Mother Machines

There are many legends about the Founders, and the miracles they performed. One of the more apocryphal is the tale of the Mother Machines.
When the Founders wished to bring forth children into their new home of Jordnyr, they would pair off as woman and man in front of the Mother Machine. The Mother Machine would open its revealing eye and look upon the couple, judging them. If it was pleased with the sight of them, it would embrace them in the brilliant green light of the Star-gods. The pair of Founders would recite the prayer of supplication, and the Mother Machine would hum along in approval.
Time would pass, and the Mother Machine would grow the child within it's metallic embrace. All the while asking the parents hard questions about their desires for the child's future life. Only by answering the Mother Machine's questions, could the Founders who would be parents nurture the idea that would be their child as it awaited formation within the Mother Machine.
Eventually, when the proper rituals were followed and the proper answers were given, the Mother Machine would open to reveal a new Firstborn of the Founders. The child, laying resplendent in the Mother Machine's embrace with a sheen of godly ectoplasm, would be picked up by the proud parents, and presented to the community of the Founders. And there would be much rejoicing.
But the cruel Dr. Eth was jealous of her fellow Founders, for she was found wanting by the Mother Machines and was not allowed to bring forth a child from the Mother Machines embrace. And this filled her with a biter bile that poisoned her against all the Founders work at Journey's End. So, in the deep darkness of night, she and her followers stole as many Mother Machines as the could carry, and destroyed the rest without mercy. Dr. Eth then fled into the wylderness never to be seen again.
Thus no more of the Firstborn of the Founders would ever be birthed. The Founders, left with no other choice than the more basic methods, began to produce the Firstborn of Jordnyr. Buy that's another tale entirely.

Historical Basis

Unknown to modern society, the Founders did have mechanical devices that would allow fetuses to grow to term within them. Unfortunately they were all destroyed or stolen when Dr. Eth and her followers fled from Journey's End in the year 8.

Spread

All human communities have a version of this myth. Every child know a tale of the Mother Machines. Most differences between tellings is a result of the vagarities of oral traditions.

In Literature

Many tales and stories about the First Children of the Founders includes a scene with the Mother Machine that birthed the story's hero. Often including a pronouncement by the Mother Machine that will be instrumental in the hero's tale, but won't become clear until the final scene.