English translation of the Knowledge of the World
Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2014 4:54 pm
Occasionally here on this forum (though not as much recently), a discussion about the lore of the Rayman universe starts up. There are certain reference texts used in these discussions, most notably the Knowledge of the World. This being an English forum, the English translation of this text tends to be the version used. However, it came to my attention in recent months that this translation contains a few errors. At this point, even though they are quite minor, reading the official translation almost makes me cringe because it can be misguiding. Therefore, I decided to do my own translation. Here it is, with the most important differences from the official one underlined:
Naïve:
The Yellow Lums are the 1000 fragments of the Heart of the World, broken by the Pirates. They contain the universal knowledge. The more of them you collect, the more of it you will know. At any time, you can access the secrets of the world by keeping F1 pressed.
You must first know that the universe is made of energy. Everything that moves around you, everything that lives, everything that thinks is animated by little magic lights known as "Lums".
There exist four families of Lums. The most important are the Yellow Lums. There are 1000 of them in total. They give knowledge to whomever collects them and they open unknown places…
The Red Lums are full to the brim of concentrated vital energy. They have the power to extend life… The Pirates are crazy about them. Destroy them [the pirates] and you will be able to get back the Red Lums that they have stolen.
The Purple Lums assure the cohesion of the world. Without them, there would be nothing solid, nothing visible. With your fist, you can grab onto them and jump through the air from one to the other.
Neophyte:
The Blue Lums contain the first breath. They are at the origin of all life. Every creature receives at birth its Blue Lum and keeps it until death.
One day, the Lums set about thinking, and their consciousness became incarnate in a strange and marvellous being: Polokus. Polokus is so powerful that the least of his dreams or desires becomes reality.
Polokus decided to use his power to populate the world. He started with the magical beings, and dreamed the fairies. They are his emissaries. From the first four Lums, they fashioned the Silver Lums which give you your powers.
Polokus then imagined the Teensies. Their role is to untangle the roads of the world. They know the secret passages and can lead you to the Hall of Doors where all the paths intersect.
Then, he created simpler beings, the people. The first was Clark. His incredible strength was revealed to be precious when the landscapes needed to be sculpted, the monotonous planes needed to be plied into hills, or the overly violent rives needed to be redirected.
Enlightened:
Afterwards, it was the turn of Globox and his family. They're adorable, aren't they? The sages still don't know what Polokus had in mind when creating them, but one thing is sure: never had he so clearly demonstrated his sense of humour! (That last bit was quite hard to translate, so I don't blame Ubi for chickening out!)
Polokus finished his work of creation by conceiving a multitude of fantastical creatures, like Murfy, the flying encyclopædia in one volume, or even the terrible Eig, who spends his time getting drunk with the fermented liquids of the marsh.
Unfortunately, Polokus didn't control all his creations. His dark ideas and negative thoughts, at their turn, gave birth to strange beasts. Also, take good care not to meet with his nightmares.
After giving the world its inhabitants, Polokus was left with the most difficult task: to create time. He made his way to where the gods of all the worlds meet up, and, together, they undertook to dream the future.
So that he can be warned in the event of a problem, Polokus prepared magical masks at the four corners of the world. Before leaving, he explained to the fairies that all it would take to bring him back is to reunite the four masks.
Sage:
Because he did not want to be brought back by just anyone, Polokus got fierce guardians to protect the masks, endowing each one with weak points that only a pure-hearted warrior could discover…
The period following Polokus' departure was one of the most delicious. A wind of freedom blew over souls. The inhabitants learned to speak and live with nature. All was harmony. Until the day the Pirates landed…
As you know, the Pirates made the Heart of the World explode. They want to reduce us to slavery and pillage the [our] wealth. They are nothing more than soulless monsters, only good for stealing the dreams that they can never have themselves.
You absolutely must bring back Polokus. Only he can allow you to defeat the Pirates. Therefore, quickly reunite the four masks, lest the world and its inhabitants end forever.
Here you are now, very knowledgeable. The moment has come to reveal to you a mystery for which no sage has an answer. This mystery is you. Nobody knows who you are, and nobody knows who your parents are.
Omniscient:
Of all the inhabitants, you are the only one whom Polokus did not dream. And you are also the only one to receive powers from the fairies. Some see you as the chosen one of the gods of all the worlds. Who knows…
Naïve:
The Yellow Lums are the 1000 fragments of the Heart of the World, broken by the Pirates. They contain the universal knowledge. The more of them you collect, the more of it you will know. At any time, you can access the secrets of the world by keeping F1 pressed.
You must first know that the universe is made of energy. Everything that moves around you, everything that lives, everything that thinks is animated by little magic lights known as "Lums".
There exist four families of Lums. The most important are the Yellow Lums. There are 1000 of them in total. They give knowledge to whomever collects them and they open unknown places…
The Red Lums are full to the brim of concentrated vital energy. They have the power to extend life… The Pirates are crazy about them. Destroy them [the pirates] and you will be able to get back the Red Lums that they have stolen.
The Purple Lums assure the cohesion of the world. Without them, there would be nothing solid, nothing visible. With your fist, you can grab onto them and jump through the air from one to the other.
Neophyte:
The Blue Lums contain the first breath. They are at the origin of all life. Every creature receives at birth its Blue Lum and keeps it until death.
One day, the Lums set about thinking, and their consciousness became incarnate in a strange and marvellous being: Polokus. Polokus is so powerful that the least of his dreams or desires becomes reality.
Polokus decided to use his power to populate the world. He started with the magical beings, and dreamed the fairies. They are his emissaries. From the first four Lums, they fashioned the Silver Lums which give you your powers.
Polokus then imagined the Teensies. Their role is to untangle the roads of the world. They know the secret passages and can lead you to the Hall of Doors where all the paths intersect.
Then, he created simpler beings, the people. The first was Clark. His incredible strength was revealed to be precious when the landscapes needed to be sculpted, the monotonous planes needed to be plied into hills, or the overly violent rives needed to be redirected.
Enlightened:
Afterwards, it was the turn of Globox and his family. They're adorable, aren't they? The sages still don't know what Polokus had in mind when creating them, but one thing is sure: never had he so clearly demonstrated his sense of humour! (That last bit was quite hard to translate, so I don't blame Ubi for chickening out!)
Polokus finished his work of creation by conceiving a multitude of fantastical creatures, like Murfy, the flying encyclopædia in one volume, or even the terrible Eig, who spends his time getting drunk with the fermented liquids of the marsh.
Unfortunately, Polokus didn't control all his creations. His dark ideas and negative thoughts, at their turn, gave birth to strange beasts. Also, take good care not to meet with his nightmares.
After giving the world its inhabitants, Polokus was left with the most difficult task: to create time. He made his way to where the gods of all the worlds meet up, and, together, they undertook to dream the future.
So that he can be warned in the event of a problem, Polokus prepared magical masks at the four corners of the world. Before leaving, he explained to the fairies that all it would take to bring him back is to reunite the four masks.
Sage:
Because he did not want to be brought back by just anyone, Polokus got fierce guardians to protect the masks, endowing each one with weak points that only a pure-hearted warrior could discover…
The period following Polokus' departure was one of the most delicious. A wind of freedom blew over souls. The inhabitants learned to speak and live with nature. All was harmony. Until the day the Pirates landed…
As you know, the Pirates made the Heart of the World explode. They want to reduce us to slavery and pillage the [our] wealth. They are nothing more than soulless monsters, only good for stealing the dreams that they can never have themselves.
You absolutely must bring back Polokus. Only he can allow you to defeat the Pirates. Therefore, quickly reunite the four masks, lest the world and its inhabitants end forever.
Here you are now, very knowledgeable. The moment has come to reveal to you a mystery for which no sage has an answer. This mystery is you. Nobody knows who you are, and nobody knows who your parents are.
Omniscient:
Of all the inhabitants, you are the only one whom Polokus did not dream. And you are also the only one to receive powers from the fairies. Some see you as the chosen one of the gods of all the worlds. Who knows…
knowledge/wisdom
