The Count of Years : 1    [ Commentary ] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]

Creation / Dêrias

First creation: Matter

At first, there was only Iáinos First of All, who had no parent nor friend, who lived in no world. Iáinos is the Idea. Iáinos thought, and what he thought was worlds.

When he thought, the worlds were made; but he did not make them. Eīledan made the worlds. Eīledan is the Shaper, who gives form to the dreams of Iáinos. Iáinos thought of the Uncounted Worlds, and Eīledan made them. Because thought precedes making, Iáinos is First of All.

As the worlds were made, Ulōne was there to receive them. Ulōne is the Response. When something is made, the spirit responds: with admiration if the thing is beautiful, if not, with disgust. When a god creates, the Response is also a god. Because making precedes response, Ulōne is after Eīledan and after Iáinos.

The first world was nothing but air.

The second world was nothing but light.

The third world was of water.

The fourth world was of clay, metal, and rock.

What is made tells us of its maker; matter tells us of spirit. Air is swift and weightless; it is the matter closest to spirit. Light is penetrating, and gives understanding. Water, like spirit, gives life. And the solid elements show the strength and power of spirit.

We know this, because Ulōne told it to the Einalandauē, and they told it to the iliū, and the iliū told it to our ancestors.

Second creation: Almea and the First Spirits

Next Eīledan formed Almea from the elements already made, according to the dream of Iáinos. He set Ënomai, the Day's Eye, to go round it as a light, and hung stars above it, so that its night would not be entirely black. The moving stars he made as well, diamond Sisticiu, silver Ūdinamiēi, sapphire Sualilenda, emerald Goxreme, glowing Rimidête, and great golden Feroivoras. And Ulōne delighted in their brilliance and movement. There were not any moons yet.

Now Iáinos said, --This world is good, but it is quiet; shouldn't I people it with beings that think and speak? Immediately Eīledan made them. He made the First Spirits, the Einalandāuē, according to the dream of Iáinos.

The Einalandāuē are spirit, like their Maker. They are not housed in bodies of water and clay, like ourselves, but like their Maker they are masters of matter, directly, without any intermediary. They don't die nor suffer the disease or decay of matter.

The First Spirits rejoiced in their own creation, and praised the Idea of Iáinos and the Work of Eīledan, because every spirit has a part of Ulōne and joins in her Divine Response.

Each of the Spirits has a name, and each possesses a star as House and dominion. No spirit is the same as any other, for this is the way of Iáinos; there is not only one way to create, any more than there is just one beautiful thing.

The greatest of the Spirits was Ecaîas, then called the Bright. His star, Nōtuvoras, can no longer be seen, but it was then the brightest of all. Only the Day's Eye was brighter. In those days the stars were near, and the night was not black, but shone like a crown of gems of all colors.

After him was Eīnatu, Commander of the Stars, whose star is Rōvole; and then Yeâ, the Friend of Man, who will sound the Horn when time ends. Her star is Agāeritār.

Sīesimo, red as a ruby, is the star of Ximāu, the Fiery One. Talias, bright in the shy summer skies, belongs to Etiniē. And the stars of the Southern Crown, always present in the crown of the sky, friend of travelers, take the name of the Spirits they belonged to, Similgu, Simillu, and Simiriu.

There was no evil in the world. The stars were then close to Almea, and the First Spirits ruled them. Together they formed the Council of Stars:

The Council of Stars, at the dawn of all:
bright was its glory, like a brotherhood of suns!
No shadow, no dark, only a sea of light.
Ecaîas the Bright was their mighty head.
Not even the stars could look full on his face:
who could be stronger? Eīnatu came next,
the Master of Arms; then Yeâ the kind,
whose Horn will ring when all things end.
Iáinos Unbegotten reigned over them,
his dream and will were joyfully theirs.
Eīledan formed them, at the dawn of all;
in their hearts burned the fire of Ulōne.

Acūritār Alaldiē, na ūdelu oniex
Same mēgro-si, banco bardāex sualixueē!
Bis xuōmaē, bis usolex, sīe-dâ sillaē.
Ecaîas Esileto rōvas aduōre sā
Rīxa mai alaldi gōgnu tāunu tisītu.
Rāe līxrōvate ê? Dralāde Eīnatu
Enatēras Sonurdaē drâlu Yeâ dēsa
rāex rogas gōngili rēda rêsile oniu.
Iáinos Bidêroêllê caē natērēre,
Somâ xosêyas-to cayuē sā amīsialu.
Eīledan caē drouvū na ūdelu oniex;
Fa itīraniē-si ogonas Ulōneē.

Third creation: The living world

Now Iáinos conceived of the plants and animals, and Eīledan made them, and gave them life, the gift that distinguishes living things from the even the noblest of the dead elements, and which when lost turns an animal to dead flesh, a plant to dry, dead stalks.

The Einalandāuē helped in the creation, for they resembled their Maker in that they were themselves makers.

This is why some of the animals are noble and majestic, and others are humble, or timid, or strange, for the mind of Iáinos and the hand of Eīledan were sure, but the Einalandāuē were not so masterful, and their creations were sometimes tentative or rash.

Iáinos made the horse, swift, and strong,
thundering on the plains. The deer is Etiniē's,
the retiring animal, silent in the forests.
Ecaîas imagined the grandest of animals,
the charging elephant, lord of the savannah.

Iáinos created the oak, glad and sturdy;
Yeâ the willow, whose long branches
trail from its crown like a maiden's hair.
Ximāu made the thorn bush: strange and prickly,
but its fruits are sweet to the thirsty traveler.

Iáinos made fish both large and small,
teeming in the sea, a gift to the fisherfolk.
The octopus was Eīnatu's, with too many legs,
but a graceful swimmer; Ecaîas made the shark,
long and sleek, the lion of the seas.

Iáinos said to him, --O Ecaîas, Size and power are great things, but they are not the only things. And to teach him, he conceived of the whale, mightiest of the fishes, larger than a house; sharks flee before it.

--See, he said, how the idea of power is easy.

Thus the world was filled with plants and animals. These were the first mortal things, for the nature of living things is to be born, grow, and die; if living things did not die they would overflow their alloted space, and there would be no more young things.

But still there was no evil in the world, no murder or waste or cruelty; death was according to the will of Iáinos, and joyfully accepted. Plants were for the nourishment of animals; and the owl did not hunt for the mouse, nor the shark for the smaller fish, but the smaller animals, at the end of their appointed days, came without fear to the larger animals, laid themselves down and gave themselves to death, in order to feed them. In those days death was simply the end of life, as the night is the end of day.

The beginning of evil

Ecaîas was the greatest of the Einalandāuē, and his was the brightest of stars, Nōtuvoras the Flame of the night. But Nōtuvoras no longer shines in the night. This is how it happened, as we learned it from the iliū, as they learned it from the Einalandāuē.

Ecaîas saw that Eīledan had made the First Spirits according to the dream of Iáinos, to talk with him and serve him, and he asked Iáinos, --O Unbegotten, could there not be spirits that would talk to the First Spirits and serve them?

Iáinos responded, --In my dream, there are spirits to follow you, many spirits; you are the First Spirits but not the last.

--I am pleased, said Ecaîas. Hurry and work at this task, because I am anxious to have servants of my own.

--The spirits to come will not be your servants, said Iáinos. They will be your younger brothers, and you the First Servants must watch over them and teach them, each in your own House. They will grow in numbers and greatness, and one day they will be nobler than you.

--Then don't do this thing! said Ecaîas. We are the First Spirits, masters of the stars, creators of worlds, closest to Iáinos. Don't take this away from us; don't make us second to spirits that come after!

--Power is made to work for love, said Iáinos. I am first in power. But I did not keep my Idea to myself, but gave it to Eīledan to shape, and to Ulōne to enjoy. Nor did we keep the Uncounted Worlds to ourselves; we made you, the First Spirits, to enjoy them, to create and rule along with us, and to talk to us and to each other.

--Yes, we are creators and rulers; we can be content with that, said Ecaîas. But he spoke falsely in order to mislead Iáinos, because he remembered the shark and the whale, and he knew that in a test of power against Iáinos he must fail.

Ecaîas guessed that the Second Spirits would live on Almea, which had been prepared as a place for them, and that they would rule and draw their sustenance from the animals and plants, as the animals ruled and were fed by the plants. He feared the word of Iáinos, that the Second Spirits would come to eclipse the First.

He reasoned to himself, --If I can weaken the plants and animals, then the Second Spirits can't become strong, because they depend on them. Then they will never become nobler than us; or perhaps Iáinos will reconsider his idea and not create them at all. I will go and do this.

He went to Almea and disturbed the ways of life, so that death no longer came at its proper time, but always too soon. Now animals did not wait for their prey to give themselves to death, but hunted and killed them. And because death came early, animals could not rear their offspring to perfect maturity or teach them all their ways. Wisdom was lost, and so there arose hunger, and because of hunger, greed; and because of greed, resentment; and because of resentment, cruelty. And the animals fully indulged these passions, and death spread across Almea.

--Now there is evil in the world, said Ecaîas, and Iáinos cannot make Second Spirits from it to outshine the First.

Iáinos' judgment

Now another Einalandāua, whose name was Amnās, was in Almea as Ecaîas worked, and observed everything he did. He came in secret to Iáinos, and said, --O Iáinos Unbegotten, Ecaîas has defeated you on Almea; come and see.

Iáinos was surprised, and together with his Council of Stars he rushed to Almea and looked closely at it. He looked at the changes worked by Ecaîas, which had filled Almea with misery. He called Eīledan to him.

--O Iáinos, will you create again? asked Eīnatu. If so, Yeâ will sound the Horn, and Ximāu will destroy this world.

--No, I see another way, said Iáinos.

Iáinos dreamed, and following his dream, Eīledan created new things. He gave to the plants and to the smaller animals protections, speed and armor and guile and fertility. To the hunting animals he gave prudence, so that they would steward the prey and always leave a remnant; he gave them also long life and small fertility, so that they would not overwhelm the smaller animals in numbers, and speed and prudence in the use of their claws, so that they would not oppress them, nor live in violence with each other.

And now that the world was dangerous, he gave to the animals friendship. There was no need for this before; but now there were enemies to counter, scarcities to endure, hunts and evasions to master. This was the beginning of community; for to work together is the first step in facing evil, and the greatest good is done in opposition to evil.

The Einalandāuē marveled to see how Iáinos used the appearance of evil to create things of even greater power and beauty, and Ulōne rejoiced.

Iáinos said to Ecaîas, --Your tampering with death has brought evil into the world, which was not my intention and greatly distresses me. And you have done this to weaken the Second Spirits, whom you should have helped! This is an act of madness, O Ecaîas. You have become evil yourself; you are no longer first and greatest of the Einalandāuē.

Following the word of Iáinos, Eīledan put out the light of Nōtuvoras; and as for Ecaîas, he put him in the depths of Almea. He buried him in the rock, so that he could not further harm creation; but he did not destroy him, because he hoped that Ecaîas might still make right his great evil. Ecaîas is still there today. He is tightly bound, but in his rage he sometimes shakes the very foundation of the rock , or causes it to belch out fire, causing destruction to the living creatures of Almea, which he hates.

Iáinos told the Einalandāuē, --Move your stars far from Almea, so that evil will not spread to them. And they did so. The night was now dark on Almea; and so that darkness would not have dominion over our world, Eīledan created the moons, Xlainari, Têllênari, and Sistenari.

On each moon he placed a Guardian:

On Xlainari, almost a second sun,
was Xlainamo the Strong, who guards Almea
with watching eyes against jealous Ecaîas;
ask him for strength.

On Têllênari, so bright and perfect,
beautiful Têllênamiēi, healer of the sick;
her beauty is a sign that Iáinos has not left
his creation to evil.

On Sistenari, the small and swift,
Sistenamo the wise; he reveals his secrets
to the humble who seek understanding
but fools ignore him.

These three will guard Almea till Yeâ's horn sounds.

Now Iáinos said to Amnās, --As for you, O Amnās, you came to me, hoping that I would reward you for your disloyalty to your own Captain; and your faith in me was small as well, since you thought I was defeated. This too is madness! Till I judge otherwise, you are confined to Almea; try to use the time to grasp my Idea.

Standing before the Council, Amnās praised the wisdom of Iáinos and admired the newly created virtues. But in secret he was abashed and angered at the rebuke of Iáinos before all the Einalandāuē, and he resolved secretly to work against the Second Spirits. They were not created yet, but he blamed them for his own humiliation and for the imprisonment of Ecaîas.


© 2002 by Mark Rosenfelder
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