is deemed as ever-watchful and the origin of all animals because the Dutri says he breathed life unto Riiga, and that is the closest mention to fauna that anybody can interpret from the scripture. When one also considers that Ilertav actually forced an encounter with Garukavar himself: "...and this angered Iletahv, who came to Garuukhavahriehs and protested against the actions of his beasts." (verse six), once must also believe that Ilertav's potential power is formidable, at least to the point where it gives him the confidence to protest against Garukavar. Apathetic Ilertav? But if this is the case, many pose the question: "Why doesn't he intervene when The Enemy strikes mortals with malice?" The most obvious answer only serves to place Ilertav higher in the divine hierarchy: Ilertav, like the gods, is not allowed to aid mortal beings. This is possibly a stretch of Forganad's first rule, but the only other plausible answer is that Ilertav simply doesn't care. This could be argued by the fact that Ilertav was classed by Nikina as a divine Hireos, not a neutral one, and thus aids Nikina in all he does. Nikina, for the most part, is pro-mortals. If another being such as Murluron grows too powerful for the world to go on at a steady pace, Ilertav notices, and he acts accordingly. When The Enemy strikes at families and communities, the shockwaves on Riiga as a whole may be completely unimpressive to Ilertav, so he simply does not act. The argument has gone on for a very long time: Is Ilertav apathetic? Does he care? Does the event really have to be of mass-life-threatening proportion? Why does he seem to wait? Why does he appear to be neutral? Why does he seem so selfish? All of these thousand-year-old questions have turned Ilertav's persona into a mighty Viyar shrouded in mist. He seems to like not being seen or admired. The Order of Dualkedor generally states that "Ilertav is always at Nikina's side, where he belongs. And he only gets called when Nikina has exhausted all other solutions." The idea of Ilertav being a last-resort (possibly due to his formely-described passive and calm nature) is the enforced and official religious belief.
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