The First of The Arcan

Summary

The myth of The First is an Arcan creation myth and the foundation for their culture and views on magic. The myth addresses the Unlocking Ritual, a key ritual amongst the Arcan, and the culture around the ritual. 
The First is viewed as an oracle rather than a deity due to being a mentor to the first generation of Arcan and espousing general rules of conduct regarding magic rather than an entity that is the basis for creation.
There is debate on whether the myth's well-known title 'The First Of The Arcan' is a reference to the students of the oracle in the myth rather than their mentor with the general consensus being that the myth is up to interpretation by the reader or listener.

Historical Basis

There is no hard evidence that points to any historical basis for who 'The First of the Arcan' is which leads to various debates. Some conjecture that 'The First' did exist as a person, or a group of people, in the flesh where as others believe they are an amorphous character meant to serve as a character in folklore to explain common magical concepts to children.

Spread

The myth of The First is known to every Arcan, as it is their creation myth, but outside of the Arcan it is not well known. The only people that know of the myth outside of the Arcan are mage scholars that take a vested interest in documenting what they can about the Arcan and those that converse with them. 
The myth is not spread by the vast majority of Arcan as many consider it to be a mere fairytale among their group, but it is often shared by bards and other scholars.

Variations & Mutation

Some variations will be different depending on who is telling, or writing, the story. A common theme that artists like to toy with regarding the myth is why the figures would be so far from society to begin with. Often times these variations will have the author, bard, or performer putting in their own biases based on their experience and their own upbringing. 
In some depictions, the group is far out from society to embrace the magic in the natural world as well as their own, others the group is far out because they do not want to scare residents with the newly formed ritual, and the last group write that the group were outcast from society for potentially breaking tenets on magic.
A miniscule fraction of the variations survive even unto the Ward Age every since the Arcan's extinction.

Cultural Reception

Those outside the Arcan tend to fall into the belief that 'The First of The Arcan' refers to a deity or a pantheon that the Arcan venerate. Sometimes this is due to those that do venerate the mentor in the myth, but it is rare to see such activity. While many do not think much about the myth, there are those few that believe the myth sets a dangerous precedent as the myth promotes a belief that there is no such thing as bad magic which is not a belief held outside of the Arcan.

In Literature

In literature, scholars and folklorists dissect this myth the most out of other Arcan myths writing essays about it's teachings or even historical events surrounding the supposed time frame of the myth. 
In writing, many bards or writers will use it for speculative fiction, historical fiction, or even retell the myth adding in dramatic elements. The latter of the three falling into what would be considered fanfiction by modern standards.

In Art

Murals depicting the key events of the myth are abundant in Arcan citadels that is often joked about. The main focal point of those pieces being the Oracle figure of the myth that performs the Unlocking ritual with various depictions such as a humanoid with the signature Arcan pointed ears or a fantastical beast that sometimes took human shape.