First Exodus

Kaaranese mythology is often unclear. While as deep and varied as any other culture, so much has been lost, rediscovered, and lost again in the repeating cycle of civilisations rising and collapsing that their history and mythology is long and confusing. There are some things that all experts can agree on, but for the most part different factions have sprung up among Kaaranese historians and folklorists as to the different interpretations of different records.

The legend of the First Exodus is no exception to this rule, and indeed is the most famous example of this - while the myth itself is extremely bare of verifiable information, the different interpretations of it have resulted in frequent schisming amongst historical experts. Some believe it to be a myth entirely unrelated to the Sangheili arrival to Ketesh, created as a retroactive explanation for the unknown. Others hold that it is a garbled version of events, describing the circumstances of the Sangheili flee from their homeworld and arrival on Ketesh. Others still put emphasis on a literal approach, insisting that it describes the Forerunners descending and bringing them to Ketesh as their "chosen ones". As can be imagined, members of the different factions tend to avoid others, lest violence break out, though for the most part the first two groups, the "Metaphorists" and "Traditionalists" get along better with each other than they do with the "Literalists," who both regard as religious zealots.

Myth
"Alas, it was upon deeds of the Brothers that their fates rested upon, and their deeds were many, and valaint; and yet still they were not enough to save themselves from the doom set upon them. And as they rejoiced at its passing, it rejoiced at ours, and all rejoiced as the world passed into shadow. But a warrior may wield a blade, yet the blade does not make a warrior; so too does shadow not make utter darkness. The shadow passed, and the Brothers looked up and beheld an angel glorious, a wreath of holy flame about its head. Some perceived that in its right hand it held a great sword, and upon its blade was inscribed the name TRUTH; and they steeled themselves, and were afraid. Yet others perceived that in its left hand it also carried a great torch, the holy light burning within it producing a blinding light, and though afraid, they did not cower, but made veneration.  The Angel beckoned them forth, and they passed out of the shadow and into the place between, and stepped out upon a sea of wonder. The darkness closed in around them, but the Angel held aloft its torch, driving the dark things away, and the Faithful passed through safely. The song of the great host filled them up, and gave them strength; and the great galley, and its caravan of stars passed through the place between, and emerged on the other side."

- The First Exodus of The Faithful

History
The earliest accounts of the First Exodus trace back to the Ultarqwe Ruins of northern Daaran, dated to 4000 BC, where tablets have been uncovered depicting the Caravan of Stars, with the Galley at its head, with portions of the legend enscribed underneath. The entire legend has not been preserved, and most experts agree that what little is known is but the middle portion, with both the beginning and end lost to time. Exactly what they were fleeing from remains unknown, and how they reached Ketesh is also ambiguous and the subject of much debate. Nevertheless, the legend has had profound effects on Sangheili culture on Kaaran. Fire has always been an embodiment of knowledge and wisdom, and seems to have originated in the earliest retellings of the First Exodus legend.

Afterwards, the legend undergoes many different alterations and rewritings. For a significant portion of history, the legend was embellished with accounts of the journey of the Faithful, adding demons and other creatures as obstacles, likely mingling local legends with it; it was only in 266 BC that the legend returned to its original form, as Keltashan archaeologists uncovered Ultarqwe, translating the original (now fragmented) tablet. Even in those days, interpretations varied, and when Civil War erupted in 399 BC, the interpretation of the Ultarqwe Tablets was one of the contributing socio-religious reasons for the fragmentation. When the Cataclysm occurred, devastating Keltash and leaving only a few hundred thousand survivors on Ketesh, the tablets were destroyed and most of the original sources were lost - the Journals of Thoth Keltam preserved much of his own work on the subject, from which modern knowledge has drawn much.

Interpretations
As the earliest myth on Ketesh, and the closest the Ketesh Sangheili have ever come to a creation myth, the First Exodus has attracted a significant amount of speculation and interpretation, though they usually follow three main streams of thought;