Luju in Xelhan... well, there is no direct translation for it, but it basically stands for perseverance in a task that is considered a lost cause. I learned the term from my tupana, who lived through the blitzkrieg of World War 2. The Xelhan military was betrayed and attacked by their former Viserian allies. Despite the odds and numbers, the Xelhans managed to hold them at Raine City after destroying all the bridges across the Ukkonen River. She kept a clipping of the article that ran in the Blizzaria Gazette after the war, 'Luju: How the Xelhans Stalled the Viseryians'.
"But what is it, koroua*?" a young child asked as he tried to locate a translation for it online.
"I told you it's not something you can just find and put a value on," Merric chuckled at his grandchild. "Its something you feel from the inside, something that makes us Xelhan. When you have a moment and think that something is beyond your reach, you reach deeper, and you push harder to make it happen. It gives you the strength to move on, even when all appears to be lost."
Merric leaned back in his chair and continued explaining, "No one is really sure where the word came from, but Luju is believed to be derived from the term Lujuscunda, which was believed to be where strong emotions eminated from. This was of course church philosophy and with the establishment and unification of the Xelha Orthodox Church, it was a word that all people could come together and agree on. It gave Xelhans that extra character they needed when they needed to unify under one nation. It gave us belief that if we could put our hearts into it, it would be done."
"Oh, then I better go fill up on it so I can be great just like everyone else!" the child exclaimed as he lept up from his seat.
"Not so fast my boy," Merric chuckled. "You don't want too much of it. Some people may see too much of it as stubbornness. I can tell you that from experience. The queen herself has told me to stop being so stubborn, especially when hanging on to old relics of the past. Not that she's any better. But with your stubbornness, you need to make sure you don't stay on the path too long. Sometimes you may do yourself more harm than good." He reached out to pat the boy on the head, "So remember, if you stock up on Luju, stock up on a small dose of humility too. You don't want to be like grandpa, too stubborn to change or ask for help when the need arises. But do make sure you have enough that no matter what comes to Xelha, you will always stay the course on what's good for the country. That on that darkest of night, you'll release your stored luju and bring the light back to Xelha."
*translator note: Koroua means Grandpa224Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqXYea4np4B
