MYTHS AND LEGENDS

MYTHS AND LEGENDS

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Creation of the World:

1. The Heavens and the Earth

Long, long ago Empala slept. It was a deep, black sleep; nothing stirred, nothing lived. But beyond the black depths that Empala slept, beyond even time, beyond all that it is possible to know dwelt the Elder Gods. Through their infinite wisdom they knew of their sister sleeping, and one by one they came to watch her. And as each arrived to take their place amongst the heavens to look down upon the earth, so the first stars came to be set in the sky. They shone and they sparkled and they winked at their sister; slowly, she began to stir.

As when a woman first stirs in the small hours just before dawn and the gradual wakening of her thoughts causes her to dream, thus Empala likewise began to dream. With the light of the heavens shining upon her she dreamt of two lights of her own. And as she dreamed these lights manifested above her sleeping form, for the Elder Gods had seen to it that the dreams of the earth would spring forth from her as though her own children. And so it came to pass that Empala's greatest children were born: Om and Da.

Om was bold and brash and filled with the light of his heavenly fathers. He poured his light to his mother, desperate for her affection. She stirred but he did not wake. Tired from his efforts, Om laid down beside his mother and slept.

Da was not like her brother;she was subtle and cool. She too possessed the light of the Elder gods,bue did not like to show it always. She waited until her brother was falling asleep and crept up beside Empala. She did not wish to wake her mother, instead she shined a soft silver light upon her,and sang a sweet song as she danced slowly around her Empala. She may not have roused her mother's spirit from dreaming; but her song was so sad it drew tears from Empala's eyes and drew forth her blood. And the liquids washed over the body of Empala, and they mingled together, forming the rivers and the oceans and the seas. When Da heard that her brother stirring she crept away from him. As she did so the waters followed her. And thus was born the moon and the sun; the day and the night; the tides and the and the rhythm known to all women of the plains.

The earth and the heavens had taken shape, and the Elder Gods rejoiced.

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Creation of the World:
2. The Coming of Beasts and Men

With night and day passing and the voices of the heavenly family singing to her, Empala drew closer to wakefulness. As she continued to stir, she continued to dream yet more vividly. Just as before, her dreams became manifest. She dreamed the great trees of the forest into life, and after them the flowers and grasses of the plains. Each day they rose up to greet her son, Om, and they followed his journey across the sky.

Empala dreamed of the butterflies and the bees that feed upon the flowers, and all the birds and insects that feed upon them in turn. She dreamed of the fish that swim in the rivers and the seas, and the great beasts that wander across the land.. Slowly but surely the earth was teeming with the rich variety and abundance of living things. The noise and the colour and the movement so delighted her elder brethren in the heavens on high that their great hearts were full of song, and as they sang all the children of Empala chimed in chorus.


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Xa, Arag and Miromar- as told by Lugana 

Text courtesy Achard

Lugana took a sideways glance at her fellow bard, who nodded his approval of her reciting the tale. Her smile widened and her eyes lit up as her mind once again wandered to the fabulous worlds of ancient legends, to a place of magic and wonder, but also of danger and dread. She adjusted her seated position a little in order to face Grimach, who was the only one unfamiliar with the tale, but made sure that Ozrael was looking, too. This was a great chance for the young bard to impress her mentor with her storytelling skills.

"Long ago, before the Hulun began their endless journey across the great plains, there lived a man named Arag." Lugana made a pause here and looked at all the listeners, taking her time to make sure everyone caught the name. "A handsome and brave man, Arag grew up in the caverns in the northern mountains, where his people had ages ago taken refuge from the Great Flood, but were now little more than slaves to horrible, gigantic abominations of the mountain."

Lugana's visage grew grim. Her usual smile left her lips, replaced with a pouting facial expression that, combined with the lowered eyebrows and the fire in Lugana's eyes, gave the impression of her describing something too dreadful to be detailed.

"They were hideous in appearance, uglier than any man living on the plains these days. It is said that they never washed themselves, and that the only chance of our ancestors to escape these fiendish behemoths in the vast caverns of the mountains was to run from the smell."

Lugana turned her head upwards suddenly, a fearful look in her eyes, as if she saw the aforementioned beasts approaching from behind the listeners. She lowered her stare and grinned a little before resuming the story.

"Awful and heartless they were, these gargantuan, man-eating monsters. They herded our people like cattle, giving them exhausting work that the monstrous creatures could easily have done themselves, but would not. That was if you were lucky. There is a story of a Hulon couple awaiting their first child, who was destined to grow up to become a mighty warrior one day. When the giants heard of this, they..."

Lugana made a stop there, her face suddenly pale with terror. Apparently, some stories of the ancient horrors were too frightening even for Lugana to recount. She sat in silence for a short while. Then, she shook her head again, either to shake off the memory of the tale, or because the liquid she had drank was getting to her.

"But I digress", she said, taking eye contact with all those present. Lugana made a waving gesture with her right hand. "Arag hated the giants more than anyone, and was constantly on the lookout for a way to defy them without endangering his people. He knew the Hulon were strong, but the years in slavery had taken away their fighting spirit. Many were the times that Arag prayed for his ancestral gods to give him a sign. Eventually, they granted him this sign."

One dramatic pause and a quick glance at those present later, Lugana carried on with the story.

"One day, when Arag was fetching water for one of the giants, he got lost in the vast caverns. For hours, he wandered in the darkness, torch in one hand and a bucket in the other, all the time fearing what would happen to his people if the giants got impatient. Eventually, he came across a great cave, where he found a strange animal of legend.

Lugana pointed at the horses feeding on grass in the pastures a little outside the camp, her eyes suddenly indicating surprise and awe.

"What is this? Arag wondered, as a child of underground, who had never seen a horse before. But he thought he heard the horse speak to him. 'Do not fear', it said. 'I am Miromar, and have come to tell you that the time has finally come. The waters of the Great Flood have receded. The spirit of Auroch is on the move.'"

"Arag knew then what to do. It was as if the collective spirit of his ancestors had taken their refuge in his body, and given him the strength and wisdom he needed to take upon the great task of inspiring his people to leave the slavery and find their freedom in the outside world. He swung himself on Miroma's back just as he caught sight of the Great Bull passing through the cave, pausing only momentarily to look at Arag, then speeding off into the darkness of the cave."

Lugana's voice suddenly jumped up an octave. Her hands came up, making a movement resembling galloping.

"The great chase was on. Through the vast caverns, over the outcroppings, Miromar's hoofs never faltering, the hunters and the hunted ran faster than anything Arag had ever experienced. They soon passed the underground homes of his people. The people saw Xa, they saw Miromar, and most importantly, they saw Arag approach and leave in a cloud of dust and small rocks. Many already at that point abandoned their duties to the giants and followed the tracks of Arag, who rode after Xa with a fierceness that no one has been able to duplicate since. Out from the caves they paced, into the open lands that, true to Miromar's words, were now free from the Great Flood. But no matter how far and how fast they chased Xa, Arag and Miromar could not catch up with the Great Bull."

Lugana was gesturing wildly, simulating the frantic pace of the chase. Then, slowly, she started slowing down, her hands making the galloping movement at ever more leisurely speed. When she stopped, she was staring into the distance.

"Instead, the hunt over the plains gave another surprise to Arag: Xa's numerous children had made their home in the green pastures. These lesser creatures Arag and Miromar could easily catch to feed the exhausted people of Hulon, who had in the meantime escaped from the caves and were now finding their ancestral home in the plains."

Lugana's voice was shaking. The memory of the tale, no doubt made more vivid by the effects of the drink, had brought her to the verge of tears.

"Since those days, our people have followed the herd of the Great Bull across the plains. We remember and revere Xa, whose children's blood gave our people the strength to ultimately free themselves from the clutches of the hideous giants, and our ancestral hero Arag, whose bravery inspired us to finally take up arms against our oppressors and ensure that the Hulon would never again be conquered by the despicable monsters. But that's a story for another day", Lugana said, smiled, and reached for the waterskin containing the strong liquid.