Motala and Her Grandmother

Motala sat up in her bed, her back against the sea-sponge pillow. As she sat, she hummed a small tune. A woman swam into the room and pursed her lips. “Motala, what are you doing up at this hour? You have to get to your lessons early in the morning!”

“I’m not tired Nana!”

The woman shook her head. “Even if we are not tired it is still important for us to get enough sleep. Otherwise, you will be incredibly tired tomorrow. You wouldn’t want to fall asleep during your seahorse riding lessons, now would you?”

“I wouldn’t do that Nana! I’ve never done that!”

“Just because you’ve never done it, child, does not mean that you won’t do it tomorrow. Or if not tomorrow, the next time that you choose to be childish and stay up so late.”

“Hey! I’m no child! I am twelve years old!”

The woman smiled. “Be that as it may, you are but a child compared to me. Now, what are you humming there?”

“It’s the Song of Tanatha the Faithless.”

“And do you know the story of Tanatha the Faithless?”

“Yes Nana! Everyone knows the story!”

“Well...I seem to have forgotten. Could you please remind me of the story? In my old age, I’m afraid all of the details have bubbled out of my head.” She said, sitting on a chair next to the bed.

Motala jumped up. “Yes! Yes! Yes! I’ll tell you the story! You see, it began with the first elves. They had a huge republic with lots and lots of really big cities in the world above the water.”

“And before they had that huge republic, who were the first elves? How did they come about?”

Motala squinted. “Wasn’t it that the Old Ones made them from the land?”

“Yes, child. They made them out of the land. They took the stones and they turned them into our bones. They took the took the water and turned it into our blood. They took the plants and turned them into our skin. And how did they make our minds and our souls?”

“They took their love and their happiness and sung them into us.”

“Yes. Exactly. Now, this great republic, who made it?”

“It was two brothers. Uza and Azu.”

“Yes. And did they love each other?”

“They did! But, Uza was greedy. He wanted all of the power to himself.”

“And what did Uza do?”

“He cast his brother out. He threw him to the current along with all of friends.”

“What happened then?”

“The followers of Uza began to worship him like he was an Old One. They treated him like he was Nafani or Susalu.”

“And what is wrong with loving someone so much?”

Motala frowned. “Worship isn’t love Nana!”

“Is it not? Do you not love Nafani, Susalu, Hurakana, Pusinu, and Telane? You worship them.”

“I do! But showing love to an Old One is done through worship! Showing love to a person is done through words and hugs and gifts and doing stuff for them. And showing love to an honored ancestor is through remembering them and respecting them. Not through worshiping them!”

Nana nodded. “Someone has been talking with Seaspeaker Poname.”

“Yes! He’s really funny! He told me this really cool joke! Wanna hear it?”

“Yes!”

Motala clasped her hands together. “What does seaweed say when it is stuck to the bottom of the sea?”

“Oh, I’m not sure. What does it say dear?”

“Kelp! Kelp!”

The woman chuckled softly. “My, that is a good joke. I don’t think I’ve heard that one before!”

“Really?”

“Well...maybe I’ve heard it before. I don’t know. I’m quite old. I may have forgotten that I’d heard it.”

“That must be sad, not remembering everything.”

The woman looked out the window at a passing tuna. “It is child. It is…”

The two sat in silence for a moment. The woman looked out the window. Motala looked down at the woman’s feet. After what seemed a mighty long time to Motala, the woman look at her and smiled.

“But the joy of growing old is seeing you. It is seeing new people get to have their fun and new experiences. It is getting to see you grow and learn.”

“That is really sweet Nana.”

“It is just how I see the world, dear. Now, the people in this great republic began to worship Uza like an Old One. Then what happened?”

“Then Tanatha the Faithless came into power.”

“And why do we call her Tanatha the Faithless?”

“Because she stopped her worship of the Old Ones. She threw them to the current in place of Uza.”

“That’s right. And then what happened?”

“Then they broke the republic. They took their greatest city and shattered it, destroying all of the faithless.”

“Right. And that is how we were made, isn’t it Motala?”

“Yes! Our ancestors were the ones in the city that still held the faith! While Hurakana shattered the city, Nafani protected us from his wrath. Susalu gave us the ability to see in this new world. Pusinu gave us the ability to breath. Telane led us to the Waterwalkers, so that we could learn to live and build in this new world. And Hurakana gave the Seaspeakers some of his power, a reward for our belief.”

“Yes, that’s exactly how I remember the Song of Tanatha the Faithless.”

“Nana?”

“Yes dear?”

“I’m tired.”

“I know, dear. I know. Lay down now and close your eyes. You need to get up early tomorrow.”

“I love you Nana.”

“I love you too Motala. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight Nana.”

The Creation of the World, the First Giants, the Betrayal, and the Coming of the Young Giants

The Creation of the World, the First Giants, the Betrayal, and the Coming of the Young Giants

In the beginning, there was Indal, the Great Mother, who lived alone in the waters of chaos. The waters filled her, and after a time, she gave birth the Great Mountain, known as Vizgul, the moon, Rem, the sun, Zun, and the stars. But Vizgul was made without anything on it. It was empty, devoid life or form. This saddened Indal, and she cried, her tears falling to the world. As they fell, the waters of chaos infused themselves with them, and as they hit the world, they created all of the mountains and valleys, the rivers and oceans, the plants and animals. This filled Indal with joy, as she was able to see her children thrive. However, with time, she grew tired of not being able to speak with anyone. She could not have discussions about life, or love, or the beauty of the world. There was no sentient life on Vizgul. Absent from this world were giantoids.

So, Indal decided to change this. She went down to Vizgul, and in a river valley, she took a mountain, and shrunk it down to the size of a giant. She shaped it to look like her, in her glorious form. But her child did not have any limbs, only a frame. She looked around her, thinking of what to do, and looked at a small tree. She took from it four branches, which she affixed to her child, creating arms and legs. She then took leaves from the tree, and created fingers and toes. Finally, fully formed, she kissed her child upon her brow, and poured her love into her, giving her life. Thus was how Wondul, the Good Daughter, was born.

Indal loved Wondul greatly, and they lived for a long time together on Vizgul. However, Wondul was unhappy. She loved her mother, but she did not have any brothers or sisters to play with or to talk to. After many years, she finally told her mother about her sadness. Indal told Wondul that she had not considered having more children, but she was at once filled with gaiety at the thought of having even more children in which to converse with and to love. So, Indal set to work, and created the first giants, the Indaled Cynoigyn. Chief among these first giants was Mjegunezyl.

The first giants lived for many years together, and they built a great civilization, with the Great Mother as their leader. However, ambition had rooted itself in the heart of Mjegunezyl. He grew envious of his mother and the power that she had. So he began to plot against her. He talked about all of the great things that he could bring to the world, and to the Indaled Cynoigyn if he had the power of Indal. Soon, he was able to win several other first giants to his side, known as the Mjegunezyled Cynoigyn and when he thought his power was enough, he moved to take power away from Indal.

Mjegunezyl and his followers came to the palace of Indal in the night, and while she was asleep, he killed her. The next morning, he declared himself Vizbaba, the Great Father. But save for his followers, his brothers and sisters rejected Mjegunezyl’s rule. Led by Wondul, those first giants still loyal to Indal fought back against the tyranny of the Vizbaba. This led to time of great strife, known as Vizgwax, or the Great Injury.

At the end of this time, all but Wondul and Mjegunezyl. Mjegunezyl had just slain the last of the free first giants, and had Wondul on the ground, and the mercy of his blade. Filled with cruelty and malice, he raped Wondul, filling her with his seed, and impregnating her. For the next nine months, Wondul lived as Mjegunezyl’s slave, until it came time for her to give birth. After a month of labor, Wondul gave birth to a hundred children, the first of the current giants, the Wagugul Gyval. During the final hours of her giving birth, Wondul knew that she would not live through the process, and thus, plotted to kill her brother. She waited for him to grab the last child, and as she pushed it out, she pushed a blade of stone that she had made in secret into the back of Mjegunezyl, killing him.

As both Mjegunezyl and Wondul left Vizgul, they arrived in the world after the world, Indalorr, where Indal awaited them. They stood before her, in Indalorr, and she cried before them. Indal told Mjegunezyl that he had done awful things, and asked him why he had been so evil. Mjegunezyl spat at her, and told her that it was her fault for making the world unequal. Taken aback, Indal split the world after the world in two, and cast Mjegunezyl, the Fallen Son, into the lower reaches, now known as Mjegunezlorr. She bound him there, and told him that his task was to take those who had strayed as he had, and to help them understand the wrongs that they had done. If he did this, then he would eventually be able to return to Indalorr.

Then, Indal turned to her daughter, Wondul. Again, she cried, embracing her daughter. She told her daughter how much she loved her, and how sorry she was that Wondul had to undergo the horrific things that Mjegunezyl did to her. In return for her devotion and goodness, Indal split Indalorr again, created another realm for Wondul, now known as Wondulorr. It would be Wondul’s to rule over for all of time. She was tasked by Indal to help those who had done wrong, who acknowledged their wrongdoing, and were wanting to make amends to do so, so that they might one day rejoin the Great Mother in Indalorr.

Back down on Vizgul, the Wagugul Gyval spread, given protection by Indal and Wondul. Unlike their first giant foremothers, the Wagugul Gyval did not have immortal lives. Still blessed with longevity, they were still fated a mortal existence. Those that were rightious, that were loving and good, were to rejoin Indal in the afterlife. Those who had done awful things, but wanted to redeem themselves would go to Wondul. And those who were wicked and held no remorse for their actions, those few would go to Mjegunezyl.

Thus is how the world was made, and what happens to us when we die.