Negeltu – A Synonym For Awakening

The word “Negeltu” added to the SA VC Dictionary of Vampyre Culture in February 2014.

A Proposal by Samael Anathan, Senator (SAVA), with contributions from Octarine Valur, Regent (SAVA).

Introduction:

“Through the actions of the SAVA, the South African Vampyre Community recently adopted new terminology for the Donors in the community and some other terms relating to certain aspects within the vampire community as a whole (refer to https://vampyreculturecenter.wordpress.com/vampyre-culture/the-vampire-community/vampyre-society/donor-vampyre-classification-in-south-africa/).

As newly awakened Vampyres we awaken to our nature unknowing of what or who we are, but with a thirst to seek out our identity. Awakening for the most part is not a gentle waking from  a peaceful slumber – but to be roused suddenly from a restless sleep with an urge and a wanting to know more – a relentless hunger/thirst not only for what we need to survive but knowledge and our place in the web.

In context of our recent adoption of several Sumerian terms as a way to identify with our ancient roots, and to make our VC more unique, the word used in the context of the VC would refer to the newly Awakened seeking out their place and identity in the web of existence.

In this light, The Sumerian word ‘negeltu’ refers to such an awakening – ‘to wake up with a start.’ This is my suggestion as laid out in this proposal.” – Samael Anathan.

“The words ‘Awakening’, ‘to Awaken’, ‘Awakened’ evoke a deep personal response in most Vampyre-kind. It is a concept referring to the time when we come into ourselves, realizing what we are and becoming familiar with our nature. It is a time which often we find ourselves called upon to assist friends, relatives or strangers we encounter in the VC, who are experiencing the same things we experienced.

It of course refers also to the way in which we perceive ourselves in relation to the rest of the world around us – somnambulant, sleepwalking and unconscious to the things we experience, non-understanding and oblivious.

However, various other communities and subcultures also use the word ‘awakened’ to describe coming into their own natures, awareness of their natures, strengths, abilities and weaknesses and so forth. Examples include numerous religious and neo-religious movements, such as Pagan religions and sub-sects who describe themselves as ‘awakened’, but without the connotation of feeding or possessing a vampyric nature. Some Donors also are believed to go through their own form of Awakening. The Otherkin community also uses the term ‘Awakening’, as do weres and therians. Many refer to people whose ‘third eye’ is active as ‘awakened’. The term appears to mean different but not dissimilar things to different subcultures.

In the general use of the word “Awakening”, the context of vampyric awakening is then lost on all but those initiated in Vampyre culture, and the word ‘Awakening’ in itself does not necessarily convey the complete meaning and relevance to Vampyres since it has multiple meanings to diverse people in diverse subcultures.

The confusion or dilution of the meaning can be compared to the use of the word ‘otherkin’, which also means different things to different communities and subcultures – for example, in the VC, ‘otherkin’ at its most basic, means ‘anyone awakened who is not a Vampyre’, which includes witches and so forth. Meanwhile, in Pagan and Witchcraft circles, the term ‘otherkin’ generally includes Vampyres.

The term ‘Awakening’ then, describes the coming into your nature, but does so for a wide spectrum of subcultural groups, each of which applies its own particular meaning to the experience – and that of course allows the term to carry across subcultural divides, for example when Vampyres discuss their Awakenings with therians or witches etc. However, internally there appears to be an opening for a word that captures the vampyric essence of the experience.

A word substitute that applies solely to Vampyres and vampyric Awakening would suffice, not to totally replace the word and its significance to a broader culture, but simply as an alternative, or partial synonym which will serve to narrow down the context and meaning of ‘Awakening’ to a Vampyre.

An ideal candidate would be a word that rolls off the tongue, and has also never been used in the VC previously. In this case, ‘negeltu’ is an ideal candidate.” – Octarine Valur.

Background:

The word that is suggested as a synonym to “Awakening”, “Awakened” in the context of vampyric nature, is “Negeltu”.

Useage: “the Awakened” – “the Negeltu”, “He is experiencing his/an Awakening” – “He is experiencing (a) Negeltu” etc.

Etymology of “Negeltu”:

Negeltu – pronunciation “neh-gal-too” in South African English.

“The word was used in a Babylonian epic and was translated meaning ‘to rouse’ or ‘to awaken’. On page 143 of Mesopatamian Magic (Tzvi Zbusch, K van der Toon):

‘…the king was roused and frightened from his slumber.’

This is thought to be a slang term for ‘waken’.

‘… out of his sleep (deku), the kusarikkum is ‘roused’ (negeltu)’

The Sumerian Dictionary page 8 lists ‘Awake’ as ‘Negeltu’.”

Conclusion &Implications:

The adoption of this term will NOT imply that suddenly all Vampyres in the SA VC or SAVA will have to drop all other terms and their uses, or that SA VC groups will suddenly have to change their websites or material to replace ‘Awakening’ with ‘Negeltu’. This is not the aim of the exercise at all.

As has been noted many times before, we do not want to discard our identity, or to take away from it – rather we want to add to it, enrich it, and to expand our participants minds, extend their grasp of what it means to identify as a vampyric person, as well as further developing our own unique culture here in South Africa, rather than to just follow the trends set by other communities around the world.

Usage of the term would enter the mainstream local VC dictionary, and general use could be anticipated within six months of release, being announced in articles, included on the Culture website, used in subsequent articles, and so forth.

A minor amount of criticism is understandable and may be expected more from a few individuals in the international arena than in the local sense.

Acknowledgements:

This project and research was compiled by Samael Anathan, and edited and contributed to by Octarine Valur.

References:

Mesoptamian Magic: Textual, Historical, and Interpretative Perspectives, page 143, edited byTzvi Zbusch and Karel van der Toorn.

Family Religion In Babylonia, Ugarit And Israel, page 124, by Karel van der Toon.

Sumerian Dictionary Published by Kurdish Liberty, page 8. “Awake = NEGELTU”

Further Reading:

Original SAVA Proposal Document