Widely published in his time, the turbulent country of Vinumera has not allowed much Githmund Extiez's original works to survive. Legends, a mere overview of his longer works, is the largest uninterrupted text but, due to lack of detail, is also regarded as one of least importance. Probably meant for those with low literacy, the text was meant to engage the reader while encouraging them to seek his extensive collection of detailed papers, both poetic and academic, most of which did not survive the rise of Tamashp.
The book has one of the most well-known opening lines of all time; "Here I have written down brief accounts of all my knowledge (which can be further explored in my other works)* so that all people now and later may know of the marvels of our world, lest we forget them and they fall into legend."
His most famous story in the collection is The story of the origin of all and the comings and goings of the divine according to the west, which supposedly summarizes the creation story of the Lar Chamlek. Filled with Githmund's trademark dramatics, he makes such claims as "regardless of how this story leaves you, with happiness or hope, you must accept that you may never be able to fathom in any form you may take the fullness of it all.". In the work, he refers to the creation story of the Westerners as the 'Conflict of Creation'. At many points disagrees with himself, prior works, earlier paragraphs, and writes in such a bizarre fashion that despite its short length, the story was voted Most Difficult Read by literary critics in 1400, outstripping even experimental novels like Cival's Peachstone.
The text has been valued not only for its author, but for a glimpse at what provincials would have expected to read about at the time. Scholars who study Githmund's work are now working closely with anthropologists, biologists, and others to try and better understand the world in which Githmund lived. Notably, the passage in his story The elusive mystery god of the evening, it is stated that "...[she] nurtures and cultivates all sentient life, even those great beasts that live among us...", with the term "great beasts" taken until recently as a reference to the nomadic warlords of ancient Marcwith. Only now is there evidence that colossal animals may have existed in Githmund's lifetime.
The story in Legends with the strongest legacy is by far The dominion of the king of Io. This short text is often taught in schools as an introduction to ancient literature, making it one of the most heavily quoted texts in history. The romantic prose of King Gaiagara, the subject of the story, has attracted readers of all ages for generations. It is so popular that it is often confused and attributed to the much-loved poet Zindae, especially the couplet;
“Hubris breeds ripe flesh. The devices of such men are the sweetest nourishment. A meal so tempting will wake the foundations of the earth.”
Io, the shortest story of Legends, has been translated into every spoken language across the globe. It is praised for a simplicity uncommon to the well-known author;
"Do you know why the world is called Io? It is named for that lonely land at sea where sometimes the Gods still walk. That place is Iokeihiko, the island of the Gods, wherein dwell the divine.
When we look out at a dark sky and see only distant stars anyplace on this world can feel like that remote island. Our comfort is that this is our Io, our island, in which we travel together, in which we hope to experience all divine things that dwell here."
*this portion of text is usually omitted in modern reprints.