Swiftwater

"Only one ever came out of death by himself. He walked with the fast water until he came out of death, and he found a place that was bright and open, warm and wide, and all new. But the water was still and the land was bare, the air was quiet and the sky was empty, and he was alone."

— from Oceanfolk creation story

"They walked all together, she who was the source of life [and] he who had strength in his hands. ... The river took them from their beginning to their ending place. That is how they escaped the place of death."

— from the Valdian Song of Journey II

Summary

The Oceanfolk creation myth curiously parallels the Valdian River Cycle legends. In the ocean myth, First One ventures out of Death and finds a place that is better, but empty. Four times First One returns to the place of death, bringing another person out with him. Each person goes into the new place, filling it with their aspects: life, growth, motion, and change. However, each also goes away from the First One, leaving his fifth and greatest need--companionship--unmet. On his fifth trip into death, he returns with a woman who puts breath into the new place, and stays with him.

In the ocean worship beliefs of the latter half of the Oceanic Era, the "fast water" mentioned was believed to refer to the strong ocean currents, and the "place of death" was the ocean itself. The modern scholar, however, cannot help but observe strong similarities to the Valdian river songs, in particular the second journey. According to that legend, a man and woman traveled with three or four children along the great vastland river called Ciiadociee, which translates to Swiftwater in Oceantongue. The river flowed back into the mountains five times before leading them to "a broad land where were seeds and trees and leaves", much the way First One went into death five times, and brought his final companion to a place where "the water went to the seeds and...the sky was covered with leaves".

Historical Basis

The Valdians treat the River Cycle as history, rather than legend. Certain discrepancies are difficult to resolve, in particular how a river could flow uphill five times, but Valdians insist another such river exists that raises and lowers itself. Such details aside, a lengthy river journey from a dangerous mountainous location would explain why there are no Valdian populations beyond the vastland's plains.

Variations & Mutation

Considering the similarities, it seems probable that the ocean myth is a modification of the Valdian saga. Linguistic evidence has demonstrated conclusively that the ocean islands were populated in three waves, all radiating from the same place on the vastland coast that the Valdians now occupy--the mouth of the river Swiftwater. In spreading from island to island, the Oceanfolk at some point lost contact with their place of origin. A tale about a river journey makes no sense to people who have never seen a river of any length, so it is only natural that the places mentioned would change to refer to features more familiar to sailors. The rhythm and rhyme scheme also changed, both because of linguistic shift and because the legend was often chanted to coordinate load-bearing efforts aboard ships.

Date of First Recording

The oldest surviving text of the creation myth dates back to no earlier than 6000 Oce. The oldest artistic depiction of the river journey has not been accurately dated, but Valdians claim it was created by Source of Life herself.