The Almighty and the Birth of the World
Countless eons ago, there was void. Darkness as heavy as stone blanketed the land. Color was a name unknown. Silence was all that sang. The Almighty was alone.
So he opened his eyes. Light, golden and silver, poured forth so that he could look upon the world. He swept his gaze across the endless horizon, lifting the night from his shoulders. And the light was beautiful.
But he found the world empty and grey. Colorless. The Almighty was alone.
So he looked upon himself. And where his gaze touched, life grew. Flowers, grass, trees sprung forth from his hide. Green and red and yellow and blue and every color that lies between bloomed. And the color was beautiful.
But trees and flowers, while a delight to the eye, are dead, silent, things. The Almighty was still alone.
So he plucked a flower with petals as white as snow, took twigs from a pine tree, and blew a little life into them. The bird began to sing. Then he took a little grass, some clay from his back and blew out a little more life. The dog began to bark. Then a twist of mud around a vine, one last breath. The snake began to hiss. So in this way, The Almighty created all life. And it was beautiful.
But while they were colorful and sang and made the world bearable, the animals were unthinking beings. The Almighty was desperately alone.
So he took a bird, made it higher than the rest. He placed gold in it's feathers and dreams in it's heart. He named him Eagle and place him atop his head. To the dog he placed iron on it's back and honor in it's belly. He called him Foo and made him to sit on his hip. Finally the snake was given hands of silver and wisdom in his head. Dragon was told to curl around his legs. He taught his sons the ways of the world, and they taught him how to love. All was beautiful for a time.
But the Almighty grew bored. He looked upon his creations and saw nothing that looked like him. So he took a bit of iron, wrapped it in mud and blew. Then made another, not as sturdy but more beautiful to look at. So the first man and woman were born. And together they made music that was sweeter than any of his other creations. Delighted, he placed them on his favorite spot on his right arm. He watched with glee as they began to spread out over his body. As they befriended the dog and the pig, sang with the birds, danced beneath the treetops, his fascination grew. At last he talked to them and found himself enraptured by the way they saw the world.
His sons turned jealous. They saw the humans turn the wild to their will and grew angry. They listened as their father laughed and they felt sick. They realized they were being replaced.
It was Dragon that struck first. As people began to spread down The Almighty's legs, in to his territory, he sunk his fangs into his father's ankle. His blood poured forth in a torrent, creating the first ocean. Foo saw and struck next, breaking the The Almighty's bones, causing them to buckle and push his flesh up into mountains. Eagle flew up away from the carnage, then dove and ripped out his father's eyes, breaking one like an egg, before throwing both to the sky where they became the sun and the moon. He dove again and tore The Almighty's head off his body. Foo ripped the remains in half and Dragon revelled in his blood.
Their father dead, the sons turned their rage on humanity. As they descended, there was a howling of the wind and the ghostly hand of The Almighty swung out and grabbed his children. They struggled against his grip but they they were powerless as he brought his full power to bear upon them, hurling them back into the dark void. They surged back, desperate to finish what they started, but with all that was left of him, The Almighty became a shield, holding back the tide of darkness.
And he's still there to this day. Watching over us, his greatest creation. Because to him, we are beautiful.
Summary
The Almighty creates the world, plants and animals, and his Sons to watch over them. Then he creates humanity in his own image. His sons see how he favors his new creation and become jealous. One day they can take no more and tear their father apart in anger. They then fall upon humanity in an ecstasy of rage. Just then, the Almighty's spirit comes free from his body and seals his sons away. His body became the earth, his bones the iron in the mountains, and his blood the oceans.
Historical Basis
If you squint, the lands of Elcadaver sort of look like a body drawn and quartered. Of course nobody is quite certain where the head is.
Variations & Mutation
The story told above is just the version most common on Brazos. Almost all nations and people have some variation of the tale. Usually the teller will make their audience's people the first He made and tie their enemies to His Sons. Other common variants play with the gender, the number of children, the origin of the sun and moon, and so on.
Date of Setting
Prehistory.
Related Ethnicities
Related People
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