Tale of the Six Lords
 Tale of Six Lords engraved at Emerald River Teedachaw | |
| Author | (trad.) Konosacharya |
|---|---|
| Country | Tawncee dynasty (Tusing) |
| Language | Classical Hua |
| Subject | History of the Matu and Valley states period |
| Published | Thousand-Flower Epoch |
The Tale of Six Lords (Hua: ទ នេឯ រៅ ត្សឿ dab neeg rau tswv) is an ancient Tusingese narrative history which explains the beginnings of the Hua people and their history by recounting the lives of six legendary Matu rulers. It comprises of six chapters, each of which contains a full recount of the rule of a king from his ascendence to his death. The Tale of Six Lords is highly regarded to be based more on legend than proper historical fact, due to the importance placed on divine intervention and moral questions, with some accusing the Tale of Six Lords of being more a manual of Kadawist moralism and political theory than accurate historical chronicle. It recounts wars, political decisions, courtly intrigue, natural auspices and natural disasters.
For much of Tusing's history, the Tale of Six Lords was the text of reference for early history and taught as a part of the State Academies. While its value as a historical text has been cast into doubt with the advent of modern historiography and the emphasis on source criticism as opposed to metanarrative, the Tale of Five Lords is recognised as one of the key reference works of classical Hua literature. Its almost lyrically flowing style and predispostion for moral aphorism are highly praised, with many of these aphorisms being widespread across Hua and Kadawist literature and philosophy.