"Elvish Creation Myth" by Réka Szabó

Of the Creation of the World

In those times Mother Earth was alone, and nothing and no one disturbed her tranquil solitude. But tranquillity turned into boredom over the long ages of eternity. The Earth was alone, and she longed for something to fill her empty hours. Her longing grew stronger and stronger, until it nearly tore her apart. Then was born, out of the Mother's desire, Fire, the Wild one. Mother Earth had company at last, but Fire was reckless and dangerous, never regarding the consequence of her deeds. Her reckless rampage scorched Mother Earth's tender skin, and pain called tears into the eyes of the First of Elements. Her tears flooded her wounds, and the newborn Water eased her suffering and restrained the rampant Flame.

But Mother Earth was still not satisfied. Her longing was unleashed, but it did not create anything she could nurture as its mother. For this was what she, First of all Elements wanted: creatures whose lives she could guard and guide, who live their own life, but turn to her for help. Fire and Water were born out of her, but they were not her children but her sisters, and they did not live but existed, eternal and unchanging, and they were almost as mighty as the Earth herself. Therefore, the Mother began to shape living beings from her own flesh: root and stem, flesh and blood creatures she made. Plants started to grow near the water, but their tender green shoots grew weak and pale; animals were born but never awakened to the world and never came to life as the Mother had wished.

Mother Earth was in great distress. She knew not why her plants and animals did not live. They were shaped according to her will; they were shaped from her flesh! But all her efforts were in vain. She could not find the solution to the mystery. Once, still deep in thought, she gave out a great sigh. Her warm, gentle breath stroked the land, and Wind was born. All the animals raised their heads and took deep breaths from the fresh breeze, but they still made no other move. They had no soul to urge them to move. Nor did green plants grow a single inch more.

At that time Wind was free to run rampant over the body of Mother Earth. She flew over the silent, lifeless lands laughing, while the Mother was troubled by something else. Finally the Earth captured one of Fire's wild flames, and she enclosed the flame in a cold, clear crystal. Thus she created the Sun, the Light, which she placed in the sky to float over Her body and give warmth and life to the plants. The green fields started to blossom, all was laden with flowers. All the beasts were awakened, because the Mother gave them a soul of Fire and Light. But together with Light, Shadow was also born, Shadow, who is hiding behind everything. Shadow gave ease under the blazing Sun, but also hid deep in the soul of animals, awakening dark and secret thoughts in them.

Thus Light gave life to life, and Mother Earth was happy to see her children grow and flourish. But soon the searing Light became too much for her creatures. The Sun, glowing unceasingly above the earth, made trees and weeds wither, leaves dry and fall, flowers wilt. Then the Earth turned away from the Sin, covering the lands in cool Shadow. She also made a moon and stars out of pure, fireless Light, so that night would not freeze the living creatures. But the earth soon began to cool, and plants could not grow in the dim moonlight, and all creatures shivered with the cold of the night. Then finally Mother Earth realised that she would never again have rest if she wished to enjoy her created world. Ever since then, she turns under the Sun every day and night, and her creatures can have both life-giving Light and ease-giving Night.

For long Mother Earth was content, but ages passed, and she grew bored of her creatures. The world was always the same, animals lived the same lives through the endless ages, and never gave a thought to their creator. Mother Earth wanted creatures that can change, and whose minds know Her and remembers their Mother who had created them. After long and hard labour she created the Elves. She poured Light in their minds and shaped them beautiful for her eyes' pleasure, and gave them language to delight in their words. Thereafter she made them lords and keepers of her created world.

The Elves used well the treasures Mother Earth had trusted to them. They built magnificent cities in the forests of the north, studied and respected nature, and crafted poems and songs in their fair tongue, not forgetting to thank their creator for everything they had. But the sisters of Mother Earth, born from Her very self, who had no task but to maintain the harmony of nature in the created world, became jealous of the First Element. They wanted their own people now, and land for their people to rule. The ardent Fire was the first to act: she watched the Elves and created another race to their likeness, but according to her own ideas. These were the Kemaan, the red-skinned, warlike desert devils. She descended to the earth in a great storm of fire, burned the land in the south, and placed her people into this newly formed desert. But Mother Earth felt the pain of her burning flesh, and thus learned of the bold deed of the Fire.

Then all other Elements went before the Earth and prayed to her to allow them to have their own people. The Mother heeded their words and her wisdom gave way to them. Thus every Element has her own sentient people in the created world: the Earth has the Elves, who adore all life, the Fire has the fierce Kemaan, the Water has the graceful dolphins, the Shadow has the nightlings, creatures of the dark, and the Light has the Wise Ones who have no name, for they do not speak with words: they see the Mind that was born out of Light. The People of the Wind are the humans, whose soul never finds rest under the sun. The Elves live long, for Mother Earth nourishes their bodies, but all other Peoples of the Mind are short-lived: the life of a human is like dust in the wind, the Kemaan are burned out by their own inner fire, nightlings fade away into darkness, dolphins, like rivers, finally lose their strength and dissolve in the sea of Death. Even the Wise Ones go out, as every light fades in the world.

Of the First War, the War of Flames and the Stewards

The Peoples of the Mind lived in peace for a while, but the desires of humans reached farther and farther, longing for adventure and discovery. Finally many of them left their yurts on the Barrens and explored all four corners of the world. First they found the Elves, who dwelt in the great forest of Ainalen, then covering the whole north. Humans had already mastered the arts of war, since these restless people waged many wars among themselves. Elves had not known war before, but their magic saved their sacred land for them. Soon they learned the crafting of weapons and the building of fortresses, but meanwhile humans also learned the ways of magic, and found powerful allies in the far south. Their adventurers reached the deserts and made a pact with the Kemaan warriors. Humans and Kemaan assaulted the Forest together in the hope of plunder. The Kemaan mages set Ainalen on fire, and most of the Forest was burnt to ashes, never to grow again. Were it not for Element Water, who sent down a great rainstorm upon Ainalen, nothing would have remained of the wonderful homeland of the People of the Earth. Many Elves were killed in the fire, and most of the survivors decided to leave the place of their suffering. The People of Water taught them how to build ships that float on water. So the Elves crafted ships and set sail towards the unknown. Mother Earth felt pity for the refugees, and raised a great Isle from the seas of the east. There the Elves landed and built a new kingdom, nearly as beautiful and great as the old Ainalen.

The Elements, know in the created world as the Six Sisters or the Mothers, held a council. Mother Earth was worried and grieved by the greed and recklessness of the peoples of Wind and Fire. The gentle Water suffered from the sight of bloodshed and the burning of the great Forest, whose every tree she had watered and nourished since ages long past. The Wind only laughed at their concerns, and said to the Mother:

'Why did you create such a feeble race? You name yourself First, and you are not even able to protect your people?'

'Do not blame me for the sins of your people', the Earth replied. 'Humans violated our pact, and I am not the one guilty of that.'

'What shall we do now?', asked the Light, whose wise mind saw that it was in all their interest to avoid the wrath of the Mother of All Things.

'Destroy them all', suggested the Shadow, who was named Lady of Death on the earth. 'Mother, let me send Death upon them, and then we shell create a new race in unison.'

The Fire did not like her dark sister's plan, and she started at the Shadow with her usual vehemence. A great storm of fire descended on the earth, and the Peoples of the Mind were all filled with fear. But the other Elements soon intervened, and the world was saved from the devastation of a Battle of Elements.

Years have passed before the Sisters could reach an agreement. Eventually they decided that each of them should send her Steward on earth, to keep peace and harmony in the created world. They themselves then retreated from the world, having seen what destruction their quarrels could bring to the fragile earth.

The soul of a Steward is part of the soul of his Element, but they are bound to flesh and blood bodies that can be destroyed just as the body of any living creature can. However, the Stewards possess such power that no mortal could ever wield, and even if the body is destroyed, the Steward lives on, though with greatly diminished power. If the soul of a Steward finds another body that is willing to accommodate him, he can regain his full power again. A Steward can control all that can be controlled with the magic of their Element, even though they are far less powerful than the Living Elements. When they were created, the six Stewards settled among the people of their Elements, but that was long ago, and now little is known of the whereabouts of these creatures.