The Writings of Konered Punjab Report

In my dad’s writings have I found a letter, written by Liudgerth the Gertman, apart from sundry things which concerned my dad alone, I contribute here the other part.¹

Punjab, that is five waters, and next to where we came away is a river of exceptional beauty, and it is called five waters because four other streams flow through its mouth to the sea.
Quite far eastward is yet a great stream which is called the holy or pious Ganges.
Between these rivers is the land of the Hindoos.
Both rivers run from the high mountains down to the delta.⁵

The mountains, whence they stream down, are so high that they the heavens (himmel) reach (laia).
Therefore were the mountains called Himmelaian mountains.

Among the Hindoos and others from their lands are some who convene with each other in stillness.
They believe that they are unadulterated children of Finda’s.
They believe that Finda was born from out of the Himmellaias, whence she moved with her child to the delta or lowland.¹⁰
Some among them believe that she has gone down with her child upon the scum of the holy Ganges.
Therefore should the river be called the holy Ganges.

But the priests, who came out of another land, had them hunted out and burned, therefore they dare not come out openly for their cause.
In that land are all priests fat and rich.
In their churches are found all sorts of godlike images, among them are many of gold.¹⁵

West of the Punjab, there are the Yra (Iranians) or bitter, the Gedrostne or fugitives, and the Orjetten or forgotten.
All these names are given them by the hateful priests, because they fled from them because of their customs and belief.

At their arrival had our fore-bears also set themselves down on the eastern shore of the Punjab but because of the priests are they also sailed to the western shore.
Thereby have we become acquainted with the Yra and the others.
The Yra are not wilde but rather good people who neither allow nor worship any images, also will they suffer neither priests nor churches, and even as we uphold the holy light of Fasta, just so keep they always fire in their houses.²⁰

If one comes however all the way westward, thus comes one to the Gedrostne.
These are mixed with other folk and speak a quite varied language.
These people are essentially wild murderes, who always wander with their horses over fields, who always hunt and rob and hire themselves out as soldiers to the surrounding princes, who will hew down all which they might reach.

The land between the Punjab and the Ganges is as flat as Frya’s land at the sea, varied with fields and woods, fruitful in all parts, but that might not prevent that there betimes thousands upon thousands succumb to hunger.
These famines are due neither to Wr-alda nor to Earth, but only due to the princes and priests.²⁵

The Hindoos are even as cowed and frightened by their priests as the hinds are by the wolves.
Therefore have the Yra and others called them Hindoos, which means hinds.
But of their cowardice was dreadful missuse made.
If foreign merchants came to buy corn, thus is everything made into money.

By the priests is it not prevented, for these being yet cleverer and greedier than all the princes together, wit full well, that all the money finally comes into their own pouches.³⁰
Above and beyond that the people there suffer much from their princes, must they also suffer much from the venomous and wild animals.

There are big elephants which run in whole herds, which betimes trample down whole corn fields and settlements.
There are many-hued and black cats, called tigers which are as large as large calves, which devour people and animals.
Besides many other wriggling animals are there snakes from the size of a worm up to the size of a tree.

The largest can devour a whole cow, but the smallest are yet more dreadful than they.³⁵
They keep themselves skulking between bloom and fruit to take the people by surprise who pick thereof.
If one is thereby bitten, so must one die, for against their venom has Earth given no herbs, thus that people have made themselves guilty of idolatry.

Furthermore are there all sorts of lizards, turtles and crocodiles;
all these reptiles are even as the snakes, from as large as a worm to as large as a tree trunk.
According to how great and frightful they are, are their names, of which I cannot name all, the greatest of all are called alligators, because they bite rotten animals, which drift from above to the lowlands (delta), even as eagerly as the living animals, which they might surprise.⁴⁰

On the west side of the Punjab, whence we came away and where I was born, there bloom and grow the same fruits and grains as on the east side.
Before were there also the same wriggling creatures to be found, but our forebears have burned all the underbrush and so often hunted the wild animals, that there remain few.

If one comes completely westward of the Punjab, then finds one, next to fat clay land, dry ghostlands, which seem unending, betimes varied with lovely stretches, whereupon the eye rests enthralled.
Among the fruits of my land are kinds, which I have not found here.
Among all kinds of corn is there also golden, also golden-yellow apples, whereof some are sweet as honey, and some as sour as vinegar.⁴⁵

By us are nuts found as big as children’s heads; therein sit cheese and milk, if they become old, so makes one oil therefrom; from the bast makes one twine and from the corns (shells) makes one chalices and other devices.
Here in the woods have I seen bramble and thornberries.
By us are berry trees as large as your linden trees, whereof the berries are much sweeter and three times greater than your thornberries are.⁵⁰

Whenever the days are at their longest and the sun shines from the top point, then shines it down upon your head.
If one sails, with his ship, quite far southward, and one turned at midday with his face toward the East, so shines the sun against the left side as it otherwise does against the right side.
Herewith will I end, but after my writing shall enough light fall upon thee, to distinguish the lying stories from the true tales.