Creation Myth
Before the world existed, there were the gods. However, they were not the gods of anything, as nothing was there for them to command. Therefore, they decided to meet and create the world.
The first to do so was Maimman, the mother of the gods. As she had given life to all others, she lay down her body to create the solid earth so that all may live on her.
Then it was the turn of Feloilon, the eldest of her children. As his love for his mother was very great, he became plants, so that he may cover her and embrace her.
Then it was the turn of Son, who loved his mother but not as much as his older brother. He became mountains, scarcer than plants, but still found on all the earth.
Then it was the turn of Dotran, whose love for her mother could change rapidly. She became men and animals, who are at times at peace with the earth and at times at war with it.
Then it was the turn of Talan, who disliked her mother and could not stand her. She became water in form of oceans and seas to cover where her mother was not.
Finally, it was the turn of Feloilan, the smallest child, whose love for her mother was the greatest out of all the children. She became the sky as to embrace all of her mother at all times.
Having created the world and all that dwelled within it, the gods were then at peace. However, this did not last long, because they had forgotten about one god, Pairron, the father. He was sleeping at the time of their meeting, and he became very angry when he learned that they had created the world without him. Moved by a terrible resolve, he arrived to destroy all that they had made.
The other gods could not dissuade him. Apologies and promises of compensation were not enough, and he intended to bring ruin. His rage was so hot and grand that he became a burning sphere of fire, the sun, with which he wanted to devastate the world. The sons, however, convinced Pairron to play games with them. If he won, then they would accept their fate without protest, but if they won, then he would leave them alone.
The first to play the game was the eldest, Feloilon, who challenged his father to a staring contest. He made all sorts of plants to become his eyes and look at the father, but the father proved to be a formidable opponent. When Pairron looked too intensely, the plants withered and died in the heat; when he stared from afar, they shriveled and died in the cold. Pairron won the game.
Then it was the turn of Son, who challenged him to a game of who could stand strong for the longest. He fortified himself and made the tallest mountains he could, but the father proved to be a formidable opponent. While Pairron remained there with infinite strength, he could not help but crumble over time, even only by a little, until he was no longer standing. Pairron won the game.
Then it was the turn of Dotran, who challenged her father to a fight. She made weapons for the men and gave tusks, fangs and claws to the animals, but the father proved to be a formidable opponent. Though she fought with great valor and courage, Pairron’s fire was stronger than the might of all men and animals, and he burned them into submission. Pairron won the game.
Then it was the turn of Talan, who challenged her father to a race. She became swift rivers, rapid currents and quick rain, hoping to be faster than the father, but he proved to be a formidable opponent. The race was long, and she got an early lead, but as it went on she became tired and Pairron overcame her when she was dried out by his fire. Pairron won the game.
Finally, it was the turn of Feloilan, who challenged him to a board game. Each player would have a number of pieces, and whoever destroyed the other’s first was the winner, but the father proved to be a formidable opponent. Pairron chose only one piece, the sun, with which he crushed almost all of his daughter’s pieces, scattering the fragments around so that they became the stars. Feloilan was left with only one piece, the moon.
She knew that she couldn’t win the game, and that when the game was over Pairron would destroy all, so she resolved to play forever, continuously retreating her piece across the board to prevent him from catching her. This is why the sun forever follows the moon across the sky, as father and daughter are still playing the same game begun at the beginning of the world. Sometimes, the sun gets very close to the moon, and darkness covers the land as Pairron threatens to win, but Feloilan quickly moves away, saving us once again. As she plays the game, the world is safe from destruction.
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