top of page
Search

In The Beginning: Creation Myth of the Elementum

Writer's picture: Desi LinDesi Lin

📷

If you delve deeper into any society, past or present, the one thing you'll find in abundance is stories. Stories of dashing heroes intended to inspire and entertain or stories explaining the unexplainable or unknowable.  These tales, the myths and legends, appear different on the surface but there are common threads. Perhaps the most common, the one myth to be found in every society or religion or tribe is the beginning, the creation myth.  What more fitting place to start a blog, then at the beginning?

The Elementum are no different in this one respect than any other society on earth. While they don't have a myth about the creation of the world, they do have a myth about the creation of themselves. As long as humans have existed, Elementum have strode among them, but how did they come to be? How did their unique abilities bloom into existence? Here's their myth, as recorded in their archives, also known as the Tabularium.


Millenia ago, back in the world's infancy, humans rose to dominance. Like toddlers they were arrogant, and in their arrogance, they believed themselves above nature and the rules by which the world functioned. They came together first in clans, then in tribes. They pushed the boundaries of the world, until they no longer considered themselves as a part of it but rather as the rulers of it. They created civilizations, the beginnings of villages and towns, not once stopping to consider their impact on the world around them.

From these beginnings came The First. Their love and respect of nature captured the attention of The Mother herself. She watched them as they walked the hills and valleys, watched them care for the land, as others no longer did. She peered into their hearts, searched the deepest recesses of their souls and found only love and joy for nature. The Mother decided to test them, so she came to each in turn.

She found the first near a burning mountain, hand outstretched and face filled with longing. She watched as the fingers grazed the boiling red liquid, as the hand snapped back to its owner, tear filled eyes the only sign of pain. She disguised herself as an old man, storming onto the mountain and raging about the dangers, how they should seal off the mountain. Instead of agreement, she received pleas for understanding and ideas for how they could live safely in harmony with the burning mountain. The Mother smiled as her disguise melted away. For the love and care shown to fiery mountain, she granted the gift of fire manipulation. Thus, the first Ignis was born.

The next she found near a raging river. Disguised once again, she created the illusion that she worked on blocking up the river. When horrified shouts came at her to stop she ignored them, carrying on. Words flew at her, lectures on the harmony of the river, the life teeming inside it, the damage that would be caused even as the blockage was torn apart with bare hands until they bled. The Mother caught up the bleeding hands as her disguise melted, healing them as the granted the gift of water manipulation. Thus, the first Aqua was born.

The third she found perched among branches of a tree. With her disguise in place, she began chopping down a nearby tree, one of the oldest in the forest, with branches reaching high into the sky and a trunk wider than three men abreast. The strike of the ax against the tree rang out several times before a hand yanked the ax from her. Gentle words told her to look at the tree she chose, to choose one more appropriate to her needs but to leave the ancient ones. The Mother's disguise melted, and she granted the gift of earth manipulation. Thus, the first Terra was born.

The last she found in a field, twirling in the blowing wind. She fixed her disguise in place and stomped across the field, hands gripping tight to a hat threatening to leave her head. She grumbled loudly about the wind, but a hand stopped her. Words taught her about the benefits of the wind, all the good it did for nature and for people. The Mother melted her disguise and granted the power of wind manipulation. Thus, the first Ventis was born.

And The Mother smiled upon them, granted them her blessings and good fortune and bade them go and sow harmony between the people and nature.


This myth, like so many others, inspires more questions than it answers. It might seem far fetched to some that their abilities were granted by some mysterious "mother".  Who is this "mother"? Why were these individuals so different? How could her tests tell her who was worthy? These questions, naturally, have no answers, not real ones. Can the archives provide any explanation? Perhaps not. Still, even with the questions it leaves, it's nice to have some way to explain.

4 views0 comments

Comments


© 2017 by Desi Lin. Proudly created with Wix.com

bottom of page