An Origin Myth

I found this among some old documents in my archives.

It has some obvious antecedents (e.g. the names of the three gods), but I like the non-classical theory of elements and most of the storytelling.

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It came to pass one day that three Gods were walking along the sky when the eldest of them, Woshar, said, "This would be a good place to build a world, for it is near the sun for light and heat, and it is near the night, for when the sun grows too warm." The other gods agreed, and the middle one, Kana, said "We will need water, and flesh, and stone, and metal, to build a world."

The youngest one, a woman named Ke, said, "I know where to find water," and dipped a bucket into the River of Stars that you can see even now in the night sky, filling the bucket with clear, pure water.

Woshar said, "I know where to find stone," for he knew that the sun was the truest essence of fire, and where fire annihilates equally with water, and burns flesh, and melts metal, only stone is impervious to fire and could not be consumed by the sun. So Woshar reached into the sun and pulled out what he found there, a double-handful of stones, blackened by the heat but undamaged.

Kana said, "I bear metal by my side, for I was a soldier once. But I will fight no more wars," and he added his sword to the elements gathered for the task.

Ke asked, "Where will we find flesh?" for gods and humans alike know that only flesh cannot be found, but only grown from other flesh. And the younger gods looked at Woshar, knowing him for the wisest among them.

Woshar said, "This was my idea, and so I will provide the flesh," and with that, he laid down and he died.

Whether Kana and Ke were surprised by this or saw it as justice is not a tale told among humans, though some say that Ke's tears fell into her bucket and that is why the ocean is salty. Nonetheless, the two gods set about building the world from water, stone, metal, and Woshar's flesh.

When they were finished, they were well-pleased with what they had wrought and thought the world a sufficient memoriam to their companion, but Ke noted that they had not used the stone of Woshar's bones, only his flesh. She took his skull and set it into the night sky so it could see the world, and you can see the moon even tonight. But unlike the world, the moon is only stone, with no flesh or water or metal, and no creature may live there.

And having built a world, Kana and Ke walked on into the sky.

Posted by Greg at July 4, 2008 5:23 PM