Parevia, Lan'tha, and the Asteroid

Summary

In the days of gods, when the planets around Iradae and Lan'tha had just formed and had begun to cool, Parevia had set out to divide the days and years of each of the system's planets. As she set the year of the fourth world, an asteroid fell out of its own orbit and struck the fourth world, tilting its axis severely. This disrupted Parevia's original plans, and in a fit of rage she took her scythe and carved up the asteroid into minuscule pieces. This initiated a lengthy period wherein Parevia deliberated on what to do now that the fourth world had been severely tilted. In that time, Lan'tha seized on the opportunity and began to craft a new ecosystem. Parevia stood back and watched while Lan'tha patched up the wounds, thinking what to make of this new development. Lan'tha pulled the Ice Flats Substance from deep within the earth and set life on a path toward evolving there, and Parevia realized that her seasons needed to support these creations. She began to structure her timetable for the fourth world accordingly, stabilizing its seasons to the best of her ability and taking personal responsibility for its days.

Historical Basis

There was an asteroid that struck Mudewei in the distant past, which set it on its current axial tilt and created the crater lake in which would rest the Ice Flats. The asteroid no longer exists, and samples taken from both natural moons indicate that at least one of them was formed during the impact, although research is still ongoing. (Folklorists suspect that the origins of the myth come from ancient speculations that the rim might represent a great impact crater. Delen in particular is noted for stating plainly that

Quite clearly something has struck this part of Mudewei, or else the planets would be on a different course.

as a result of his long studies into the subject.)

Cultural Reception

Among other things, this tale is a "just so" story to explain why the Ice Flats exist, and is the foundation of the Stenza week (see Parevia and the Demarcation of Time).

Related Species