“In ancient times, there was born to a warlord of the eastern lowlands, his first son, who was named Sauren, meaning ‘he who is cursed’; for when the babe opened his eyes to the light of the world, his mother was horrified to discover that he bore the mark of a mortal touched by Kir-shara, goddess of the dreaded pon-farr — his eyes gleamed red as hot coals.
“As a youth, Sauren learned rapidly the skills of a would-be warrior, imparting a cunning resourcefulness to his abilities so that early in his life it was clear that he promised to be an able successor to his mighty sire. Most of his tribesmen grew accustomed to the intensity revealed in his ruby eyes. Others feared him. Sauren, himself scornful of the warnings uttered by women and old men, considered his peculiarity a blessing, for through the superstitions of others he had gained a respect equal to that commanded by his father.
“But Sauren’s mocking attitude toward the fiery goddess was soon to change. His father was mortally wounded in battle, and only a short time after Sauren had taken his inherited place as warlord of Tresharni, Kir-shara looked down upon his fine, young virile figure of manhood, and bestowed upon him her kiss of Fire, to draw him to her.
“Resistance was futile — the insatiable pon-farr sent searing tendrils through the young warlord’s veins, and in its agony he sought relief from its madness. To his horror, the flames merely subsided to a threatening smoulder, and Sauren, realizing at last the meaning of his birthright, no longer mocked Kir-shara, but violently cursed her. No, his pon-farr would not be fatal — merely eternal…
“Tapping the well-spring of savagery from his tortured flesh and combining it with his talents as a warrior, he became a ruthless, fearful and invincible foe. Finding that the rage of battle temporarily suspended his incessant needs, after his first campaign — to gain revenge for his father’s death — he ravaged nearly half of Culcan, uniting its tribes under Tresharni leadership, before the curse in his blood wore so heavily upon him that he began, with each battle, to wish for death.
“At last, turning his lordship over to a council of trusted officers, Sauren journeyed to Salin-shar, the towering volcano at the outermost reaches of his empire, wherein dwelt Kir-shara; scaling the spark-spewing mountain, with a final desperate cry, Sauren flung himself into its mouth, a death sacrifice to the goddess.
“The Tresharni empire still exists today, of course, and although the peace-loving philosophers are being credited in these times for beginning to succeed in uniting all of Vulcan under one rule, much of that honor must in actuality go to that fiery-eyed warlord, Sauren, who now enjoys an eternity of sensual bliss in Kir-shara’s embrace.”
An ancient Vulcan myth, as told by a pre-reform sage in “A Trio of Ancient Vulcan Myths”, by Monica Miller; originally published in INTERPHASE #3, August 1976