The Bride of Anzar

 

The Bride of Anzar - by Yasmine Magrane

North Africa is known for its ancient civilizations. The Amazigh people were and still are one of the strongest that ever inhabited those regions. The freemen of the mountains are strong, fearless and loyal to their land. An agriculture-based lifestyle made them rely on the gifts of the heavens, so they waited for the rain and celebrated its first drops each year. Until that tragic day, when Lehkima (physician) of the village was on her deathbed. She was visited by Anzar, the god of rain, and saw her last vision; The Earth will absorb its waters, years of drought and hunger will take place until a chosen person will emerge and be sacrificed for the rain to fall again. The consequences were severe, the kingdom weakened and sickness spread among its people. Anzar took mercy on them a few times during the harsh 20 years of extreme lack of rain, but still, it wasn’t enough for even half a recovery. 

 20 years passed and Lunja reached her 20th birthday, she chose to celebrate it in the cemetery, visiting her deceased grandma that she never got to see since she was born the same day the vision happened. She spoke to the gravestone as if it was the embodiment of the person who laid beneath, seeking advice and sharing her secrets with someone she knew would never let her down. On that day, as usual, she brought rose water to spread over the grave, cleaned the dust a bit and spoke: “grandma, they say you were the wisest in the village, with a blessed hand that could heal the sick, can you lend me some of those abilities and help me decide what to do. I’ve seen it grandma, Anzar, he visited my dreams, but I don’t want to die, I’m not ready.” 

She looked around, what once was a flower field resembled a Sahara now, more than 3 families are burying a loved one this day. She thought of the people and how their future depended on her sacrifice. She needed a spoken opinion, so she sneakily met her lover Udad. 

Udad had another attitude around the matter, he sent Lunja away reassuring her but went straight to the village Quaid(leader) which happened to be his father, and told him all about the poor girl. He longed for his father’s approval,so he stabbed Lunja in the back. 

Lunja was stuck in a room, waiting for the day the ritual takes place, to resurrect the kingdom and wipe away all sins and sickness.

She wouldn’t just simply give up, and so as she took after her grandma, she managed to take some herbs from the ground while they dragged her inside and made poison out of it, cleverly drugged the guard, and ran for her life. 

However, they found her. She reached a dead end with only a few steps away from falling into a deep cliff or being sacrificed. For a brief second, her legs failed her, she fell to her doom, letting out a scream that faded with time, and a drop sound that convinced the men that she was gone. As the moon was resting that night, they couldn’t see down the cliff. They gave up and headed back to safety after hearing wolves howling. 

Lunja miraculously made it alive after hanging from some branches, but she was injured and couldn’t move. A wolf approached her so she tried to hush it away as she normally does with dogs but the wolf was calmer than she expected and had a strange glow to its fur, she could swear it lit the night. 

- You surprised me, you mortal, you hate being sacrificed even if that means you’d save your people, the animal spoke. 

The woman was too stunned to speak, and as if it wasn’t enough, a speaking wolf, the creature took a human form, more like a godly form, and here he was, Anzar, just like in her dream. 

- You don’t have to answer, life is not easy to give up, I know your intentions, your dreams and big expectations of this life. 

Anzar spoke while approaching her, passed his hands over her body, and with his powers mended her broken bones and healed her injured body, helped her stand straight, but still, she couldn’t speak a word. She was in the presence of a god after all.

- I never intended to let them sacrifice you, I would never allow such abomination, but you saved yourself before I could save you. Though a promise must be kept and you shall be my wife, The Wife of Anzar, you’ll get to be wise, learn all the science you want from the finest libraries and teachers around this earth and your hands will heal just like your grandma’s once did. You will become the physician you always wished to be. And as I promised my dear friend, your grandma, you’ll be seeing her freely...she misses you and she was always delighted when you visited her grave. 

He offered his hands and looked her in the eyes with a warm smile on his face, gray eyes matching his long straight hair the color of the clouds on a rainy day. 

- Lunja spoke finally after hearing him talking about her granny: I always knew my fate, I just tried to delay it as much as I could. But it seems there is no escape from what’s written on the stars. I shall be your wife, but not this village’s doctor. You’ve seen how I’ve been betrayed and easily thrown away by its people.

- Your demands shall be fulfilled, now to console our agreement, please hold my hand and let me take you to your new place of residence, my castle beyond the clouds. 

And as he asked, she held his hand and at that moment the sky opened its gates and rain fell down. The people saw it as a sign to celebrate. They didn’t sing Lunja’s name although she was the one with the sacrifice. Her name was erased from the village yet spoken in other places in this earth, a legend of medicine and miracles, ruling with Anzar as he saw her as his equal, even though she was a mere human. She finally got to be held in her grandma's hands, and they lived for an eternity and more.

Yasmine Magrane (Artist)

Art has played a huge part of my life as it has helped me build myself as a person and express my emotions through it. I’m very happy to be able to share some of it with you!

Ihssane Mahfoudi
(Writer)