The Online Ginen Fact Booklet

If you read Zahrah the Windseeker, the Shadow Speaker, her short story From the Diary of Treefrog7, and several other of her stories, you will come to know the world called Ginen.

It is a land far away from your land. Farther than Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, China, Afghanistan, Madagascar, the United States, farther than everywhere. It's a world full of lush jungles, technology and many many people, creatures and monsters.

It is where Zahrah lives and a place that Ejii comes to know well. It is where Treefrog7 and Morituri36 mysteriously disappeared. The Ooni Kingdom is where you'll find Ginen's only human civilization. Here are a few facts excerpted from the Ooni Digi-book of History and Events and the Forbidden Greeny Jungle Field Guide.

click on the links or scroll down for all the entries in alphabetical order

Places of Ginen

Ooni Kingdom
Yemeja Lake
Kirki
The Forbidden Greeny Jungle

Ooni Kingdom: This is where the human beings of Ginen are concentrated. Few humans venture beyond this technologically advanced civilization. Most will tell you that life is so good here that there really is no reason to go elsewhere. At the center of the kingdom is the Great City. At the center of the Great City is the Ooni Palace, which stands over a mile high.

Yemeja Lake: a lake on the south side of the Great City. Bullion fish (see entry below) can be found in its depths.

Kirki: A small town north of the Great City. Zahrah's hometown.

The Forbidden Greeny Jungle: One of the seven major jungles of Ginen. The Forbidden Greeny Jungle is about three thousand six hundred square kilometers wide. This makes it the 7th largest in the land of Ginen.

Flora and Fauna of Ginen:

Abatwa Little people, supposedly the tiniest living things in human form. They are clan-like creatures said to be so small they hide under blades of grass and sometimes sleep in anthills. Sometimes they are said to be seen riding the ants themselves. According to folklore, the Abatwa live in the mountains and hills, but are nomadic hunters, having no central village. They follow the game, devour their kill in its entirety, and then move on.

Although the Abatwa is thought to like aiding humans by giving good advice, they are said to be very shy, sighted only by the very young children, magic wielders, and pregnant women. If a woman in her seventh month of pregnancy happens to see a male Abatwa, it is a definite omen that she will give birth to a boy. And if she sees a female Abatwa who is dancing, it will definitely be a girl.

Baobab Tree: A fat leafy tree commonly found in the Greeny Jungle and around its perimeters. The Baobab Tree is known to kill all plants and trees that try to grow around it. Though its branches are large and low to the grounds, few animals tend to make the tree their home. The reason for this is unknown.

Bullion Fish: Large gold fish about three feet in length and two feet in width that live in the Yemeja Lake on the south side of the Great City.

Burning Bushes: Large green plants that glow a bright hot orange every twenty-five years. Found only in the northeast.

Bush Cow : Also known as the "Bandit of the Jungle". A small mammal with soft white or brown fur and stubby padded black feet. Known for its crafty methods of stealing the fruits from explorers' bags. It is found in all parts of Ginen.

Cannibats: can be found only in Ginen guarding the magic seeds. They eat each other for sustenance but kill anything or one who approaches the seed and leaves them to rot. It's an added insult.

Carnigourd: A leafy meat-eating plant with a giant green and orange pod. A common plant of the Greeny Jungle.

God Bug; A common scarab beetle found all over Ginen. When it feels the urge, it'll spontaneously multiple, becoming two independent God Bugs. When it multiples it may make a soft popping or giggling sound. There have been rare case where one has multiplied into four or five.

Gosukwu: A monkey-like monster about the size of a small truck with blue thick fur. It is the elgort's only enemy. Little else is known about the Gosukwu. Only found in the Greeny Jungle.

Greeny Gorilla: A highly intelligent large bipedal mammal known for its love and connection to nature and its hatred of technology.

Hush Monkey: A common small mammal with thick soft fur and a friendly disposition. These monkeys tend to live in people's home. They keep themselves out of sight, clean up their own feces and are known to spray themselves with women's perfume.

Idiok: These are extremely intelligent and spiritually gifted baboons.

Jungle Sloth: A common lazy long -limbed mammal with sleek black fur that is happy eating flowers all day and too slow to do much else.

Jungle Sparrows: Brown short-beaked bird about the size of one's hand that can be found almost anywhere.

Kwa: A foul tempered snake that is always shedding its skin. Its body grows to be hundreds of feet long but its trail of skin gets even longer.

Mutatu: A large flightless migrating bird with three long thick legs and feathers was soft downy black hair. It has a large beak which it uses for self-defense. It is vegetarian and feeds on fennel seeds which give it a pleasant spicy smell. Mutatus migrate in long lines to their nesting grounds in the north.

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Morta : a beautiful red bird with a long thin beak that eats insects. When it dies, its dead body continues to fly aimlessly for days. They are easy prey for tree beasts who snatch them out of the sky. Found on the South side forest.

Nofly Bird: A brown bird with a short orange beak, powerful wings and thick orange legs. Friendly with human beings, the nofly bird is common house pet. What makes these birds most bizarre is that regardless of their wonderful wings, they are terrified of heights. Historians believe that the nofly bird once flew the skies, for there are drawings from thousands of years ago depicting the birds in mid-flight. However no explanation could be found for why they stopped.

Ogoni Ants: Ants that live on and maintain the Ooni palace. They are white and as big as a human being. They've been there since the palace started growing. They clip dead leaves, cauterize gashes, feed it, message places with their mandibles, communicate with it, and will fight viciously if the palace looks as if it's being attacked.

Oil Men: Surly monkeys that dwell inside a boiling vat of oil in the Land of Oil. Their fur is typically quite crispy.

Reef Frogs: A tribe of frogs found deep in the jungles of Ginen. They are known for their pink retracting ears and impossible sense of smell.

Shangos: A black lizards with an orange head and tale about a foot in length with a black frill on its neck. When it bites, it'll only let go when there is a thunderstorm. Typically their bodies are cut off and the head is left till the thunderstorm. The day the head lets go is usually welcomed with great relief, for the lizards bite stings like many pins in the skin. It is most commonly found throughout Ginen.

Slash Rabbit: A carnivorous rabbit known for its awful temperament. When exposed to alarm pheromones they are consumed by the urge to do violence. Some are brown, most are a very light grey.

Stock Fish: Fish that become petrified the minute they touch air, typically when they are captured. They are very mean and grow terribly angry when caught. Once captured, they freeze, thinking, "You'll not enjoy my flesh!" However, their petrified bodies are actually very tasty and considered a delicacy. Lately, however, prices for stock fish have gotten too high.

Tree Clams: The only mollusk (this is a group of organisms that also includes snails, mussels and squids) in the jungle that climbs trees using its soft sticky tongue. It is most commonly found throughout the Greeny Jungle.

War Snake: A white snake with green splotches on its body shaped oddly like badges and stars. It is only about a half-meter long. The poisonous snake is very belligerent and known to bite anyone who is close enough to it. Found only in the Greeny Jungle.