Bewitched

AUTHOR’S NOTE

The Sarmatians were a real group of pastoral nomads that lived on the Pontic Steppe roughly 2000 years ago. I first became enamored with these nomads fifteen years ago when, back in college, I studied the grave sites of dozens of girls and young women who were buried with warrior’s accoutrements and whose remains showed signs of violence. It’s believed that these women were the real life inspiration for tales of the mythical Amazons, as Scythian and Sarmatian women would ride into battle.

Since first learning about these cultures’ existence, I’ve tried to research as much as I can about who they were and what their lives were like. Unfortunately, the Sarmatians have left behind no written record of their own lives, so the language Memnon and Selene spoke in Bewitched is made up—though I did try to incorporate the common linguistic sounds that I saw in the words that did survive.

While couldn’t find the original Sarmatian word for “queen” I instead used “Amage”, which was the name of an actual Sarmatian queen. Likewise, the name “Roxilana” is based on the Sarmatian word “Roxolani” which roughly means “blessed people”.

It should also be noted that I drew from other pastoral nomadic tribes—most notably the Scythians—to fill in gaps in the archaeological record, as the Sarmatians shared a great many cultural practices and ideologies with tribes that lived adjacent to them in time and space. An example of this is the word “xsaya”, which appears to be the Scythian word for “king” according to one Luwian inscription.

Some additional notable details I wanted to mention: Sarmatian men tattooed themselves, and Memnon’s tattoos in particular are heavily inspired by the tattoos found on the remains of a Pazyryk chieftain. Similarly, Memnon’s scar is a duplicate of a scar found on the body of a Scythian warrior. The skull chalice was based on true—if macabre—practices as well.

Though this book is a work of fiction, it’s been fun to bring to life bits of this culture that has held me in its grip for so long.

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