The Library of Babel

The Library of Babel (diddles) is believed to hold all of the literature written by the civilisation surrounding the Underground that has not been hidden away or stolen. Included texts in the Library outlined the way of life of the Underground's inhabitants, illustrated their culture, and held a compendium of thier beliefs - all written in the lingua franca - hence making it an important stop for travelers.

However, the Library's notability lies in its location. It has been notoriously difficult to pinpoint by cartographers, because it seems to shift around and change shape. No formal records exist of what is kept in the Library and where, making it difficult to verify "eye-witness"' testimonies about "new shelves appearing [and] others disappearing."

Structure

Cultural significance

Works in the Library allowed for mythology to live on while retaining accuracy that may be lost through word-of-mouth. This is suggested by the consistency across newer cave wall paintings depicting origin stories correlating with the time of "Core Beliefs" (a naming for a category of books agreed upon by anthropologists who worked on analysing what was "saved" from the Library before the destructive 65th Shift) book completions, as shown by carbon dating.

Anthropologists identified one of the Core Beliefs books as a predecessor to the rest among the collected books. Its age and its very often referenced themes suggest that its importance in the Underground is similar to that of the Old Testament. The book, titled The Compendium of Genesis is referenced most in its fifth chapter, which states:

All the pumping's nearly over for my sweetheart
This is the one for me, time to meet the chef
Oh boy, the running man is out of death
Feel cold and old, it's getting hard to catch my breath
It's back to ash, “Now you've had your flash, boy”
The rocks, in time, compress
Your blood to oil, your flesh to coal
Enrich the soil, not everybody's goal

Anyway, they say she comes on a pale horse
But I'm sure I hear a train
Oh boy, I don't even feel no pain
I guess I must be driving myself insane
Damn it all! Does Earth plug a hole in Heaven
Or Heaven plug a hole in Earth?
How wonderful to be so profound
When everything you are is dying underground

I feel the pull on the rope, let me off at the rainbow
I could have been exploding in space
Different orbits for my bones
Not me, just quietly buried in stones
Keep the deadline open with my maker
See me stretch for God's elastic acre
The doorbell rings, and it's, “Good morning, Rael
So sorry you had to wait
It won't be long, yeah
She's very rarely late”

Poetry

Poetry is prominent in the Library as well, making a common appearance in songs written by The Chorus, who served as the Underground's storytellers.

You

The Library contains many sources regarding You, including information about your date of birth, place of residence, physical description, repressed memories, and IP address, as well as the weight of Your soul.