The Ismaline Epigraphy
The Ismaline Epigraphy is a writing system inspired by the scripts used by the Paleo-Hispanic peoples of the Iberian Peninsula prior to the widespread adoption of the Latin alphabet. It was developed for illustrations and graphic elements associated with Tiriana, my original fantasy roleplaying setting. Because part of Tiriana’s cultural background draws inspiration from Iberian traditions, this particular script reflects those influences.
Within the setting, the system is commonly known as Ismaline, after its mythical creator, Ismália. It is also referred to as the Auretanian script, owing to its origins in Auretânia, a distant land beyond the sea. When the Auretanians arrived in Tiriana, they split into two great migrations, and this division eventually transformed both the appearance and the use of the writing system, altering the forms and functions of several characters.
As an irregular script, many symbols are interpreted differently depending on context. It is common, for instance, for the sign BA to represent simply B, or for J to stand for JA.
The Castanhos, who inhabit continental Tiriana, frequently employ the script in woodcuts and chapbooks. Due to centuries of close interaction with neighboring peoples, their forms of many letters have become considerably more irregular and diverse.
Já no largo Oceano navegavam,
As inquietas ondas apartando;
Already they sailed upon the vast Ocean,
Parting the restless waves.
Os ventos brandamente respiravam
Das naus às velas côncavas inchando;
The winds breathed gently,
Swelling the ships’ hollow sails.
Da branca escuma os mares se mostravam
Cobertos onde as proas vão cortando
The seas appeared covered in white foam
Wherever the prows cut through them.
Assim fomos abrindo o chão dos mares,
Que geração alguma não abriu,
Thus we opened the floor of the seas,
Untrodden by any generation before.
As novas ilhas vendo e os novos ares
Beholding new islands and new airs.
Com os olhos no Oriente
Pelo novo astrolábio
With our eyes turned to the East,
Guided by the new astrolabe.
Mawaca — Largo Oceano (Vast Ocean) (adapted from Os Lusíadas)
In the archipelago of Ebra, in western Tiriana, the descendants of Auretania strive to preserve the legacy of their ancestral homeland, introducing only minor variations in the style and use of the script. There, Ismaline writing is commonly found on ceramic tiles and other forms of public ornamentation.
Dizem que uma sombra escura
Com duas pontas na testa
They say that a dark shadow,
Bearing two horns upon his brow,
Por donde o Donzel caminha
Ao lado se manifesta.
Appears beside the Young Lord
Wherever he may walk.
O Doutor vela de sebo
Sinal dos magos errôneos
The Doctor keeps a tallow candle,
Sign of misguided magicians.
Lume lúgubre da morte
Lampadário do demônio
A mournful light of death,
The demon’s lamp.