Leante Creation Myth

Although most modern Leyfolk are Host Keepers, and their ancestors were Deinain worshippers for much of their time, there does remain a creation story among their culture that seems to corroborate the Thirteen Invasions' tale of an ancient Leante Invasion. This myth revolves around a captain-king named Bethrael. Bethrael is thought to be a Deinain so ancient that most of his myths have been forgotten, subsumed into stories of Bethril, the Father of Swine, one of the Seven Devils of the Host Keeping Faith. In this creation myth, Bethrael and his men are sailing into the east, "chasing Harcus and his six children across the sky," when his ship crashes upon what is later revealed to be Milos. Some versions of the story say Harcus had stolen Bethrael's only daughter, others that it was Harcus' daughter Bethrael meant to seize, and still others say it was a hunt of vengeance, that Harcus had slain Bethrael's queen. Regardless of the why, the wreck allowed Harcus to escape, dooming Bethrael and his men to "years of darkness and despair." Many sceyals say that the shipwreck "caused such a boom that all the earth did shake." This boom drew the attention of a Hadrashi Queen that reigned beneath the waves, and she began to sing out to Bethrael, beckoning him to her undersea palace. Eventually, driven by fascination and seeing no future on the night-soaked shores, King Bethrael ordered his men to follow him into the Sea. Many of the men refused, however, and Bethrael cursed them to remain in darkness forever. The rest marched below the waters with him. There, the Hadrashi Queen welcomed the men and bid them stay forever, offering them shelter and feasts such as they had never known. When the King asked how he might repay her, the Queen demanded his hand in marriage, to sit beside her as her consort. The King thanked her, but said he had sworn an oath, and instead asked her to grant him a new ship with which he might resume his pursuit of Harcus. Enraged by her wounded pride, the Queen locked Bethrael in her dungeons, and for each day he refused her hand, she slew one of his men. When only one was left (the King's son, some versions say), Bethrael at last relented, and gave his heart to her.

Bethrael and the Hadrashi Queen ruled beneath the western waves for centuries, bearing many children of half-Hadrash and half-Deinain blood (strangely, this aspect of mixed heritage is a far more common feature of late pantheon Deinain, rarely seen in the early pantheon). Until one day, Bethrael takes his children and escapes from the Queen's palace, returning to the shore and his shipwreck. There, he finds those men who refused to follow him (or perhaps their descendents) enslaved by the Hadrashi, who in his absence had crawled out of the Sea and attacked. Bethrael and his children drive the Hadrashi back into the sea, delivering the men from bondage, for which they swear eternal fealty. In most versions of the myth, these men are said to be the ancestors of the Siiari, the "Men of the Sunset." Afterward, King Bethrael's Half-Hadrashi children, "use their powers and natures" to carry Bethrael across the eastern sea, where he finds Harcus "reposed in luxury." The two do battle, with Bethrael prevailing. In some versions they have a battle of wits, in others a full clash of armies, and in some Bethrael is imprisoned by Harcus and later escapes and kills the Burning Ram in his sleep. Bethrael then skins his foe and casts his pelt (more accurately his fleece) up into the sky, where it burns eternally. Most versions of the myth end here, but there are some that speak of Bethrael returning to his wreck and ruling there for another century before passing the crown to his son. Some few versions name this son Beth, further solidifying the link between this ancient Deinain and Baarach of Beth, the legendary forebear of Clan Beth.

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