"The Lay of Creation" by Aurora L. ´DT´ Baker

"Hark now and heed, children-of-the-moon! Tonight I will sing to you the Lay of Creation, how the Mother-of-all, Ái’máterh’ilshá, created all that there is, from the land to the sea, to the plants and animals, to the making of Her most beloved children, the unicorns.

"The world first started as a large ball of fire, dancing in the endless plains of the sky. The Mother saw it as a potential for life, and She cooled the burning heat of the flames and encased them in layers of earth and rock. Seeing that the land harbored no life, Ái’mát stamped one hoof, and brought forth grass and trees and all types of flowers. And so the land and the plants came to be.

"The Mother was not fully pleased, though. With a snort and a stamp of Her other hoof in anger, Ái’mát formed a deep depression in the land, and in it water collected from Her tears of frustration. So the oceans came to be, with lakes, streams, seas and rivers forming as well, including our own beloved Inland Sea. With a renewed vigor, the Goddess returned to Her work.

"A swish of Her tail brought forth the weather and harsh winds; a gentle blowing of Her breath produced the air and playful spring breezes. From the places where She had dug in her heels, the mountains rose; the areas in which She had rolled to rid Herself of a thick coat, the long-grassed plains took shape. The creation of the world was complete, and the Mother was pleased.

"But it was not yet enough. There was no true life, nothing to live off the land or enjoy the simple pleasure of smelling the flower-laden wind. So Ái’máterh’ilshá shaped the birds of the air, the wolves and pards of the plains, the fish and whales of the sea, and much, much more. She even contrived a sister for the earth, a great white orb that became Her symbol and shone bright silver in the night sky.

"Yet still it was not enough. The Mother craved for something more in the world. Something to guard and nurture Her spectacular achievement. And so the Mother-of-all created the greatest of all Her children.

"Using bits of the blue sky, sable earth, and strong winds, Ái’mát formed the gryphon formels, females, ferocious warriors of the air. From the greenest of grass, most golden of sunlight, and fiercest of winds, She made mates for them, swift tercels, males to help catch food for the chicks. So the beings of earth and sky were spawned, and they took their homes in the rocky ledges of the highest mountains. In honor of their beginnings, they christened themselves children-of-the-wind.

"From the great fires of the earth’s heart, the Mother forged the dragons. Huge and beautiful in their jewel-encrusted red scales, they burrowed into the ground as to be closer to their flaming source. Breath of fire did they have, and they became the guardians of the inner earth, rarely seen to the creatures of the world above. From deep within their subterranean caverns they acknowledged their creation by taking the title children-of-the-fires.

"Ái’máterh’ilshá used the purest water and finest pearls to birth the elegant wyverns. Lustrous in their hides of ranging hues of blues and pearly eyes and fangs, they claimed the oceans and lakes of the world as their stewardship. They sported no limbs, simply webbed wings to move about their watery homes with, tipped with iridescent claws as means to catch fish. Singing their praises to the One Who Creates, they named themselves children-of-the-waters.

"And finally, the Mother-of-all created the last-born and most beloved of Her children, the unicorns. She fashioned them after Herself, lithe-limbed and robust for graceful dancing, hot-blooded and wild-hearted to make them fierce warriors. From the light of Her moon She fashioned for them horns as sharp as river ice and hooves as hard as dragon-bone. Coats ranged in all colors, and in accord with their being made of the Goddess’s motif, they called themselves children-of-the-moon.

"The Mother was finally content. And that is how the world was devised and its inhabitants birthed, all by the will and work of Ái’máterh’ilshá, the Mother-of-all!"