Twiccian Mythology

The Creation

In the beginning, there was nothing: neither matter nor light existed. In this world lived only Death with his wife and their only daughter. Needing a place for his family to live, Death eventually used the little power of creation he possessed to create a vast sea of mud. They lived in this filth and instability for many years.

Finally, Life came to visit Death and his family. Life was appalled at the mess in which they lived, and he condemned Death for creating such a dirty place that lacked light and life. To set things right, Life first consolidated the mud into the solid Earth. However, this lifeless expanse across which he could now walk still depressed him. First, he made plants to cover the new Earth, and then animals to live on it. Even Death realized that Life had made the world a much better place, and he took Life in as his guest.

Life was wifeless, and eventually, he decided he wanted Death's daughter for his wife. Death at first was diplomatic in refusing to let Life marry his daughter, but finally, he explicitly refused Life's request. Life, however, wooed Death's daughter, and eventually, they eloped to a distant region of the Earth.

Life and his new wife set up a happy home amidst the paradise that Life had created from Death's sea of mud. However, Life and his wife still lived in darkness, because although Life had made the life that covered the Earth, he had could not find a way to make light. Frustrated with this state of affairs, Life finally went to Death for advice. Death explained that this was a curse that he had put on the world because of the way Life had stolen his daughter.

After many years of trying to solve this problem without the assistance of Death, Life gave into realizing he was powerless in this fight. So He knew he must ask Death for help, but rather than face his hostile father-in-law, he decided to send two messengers. He chose the tou-tou bird, a small red bird that is one of the first to arise each morning in the forest, and the rooster. These two birds went to ask Death how the world could be lit so that the new creatures of the Earth could see to live.

When the two presented their problem to Death, he invited them into his home and taught them a song with which they could call forth daylight. When the two returned to Life, he was furious at the nonsense they reported about a song they had learned. Furious, Life sent the birds on their way banishing them from his sight for the rest of eternity.

Not long afterward, the rooster broke into song, and the tou-tou bird sang its first notes. For the first time, dawn began to appear, and soon it was day. The sun that they had called forth made its way across the sky and every day since has begun the same way, with the call of the tou-tou bird and the cry of the rooster.

Life was grateful for the gift that he now realized Death had given to him and the creatures of the world. Death was not long, however, in calling for payment of the debt. He came to Life and pointed out the good things that he had done despite Life's theft of his daughter. Now he demanded that in return, That both Life and Death give up their existence since both of them had caused the other pains and trouble, as well as Death, has caused trouble for the creatures of Earth to remain in such darkness. Puzzled and furious, Life asked Death why would he agree to such an outrageous idea. Death simply shook his head and spoke of a premonition that if both he and Life were allowed to continue to live, their bickering would end the world.

Life laughed at the notion that he, the one who gave the world life would be a cause of its' demise. However, Death did not change his expression, and Life's face went from a smile to one of a frown when the realization set in. Both Life and Death stood in silence for what felt like an eternity. Then Life spoke up and suggested they both said good-bye to their wives one last time before it all, which Death agreed to. After saying good-bye and giving their wives a kiss, Death and Life met each other one last time in the middle of the world with daggers in hand. Life lightly chuckled and spoke of a time when they once were almost like brothers. Death lightly smiled and only mumbled one thing before their time would end, "I'm glad it was you."

As they both fell to the ground, the area around Death's body began to wilt, but a single lily grew. While the ground around Life's body sprung forth grass and a single peach blossom flower. And just for a moment, the world stood still, but that was soon interrupted when Life's wife went into labor birthing twins, one son and one daughter. Their names being Mon, the son and God of the Moon, and Cyra, the daughter and Goddess of the sun. As quickly as they were birth, they grew to adulthood and left Earth to create the heavens. They would go on to create the stars, clouds, and everything else we see naturally in the sky before giving their physical bodies to become both the moon and sun respectively, where they retain their childlike wonder chase each other across the sky.

With no need for their songs or cries to call for the sun to bring light, the tou-tou bird and rooster spent the rest of their days going their separate ways to help both the wives of Life and Death. They remained until their days were up as well and joined their husbands in the afterlife, but not before Life's wife planted a single seed in the middle of the forest. There sprung a tree boring a fruit like none other in the world, and as those fruits fell to the ground new gods sprung forth from them. Thus sprung a new era of gods and goddesses roaming the Earth to bring peace to the chaos before them.