The Testament of Solomon

Book II: Solomon I

During the time that Ziz ruled the Earth and was the cruel master of mankind, a child was born unto a pair of slaves who toiled in the fields at the foot of the great Mountain of Ascension. The boy's parents did not desire that their son live the harsh life of a slave so they took the boy up the mountain and into the temple of Ziz. At the feet of Ziz the parents layed their child and she took pity on the boy and took him as her house servant and to be raised in her temple. To the parents of the child, however, she judged harshly. For in her cruel eyes she saw not parents who cared for their child, but those that would abandon him so she had them killed.

Now the boy was given the name Solomon and he was raised amongst the servants in the Temple of Ziz and was instructed in all the ways of the Lord, and of Ziz. The Magi also worked in the temple in those days and used their magic to serve the Lord and Ziz. As Solomon grew into a man it was seen that he had a gift with the instruments of the Magi and was adequate to study under them at the temple and he was to become a Magi.

Now Solomon served under Ziz faithfully for a time and was an obedient servant to her and the Lord. But the plight of mankind was never far from his heart and he prayed daily for their sake. For the toil of mankind became greater and greater until blood flowed from the mountains and into the valleys, staining them red. (It’s because of this, the rocks of Valley of Woe and it's two mountains are colored red.)

Finally the outcry of mankind was far too great and the hand of the Lord began to move. The Lord God came to Solomon in a dream and showed him many wonders of things to come and things that have passed. The Lord anointed Solomon as his chosen Messiah and said unto him: “Go now Solomon and eat of the fruits of the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge, then you will have the power to contend with Ziz on my behalf. Take with you, your lyre and play it in the way that is best to you and my blessing will be upon your song. Rescue now mankind from this tyranny.”

Solomon heard the word of the lord and fasted for forty days and forty nights, after which he set off to obey the command he was given. Solomon left the Temple of Ziz in secret and walked across the plains to reach the Tree of Knowledge which sat on the coast of the Sea of Cyrus. Several of the Seraphim were set there to guard the tree and the Beast Leviathan was there with them. Solomon remembered the word of the Lord and began to play his Lyre and sing a song.

Leviathan and the Seraphim all heard this music and looked after the one who played it and saw that it was a man. The great serpent coiled and readied his fangs to strike as the Seraphim pointed their spears at Solomon. But before they could strike, a great wall of water came from the sea and washed away the Seraphim, leaving Leviathan as Solomon’s sole enemy.

Solomon continued to play his song and Leviathan flashed his fangs and readied himself to strike again. But as Solomon played, roots and vines sprouted up from the Earth and took hold of Leviathan and pinned him to the earth. Now Solomon was free to eat of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge and the mysteries of the Earth were revealed to him. Now Leviathan saw that the Lord was with this man and he cried out saying; “Have mercy on me son of Man! I perceive that you have the anointing of the Lord upon you and I repent! Forgive me Lord for my wicked ways, for I have made myself a stumbling block to your Messiah!”

Solomon cut Leviathan free from his cords and the Beast swore an oath and was made subservient to Solomon for all the long years of his life. However, word quickly spread about these events as Solomon made his way further inland. Ziz was angered by these happenings and declared Solomon and Leviathan an enemy of God. An army of Seraphim was raised to meet Solomon before the foot of the Tree of Life and their minds were bent on the death of Solomon.

As Solomon traveled the domain of Ziz, the people gathered round him and followed him as he walked and before too long, the crowd that had formed was as unto a great army. The Forces of Solomon stretched across the land that even from a great height, none could see the end of the gathering, the army had become a nation unto itself, even a few of the Seraphim dropped their weapons and marched with them and repented of their wicked ways.

When the great crowd finally arrived at the foot of the Tree of Life and stood before the Army of Ziz, Solomon again began to play his Lyre. The Beast, Behemoth snorted and roared at the sound and stomped his mighty hooves causing great quakes throughout the whole of the Earth. Solomon then lifted his voice to sing and the crowd joined in and they sang as one. A great pillar of fire and smoke fell from the heavens and divided the army of Ziz and caused them to flee terror at the sight of the Lord’s great works.

Behemoth too beheld the works of God and trembled. He bowed his head low and turned from Solomon and walked into the wilderness to wander, seeking forgiveness but never repenting, bringing harm to his flesh and throwing his body against the great mountains in the southern reaches. (This is the reason for Earthquakes in those parts of the world.)

Solomon was able to eat of the Fruit of the Tree of Life unopposed, and ate of it he did. The flesh of Solomon burned away into bronze and his eyes were like fire and his voice, a trumpet. Now Solomon turned and addressed the crowd and said unto them: “My brothers and sisters, tomorrow the Tyrant Ziz who has made herself an enemy of God, will be judged most harshly by him just as she has harshly judged mankind. By the time the sun sets tomorrow, your only master will be the Lord God and under him we will make Paradise anew on the Earth!” After Solomon spoke these things, he and Leviathan left the great crowd and set out to the Mountain of Ascension, where the Ziz sat on her throne.

When Solomon approached the mountain, Ziz stood at it’s peak and with her wings caused a mighty wind to blow as unto a hurricane. Solomon was not blown back by the wind however, and from his mouth came a flame and it struck the Beast from the top of the mountain. Leviathan then moved in to strike at Ziz and pierce her flesh with his fangs but she instead struck at him with her talons. Ziz grabbed hold of the  great serpent and hoisted him aloft, into the air and flung Leviathan into the sea. (Were Leviathan still writhes in Agony today and his thrashes are the cause of the great and destructive waves that batter the eastern coast.)

Now Ziz turned to Solomon and said unto him: “Son of Man, you may play at righteousness, but wickedness rules your heart. I am the master over all of the Earth and the firstborn of all creation it is my birthright to rule and I shall not see it destroyed by such lesser peoples! I swear that after this day, the cry of mankind shall fill the Earth and anguish will rule the day and suffering, the night!”

After he heard these things, Solomon lifted his voice to sing again. The very bones of the Earth began to tremble at his song and the sun stood still while the sky split in two. A bolt of lightning was thrust into the breast of Ziz and she was dead before her body fell to the Earth. The whole mankind celebrated at the news of her destruction and there was a great peace upon the Earth for a time.

The Lord God turned to Solomon again and said: “My faithful and anointed servant, you have pleased me in all of your ways. Go now and lead mankind, instruct them in my ways and make straight a path for them. I appoint you as my High priest upon the Earth and I name you Solomon, the First King of Man! May your rule be long and righteous and may paradise always be at your feet.” And the Lord God removed his hand from Solomon and he ruled the whole of the Earth for many long generations.