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Post by Shan on Jun 26, 2006 1:31:53 GMT
From the Philippines
How Butterflies Came to Be
There once lived an old woman who tended a fine flower garden by the shore of a lake. The fisherfolk who lived in a nearby village loved her dearly, and would often visit her to exchange their fish for lovely flowers.
They somehow knew there was something magical about her, for her house seemed mysteriously bright at night (no, she didn't have any electricity), and some even saw a few dwarfs assisting what appeared to be a beautiful young woman... but only at night, never during the day.
One time, a young couple visited the village. They were proud and hated anything ugly.
They chanced upon the old woman's flower garden at the edge of the lake, and entered it to gather some bouquets. The old woman asked them to leave, but instead of obeying, the young man and woman made fun of her because they found her ugly.
To punish them, the old woman touched them with a cane and said that since they like only beautiful things, they will be turned into the most beautiful insects.
So the next time you see two lovely butterflies hovering near some flowers, you'll remember that haughty young couple.
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Post by Shan on Jun 26, 2006 1:33:37 GMT
From the Philippines
Why the Ocean Is Salty
Many years ago, the sea tasted like ordinary rainwater. It was bland and tasteless. Fortunately, the people living in the islands knew about a friendly giant who kept mounds of salt in his cave.
The people would cross the ocean on their boats to reach the gentle giant's island, and that is how they were able to bring salt back to their villages, in order to prepare tastier meals.
One time, however, the ocean was quite rough and they could not sail out to gather salt. They eventually ran out of salt and the villagers no longer enjoyed their tasteless meals. They wondered how they could get salt again, when a child suggested they ask the giant to stretch out his legs over the ocean so that they could walk to his island instead.
The kind giant agreed, and villagers with empty salt sacks walked along the giant's leg. Unfortunately, the giant's foot landed on an anthill, and the ferocious red ants started biting the enormous leg.
"Hurry!" pleaded the giant, who strained to keep his itchy legs still.
As soon as the people reached the giant's island, he immediately withdrew his foot and scratched the itchy bites. The villages just smiled at how a giant could be bothered by tiny ants.
Anyway, the people got their salt and the giant again stretched his leg over the ocean. Immediately, the ants began biting his swollen foot. Once again, the giant asked the people to hurry up, but the heavy salt sacks slowed them down.
Besides, the people didn't believe that the tiny ants could really affect the giant, so they idly chatted away, and walked rather slowly.
Before the villagers could cross the ocean, the giant cried out and thrust his ant-bitten foot into the ocean. All the packed salt fell into the plain-water sea and melted.
The giant saved the people from drowning, but no one was able to recover the spilled salt. From that day onwards, the sea became salty.
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Post by Shan on Jun 26, 2006 1:35:41 GMT
The girls and I are having so much fun with this thread. I hope you guys are enjoying it too.
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Post by Shan on Jun 26, 2006 1:37:07 GMT
From the Philippines
Why the Fish Has Scales
A farmer and his wife were blessed with a beautiful baby girl. They pampered her and refused to let her do any farmwork. They showered her with attention. Too much attention.
She grew up into a beautiful maiden. And she knew it. That's why she would often go to the clear streams to admire her own beauty.
One day, the king of the crabs saw her by the side of the stream, and he approached her saying he wanted to be her friend.
She found him ugly and told him she did not want to be friends with such a horrid-looking creature. So he jumped on her face and made several painful scratches.
She splashed some water on her wounds, but these hardened into scales. To top it off, the king crab placed a spell on her and turned her into a fish filled with scales.
Nowadays, if you happen to look into clear streams, you'll find scaly fish swimming and moving in a strange manner. They quickly jerk away when they sometimes see their reflection which reminds them of the "beauty" they lost long ago.
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Post by Shan on Jun 27, 2006 3:27:32 GMT
From Japan
KINTARO - Legendary symbol of virtue and strength
Like many legendary figures he appears in both history and mythology. According to classic Japanese literature he was fathered by a great Red Dragon ( the thunder god - see below ) who visited his mountain sorceress mother in a dream. She awoke amidst powerful claps of thunder and knew at once she was with child. Kintaro means "Golden Boy" and his jealous uncle sought to kill him. His mother took him and fled into the Hakone mountains to the deepest forests of Mount Kintoki. Growing up deep in the forest his beautiful spirit caused him to become a special friend to all the wild animals, most especially the rabbits and the bears. He loved to play with his animal friends about the rocks of the Yuhi no Taki Falls. So strong was he as a boy and so gifted at Sumo wrestling that he could throw down a bear. He was a very good boy, rosy-cheeked and chubby and always carried a hatchet, the Japanese symbol of the thunder god and is usually depicted riding his beloved bear. One day, when he was nearly grown Yorimitsu Minamoto, the strongest chief of all the Samurai returning from the east (around the 10th century) came upon Kintaro playing with his bear and tossing him about in the mountain forest.
The great Samurai and his troop of warriors were so delighted to meet such a fine young man with such good manners that they took him immediately to heart! So sure were they that it was God's providence that they enlisted him at once to become one of his retainers. As legend has it, Kintaro then changed his name to Kintoki and served his new master with legendary distinction... To this day, when a Japanese baby boy is born his room is often decorated on Boy's day (May 5th ) with a small Kintaro figurine symbolizing the ideal balance of the masculine virtue of great strength with gentleness.
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Post by Shan on Jun 27, 2006 3:30:37 GMT
From Dark Japanese myths and legends of gods and monsters
SUSANUO
Susanuo; a much more ancient variation of the universal thunder god legend from world mythology:
One of the greatest characters from Japanese Mythology was Susanuo, the son of Izanagi. He was the god of thunder, fertility and agriculture, very similar to Thor and Zeus from western Mythology. He was cast out of heaven, and his totem was the serpent. He was a dragon slayer of the first rank and killed a great eight headed dragon. He was dressed in a large cloak to disguise his weapons and tricked it by getting it drunk by leaving out eight large bowls of saki.., ( a powerful Japanese liquor made from rice )
Suddenly he threw back his cloak and fell on the monster and cut it to pieces. The poor girl in chains Susanuo rescues in the story was the youngest of eight daughters, and all her sisters were slain as human sacrifices to the great hard drinking eight- headed dragon. Susanuo took her for his wife and she became the legendary princess Kushinada. In the middle of the dragon's tail he found a wonderful magic sword which he pulled out of the bloody carcass and presented to his elder sister Ameraterasu, the goddess of the sun.
In later stories the sword is given the name Kushinagi and has been transmitted to our own times as one of the three great emblems of Japanese Imperial power.
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Post by Shan on Jun 27, 2006 3:51:52 GMT
From the Iroquois
The No-Face Doll
The three sisters of the Iroquois, Corn, Beans and Squash are the three spirits that sustain life. In the beginning, the Corn spirit was so happy at being a sustainer of life that she asked the Creator for more ways to help her people. So the Creator began forming a doll from her husks, creating for it a beautiful face, and giving it to the children of the Iroquois. But the doll, as it passed from village to vllage and child to child, continually proclaimed her beauty, until she became so vain that the Creator disapproved of her and asked her to refrain from such narcissistic behavior. If she continued, the Creator warned, he would have to punish her.
The doll agreed, and attempted to be more humble. But one day, walking by a creek, she glanced into the water and stopped to admire the beauy of her reflection. The Creator, however was unseeing; he sent a giant screech owl down from the sky to snatch her reflection from the water. When she then glaned into the water again to admire her beauty, her reflection was gone. She could no longer see her face or glory in her superior beauty.
Ever since, when an Iroquois mother gives a doll to her child, she usually a doll with no face, and tells the legend of the Corn-Husk doll. The Iroquois want their children to value the unique gifts that the Creator has given to each of them, but not to view themselves as superior to another, or to overemphasize physical appearance at the expense of spiritual and community values.
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Post by LaFille on Jun 30, 2006 5:41:05 GMT
Ys, the sunken city Ys (also spelled Is or Ker-Ys in Breton) is a mythical city built in the Douarnenez bay in Brittany by Gradlon, King of Cornouaille, for his daughter Dahut.
According to the legend, Ys was built below sea level, protected by a dam from being engulfed. The only keys of the gate in the dam were held by Gradlon, but Satan made Dahut steal them and give them to him. He then opened the gate and Ys was flooded. In some versions of the story, Satan was sent by God to punish the city, whose inhabitants were becoming decadent. Other versions of the story tell that Dahut stole the keys either at her lover's request or in order to open the gates of the city to let her lover in. The only survivors were the King Gradlon, who was advised to abandon his daughter by Saint Guénolé, and Saint Guénolé himself. Gradlon then founded Quimper and on his death, a statue representing him on horseback looking in the direction of Ys was erected on the Saint Corentin Cathedral and still stands there. Bretons said that Ys was the most wonderful city in the world, and that Lutèce was renamed Paris after Ys was destroyed, because "Par-Is" in Breton means "Similar to Ys".
This deluge legend differs from others because the location of Ys is well defined: the statue of Gradlon looks at it, most of the localities mentioned exist, several Roman roads actually lead into the sea (and are meant to lead to Ys), and this myth could in fact depict the engulfment of a real city during the 5th century. This history is also sometimes viewed as the victory of Christianity (Gradlon was converted by Saint Guénolé) over druidism (Dahut and most inhabitants of Ys were worshippers of Celtic gods). However, a Breton folktale asserts that Gradlon met, spoke with and consoled the last Druid in Brittany, and oversaw his pagan burial, before building a chapel in his sacred grove. (Wikipedia) The statue of King Gradlon in Quimper
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Post by LaFille on Jun 30, 2006 5:42:38 GMT
Now here is the tale from the legend, from the website of the city of Quimper: The Legend of the City of YsMalgven, Queen of the North
Here is the story of the King Gradlon and the City of Ys. The King Gradlon lived in Cornwall. He owned a fleet of many boats that he liked to oppose to his enemies, often in distant countries where the weather was cold. He was an excellent sailor and strategist and often won his battles, plundering the opponent’s boats and filling his chests with gold and trophies.
One day, his sailors, tired from the fights in these cold countries, rebelled, refusing to assault the castle which was promised to them. Many of them died during the winter. They decided to go back to their boats and to head for their land, the Brittany, to find wives and children and live there in peace. The King Gradlon let them leave and found himself alone, in the cold night. He was vanquished by his own men and after the intense excitement of fights and victories , he knew a deep sadness.
Suddenly, the king felt a presence around him. He raised the head and saw, white in the moon light and dressed in a cuirass shining from the light of the night star, a woman with long red hair. It was Malgven, Queen of the North, boreal sovereign ruling without partage on the cold lands. She said to King Gradlon: "I knew you, you are courageous and skilful in fight. My husband is old, his sword is rusty. You and me are going to kill him. Then, you will bring me in your country of Cornwall." They killed the old king from the North, filled a chest with gold and, as Gradlon had no more boat, mounted Morvarc'h, Malgven’s magical horse. Morvarc'h means "horse of the sea"; it was black as the night and blew fire from his nostrils. The horse galloped on the crest of waves and they quickly caught up with the king's boats which went back to Cornwall. A violent tempest and a thunderstorm started then, scattering the boats on the ocean.
The Birth of Dahut
Gradlon and Malgven stayed one full year on the sea. One day, on a boat, Malgven gave birth to a child, a girl thy called Dahut. Unfortunately, the queen became sick and died. The King Gradlon and his daughter Dahut went back to Cornwall. But the king was so sad that he never went out of his castle. Dahut grew, she was very beautiful, as her mother Malgven. The King Gradlon liked to play with the curls of her long golden hair. Dahut was found of the sea. One day she asked her father to build a city, a city near the sea.
The City Built Against the Sea
Gradlon loved his daughter and agreed. Many thousands of workers started to build the city, that looked like emerging from the sea. To prevent her from the high waves and tempest, a very high[Censored] surrounding the city with a unique and closed brass door gave access to it. The King Gradlon alone had the key. It was called the city of Ys.
The Engagement of Dahut with Ocean
The fishermen, every evening, saw on the beach a woman who sang very loudly, combing her long golden hair. It was the princess Dahut. She said :
"Ocean, beautiful Ocean blue, roll me on the sand, I am thy betrothed, Ocean, beautiful Ocean blue. I was born on the sea, amidst the waves and the foam, when I was a child I played with thee. Ocean, beautiful Ocean blue, roll me on the sand, I am thy betrothed, Ocean, beautiful Ocean blue. Ocean, who decides which boats and men shall return, give to me the wrecks of sumptuous ships and their riches, gold, and treasures. Bring to my city handsome sailors that I may look upon. Do not be jealous, I will return them to thee one after the other. Ocean, beautiful Ocean blue, roll me on the sand, I am thy betrothed, Ocean, beautiful Ocean blue."
The city of Ys became a place where people feasted, the city became full of sailors. Every day saw new feasts, games and dances.
The Magical Mask
Every day, the princess Dahut had a new fiancé. In the evening she put a black mask on his face, he stayed with her until the morning. As soon as the song of meadowlark was heard the mask tightened on the throat of the young man and suffocated the fiancé of the night. A rider took the body on his horse to throw it in the Ocean, past the Bay of Deceased (Trepasses). So all of Dahut’s fiancés died when the morning came and were thrown in the sea.
One day in spring, a strange rider arrived in the city of Ys He was dressed in red, his hands were long and slim, his nails pointy and curved. Dahut smiled to him, the knight did not even look at her. One evening he accepted to come near her. For a long time he passed his long hands with pointy nails in the princess’ beautiful golden hair. Suddenly, a great noise came from the sea and a terrible blow of wind knocked the ramparts from the city of Ys. "The tempest may roar, the doors of the city are strong and it is the King Gradlon, my father, that owns the unique key, attached to his neck," said Dahut. "Your father the King sleeps, you can easily take the key now," answered the knight.
The Submersion of the City
Princess Dahut entered in the bedroom of her father, slowly came near him and took the key attached to a chain around his neck. Immediately, an enormous wave , higher than a mountain, fell on Dahut. Her father woke up and she said to him: "Father, quick, we have to take the horse Morvarc'h, the sea has pushed down the[Censored]s." The king took her daughter on the horse, the sea was furious. The horse reared up on the water that was rising with big bubbles. Dahut clang to her father and cried to him: "Save-me, my father!" Then there was a great lightning in the tempest and a voice said, getting from rock to rock: "Gradlon, drop the princess".
Saint Guenole, the Missionary of God
A shape as pale as a dead appeared, wrapped in a great brown cloth. It was Saint Guenole, who said to the princess: "Shame and misfortune on thee, thou has tried to steal the key from the city of Ys!" Dahut answered: "Save-me, bring me to the other end of the world!" But the horse Morvarc'h did not move anymore and the furious waters won on them. Saint Guenole repeated his order to Gradlon: "Drop the princess!" Enormous waves were at their feet. Dahut slided on the ground and the king Gradlon, furious, pushed his daughter in the sea. The waves closed on the princess. The sea flooded the city of Ys and all its inhabitants died drowned. The king’s horse advanced again, jumping on the beach, then in meadows and hills, galloping all night. Gradlon arrived where two rivers gather between seven hills: Quimper. He decided to make it his capital and lived there for the rest of his days. At his death, a statue of him was carved in granite. This statue is still between the two towers of the Saint Corentin cathedral in Quimper. It represents the King Gradlon, on a horse, looking in the direction of the disappeared city.
People say that Dahut, after her death, became a mermaid and that she appears to fishermen in the evenings of moon, combing her long golden hair. They also say that when the weather is very quiet, one may hear the bells ring from the disappeared city.
Gwelas-te morverc'h, pesketour O kriban en bleo melen aour Dre an heol splann, e ribl an dour ? Gwelous a ris ar morverc'h venn, M'he c'hlevis o kanann zoken Klemvanus tonn ha kanaouenn. (Fisherman, did you see a girl from the sea combing her long, golden hair as the great sun shone here by the side of the sea? I saw the pale girl from the sea, I remember hearing her sing, Sorrow hung in the air and the song.)
The City of Ys, Conclusion
The legend says that the city of Ys was in the Bay of Douarnenez. The place called Pouldavid, a few kilometres at the East of the City of Douarnenez, is the French form of "Poul Dahut", the "Hole of Dahut" in breton, and indicates the place where the princess was flooded into the waves.
It is also said that the city of Ys was the nicest capital of the world and that Lutece was called Paris because "Par Ys" in Breton means "like Ys". Two popular breton proverbs testify that :
Abaoue ma beuzet Ker Is N'eus kavet den par da Paris (Since was drowned the City of Ys Nobody found an equal in Paris)
Pa vo beuzet Paris Ec'h adsavo Ker Is (When Paris will be engulfed Will re-emerge the City of Ys)
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Post by janggut on Jul 3, 2006 2:42:52 GMT
this thread is getting better & better. i love it. will post something here soon, i hope.
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Post by Galadriel on Jul 17, 2006 10:14:16 GMT
Since I'm a daughter of the moon, I should post here some Moon legends from all around the globe. I hope you enjoy these:
(Native American) How Antelope Stole the Moon
In an Indian village near where the sun sets, the people had the Moon. Other people were trying to go there and steal the moon to put it back in the sky. The Indians knew the other people wanted to take the moon. The Indians were hiding the moon and planned to kill the other people when they tried to steal the moon from them.
Two antelopes decided that they would steal the moon themselves because they are so fast and they could outrun everyone. So the antelope snuck by the Indians and stole the moon. The antelopes ran so fast the Indians weren't even close to catching up with them. The antelopes ran for a very long time until they got too tired to go any further. Then they stopped at the next Indian village. They put the Moon outside of a teepee and went inside. A very sneaky man called Coyote saw the Moon and thought he could steal it without the antelopes hearing. Coyote snuck up very quietly and he grabbed the moon. After coyote got the moon he ran the fastest he had ever run. The antelope heard him and started after him. They could not catch up to him because he got such a head start. Coyote was heading towards the lake. When he got there he threw the moon into the lake as far as he could, and it still lies there today.
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Post by Galadriel on Jul 17, 2006 10:15:41 GMT
Chinese Legend of the Moon Goddess Chang-O
Once upon a time there was a famous archer, Hou Yi, who with his arrows was able to slay mankind’s worst enemies, ferocious beasts that inhabited the earth. Yi was married to Chang-O, a beautiful but inquisitive woman who had been an attendant of the queen mother of the west before her marriage. Now at this time, there were 10 suns that took turns circling the earth-one every 10 days. One day, all 10 of the orbs circled, together, causing the earth’s surface to burn and threatening mankind. The wise emperor of China summoned Yi and commanded him to kill but one of the suns. This Yi proceeded to do. Upon the completion of his task, Yi was rewarded with a pill, the elixir of life, and advised: "make no haste to swallow this pill, but first prepare yourself with prayer and fasting for a year." Being a wise man, Yi took the pill home and hid it under a rafter while he began healing his spirit, In the midst of this, Yi was summoned again by the emperor.
While her husband was gone, Chang-O noticed a beam of white light beckoning from the rafter. She followed it and a fragrant perfume, discovered the pill and swallowed it. Immediately, Chang-O found she could fly. Just at that moment her husband returned home, realize what had happened and began to reprimand his wife. Chang-O flew out the window into the sky. Yi sped after her, bow in hand, and the pursuit continued halfway across the heavens. Finally, Yi had to return to the earth because of the force of the wind.
His wife reached the moon and there, breathless, she coughed and part of the pill fell from her mouth. Now, the hare was already on the moon and Chang-O commanded the animal to take pestle and mortar and pound another pill so that she return to earth and her husband. The hare is still pounding.
As for Yi, he built himself a palace in the sun as Yang (the sun and the male principle), Chang-O as Yin (the moon and the female principle).
Once a year, on the 15th day of the full moon, Yi visits his wife. That is why the moon is full and beautiful on that night.
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Post by Galadriel on Jul 17, 2006 10:24:07 GMT
A very long one here.
A Navajo Legend
In this present, or Fifth World, the First People had four lights which had been brought from the lower world. White light appeared over the eastern mountains, blue light spread across the sky from the southern mountains, yellow light came from the western peaks and darkness from the north. These lights were far away and carried no heat, so the air was always of one temperature and no seasonal changes occurred although there was darkness and daylight.
"We do not have enough daylight," the people complained. "We surely need more light."
So First Woman sent Glowworm to the east and told Fox Fire to go to the south, Lightning Beetle to the west, and Firefly to the north. Then, when anyone needed extra light, these four were ready to serve him.
For a time this plan worked very well, but it was not long before the First People were saying, "These lights are too small. They flicker on and off so they are of little use to us. We cannot work in such dim light!" Then others asked, "How can we see to do anything? We do not have night eyes like Hosteen Owl or little Bat!"
It seemed that First Woman could never please them. Finally she thought of Fire Man and his glowing mountain, so she sent a messenger to ask the Fire Man if he could help her.
"Yes," agreed Fire Man, "I can make the land bright all around Fire Mountain, but the light will not reach the edges of the land, and there will be smoke."
After that flames leaped high above the mountain top, and there was no more darkness for some distance. But soon the people were again complaining. "We do not like the heat and the smoke that is coming from Fire Mountain," they declared. "The heat scorches the earth and we are choked by the smoke!"
As everyone was complaining and no one was satisfied, First Woman decided that she must find a different way by which to light the earth.
After consulting with a council of wise men, she told her helpers to bring her a large, flat slab of the hardest and most durable rock they could find. After visiting every mountain and rocky pinnacle, they returned with a large, flat slab of quartz; it was twice as long as it was wide, and, when the helpers had placed it on the ground in front of her, First Woman decided it was large enough to make two round wheels of equal size.
She had hoped to make four in order to have one for each of the four directions, but the rock was too small for that many, so only two could be made. After First Woman had marked two large circles on the slab, they all set to work with sharp flints and stone hammers, cutting out the two equal sized wheels. This was not an easy task, as the quartz was just as hard as the implements with which they were working, but after a time two round, flat discs lay shaped and ready for their purpose.
Then First Man and First Woman started decorating the stones in a manner that would signify the powers that each was to be given. The first was given a mask of blue turquoise to produce light and heat, then red coral was tied to the ear lobes and around the rim. A horn was attached to each side to hold male lightning and male rain. Feathers of the cardinal, flicker, lark, and the eagle were tied to its rim to carry it through the sky, and also to spread the rays of heat and light in the four directions. Four zigzag lines of male wind and male rain stood at the top and four more hung at the bottom, and four sunspots were placed for guardians who sometimes stood on its face, but more often took their places in the four directions.
"Now it is finished," said First Man, "and I will give it a blessing of mixed pollens, and also a song which will be sung by a lark who hereafter will be known as the `sun's voice'."
"But this cannot remain here!" stated First Woman. "It must be placed in the sky!"
No one seemed to know how this was to be done until Fire Man suggested that it should be carried to the top of the highest mountain and placed on the tallest peak at the edge of the earth where it could shine on all of the land at the same time.
So it was taken to the eastern mountains and fastened to the sky with darts of lightning. Then First Woman and her helpers went back to decorate the second, round stone disc, which was the same size as the first.
But First Woman said, "We do not need another bearer of heat and light, so this one will carry coolness and moisture."
Then they decorated its face with white shell, placed a band of yellow pollen on its chin, and made a rim of red coral. Magpie, nighthawk, turkey and crane feathers were fastened on four sides to bear its weight and its horns held female lightning and soft winds. Four straight lines placed at the top, and another four at the bottom, gave it control over the summer rains. When it was finished this, too, was taken to the top of an eastern peak and fastened to the sky with sheet lightning.
"Now everyone should be satisfied," remarked First Woman as she looked at the discs. "Now we have light, heat and moisture, all coming from the sky."
But again many of the First People were complaining. "This is not right," they said. "If the sun stays in the east all the time it will always be summer on that side of the land, and it will always be winter on the other side."
"The sun must move across the sky," First Man agreed, "but how can it move when it is only a stone and has no spirit?"
Everyone looked at the two discs and knew that they were just decorated stones with no life of their own, and they wondered what could be done about it. Then two very old and very wise men stepped forth and said, "We will give our spirits to the sun and the moon so they will have life and power to move across the sky."
One entered the turquoise disc and he was called Jóhonaa'áí, or Sun Bearer; the other entered the white disc and he was called Tl'éhonaa'áí, or Moon Bearer. Immediately the two stones began to quiver and show signs of moving.
"But how shall I know where to go or which paths to follow?" asked the sun; and the moon asked the same question.
"The eagle is guided by his tail feathers," said First Man. "We will give you each twelve feathers from the eagle's tail to point the correct paths you are to follow, and the changes in the paths will mark the changes in the seasons."
So twelve tall, white feathers were fastened to the top of each headdress to indicate a different path for each month of the year. Sun was the first to start on his journey across the sky, while Moon waited all day, until Sun had reached the peaks of the western mountains but was still looking back across the land.
At this point Moon queried, "Now?"
And Sun answered, "Now!"
So Moon was about to climb into the sky, when Wind Boy, who had been standing just behind him, thought he would help by pushing with a stiff breeze. This breeze hit the Moon Bearer in the back and blew the twelve feathers forward across his face, so he could not see where he was going. All he could do was follow where the tips of the feathers pointed, and, as these were now slanted in different directions, Moon has always followed strange paths across the sky.
First Man and First Woman could do nothing about this, so everyone went back to where they had been working on the slab of quartz. On the blanket which had held the two large discs were now many small pieces of stone of every size and shape, along with the dust that the chipping and shaping had created. "Look at all this good quartz that is left!" First Man exclaimed.
And First Woman said, "It must not be wasted! We will use it to make more lights in the night sky."
So again they took their flint knives and their chisels and stone hammers, to shape the stars that would shine only at night. There were a few very large pieces of quartz but there were myriads of small chunks, and much stardust by the time they had finished their work.
When all the stars were ready to be placed in the sky First Woman said, "I will use these to write the laws that are to govern mankind for all time. These laws cannot be written on the water as that is always changing its form, nor can they be written in the sand as the wind would soon erase them, but if they are written in the stars they can be read and remembered forever."
After that she drew a sky pattern on the ground and placed one of the large stars in the north. "This will never move!" she said, "and it will be known as the Campfire of the North. It will also be known as the traveler's guide and as the lodestar."
Then she placed large stars in the other three directions and one in the very center of her sky pattern. "These must be placed in the sky in their correct positions," she told Fire Man, who had shot two crooked fire arrows into the sky so their trails formed a ladder, and who now undertook the task of placing the stars in their proper locations on the blanket of night.
Before Fire Man picked up the first one, First Woman had traced in the sand a path for each to follow across the skyways, and First Man had tied a prayer feather on its upper point, giving each star a prayer to chant as it marched along its designated path. Fire Man began with the north star and continued climbing the ladder until all the large stars were in the sky, while First Woman placed other stars into groups to form the constellations.
It was slow work, as there were many stars and the ladder was very tall. While all this work was taking place Coyote had been standing close by, watching every move Fire Man made. Now he saw one fairly large star still lying on the ground, so he asked First Woman if he might have it for his own. "You may have that star," First Woman agreed, "if you will place it in the sky directly over your mountain. Part of the time it will be quite dim, but when it shines brightly its brilliance will indicate your mating season."
So Coyote carefully climbed the zigzag ladder, clinging to the rungs with one paw while grasping the star with the other, and placed Canopus, which the Navajo call M'ii Bizo', in the southern sky directly over Coyote Mountain.
The first two constellations designated by First Woman were Ursa Major, which was named Náhookos, meaning Cold Man of the North, and Cassiopeia his wife, who was called Nahookás Ba'áád. These two were placed on opposite sides of S'tsoh, or the North Star, which was their home fire; they move around its center and never leave it. No other constellation approaches them to interfere with their set routine.
This arrangement of constellations established a law that has persisted to this day. This law stipulates that only one couple may live by one hogan fire.
After these, First Woman designed a slender constellation in the shape of two rabbit tracks, one following the other. This is the constellation that governs all hunting, and, during the spring and early summer when the open end points upward, no one may hunt game animals. In the late fall, when the open end tips toward the earth, the hunting season begins.
In the days when the Navajo people depended mostly on game for their food, the laws governing hunting were very strict. No hunting was allowed during mating season nor when the young were still with their mothers; and no deer or antelope under the age of two years were ever killed.
Even today the Navajo do not care for meat from lambs or young kids, and, now that deer and antelope have almost disappeared from Navajo territory and have been replaced by sheep and goats, they use only the older ones for their food, as they believe the meat provides greater strength.
The next pattern to be made by First Woman was one recognized as a man with wide shoulders standing in a stooped position with his hands on his knees in order to support a heavy load of harvest. This constellation, or "the harvester," commands the Dine'é to work hard during the harvest season so they may garner sufficient food for the long, cold winter.
Thunderbird, who carries all the clouds in his tail and all the rains under his wings, was the next constellation, along with Hydra, "the horned rattler," who was given charge of the underground water channels.
The task of placing all of these stars in their proper places was going slower and slower, for Fire Man could take only a few stars at a time as he climbed the ladder. Coyote became impatient as he watched this slow process of placing the constellations. He said to First Woman, "This is taking too long! Why do you not permit me to help? Then we would have this work finished twice as fast!"
First Woman answered, "You always make mistakes and then there is trouble."
But Coyote insisted, saying "I will do exactly as you say and follow the pattern just as you have placed it on the ground."
First Woman was putting two identical stars into her pattern and had named them "the twins." The two lines which marked their paths ran side by side across the sky. She pointed to them and said to Coyote, "Take these two stars and place them somewhat to the west where they will walk hand in hand across the center of the sky."
Then Coyote picked up the two identical stars (Gemini), one in each hand, and walked to the ladder. He had seen Fire Man climb the ladder with his hands full of stars and thought he could do the same, but when he was half way up he chanced to look down, and the distance was so great that he became dizzy and almost fell.
To make matters worse, Wind boy came whistling by to see what Coyote was doing, and shook the ladder from east to west. Quickly shifting the star in his right hand into his left which then carried both stars, he continued to climb, using his right hand to cling to the ladder. When he reached the sky he soon found the two places where the stars belonged, but when he looked at the stars in his hand he could not tell them apart and did not know which one went to the right or which to the left.
So he closed his eyes and put one star in place with his left hand and the other with his right. Immediately a harsh, grating noise was heard, and he knew they were in the wrong spots and were trying to change places. He could do nothing about it now, as they were well beyond his reach, so he hurried down the ladder while the two stars crossed, one in front of the other to gain their proper paths.
First Woman met him at the foot of the ladder and berated him with angry words and fierce gestures. "Now look what you have done!" she cried. "Those two were supposed to establish peace and friendship among all peoples of the earth. Now they will cause enmity, strife, and dissension that will plague mankind forever. You shall carry no more stars to the sky!"
Coyote grumbled as he walked away, "It was not my fault! Wind Boy shook the ladder and I almost fell off!"
First Woman told him to go away as she was too busy to be bothered, and went on laying out patterns for constellations which Fire Man carried to the sky. There was K'aalógii, or Butterfly; Tsídiitltsoii, the lark who sang his song to the sun every morning; there was Na'ashii, the lizard; M'iitsoh, the wolf; Atsá, the eagle; Dahsání, the porcupine, who was given charge of the growth of all trees on the mountains; and the caterpillar.
First Woman made many, many more until nearly every animal, bird, and insect had star counterparts in the sky. As Fire Man bore these up the ladder he carried his fire torch which held burning coals strapped to his left arm, and as each star was put into the sky he gave it a spark of fire to light its path so it could find its way even through the darkest night. All was going very well, but, as Fire Man was carrying a medium sized star to the east, the straps that held his torch came loose and the torch fell to the ground so he had no spark to give this star.
He placed it in the sky, ran down the ladder to recover his torch, and then hurried back to give it a light, but he could not find it, as it had started to move and had lost its path in the darkness. This is called the "black star;" it wanders here and there and brings bad luck wherever it goes.
It sends out little black arrows to cause pain and sickness and, if a person who is traveling at night feels a sharp prick in his shoulder or his back, he will know that the black star is not far away.
When Fire Man returned to earth, First Woman did not know whether to give him another constellation to carry to the sky, or not. Not many stones left on the blanket were large enough to make stars, but many chips and piles of dust remained.
She filled Fire Man's hands with stone fragments, and he started climbing; he was halfway up the ladder when he glanced at the stones in his hands and decided that they were too small and too many to place individually, so he gave each one a spark of fire and then, handful by handful, he threw them against the night sky.
Here they may still be seen as close groups of small stars which represent the small, fire carrying creatures of the earth such as the lightning beetle or firefly, and the glowworm. As Fire Man was descending the ladder, Coyote stepped up to the blanket and, grasping it by two corners, swung it into the air so the stone fragments and the star dust swept across the sky in a great arc that reached from horizon to horizon.
This formed the Milky Way which the Navajo call Yikáísdáhí. They believe it provides a pathway for the spirits traveling between heaven and earth, each little star being one footprint.
The Coyote dropped the blanket and everyone looked at the sky which was now filled with stars.
First Woman said, "Now all the laws our people will need are printed in the sky where everyone can see them. One man of each generation must learn these laws so he may interpret them to the others and, when he is growing old, he must pass this knowledge to a younger man who will then be the teacher. The commands written in the stars must be obeyed forever!"
Nowadays, it is only the Navajo medicine men who know the constellations and can explain the laws they represent.
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Post by Alrik on Jul 17, 2006 12:48:40 GMT
Well, the Legend of the City of Ys reminds me of something ... Vineta. This is the tale of the sunken town Vineta, as it appears in the book "Vineta" by Klaus Goldmann and Günter Wermusch, published in German by Bastei-Lübbe. VinetaOne easter morning, a young shepherd was looking after his herd of sheep near a beach at the village Koserow. The sea was there, still, shimmerung, as suddenly a huge, well-built town emerged from the waters. Astonished, he was irritated by this, but at last his curiosity won over him, so he went into the town. The town was richly built, with lots of expensive materials, well-looking people walking everywhere, selling good wares on the market. They looked in a different fashion, though, different from all the joung an knew. On the market a merchant has the finest cloth lying there, wares of luxury, expensive goods, finest handiwork, crafted by definitively skilled craftsmen. The merchant tried to sell the goods to the young shepherd, exquisite stuffs, but alas, the young shepherd was so poor, he had noi money with him. At least he was a shepherd. The merchand looked sad. He tried to convinve the young man to buy anything, anything for whatever he had, even the tiniest coin would be good ! But alas ! the young shepherd had no money. So he left the market, waving, and went out of the town, in search for money. But as he left it, the town disappeared again into the waters. Still surprised, he looked after what had been a wholly, big town, but was now again still, tranquil water with no sign of life. An old fisherman approached. He told the young man what he might have seen : "If you were a sunday's kid, then you could see a town emerging from the waters - at this easter morning." "Well, I have just seen this : A huge, enormous town coming out of the waters, with lots of people in it. Great markets and fine wares." "Well, it seems they had no luck with you. Because if someone like you would go into the town, and would buy some of the wares ... even the tiniest coin would succeed ! - then you would have redeeemed the town and its inhabitants. Because once, long before now, this was Vineta, the town in which merchandise flourished, a wealthy and rich town. But at some time the people became arrogant, and were wasting their excellent stuffs, because they had so much. Pigs were eating from golden feeders, horseshoes were made from gold and silver, the tableware was made of glass, precious stones, silver and gold. Three months, three weeks and three days before the drowning, a reflection could be seen on the water : The whole town with all its buildings, walls and towers floating on the water. Old and experienced people ware saying : This isn no good sign. Seeing things in double shape is surely a sign of downfall. Others - the majority - didn't heed this warning. They lived on like they did before - as if they were swimming in riches. A few weeks later, a mermaid appeared at the border of the town, crying a last warning : Vineta shall sink down, because to many things had been done by the people there, who had been following rather arrogance and wasting good stuff instead of living decent and demure. In a cold November's night, a storm flood flooded the town. Huge waves of water were filling the streets, forcing the town to sink. This old, rich town can only be redeemed on an easter morning, every one hundred years, by someone who buys wares from them." This was the story the young shepherd heard. And he realized that he could've succeeded - just if he had a bit money with him. Historical evidenceVineta seemed to have actually existed. The book I mentioned above is the newest and most sophisticated book on that field. THe research in it reads like a criminal story. The authors believe to have actually found Vineta. They looked through old tales, genealogy lists in churches, old treatises in towns and the landscape itself. They believe to have located Vineta near the town Barth en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barth_%28Pomerania%29 , which is located at the north-east of Germany, at the coast. The German-language article has a bit more information about Barth : de.wikipedia.org/wiki/BarthThis is one off the three most favoured theories where it might be located. Another one located Wollin - far more east than Barth - as the place where Vineta once was. The third one located the place of Vineta in the sea before the island Usedom, north between both Barth and Wollin, but still at the sea. This is the short English-language article about Vineta : en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VinetaAnd this is the longer German-language one, presenting all theories : de.wikipedia.org/wiki/VinetaThe first theory I wrote about says that the *real* Vineta was indeed a really wealthy town - very big, properous, and well-known. This riches attracted foreign armies. This theory says that the Danish fleet drowned it - by hacking and destroying the embankment which kept the sea's water out of the town (which was located very near to the sea). So the sea flooded it, and it was destroyed. Survivors fled to different places. Probably the Barth of today was founded by survivors, and probably other survivors fled to Usedom, maybe even Wollin, but seemingly most of them to Stralsund (the town which the US president Mr. Bush visited last week to meet German chancellor Mrs. Merkel). This can be seen - as the authors of the above mentioned book say - by reading through old texts at Stralsund, which mentioned people "of Vineta" as members of the guilds there. Stralsund and Wollin began to flourish *years* after the event, they say. According to them, Vineta was a rich town which was located in what is not the "Barther Bodden", whereas "Bodden" is a word indicating water filled low land, which lies not very much beneath the sea level. The "Barther Bodden" lies just before today's Barth, but nearer to the sea. You can see it on one of the pictures of the Wikipedia articles I linked to. They also think that Vineta's riches came mostly from honey and amber. They believe that the name evolving into "barth" was once a local word meaning "bee". Later generations forgot that. Findings show that this area has coins from different places in Europe. Even one coin of arabic origin was found ! Unless archaeologists haven't found evidence, however, the discussion still goes on. I, however, believe that they could be right, everything I read in the book appears odd, but logical to me, because time and landscape changed much since then. Newer history of Barth (official) : www.stadt-barth.de/geschichte/e_geschichte.htmlGerman-language article on Vineta and Barth : www.stadt-barth.de/geschichte/vineta_ist_in_barth.htmlUnfortunately I couldn't find any English-language full article on the discussion. Alrik
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Post by LaFille on Jul 20, 2006 20:04:27 GMT
Cool, the moon myths, Gal; loved the Navajo one. Alrik, thanks for posting about Vineta; I love these kinds of legends, about specific places or disppeared wonders. I didn't know about that one, though. There seem to be a few legends of sunken cities like this and lands around the world, and it seems that the richness, opulence & the kind of punishment for decadence are themes that come back in quite all; Ys, Vineta, Atlantis, Mu... Great finds.
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Post by LaFille on Jul 20, 2006 20:38:34 GMT
The Sibyl (Roman)
An old woman came before where Tarquin the Proud sat, and demanded that she be brought before him, the king. Now Tarquin had had a dream in which an old woman appeared, and when he heard that there was such a one near he let her be brought before him. So she came and she stood before where the king sat in his ivory chair, With his purple robe upon him, and with the men who bore the rods and the axes standing around him. She was very old; she held herself up with a staff; her face was a mass of wrinkles. Nevertheless, the grey hair that fell upon her shoulders was heavy and her eyes were filled with light. She stood before the kin, this grey old woman, and she showed him what she held in her hands.
She had nine books. "These books I would sell to you, O king," she said, and her voice was startling to all who were around, either because she spoke like one unused to the utterance of words or because there was a tone in it clearer and stronger than they expected to hear. "These books I would sell to you, king of Rome," she said. "What is in your books?" the king asked her. "A foretelling of events that may befall," she said, "and a way of dealing with them that will help to the safety and the greatness of Rome." "How much do you ask for your nine books?" "Half of all that is in the king's treasury," she said.
"This is a crazy woman," said the king. Those who were around him said, "A crazy crone she is." The old woman asked them to bring near to her the brazier of burning coals that was in the hall where the king sat. They brought it near her. Then the old woman took three of her books and cast them into the fire and watched the flames burn them. When the leaves were in ashes she did not go from the hall. Once more, leaning on her staff, she looked at the king and she said, "I have books for sale; it is for you to buy them, O king." "How much do you ask for the six books that are left?" the king asked. "Half of all that is in the king's treasury," she said. "But this is what you asked before; you had nine books then and now you have six only." "I ask the same price for six as I did for nine." "She must be the craziest woman in Rome," said those who were about the king. "But she does not belong to Rome; she is a stranger; no one here has ever seen her before." "What does the king say?" said the woman. "I cannot pay that price for yours or for anyone else's books," said King Tarquin.
Then the old woman threw into the brazier three of her books and watched them burn to ashes. For a while she remained leaning on her staff and looking down into the brazier; the flames lighted up her face with all its wrinkles, and Tarquin the Proud looking upon her felt in awe of that stranger-woman. She looked at him from across the brazier. "Half of all that is in your treasury, O king," said she, "for the three books that are yet unburned."
Then those who were around the king laughed heartily; but the king did not laugh. He knew that if he did not buy the books she had they would be thrown into the brazier and burned to ashes, and that the old woman would depart and never afterwards be seen in Rome. Long he pondered without answering her. Then he beckoned to her and she came and stood beside his chair. She left the three books with the king, and when she went from the hall she was allowed to go into the king's treasury and take half of all that was there.
The king put the three books that he bought from her in a shrine in the temple of Iuppiter. And there they remained for a thousand years. Fifteen priests guarded them; it was the duty of the fifteen to read them whenever the immortal Gods were to be consulted regarding the welfare of the Roman state. The books were called Sibylline Books, and she who brought them to Rome was known as a Sibyl. Long afterwards it was said that some one had seen the Sibyl: she was in a cage, and she lamented because she could not die.
***
About the Sibylline books, from Wikipedia:
The Sibylline Books or Sibyllae were a collection of oracular utterances, set out in Greek hexameters, purchased from a sibyl by the semi-legendary last king of Rome, Tarquinius Superbus, and consulted at momentous crises through the history of the Republic and the Empire.
[...]
The story of the acquisition of the Sibylline Books by the semi-legendary last king of Rome, Tarquinius Superbus, is one of the famous mythic elements of Roman history. At Cumae, Virgil has Aeneas consult the Cumaean Sibyl before his descent to the lower world (Aeneid VI, 10). The Cumaean Sibyl offered to Tarquin nine books of these prophecies; and as the king declined to purchase them, owing to the exorbitant price she demanded, she burned three and offered the remaining six to Tarquin at the same stiff price, which he again refused, whereupon she burned three more and repeated her offer. Tarquin then relented and purchased the last three at the full original price and had them preserved in a vault beneath the Capitoline temple of Jupiter. The story is alluded to in Varro's lost books quoted in Lactantius Institutiones Divinae (I: 6) and by Origen.
The Sibylline Books were entrusted to the care of two patricians; after 367 BC ten custodians were appointed, five patricians and five plebeians; subsequently (probably in the time of Sulla) their number was increased to fifteen. They were usually ex-consuls or ex-praetors. They held office for life, and were exempt from all other public duties. They had the responsibility of keeping the books in safety and secrecy. These officials, at the command of the Senate, consulted the Sibylline Books in order to discover, not exact predictions of definite future events in the form of prophecy, but the religious observances necessary to avert extraordinary calamities and to expiate ominous prodigies (comets and earthquakes, plague and the like). It was only the rites of expiation prescribed by the Sibylline Books, according to the interpretation of the oracle that were communicated to the public, and not the oracles themselves. A skeptic will see the opportunities for abuse in this conventional arrangement.
In particular the keepers of the Sibylline Books had the superintendence of the worship of Apollo, of the "Great Mother" Cybele or Magna Mater, and of Ceres, which had been introduced by the Sibylline Books. Thus one important effect of the Sibylline Books was their influence on applying Greek cult practice and Greek conceptions of deities to indigenous Roman religion, which was already indirectly influenced through Etruscan religion. As the Sibylline Books had been collected in Anatolia, in the neighborhood of Troy, they recognized the goddesses and gods and the rites observed there and helped introduce them into Roman State worship, a syncretic amalgamation of national deities with the corresponding deities of Greece, and a general modification of the Roman religion.
Since they were written in hexameter verse and in Greek, the college of curators was always assisted by two Greek interpreters. The books were kept in the Temple of Jupiter on the Capitol, and when the temple burned in 83 BC, they were lost. The Roman Senate sent envoys in 76 BC to replace them with a collection of similar oracular sayings, in particular collected from Ilium, Erythrae, and Samos, Sicily and Africa. This new Sibylline collection was deposited in the restored temple, together with similar sayings of native origin, e.g. those of the Sibyl at Tibur, (the 'Tiburtine Sibyl') of the brothers Marcius, and others. The priests then sorted them, retaining only those that appeared true to them (Tacitus, Annales, VI, 12). From the Capitol, they were transferred by Augustus as pontifex maximus in 12 BC, to the temple of Apollo Patrous on the Palatine, after they had been examined and copied; there they remained until about AD 405. They are said to have been burned by the general Flavius Stilicho (died AD 408), an enthusiastic proponent of Arian Christianity.
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Post by LaFille on Jul 20, 2006 20:58:57 GMT
The Theft of Destiny (Mesopotamian)
Now, here is a tale long hidden by the gods themselves so that humankind might not know how close they, and all creation, once come to utter horror, utter loss...
Enlil, God of Air and keeper of the Tablets of Destiny, those magical tablets of Power on which was written all that was, all that is, all that would be, stood in the gateway of his palace, its inlaid bricks gleaming blue and gold in the mountain sunlight. Today, Enlil had the seeming of a mortal man of middle years, one in the utter peak of life and contentment, and his robes glittered with cloth of gold, the fringes rippling gently in the morning breeze.
Right now, he thought, at peace with himself and his lot, all life, mortal and Other, was surely splendid, everything perfect and in its place.
Was it though? Enlil straightened in sudden surprise, frowning slightly. Here came his children, climbing up the mountainside, his four fine young sons and daughters, but with them came... what? What had they found? Something living, yes, but like nothing else he had seen. Laughing and chattering with excitement, the youngsters were bringing the... being up here for their divine father to examine.
"See what we have found!"
"What is it?"
"Where can it be from?"
The creature had, at first glance, looked only newly hatched, but it had already grown, as was the way with magical beings. And if it had not been huddling in such seeming submission, Enlil thought, it would have towered over them all. Both wild and terrible to see, it was great eagle and lion mixed madly together, with a beak that looked strong enough and sharp enough to bite through twelve coats of mail at once, and talons like so many cruel knives. Its eyes were hot yellow, savage as the desert sun – but they were not, for all that, for all else, the eyes of an unreasoning beast.
"Who are you?" Enlil demanded of it.
"I am Anzu," the creature replied. Its voice was fierce as na eagle´s cry, but its head was bowed politely. "I am here to serve you. Pray command me."
"Wait," Enlil told it.
Trying not to show unseemly haste, the god strode off into the great chamber that held the Tablets of Destiny. As he reverently unwrapped them from their fine wooden sheathing, the chamber blazed with sudden golden light, but Enlil, used to such splendor, never even blinked. Quickly, he searched in the Tablets for any trace of Anzu.
Nothing! Not even the slightest of hints!
Enlil hesitated thoughtfully, then wrapped the Tablets neatly up again. This Anzu must be a newly created creature, at a guess something spontaneously spawned from the wild magic of the mountain rivers and rushing winds. Such beings sometimes did spring into existence. And they could, indeed, prove quite useful – always presuming, of course, that they were tamable.
Yes. Ah, yes. Best to put this creature´s undeniable strength to work in the cause of Good right away!
Rejoining the others, Enlil told Anzu, "I have decided. You shall indeed serve as you wished. In fact, you shall be a Guardian. You shall help guard the Tablets of Destiny."
He told himself that what he saw was a look of pleasure crossing that savage face. But just in case, Enlil bound Anzu to truth and honesty with words that would mean death to the being if broken.
"Well and good," Anzu said, and swore the vows without a word of complaint, then purred like a great cat. "I am content."
So it seemed. And in the days that followed, Enlil told himself that he had made a wise choice. For all his size and strength, Anzu did make a docile, utterly obedient servant. He crouched, strong and steady, just outside the chamber of the Tablets, letting no one pass save Enlil. Bit by bit, Enlil´s suspicions faded and his trust began to grow.
And all the while Anzu seemed most utterly content.
Content! Anzu thought with a silent snarl. Oh, I act most charmingly content, yes. But all the while, all the while, he, that Enlil, that so proud god Enlil, parades about before me in all his godly splendor. All the while he lets me see the golden splendor of the Tablets but never, ever lets me touch them with the smallest of my talons.
And Anzu brooded and Anzu dreamed. Once he risked asking. "Great One, why is it only you who dare to touch the Tablets of Destiny?"
Enlil smiled, a patronizing smile, Anzu thought.
"They are my rightful charge, good Anzu. Therefore, they do not harm me."
"Harm!"
"Yes, Anzu, even the gods could be harmed by such Powerful artifacts! Indeed, madness lies within their strength – for too much clear sight of the past and future is madness". Enlil paused, shaking his head. "They would destroy you, Anzu."
"They are not for such as me," Anzu agreed softly.
But when Enlil had left, Anzu looked after him and thought, Are they not? Was all that not just words to keep the inferior being safely in his place? Patronize me while you may, Enlil. I will have the Tablets, yes, and with them, the power of the gods.
He waited with the slow, cautious patience of the lion stalking its prey, knowing that Enlil had grown complacent as only one can be who has never been crossed. And... yes! Enlil entered the ritual Bath of Purification and off guard, leaving Anzu by himself before the chamber of the Tablets of Destiny, sure that he need not watch over his trusted Guardian.
Oh, fool!
Anzu snatched up the Tablets of Destiny, spread his mighty wings and soared away.
"Mine!’ he shrilled, and his shriek echoed and re-echoed throughout the mountains. "The powers of the gods are mine!"
Behind him, below him, he heard Enli´s cry of despair. And Anzu laughed.
There on Enlil´s mountaintop, in a flat open circle of plain, white stone, the gods held a frantic council. Many voices, much noise.
"Enough of this!" Enlil cried. "Who will go after Anzu?"
Sudden silence, awkward silence. Enlil glanced about, but not one of the others would meet his gaze. He frowned at Enki, the Lord of Sweet Waters, Magic and Wisdom. "Enki, I beseech you. Who should go?"
Enki sighed. "Who would dare? We all know that by now, Anzu has mastered the Tablets. Whoever he commands must obey – and whoever he curses is turned instantly to clay."
"But we can´t do nothing! Anzu won´t be content to merely keep the Tablets. We don´t know what he might try – he could very well destroy the worlds below and above!"
"Patience, Enlil. Patience and reason conquer all."
Enlil threw up his hands. " We have no time for platitudes."
No, Ninurta agreed from his hiding place. We have not.
In all that godly chaos, no one knew he was watching. Ninurta was young as the gods reckoned such things, the youngest son of the Mother Goddess Ninhursag-Ki, and as yet unproved.
That, he thought with a touch of wry humor, is because no one will give me the chance to prove anything!
Granted, his powers were only now beginning to come to him; he could master fog and the first edge of storm-calling. But he wasn´t helpless! He was strong and lithe, and no mere seeming about it, dark or hair and stormgray of eyes. Ninurta was a splendid archer as well drawn to the arrow as he would someday be drawn to lightning.
But the others say I am too young to be part of their councils. And yet, look! They are afraid, all of them! Don´t they realize what will happen if Anzu keeps the Tablets? He´s a creature of chaos – Enlil´s right. He will destroy the world!
Let the others talk. If no one else would act, Ninurta decided, then he would. Taking up his bow and quiver of arrows, refusing to let himself think of the peril, Ninurta set out alone into the mountains where Anzu was said to have his lair.
As he went, Ninurta caused his as-yet unfocused powers. And slowly, slowly, the air swirled and condensed slowly about him, slowly as he cast a fog about himself. Let it be enough! Let Anzu not sense him till he was within bowshot!
But then a savage gust of wind tore the fog from about Ninurta. With a suddenness that made him gasp, he was staring straight at the monster. Anzu´s wide wings were spread, each feather sharp-edged as a blade. His fierce yellow eyes were blazing with rage.
And madness. Aie, yes, the Tablets of Destinies have destroyed his mind.
That made Anzu all the more terrible. "I have swept aside all rites, all rituals!’ he shouted at Ninurta. "There is nothing left to worship, only Me! I control the very gods! Who are you, small thing, not dare challenge Me?"
I dare not give my true name, not to a mad thing wielding Power. "I am the avenger come to trample you!"
Anzu´s laugh became a roar so loud and long that Ninurta clapped his hands over his ears in pain. All about them, the mountains shook, and great dark clouds came rushing in, turning the sunlit day sky black. "Do you see what powers I command?" Anzu shrieked. "And do you dare to challenge Me?"
Ninurta´s heart was racing. But he thought, Shriek away, monster. You´re giving me just enough time!
In one swift motion, he put arrow to bow, drew and fired –
And the arrows turned back in its flight. Ninurta twisted aside as it whizzed past him, and Anzu gave a mocking laugh.
"You see, oh, would-be-hero? You cannot harm Me!"
Ninurta dropped to one knee, notched an arrow and fired again—
"Turn back!" Anzu commanded.
The arrow whizzed back at Ninurta, grazing his arm. He looked down at the thin line of blood, barely believing, then turned and fled for the safety of the rocks, Anzu´s laughter roaring in his ears.
Of course not. He is so contemptuous of me that he doesn´t even see me as a threat. And why should he? So far, I am not!
Hidden there, among the rocks, the young god caught his breath and tried to plan. As long as Anzu held full Power, arrows were useless; he would just bat away any rocks thrown at him, and even a storm´s fury wouldn´t touch him.
Ninurta groaned.
Did I say Anzu was mad? Here is the madness, to think that I could win. He can simply keep tossing my arrows back at me till I run out of strength, or he...
Ninurta straightened with a sudden sharp jolt of na idea. Or he runs out of strength! Yes! No matter how much power he wields, Anzu is still a solid, tangible being. He must tire!
Patience and reason, Adad had counseled. Adad might just be right.
He´d better be right. I´m risking my life on this!
Ninurta raced back up the mountain to where Anzu stood, poised, waiting.
"Ah, the little avenger wants to play with Me!"
"I do, indeed," Ninurta said, and loosed an arrow.
Ninurta ducked the arrow´s return, dodged behind a rock and loosed another arrow. Another. Another.
"Turn back!" Anzu shrieked. "Turn back!"
Ninurta´s quiver was nearly empty, but he couldn´t stop now, he must keep the monster busy – yes, here was a fallen arrow, and another, loose and fire, loose and fire –
"Turn...back!"
Yes! Anzu wasn´t made to wield so much Power, mind or body: he was growing weary! The Power was feeding on him, tearing the life-force from his great wings. Anzu staggered, exhausted, his mad eyes raging.
"Now, little one, you shall die!"
I´m out of arrows!
No. One was left, but to Ninurta´s horror, he saw that it was damaged, its fletching torn. It would not fly true.
I don´t have a choice.
"Here I am!" Ninurta cried, springing from behind his rock. "Here! Come to me, Anzu! And Light be with me!"
With a wordless roar, Anzu leaped, wings spread wide, and Ninurta fired the last arrow straight up at him –
And he pierced Anzu to the heart.
In the next instant, the creature came crashing down on Ninurta, and for a terrible, breathess moment, he thought that he was dead as well—
No, Anzu lay lifeless and Ninurta wriggled his way free, scratched and bleeding from the edges of those feathers, and staggered to his feet. Overhead, the great dark clouds still loomed, their power unfulfilled, and Ninurta, not even thinking about what he did, raised a weary hand to them and said, "Rain."
As simply as that, the clouds tore open and rain stormed down about him. For a moment, Ninurta stood in wonder, realizing the Powers that now were his.
Ah, but the Tablets must not be left here! Ninurta quickly gathered them up, wrapping them safely in cloth torn from his tunic, feeling the wild forces surging in them even so. And for a moment more, he was fiercely tempted.
I am not Anzu, I could use them.... only for good...
Use them? Or, in time, be used?
"No," Ninurta said to them. " I am not that foolish. Or that vain! You belong back where you were safely locked away."
Snatching up his bow, Ninurta left. And behind him, only the rain mourned Anzu.
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Post by Alrik on Aug 9, 2006 19:43:29 GMT
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Post by Shan on Aug 25, 2006 0:57:44 GMT
Late, but thank you Ky, Alrik, and Fille for posting some more to this thread. I enjoy reading them. I hope to post a few more soon.
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Post by Galadriel on Aug 27, 2006 16:56:52 GMT
I will post some more legends about Avalon, King Arthur, Lady Igraine, The lady Of The Lake and Morgane Le Fey, if I find some decent stuff about them ok?
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