A Mother's Tale: The moons of Unhala

A children's' bedtime story about the origins Uma and Intomba, the moons of Unhala.

Summary

There once was a mother, Uma, who had a daughter whom she loved very much, named Intomba. All day she would take her daughter's hands, and they would spin round and round. Uma became very good at spinning her daughter, stepping around boulders and dodging hungry wolves. But eventual Intomba began to grow up, and she began to feel she was to grown to play with her mother anymore. She met a man, a brave warrior from a far away land, who bought her beautiful gifts and told her kind words. But Uma did not trust the man, and warned her daughter that his beautiful gifts were hiding his ugly heart, and his kind words were hiding his cruel hands. But Intomba did not listen to her mother, calling her a jealous old woman and ran away to marry the warrior. Uma began to farm and fish, and she made a small fortune and bought a house high up on a mountain top were she could watch over her farm and boats. Intomba went to live with the warrior, wearing all his beautiful gifts and blushing at his kind words. But soon his gifts stop, and his words turned cold, and when she told him she had become unhappy, he struck her across the face. Late that night, Intomba fled as fast from the warrior as her feet could carry her. But the warrior soon woke to find his bed empty, and in a rage chased after her. Uma woke early that morning and went out to inspect her farm and boats, but instead saw her daughter, miles away, running from the warrior, who was quickly catching up. Uma called to her fishermen, giving them all the riches she had gained to stop the warrior. They took up knives, oars, nets, and axes, then went out to fight the warrior. But the warrior was strong, and he killed the fishermen with his bare hands. While the warrior killed them, Intomba made it to her mother's home, and they pushed the furniture in front of the door, and nailed boards over the windows. When the warrior arrived at the home, he grew even angrier to discover that he was locked out and took up a fallen tree, using it to smash the walls of Uma's house, and did not stop until the entire building had collapsed. Even though the mother and daughter had escaped out of the house, they were now trapped at the top of the mountain. So Uma took Intomba's hands, and began to spin round and round. The warrior smiled and ran forward to take catch his prey. But the warrior was not as large as a boulder, and Uma stepped around him. And the warrior was not as fast as a wolf, and Uma dodged his hungry hands. All day long the warrior gave chase, and all day long mother and daughter spun around him, until at last the warrior had pushed himself to far, and he fell, his heart giving out in his chest. But Uma kept hold of Intomba's hands, spinning round and round, still to this day...

Cultural Reception

Often just regarded as bedtime story for children

Related Organizations

• Dachaigh: Land of the Dwarves
• Imperium of Mankind
• Sakland Confederacy