Thành viên:ChinQuoc/Nhap/Kolbrin

THE SALUTATION OR PROLOGUE TO THE BRONZEBOOK

(Now incorporated in the Kolbrin)

Greetings, Unborn Ones, now asleep in the dark womb of the future. Greetings from we who were once as you are now and like whom you will one day be. We too hoped and feared, doubted and believed.

Were you choosing a gift from the past to the future, what would it be? The golden treasures hoarded by kings? The bright jewels beloved by queens? Is worldly wealth still so important to you? If that would be your choice above all else, we are disappointed, for our labours have been in vain.

Would you prefer the secret of life, of eternal youth? Have you altered so little from those who live and laugh today, with no thought turned towards the future? This thing which seems so desirable, were it yours would you value it? Would it never pall? Would you still be grateful for it after a thousand years have passed? The answer would be "yes" if this life were all, the beginning and end, complete in itself. But might not this life be no more than a prelude, an introduction to something infinitely greater? Is the riddle still unsolved, the secret of the ages still well kept, known only by a few, even when these words are read? How many generations have passed without progress? Does mankind still lie passive like driftwood upon the sea of spiritual apathy, driven back and forth by changeable winds and conflicting currents, making no headway?

Could we leave you the knowledge enabling you to live a life without toil, surrounded by every luxury and pleasure; a magic stone granting every desire, an all healing potion, the ability to fly or know all things on Earth, would any of these satisfy the desires of your heart and fulfil your dreams? We who lie so far back along the road trust you have progressed beyond such petty aspirations.

It is beyond our power to give such gifts, and were they ours to bestow we would withhold them, for unless a gift confers a benefit, it were better not given. With the wisdom of your generation, tell us, which of the things mentioned would really benefit you or even prove less bad than good? Or do you still remain unaware of your true nature and needs?

Who you are, how you speak and dress (are you even like us in form?) we cannot know or imagine. This alone we know as truth, you are brother beings of ours and travel the road we once trod. We share one destiny and have the same true goal, though perhaps no more know in your day what these are than do in ours. Like to us life comes to you unbidden, it is fraught with problems and difficulties; it alternates between light and shade, and like us you wonder what awaits at the end. You, too, are victims of Earth's delusions; you, too, find Truth and Perfection beyond your grasp and you, too, aspire to beauty and goodness. These things we know about you, these things must be or you would not exist.

Your needs are no different from ours, but do you now know with certainty what they are? Your life serves the same purpose, you are part of the same pattern, you are ruled by the same impulses and urges, but do you know why and to what end? We know you are without certainty and assurance about what lies beyond the veil of death, for these cannot be given while man remains no more than man, and doubtless like us you remain suspended between doubt and belief.

Our Unborn Friends, whatever your circumstances of life you are the children of the past and heirs of those who have lived and died. We trust you have no cause to reproach those who once held stewardship over your estate. But whatever you think of the heritage, you cannot put it aside, any more than you can refuse the obligations of life. Maybe it brings you the happiness and security, the peace and plenty we never knew. If so, this will remain unread, for to you it would be a wilderness of words serving no purpose. If you have so much, if you have progressed so far, nothing we could give would be of benefit. To the traveler, information about the road behind is worthless. If this is your state we hail you, we are proud of you, our worthy children of light, conceived in the long dark years wherein we laboured and ploughed our own short furrow. You have done well and our greatest joy would be to stand beside you as you exaltingly reach out for the crowning glory of godhood.

But you may be no more enlightened than we, in which case accept our offering as a token of our regret, our desire to make amends on behalf of those who preceded you, for if you remain lost in spiritual darkness the blame is theirs and not yours.

This we give you, The Hidden Books containing the accumulated harvest of wisdom and Truth garnered over the generations, the bread and oil which sustained us and never diminished. May they serve you in your day as well as they served us. Above all, may you be sufficiently enlightened to receive them, for today we are persecuted because of our books, and most who treasured and guarded them are now dead. We can only consign these books to the ground and destiny, trusting they will be called forth at the proper time and in a receptive generation.

These books, which we hand into the keeping of time, were written under the authority of revelation and inspiration. Containing Truth, their message cannot be attacked by time, for Truth is an eternal youth.

We make no claim to exact and accurate statements beyond the possibility of error and misinterpretation, for words are frail messengers. They are fallible things unable to transmit accurately from mind to mind. Also, we cannot tell how they who resurrect the books will deal with the contents. They are written in letters known to the learned, but learning changes with the generations. These books are the glorious embodiment of Eternal Truth, but the words and expressions are unworthy garments so that misconception and misunderstanding are not possible. Words are servants of the fallible mortal sphere and when called upon to serve a realm of greater things prove inadequate. Therefore, be not like some petty-minded ones of our generation who say, "The letters are misplaced and the words ill used." They examine each blade of grass diligently, but fail to discover the purpose of the meadow. Such men lack insight and seeing only the bare letters say, "These tell me all, there is nothing more". We have a saying, "do not judge a place of instruction by its bricks". Wisdom, being eternal, doubtless this will apply no less in your generation.

So, Unborn Unknowable Ones, we humbly tender this, the gift of the past which we could not pass on otherwise. If you have advanced far along the road towards greatness, it will have no value; but if you still dally or have wandered away, lost in the illusive mists of worldliness and none answers your cries, then take this hand extending out of the past. It will guide you faithfully and well.

Down through the generations men have been persecuted, have suffered and died so that Truth and Goodness might prevail, remember them. If the world is good, then your peace and pleasures have been brought by their sacrifices. If it is not, then you must not quibble over the cost to yourselves in making it good. Surely no torments and terrors in your days could exceed those of the past!

Farewell, Unborn Ones, with these few words we have reached from the day of the present into the night of the future. We have planted the seed, will it grow or rot in the ground? What crop will it produce? We cannot know. Let fate deal with it as it will, we have gathered the seed, flailed and winnowed it and kept it with every care.

We have planted well, we can do no more.

May life deal better with you than with us. May you never be denied the comforting hand of hope. Farewell!

THE BOOK OF CREATION

Extracted From The Great Book Of The Sons of Fire

(An account of the beginning of things and why they are as we find them)

---

CHAPTER ONE. CREATION

Mortal knowledge is circumscribed by mortal ignorance, and mortal comprehension is circumscribed by spiritual reality. It is unwise for mortal man to attempt the understanding of that which is beyond his conception, for there lies the road to disbelief and madness. Yet man is man and ever fated to reach out beyond himself, striving to attain things which always just elude his grasp. So in his frustration he replaces the dimly seen incomprehensible with things within his understanding. If these things but poorly reflect reality, then is not the reflection of reality, distorted though it may be, of greater value than no reflection at all?

There are no true beginnings on Earth, for here all is effect, the ultimate cause being elsewhere. For who among men can say which came first, the seed or the plant? Yet in truth it is neither, for something neither seed nor plant preceded both, and that thing was also preceded by something else. Always there are ancestors back to the beginning, and back beyond to there is only God. This, then, is how these things were told in The Great Book of The Sons of Fire.

Before the beginning there was only one consciousness, that of The Eternal One whose nature cannot be expressed in words. It was The One Sole Spirit, The Self Generator which cannot diminish. The Unknown, Unknowable One brooding solitary in profound pregnant silence.

The name which is uttered cannot be that of this Great Being who, remaining nameless, is the beginning and the end, beyond time, beyond the reach of mortals, and we in our simplicity call it God.

He who preceded all existed alone in His strange abode of uncreated light, which remains ever unextinguishable, and no understandable eye can ever behold it. The pulsating draughts of the eternal life light in His keeping were not yet loosed. He knew Himself alone, He was uncontrasted, unable to manifest in nothingness, for all within His Being was unexpressed potential. The Great Circles of Eternity were yet to be spun out, to be thrown forth as the endless ages of existence in substance. They were to begin with God and return to Him completed in infinite variety and expression.

Earth was not yet in existence, there were no winds with the sky above them; high mountains were not raised, nor was the great river in its place. All was formless, without movement, calm, silent, void and dark. No name had been named and no destinies foreshadowed.

Eternal rest is intolerable, and unmanifested potential is frustration. Into the solitude of timelessness can Divine Loneliness and from this arose the desire to create, that He might know and express Himself, and this generated the Love of God. He took thought and brought into being within Himself the Universal Womb of Creation containing the everlasting essence of slumbering spirit.

The essence was quickened by a ripple from the mind of God and a creative thought was projected. This generated power which produced light, and this formed a substance like unto a mist of invisible dust. It divided into two forms of energy through being impregnated with The Spirit of God and, quickening the chaos of the void within the Universal Womb, became spun out into whirlpools of substance. From this activity, as sparks from a fire, came an infinite variety of spirit minds, each having creative powers within itself.

The activating word was spoken, its echoes vibrate still, and there was a stirring movement which caused instability. A command was given and this became the Everlasting Law. Henceforth, activity was controlled in harmonious rhythm and the initial inertia was overcome. The Law divided the materializing chaos from God and then established the boundaries of the Eternal Spheres.

Time no longer slept on the bosom of God, for now there was change where before all had been unchanging, and change is time. Now within the Universal Womb was heat, substance and life, and encompassing it was the Word which is the Law.

The command was given, "Let the smallest of things form the greatest and that which lives but a flash form everlastingness." Thus the universe came into being as a condensation of God's thought, and as it did so it obscured Him from all enclosed within His solidifying creation. Henceforth, God was hidden, for He has always remained dimly reflected in His creation. He became veiled from all that came forth from Him. Creation does not explain itself, under the Law it cannot do so, its secrets have to be unraveled by the created.

All things are by nature finite, they have a beginning, a middle and an end. An unaccomplishable purpose would be eternal frustration and therefore, the universe being created purposefully it must have an objective. If it ended without anything else following, then the God existing must slumber indifferent to its activities. But He has made it a living work of greatness operating under the changeless Law.

The creating word had been spoken, now there was another command and the power going forth smote the sun so its face was lit, and it shone with a great radiance pouring warmth and light upon its sister Earth. Henceforth she would live within the protection of her brother's household, rejoicing in his benevolence and strength.

The waters upon the bosom of Earth were gathered together and dry land appeared. When the covering of water was rolled back the body of Earth was unstable, damp and yielding. The face of the sun shone down kindly upon his sister and the dry land of her body became very hard, humidity and dampness were taken away. He gave her a garment of fleece and a veil of fine linen, that she might clothe her body with modesty.

From the Great Womb had sprung the Spirit of Life and it was rampant in the Heavens. It gazed upon Earth and saw her fairness, and was filled with desire, and came out of the heavenly spaces to possess her. It came not peacefully as a lover, but tempestuously as a ravager. Its breath howled along her corridors and raged among her mountain tops, but it did not discover the dwelling place of her Spirit. She had withdrawn, as a woman withdraws before force, for modesty must not be outraged in submission. Yet she desired its embrace, for among all the Radiant Company she was honoured.

The sun saw her perplexity and he wrestled with the Spirit of Life and overcame it. When it was subdued and the primal struggle had ceased, it was delivered by the sun to his sister. It was chastened and quietened and in silence brooded over Earth's waters, and she was stirred in response. Mud eggs of life potential were formed in swamps, at the meeting places of land and two waters. The sun gave quickening heat and life crawled forth upon the bosom of the Earth.

The land dust brought forth the male and the dark water mist the female, and they united and multiplied. The first brought forth the second and the two produced the third. Earth was no longer virgin and the Spirit of Life grew old and departed. Earth was left garbed in the matron's mantle of green, herbage covered the face of the land.

The waters brought forth fishes and creatures which move about and twist themselves and wriggle in the waters, the serpents and the beasts of terrible aspect which were of yore, and reptiles which creep and crawl. There were tall walking things and dragons in hideous form clothed with terror, whose great bones may still be seen.

Then came forth from the Womb of the Earth all the beasts of the field and forest. All the creatures of creation having blood in their bodies, and it was complete. Beasts roamed the dry land and fishes swam in the seas.

There were birds in the skies and worms within the soil.

There were great land masses and high mountains, wide barren places and heaving waters. Fertile greenness covered the land and abundant life swarmed in the seas, for now Earth throbbed with the energy of life.

Metals lay hidden in her rocks and precious stones within the soil. Gold and silver were scattered and secreted. There was copper for tools and forest of timber. There were swamps of reeds and stone for every purpose. Everything was prepared, everything was ready, and now Earth awaited the coming of man.

CHAPTER TWO. THE BIRTH OF MAN

The love of God penetrated the third veil and became the Seed of Souls within the Soul Sea. The body of man God made of water and things of the Earth, breathing into him the Spirit of Life, that he might live. But man, when young, lived only to eat and drink and to fornicate, for, being conscious only of the Earth, he knew only earthly things and earthly ways.

Now the Spirit of God Moved over the face of the Earth, but was not of the Earth. It held all things and was in all things, but on Earth could not be apart from anything. Without substance it was awake, but entering substance it slept.

Consider that which was told by the servants of Eban, of Heavenman who once wandered the Earth, He had no earthly substance and could not grasp its fruits, for he had no hands. He could not drink its waters, for he had no mouth, nor could he feel the cool winds upon his skin. They tell how the ape tribe Selok, led by Heavenman, perished by flames before the Valley of Lod, Only one she-ape reaching the cave heights above.

When Heavenman was reborn of the she-ape in the cavern of Woe, could he taste the fruits of the Earth and drink of her waters, and feel the coolness of her winds? Did he not find life good? It is not all a tale of the courtyard!

Man, created from earthly substance alone, could not know things not of Earth, nor could Spirit alone subdue him. Had man not been created, who would have known God's wisdom and power? As the Spirit fills the body of man, so does God fill His creation.

Therefore, it was that God saw something had to be which joined Earth and Spirit and was both. In His wisdom and by the creative impulse which governs the Earth, He prepared a body for man, for the body of man is wholly of Earth.

Behold, the great day came when the Spirit, which is God, was joined with the beast, which is Earth. Then Earth writhed in the labour of travail. Her mountains rocked back and forth and her seas heaved up and down. Earth groaned in her lands and shrieked in her winds. She cried in the rivers and wept in her storms.

So man was born, born of upheaval and strife. He came wretchedly and tumultuously, the offspring of a distraught Earth. All was in discord, snow fell in the hot wastelands, ice covered the fertile plains, the forests became seas. Where once it was hot, now it was cold and where no rain had ever fallen, now there were floods. So man came forth, man the child of calamity, man the inheritor of creative struggle, man the battleground of extremes.

Earth nurtured man with cautious affection, weaning him in the recesses of her body. Then, when he was grown sufficiently to be lifted so he walked in the uprightness of God, she took him and raised him above all other creatures. She led him even into the presence of God and she laid him on His Great Altar.

A man imperfect, of earthly limitations, a thing unfinished, ungainly and unlearned, but proudly was He presented to Earth's Creator. Not her first-born was man, the son of Earth, the grandchild of God, man the heir of tribulation and the pupil of affliction.

God saw man, the offering of Earth to her Lord, unconscious on the High Altar, a sacrifice to Him and a dedication to the Spirit of Fate. Then from out of the unfathomable heights and from behind the impenetrable veil, God came down above the Altar and He breathed into man the breath of Eternal Life. Into his sleeping body God implanted a fragment of Himself, the Seed of a Soul and the Spark of Divinity, a man the mortal became man the heir of God and the inheritor of immortality. Henceforth he would have dominion over God's earthly estate, but he also had to unravel the Circles of Eternity, and his destiny was to be an everlasting seeking and striving.

Man slept, but God opened the Great Eye within him and man saw a vision of unsurpassed glory. He heard the voice of God saying, "O man, in your hand is now placed the tablet of your inheritance, and My seal is upon it. Know that all you desire within your heart may be yours, but first it is necessary that you be taught its value. Behold, the Earth is filled with things of usefulness, they are prepared to your hand for a purpose, but the task is upon you to seek them out and learn their use. This is the tuition for the management of your inheritance."

"What you know to be good, seek for and it shall be found. You may plumb the seas and pluck the stars. You may live in everlasting glory and savour eternal delights. Above and below and all about there is nothing beyond your reach; all, with one exception, is yours to attain". Then God laid His hand upon man, saying, "Now you are even as I, except you sleep there enclosed in matter in the Kingdom of Illusion, while I dwell here in the freedom of Reality and Truth. It is not for me to come down to you, but for you to reach out to Me."

Man then saw a vision of glory encompassing even the Spheres of Splendour. Unbounded wisdom filled his heart and he beheld beauty in perfection. The ultimates of Truth and Justice were unveiled before him. He became one with the profound peace of eternity and knew the joys of unceasing gladness.

The eternal ages of time unrolled as a scroll before his eyes, and he saw written thereon all that was to become and occur. The great vaults of Heaven were opened up unto him and he saw the everlasting fires and unconsumable powers that strove therein. He felt within himself the stirring of inexpressible love, and unlimited designs of grandeur filled his thoughts. His spirit ranged unhampered through all the spheres of existence. He was then even as God Himself, and he knew the secret of the Seven Spheres within Three Spheres.

Then God lifted His hand from man and man was alone. The great vision departed and he awoke, only a dim and elusive recollection, no more than the shadow of a dream remained. But deep within the sleeping Soul there was a spark of remembrance and it generated within man a restless longing for he knew not what. Henceforth, man was destined to wander discontented, seeking something he felt he knew but could not see, something which continually eluded him, perpetually goaded him, and forever tantalized him. Deep within himself man knew something greater than himself was always with him and part of him, spurring him on to greater deeds, greater thoughts, greater aspirations. It was something out beyond himself, scarcely realized and never found; something which told him that the radiance seen on the horizon but dimly reflected the hidden glory beyond it. Man awoke, the revelation and vision gone, only the grim reality of Earth's untamed vastness surrounded him. But when he arose and stepped down onto the bosom of his Mother Earth he was undaunted by the great powers that beset him or by the magnitude of the task ahead. Within his heart he knew destiny lay beyond the squalor of his environment, he stepped out nobly, gladly accepting the challenge.

He was now a new man, he was different. He looked above and saw glory in the Heavens. He saw beauty about him and he knew goodness and things not of the Earth. The vision of eternal values arose before his inner eye. His Spirit was responding to its environment, man was now man, truly man.

The nature of man on Earth was formed after the nature of things in Heaven, and man had all things contained as potential within himself, except divine life. But he was as yet an untrained, undisciplined child, still nurtured simply upon the comforting bosom of Earth.

Man grew in stature, but Earth was not indulgent, for she disciplined him firmly. She was ever strict and unyielding, chastening him often with blasts of displeasure. It was indeed the upbringing of one destined for greatness; he was made to suffer cold, that he might learn to clothe himself; sent into the barren places, that his limbs should be strengthened, and into forests, that his eye should become keen and his heart strong. He was perplexed with difficult problems and set the task of unraveling the illusions of Nature. He was beset with hardships of every description. He was tested with frustrations and tempted with allurements; never did Earth relax the vigilance of her supervision.

The child was raised sternly, for he needed the fortitude, courage and cunning of a man, to fit him for the task ahead. He grew wily and wiry in the hunt; he became adaptable, able to cope with any untoward happening. Overcoming the bewilderments of early days he found explanations for the perplexities of his surroundings. Yet the struggle for knowledge, the need for adaptation and the effort to survive were never relaxed. The Earthchild was well trained and disciplined, he was never unduly mollycoddled. He cried for bread and went hungry, he shivered and was cast out, he was sick and driven into the forest. Weary he was lashed with storms, thirsty he found the wasters dried up. When weak his burden was increased and in the midst of rejoicing he was struck down with sorrow. In moments of weakness he cried, "Enough!" and doubted his destiny; but always something fortified and encouraged him, the Earthling never forfeited his godlikeness.

For man was man, he was not cowed, nor his Spirit broken; a wise God knew his limitations. As it is written in the wisdom of men, 'over chastisement is as bad as no chastisement at all'. But man was rarely chastised, he was tried, tested and challenged; he was led, prodded and urged, yet nothing was done unneccessairily. The seeming imperfections of Earth, the hazards and inequalities of life, the cruelty, harshness and apparent indifference to suffering and affliction are not what they seem; as it is, Earth is perfect for its purpose. It is ignorance of that purpose which makes it appear imperfect.

Where is there a wiser father than the Spirit of God, or a better mother than Earth? What man is now he owes to these, may he learn to be duly grateful. Above all let him never forget the lessons learned in his upbringing.

CHAPTER THREE. THE DESTRUCTION AND RE-CREATION

It is known, and the story comes down from ancient times, that there was not one creation but two, a creation and a re-creation. It is a fact known to the wise that the Earth was utterly destroyed once then reborn on a second wheel of creation.

At the time of the great destruction of Earth, God caused a dragon from out of Heaven to come and encompass her about. The dragon was frightful to behold, it lashed its tail, it breathed out fire and hot coals, and a great catastrophe was inflicted upon mankind. The body of the dragon was wreathed in a cold bright light and beneath, on the belly, was a ruddy hued glow, while behind it trailed a flowing tail of smoke. It spewed out cinders and hot stones and its breath was foul and stenchful, poisoning the nostrils of men. Its passage caused great thunderings and lightnings to rend the thick darkened sky, all Heaven and Earth being made hot. The seas were loosened from their cradles and rose up, pouring across the land. There was an awful, shrilling trumpeting which outpowered even the howling of the unleashed winds.

Men, stricken with terror, went mad at the awful sight in the Heavens. They were loosed from their senses and dashed about, crazed, not knowing what they did. The breath was sucked from their bodies and they were burnt with a strange ash.

Then it passed, leaving Earth enwrapped within a dark and glowering mantle which was ruddily lit up inside.

The bowels of the Earth were torn open in great writhing upheavals and a howling whirlwind rent the mountains apart. The wrath of the sky-monster was loosed in the Heavens. It lashed about in flaming fury, roaring like a thousand thunders; it poured down fiery destruction amid a welter of thick black blood. So awesome was the fearfully aspected thing that the memory mercifully departed from man, his thoughts were smothered under a cloud of forgetfulness.

The Earth vomited forth great gusts of foul breath from awful mouths opening up in the midst of the land. The evil breath bit at the throat before it drove men mad and killed them. Those who did not die in this manner were smothered under a cloud of red dust and ashes, or were swallowed by the yawning mouths of Earth or crushed beneath crashing rocks.

The first sky-monster was joined by another which swallowed the tail of the one going before, but the two could not be seen at once. The sky-monster reigned and raged above Earth, doing battle to possess it, but the many bladed sword of God cut them in pieces, and their falling bodies enlarged the land and the sea.

In this manner the first Earth was destroyed by calamity descending from out of the skies. The vaults of Heaven had opened to bring forth monsters more fearsome than any that ever haunted the uneasy dreams of men.

Men and their dwelling places were gone, only sky boulders and red earth remained where once they were, but amidst all the desolation a few survived, for man is not easily destroyed. They crept out from caves and came down from the mountainsides. Their eyes were wild and their limbs trembled, their bodies shook and their tongues lacked control. Their faces were twisted and the skin hung loose on their bones. They were as maddened wild beasts driven into an enclosure before flames; they knew no law, being deprived of all the wisdom they once had and those who had guided them were gone.

The Earth, only true Altar of God, had offered up a sacrifice of life and sorrow to atone for the sins of mankind. Man had not sinned in deed but in the things he had failed to do. Man suffers not only for what he does but for what he fails to do. He is not chastised for making mistakes but for failing to recognize and rectify them.

Then the great canopy of dust and cloud which encompassed the Earth, enshrouding it in heavy darkness, was pierced by ruddy light, and the canopy swept down in great cloudbursts and raging storm waters. Cool moontears were shed for the distress of Earth and the woes of men.

When the light of the sun pierced the Earth's shroud, bathing the land in its revitalizing glory, the Earth again knew night and day, for there were now times of light and times of darkness. The smothering canopy rolled away and the vaults of Heaven became visible to man. The foul air was purified and new air clothed the reborn Earth, shielding her from the dark hostile void of Heaven.

The rainstorms ceased to beat upon the faces of the land and the waters stilled their turmoil. Earthquakes no longer tore the Earth open, nor was it burned and buried by hot rocks. The land masses were re-established in stability and solidity, standing firm in the midst of the surrounding waters. The oceans fell back to their assigned places and the land stood steady upon its foundations. The sun shone upon land and sea, and life was renewed upon the face of the Earth. Rain fell gently once more and clouds of fleece floated across dayskies.

The waters were purified, the sediment sank and life increased in abundance. Life was renewed, but it was different. Man survived, but he was not the same. The sun was not as it had been and a moon had been taken away. Man stood in the midst of renewal and regeneration. He looked up into the Heavens above in fear for the awful powers of destruction lurking there. Henceforth, the placid skies would hold a terrifying secret.

Man found the new Earth firm and the Heavens fixed. He rejoiced but also feared, for he lived in dread that the Heavens would again bring forth monsters and crash about him.

When men came forth from their hiding places and refuges, the world their fathers had known was gone forever.

The face of the land was changed and Earth was littered with rocks and stones which had fallen when the structure of Heaven collapsed. One generation groped in the desolation and gloom, and as the thick darkness was dispelled its children believed they were witnessing a new creation.

Time passed, memory dimmed and the record of evens was no longer clear. Generation followed generation and as the ages unfolded, new tongues and new tales replaced the old.

CHAPTER FOUR. THE AFFLICTION OF GOD

This comes from the scroll of Kerobal Pakthermin who wrote, "The forbears of all the nations of man were once one people, and they were the elect of God who delivered all the Earth over to them, all the people, the beasts of the field, the creatures of the wasteland and the things that grow. They dwelt through long ages in lands of peace and plenty."

"There were some who struggled harder, were more disciplined; because their forefathers had crossed the great dark void, their desires were turned Godward and they were called The Children of God".

"Their country was undulating and forested. It was fertile, having many rivers and marshes. There were great mountains to the East and to the West, and in the North was a vast stony plain."

"Then came the day when all things became still and apprehensive, for God caused a sign to appear in the Heavens, so that men should know the Earth would be afflicted, and the sign was a strange star".

"The star grew and waxed to a great brightness and was awesome to behold. It put forth horns and sang, being unlike any other ever seen. So men , seeing it, said among themselves, 'Surely, this is God appearing in the Heavens above us'. The star was not God, though it was directed by His design, but the people had not the wisdom to understand'.

"Then God manifested Himself in the Heavens. His voice was as the roll of thunders and He was clothed with smoke and fire. He carried lightings in His hand and His breath, falling upon the Earth, brought forth brimstone and embers. His eye was a black void and His mouth an abyss containing the winds of Destruction. He encircled the whole of the Heavens, bearing upon His back a black robe adorned with stars".

"Such was the likeness and manifestation of God in those days. Awesome was His countenance, terrible His voice of wrath, the sun and moon hid themselves in fear and there was a heavy darkness over the face of the Earth".

"God passed through the spaces of the Heavens above with a mighty roar and a loud trumpeting. Then came the grim dead silence and black red lit twilight of doom. Great fires and smoke rose up from the ground and men gasped for air. The land was rent asunder and swept clean by a mighty deluge of waters. A hole opened up in the middle of the land, the waters entered and it sank beneath the seas".

"The mountains of the East and West were split apart and stood up in the midst of the waters which raged about. The Northland tilted and turned over on its side".

"Then again the tumult and clamour ceased and all was silent. In the quiet stillness madness broke out among men, frenzy and shouting filled the air. They fell upon one another in senseless wanton bloodshed; neither did they spare woman or child, for they knew not what they did. They ran unseeing, dashing themselves to destruction.

They fled to caves and were buried and, taking refuge in trees, they were hung. There was rape, murder and violence of every kind".

"The deluge of waters swept back and the land was purged clean. Rain beat down unceasingly and there were great winds. The surging waters overwhelmed the land and man, his flocks and his gardens and all his works ceased to exist.".

"Some of the people were saved upon the mountainsides and upon the flotsam, but they were scattered far apart over the face of the Earth. They fought for survival in the lands of uncouth people. Amid coldness they survived in caves and sheltered places".

"The Land of the Little People and the Land of Giants, the Land of the Neckless Ones and the Land of Marshes and Mists, the Lands of the East and West were all inundated. The Mountain Land and the Lands of the South, where there is gold and great beasts, were not covered by the waters".

"Men were distracted and in despair. They rejected the Unseen God behind all things for something which they had seen and known by its manifestation. They were less than children in those days and could not know that God had afflicted the Earth in understanding and not willfully, for the sake of man and the correction of his ways".

"The Earth is not for the pleasure of man, but is a place of instruction for his Soul. A man more readily feels the stirrings of his Spirit in the face of disaster than in the lap of luxury. The tuition of the Soul is a long and arduous course of instruction and training".

"God is good and from good evil cannot come. He is perfect and perfection cannot produce imperfection. Only the limited understanding of man sees imperfection in that which is perfect for its purpose".

"This grievous affliction of man was another of his great tests. He failed and in so doing followed the paths of unnatural gods of his making. Man makes gods by naming them, but where in this is the benefit to him?"

"Evil comes in to the midst of mankind spawned by the fears and ignorance of men. An evil man becomes an evil spirit, and whatever evil there is on Earth comes either from the evil of spirits or the evil of men".

CHAPTER FIVE. IN THE BEGINNING

Now, the Children of God were moulded by the Hand of God which is called Awen, and it manifested according to their desires. For all things which have life are moulded by Awen. The fox, shivering in the coldlands, longs for warmth and so its cubs have warmer coats. The owl, clumsy in the dark, longs to see its prey more clearly, and in generations of longing the desire is granted. Awen makes everything what it is, for all things change under its law.

Men, too, are moulded by their desires, but unlike the beasts and birds their yearnings are circumscribed by the laws of fate and destiny and the law of sowing and reaping. These, the desires, modified by the laws, are called Enidvadew. Unlike the beasts and birds, this, in man, is something relating to him rather than to his offspring, though they are not untouched by it.

Destiny may be likened to a man who must travel to a distant city whether or not he wishes to make the journey, the destination being his destiny. He may choose whether to go by way of a river or by way of a plain; whether across mountains or through forests, on foot or horseback, slow or fast, and whatever befalls because of this decision is fate. If a tree falls on him because he chose the forest path, it was fated, for luck is an element of fate. Destiny leaves no choice, fate gives limited choice which may be good or bad, but it cannot be averted. What is fated must be, for at no point can there be any turning back.

The circumstances, Enidvadew, of the traveler conform to the law of sowing and reaping; he may travel in comfort or pain, happily or sorrowfully, with strength or weakness, heavily burdened or lightly burdened, well prepared or ill prepared. When the destination is set according to the degrees of a former life, then the circumstances of the journey should conform with the desire. For what use is it desiring a great destination when the law of sowing and reaping decrees that an intolerable burden must be carried on the way? Far better to have lesser aspirations. The decrees of fate are many, the decrees of destiny are few.

When the Earth was young and the race of man still as children, there were fertile green pastures in the lands where all is now sand and barren wasteland. In the midst of it was a gardenland which lay against the edge of the Earth, eastward and towards the sunrising, and it was called Meruah, meaning The Place of The Garden on the Plain. It lay at the foot of a mountain which was cleft at its rising, and out of it flowed the river of Tardana which watered the plain. From the mountain, on the other side, ran the river Kal which watered the plain through the land of Kaledan. The river Nara flowed westward and then turned back to flow around the gardenland.

It was a fertile place, for out of the ground grew every kind of tree that was good for food and every tree that was pleasant to the sight. Every herb that could be eaten and every herb that flowered was there. The Tree of Life, which was called Glasir, having leaves of gold and copper, was within the Sacred Enclosure. There, too, was the Great Tree of Wisdom bearing the fruits of knowledge granting the choice and ability to know the true from the false. It is the same tree which can be read as men read a book. There also was the Tree of Trespass beneath which grew the Lotus of Rapture, and in the centre was The Place of Power where God made His presence known.

Time passed and The Children of God were grown strong and upright under the tempering hammer of God, and Earth, The Anvil of God, became more kindly. All was pleasant and food plentiful, but life palls in such places, for it is against the nature of man to flourish in these circumstances. Earth is not for pleasurable dallying, it is a place of teaching, trial and testing.

The Children of God were not yet the heirs of God nor inheritors of godhood, but there was one among them who had almost completed the Pilgrimage of Enidvadew. He had unraveled the tangled skeins of fate and traversed the tumultuous seas of life to the many ports of destiny, and having paid the debts of sowing and reaping was one triumphant over Enidvadew.

He was Fanvar, son of Auma and Atem. He was wise and knew all things, he beheld mysteries and the secret things hidden from the eyes of other men. He saw sunrise and the sunsetting in their splendour, but longed for things not realisable in the place where he lived. So because he walked with God he was culled out from his kind and brought to Meruah, The Gardenplace.

He came to it across the mountains and wastelands, arriving after many days journeying. Weary and close to death because of the privations he suffered, he could just reach the refreshing waters from which he drank deeply, and filled with exhaustion he slept. In his sleep he dreamed and this was the manner of his dreaming: he saw before him a being of indescribably glory and majesty, who said, "I am the God above all, even above the God of your people, I am that which fulfils the aspirations of men and I am that in which they are fulfilled. You, having traversed all the Circles of Enidvadew and established your worthiness, are now made my governor on Earth and you shall rule all things here, guiding them in my ways, leading them ever upwards into glory. This will be your labour and, behold, here is your reward.".

A cloud mist seemed to gather about The Glorious Being, enfolding Him so He was no longer visible. Then the mist gradually cleared and the man saw another form emerging. It was that of a woman, but one such as Fanvar had never seen before, beautiful beyond his conception of beauty, with such perfection of form and grace that he was dumbfounded. Yet the vision was not substantial, she was a wraith, an ethereal being.

The man awoke and sought food from the fruits about him and having refreshed himself wandered about the garden. Wherever he went he saw the wraith, but was unafraid because she smiled encouragingly, bringing comfort to his heart. He built himself a shelter and grew strong again, but always, wherever he went, the wraith was not far distant.

One day, near the edge of the garden, he fell asleep in the heat of the day and awoke to find himself surrounded by the Sons of Bothas, not true men but Yoslings, kinsfolk to the beasts of the forest. Before they could take his strength and wisdom he loosed himself among them, slaying some in his rage and might before the rest ran away. When it was done he sat himself down beneath a great tree, for he was wounded and blood gushed out from his side and gathered thickly beside him. He became faint, falling into a deep sleep and while he slept a wondrous thing happened. The wraith came and lay beside him, taking blood from his wound upon herself so it congealed about her. Thus the Spiritbeing became clothed with flesh, born of congealing blood, and being sundered from his side she rose a mortal woman.

In his heart Fanvar was not at rest, because of her likeness, but she was gentle, ministering to him with solicitude and, being skillful in the ways of healing, she made him whole. Therefore, when he had grown strong again he made her Queen of The Gardenland, and she was so called even by our fathers who named her Gulah, but Fanvar called her Aruah, meaning helpmate. In our tongue she is called The Lady of Lanevid.

Now, God enlightened Fanvar concerning the woman, saying, "This woman was drawn from her compatible abode in a realm of beauty through the yearning aspirations of men. Her coming accomplishes something which would otherwise have taken countless generations, for Earth is more fitting for men to learn manly things than for women to learn womanly ones. This woman is not as other women, being in no way like yourself; every hair of her head is unlike that of a man, every drop of blood and every particle of flesh is that of a woman and quite unlike that of a man. Her thoughts and desires are different; she is neither coarse nor uncouth, being altogether of another, more refined realm. Her daughters will walk proudly, endowed with every womanly perfection and grace. Delicacy, modesty and charm will be the lovely jewels enhancing their womanliness. Henceforth, man will be truly man and woman will be truly woman, men being girded with manliness and women clothed with womanliness. Yet they shall walk together, hand in hand, towards the ascending glory before them, each the helpmate and inspiration of the other". So Fanvar and Aruah lived in contentment amid bounty and fruitfulness, with freedom from afflictions and sickness. They delighted in each other and because of their differences were drawn closer together.

Aruah brought but one thing with her when she crossed the misty frontier, the treasure of Lanevid, the jewel contained in the moonchalice, the stone of inspiration fashioned by the desires of men. Never owned by any but the daughters of Aruah, this, the Lengil, Aruah gave to Fanvar as her dowry and her pledge of purity and exclusiveness. She followed the ways of the cradleland, not the ways of Earth.

Within the Gardenland was the Sacred Enclosure, the domain of Fanvar and Aruah, forbidden to those of The Children of God who had now come to this place. It contained the Chalice of Fulfilment granting any who drank from it the realization of all things to which they aspired. None might drink from this save Fanvar and Aruah. Also there was the Cauldron of Immortality containing an essence distilled from the fruits growing in the garden, and this guarded against mortal ills.

Aruah brought forth a son by Fanvar and he was called Rautoki, and a daughter who was called Armena. Each knew the mysteries of magic and the ways of the stars. In the fullness of time Rautoki married among the daughters of the Sons of God and had two sons, Enanari and Nenduka. It was Enanari who first taught the weaving of cloth from plants, and Nenduka was a mighty hunter. Armena also married among the Sons of God and brought forth a son who was called Belenki and daughters called Ananua and Mameta. Ananua knew the making of pots and things of clay and Mameta the taming of beasts and birds.

Nenduka had two sons, Namtara and Kainan. Namtara had two sons also, Nenduka and Dadam, before dying in the fullness of manhood. Belenki married Enidva and had a son called Enkidua and a daughter called Estartha, meaning Maid of the Morning, and she became a great teacher among The Children of God. This was the Estartha who became the first Moonmaiden, being later called Lady of The Morning Star. Enkidua had a daughter and her name was Maeva.

Outside the Sacred Enclosure, known as Gisar, but forming a gateway into it was a circular structure of stones called Gilgal, and within this was a shrine wherein was kept a sacred vessel called Gwinduiva. This was like a goblet and was made of rainbow-hued crystal set in gold with pearls. Above the cup appeared a shimmering moon-coloured mist like a thin cold flame. At certain times, when the Heavens were in a proper position, the Gwinduiva was filled with moondew and potions from the cauldron within the Sacred Enclosure, making a pale honey-coloured liquor, and this the people drank from the goblet. However, there were different proportions in the vessel for those of the blood of Fanvar and Aruah and those who were Children of God but not of their blood. It was the potion from the Gwinduiva which kept sickness and disease away from those who drank it. Dadam, the Firstfather, married Leitha and they had a son called Herthew. Dadam then married Maeva who had a daughter, not by him, and this was Gwineva, the cuckoochild fathered by Abrimenid of Gwarthon, son of Namtenigal, whom we call Lewid the Darkfather.

About the land of The Children of God was the wasteland where Yoslings, called The Children of Zumat, which means They Who Inherit Death, dwelt. Amongst these, Namtenigal, the wily hunter, was the most wise and cunning; he alone was unafraid of The Children of God and he alone dared enter the Gardenland.

In the days when Estartha was teaching, Namtenigal often came to hear her words and The Children of God were not displeased, for teaching the wild men about them was a duty with which they had been charged. Namtenigal, therefore, participated in their rites but could not partake of the elixir from the Gwinduiva, because this was forbidden. While it gave health and strength to The Children of God, safeguarding them from the sicknesses of the Yoslings, if given to others it caused a wasting away. It was also altogether forbidden for any of The Children of God to mate with the Yoslings, for this was deemed to be the most unforgivable of sins.

Now, the wily one learned much from Estartha and in the fullness of time brought his own son to her and he became as her son, living in her house and forsaking the ways of his people. Estartha called him Lewid the Lightbringer, for it was her intention that he should be taught the ways of those who walked in light, that he might in time enlighten his own people.

Lewid grew up tall and handsome, he was quick to learn and became wise. He was also a man of the chase, strong and enduring, a hunter of renown. But there were times when the call of his people was strong, then he would go out furtively into the night to indulge in their dark rituals. Thus he became knowledgeable in the ways of the flesh and in the carnal indulgences of the body.

Dadam became a servant of the Sacred Enclosure where the misty veil between the realms could be penetrated, for all those having the blood of Aruah had twinsight, an ability to see wraiths and sithfolk, ansis and spiritbeings, all the things of the Otherworld, not clearly but as through a veil.

Beside the place called Gisar was a pleasant parkland with trees of every kind and a stream, also thickets of flowering bushes and all manner of plants growing lushly. It was the custom of Maeva to wander there in the sunshine and Lewid also went there; so it came about that they met among the trees. Maeva knew the man but had shunned him in the past, now she saw he was handsome, possessed of many attractions, so her foot was stayed and she did not run away.

As the days passed they dallied longer together and Lewid talked of things Maeva had not heard before. She felt a stirring in her blood but did not respond or heed his temptations, because of the things which were forbidden. So Lewid went to the Moonmother, wise woman of the Yoslings, and telling of his desires beseeched her to help him. The Moonmother gave him two apples containing a vile substance which they had drawn through their stalks; this Lewid gave to Maeva who then became helpless in his hands.

They met again after this, for Maeva became enamoured towards Lewid, but it happened that she became ill with a strange sickness and was afraid. Then Dadam became ill and Lewid also, and Lewid said to the woman, "You must obtain the pure essences from within the Sacred Enclosure, and Setina, the Moonmother, will prepare an elixir which will cure us". This he said because none of his kind had ever been able to obtain the Sacred Substances, though they had always coveted what had been denied them. Now, because of her frailty, the woman was pliable in his hands and Lewid seized the opportunity.

To achieve his ends Lewid gave Maeva a potion which had been prepared by the Moonmother and she administered this to Dadam and those with him, by guile and deceit, so that they fell asleep. While they slept Maeva stole from the Sacred Substances and took them to Lewid who gave them to the Moonmother, and she made a brew.

Part of this was given to Maeva and the rest was drunk by the Yoslings, from their awful ankital during their night rites. When the morning came they were all smitten with grievous pains, and before the sun set that day all the Yoslings were stricken with a sickness such as they had not known before.

Maeva took what had been given to her and finding Dadam laid low in his bed gave him a draught from her vessel, though she had to use womanly wiles to get him to drink it. She drank the remainder and they both slept. But when they awoke in the morning both were suffering pains and this was something they had not known before. Dadam said to the woman, "What have you done, for what has happened to us cannot be unless the things which are forbidden have been done". The woman replied, "Lord, I was tempted and I fell, I have done that which is forbidden and unforgivable".

Dadam said, "I am bound by duty to do certain things, but first let us go into the Gisar to the place called Bethkelcris, where I will seek enlightenment". So they went there together and stood before the shrine beneath the Tree of Wisdom. There they were filled with an inflowing vision, seeing themselves as they were and as they should have been, and they were ashamed. He because he had not followed the proper path of a man and she because of her falsity. There, in the reflecting mist, the contamination of the woman was revealed, and the man's heart shriveled within him like a flower licked by flame.

Then they saw a great Spiritbeing materializing in the reflecting mist and he said to them, "Woe to you and your house, for the greatest of evils has befallen the race of The Children of God and it is defiled. The heritage of Kadamhapa is lost. The fetid flow defiling the woman results from the incompatible intermingling, but it is not all, for sicknesses and diseases are also generating from the ferments of the impure implantation".

Dadam said, "The fault is with the woman, wherefore should I suffer?" The Spiritbeing replied, "Because you two are now as one the conkerworms of disease and sickness strike both equally, but you shall not again defile this place. Henceforth, the misty veil becomes an impenetrable barrier severing our two realms from each other, so they can no longer be easily spanned. Between us there will now be no means of communication. Henceforth, man and woman, fated to unite in love divine, shall be divided and set apart, though ever yearning reunion. They may cleave one to the other, seeking the unity which will rekindle the flame, but unless their efforts transcend the limitations of earthly things they will be in vain. The spirit of man is now severed from the whole and cast again into unconsciousness, and it too shall long for reunion with the whole. The spark shall seek to return to the fire, for otherwise it becomes nothing. The web of fate is rewoven and the paths of destiny remade, the design of life is redrawn; again the progression begins in ignorance, birth and death, pain and pleasure, joy and sorrow, success and failure, love and hate, peace and war, all the light and shade, the many hues making the splendidly intricate pattern of life on Earth. This is a new beginning but a beginning not in purity and unencumbered, but one already weighted with debts and burdens".

The Spiritbeing continued, "Enough wickedness has been wrought by your willfulness and disobedience, for the decrees forbidding certain things were for your own benefit. Immortality was nearly within your reach, but had you achieved this you would have brought an even more grievous evil upon yourselves and your inheritors, for freed from servitude to change, you and they would have been unable to progress".

The Children of God were driven out of the gardenland by Spiritbeings, and then guardians were set at its gates so none could re-enter. Then it was withdrawn beyond the misty veil, the waters ceased to flow and the fertility departed, only a wilderness remained. The Children of God went to dwell in the land of Amanigel, which is beyond the mountains of Mashur by the sea of Dalemuna.

From this time onward man fashioned his own spiritlikeness. Some, who were loathsome in aspect even unto themselves, went apart and were mercifully veiled in dark depths, and they said among themselves, "Let us dwell here in the darkness and prepare a place for others like ourselves, so that when they follow they abide here and join us". Thus were the Dark Regions formed and inhabited by demons who are nought but the hideously fashioned spirits of evil men.

These things have been written into the record. In Siboit they used to say this was the manner of man's making, "God sent His creating Craftsman Spirit down to Earth and the reflection of The One was drawn into a spiritless body, and this became the heart of man".

These are the words written by Thonis of Myra in Ludicia in his day:-

"You ask me what is man and I answer: He is life becoming aware of itself. He is the intangible knowing the tangible, Spirit in matter, fire in water. When this first happened, none remembers and only the old folktales remain. There was the beginning and then the garden, and it was in this garden man found himself; before this he was not free, being one with everything about him. As he could not disobey, good and evil could not be, they were non-existent".

"Man became free through awareness of himself, and with this knowledge denied any kinship with the beast. As he was no longer in harmonious relationship with things of the Earth, he became discontented, dissatisfied and restless, he wanted to belong but felt his place of belonging was not there. He had been reborn as a mangod, and therefore it is truly said that man was born of Earth and Spirit, under a tree, the symbol of life, and in a garden". "There the eyes of the man and woman were opened and, being above the beasts, they knew they were different and set apart from all else that breathed. They separated themselves, being now ashamed of their state and strangers to each other. The carnal satisfaction of lesser creatures now no longer sufficed, they had lost contact with the Source of Love; but, though knowing something was lacking, knew not what. They had fallen into carnal knowledge which only man can know, for only he feels the reproach of divinity. They were removed from The Garden of Content by an inhalation of the Divine Substance and could not return because of the barrier between man an non-man".

Kamelik has written: "The entwined were cut apart and since that day have never known content. They wander restlessly ever seeking to unite again and together find the jewel which is lost to Earth forever".

Lupisis has written: "This first woman, who came from the void, is the eternally glorified goddess, the inspirer of hearts, the ideal of womanhood honoured by all men, the priestess at the shrines of delicacy and tenderness. She was the ideal woman who, because of man's nature, is always tempted by his twinshade, the beast in his form. If the beast triumphs and she falls, the ideal becomes enshrouded in winding cloths of disillusionment, and something is lost to the heart of a man".

These words are also there: "They did not partake of wisdom, and fruit from the tree of knowledge is bitter. Men are denied their true birthright. The fall of man was a fall from loving contact with God into material carnality. The Soul that had shared the consciousness of God fell into unconsciousness by becoming ensnared in matter. The fall severed man from the source of his spiritual sustenance; thereafter his efforts were to struggle back. In his blind groping for God, after the fall he discovered demons and found it easier to worship them than to continue the search".

"God is always waiting, man has only to look up, but it is easier to go down the hill than to climb it. It is easier for man's spiritual beliefs to degenerate than to evolve. Who among men knows the truth and can write with certain knowledge? Would not this certainty be against the Law? No man was there at the beginning to see and write, but of one thing alone we can be sure, The Creating God knows how and why, and could the acts of One so great be without purpose?

CHAPTER SIX. DADAM AND LEWID

Maeva fled for her life and many kinfolk went with her. But Dadam was unable to follow, being laid low with the sickness. This loosened his tongue so it became uncontrollable, making him babble like a child, and the sickness covered his body with red sores from which came an issue. Lewid also departed for a place far out in the wilderness.

Those with Dadam, who looked back towards the place of the garden, saw bright tongues of light licking the sky above it, the whole being interwoven with flickering flames in many hues. Those who sought to return were repulsed with a tingling ache over their bodies which increased into severe pain as they approached, so they were driven away.

When Dadam recovered so he could stand, only a few remained with him and they all moved further into the wilderness to a place where there was water and pasture. There Dadam left Herthew, his son, and the boy's mother, with Habaris the Learned, and set out to find Lewid.

After many days Dadam and those with him came upon Lewid and his Yoslings who were full of sickness, and slew many, but Lewid was not slain though mortally wounded, and he lay against a great rock. When Dadam came near, Lewid raised an arm heavily and said, "Hail to the victor and benefactor who was come to terminate our wretchedness". While Dadam stood sternly contemplating him, Lewid said, "To kill me now is your prerogative, for even we lesser being who are far removed from godmen have the law of husbandly pride. What I did has been done before and will be done again, but I erred by crossing an unknown barrier which could not be discerned, for we, within ourselves, are no more contagious to each other than are your people. If then I must die, let it be for my part in spawning the cankerworms of disease which have stricken both our peoples".

"Back in the dreamingtime, when the Great Gods strove among themselves for dominion of the skyspaces, and the wide expanse of Earth was rent apart by unearthly wildfire, Bemotha was cut apart by the bright arrows of Shemas. Then this land was given to my people as their dominion, while yours was in another unearthly place far distant. Our domain was a pleasant place and though you teach that because of this we remained as we are, yet we were content. We know of no great design, nor of any barely attainable objectives to which men must aspire. Such striving as you know is to us no more than purposeless vexation".

"I have my God and you have yours, and as they strove one against the other beforetimes, so will it always be; but now there is a new battleground with new battlechiefs. I will go to my appointed place and you will go to yours, and from thence, as leaders of the fray, we shall wage a never ceasing war. Such is fated and must be, but who will win the fair prize of Earth for their king? We shall not strive with clubs and lances, the hurling stone and flying dart, but with more subtle weaponry. This thing is not our choice, we are but playthings of fate. That you and I should head the fray is not because of our qualities but because we were where we were, when we were. Now we are but two precarious points of life in a hostile wilderness, but what might we be in a hundred generations?"

Dadam said, "These things I know too, for my eyes have always been opened. I too have looked out into an endless plain without any horizon, but I shall lead those who have grown strong through seeking and striving, while those in your ranks will be weakened through indulgence in the fleshpots and pleasure places of Earth. We are the disinherited but not the disowned, we have the seeds of victory within us. You and yours were never more than you are, sons of the easy path, followers of the downhill road".

Then, when these things had been spoken, Lewid died and Dadam and those with him burnt his body. Dadam and those with him wandered the wasteland for many days, then turned southward towards the mountain. Then it happened that one day Dadam was seated apart, in solitude among rocks, with chin on chest, and a hunter of the Ubalites came upon him from behind. The hunter slung a smooth stone as the man turned, and it struck out his eye. Then the Ubalite slew him by smashing in his head with a stone.

The hunter was the son of Ankadur, son of Enanari, king of the Ubalites, by Urkelah, daughter of the Chaisites. This is known because those who were with Dadam came out of the barren places and learned the ways of builders, becoming great among the Ubalites and raising cities along the rivers. Among them was Enkilgal who built Keridor, which stands between the two great rivers, and Netar and Baletsheramam who taught men the ways of writing, setting the letters upon a pillar in Herak.

CHAPTER SEVEN. HERTHEW - SON OF THE FIRSTFATHER

The Book of Beginnings tells us all things began with Varkelfa, therein called Awenkelifa, from whom flows gwinin, the energizer which stabilizes all things so they maintain their proper form, and awen which responds to the moulding desires. This is well enough, but men concern themselves more with the beginnings of their race, and ours is rooted in Herthew the Sunfaced, son of the Firstfather.

While Herthew was still young he was expelled from the lushlands where he was born, and he journeyed across the hasrshlands in the company and keeping of wise Habaris. After many days they came to Krowkasis, cradleland of our race, land of mountains and rivers, which is beside Ardis, and they encamped there in a valley. With them were retainers and flocks.

Herthew grew to manhood there and always Habaris was at his side, instructing him in all the things he should know. He taught Herthew the Nine essential disciplines of Imain, and the secrets of the three sacred vessels. Herthew learned that there was a place of gloom, where the air was foul and malodorous breezes carried pestilence and poisonous particles. This was the source of all maladies and ailments and of the things which cause putrefaction and decay. This place had been closed off from Earth, for it existed in another realm beyond the ken of mortals; but it had been brought into attunement with Earth when a forbidden act was accomplished. Thus the bodies of mortals became susceptible to influences from the baleful place.

To this and similar parts of the Otherworld the wicked would be drawn when they passed through the grim gates of death. But Habaris taught a different conception of wickedness, one where lack of effort, indolence and indifference to duty and obligations, the taking of the easy path, were just as wrong as actual deeds of wickedness. He taught that men reach the true goal of life by transmuting lustlove into truelove. That true victory is gained only over the defeated bodies of their vanquished passions and baser selves.

These and many other things were taught by Habaris, but many of his teachings displeased the people of Krowkasis who were then as they were before Herthew's forefather was led away. So Habaris concealed many things from them and taught, by simple tales, things within their understanding. He taught them the mysteries concerning the wheel of the years and divided the year into a Summer half and a Winter half, with a great year circle of fifty-two years, a hundred and four of which was the circle of the Destroyer. He gave them the Laws of Weal and Woe and established the folkfeasts of harvest-tide and seeding-tide. He taught them the ritual of Ulisidui.

But Habaris instructed Herthew in the ways of the Otherworld. He taught him concerning the three rays from the central invisible sun, which manifest all things, upholding them in stability of form. Also concerning the Oversoul which filled everything in creation, as the Soulself filled the mortal body. This Soulself, he declared, would develop from mortal sensitivity and feeling transmuted into divine sensitivity and feeling, through suppression of the baser instincts within mortals. It was strengthened by development of feelings of love between man and woman and between these and their kindred; by the appreciation of beauty and devotion to duty; by the development of all qualities that pertain to humans and not to animals.

Herthew learned that the Soulself is quickened by soul substances outflowing from the Godhead. That the strong soul is transformed and moulded to the soul's desire, but the weak soul is not its own master, it is flabby, unstable and is pulled into a state of distortion by its own vices. In the afterlife there is unbounded joy for the entry of a noble soul, it will glow with splendour and stand out proudly. The mean soul of the wicked is dull-hued, twisted and drab, and, being drawn towards its own compatible state, it shrinks into the dark places.

When Herthew had barely crossed the threshold of manhood, black-bearded spearmen began to ravish the borders of Krowkasis, and Idalvar, king of that country, called his fighting men together and when word came to Herthew he prepared to depart. But Habaris bid him stay awhile, for he was unprepared for battle. Then Habaris prepared a strange fire with stones, unlike any fire seen before, and when it burnt low he plucked out that which is called 'child of the green flame' and he beat it out so it became a blade. This he fitted to a horned handgrip and when it was edged and blooded gave it to Herthew, saying, "Behold, Dislana the Bitterbiter, faithful servant of he who strikes hard and true". Then he made a shield of wicker covered with ox-hide and a cap of hide which came down over the face and neck. So equipped Herthew went to the encampment of Idalvar, taking eight fighting men with him.

In those days men fought with hand-thrown spears and clubs, with flung stones and sticks sharpened by fire and weighted, but they did not close in the battle clash. So when Idalvar saw the battleblade of Herthew, he wondered and it passed his understanding; but when he saw Herthew close on the battleline and the foeman fall before him, he was amazed.

No man about the king could understand the making of such weapons, offspring of fire and stone, but Habaris made others and Herthew became the king's right hand man and the first hero of the Noble Race. The king offered Herthew his daughter's hand in marriage, but Herthew declined saying, "The days of my manhood are not yet fulfilled".

When the war-filled days had passed, Herthew withdrew to the place where Habaris made the bright battleblade, and already he had taught the mysteries of their making to others, sealing their mouths with magic. But Herthew was less concerned with the weaponry of war than with the mysteries of life and the battles of the Spirit beset by mortality. So while his workmen drew bright blades from the thunderstones, Habaris taught Herthew and his battlebrothers, and these were the things they learned from his mouth.

"Beyond God there is an Absolute which no man should try to understand, for it exists and has always existed in a state beyond man's finite comprehension. It is from this Absolute that God, The Ultimate in all Perfections, was engendered".

"To create, God first visualized in thought, then He produced an outflowing wave of power which, in a manner of speaking, solidified what might be called building stones. The outflowing power also produced the Celestial Hymn which brought the building stones together in harmonious forms. So it is truly said that all creation is the harp of God and it responds to His song and manipulations. It is an everlasting unfoldment. The voice of God can also be heard in the voice of His beautiful daughter who endows all growing things with life and beauty". "There is a divine purpose in creation which may be known only to the few, this knowledge is the key to all unanswered questions. Acquiring it is like the drawing back of heavy curtains which have kept a room in gloomy half light, so all things suddenly became clear and distinct. He who gains this knowledge knows the Grand Secret, the answer to the riddle of the ages, and knows beyond a shadow of a doubt. This divine purpose, and the divine secret concerning it, is called Gwenkelva".

"Apart from Gwenkelva God gains nothing from His creation, except that as a Being possessing infinite love and goodness He must have something to receive the gift of love and respond to it. Even among mortal beings, who is there that could find satisfactory fulfillment in self-love? Also, He needed something wherewith He could contract Himself, some medium wherein He could perform, and this is creation".

"Creation is also, for mortals, the school of life. The training ground for godhood. There are Three Circles of Reality, three realms, three stages of existence. They are: Heaven, where perfection visualized on Earth may be realized and desires and ideals materialized; where hard-striven-for aspirations are attained; it is the place where all the properly developed spiritual potential latent in man reaches maturity and fulfillment. Earth, the place of training, development and preparation, the testing ground, the battlefield where men discover their true natures when confronted by life's challenges, contests and contentions; where competition and controversy are the rule. It is here that aims and objectives are conceived and thought-out for realization later in the proper place. It is a starting point, the beginning of the journey; it is here that the proper road must be wisely chosen. Then there is the Realm of the Misty Horizon, the intermediate place, the place of spirits, where those above can commune with those below and where free spirits wander within their limitations".

These things which Habaris taught in those far off days have been rewritten in transmission to accord with our understanding, but it is unwise to voice them in these troublesome days, when words become snares to entrap the unwary.

Now, Idalvar desired to learn the secret of the bright blade engendering thunderstones, but no man who came with Habaris or laboured for him would disclose any part of it, and the king was afraid to put them to the test.

So, having thought the matter out the king sent for his daughters and told them what he expected them to do, for he had devised a plan to learn the secret. Then he sent an invitation to Herthew and Habaris. When they arrived at the king's encampment they found a great gathering in their honour and the king's daughters favourably inclined towards them, one smiling upon Herthew and the other upon Habaris who was at the age of hoaryheadedness. Though at first Habaris was indifferent and wearied her, the king's daughter pandered to him, encouraging even his follies, setting out to charm him with her wit and beauty.

It was no great length of time before her womanly wiles ensnared the heart of Habaris and though he was almost ripe for the surrender of secrets, the damsel's efforts had taxed her and the game became tiresome, so there came an evening when she could not endure his company. In the midst of the merrymaking, when the alebowls had made many rounds and the sound of song and story was at its height, she slipped away with a young battleman who attended upon her father. Many who sat among the benches saw this and whispered to one another, nodding knowingly in the directions of Habaris who was not unaware, though he appeared to have drunk to his capacity. Habaris had learned to love the young woman, so he was sorely heartsmitten, but within himself he knew the tree of Winter love bears only Winter's fruits. Yet he made excuses to himself for her, thinking perhaps it was just some girlishness with no more weight than a floating feather, nothing of serious import, for it was true the merrymaking was better suited to the natures of men than the natures of women. Maybe, he thought, it is just an innocent indiscretion.

So when the day came to its fullness and those who had made merry went heavily about their tasks, Habaris approached the king and asked for his daughter's hand in marriage. He said, "Your daughter Klara has delighted me with her winsome ways, she has charmed me with her gaiety and beauty; she has displayed much pleasure in my company, surely I have not misread the signs". The king was not overpleased, for though he greatly desired to know the secret of the bright blade he had not intended giving his daughter's hand to Habaris, but neither did he wish to offend him. Therefore, he was wary in his reply, saying, "It is the custom for any suitor for a high born woman's hand to be himself highborn and worthily battleblooded. Yet such is my affection for you that I would not let even the custom become a bar to this marriage, and you may be a battleblooded man among your own people. But let us not enter lightly into this thing, for the girl is still young and it would be well if you established yourself favourably with her. She will be a worthy wife indeed, for she is one who is ever ready to learn, one with an enquiring mind. Nothing gives her greater pleasure than the acquisition of knowledge". So the matter was left.

Now, some days later Idalvar and his retinue, accompanied by Herthew and Habaris, went to the gathering place for folkfeasts, some five days journey away. People were accustomed to meeting here every thirteen moons to celebrate the season of fruitfulness, many coming a great distance. Beside the gathering place was the compound of a far-framed seer and warlock called Gwidon, who, in the fullness of the moon on the third night, would prophesy events for the forthcoming year.

Idalvar and those with him presented their gifts and took their places before the compound. Presently, Gwidon came out cloaked in the skins of wild dogs, with a horned crown and skull-headed staff. He seated himself before a small fire into which he threw prescriptions, making a cloud of smoke which completely enveloped him. When this had drifted away he seemed to be asleep, but after a while he lifted his head, then raising himself up he started to prophesy.

He talked awhile of small matters, then told of dangers to the people through enemies who would bear down from the Northlands. He prophesied a great bloodletting, telling people they could be saved by a great war leader, a king knowing the secret of the bright blade, himself a war-wielder of one. He exhorted the people to bestir themselves and prepare, wasting no time in finding their leader.

No man among the people knew the mysteries of the bright blade except Habaris, but he was not a man of battle and Herthew was not high born among them. So, though they talked long they talked in tangles, failing to resolve the issue. It was then decided each should go his own way, but they should meet at the same place again at the next full moon, when Gwidon would be able to help with their decision.

When Idalvar returned to his encampment he was no longer hesitant about the marriage of his daughter, ordering that it should take place forthwith. But he stipulated that Habaris must initiate him and his sons into the mysteries of the bright blade immediately. This being agreed, arrangements for the marriage were put in hand. Habaris and Klara were married and Idalvar and his sons partially initiated into the mysteries of the bright blade, for the king was told it would take some time for the initiation to be completed. So when they next went to the meeting place, Idalvar was proclaimed the war leader, with his sons to follow according to their ages, should he fall in battle. But Habaris had spoken to Gwidon in secret and matters were so arranged that should the sons of Idalvar fall, then Herthew would become the battle chief.

The king and those with him returned to their homecompound where they were to prepare battlemen, but Herthew was to go back to the gathering place and there train fighting men in the battle tactics which brought them clashing into the fore.

Now, on their wedding night, when they had retired to their bower, Klara burst into tears and fell weeping with her head on the knees of Habaris, confessing she was not a virgin and had deceived him, begging his forgiveness. Habaris raised her up and said, "Even the wisest of men becomes a fool when his heart blinds him to reason. The older the fool the bigger the fool". He did not question her regarding love, for he knew she could not love and deceive him, she had given her heart and with it her virginity to another. Yet he made an excuse for her to himself, thinking that she had not willfully deceived him but had acted out of duty to her father. Also, truly loving someone and wishing to demonstrate that love, she necessarily had to sacrifice the happiness and content, the self-respect of her husband-to-be, the choice had been hers to make. It is ever so. Habaris asked if her father had known how things were and she said, "He suspected, for am I not his daughter?" Thus Habaris found himself tied to an unloving wife, for he chose to disregard the custom of the people. He wondered, was she also to be an undutiful and unfaithful one?

A woman reserves herself for her husband or she does not, according to her marriage criterion. A woman reserved for marriage is one unlikely to be unfaithful; a woman easily come by before marriage is no less attainable afterwards, for if she says love is the criterion, then she measures by something unstandardised, which may figuratively vary from one inch to a mile. A man declaring his love may have seduction in mind or a lifetime of protective devotion, the marriage proposal determines the difference and establishes the intent.

After the marriage the king showed little concern for Habaris, for he kept Klara's young battleman in his retinue when he should have dispatched him elsewhere. Nor did Klara maintain the restraint and decorum, which dignifies wifehood, except in their outward manifestations, which is no more than a deceptive crust disguising the polluted love beneath. Thus Habaris bore the shame of belittlement in the eyes of men, for Klara was furtively unfaithful.

Habaris visited Herthew and on his return told the king that he and his sons would now receive their final initiation. So, having made preparation, they set off, accompanied by Klara, to the place of the thunderstones, this being a deeply cleft mountain wherein there was a large cavern from which flowed a river. Entering the cave Habaris told those with him to bide where they were, for only Idalvar, his sons and Klara were to accompany him into the place of initiation, a small cave entered through a long narrow passage closed off by a heavy door and lit by fire already prepared, a fire which burnt tardily with a blue flame.

When a length of time had passed those who waited without grew uneasy, but it was long before they approached the door and when they did their throats were seized, so they were affrighted and fled, and one among them died. Then those who knew the mysteries of the thunderstones came and cleared the way, and all within the cave were found dead. Habaris did what had to be done, for though it is well for men to conform to the laws of men, there is a superlaw by which men who are men should live and which sometimes decrees that they must die.

Herthew married the daughter of Idalvar and they had a son who died in his seventh year. Idalvar's daughter died in childbirth. The invaders came and were defeated with a great slaughtering, and Herthew became the first king over all the people of Krowkasis.

CHAPTER EIGHT. GWINEVA

Maeva, one time wife of Dadam, found refuge among people of Ardis where she gave birth to Gwineva the Cuckoochild, but as the child grew it was seen that she had red hair. Though all knew there were fair-haired and dark- haired people, none had ever seen anyone with red hair. Also, Strange maladies had manifested in Ardis for which the strangers were blamed; therefore, because of these things, Maeva and her child were driven out.

They came to a pool near the border of Krowkasis and built a habitation of reeds, living there for many years. However, Maeva was killed by a wild beast and Gwineva was left alone, but she learned much from familiars who came to her, and so she became a sorceress.

Time went by and the half-folk called Yoslings began to gather around her habitation and they thought she was a goddess and worshipped her. As her fame spread, word came to Herthew concerning the strange woman, so he sent men to find out about her and report. Gwineva knew about Herthew, but he did not know who she was or that any child of Maeva lived. When Herthew heard the report he was intrigued and sent men to escort her to him, and she came at his request. They brought her into his presence wearing a cloak of feathers and a garment of doeskin, her hair unbraided like that of other women, falling outside the cloak almost to her knees. He was amazed at the cascade of red hair and his heart was stirred by her beauty.

Herthew gave Gwineva a bower and attendants, but she preferred to be attended by Yoslings whom the people about Herthew despised. They gossiped about the strange woman, for it was seen that Yosling men freely entered her bower, yet her bearing was modest and maidenly, the Yoslings showing her every form of respect.

It was the season of fruitfulness and when Herthew went to the gathering place he took Gwineva with him, but the Yoslings could not be taken there. So they remained behind, but the people removed them. When they arrived at the gathering place and Gwidon saw Gwineva, he was startled, for he had seen such a woman in the darkened waters; but he welcomed her and was surprised at her wisdom and skill at sorcery. When the time came for Gwidon to prophesy and all who came to hear him were gathered about, they became apprehensive, for his coming forth was delayed and the moon began to disappear, eaten away by the blackness of the night. Then, when they started to jostle and flee there was a great shout and Gwidon appeared; as he did, a great fire sprang up on either side of him. The people remained, for each was rooted to the place where he stood.

Gwidon spoke at length, telling them that the nightsky sign heralded a new era. That as the moon grew again in brightness, so should their race wax strong and virile, spreading wide across the face of the Earth, driving lesser races before them. That a son of Herthew would lead their sons out of Krowkasis, and his sons and their sons would continue westwardly, towards Hesperis, meaning Land of Spirits. That there they would meet their final destiny. He told them that there would be a great bloodletting, when brother would fight with brother and father with son, but that this would be the planting of the centrepole around which the framework for the structure of their race would be woven. He said, "I shall go before the vanguard in spirit".

Later, Herthew asked Gwidon to cast the omensticks and read the ashes, as he wished to know things concerning Gwineva. This Gwidon did, telling him that she was his fatemate, one destined to be his wife; that she was indeed a true maiden and he would not be foreridden. He said, "She acts as she does through innocence and not through brashness". But what Gwidon told Herthew was no more than a grain in the grainsack among all that which he knew and saw.

When Herthew returned to his homesite he paid court to Gwineva and asked her to marry him, and this she consented to do after one year. The people, hearing what was intended, were displeased and murmured against the marriage, saying it was unseemingly for their king to marry a sorceress and one strange in so many ways. Also, there was a custom forbidding the intermingling of blood, but there was no doubt as to what she was, some thinking she was one who could be acceptable.

Gwineva was not the bloodkin of Herthew, so as the marriage would not be incestuous Gwineva decided she would say nothing of their relationship, for she was in love with him and love is ever ready to make excuses.

Yet, despite her knowledge and wisdom her heart was full of fears because of her background, but she displayed none of her anxieties. She did not feel at ease among the people, but never asked that the Yoslings be allowed back. She tried to become acceptable by ministering to the sick with simples and remedies, but the more she cured and healed the more people feared her, and fearing they shunned her, except they were in dire need of her help.

However, Herthew remained firm in his resolve to marry, though many advised that if he simply took Gwineva as a concubine or as something less than a wife, it would be more acceptable. They said, "None would object if she were treated as a woman with no standing, mate but do not marry, for marriage would grant her undue status, and is marriage so necessary? Does a wise man buy the pie whereof he can freely eat at any time?"

Such sayings enraged Herthew, for he knew Gwineva to be a woman reserved for marriage, and this he tried to tell the people, but they laughed, saying, "She has bewitched you, put her to the test". But he replied, "This is unworthy, for it displays doubt and distrust; a virgin is a virgin, whether named so by horn or wand and remains so whatever the conjectures of carnal-minded men who are more familiar with women of lesser repute". Yet whether the marriage bar applied was still a thing of doubt in the minds of many, for none knew the lineage of Gwineva, nor did she enlighten anyone, though it was customary to recite this at the betrothal. But Herthew and Gwineva remained unbetrothed, though the forthcoming marriage was made known.

Now, the nephews and kin of Idalvar nurtured seeds of discord among the people and because it was a time of peace, when the skills of a warchief were not needed, many heeded their words. So it developed that there were those for Herthew and those against him. Then Herthew said to the people, "Let this not be something to cut people apart, but something which can be decided at the next folkfeast".

The seedsowing time had passed, but it was not yet harvest-tide and the young men held spear-throwing contests and tested each other in many manly skills. At such times, seated on a platform against the palisade, Herthew gave judgement and awarded merits. Inside the palisade was a walkway and places from which great stones could be hurled, and from one such place came a murderous weapon which cut down through Herthew's head to pierce the shoulder of his shield arm, striking him to the ground. Immediately there was a great tumult and confusion, fighting broke out and men died, but Herthew was carried to safety in the bower of Gwineva. There he was protected by his retainers, but within the palisade all was taken over by those hostile to Herthew.

Before the cowardly blow, those for Herthew had been more numerous and powerful, but after he was so sorely wounded they were less, and of these many were inclined to waver, for such is the nature of man. But to contrast with the frail reeds who wavered those who remained loyal were resolute, for this too is the nature of man.

Now, when Gwineva and the wise men attended to Herthew they saw that while the shield arm had been injured it was not unfeeling, for it grasped the hand of Gwineva, but this the sword arm could not do, though it was uninjured. Therefore, they knew the slaughter-bent weapon had been charmed and no woman could remove such enchantment, nor could the wise men, for they were unblooded. In the days that followed, the enchantment caused demons to enter through the wound and take up their abode, so Herthew was tormented and his body wracked before subsiding into the quietness which precedes death. The demons had abused Gwineva and called her foul names and cried out in loud voices against people, so that they should abandon their king.

The place where Herthew lay was near the lakeside and in the lake was an island called Inskris, meaning Isle of the Dead, where those about to die were taken, as well as the dead, before being consigned to the waters. For the people believed that those given into the lake went straight into awareness in the Otherworld, while anyone buried on land was only half aware upon arrival and remained half awake and half asleep for many years. So those loyal to Herthew carried him down to the boats and accompanied him and Gwineva to the Isle and they were not molested, for none interfered with those mourning the dead. On the isle were priests and nine holy maidens who attended to the rites while other women ministered to the newly dead, but Herthew was dead, though halfway across the threshold.

When Herthew arrived he was placed in the hospice house where Gwineva attended to him. Gwidon opened Herthew's skull where it had been cleft and let out the demon which had taken up habitation there, and he brewed powerful potions which removed the enchantment. When, after many days, he departed, Herthew was no longer at the door of death, though weak and in many ways like a baby.

While Herthew lay so sorely stricken, the kinsfolk of Idalvar were disputing among themselves, and this led to fighting and battles. But none came near the isle to harm Herthew, because it was a sacred place and gave him sanctuary. When it came to the time of the folkfeast there was a great battle at the gathering place and Gwidon was slain. There came a day when Herthew, though still not whole, could move about and then he and Gwineva departed with those who remained with them. They were married before leaving their isle of sanctuary.

They fled to a place afar off where, as the years went by, Herthew became whole again and Gwineva gave birth to sons and daughters. It was a good place, fertile and well watered and so they prospered. But there came a time of drought when the waters dried up and their flocks died. So Herthew sent men to Krowkasis and these came back saying that there, too, the land was stricken and the people distressed. He also sent others to the West and they returned saying that there the land was not stricken, but the people would not accept them except with spears.

Herthew then sent men back to Krowkasis to tell the people there of the plenty which lay to the West and they came back with a warband led by Itilis, and many people followed. Herthew could no longer bear weapons and his sons were as yet young and unblooded. Therefore, he gave his two sons who were of sufficient age into the keeping of Ithilis, so they might learn the art of war, and they followed him loyally, becoming men of valour in the conflict which ensued. Many people left Krowkasis and settled in the land lying to the West, and Herthew and Gwineva also settled there.

Time passed and Herthew became renowned for his wisdom, and Ithilis king of Arania, honoured him with lands and servants. Herthew's two sons, who had followed the king and were twins, married the king's two eldest daughters who were also twins. This caused problems, for the king, though having three wives, was sonless, therefore the twin sons of Herthew became his heirs. The king was perplexed, for the two men could not rule together and both were of equal standing in his eyes. Yet it was the king's duty to nominate his heir and proclaim him to the people so there should be no division after his death. Therefore, Ithilis consulted Herthew as to how the judgement should be made, and Herthew said, "Let fate decree who shall be king".

In Arania the people gathered four times a year for the folkfeasts. At such times it was customary for new laws to be proclaimed, judgements given and all contentious issues settled. So before the next folkfeast Herthew prepared a manmade stone from sand, clay and other things, and while it was still soft he set the hilt of his great sword, Dislana the Bitterbiter, into it and when the stone was hardened Dislana was fast. The sword-implanted stone was then set down near the place where the king gave judgement. Around it was drawn a wide circle bisected across.

On the day when the people were first assembled to hear his words, Ithilis told them of his perplexity over the problem concerning the twin sons of Herthew and his daughters, he said, "So the people are not divided and the kingdom rent by strife, it is well this matter be settled now. Therefore, I am setting a fair test involving no men other than these two whom I hold equally dear. Whichsoever of them shall remove their father's great weapon from this stone, so he frees it and grasps the hilt, shall become my lawful heir, with the other being to him as a younger brother. They will each try in turn during the duration of the fall of a feather, the first trier being he who casts his bracelet over the blade. Then each of Herthew's sons was placed in a spot where the bisecting line joined the circle, so they stood opposite each other, and each had three bracelets. They threw until one encircled the blade with his bracelet.

Then this one tried to withdraw the weapon with his hand but could not, because of the sharpness, The other tried by placing his two palms on each side of the blade, then pressing them together while lifting, but he could not move it either. The first one tried again, copying what had just been done more powerfully, so the stone almost lifted off the ground, but the sword did not leave the stone. Then the other approached the stone, but this time he put his hands under the edges of the stone, so he could lift it in his arms and he dashed it down over a rock which was nearby, so it broke asunder. He then picked Dislana up by the hilt and brandished it over his head. The people acclaimed him while his brother grasped his arms in congratulations. Thus, by wisdom was the problem overcome.

THE BOOK OF GLEANINGS

Being writings from Various Old Culdee books which were partially destroyed in Ancient Times.

---

CHAPTER ONE. MAYA AND LILA

This was formerly called The Book of Conception and said to be The First Book of the Bronzebook. It concerns man's conception of The True God in olden days, during the struggle back towards the light.

Once all men were dark and hairy and in those days woman was tempted by the strength and wildness of the beast which dwelt in the forest, and the race of man was defiled again.

Therefore, the Spirit of God was wrathful against woman, for hers was the responsibility to reject the beast within and without, that she might bring forth children of the light to walk in the light; for in man there is beast and god, and the god walks in light and the beast walks in darkness.

Now, because of the wickedness that was done, there are among men those who are the Children of the Beast, and they are a different people. The race of man alone was punished, for the beast acted according to its nature. In man the beast and god strive to decide whether he shall take his place among the gods that live or the beasts that die, and woman, in her weakness, betrayed him to the beast.

Men struggle daily with the beast and wrest their living from the soil, their day being encompassed with strife and toil. So women bring forth children with suffering, and because they are frail their husbands rule over them. Man is conceived in the womb of woman and she brings him forth to life. Therefore, when God raised man up from among the beasts, choosing him as His heir and endowing him with an immortal spirit, He placed a veil over the portals of life. This, that woman should not forget she is unlike all other living creatures and the trustee of a divine mission. For a woman not only gives life to a mortal being, she also bears a spark of divinity to Earth, and there can be no greater responsibility.

The eye that sees earthly things is deceitful, but the eye that sees spiritual things is true. Then, because of the things that happened, the Great Eye that saw Truth was closed and henceforth man walked in falsity. Unable to perceive Truth he saw only that which deceived him, and so it shall be until his awakening.

Not knowing God, man worshipped Earth who mothered him and supplied his needs. God was not displeased, for such is the nature of children; but when no longer children they must put aside childish things. Nor, having blinded them, was He wrathful that they could not see, for God is, above all else understanding. The face of a good father is stern and his ways are hard, for fatherly duty is no light burden, but his heart is ruled by compassion. His children walk in Truth and uprightness, their feet do not wander, nor are they willful and wayward.

Man is born of mud, sun and Spirit. In the days of conception the Spirit of God impregnated the receptive Earth, and she brought forth her children. Then came man who walked like a little child, but God took him in hand and taught him to walk in the uprightness of God.

A race of men came out of the cold northlands. They were under a wise father and above them was The Grand Company which later withdrew in disgust. This race was The Children of God; they knew Truth and lived in the midst of peace and plenty. The Children of Men about them were wild and savage; clothed in the skins of beasts they lived like beasts. Even more wild were the Men of Zumat who lived beyond them. Among the Children of God woman had equality with man, for her counsels were known to be wise. She heard with understanding and her speech was considered; in those days her words were weighed, for then her tongue did not rattle in her head like seed in a dried pod.

Woman knew that though man could subdue her with his strength, he was weak in his desire for her. In his weakness lay her power and in those days it was used wisely, it was the foundation of people. The race was good, but because of its goodness it was destined to be smitten, for only the good vessel is worthy of the fire. It is burnt, that its shape may be set and its design endure. This path of peace is not the path of progress.

The people were not governed by princes or by statutes, but wise men sat in council. They had only a code of conduct and moral tradition binding each one to the others in symmetrical web of life. Those who transgressed the code and tradition were deemed to be unworthy of life among the people and were banished into exile. Among The Children of Men woman was a chattel. She was subject to man, an object for the satisfaction of his lust and the servant to supply his needs. He subdued her and kept her in servitude, for her betrayal of man was known even among them, and it was never forgotten, nor could it be forgiven.

The Children of God valued woman highly and protected her from crudeness and cruelty, and her standing was such that she was awarded only to the most worthy of men. They held her in respect, for to them she was the fountain of life within their race, the designer of its future. Yet even so they had to restrict her, for she was inclined to be wilful and unheeding of her responsibility.

The people flourished and, from generation to generation, grew in stature and comeliness. They were the rising tidewaters of mankind surging towards its destiny. The right of a man to mate was decided according to his standard of thought, his uprightness, the manner in which he upheld the code and tradition and his dealings with man and woman. The fittest men could choose a mate among all woman, but lesser men could seek only among the less desirable, according to a known standard. To some, having only the outward appearance of men, no mate was given, while the noblest men could take additional ones from among the ranks of lesser women. Thus, the race ever tended to improve, to accord with its design.

The council of the people knew well the strength of man's desire for woman. The force of the urge was not wasted, for their forbears had harnessed it to the vehicle which carried their race to greatness above others. The race which could properly channel the forces contained within itself was ready to control the forces beyond itself. The greatest forces man can harness to his benefit are those lying within himself, but the underlying strength of the people lay in the morality of its women, for this was the strength that governed, because it was the safe guard for something of value. Men strive for gold, and value it because it is something not easily attained. If gold would be gathered by the handful, men would scorn it, its power is in its scarcity.

Then it happened that one man became arrogant in the strength of his manhood and pride of place, his thoughts inclined towards himself rather than towards the welfare of the people. He scorned the old ways, declaring the code and tradition an unnecessary burden laid on the backs of men. He said, "Why should we carry the burden of things which have come down to us from our fathers? How do we know they walked with wisdom? How can we say that what was good for them is good for us?" Because of his unruly speech and wayward ways, the council banished him for a time and had he remained apart, his heart would have been humbled in wisdom. But among The Children of God there was a woman, one of the most desirable and fair, who interceded for him so he might return to dwell among them, it being in their code that the wayward could always regain their place. The woman sought him out in the wilderness and, coming upon him,. said, "Though, because of my heart, you appear to me as the finest of men, in the eyes of the elders you are unworthy to claim me. Therefore, I have spoken for you; now come, go before them yourself and say the wilderness has changed your ways. By so doing you will find favour with the council and, perchance, I may become your mate. The strength and courage I admire place you high in the regard of men and in favour with the elders, but your wayward and inconsiderate spirit is unworthy of your body. Though you find favour in the eyes of the young and foolish women who see only the outwardness of your body and thereby become more foolish, the eyes of the wise women see your naked spirit and are not deceived. Therefore, disregard the glances of foolish maidens and carry yourself well. Act in such manner that you find favour in the sight of the wise women". And, said she, "Am I not Maya, the most desirable of women, one whom all men seek? Yet will I remain reserved only for you, therefore be not unworthy of me".

The man came out of the wilderness and wastelands. He went before the council of wise women and said, "What must I do that I may have this woman for a mate? For I desire her above all things, even above my own life. For her I will become the most worthy of men among the people, her standard being high I may not possess her otherwise". The wise women answered him, saying, "For so long shall you conduct yourself in this manner", and they set him a time and a task. That it should be well, the task was to be done with heart as well as deed, but the man accepted it gladly, his heart not in that day but in the days to come. The council and the elders said, "what the wise women have done is good, it will be well and to the people's benefit".

The man rose manfully to the task and was magnificent in his manhood, his new ways gladdening the hearts of all the maidens, many of whom were disturbed by strange stirrings within their breasts. Among these was one less comely and desirable whose heart burned hotly for him, her thoughts resting upon him continually; but she knew that in his sights she was of little account. Here name was Lila.

It happened that, arising early one day, she saw the man depart into the forest by the swampland, going about his task, and she took counsel with herself and followed him. She came upon the man while he rested in a place of solitude and approaching spoke softly, saying "It is your servant Lila. O my Lord, are you not weary with the task burdening your days, also that you lack companionable gladness to lighten it? Where is she who set the load upon your strong back? Where is my kinswoman who, without doubt, is more comely and very much more desirable than I and therefore a very fitting reward for your heavy labours? Does she rest in the shade or is she gathering fruit back in the gardens? Without doubt her thoughts are with you, but is she not unduly hardhearted in that she fails to comfort you, for is it not in the nature of woman to come to man and lighten his burden with her softness? Is it not in the nature of woman to be yielding and submissive, that man may rejoice in his strength? Is it, perhaps, that despite her loveliness the heart of this woman of your desire is not the heart of a woman? Is it like the mock orange, sweet to look at but bitter to bite?

"Or is her heart in the keeping of the elders, that she prefers the ways of the old to the ways of the young? What has she done to you, has she not humiliated your manliness by harnessing it like an ox to the customs of the people? Can it be right that the decrees of old men long dead should come between living man and woman? Is it not more fitting that the customs of men submit to the law of Her who gave us our natures? This desirable woman is yours, providing you toil and wait. She is yours, but not without conditions. She does not come without reservations as a woman should, but like a man who comes to an ass bridle in hand. Alas, that I lack the loveliness which places the yoke upon you, but beneath I lack nothing and am as much a woman as any. My heart burns for you with a flame that comes nigh to consuming my body. Take me, accept my humble offering. I give all freely, I will be yours without any conditions. O my Lord, which of us women truly offers the most? She who concedes nothing, or I who will even be accursed by God and men for your sake? I who am nothing in your sight require no sacrifice from you on my behalf. I ask nothing and I offer all a woman can". Then Lila knelt at the feet of the man and placed her head on his knee.

The man was sorely troubled in his body and he wrestled with it, but his spirit brought before his eyes the vision of the more desirable maiden, and he was strengthened. He arose and said, "Begone and tempt me no more!" Then Lila departed and went her way, but within herself she brooded and in the course of days her thoughts hatched a dark scheme. She mixed a forbidden potion from herbs and, putting it into a pitcher of water with honey, took it to the man as he toiled in the heat of the declining day. Seeing her, the man said, "Wherefore have you come again?' And she answered him, saying "My Lord, your servant brings a much lesser offering, one you need not fear as you did the greater one, a humble gift of refreshment". The day being hot and the toil arduous, the gift was not unwelcome. The man drank heavily from the pitcher and because of the potion his spirit slept while the beast entered his body in strength.

When the fire of his passion was quenched by the waters of lust, his spirit returned and he reviled the woman, saying, "What have you wrought? Would you destroy me in this manner?" The woman replied, "The deed is yours, my Lord, for you are a man and I am a woman". Then the man became afraid, for he knew the code and custom. He became angry after the manner of frightened men and shouted, "Begone from my sight, you viper, lest I crush you!" Lila answered quietly, "My Lord, why be wrathful or afraid without cause? For this thing shall be a secret between us, none will ever know of it. Behold, my Lord, are you not free again and the yoke removed from your neck? Now you may know the joys a woman can give, without submitting to the task; therefore, take your ease, for life is good to you".

The words of the woman were not sweet to the ears of the man, for he was filled with remorse for what had been done. He said, "You are not the maiden of my tender desires, in whom my heart delighted and for whom I gladly undertook the task. What now of her whose beauty compares with the glory of the sun, whose gentleness caresses as the sunbeam, beside whose brightness you are no more than a gloomy shadow? Lila replied, "She is indeed as the sun, you may worship from afar but never touch lest you be burnt and destroyed".

"I am the woman of your body whom your flesh has chosen. What has this other woman done for you? Did she not sharpen the sword on which you cut yourself? If one lights a fire among reeds, knowing a man sleeps there, who is to blame for his burning? The fire, he who lit it or the reeds? It is beneath your manliness to turn on me thus, am I not shamed for your sake? And who among women would invite the wrath of gods and men as I have done? Be content with the wrong your lust has already wrought. This is an evil deed you have committed, but because we are now united in the flesh no harm shall befall you through me".

Thenceforth, among the people they went their separate ways, but flesh called to flesh, bringing them furtively together in secret places. Each dwelt with the reproachful whispers of their spirit, and each walked in the shadow of fear because of the code and tradition.

Now, the elders were not without shrewdness and they saw that the man was no longer diligent in the task and had returned to his former ways. Also he avoided the eyes of Maya and was no longer reserved with women, having sampled forbidden fruit he now sought other varieties. He was not a man with an end in view towards which he strove, his bearing was not that of a free man. The glances between the man and the woman, and their uneasiness, were not difficult to interpret.

The elders and wise women said among themselves, "Such is the manner of those carrying a burden in their hearts, whose shadowy love is a feeble furtive thing blooming shamefully in dark and hidden places". Therefore, they set a watch on the pair. The watch came upon them as they lay together in nakedness upon their skins and mocked them with ribaldry, for their passion was profane and a thing for jest. It was a fungus upon the tree of love.

They were brought before the high council, which was the council of elders, and the council of wise women, which questioned them, saying, "Wherefore have you done evil unto us?" The man answered, "The woman put my spirit to sleep with an evil brew, and my body became weak because of my manhood". They replied, "Truly you have little manhood now and are a lesser man because of this woman".

The woman stood up before the high council and answered them boldly, "Am I then the stronger of the two?

Can I lift the biggest stone or run the fastest race? Do not the strong always prevail against the weak, and is not this man the strongest among men? Is this even a matter for your concern? For in what way have we caused harm to any but ourselves? Shall we be punished for that which concerns us two alone and wrongs no other?" The high council replied, "The deeds of any person affecting the lives of others are the concern of others. Though it were done in secret between yourselves, were not the effects displayed in your eyes for all to see? Does the man serve the people better because of this thing, or does he serve them less well? Has something been added to the people, or has something been taken away? Have not the people lost?"

"Therefore, is not that which you did the concern of the people and not of yourselves alone? The deed of itself was not wrong, except in the manner of its accomplishment. A woman who places no value on herself steals something from all women, for they are then less valued in the eyes of men. Would men value gold were it gathered by the wayside? Above all this, what of God-given love? Have you elevated or degraded its means of expression among men and women? Among people who value gold above all else, he who debases or adulterates it commits a wrong against them. Here, where love is valued above all else and woman honoured as its custodian, those who debase it are regarded likewise".

"We dwell in a pleasant place, amid peace and plenty, an inheritance from our fathers. The Children of Men have inherited the wastelands. Are our fathers less wise than theirs, that the customs of our fathers should be spurned? What you have done relates to your two selves and by your two selves shall your punishment be carried out. This is not a punishment for any wrong done to us, for we are old and it affects us little. We punish because we have a duty to the young, to the unborn of our race. We have an even greater duty to the hallowed things which inspire mankind and enthrone man above the beasts".

"Your wrongdoing affects no one man or woman, yet it affects all men and women, and if left unheeded would not be without effect on children yet unborn. The code and tradition is the pillar of our people, and the pillar may not be struck with impunity. Though it be strong and one blow will not damage it, many blows will bring down even the stoutest pillar. A blow left unheeded encourages another. A deed disregarded is a deed encouraged".

"A people can be judged by the things it punishes and the things it permits. The swine revels in filth and therefore attacks anyone who enters his pen. Were we wholly of the Earth, we need only protect earthly things". "Thus we banish you for ever from among us, unless in your old age you are permitted, in mercy, to return".

In this manner were the man and woman banished from the tilled land to wander the wilderness beyond. They dwelt in a cavern in the wasteland, against the outer border of the tilled land, and they ate weeds and wild creatures. There they were in a place defended from hostile men and made safe from ambushes. In the first days of their banishment the man was wrathful against the woman and spoke to her spitefully, saying, "Like a lamp that gives no light you are a woman without womanly virtue, no longer deserving of the honoured treatment accorded women of our race. You spoke truly when you said that I am strong and you are weak. So be it, henceforth your weakness shall be my strength; no longer will the weakness of man be the strength of woman and the backbone of a people clinging to things without substance. Henceforth, I am obligated to no one and owe a duty to none but myself. Man is weak only in his desire for woman, but the weakness of woman shall henceforth assure satisfaction of the desire".

So the man subdued the woman after the fashion of The Children of Men; she was the wife who ministered unto him, saying "My Lord, I am but a woman and your handmaiden".

The beast of the wastelands were the keepers of the woman and she was in bondage to the barrenland, for the wilderness was beyond reach of the waters, a place of desolation yielding only weeds and thorns. The man hunted afield for wild creatures while the woman delved for roots, seeking sustenance among the weeds.

Thus it happened that one day, being overcome with hunger, the woman went among the reeds growing on the edge of the tilled land, for flowering plants grew there, the roots of which could be eaten. While engaged in gathering she was seen by a husbandman tilling the fields, who, coming upon her stealthily, said, "Woman I see you, are you not the one who was banished? If so the custom decrees you will have to die, for it is forbidden to re-enter the fertile land, having been cast out".

Then the woman, being still in the water, loosened her girdle and, letting down her hair, said, "honoured I may no longer be, perhaps die I must, but am I not still a woman while I live? If you see me otherwise than as a woman who can please a man by the ways of women, then I say you cannot be a man. Yes, I am the woman your brother seduced, the frail victim of his lust. Perhaps it is better that I die quickly by your hand than starve slowly in the wasteland. Death can hurt me no more than life which has revealed me to the evil of men. Let me die now for the wrongdoing of your brother". So saying she came out of the water.

The husbandman did not slay, but instead he dallied with her until the evening. The woman said, ere he departed, "This shall be a secret between us, for there is none other nearby to see us here. Give me food, that my flesh may be firm and my heart gladdened, that I may come often to this place".

Thus, in the days that followed the woman went many times to the waters and in other places where there were other men. Therefore, she no longer had to delve for roots, nor did she toil in the wilderness.

Then The Children of God banished other men into the wastelands because of the woman, and the man, seeing how this came about, said, "Is my affliction because of you never to end?" The woman answered, "My Lord, this thing I did for your sake; see these others, are they not outcasts in the wilderness, men without a chief to rule over them or a hand to guide? Gather them together, that they may hunt for you and serve you, rule over them and become powerful. What I have done I have done for you alone. To your strength will be added their strength, and the loss of the people in fertile lands will thus become your gain. What is there that strength cannon obtain? If your desire is for other women, will not strength obtain them? Therefore, revile me not, because I have now placed in your hands the means to that which you desire".

"Now I say to you, and speak truly of things only a woman can know, that you are a better man than those who live bound to the tilled lands, whose women secretly despise them for their servility to the code and tradition". The man was stirred up by these words and went out and about to the others, approaching them, saying,

"Behold, we have been cast out because we have followed the ways of men according to the nature of men. Our manhood is good within us, let it therefore assert itself so our strength may be greater".

So it came about that the men who were outcasts entered the fertile tilled land stealthily at night time, burning the houses and overthrowing the water towers, saying, "Let this land rejoin the wilderness".

They slew menfolk and carried the women and children away. They stole sheep, goats and cattle. Then they withdrew to the fastnesses of the wastelands. There they built an encampment and fortified it about with walls and ditches, and they made war upon The Children of Men and prevailed against them. They ruled their women sternly and made them chattels, buying and selling them like cattle. When man said "Come", the woman came, and when he said "Go", she went. On her yielding back and on her submissive head he dissipated his wrath, on her servile body he satisfied his lust.

Lila was a true daughter of the woman who betrayed the first race of men. It is written of her that when her sons grew to manhood, she caused then to kill and eat their father, so they might gain lifelong strength and wisdom. Man kept woman in bondage, for he knew from his own knowledge of her ways that she was not to be trusted. Henceforth, she could not walk freely among men, for they knew that though woman was weak and man strong, by womanly guile she could exploit his weakness. Among the outcast people and The Children of Men woman was subject to man, and he imposed his will upon her and dominated her.

In this manner woman wrought her own downfall and the destruction of those who held her in high regard. Her charms she cast at the feet of those who trampled them underfoot. Woman was not yet fitted to be the free guardian of the portals of life. She was never wise enough to choose the fathers of the race, for she was ruled by womanly waywardness, not by wisdom.

CHAPTER TWO. ELOMA

It came about that the sons of The Children of God mated with the daughters of The Children Men, who knew well the ways of men and were not reserved. The covenant had been broken and strange women were taken into the households, some even as wives, but though the daughters were lesser women, the sons were wonderfully big and mighty fighting men.

These new people came out of the wastelands and crossed to Kithermis, which they divided in three parts between them, and there were rivers on the boundaries. This was when the years of man's life were lessened because he became fully Earth-sustained, but he remained full of vigour though filled with hostility, particularly towards those who loved.

To the East was the land of Ubal which was mountainous and the Ubalites were herdsmen. Westward was the land of Chaisen and it joined Ubak on the North. Southward were the land of Utoh and the land of Kayman, whose peoples dwelt on the plains and tilled the soil. Some from the households of The Children of God went into the land of Chaisen and gave the people laws and taught them to build with brick. Netar and Baletsheramam, the sons of Enanari, taught them writing and set their letters on a pillar in Herak. Enkilgal, son of Nenduka, built Keridor which stands between two rivers.

Then came the lengthening of the years, when the time of sowing was confused and seed died in the ground. In those days, Enos came up out of Chaisen and spoke for the god of The Children of Men. In those days, there were many having the blood of The Children of God who inclined their ears towards his words, for they thought the Great God of their fathers had abandoned them. Therefore, the enlightening word of God came to Eloma. Eloma, daughter of Kahema, heard the voice of God and was carried into the wilderness unto a place where there was a cave and clear running waters, and she dwelt there for seven years. Eloma had three sons and they all heard the voice of God and walked with Him. Her firstborn son was Haryanah and he carried the word of God to the Children of God who dwelt in the Northlands, for they had forgotten His Ways. He married Didi, daughter of a great king and became an even greater king; he had many sons who all became kings among men of renown. Yahama, her secondborn son, carried the word of God to those who dwelt towards the sunrising, and Manum, her thirdborn son, carried it to those towards sunsetting.

When the ear of the Spirit was opened in Eloma, she returned to her people and became The Interpreter of God. In the days when some men left to dwell among The Children of Men, others came to Eloma and said, "Behold, men leave and we become weak, while The Children of Men become strong. Can this be the will of our Father?" Then Eloma called upon God and He heard her cry and said unto her, "Let your spirit be at peace, for things happen as they will; it is the grain being winnowed from the chaff. It is always easier for men to follow the ways of the flesh than the ways of the spirit, yet the deeper man descends into the vale of earthly things, the harder the climb out to the heights of glory. A generation to go down, ten generations to rise again. Man must struggle or degenerate, but the path of pleasure is pleasant, while the path of progress is beset with pain and strife".

God said to Eloma, His servant, "Behold, I have been good to My children, they have been given everything that is pleasant, everything has come easily to their hand. The lot of The Children of Men is more harsh and yet they prosper. Childish things are expected from a child, but when it grows up more is anticipated, yet still My children come to me as children".

God then said, "Go, return to the place from whence you came and remain there for seven years" and she did so. The seven years passed and Eloma returned to the people and, behold, the fertile fields were unsown, the water channels were dry and there was desolation in the midst of the waters. Eloma sought among the fields and when she came upon the habitations her heart was rent apart. For she saw the daughters of The Children of God consorted with the sons of The Children of Men and were become unlike true women. Then Eloma said to them, "Wherefore has this thing come about?" And they answered, "Behold, men came from out of the wilderness and our men were like sheep before wolves; see, even now they labour within a pen of servitude". Eloma then went unto the men and said, "Wherefore has this thing come about?" and they answered her, "Behold, the god of The Children of Men is, unlike ours, a god of battles and we were delivered into their hands".

Then Eloma was heavy of heart and called upon God, saying, "Behold the plight of Your children" and God heard her and answered, "I am not indifferent, for their sufferings are My sufferings. They are not under the whips of men but under the flail of God, the grain is being separated from the chaff. They toil not under the blows of men but under the hammer of God, they are not imprisoned but are upon an anvil. I am not the God of battles, not the God of nations, not even the God of men. I am the God of Souls, The Keeper of the Treasures of Eternity. I have not turned away from My children, My children have turned away from Me, disobeying my laws. This cry will echo down through the generations of man: "My God, why have You deserted me?" And it will come from those who have deserted their God".

"Arise, go seek among the people and you will find a maiden who is pure at heart, but she is mocked and degraded by being made a swine attendant. Take her with you and go to Shinara, guard her well, for she is the daughter of a new dawning". Eloma sought among the people and found Nanua, Maid of the Morning, and they went into Shinara.

The Voice of God came to Eloma in Shinara, saying, "This is the way things shall be with those who aspire to godhood. They must follow only the paths which I have shown through the words of My interpreters. The unfolding spirit residing in those who have the blood of The Children of God and the greatness that dwells in men shall be magnified in the blood of their children. Their wisdom shall be greatly multiplied, if the tie of blood be strong. As good wine become bad if diluted overmuch, so is greatness in the blood of man. There is a virtue in the blood of those whose forbears were The Children of God, and if two people having this blood marry, then this virtue is increased in their children, so it is greater than either parent. There is a law of inheritance from which no man is exempt, for man is governed by the laws of earthly creatures as well as by greater laws. Is not the best ram chosen to sire the new flock?

So let women choose the best among men that they can and let men choose the best among women, and they who heed My words will know which is the best. Let the truly great ones rule".

God said, "The creative words remain on this side of the veil, but their echoes resound on your side. The real remains here, but its reflection is there; creation is My mirror, though it is not without distortions. I have created in spirit and in matter, My thoughts have ranged from the unseeable smallest to the incomprehensible largest.

My greatest thoughts formed substance for the spirits of the sons and daughters of Earth".

"Truth and justice, perfection of beauty and goodness remain with Me, and these you can know on Earth only by their reflection. In the universe of Truth all things are free from illusion and are seen in reality, but on Earth even the reflection is distorted. I have crated light and called it substance; it is illuminated within by the light of an ever present love potential".

"Men call on many gods, though above all there is but One; yet whatever they call Me I will hear them, for I am The God Above Names, The God Embracing All Names. Whatever men believe, if it serves Good it serves God. But gold necklaces are not for sheep and outward forms of worship must suffice for the spiritually undeveloped. The rituals of men may often be empty ceremonials, but they may also guard the Great Mysteries behind them". "If a man seeks to enter My presence by prayer and says, "God grant me this or give me that", the thing will be neither granted no given, unless it be for his spiritual good or benefit another. I am no huxter bargaining blessings in exchange for worship, nothing man can give can add to what I have. Also me do Me little honour when they fail to recognize that I am above concern for mere bodies which decay and fall apart when the enlivening spirit leaves them. Yet man is but man, know that I am a God of understanding and compassion. If man cries out to Me, in genuine stress and suffering, he will not go unrelieved and uncomforted. Yet understand that suffering and sorrow are the lot of man, that he may become Mangod. There is also the Great Law to which man must conform; there are intricacies of enidvadew to be unwoven and the challenging paths of destiny and fate to be followed. Too often the price to paid for things done or not done is pain and suffering, sorrow and distress, but where would be the benefit to the debtor were I to wipe out such debts? Yet will I see that never, be even a single grain, will they exceed that which is absolutely necessary and just. On earth, joy and gladness will always outweigh pain and sorrow".

"Earth is Earth, take it as you find it, do not expect to find heavenly things there. It is a place of tuition and the purpose of life is learning. All things of Earth are limited and mortal, immortality will not be found there. When the things of Earth have fulfilled their hidden purposes, each passes away, returning to the dust from whence it came".

"Behold, in the days to come Truth shall be unfolded to all peoples, revealed in a degree and manner which will accord with their needs and capabilities. It will be passed on from generation to generation and from man to man. The purity of its flame will accord with the quality of the oil of spirituality with which it is fed and replenished; hence there will be many differing degrees of purity and revelation. The food which one man enjoys may sit heavily on the stomach of another, yet it would be foolish to say that the food enjoyed by one should become the food of all. So it is with the spiritual things which men believe".

"I will not send prophets, nor will I appoint spokesmen, but such will arise through their own efforts and enter into conscious union with Me. They will point the way, which will be followed by the spiritually sturdy, but others less strong in spirit must take a slower path, and many will advance only by faith and service, by justice and kindliness towards others".

"The spark of divinity in man generates inspiring dreams which will ever lure him onward and upward, yet the road is long, the journey wearing and often unpleasant. Man has unnecessarily encumbered himself, he has enshrouded his spirit under a winding sheet of earthly passions. With his Great Eye blinded by indulgence in vice and his spirit corroded by corruption, his fallible senses only are left to him, and these deceive him into believing the mortal vehicle is his total being. Affliction and decay are now the lot of man and he has passed into a long, dark night of ignorance. Now only by journeying the long and painful road of earthly experience can his soul be cleansed and awakened to the realization of the glory within him".

"Man may conceive Me as he will and it will be well. I am not a God of pettishness. As I brought forth the creation, so shall he bring forth the revelation of his God. Unto you, Eloma My child, I grant the keys of Communion and Union".

Then Eloma went out among the people and taught them about their Creator in this manner, "I bring you the soul-whispered words of God, The Eternal Tower of Strength, The Fathomless Ocean of Compassion. He has hung the Earth in the void, surrounding it with nothingness, yet by His power it remains in its appointed place. He veils His glory behind the shield of illusion, lest it overpower the spirits of men. He is obscured by the dark cloud of mortal ignorance. He is the inspirational spirit ever entering the hearts of man, striving to arouse them to reach out towards greatness and achievement".

"He has moulded the sky above us and bedecked it with splendour and awesome beauty. He taught the stars their song of joy and the winds their wondrous music. All the widespread Earth proclaim His creativity, while the high vaults reveal His skill and handiwork. His messages go out to men, not in the speech of men but in wordless whispers to their hearts. His finger prescribes a course for the fertilizing waters which nourish the desolate sands, making tender buds burst forth from the dead soil. The soft waters caress the ground and pastures arise to become the habitations of great flocks and herds".

"The rose unfolds its beauty to honour Him and the woodbine delights Him with perfume delivered upon the wind. The cornfields bow in humility, then the wheatstalks raise upwards in praise. The trees spread wide their worshipping branches and the barleyheads whisper together of His sungiven bounty. He is the Fountainhead of All Life, the Overseer of the Fertilising Waters and the Captain of the Stars".

"Men stand beneath the great dome of the nightskies and are overawed by the work of their architect and by the bright mysteries displayed in such a pattern of beauty. They become dismayed at their own smallness, but are reassured by His words which have come down to them from ancient times".

"God has crowned man with life and set the scepter of intellect in his hand. He has given him the flail of mastery over all other living creatures and set him on the throne of creation. He disciplines us when young and stretches out a welcoming hand when we near the end of life's journey. He accompanies men on their pilgrimage along the road of life, mitigating their misfortunes and rejoicing with them in its pleasant surprises. He balances the lives of all men, so they continually encounter conditions and situations meet for them".

"The widespread, mysterious Heavens are His throne and bountiful Earth His footstool; no structure man could build would contain Him. Did He need a residence, no place built by the hands of man could compare with that which His hands could erect. There is nothing on Earth that man can give God which could add to God's glory or increase what He has. The only acceptable sacrifice man can offer is service to the will of God, and God's will is that man should spiritualise himself and improve the Earth. To offer goods or money as a sacrifice is an insult to God, it is shirking the needful effort, evading the necessary duty and obligation; it is the easy way and not acceptable".

"God is the refuge of the poor and the comforter of the needy. His compassion encompasses men when troubles weigh heavily upon them. Yet tribulation and adversity, sorrow and suffering are not to be thought of as needless burdens imposed upon the difficulties inseparable from earthly life. They are things of value which open the eyes to Truth, tempering the spirit, as iron is tempered in the flame".

Eloma taught many things and she forbade any man to fornicate with unwedded matrons whose silver tongue beguiled and whose winsome ways led men astray. She also decreed that men should not fornicate with any maid or another's wife , for none so doing could call himself an honourable man, and such deeds canker the spirit.

It was Eloma who taught men the wisdom of the stars which journeyed according to their destinies. She taught them to interpret the pattern of each man's life, which is woven from the threads of fate and destiny and interwoven with the many coloured strands of enidvadew. These things were learned and written down by Ishkiga.