In ancient Nechani folklore, Nevad was a king whose son, the prince, accidentally wandered into a Nechisti shrine and entered a "death sleep". Claiming responsibility for the prince as a father and a king, Nevad underwent a purification ritual to seek an audience with the Ancestral Spirits and pled for his son's life. In their infinite mercy, the Spirits spared the prince.
In 2373, when Kes was similarly injured by an encounter with the shrine, Captain Kathryn Janeway cited Nevad's story as precedent to the Nechisti Council for undertaking the ritual herself to save Kes. (VOY: "Sacred Ground")