Di'Andarra

O wondrous bird! O joyous song! What mellifluous, enchanting tone! So sonorous and echoing across the rolling hills, that ever has and ever will, be bane to deathly ills. Thy radiant heart and soaring wings, make merry our earthly kings. Soar above, O restless star, and spread your song to near and far.
O grieving bird! O mournful song! What sad and soulful tone! So desolate and echoing throughout the ancient deep, that ever has and ever will, put stronger men to sleep. Upon thy tree of brazen gold and precious stone, thou roost and sing for days alone. Rest thy head, at day's lament, and sing thy song to thy heart's content.

Di'Andarra is a mythological bird in the tretalleri tradition that is believed to embody all the goodness of the world. The myth of Di'Andarra, and the associated myth of its home tree, Di'Pithrelignë, are believed to be the oldest extant myths in the world. Not even the most well-learned of mythology scholars in the Dominion are certain as to its origins, knowing only that the story of Di'Andarra itself comes from before the tretalleri diaspora.

Summary

Di'Andarra is said to possess such wondrous plumage that it is often mistake to be the rising sun when it flies overhead. Most of its feathers are made of gold that glimmers delicately in sunlight, save for its tail which is made of nine long feathers of such vibrant colors that each puts all the world's most precious gemstones to shame.
It is said that during the day, Di'Andarra flies all over the world, singing of all the goodness that it sees in the hearts and actions of the people. This joyous song is so potent that it is believed hearing even a single note is enough to heal even the most grievous of mortal illnesses. It is said being close enough to hear the entire song is enough to cure all but the most powerful curses.
At night, Di'Andarra returns to its roost in the glimmering branches of Di'Pithrelignë and sings a song of mourning for all the evils and atrocities that it saw during its day's journey. It is said to sing this song as a form of catharsis, as a means of coping with the burden of evil. Di'Andarra sings this song alone because it is so powerful it can put even the strongest of men to sleep, potentially forever. It is said that those exposed long enough to the sorrow of Di'Andarra, however good, or however evil, will have their hearts turn to stone, eventually followed by the rest of their bodies, a curse that only its joy can cure.
Most myths that involve Di'Andarra fall into two broad categories: epic quests and visitations.

Epic Quests

The most numerous of the myths that involve Di'Andarra have a number of components in common. In these myths, the role of protagonist is often occupied by a sole hero, and, at worst, a group of three heroes working together. Generally, they are one of a number of other heroes that are embarking on a quest to find and retrieve Di'Andarra in order to help their nation recover from a deadly disease or curse.
In these epic quest myths, the protagonists are often depicted to be humble, compassionate, and intelligent. They invariably travel a path that is fraught with danger, but is also filled with trials of strength and heart. Usually, the protagonist will encounter a person in need who is a god in disguise that will give them advice or an object that will help them on their quest in return for their kindness. And at the halfway point of their journey, the protagonist will find Di'Andarra as well as all the other heroes, having succumbed to its song and turned to stone around the base of Di'Pithrelignë, at which point they realize that the advice or object that the person gave them is necessary to thwart the power of the bird's sorrow.
The rest of the story revolves around the difficulties that the protagonist faces on the way back to return the bird. While the number of events varies from one telling to the next, there are always three that occur: the protagonist finds another kingdom similarly waylaid by disease and must wrestle with the question of whether to stop and help strangers or hurry back and help their own people, the protagonist is betrayed by the other heroes that sought Di'Andarra, and the protagonist finds love before returning home and receiving justice for how they were wronged.

Visitations

A type of Andarra myth that can be dated back to the early days of the Diaspora, Visitation stories are quite simple, and almost always serve as a means to explain how and why a certain remedy for a disease is discovered. In these myths, individuals are either visited by Di'Andarra, or hear strains of its joyful song and are inspired to seek out cures for the diseases that plague their communities. These stories are typically used to deliver a lesson that the gods will always provide guidance if one knows where to find it.