CRT:1:4 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.
Table of Chapters
CRT:1:1 – CRT:1:23 Chapter One – Creation
CRT:2:1 – CRT:2:23 Chapter Two – The Birth of
Man
CRT:3:1 – CRT:3:15 Chapter Three – Destruction
and Re-Creation
CRT:4:1 – CRT:4:19 Chapter Four – Affliction of
God
CRT:5:1 – CRT:5:47 Chapter Five – In the
Beginning
CRT:6:1 – CRT:6:9 Chapter Six – Dadam And Lewid
CRT:7:1 – CRT:7:35 Chapter Seven – Herthew, Son
of the Firstfather
CRT:8:1 – CRT:8:24 Chapter Eight – Gwineva
CRT:1:1 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 maybe, of greater value than no reflection at all?
CRT:1:2 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 that, there is only God. This, then, is how these things were told in
The Great Book of The Sons of Fire.
CRT:1:3 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.
CRT:1:4 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.
CRT:1:5 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.
CRT:1:6 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.
CRT:1:7 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 fore-shadowed.
CRT:1:8 Eternal rest is intolerable, and unmanifested
potential is frustration. Into the solitude of timelessness came 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.
CRT:1:9 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.
CRT:1:10 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 materialising chaos from God and then established the
boundaries of the Eternal Spheres.
CRT:1:11 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.
CRT:1:12 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 unravelled by the created.
CRT:1:13 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.
CRT:1:14 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.
CRT:1:15 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.
CRT:1:16 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, 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.
CRT:1:17 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; 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.
CRT:1:18 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.
CRT:1:19 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.
CRT:1:20 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.
CRT:1:21 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.
CRT:1:22 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 forests of timber. There were swamps of reeds and stones
for every purpose.
CRT:1:23 Everything was prepared, everything was ready,
and now Earth awaited the coming of man.
CRT:2:1 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.
CRT:2:2 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.
CRT:2:3 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.
CRT:2:4 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!
CRT:2:5 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.
CRT:2:6 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.
CRT:2:7 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.
CRT:2:8 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 a creative struggle, man the battleground of extremes.
CRT:2:9 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.
CRT:2:10 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.
CRT:2:11 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, and 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.
CRT:2:12 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.”
CRT:2:13 “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.”
CRT:2:14 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 that 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.
CRT:2:15 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.
CRT:2:16 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
tantalised 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
realised and never found; something, which told him that the radiance seen on
the horizon but dimly reflected the hidden glory beyond it.
CRT:2:17 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.
CRT:2:18 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.
CRT:2:19 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.
CRT:2:20 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
unravelling 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.
CRT:2:21 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 waters
dried. 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.
CRT:2:22 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 unnecessarily. 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.
CRT:2:23 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.
CRT:3:1 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.
CRT:3:2 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.
CRT:3:3 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.
CRT:3:4 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.
CRT:3:5 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.
CRT:3:6 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-monsters reigned and raged above the 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.
CRT:3:7 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.
CRT:3:8 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.
CRT:3:9 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 recognise and rectify them.
CRT:3:10 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 stormwaters.
Cool moontears were shed for the distress of Earth and the woes of men.
CRT:3:11 When the light of the sun pierced the Earth’s
shroud, bathing the land in its revitalising 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.
CRT:3:12 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.
CRT:3:13 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.
CRT:3:14 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.
CRT:3:15 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 events was no longer
clear. Generation followed generation, and as the ages unfolded, new tongues
and new tales replaced the old.
CRT:4:1 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.”
CRT:4:2 They dwelt through long ages in lands of peace
and plenty.”
CRT:4:3 “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.”
CRT:4:4 “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.”
CRT:4:5 “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.”
CRT:4:6 “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.”
CRT:4:7 “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
lightnings 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.”
CRT:4:8 “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.”
CRT:4:9 “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.”
CRT:4:10 “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.”
CRT:4:11 “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.”
CRT:4:12 “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.”
CRT:4:13 “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.”
CRT:4:14 “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.”
CRT:4:15 “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
wilfully, for the sake of man and the correction of his ways.”
CRT:4:16 “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.”
CRT:4:17 “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.”
CRT:4:18 “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?”
CRT:4:19 “Evil comes into 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.”
CRT:5:1 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 that have life are
moulded by Awen. The fox, shivering in the coldlands, longs for warmth and so
its cubs have 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.
CRT:5:2 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.
CRT:5:3 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.
CRT:5:4 The circumstances, Enidvadew, of the traveller
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.
CRT:5:5 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 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.
CRT:5:6 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.
CRT:5:7 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.
CRT:5:8 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 unravelled
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.
CRT:5:9 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.
CRT:5:10 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 indescribable 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.”
CRT:5:11 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.
CRT:5:12 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.
CRT:5:13 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.
CRT:5:14 In his heart, Fanvar was not at rest, because of
her likeness, but she was gentle, ministering to him with solicitude and, being
skilful 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.
CRT:5:15 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.
CRT:5:16 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.
CRT:5:17 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 realisation 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.
CRT:5:18 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.
CRT:5:19 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.
CRT:5:20 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.
CRT:5:21 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.
CRT:5:22 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.
CRT:5:23 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.
CRT:5:24 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.
CRT:5:25 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.
CRT:5:26 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.
CRT:5:27 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.
CRT:5:28 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
that 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.
CRT:5:29 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.
CRT:5:30 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.
CRT:5:31 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.
CRT:5:32 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.”
CRT:5:33 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 shrivelled within
him like a flower licked by flame.
CRT:5:34 Then, they saw a great Spiritbeing materialising
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.”
CRT:5:35 Dadam said, “The fault is with the woman;
wherefore should I suffer?” The Spiritbeing replied, “Because you two are now
as one, the cankerworms 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.”
CRT:5:36 The Spiritbeing continued, “Enough wickedness
has been wrought by your wilfulness 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.”
CRT:5:37 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.
CRT:5:38 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.
CRT:5:39 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.”
CRT:5:40 These are the words written by Thonis of Myra in
Ludicia in his day:
CRT:5:41 “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.”
CRT:5:42 “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.”
CRT:5:43 “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 and non-man.
CRT:5:44 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.”
CRT:5:45 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.
CRT:5:46 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.”
CRT:5:47 “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?
CRT:6:1 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.
CRT:6:2 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.
CRT:6:3 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.
CRT:6:4 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 has come to terminate our wretchedness.” While Dadam stood
sternly contemplating him, Lewid said, “To kill me now is your prerogative, for
even we lesser beings, 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
I then must die, let it be for my part in spawning the cankerworms of disease
which have stricken both our peoples.”
CRT:6:5 “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.”
CRT:6:6 “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?”
CRT:6:7 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.”
CRT:6:8 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.
CRT:6:9 This 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.
CRT:7:1 The Book of Beginnings tells us all things began
with Varkelfa, therein called Awenkelifa, from whom flows gwinin, the energiser
which stabilises 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.
CRT:7:2 While Herthew was still young, he was expelled
from the lushlands where he was born, and he journeyed across the harshlands 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.
CRT:7:3 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.
CRT:7:4 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.
CRT:7:5 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
year 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.
CRT:7:6 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.
CRT:7:7 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.
CRT:7:8 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.
CRT:7:9 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.
CRT:7:10 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.”
CRT:7:11 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.
CRT:7:12 “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.”
CRT:7:13 “To create, God first visualised 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.”
CRT:7:14 “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 become 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.”
CRT:7:15 “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 fulfilment in self-love?
Also, He needed something wherewith He could contrast Himself, some medium
wherein He could perform, and this is creation.”
CRT:7:16 “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
visualised on Earth may be realised and desires and ideals materialised; where
hard-striven-for aspirations are attained; it is the place where all the
properly developed spiritual potential latent in man reaches maturity and
fulfilment. 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 realisation 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.”
CRT:7:17 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.
CRT:7:18 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.
CRT:7:19 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 direction of
Habaris who was not unaware, though he appeared to have drunk to his capacity.
CRT:7:20 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.
CRT:7:21 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 highborn 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.
CRT:7:22 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.
CRT:7:23 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.
CRT:7:24 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 would 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.
CRT:7:25 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.
CRT:7:26 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.
CRT:7:27 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.
CRT:7:28 The king and those with him returned to their
home compound 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 foe.
CRT:7:29 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 wilfully 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?
CRT:7:30 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.
CRT:7:31 After the marriage, the king showed little
concern for Habaris, for he kept Klara’s young battleman in his retinue when he
should have despatched 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.
CRT:7:32 Habaris visited Herthew and, on his return, told
the king that he and his sons would now receive their final initiation.
CRT:7:33 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 a fire already prepared, a fire which burnt tardily with
a blue flame.
CRT:7:34 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.
CRT:7:35 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.
CRT:8:1 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.
CRT:8:2 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.
CRT:8:3 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.
CRT:8:4 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.
CRT:8:5 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.
CRT:8:6 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.”
CRT:8:7 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.
CRT:8:8 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.
CRT:8:9 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.
CRT:8:10 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?”
CRT:8:11 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.
CRT:8:12 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.”
CRT:8:13 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.
CRT:8:14 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.
CRT:8:15 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, called her foul names and cried
out in loud voices against people, so that they should abandon their king.
CRT:8:16 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 not dead, though halfway across the threshold.
CRT:8:17 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.
CRT:8:18 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.
CRT:8:19 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.
CRT:8:20 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 Ithilis, 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.
CRT:8:21 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.”
CRT:8:22 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.
CRT:8:23 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.
CRT:8:24 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.
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GLN:1:5 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.
Table of Chapters
GLN:1:1 –
GLN:1:52 Chapter One – Maya and Lila
GLN:2:1 –
GLN:2:30 Chapter Two – Eloma
GLN:3:1 –
GLN:3:19 Chapter Three – Flood of Atuma
GLN:4:1 –
GLN:4:29 Chapter Four – The Deluge
GLN:5:1 –
GLN:5:20 Chapter Five – Birth of Hurmanetar
GLN:6:1 –
GLN:6:36 Chapter Six – Companionship of Yadol
GLN:7:1 –
GLN:7:23 Chapter Seven – Death of Yadol
GLN:8:1 –
GLN:8:38 Chapter Eight – Hurmanetar Journeys to the Nether World
GLN:9:1 –
GLN:9:16 Chapter Nine – Asarua
GLN:10:1 –
GLN:10:33 Chapter Ten – Death of Hurmanetar
GLN:11:1 –
GLN:11:42 Chapter Eleven – Teachings of Yosira
GLN:12:1 –
GLN:12:54 Chapter Twelve – Rule of Yosira
GLN:13:1 –
GLN:13:24 Chapter Thirteen – The Way of Yosira
GLN:14:1 –
GLN:14:15 Chapter Fourteen – Tribulations of Yosira
GLN:15:1 –
GLN:15:61 Chapter Fifteen – The Voice of God
GLN:16:1 –
GLN:16:10 Chapter Sixteen – The Spirit of God
GLN:17:1 –
GLN:17:18 Chapter Seventeen – The Song of the Soul
GLN:1:1 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.
GLN:1:2 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.
GLN:1:3 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.
GLN:1:4 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.
GLN:1:5 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.
GLN:1:6 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.
GLN:1:7 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
wilful and wayward.
GLN:1:8 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.
GLN:1:9 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.
GLN:1:10 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 the 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. The
path of peace is not the path of progress.
GLN:1:11 The people were not governed by princes or by
statutes, but wise men sat
in council. They had only a code of
conduct and a moral tradition binding each one to the others in a 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.
GLN:1:12 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.
GLN:1:13 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.
GLN:1:14 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 a 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 women, 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.
GLN:1:15 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 safeguard for
something of value. Men strive for gold, and value it because it is something
not easily attained. If gold could be gathered by the handful, men would scorn
it; its power is in its scarcity.
GLN:1:16 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.
GLN:1:17 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.”
GLN:1:18 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.”
GLN:1:19 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. Her name was Lila.
GLN:1:20 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?
GLN:1:21 “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? an 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.
GLN:1:22 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!”
GLN:1:23 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.
GLN:1:24 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.”
GLN:1:25 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.”
GLN:1:26 “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.”
GLN:1:27 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.
GLN:1:28 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.
GLN:1:29 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.
GLN:1:30 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.”
GLN:1:31 The woman stood up before the high council and
answered them boldly, “Am I then the stronger of the two? an 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?”
GLN:1:32 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?”
GLN:1:33 “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.”
GLN:1:34 “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.”
GLN:1:35 “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’.
GLN:1:36 “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.”
GLN:1:37 “Thus, we banish you for ever from among us,
unless in your old age you are permitted, in mercy, to return.”
GLN:1:38 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.”
GLN:1:39 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.”
GLN:1:40 The beasts 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.
GLN:1:41 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.”
GLN:1:42 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.
GLN:1:43 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.”
GLN:1:44 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.
GLN:1:45 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 cannot
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.”
GLN:1:46 “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.”
GLN:1:47 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.”
GLN:1:48 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.”
GLN:1:49 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.
GLN:1:50 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.
GLN:1:51 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.
GLN:1:52 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.
GLN:2:1 It came about that the sons of The Children of
God mated with the daughters of The Children of 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.
GLN:2:2 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.
GLN:2:3 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.
GLN:2:4 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.
GLN:2:5 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 the sunsetting.
GLN:2:6 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. an 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.”
GLN:2:7 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.”
GLN:2:8 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; 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?” 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.”
GLN:2:9 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.”
GLN:2:10 “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.
GLN:2:11 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 becomes 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.”
GLN:2:12 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.”
GLN:2:13 “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 created
light and called it substance; it is illuminated within by the light of an ever
present love potential.”
GLN:2:14 “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.”
GLN:2:15 “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 nor 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 men do Me little honour when they fail to
recognise 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 the intricacies of
Enidvadew to be unwoven and the challenging paths of destiny and fate to be
followed. Too often, the price to be 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, by even a
single grain, will they exceed that which is absolutely necessary and just.
GLN:2:16 On Earth, joy and gladness will always outweigh
pain and sorrow.”
GLN:2:17 “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.”
GLN:2:18 “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.”
GLN:2:19 “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.”
GLN:2:20 “The spark of divinity in man generates
inspiring dreams, which will ever lure him onward and upward; yet, the road is
long, the journey wearying 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 realisation of the glory within him.”
GLN:2:21 “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.”
GLN:2:22 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.”
GLN:2:23 “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 proclaims 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 fertilising 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.”
GLN:2:24 “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.”
GLN:2:25 “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.”
GLN:2:26 “God has crowned man with life and set the
sceptre 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.”
GLN:2:27 “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.”
GLN:2:28 “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.”
GLN:2:29 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.
GLN:2:30 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.
GLN:3:1 Behold, was this not written in the days of our
fathers’ fathers and of their fathers before them, and given unto us that we
should pass it in to you, the children of days yet unborn? That, if the ability
of the scribe remains with you it could be read in your generation.
GLN:3:2 Read, O children of the unborn years, and absorb
the wisdom of the past, which is your heritage. The enlightening words from a
past, which is to you, in days so far away and yet, in Truth so near.
GLN:3:3 We are taught that we live forever, and this is
true, but it is equally true that no moment of life must be wasted; for each
hour and day on Earth is a shaping for the future. We are the inheritors of a
portion of time; we can dissipate it on futile things or utilise it to our
everlasting benefit. In the days of our fathers, before barren teachings
clogged the thoughts of men, and vain, formal ritual built a wall which
obscured understanding, men walked in the light of Truth. Then, they knew there
was One God alone, but because they allowed their higher abilities to fall to
disuse, they saw less clearly. Because He appeared in different aspects, they
thought He was many.
GLN:3:4 Now, in our days, God has many varied forms in
the eyes of men, and each declares he alone knows the true name and likeness of
God. Here, all men fall into error, though all have spoken truly according to
their understanding. But Truth can never bow to the limited understanding of
man; the comprehension of man must expand to grasp it.
GLN:3:5 In olden times, there were spawned great monsters
and beasts in fearful form, with frightful gnashing teeth and long ripping
claws; an elephant was but a rat in comparison with them. Then, because of
heavenly rebellion and turmoil, and the terror overwhelming the hearts of men,
The Great One hardened the face of the land, which had become unstable, and the
beasts were changed to stone. This was beforetimes, when the Destroyer still
slumbered in the upper vaults of Heaven.
GLN:3:6 Thus it is written in the record of Beltshera: In
those days the people were wicked and though the wise men among them gave many
warnings of the wrath to come, they would not listen; such is the way of the
wicked. So it came about that the hastening Spirit became stirred up against
them because of the odour of wickedness arising from the Earth, for her
nostrils abhor the smell of evil. This is a smell no man can know, for as the
hounds know the smell of fear, which no man can detect, so can other beings
know the smell of wickedness.
GLN:3:7 The great floodgates, which are above Earth, were
all opened. Thus, the floodwaters rose up to cover the land, and great
rainstorms lashed down. The winds could no longer discover their destinations.
GLN:3:8 The people left the plain of Shinara and fled up
into a great mountain rising above the flatlands below, and here, near the
summit, they camped. Feeling themselves secured, the wicked mocked, saying, “No
water can ever reach up here, for there is not enough of it in Heaven or Earth.”
Still, the waters rose ever higher and the mouths of the wicked were silenced.
The priests of the people danced and chanted in vain, and many rituals were
performed to appease the wrath above.
GLN:3:9 There came a period of quietness; then, the
people built a gateway to Heaven wherein the Chief of Interpreters might
commune with the Other Realm. He entered into the silence and cast his spirit,
and when he had done so it contacted the hastening Spirit, which men call by
other names. Her voice was heard within his heart and it said, “I am that which
has been called forth by the odour of wickedness arising from the bodies of
men, which no incense can disguise. For, as the smell of putrefaction assails
the nostrils of men, so does wickedness give forth something which assails us
in this realm. Wickedness is, therefore, an offence against us. If a man threw
filth over the wall into your courtyard, would you not consider this an act of
hostility? Could any among you live in harmony with those who were insensitive
to your own sensitivity? Thus, I am awakened to happenings in the world of men
and am now clothed in a performing substance.”
GLN:3:10 The Spiritbeing said, “I have no desire to
unduly punish men. Go out to the people, and tell them that if they will but mend
their ways and walk no more in the path of wickedness, I shall depart.” But
when the Chief of Interpreters returned to the people, he found them fearful
and distraught, clay in the hands of false priests, devotees of the baleful
gods. The false priests were crying out for a sacrifice to their gods and had
seized Anis, a young man more handsome than any other, a messenger and runner
between cities. Then, though they whispered fearfully among themselves
concerning the deed, the people had seized Nanua, handmaiden of Eloma, the
Enlightened One, whose life was dedicated to Illana, for she had cried out
curses upon their heads when the young man was taken.
GLN:3:11 Nanua and Anis were held by the false priests,
and about them surged the great mass of the people, and, though the Chief of
Interpreters raised his voice it went unheeded. Then the mass of the people
moved down to the water’s edge and there they stopped while the priests shouted
prayers to the gods raging above. All the Heavens were darkened with great
rolling clouds and there were high winds and lightning about the mountain top.
The people rent their garments, the women wailed and men struck their forearms.
Anis was beaten with a club and delivered to the waters.
GLN:3:12 Then, as he who wielded the club turned towards
Nanua, she said to those about her, “Let be, I will deliver myself to the
waters, for if I must be sacrificed, I would be a better sacrifice so given.”
Then she went down to the waters, but as her feet entered she drew back from
the cold, dark, watery depths before her. But as the one who wielded the club
moved forward, a young man, Sheluat the Scribe, a man of quiet ways, neither
handsome nor strong in body, pushed forward and, taking her by the hand, went
down into the waters with her.
GLN:3:13 The waters had risen high, and men shared the
place where they stood with wild beasts and with sheep and cattle, but now the
tumult quietened and the waters drew back. Seeing this, the people shouted
praises to the baleful gods and cried out, “Great are the mighty gods and great
their holy priests!”
GLN:3:14 The Chief of Interpreters went sorrowfully
apart, hiding himself; for now, he was fearful for his life. When the waters
had subsided, he cast his spirit and entered into communion with the hastening
Spirit, and he said, “Shall I also enter the falling waters as a sacrifice? For
life is now futile, as I am without God or honour.” The Great One answered,
“Men see in events the things they wish to see, they can interpret only
according to their understanding. The waters rose to their limitation and did
not fall because of the needless sacrifices. The Powers above may ordain events
to chasten men, but more often, such events are challenges and tests. However,
divine intervention is rare, indeed.”
GLN:3:15 “These priests follow another, a longer path,
but they too condemn wickedness and they too point the way to Truth. though
that way may be indirect and beset with hazards. So, whether they or you
reached the ears of the people, the odour of wickedness will be diminished.
Divine ends are achieved by diverse means, and the eyes of few men are opened
to see either the means or the end.”
GLN:3:16 “Life is never futile, but your sacrifice would
be. No man can lose his God, for He is always there; but the prestige of a man
because of that God such prestige is a worldly thing of little real value. How
do you know whether you have lost or gained? Events of the moment cannot be
weighed in the moment, but can be assessed only by the judgement of the years.
Only eternity knows whether this or that was good or bad, a gain or loss.”
GLN:3:17 Then, the Great One opened the eyes of the Chief
of Interpreters, so he saw beyond the earthly border into the realm beyond.
Behold, he saw Anis who had been strong and handsome on Earth, and now he was
something not pleasant to gaze upon. He saw also the true beauty of Nanua, who
was now a being of dazzling loveliness, and beside her was Sheluat, who had
always loved her secretly, and he was now glowing with youth and handsome as
Helith. The Chief of the Interpreters then understood that evil could be
transmuted into good, and that men had little knowledge of the true nature of
things.
GLN:3:18 Upon the mountain, there is now a grove of trees
and a temple built in the form of a circle of white stones, where the people
remember the day of their deliverance. But what they recall and what happened
are not the same; nor is the cause in their minds the true cause. They say, “We
are the children of Atuma who saved us.” Many who have gone often to the Temple
of Deliverance say they have seen two shades, one radiantly beautiful and one
gloriously handsome, wandering hand in hand through the trees or sitting in the
sunlit glades. All about is now a place of peace.
GLN:3:19 Men walk under the shadow of dread, and fear of
unknown powers fills their hearts. They have fashioned images in the likeness
of the things which frighten them in the gloom of their ignorance, and they
spurn the real for the unreal. Did they see more clearly, they would know that
the things they fear are but gentle and sturdy hands, which can lead them to
fields of contentment.
GLN:4:1 It is written, in The Great Book of The Fire
hawks, that Earth was destroyed twice, once altogether by fire and once
partially by water. The destruction by water was the lesser destruction and
came about in this manner.
GLN:4:2 The people of those times spurned all spiritual
things, and men lived only for pleasure, caring little for the good of mankind
or the future of the people. Lewdness and lies were upon the tongues of all
men, and brother could not deal justly with brother. The princes and governors
were corrupt, and proper tribute was not paid; the statutes were held up to
scorn. The lives of men were ruled by their desires, and they spent their days
in gluttony, drunkedness, fornication, dancing and singing to instruments of
music.
GLN:4:3 The land was unattended, for men dissipated their
strength in unproductive lusts and pleasures. Women lacked shame, for many
would cast their glances after one man. Men fought among themselves and even
slew one another because of their lusts for worthless women, while the chaste
women were not sought. They were even rejected, for men declined the effort of
being worthy of them in the eyes of their fathers. Wives were unhonoured, and
only the women of pleasure commanded the attentions of men. Women were unclean
and immodest, and men lay with them shamelessly in the presence of one another.
Old women were more lustful than the young ones, while virgins were seduced and
corrupted in their childhood. Fathers fornicated before their sons and were
admired for their prowess. They made no distinction between their sons and
other men, or between their wives and other women. Deceit and violence were
seen on every hand.
GLN:4:4 To the East and North were high mountains, upon
which dwelt a tribe called The Sons of Nezirah, The Men of the Mountains, who
were hardy men and mighty hunters, skilful in the chase and valiant in battle.
The men were upright; their wives were faithful and their sons noble. In their
hearts were no unworthy thoughts, no envy or hate, no malice or deceitfulness.
They did not smile before a man’s face, uttering smooth words, then when he
turned his back, reach out to stab him. In their wives and daughters there was
no impure longing, and neither cursing nor lying was heard among them. The
womenfolk respected their men and maintained decency and decorum.
GLN:4:5 Yet they were men with men’s ways, abhorring all
forms of unmanliness and degeneracy. Therefore, the treasures in the cities of
the plains and the weakness of the people to whom these belonged did not go
unnoticed by The Sons of Nezirah. So they said among themselves, “Let us go
down and do a good deed among these people; let us show them the ways of men
who are strong, making them slaves and possessing ourselves of their goods.”
This talk continued among the men in the marketplaces and gatherings, until
they were stirred up to deeds, and they gathered together a warband of fighting
men. The Mountain Men chose leaders from among themselves, after their custom,
and prepared to fall upon the softliving people of the plains and become their
masters.
GLN:4:6 When the chiefs of The Mountain Men saw what was
happening, they became wroth and ordered their men to return to their flocks
and pastures. The chief of chiefs stood up before the gathered warband and
said, “It is our decree that this thing shall not be done, you must not go down
from these mountains bringing the sword to these people. Leave them alone, as
rotted fruit is left on the tree to whither and die. Leave them to follow their
own ways a little longer, and in the fullness of time, they will destroy
themselves. Make no widows among your own people. If you go down there carrying
fire and sword, you may find a trap laid for you among the fleshpots. The
attraction of their pleasure and the temptations of their luxury are, to strong
men such as you, like the lure the flame has for the moth. Do not lay
yourselves open to destruction, even though the manner of its accomplishment be
pleasant. If you must destroy this people, then destroy utterly so nothing
remains. They are many while we are few, and though by the keen, hardhitting
sword we may prevail in battle, yet might we not be lost under a deluge of soft
feathers? Will you be wise enough to sup on milk and honey without being
drowned in it?”
GLN:4:7 For a time, the fighting men heeded the words of
their chiefs, for they were neither wilful nor reckless, but there were some
among them who went down to the plains in peace. They returned with tales of
treasures and pleasures awaiting below, reporting that the time was ripe for an
attack, the warmen hired by the lowlanders having departed. For in those days
the gods of Sharapik strove against the gods of Elishdur and Ladek. Then the
fighting men disregarded the commands of their chiefs and, choosing war
captains from among themselves, went down and fell upon the people of the
plain.
GLN:4:8 The people of the plain bowed before the strength
of the men of the mountains. They did not fight, for among all their
possessions, they regarded their lives as the most valuable thing, precious
above all else. They said, “Take whatever we have, our riches and harvests, the
treasured things from our dwellings, even our daughters for your amusement, but
leave us enough that we may live under your shadow.” The sturdy men of the
mountains were sickened by these half men who had lived for three generations
without fighting, and they despised them.
GLN:4:9 The battlehardened men who had come down from the
highlands took whatsoever they desired. The plainsmen demurred, but because
their stomachs turned to water before the virility of their conquerors, their
protestations were words of wind. The victors clothed themselves in plundered
finery and indulged themselves in the wines and delicacies of the food tables.
They slept in beds of luxury and dissipation, every want being attended to by
the vanquished. They learned the ways of sensuality, which goes with
soft-living, and when sated with natural pleasures some lightened their boredom
with unnatural ones. The Mountain Men saw that the women of the cities were
beautiful, but they were not modest, casting their charms before the masters,
unashamed; so it followed they were taken when required and treated as
chattels. The women did not complain, though hitherto they had stood equal with
their menfolk, but woman’s equality with half men is not something of value.
GLN:4:10 With women like this, the men placed no
restraint on their lust and went from excess to excess. The women, rejoicing in
the strength and vigour of the men, said among themselves, “Here are men
indeed, such as we have not known before.” Then, in the manner of women, they
turned away from their own men and from the households of their husbands and
fathers; for now, they despised them. They threw off all womanly restraint and
grappled with the victors like ravening beasts, and the strong were vanquished
by weakness. Always do women behave thus when their menfolk are defeated in
battle; it is for this men fight.
GLN:4:11 None came to do battle with the victors, for
they who had fought for the gods had destroyed themselves, and in the fullness
of time the victors, too, were destroyed by the fleshpots, by fornication and
drunkenness, by ease and luxury. Their fighting strength and valour departed
with the passing years; they grew fat and slothful. They who had come down in
manly array to fight and win, who could not be challenged in battle by the
lesser men of the plains, were eaten up m the mansions of pleasure, in the
drinking booths, with music, wine and fine linen.
GLN:4:12 Upon the mountain and in the mountain homes,
there was weeping and sadness among the women. Fields were untilled, and cattle
strayed away, sheep went unplucked. The best craftsmen were gone, and few
remained willing to learn their skill, the teachers of learning taught no more.
The gnarled hand that had wielded the sword and terrorised the foe now plucked
the strings of psaltery and lyre. The rough jerkins and corselets were cast
off, and now garments were of fine linen dyed purple and crimson. Men arrayed
their softening bodies in gaudy attire and bathed in scented waters. They
rejected their own women for those of the cities whose hands and feet were
stained with bright colours and whose faces were marked with blue.
GLN:4:13 One day, from afar off came three men of Ardis,
their country having been stricken by a mountain burst. They were worshippers
of The One God whose light shines within men, and when they had lived in the
two cities for a number of days they were stirred up in heart because of the
things they saw. So they called upon their God to see these evil things. Their
God sent down a curse upon the men of the cities, and there came a strange
light and a smoky mist, which caught at the throats of men. All things became
still and apprehensive, there were strange clouds in the skies and the nights
were hung with heaviness. Many days passed before a northwind came, and the
skies cleared; but then, when women conceived, they bore devils. Monstrosities
came forth from their wombs, whose faces were terrible and whose limbs were
unproportioned.
GLN:4:14 In those days men knew the art of working clay
and making linen in bright colours, and also the use of eye paint. They had
knowledge of herbs and magic, of enchantment, and the wisdom of The Book of
Heaven; the knowledge of signs and omens, the secrets of the seasons, of the
moon and the coming of the waters.
GLN:4:15 The remnants of the Sons of Nezirah remained
upon the mountains which are against Ardis, by the land about the encampment of
Lamak. In Ardis, there were wise men filled with the inner wisdom, who read The
Book of Heaven with understanding and knew the signs. They saw that the deeds
of men in all the lands about the mountains had brought them to their hour.
Then, the day came when The Lady of the Night changed her garment for one of a
different hue, and her form swept more swiftly across the skies. Her tresses
streamed out behind in gold and copper, and she rode in a chariot of fire. The
people in those days were a great multitude, and a loud cry ascended into
Heaven.
GLN:4:16 Then, the wise men went to Sharapik, now called
Sarapesh, and said to Sisuda,
the King, “Behold, the years are shortened and the hour of trial draws nigh.
The shadow of doom approaches this land because of its wickedness; yet, because
you have not mingled with the wicked, you are set apart and shall not perish;
this, so your seeds may be preserved.” Then, the king sent for Hanok, son of
Hogaretur, and he came out of Ardis, for there he had heard a voice among the
reeds saying, “Abandon your abode and possessions, for the hour of doom is at
hand; neither gold nor treasure can buy a reprieve.”
GLN:4:17 Then Hanok came into the cities and said to the
governors, “Behold, I
would go down to the sea and would therefore build a great ship, that I
may take my people upon it. With me will go those who trouble you, and they
will take the things which cause you concern; therefore, you will be left in
peace to your own enjoyment.” The governors said, “Go down to the sea, and
build your ship there, and it will be well, for you go with our blessing.” But
Hanok answered, “It has been told to me in a dream that the ship should be
built against the mountains, and the sea will come up to me.” When he had gone
away, they declared him mad. The people mocked him, calling him Commander of
the Sea, but they did not hinder him, seeing gain in his undertaking. Therefore, a great ship was laid down under the
leadership of Hanok, son of Hogaretur, for Sisuda, king of Sarapesh, from whose
treasury came payment for the building of the vessel.
GLN:4:18 It was built on the lake of Namos, close by the
river of gold, where it divides. All the household of Hanok was there and the
household of his brother who directed the men at the task. Dwyvan, captain of
ships, from the land beyond Ardis, was overseer of the craftsmen. The women and
children carried and the men built. The length of the great ship was three
hundred cubits, and its breadth was fifty cubits, and it was finished off above
by one cubit. It had three storeys, which were built without a break.
GLN:4:19 The lowermost was for the beasts and cattle and
their provender, and it was laid over with sand from the river. The middle one
was for birds and fowls, for plants of every kind that are good for man and
beast, and the uppermost one was for the people. Each storey was divided in
twain, so that there were six floors below and one above, and they were divided
across with seven partitions. In it were cisterns for water and storehouses for
food, and it was built with askara wood, which water cannot rot or worms enter.
It was pitched within and without, and the cisterns were lined. The planks were
edged and the joints made fast with hair and oil. Great stones were hung from
ropes of plaited leather, and the ship was without mast or oars. There were no poles and no openings, except for a hatch
beneath the eaves above, whereby all things entered. The hatch was secured by
great beams.
GLN:4:20 Into the great ship they carried the seed of all
living things; grain was laid up in baskets and many cattle and sheep were
slain for meat, which was smoked by fire. They also took all kinds of beasts of
the field and wild beasts, birds and fowls, all things that crawl. Also gold
and silver, metals and stones.
GLN:4:21 The people of the plains came up and camped
about to see this wonder; even the Sons of Nezirah were among them, and they
daily mocked the builders of the great ship; but these were not dismayed and
toiled harder at the task. They said to the mockers, “Have your hour, for ours
will surely come.”
GLN:4:22 On the appointed day, they who were to go with
the great ship departed from their homes and the encampment. They kissed the stones and embraced the trees, and
they gathered up handfuls of the Earth, for all this, they would see no more.
They loaded the great ship with their possessions, and all their provender went
with them. They set a ram’s head over the hatch, pouring out blood, milk, honey
and beer. Beating upon their breasts, weeping and lamenting, the people entered
the great ship and closed the hatch, making it secure within.
GLN:4:23 The king had entered and with him those of his blood;
in all fourteen, for it was forbidden that his household go into the ship. of
all the people who entered with him, two understood the ways of the sun and
moon and the ways of the year and the seasons. One the quarrying of stones, one
the making of bricks and one the making of axes and weapons. One the playing of
musical instruments, one bread, one the making of pottery, one the care of
gardens and one the carving of wood and stone. One the making of roofs, one the
working of timbers, one the making of cheese and butter. One the growing of
trees and plants, one the making of ploughs, one the weaving of cloth and
making of dyes, and one the brewing of beer. One the felling and cutting of
trees, one the making of chariots, one dancing, one the mysteries of the
scribe, one the building of houses and the working of leather. There was one
skilled in the working of cedar and willow wood, and he was a hunter; one who
knew the cunning of games and circus, and he was a watchman. There was an
inspector of water and walls, a magistrate and a captain of men. There were
three servants of God. There was Hanok and his brother and their households,
and Dwyvan and six men who were strangers.
GLN:4:24 Then, with the dawning, men saw an awesome
sight. There, riding on a great black rolling cloud, came the Destroyer, newly released from the
confines of the sky vaults, and she raged about the Heavens, for it was her day
of judgement. The beast with her opened its mouth and belched forth fire, hot
stones and a vile smoke. It covered the whole sky above and the meeting place
of Earth and Heaven could no longer be seen. In the evening, the places of the
stars were changed, they rolled across the sky to new stations; then, the
floodwaters came.
GLN:4:25 The floodgates of Heaven were opened and the
foundations of Earth were broken apart. The surrounding waters poured over the
land and broke upon the mountains. The storehouses of the winds burst their
bolts asunder, so storms and whirlwinds were loosed to hurl themselves upon the
Earth. In the seething waters and howling gales all buildings were destroyed,
trees were uprooted and mountains cast down.
There was a time of great heat; then came a
time of bitter cold. The waves over the waters did not rise and fall,
but seethed and swirled; there was an awful sound above.
GLN:4:26 The pillars of Heaven were broken and fell down
to Earth. The skyvault was rent and broken; the whole of creation was in chaos.
The stars in the Heavens were loosened from their places, so they dashed about
in confusion. There was a revolt on high; a new ruler appeared there and swept
across the sky in majesty.
GLN:4:27 Those who had not laboured at the building of
the great ship and those who had mocked the builders came quickly to the place
where it was lying. They climbed upon the ship and beat upon it with their
hands; they raged and pleaded, but could not enter inside, nor could they break
the wood. As the great ship was borne up by the waters it rolled and they were
swept off, for there was no foothold for them. The ship was lifted by the
mighty surge of waters and hurled among the debris, but it was not dashed upon
the mountainside because of the place where it was built. All the people not
saved within the ship were swallowed up in the midst of raging confusion, and
their wickedness and corruption was purged away from the face of the Earth.
GLN:4:28 The swelling waters swept up to the mountain tops and filled the valleys. They did
not rise like water poured into a bowl, but came in great surging torrents; but
when the tumult quietened and the waters became still, they stood no more than
three cubits above the Earth. The Destroyer passed away into the fastness of
Heaven, and the great flood remained seven
days, diminishing day by day as the waters drained away to their places.
Then, the waters spread out calmly and the great ship drifted amid a brown scum
and debris of all kinds.
GLN:4:29 After many days the great ship came to rest upon
Kardo, in the mountains of Ashtar, against Nishim in The Land of God.
GLN:5:1 Hanok had three brothers by his mother
and one by Sadara, two were with him on the great ship, and one was saved in
Megin. Hanok ruled all the land of Bokah, and his sons, Labeth and Hatana, were
born at Nasirah after the great ship became fast.
GLN:5:2 His brothers divided the water-washed land
between them. One went to Tirdana and built a city there, and he ruled the
western waters. One ruled the eastern waters and the swamps down to the waters
of the sea. The other raised up Eraka in the midst of them, and he was the
greatest. The city of Eraka stood for a thousand years, but in the days of King
Naderasa, the people made great images with faces of gold and bodies of brass.
Children were offered to these demons conceived in wickedness. Then God in His
wrath unleashed the winds, and they were swept through the city as a whirlwind.
The gold-faced images were thrown one against another and were broken; they
fell and were buried under their temples. Eraka was then removed from the eyes
of men.
GLN:5:3 All the cities were rebuilt, and the kings were
dead; the people had multiplied greatly when Lugadur, he who taught the working
of metals, was born. He was the mightiest of kings and his deeds are known to
all men and written in his books.
GLN:5:4 Wisdom came to the land by the hand of our father Hurmanetar, who was called
Hankadah, born at Egelmek in the land of Khalib under Eraka, of Nintursu,
Maiden of the Temple, by Gelamishoar, Builder of
Walls, son of Lugadur the Metalworker, son of Dumath the Shepherd, son of
Gigitan, the Tiller of the Soil.
GLN:5:5 In the days when the mother of Hurmanetar carried
him under her heart with pain, the king, his father, had a dream. He saw a
woman and knew he had just lain with her, but could not see her face clearly,
for whenever he almost recognised it, the likeness changed to that of another.
The woman was purifying herself over a bowl of incense, and while so doing she
made water. Then, a great cloud of smoke arose up from out of the bowl and
filled all the room, and it went out through the doors and filled all the city
and all the temples of the city.
GLN:5:6 The following night the king was disturbed by the
same dream Therefore, knowing he had received an omen, upon his arising he
hastened to send a messenger to the Temple of the Stargazers. Two wise men came
and he told them concerning his dream, requesting that they read its meaning.
Having heard the words of the king, they thereupon left, going away to consult
The Book of Heaven to discover what was written in the future concerning such a
matter. In two days they returned, coming in unto the king as he sat within the
hall of judgement, and they bowed before him saying, “Woe unto us your servants
for what we have to say, for thus it is written. One is to be born of a woman,
whom you have ravished, and he will be a slayer of kings, a destroyer of
temples and a contender with the gods. He is one born to be great among men,
and his hand will be against you.”
GLN:5:7 Hearing this the king bethought himself of the
women he had taken by force, but they were many and scattered. So he sent again
for the wise men, requesting their aid, and the wise men received his words.
GLN:5:8 Now, the wise men knew these things were written
of a son to be born to Nintursu, but they were perplexed not knowing what to
do, for she was a Maiden of the Temple of the Seven Enlightened Ones, which had
been built in the days of Sisuda.
If the blood of one thus born were shed or its breath stopped within the
boundaries of the land, the corn would perish within the furrow, and the
blossom would fall from the trees, so that they yielded no fruit. yet the wise
men were not loath to bring down the wrath of the king upon this temple, for it
was one whose god had but small estate, yet it paid no tribute to the god of
the land. Nor did they desire to deceive the king in this matter, for if by
perchance the deceit were uncovered, they lost their protection.
GLN:5:9 The wise men, therefore, went before the king and
spoke thus, “O king, light of our lives, we your servants have discovered this
child, though it is yet unborn. It is to be born of a maiden bound to the
Temple of the Seven Enlightened Ones; therefore, its blood may not be shed on
land worked by the hand of man, nor may its breath be stopped. So now we say
unto you, send those who are your most trusted servants; let them take this
maiden and carry her away to a place afar off. If it be beyond the boundaries
of this land, the child when born can be slain there and no evil will befall
the lands of our god.” Hearing these words, the king remembered the maiden he
had taken for his pleasure, for while hunting he had come upon her as she
bathed. Neither the temple nor its god was known to him and he had no fear of
its priests.
GLN:5:10 The king called his chamberlain to his side, a
man most trusted, and charged him, saying, “Go, take this Nintursu, this temple
maiden, and carry her into the land of Kithis, entering by stealth. She is with
child, and when it is born, slay it, letting its blood fall upon the soil in
the land of Kithis.”
GLN:5:11 The chamberlain prepared and departed, taking
with him men of blood and their captain. They travelled so they came upon the
temple at first light in the morning. Nintursu was taken and they left
ornaments of gold and silver.
GLN:5:12 Now, Nintursu was not delivered of the child
when they came to the boundary of the land, so they camped there, and in the
days that followed, men went out to spy. The captain was a man skilled in war
and courageous; a man of many battles, and Nintursu spoke often with him. But
between her and the chamberlain few words were spoken.
GLN:5:13 It happened that when Nintursu’s time was upon
her and the child to be delivered, it was the days of full moon; therefore, the
child could not be slain, so they bided until the dark of the moon. Then, when
the order of things was right, the chamberlain called the captain and said,
“This is a task for a man of blood and I am not such a one, therefore, you take
the child and slay it over the border. Seven men will go with you, that all
these may bear witness to the deed and swear to it.”
GLN:5:14 Now, the men of blood were grim men of battles,
strangers to soft beds and the gentle ways of women, but some among them were
the companions of Nintursu during the first days of her motherhood. Also, there
was one whose father had been a worshipper at the Temple of the Seven
Enlightened Ones before it was abandoned by all who followed the king. There
were those who murmured, saying, “This is a task for those in high places, who
speak with honeyed tongues and carry concealed knives that stab in the back,
this is not for fighting men.”
GLN:5:15 It was true. This was no task for men of
clashing metal, it was a deed more suited to squeamish-stomached courtiers;
but, lacking backbone, these have ever needed others to do their dirty work
spawned through intrigue and conspiracy. Lord, hasten the day when real men are
no longer manipulated by half men!
GLN:5:16 The captain put the child into a basket prepared
by Nintursu. It was placed upon an ass. Then, he and his men went over the
boundary to a place, where neither tree nor grass grew; but about ten bowshots
distant, a stream ran through it to water fields and pastures in the valley
below. When they stopped, the captain took down the basket and opened it, but
when he gazed upon the face of the child, his heart held his hand. He was a man
of battles who slew in war, a slayer of men in combat, not a weak-kneed man of
intrigue and slayer of children. He closed the basket and said to those who had
come with him, “We will bide our time here until nightfall. If we loose the
blood of the child here it will be absorbed into dead soil and do no harm, but
if we carry it further, down into the valley, it will fall on living soil.”
None with him answered, for they were but simple fighting men knowing not that
the blood could have been let into the waters. Or maybe they understood the
heart of their captain.
GLN:5:17 The captain said, “It is hot, we have time
enough before those who dwell below are asleep; therefore, let us drink wine
and rest awhile.” So they drank wine which had been brought and rested;
becoming drowsy they eventually fell asleep. Darkness fell.
GLN:5:18 Now, the ass had not eaten since the morning;
nor had it drunk at the stream, and the captain of men bided his time, for he
had a plan and this was a place known to him. In the gathering darkness he put
the basket, with the child inside, back on the ass. It was a good place of
concealment, under an overhanging rock, with thickets of thorn all around,
while below, the ground fell away steeply, being covered with rocks and loose
stones. Only the captain knew how, in the darkness, a large stone was loosed
from above, bringing down many others with it, so that stones fell all about
the place where the men lay under the overhang. They were heavy with wine, they
shouted, they stumbled and fell; one was struck by a dart, another by a spear;
there was a clash in the darkness though none was killed. The ass, loosed from
its halter, fled, and none could stop it.
GLN:5:19 Wrathfully the captain shouted, “What kind of
men have I been given, why have you not brought trumpets to announce our
coming? Who can see the ass among the bushes or hear it among the stones? Then,
as lights appeared below and the voices of men were heard in the night, they
withdrew.
GLN:5:20 Coming to a place of safety, the men took
counsel among themselves, for the captain of the men said, ‘If you would go
unpunished for this night, then you must slay me now; even then, can you return
without me? Also, who knows where the blood will flow? Therefore, shall we not
all say, with mine own eyes I beheld the blood of this child and know it is
dead? Are we men of wisdom who live, or are we foolish ones who die? Thus,
borne on the back of an ass, Hurmanetar came to the land of Kithis.
GLN:6:1 Concerning our father Hurmanetar, these things
were written in the scroll of Pakhamin, scribe of the Firehawks. Generation had
grown out of generation, and the Lord of Light and Life had hidden himself, for
He knew the nature of man, and none could find Him. Time passed, and they
sought Him no more.
GLN:6:2 Then high riding, ass-borne, came one who was to
reveal the Light to men. Praises to the Lord of light and Life for Hurmanetar
the Lightbringer! He wandered the hillsides among shepherds who tended their
flocks with care, and he learned their ways. This was the wisest of men, and
his body was filled to overflowing with manly powers; wide-striding, he
measured the mountains’ broad pastures. In anger, his face burned like the sun
at noontide, while in benevolence, it shed the calm glow of the moon in the
night quietness. In courage and skill, none could match him. He was a child like
no other; before others crawled he stood upright; he learned his letters at
three years; he could read and write at five; he taught those who attended the
temple with him when he was seven. He was ten when his foster-father joined his
fathers, and the estate was divided through the women. At twelve, he changed
the course of the river falling down from the mountains to lead it through new
pastures, and thus, his mother became rich. At thirteen, he was sent to the
Shepherd of the City and trained with spear and shield. At seventeen, he slew
the king’s right hand man and fled to the mountains of Akimah.
GLN:6:3 Like a beast of prey, he wandered at will; he was
the mountain-dweller, firm of limb and swift-footed, taking according to his
whim from those who passed his way. Mighty was his bow of anshan wood;
sinew-strung, it sped swiftly his straight-shot arrows.
GLN:6:4 High on the mountains wandered another, Yadol
his name, one who lived on herbs and wild honey, tall and long-haired, for no
knife had ever touched it. His hand tamed a wild wolf cub, and it was his
companion; wherever he went, it followed. The wild beasts did not molest him,
and he walked freely among them.
GLN:6:5 Hurmanetar was a trapper of wild beasts; he dug a
pit at the place where they came down to water, and other traps were set. Yadol
passed that way; the pit was filled in and the traps broken; the ensnared deer
was set free. When Hurmanetar returned and found the pit filled in and the
traps broken, his heart was seized by a whirlwind; he raged against the skies,
he swore against the trees. He sought, for days he sought but could not come
upon Yadol, the evasive one, the cunning one. His traps were useless, his pits
a vain labour. He hungered, and because he hungered, he became less cautious.
When he lay in wait among the bushes to waylay men who passed, he was not held
back by thought of their number, but loosed his arrows and leapt among them.
Hurmanetar attacked stormy-hearted; like a whirlwind, he attacked, but when
they saw he was one alone, they stood fast. Hurmanetar turned back into the
bushes, but arrows sent after him found their mark.
GLN:6:6 For three days, he lay in his place upon the
mountain; his leg swelled up and he thirsted, for he could not get water. He
lay in a body of pain, and his spirit prepared to depart from him. A wolf came,
and his hand sought a stone, but weakness held his arm, so it could not be
cast. Then lo, the wolf licked his hand and departed. Then, Yadol came; in his
hand was a skin filled with fresh water, and he knelt beside Hurmanetar and
gave him a drink. Yadol dressed the wounds and brought herbs to eat, and so it
came to pass that Hurmanetar grew strong again.
GLN:6:7 Thereafter, Hurmanetar and Yadol dwelt together
within a cave among the mountains, but Yadol would neither slay for meat nor
eat of it. Yet they roamed the wide mountains together in joyous companionship,
and their days sped swiftly by. But Hurmanetar longed for other things and
therefore was tempted to attack men who passed, for he desired fine meats and
garments and ornaments for his body.
GLN:6:8 These things were brought to the ears of the
king, and those about the king said, “Let us take men up into the mountain and
slay this wild hill wanderer, this manslayer and robber.” But the king bade
them hold their hands, for he desired to see the man for himself; he wanted him
taken alive, and he said, “Should any man slay him, that man is mine.” The
king, therefore, took counsel of the wisemen, saying, “How shall we take this
man, if man he be and not a spirit of the mountains? I would look upon him with
my own eyes, for I know of none such as he. One such, there once was, but he is
no more.” Then, one among the wise men said, “This man of the mountains, if man
he be, will follow the ways of men; therefore, let us procure a harlot from the
temple, a woman of pleasure, and let her go and take him; ensnare the hunter in
the well baited trap.” The king said, “This is no new thing, and perchance, it
can bring the wild man of the mountains down to me in chains of silk, even into
the city; therefore, go and put your words into deeds.” Then, a man was sent to
the temple, and he brought back Hesurta, a woman of pleasure, in exchange for
gold, and she was taken to the hunters who knew the ways of the mountains.
GLN:6:9 They set off, journeying for some days, the
hunters, the harlot and those with her, until they came to a place where there
was a waterhole, close by the way of Elamki.
They passed beyond the waterhole to the spring above, sending men into the
surrounding forest. The day came when one returned saying, “The wild man
comes.” Then, the chief of the hunters said to the woman, “O woman, bare your
breasts and sit beside the waters; use the wiles of your calling, have no shame
but welcome him boldly. When he comes up close reveal your secrets, drawing him
to you; teach him the arts of the harlot that ensnares men.”
GLN:6:10 The woman was not loath to take him, responding
well to the task, sitting by the waters, singing. However, Hurmanetar circled warily
about the place, but discovered nothing, and no harm came to him. He drew
closer, and when he did, the harlot revealed her secret charms and was well
pleased by the eagerness he displayed. She instructed him in the harlot’s art
and they dallied there for several days; but the hunters did not come to take
him, for they found no way to come upon him furtively. Then, after seven days,
Hurmanetar departed, passing up the incline of the mountainside without looking
back. The harlot was afraid, because the hunters murmured against her, but it
was not her fault, and the chief of hunters said, “Wait and see, let us bide a
while yet.”
GLN:6:11 Hurmanetar returned to the place where the wild
deer grazed, but Yadol was not there, and when he crossed the wind of the deer,
they fled away.
GLN:6:12 He went to the cave, where they shared their
rest, but Yadol was not there. The wolf alone lay close by and Hurmanetar
called out to it, but the wolf stayed afar off, it would not come near, because
Hurmanetar was not purified from contact with the harlot.
GLN:6:13 For a day and a night, Hurmanetar stalked the
mountainside, wide-striding along its paths, but he did not find Yadol;
therefore, he returned to the place where he had left the woman. She greeted
him warmly, making him welcome with cooked meats, rejoicing in her heart. They
remained there for three days, and she tamed him to the need for a woman. Then,
the day came when she said, “You are wise; You are strong even as a bull, why
run wild upon the mountainsides with one who deserts you at will? Come with me
unto the king, for he has heard tales of your might and would close his eyes to
your deeds. He will give you a house and gold, and I, Hesurta, will become your
servant. The temple of love will be opened for you, and I will show you the
delights within. Come and dwell under the shadow of the king, for he is mighty,
he is the wild bull, which roars over men.”
GLN:6:14 Hurmanetar thought and said, “No, I will not go
before the king, for he does no good in my sight. Do not the people murmur
against him, saying, “Woe for these days. The hand of the king rests heavily
upon us, his pride knows no bounds and no maiden is left virgin for her
husband. Neither the daughter of a man of blood nor the wife of a prince walks
freely in the city. Are not all its doors shut like the doors of prisons?”
GLN:6:15 The woman thought awhile, then said, “Who tells
these things of the king? Are their words established? He is the great king; a
mountain licked by ten thousand tongues, the king whose whisper fills the
judgement hall, whose voice echoes a thousand leagues away. He is the glorious
king, a man perfect in strength and proportion; his body is one to delight the
eyes of any woman. None other has his wisdom and knowledge. Therefore, men talk
against him, for it is the nature of men to be jealous of those who so much
excel.
GLN:6:16 “Let us go; let the king see you face to face
and rejoice, for you are alike. O come with me to where each day brings new
delights, where the young women are gaily robed and the young men wonderful to
look upon. Come to where breezes are filled with sweet smells, where beds are
soft and rooms perfumed. Come to the place where life is enjoyed. Come, serve
the king; as you are now, so was he in his youth, but youth departs, albeit
slowly. He is the never resting one, the son of The Lady of Battles. Come and
do not fear; all will be made ready for you; even now the wise men tell of your
coming, and men wait to escort you in peace.”
GLN:6:17 Hurmanetar was swayed by her words and said, “So
let it be; where you go, there go I.” Then Hesurta gave him a necklace she had
brought and led him to the tents of the hunters. But when they saw him face to
face, they were afraid; such was the light held in the eyes of the stalwart,
wide striding one. Yet they recognised him as a man like themselves, and their
fear passed. So it was that Hurmanetar went with them and with the woman, came
to the city and went before the king, and the king looked upon him with favour.
He gave Hurmanetar wine, and he was drunk; and oil for his body, and he was
anointed. He was arrayed in three robes, he became a man of rank; he was given
a house and servants and he was given a watchman. He became captain of the
guards, and none was like him.
GLN:6:18 To the woman of pleasure, the harlot, the king
gave bracelets of gold and sent her away, saying, “Go to your proper place, for
you have completed the thing required of you. There, you will be great among
women, while here, you will be degraded among them.” Hesurta departed in
sorrow, for even a harlot can feel faint stirrings of affection through the oft
soiled, winding cloth which enwraps her sordid spirit.
GLN:6:19 Hurmanetar learned the ways of the palace and
walked as he willed, but soon he became restless, for his thoughts turned
towards Hesurta. He missed her ways. Yet, many women cast their glances towards
him, but behind these was the threat of the sword. He was not a man of smooth
and subtle ways, being unskilled in the deceit which flourishes under the
shadow of kings. Though favoured by the king and safe under his mantle, he was
a man alone in the palace and courtyards. He set out to find Hesurta, seeking
her at the temple of pleasure within the temple gate, where she had served as a
harlot, but the priest said, “The woman is no longer here, for a harlot, given
gold, thinks herself a queen, and the women have driven her out.” Hurmanetar
sought her throughout the city, but she was nowhere to be found. Persisting, he
eventually found her at a harlot’s post beside the river, among wineskins and
men of the waters. There was one who sat with her, and he was a man of blood;
therefore, armed. So when Hurmanetar came up to them seeking to talk with the
woman, he drew his sword. When the man of blood saw that Hurmanetar was
undismayed by this and prepared to settle the issue, he mocked him, saying,
“Why should men fight when women are plentiful and we have half a measure of
corn?”
GLN:6:20 Hurmanetar bought the woman from those who grow
rich on the defiled bodies of women and established her in his house. The men
about the king murmured against him, speaking poisoned words in the ear of the
king. The women of the palace also turned from him. Meeting Hesurta on the
street, they caught her and tore her veil off her face, while men of subtle
ways who served the king mocked behind their hands. The men of blood serving
the king set their faces against Hurmanetar, while in the city, men said, as he
passed, “There goes the great one who bathes in dirty water.” Therefore,
Hurmanetar departed from the city, going to dwell without its walls among men
who tilled the soil.
GLN:6:21 It was not long before the day came when the
woman saw that Hurmanetar was downcast, and so she said to him, “O man of
might, when my eyes rest upon you I am raised above all women, and now my heart
is cleansed of all that polluted it, my body rejoices in freedom and my life is
a song of gladness. Yet, I am saddened because my heart tells me you are
sorrowful and not at ease within yourself, that half your heart remains in the
mountains. Therefore, hear what I say, go there once more while I remain here
to await your return, perhaps this time you will find Yadol.” Her words made
Hurmanetar sad and he said, “How can I go away and leave you here? Who will
protect you? What man can I place over you who will not know you? Yet go to the
mountain, I must, therefore you shall come with me.”
GLN:6:22 They departed, crossing by way of Hamrama, and
came to the mountains high standing and steep-sided. They searched many days,
but Yadol could not be found, neither would any bird or beast approach them.
They wandered the mountains, they searched the valleys and they grew weary in
the search. They returned to the foot of the mountains, below the place where
shepherds dwelt and into the tillage, where there was a city. It was the time
of Akitoa, and Sharah, chief of the city dwellers, was to be married. Being
invited to remain in the city as guests, they stayed there. When the days of
feasting commenced, men came in from the mountains and tillage, and there was
much dancing and singing. Hurmanetar and Hesurta were made welcome, taking
their places among the guests and storytellers, eating and drinking their fill.
There was strong drink brewed from corn and wine from the palm, and Hurmanetar
became overfilled with these and, drunk, he fell asleep. While he slept, a man
came upon Hesurta and seized her, saying, “Come, let us be together, so I may
have pleasure, and you may have silver. I know you are a woman of many pleasures,
a servant to the vices of men.” When she denied him his desire, he sought to
take her by force, but she drew a knife and slew him, for a woman cannot be
taken by man, except she surrender herself to his needs.
GLN:6:23 Hearing the clamour, men came and, seeing what
had happened, they seized the woman. Others took Hurmanetar and both were
brought before the headman, who delivered them to a place of confinement. When
the feasting was over they were brought before Pitosi, one who sat in
judgement. Pitosi said to Hurmanetar, “You have come among us as a guest and a
man of good standing; therefore we know not whether you have been wronged or
whether a man of this city has been slain unjustly. If you have been wronged,
then also establish the standing of this woman. It is said that she is a harlot
without standing, this being so, then you shall pay the price of he who is
slain to his kindred and no more will be required of you.”
GLN:6:24 Hurmanetar answered Pitosi thus, “You are one
filled with the essence of wisdom, who justly occupies the seat of judgement. I
ask with due humility that you give ear to my plea for this woman, who may not
speak for herself. Denounce her I cannot; instead, I will claim her as wife
under the law of Hudashum, for she has dwelt with me for twenty months and in
that time has not known another man, nor have I cause for complaint.”
GLN:6:25 Hearing this, and because Hurmanetar made claim
to the law of Hudashum, Pitosi sent for Enilerich, priest of the Great Temple,
that he should say whether or not Hesurta stood before him as the wife of
Hurmanetar. When the priest came he enquired of the woman whether she were a
virgin when Hurmanetar took her. Had she said “yes”, then the passage of three
months would have given her the standing of a wife; but she answered “no.” The
priest asked her if she were a widow when Hurmanetar took her. had she answered
“yes”, then the passage of twenty months would have given her the standing of a
wife; but she answered “no.” Then the priest asked if she were a harlot when
Hurmanetar took her and she answered “yes.” Therefore, as seven years had not
yet passed since Hurmanetar first took her, she could not have the standing of
a wife. Nor could she claim to be a harlot of the temple, for she had left its
protection.
GLN:6:26 Now the mark of a harlot was upon her and
Hurmanetar had forfeited his standing in the place of judgement. So, Pitosi
gave judgement upon them and it was decreed that when Gaila came they would be
led to the enclosure of death and there tied back to back. The woman would be
strangled with cords, after the manner of harlots, while Hurmanetar would be
left to carry her as a burden within the enclosure for seven days. Then, if the
gods willed that he lived, he would be let out to wander as he willed, all he
might take with him being three handfuls of corn and a gourd of water, The
judgement was fulfilled. Hurmanetar lived. He departed and went his way, and
the kindred of the slain men failed to catch him.
GLN:6:27 Hurmanetar passed across the land, coming at
last to the temple of the Seven Illuminated Ones, and his mother was there. She
dwelt alone with only an old serving woman, for now the temple was desolate and
without walls, For two years, Hurmanetar dwelt with his mother, but then his heart
went out again to the companion he had left upon the mountainside. He said to
his mother, “I must depart, for my heart cries out for one who saved my life
and whose ways are mine. Great is the love of man for woman, but greater the
love of man for man.”
GLN:6:28 So Hurmanetar came again to the mountains, and
lo, he had entered the forest but half a day when he came upon Yadol. How warm
was the greeting, how strong the embrace! Hurmanetar said, “Long have I sought
you and found you not; yet I come again, and you are here.” Yadol answered, “It
was because of the harlot, I was here, but you saw me not, nor could I make
myself known to you.”
GLN:6:29 Hurmanetar returned with Yadol to the place
where his mother dwelt, and they remained there, none knowing what they were,
for they were garbed as priests. They tilled the ground about the place,
enjoying its fruitfulness, and both were nourished by the wisdom of
Hurmanetar’s mother.
GLN:6:30 Nintursu
was the last of the line of Sisuda.
Ten thousand generations had passed since the beginning and a thousand
generations since the recreation. The Children of God and The Children of Men
had passed into dust, and only men remained. One hundred generations had passed
since the overwhelming deluge and ten generations since The Destroyer last
appeared. Once man lived for less than two score years, now his years were
three score and ten. Once, God had walked with men, and men knew only God. Now,
He was hidden behind many veils, and few saw Him, and then but dimly and with great
distortion. Where once there was one God, now gods were as numbered as the
stars. Yet the Great Key remained in the midst of men, and it was here, at the
Temple of the Seven illuminated Ones, the Key of Life, the Key which was given
into the keeping of our father, Hurmanetar. It is a secret thing, something
exceedingly great. It is not lost but has come down to us and is known in our
times.
GLN:6:31 Now, one day, as Hurmanetar sat beneath a tree,
enjoying its shade at the height of noon, he saw a stranger approaching. The
man was weary and staggered, so Hurmanetar sent his servant to bring him into
the shade. The servant hastened out and brought him in. He was given
refreshment and his feet washed, and when this had been done Hurmanetar asked
him where he was bound, and the stranger replied, “I go to Tagel, for in that
place, there is a mighty man and a just one who will give ear to my plea, for
untoward things are happening in the great city, things which should not be,
The people cry out in the place of assembly, but they cry to the wind.
Gilnamnur has seized the heart of the king and now rules. In twelve days I am
pledged to marry, but there is no lightness of a bridegroom in my heart, for
the king elects to be first with the bride. This is the custom come down to us
from the gods of old, but my heart is wrung like a grape. I cannot find it
within me to give her into his keeping on the wedding night. Therefore, I go to
find one who can challenge him at the door of the bridal chamber, as the custom
permits, for this is no low born woman. But this is a thing none has heard of
as having been done before in our times, for men fear the gods. I know of none
other who may stand before the king as one sanctified.”
GLN:6:32 Hurmanetar heard him and replied, “Be of good
heart, and go no further, for I am that man.” Hearing this, the stranger,
filled with gratitude, fell upon his knees before Hurmanetar and said, “How can
I thank you, how can I repay you, what can I give?” But Hurmanetar answered,
“When a man does what has to be done, then payment and reward sully the deed.”
Then he called Yadol and said, “Prepare, for we go into the city of the king,
and because he was sanctified, Hurmanetar claimed the protection of Erakir.
Then, they offered prayers in the antechamber between Heaven and Earth.
GLN:6:33 They dwelt with the brother of the bridegroom
until the day of the wedding feast came, for the bridegroom was not of this
city. When the feast was over, and before the guests departed, the bridal
chamber was made ready with the bride within, and the young messenger of the
temple went about making his call. Then the king came to the antechamber,
passing by the husband who was to wait without. But there, standing before the
door, was Hurmanetar, his right hand on the pillar, for none might otherwise
challenge the king, and in his left hand were the reeds.
GLN:6:34 Those who were gathered there, the men and the
women, drew back and men of the king’s guard came forward, each claiming the
right to enter the combat on behalf of the king; for one man could precede the
king, but no more. Such was the custom. The choice of whom to fight from among
those who came forward lay with Hurmanetar, and because he chose the captain of
the guard, a man skilled in war, the people were amazed. But Hurmanetar knew
the man’s weakness. No more than five blows were struck when Hurmanetar,
leaping to the left hand side of the captain of the guard, drove up under his
armpit, so that he fell to the ground and died.
GLN:6:35 Then Hurmanetar and the king girded themselves
and fought in the high courtyard, and it was a fight such as men had not seen
before. The young and the old, agility against experience, stamina against
cunning, they were both equal in the fight. They slashed at each other until their
weapons broke and their shields split. They grappled, they stamped, they rolled
in the dust, they lashed out at each other, and the combat went on until the
water ran out, and still they both stood. Then, they could not fight with
weapons but stood disarmed, and this time, neither might cause the death of the
other. They circled each other warily, keeping away from the balustrade. Then
Hurmanetar jumped aside and with a swift movement caught the king to him,
twisting him so they both fell down into the courtyard below the ground, and
the king fell over his shoulder, so that his breastbone broke, and he remained
on the ground. Then the king’s guard gathered about him, and a man skilled with
medicines came forward; though grievously hurt the king would not die.
Hurmanetar gave his seal and right to the husband and, with Yadol, parted the
men who stood about in silence, for they could not harm them. So Hurmanetar and
Yadol departed from the land, for it became closed to them and, mounted on
mountain asses, they set out on the way of Anhu.
GLN:6:36 Hurmanetar crossed the wide plains with Yadol
until they came safely to the stream of bitter waters, brought there by
Mamanatum, and so they came up to Machur close by the forest of cedars and
dwelt there. This is the place where there was a temple to Humbanwara, the
Guardian.
GLN:7:1 Hurmanetar married Astmeth, daughter of Anukis,
governor of all the Western parts of Hamanas, and the mother of Astmeth was
Neforobtama, daughter of Hahuda, prince of Kerami. In those days, Daydee,
daughter of Samshu, king of all the lands to the North, even to the land of
everlasting night, ruled all the Eastern parts of Hamanas, and of all women,
she was the most beautiful.
GLN:7:2 Now, as time passed Hurmanetar grew rich; he
built himself a great house of cedar wood and had many servants and concubines.
In these, the days of his greatness, he forgot the teachings of Nintursu, and
the Great Key lay hidden, for the hours of his days were filled with worldly matters.
GLN:7:3 The overseer of Hurmanetar’s cornfields was
Noaman, a man of Loza, a man whose word was not worth an obal of sand, for he
falsified the measure. Therefore, fingers were removed from him, and he was
driven forth out of the lands of Hurmanetar, and he became the servant of one
Sabitur. This Sabitur dwelt on the road to Milikum, outside the city of Kithim
where Daydee ruled, and Daydee was a great queen.
GLN:7:4 In the days when men came to Kithim and Lodar to
buy and sell, before the feast when new-milled corn was offered to the Bull of
Yahana, Hurmanetar went up into the city of Kithim to pay his tribute.
GLN:7:5 Now, Gilamishoar, the king, had died because of
the thing hidden in an earthenware box, and the new king, wishing to know where
he stood with the gods, sent for wise men who threw bundles of cedar wood
before him. They saw he was destined to reign in greatness and prosperity,
providing that he never quarrelled with a queen or killed a child. Therefore,
the king deemed it wise to strengthen his peace with Daydee and sent his son to
her with many gifts.
GLN:7:6 The prince journeyed some days; then, stopped at
an inn a day’s journey from Kithim, and supped there; and while he ate, word
was brought to him that someone wished to speak with him. It was Noaman, and he
spoke poisoned words regarding Hurmanetar, so these should be brought to the
ear of the queen. Thus, when Hurmanetar entered the city of Kithim, he was
seized and brought before the queen. But when she saw him and spoke with him, Daydee
found no fault with him and looked upon him with favour. Therefore, though the
prince departed, Hurmanetar dallied at the court of queen Daydee.
GLN:7:7 Time passed, and Hurmanetar came frequently to
the court and he was well-favoured, but it came about that strife arose in the
lands about, for the Mother of the Gods strove with the Father of the Gods. It
was a time of turmoil, when the hand of brother was against brother, and all
the while Hurmanetar rose in the esteem of the queen. So it came about that a
son was born to Hurmanetar and Daydee. While the lands about had been ravaged
by war, there was peace in Kithim, but when the son of Hurmanetar and Daydee
was scarce one year old, men came bearing tidings of war; the hosts of the king
had gathered and voices were crying in the market place. “Prepare to die, for
those who are mightier than the Humbala are upon us. None shall be spared from
the fire of the pit, neither old men, nor women and children.” For those who
came were The Children of Githesad the Serpent,
the Cunning One, whose mother was one of those who brought defilement into the
race of men. These people knew neither justice nor mercy.
GLN:7:8 The priests and the people went up into the
mountain to gather before the cave of Yahana. They cried out to be delivered;
they were overpowered with weakness and their teeth shook, their knees became
weak. But Daydee remained in the city, and she appointed Hurmanetar captain of
her war hosts, and he gave the orders. The armsmakers bent to the task, making
spears of willow wood and casting axes. Hurmanetar freed Turten, because he had
renounced his father, had become a slave, and gave him command of the bowmen.
For Turten was a man of might and a bowman of renown.
GLN:7:9 In the days when men feared because of the bull
of Heaven, the war hosts of The Children of Githesad gathered on the plain, and
the fires of their encampment were, at night, numbered like stars. The men of
Hurmanetar encamped against them, and when he led the war hosts of queen Daydee
out in the morning light the men of blood faced one another. Turten, the
bowman, had been made a war captain and he went out before the host of Daydee
to see how those who stood against them were arrayed. When he returned, he
spoke thus to Hurmanetar, “Behold my Lord, great is the host of The Children of
Githesad and well set in their order of battle. Behold the long-limbed
spearman, Kami the Mighty, far famed among men, leads them. See the powerful
bowmen, whose wide ranging arrows speed from behind tall shields, which stand
before them. What has Hoames failed to teach these people? Behold the hosts of
the Husigen who are with them, led by Aknim of the firm standard. See to their
left the spearmen of ever mighty Marduka; they stand firm in line; they are like
the point of a nail, ready to thrust inward. See, already the horns of the bull
spread out for the encircling clash. Slingers already harass our foreguard,
while bowmen sting us on either side.”
GLN:7:10 “Still let us take heart. Have we not,
ourselves, many mighty men ready to give their life’s blood for you? Are they
not all armed with every kind of weapon and masters of war? There are far
throwing slingers and keen-eyed bowmen, there is tall Lugal with the flashing
weapons of fire. Yet, we can number our host, while the numbers of those who
stand against us seem countless as the sands.
GLN:7:11 Then Hurmanetar raised his voice, calling upon
his men to stand firm-footed in line to await the clash and bear up before it.
He said, “Think of your duty, and do not waver before the thrusts. To step back
in battle is to step back from manhood. To take flight would cause men to tell
of your dishonour now and in the days to come, and to an honourable man the
disgrace of dishonour is worse than death itself. If any of you run, the
staunch ones who stood firm will say you have fled the battle through fear, and
your comrades who expected your support will treat your name with scorn. Those
who stand against us on the field of blood will speak of you with contempt and
derision. They will mock your courage, and for a true man there can be no more
shameful fate.”
GLN:7:12 Then, to encourage those who were faint-hearted,
Hurmanetar sounded the loud, thunderous war cry. It resounded like the roar of
ten bulls. Then he caused his companion of the shield to blow the far-sounding
war horn. After this came a rolling boom of war drums, the ringing sound of
clashing cymbals, the loud shrilling of trumpets, and even louder trumpets
filled the sky above with thunder.
GLN:7:13 Turten, of the powerful bow, and Lugal, of the
bright weapons, prepared their men to meet the clash. The war hosts drew
closer, and the flight of arrows and slingstones began, followed by the hurling
of flight spears. Heaven and Earth trembled under the fearful sound of war
cries and the clamour of war horns; even the hearts of stout fighting men shook
before they commanded themselves. Yet, those with Hurmanetar stood firm, eager
for the clash and saying, “Let us smite those who come full of fight and fury
to do the evil will of their dark king.”
GLN:7:14 Now I, Ancheti, stood behind the slingers’ wall;
my limbs trembled and my mouth was dry, my tongue craved for water. My scalp
moved in fear and my hands loosened their grip through moisture. My heart
thumped in confusion and I saw a mist of redness before my eyes, for this was
my first battle, and I was but a youth. Beside me stood Yadol, the wild tender
man, and he said, “I see no gladness in victory, if victory be granted. I crave
no kingdom that I may rule over other men. What would be its pleasures to one
such as I? For what do men slay one another? Which man seeks spoil and its
pleasure and which man the joys of life? Against us stand men of living flesh
and blood, men who have mothers and wives, men who have children, men who are
good, even if those who lead them are evil. These good men, I have no wish to
slay, better would it be, were I to be slain myself. Not a man will I slay with
these hands, not even for the kingdom of the three spheres would I do it, much
less an earthly kingdom. Were those who stand against us all men of evil, it
would perhaps be a good deed to slay them; but in the clash of war, the good
slay the good and the evil ones live safely behind the shields.”
GLN:7:15 “an we slay men made in our own likeness,
brother beings? What peace shall we henceforth enjoy in our hearts? Will not
the memory make our hearts heavy, so that life becomes an unbearable burden?
Even if there are others among these great war hosts who are so overcome with
greed for spoil that they see no evil in the slaying of men, shall we not
withhold our blows from this awful deed of blood?”
GLN:7:16 “O doom of darkness, O day of sorrows, what evil
has moved the hearts of rulers that men be slain in thousands for the gain of
treasure and the rule of an earthly kingdom? What do we here on this field of
blood, we who are men of peace and goodwill? Better by far that I stood
unarmed, my breast bared, unresisting, and let them slay me, that I might lay
in my own innocent blood!. Thus spoke Yadol as the clash drew nigh, but only I,
Ancheti, heard him.
GLN:7:17 Then the lunge and thrust was upon us, and I
heard another voice beside me, that of my uncle, Hurmanetar, who was there, red
sword in hand. The press of the foe drew back, and in the lull, Hurmanetar
stood beside Yadol, the companion of his wanderings, and placed a hand on his
shoulder in compassion, for Yadol was a man without fear, a man of more courage
than Ancheti. On the field of blood, the craven-hearted are truly separated from
the men of peace and goodwill.
GLN:7:18 The foe swept upon the thinning ranks again;
they came like waves breaking upon a beach. They swept in, then sullenly,
tardily, they rolled back, only to reform and crash again. As they came, I
heard Hurmanetar open his mouth and cry out, “They come yet again, they are
upon us, arise and greet them; arise above this field of blood like men, for
this is the day of heroes. This is the final test, this is the last trial of
strength, the last effort to cast back. Why this lifeless rejection of all that
is manly? Strong men cannot despair in their hearts when facing conflict and
death; this gains neither victory on Earth, nor peace in Heaven. Stand as you
have done, firm-footed, rising to the battle clash like the whirlwind that
carries all before it. We are but men who know nothing of the causes of gods
and their ways. I fight for the cause of loyalty and honour, I know not whether
their victory or ours be best for the true cause of God, but I fight. Come,
rise to the clash.”
GLN:7:19 Then, the remnants of the war hosts came
together in the clash of arms. The cruel weapons struck one against the other,
blow and counter blow. There were dull cries of death, the shrieks of pain and
the shrill shout of victory, the last efforts of weary bodies, the last cries
of dry-throated voices. The men of Hurmanetar stood firm in the line, and the
war hosts of those who sought to overwhelm them broke like a wave upon the
seashore; they came no more. Hurmanetar stood blooded and proud in the
exultation of victory, but it passed in a moment when he saw Yadol lying among
the dead and dying; wounded to death, but not yet dead. He had taken upon
himself the spear thrust meant for Ancheti.
GLN:7:20 Hurmanetar lifted him up, his knee under his
head, and Yadol opened his mouth and said, “The Great One has given you the
victory, and for you, behind and beyond the victory, I see a great destiny, and
therefore a difficult one. Be not heavy-hearted, nor let your spirit grieve,
heavy-laden with sorrow because of me. Weep not, for this I know; he who thinks
he can slay another or be slain by him is devoid of enlightening truth. The
spirit of man cannot perish by the sword or be overwhelmed by death.”
GLN:7:21 “The sharp weapons of war cannot harm the spirit,
nor can fire burn it. Waters cannot drown it and soil cannot bury it. My spirit
departs to its abode beyond the power of sharp sword, beyond the reach of
thrusting spear, beyond the range of swift arrow. Now, face to face with what
must be and cannot be altered, face to face with the ultimatum of destiny,
cease from sorrow.”
GLN:7:22 “What is this passing thing called life? This
fragile flower so tenderly cherished, seen in its true frailty here on the
field of blood. Does it have any real meaning? Here on the field of blood the
dead sleep to awake to glory. To the victorious ones remaining alive there is
glory on Earth. So, do not dally here with the dying. Arise, go to your proper
reward and lay me down to mine. Fear not for me, already I see the welcoming
light beyond the veil. We shall meet again.”
GLN:7:23 Thus, Yadol departed from Earth, and he was laid
to rest in glory. He sleeps among the hills and trees, among the wild birds and
beasts, which were his friends. These words are cut on his tomb, ‘He was a man
of peace and died because other men were not as he’.
GLN:8:1 Perhaps no man of his day properly honoured
Yadol, for he was beyond their understanding, but Hurmanetar loved him and
Ancheti never forgot him. Long days, the thoughts of Hurmanetar rested upon
Yadol, his friend, the companion in the joyous hunting on the mountains. Long
he thought, “What manner of sleep is this, if sleep it be, that fell upon
Yadol? Has he decayed into dust to become nothing, as my eyes declare? Or does
he live in some strange way? Did not the worm fasten onto his body before it
was laid to rest? Yet he knew it not.” Long hours had Hurmanetar sat at the
feet of Nintursu the wise, yet faced with the blank stare and deaf ears of his
companion he had begun to fear the certainty of death. Like many before him he
sought to penetrate the veil.
GLN:8:2 Therefore, having claimed audience, Hurmanetar
came before the queen to state his intention. Daydee, having been victorious,
was exalted in her own eyes and cared little that the battle had been won for
her by Hurmanetar and others. Now that the danger was past, she dallied with
new favourites, not knowing the day of retribution would come, as come it
surely did, for she was carried off captive in chains, to become the plaything
of a cruel king.
GLN:8:3 Having come before the queen, Hurmanetar spoke
thus, “O great queen, exalted above all others, great lady of battles, though
dwelling here under your great shadow, I am as a cat among pigeons, as a wild
boar among a docile herd. Therefore, I would spread my wings, going to a
distant place to communicate with my God. I would seek entry into the Place of
the Dead. My heart is consumed with sorrow because of the uncertainty that
grasps my heart; my spirit is restless. I shall seek to discover if my friend
and companion yet lives in the Land of Shadows, or whether he is no more than
mere dust, the plaything of the winds.”
GLN:8:4 Queen Daydee answered, “Wherefore must you go to
some distant place to communicate with your God? Is He some little god to be
found only in one place? Hurmanetar replied, “O great queen, no little god is
this, but the Greatest God of All. It is not because of His littleness that I
seek Him out but because of His Greatness. The handmaiden goes to the
dressmaker, but the dressmaker comes to the queen.” Then, Daydee enquired from
Hurmanetar as to the nature of this God, for she was curious, he not having
previously discussed such things with her. She asked him for which God he
fought, but Hurmanetar said he had fought only for her.
GLN:8:5 Hurmanetar said, “We have a god, you and I, and
you have a god and I have a god. The people have their gods and the strangers
within your gates have their gods; but hidden behind all these is another God.
These lesser gods are no more than His members. It is this God, whom I seek.
How can I, a mere mortal, describe Him? Only this do I know, as I learned it in
a remote temple. This God came into existence before all else. He ever was, so
none could know Him in the beginning, and none knows His mysterious nature. No
god came into existence before Him. How can I even name One who had no mother
after whom His name might have been made? He had no father who could have named
Him and said, “This is I, your father.” None can display His likeness in
writing, nor can it be cut with knife in wood or stone. He is too great, that
men should even enquire about Him. With what words could He be described to
their understanding? No other god knows how to call Him by name, even the
greatest of them being less than a servant before Him. Yet this I have been
told, that the spirit of man can know this Great God and can even know His
nature; therefore, perchance the spirit of man is greater than any of the
gods.”
GLN:8:6 At this those who stood about queen Daydee
murmured against Hurmanetar, but she gave no heed to them, gazing long upon
him. Then she spoke, “Perchance, too, this Great God does not exist. Who
besides you knows of Him? If He be so great, is it not more likely that He
would be worshipped by gods rather than by men? Is it not more likely that
lesser gods stand intermediate between Him and men’? If a shepherd or
husbandman comes to the palace seeking justice or grace, does he see me or an official
under me? You say your God is approachable by anyone. Does this enhance His
stature? Which is greater, the ruler who judges disputes between swineherds and
listens to their complaints, or the ruler who appoints effective officials to
deal with swineherds? Surely the former rules amid chaos while the latter rules
with efficiency. Do not both of us believe, as all men believe, that there is
One Great God above all gods, but we believe that being so great, this Being is
beyond approach by mere mortals. Only in this do we differ, you and I.”
GLN:8:7 Hurmanetar answered her, saying, “I know him not
as He is; all I know is that He exists. Look about you, you who are enthroned
so mightily high that your eyes are bedazzled by your surroundings, so you
cannot see the Truth lesser beings discover for themselves. Why, even the lowly
worm crawling beneath your palace proclaims that nothing less than an almighty
God could have created it!”
GLN:8:8 “Wise were our fathers in olden times, and wiser
our fathers’ fathers. Whence came their wisdom? Did it not come from the Great
God, who holds the key to the meeting place of the two kingdoms, which now
stand apart? Who lifted the lofty vaults of Heaven and spread Earth out in wide
expanse?”
GLN:8:9 Daydee said, “Does it matter, whether it was this
God or that? Your God or mine? Suffice it was some god, named or unnamed. These
are labyrinthine arguments unsuited to those to whom time is precious.”
GLN:8:10 Then, those who stood about the queen set a
snare for Hurmanetar, asking him whether the Great Being of whom he spoke was
The Mother of All or The Father of All. But Hurmanetar answered, “Let he who
has examined the Great Being answer, for I am but a mere mortal man, one not
even claiming to be wise. Let the wise among you answer for me.”
GLN:8:11 Then Hurmanetar departed from the presence of
queen Daydee. In a few days, he left her land, driven by the God-given
restlessness that marks the true seeker after light. With him went the youth,
Ancheti. Tame goats guided them to the border of the land, and from thence they
followed the Way of the Chariot until they came to the land of Mekan, where
they rested. In this place dwelt Formana, the strong-limbed, who gave them
shelter.
GLN:8:12 Formana asked Hurmanetar whither he went, and
Hurmanetar replied, “I go to seek the abode of Hamerit, which is set atop a
mountain in the midst of this great forest, just beyond the river. There is a
door therein, which I would open, to which I hold a key.” Formana said, “This
is an enterprise doomed for failure, for none may pass that way and return. I,
who have dwelt here for many long years, know the truth of this; nor do I
understand this talk of a key; this is a thing new to my ears.” So Hurmanetar
drew forth the Great Key, shaped like a sword, but like no other sword, for it
could not be gazed upon for more than a moment without blindness striking the
beholder. Yet within its strange scabbard, it harmed none.
GLN:8:13 Formana said, “This many-hued weapon is a
strange thing, indeed, and I have no knowledge of its like or its power. But
this I do know;, it is an unequal struggle when men alone, however weaponed,
have to face dread Akamen, the Terrible One. This is not all, for first they
must pass the fearsome watchman at the gate, and he never sleeps.” Hurmanetar
said, “I have set my heart on this enterprise because of my friend; also, if
there is an evil thing lurking within the forest it must be destroyed. I am one
whose destiny is already written; I must die
that men might live. What a man cannot escape he must face manfully.”
GLN:8:14 Then Hurmanetar left Formana to go apart into a
place of solitude where he prayed, “O Father of the Gods, hear me. Hear me, O
Father of the Gods, for there is evil abroad in the land and men die of
despair. Even the tallest of men cannot reach the Heights of Heaven, or the
swiftest of them encompass the Earth. Yet, men must struggle against things
beyond their reach and overcome evils, which overshadow the whole land
contained within the bitter waters. My destiny is decreed; I alone will enter the gate at the abode of Akamen.
O Father of the Gods, when I return I will set up Your Name where now the name
of other gods are written, little gods of no standing before you. I will raise
a great straight monument to Your sacred Name, if I could but know it.”
GLN:8:15 “Why did You move me, Father of the Gods, to
embark on this enterprise unless I were destined to accomplish it? Why fill me
with the restless desire to perform it? How can I, a mere mortal, succeed
without aid? I sought no more than to know the lot of my friend; yet, a greater
burden has been allotted to me. If I die, it may be without fear, but if I
return may that return be glorified by the knowledge of Truth. O Father of the
Gods, stand by my side, help me overcome the lurking thing and show it the
strength of a son of Sisuda.”
GLN:8:16 When Hurmanetar returned he felt strengthened,
but Formana tried to turn him away from his intention, saying, “Desist from
this thing; put this enterprise from your thoughts. You have courage, and it
carries you far, but does it not also sweep you along, as one caught in the
swift river current is swept to destruction? You cannot know what this means;
the Guardian at the Gate alone is like nothing on Earth; his weapons are like
no others, for they are invisible and strike down from afar. Why strive to do
this thing? It is no equal struggle.” Hurmanetar replied, “My heart is set on
this matter. Though I must journey along an unknown road, perhaps a road of no
return, and fight a strange battle, go, I will. I fear not the Terror at the
Gate, nor that, which dwells within the abode of Akamen.”
GLN:8:17 Formana said, “If go you must, then I who have
seen many pass this way will go with you to the gate. Even through the forest,
I will accompany you, for am I not one who has been purified before the Sacred
Flame? But is it wise that any other should go with such as we? Surely, this
youth, your attendant, this young man of few years, inexperienced in things
such as we must face, should not accompany us. Is it not more fitting that he
remain here to protect my daughters? Is it not better to exchange his
inexperience for my experience, his youthful strength for my wisdom and
cunning, his endurance for my steadfastness?”
GLN:8:18 Though Ancheti protested, it was agreed that he
should remain behind at the dwelling place of Formana.
GLN:8:19 So, making things ready, Hurmanetar and Formana
departed in the morning light, while Ancheti remained behind, a guardian of
young women, and his heart was sore. He raised his voice to Heaven, saying, “O
Father of the Gods, whom Hurmanetar knows, why did You give him this restless
heart? Why did You bestow it upon him? You have stirred his spirit, so now he
goes into unimaginable danger. O Father of the Gods, of whom I am ignorant,
overlook my shortcomings and hear my voice; from this day until he overcomes
the Evil Thing and returns, let him ever rest in Your thoughts. Stand by him
when he faces the Watchman at the Gate. Strengthen his arm when he strikes at
the things that lurk to devour. What these might be or their nature is beyond
my imagination. I know them only from the talk of men, each of whom sees them
from a different stance. Yet, have any truly seen and lived to return? I know
not, but I pray sincerely for him, whom I serve.”
GLN:8:20 When Hurmanetar and Formana came to the edge of
the forest, they were attacked by lions, but they slew the beasts. Then they
entered the forest and saw great trees, such as they had not seen before. They
went sleepless, for dread things lurked in the murky light of the forest. They
pressed on, coming to the foot of the mountain where they camped and slept, for
it was an open place.
GLN:8:21 Then, as the sun rose next day, they climbed the
mountain until they came to a cleared place before the cave known as the Portal
of the Dead. Here Hurmanetar took leave of Formana, who remained in a hut just
beyond the cleared place.
GLN:8:22 Now, Hurmanetar looked about, seeking the
Guardian, for he knew what had to be done before he could enter the cave. Then
he saw, to his right and beside the cave, a stone hut, and seated before it was
a very old woman. Going up to the woman he greeted her and said, “I am one who
would enter the dread place, the Abode of Death, the Threshold of the
Otherworld, the Door Replacing the Misty Veil. I am one sanctified, one knowing
the Lesser Mysteries, I am an Enlightened One.”
GLN:8:23 The woman replied by asking the three questions,
which all who would span the spheres must answer, and when this was done
correctly, she invited Hurmanetar into the hut. Inside, she indicated a stool,
and when he was seated she spread a cord around him in a circle. Then she
placed a firepot before him, onto which she poured the contents of a small
leather bag. She also gave him a pot of green water, which he drank.
GLN:8:24 Some time later, after he had slept awhile,
Hurmanetar was conducted to the cave and left there at a spot known as the
Devil’s Mouth, for there, an evil breath came from an opening in the ground. He
remained there for awhile, and again he slept. Awaking, he moved forward into a
dark passage, but his movement was strange and he saw as through a narrow
tunnel, while his body appeared light and airy.
GLN:8:25 He came to the place where the Watchman kept guard
at the gate and beside him the Terror squatted. Hurmanetar drew his sword and
faced the awful pair; he advanced cautiously towards them. Then, when they met,
the air was filled with a loud clamour, great hissing noises beat at the ears;
shouts and screams tore overhead. There was a howling such as no mortal has
heard outside of that awful place. Hurmanetar drew back a pace, then advanced
again and, behold, both the Watchman and the Terror suddenly vanished, and the
hideous clamour was stilled.
GLN:8:26 Hurmanetar passed through the portal and came to
a wider, more open place wherein there was a pool of water. It was deep, dark
and still. He gazed into the water, and surely no mortal has ever seen such
sights as he saw pictured in its stillness. He passed it by. Terrifying shadows
leaped and quivered over the walls as he entered a narrowing passage, cast by
some hidden ruddy light which seemed to dance as though alive. Then he saw
daylight ahead.
GLN:8:27 He came out into the daylight; on one hand, the
mountainside reared up; on the other was a vast chasm, between the two ran a
narrow path and up this he went. Great birds attacked him, eagles and birds
with strange heads. He fought them off and continued upward until he came
within sight of the abode of Akamen. He came to it after the long journey
upward and stood before the great brazen doors, the seven-bolted doors.
GLN:8:28 Hurmanetar saw no Guardian before the doors, but
he heard its voice as it asked the seven questions. He who had sat at the feet
of Nintursu remembered well the replies to make, and as each was answered, a
bolt slid back. Seven questions were asked, and seven answers rightly given.
The great doors swung apart and Hurmanetar passed through, entering the
courtyard of Akamen.
GLN:8:29 Within the courtyard, Hurmanetar fought and
overcame the four great beast Beings, which feast on the bodies of men, but the
sword of Hurmanetar laid them low. He passed through the Hall of Contest, where
good and evil spirits fight an eternal battle for the souls of men, coming into
the Chamber of Death. Now weary, he sat himself down on the stone called the
Seat of Makilam, for it was then in this place, and he waited.
GLN:8:30 Then, Akamen the Terrible came, and Hurmanetar
strove with him for half a day and prevailed, and so, he entered into the place
where stood the Door of the Spheres. This, Hurmanetar opened with the Great
Key; he passed through and entered the Abode of the Dead. He held fast to the
Great Key, for without it there was no return, nor could it be held by his own
powers alone, but only through the additional powers of those who might come to
his aid.
GLN:8:31 A mist gathered before him, gradually
thickening, and as it thickened, it gave off an ever increasing brilliant
light, at the same time shaping itself into a glorious form of brightness. When
the shaping was complete, a Being stood there, radiant as the sunlight and
lovely as the moonbeam. Hurmanetar heard a voice coming out from the Glorious
Being, which said, “Who are you that comes hither, wan of cheek and with
lowered countenance, heavy-hearted and dejected in spirit, weary from a strange
fray? There is lamentation, in your heart and surely none such as you has
entered here beforetimes. Brave indeed is the one who seeks entry by force of arms.”
Hurmanetar answered, “O beautiful vision, indeed my heart is not light, for I
have fought an inhuman contest. I have been assailed by hideous things unknown
on Earth, things, which haunt the night dreams of men and are spoken of only in
whispers. I have come seeking a friend, a companion of the hunt, the loyal one
of my wanderings. His death lies heavily upon my heart; therefore, I have dared
to come even unto this place.”
GLN:8:32 The Form of Beauty said, “He whom you seek lies
beyond the Waters of Death, but you who have passed the Guardians are permitted
to go thence. One thing, however, you must not do. In the midst of the waters
grows the plant of eternity, the forbidden tree, of which you and all men may
not eat, a fruit of which was stolen by the serpent
of ancient times. Partake of it now and you will suffer everlasting
changelessness, the most dreadful of all fates. Go; tarry awhile, then return
this way.”
GLN:8:33 Hurmanetar passed over the still sullen waters
to the Land of Waiting, where all spirits shine redly. He passed through the
Great Doorway and came to the Place of Glory, the Land of Eternal living. He
saw his friend, his companion of the hunt, the loyal one during his wanderings.
Behold, there before his eyes was Yadol. Hurmanetar knew him, though he stood
forth in a form more glorious than can be described to the understanding of
men. He was here; life was in him, he was here in a bright and flowering place,
a place of trees and waters, a place such as no man can describe.
GLN:8:34 Yadol spoke with Hurmanetar, and he spoke of
things long forgotten by men and revealed truths unknown since the days when
men walked with their Father. They spoke one with the other, they rested in
pleasant places, they embraced, and they parted. Before Hurmanetar left, Yadol
said, “As you have passed through the Portal of Death while yet uncalled from
the embrace of the flesh, for no purpose other than gaining assurance that the
dead do not pass into dust, it is decreed by the ordinance of this place that your
life shall be shortened. Time enough, you will have; therefore, record the
things of which we have spoken, that they may be guiding lights to men. Set
them down in two books, one recording the Sacred Secrets, more precious than
life itself and for the elect alone, The other recording the Sacred Mysteries
for those who sit at the feet of the elect. One will be the Book of Truth
Unveiled and the other the Book of Veiled Truth. the Book of Hidden Things.”
GLN:8:35 Yadol continued, “Once men could pass easily
from one sphere to another, then came the misty veil. Now men must pass a grim
portal to span the spheres and, as the generations pass, this, too, will be
closed to men. The secret of the substances, which, compounded together, become
the horse which can bear men here, will remain with those who know the
mysteries, but these will become even harder to reach. As the ages roll by,
there will be many false mysteries, and perhaps the path will become closed or
the way lost.” These things Yadol said, and they talked of other things.
GLN:8:36 Hurmanetar returned. He passed over the Waters
of Death, he was upheld by the Guardians of Form, by those who safeguarded the
powers of the Great Key. He saluted the Glorious Being; he passed through the
manifold chambers, through the courtyard and the manybolted doors, down the
winding path lit by strange torches, through the cavern and out through the
cave.
GLN:8:37 At the entrance, Formana still waited; he arose
from his watch and greeted Hurmanetar warmly, saying, “I saw you as one dead,
lying stiff between the twin flames, and I feared for you. Now, behold, you
come forth with shining countenance, as one in whom life has been renewed. My
heart rejoices for you, but let us not delay, let us depart from this dread
place, for I have spent the whole long vigil in fear-enshrouded watchfulness.”
GLN:8:38 They departed the mountain; they passed through
the forest. They fought with things that lurked in the gloom beneath the tall,
overhanging trees. They came through the Gate of Many Cubits and back to the
pleasant pastures of Formana.
GLN:9:1 Ancheti had been left with the daughters of
Formana, who, having just reached maidenhood, were wilful and vexed him sorely,
so that he sought places of solitude, being an unbearded youth unlearned in
such matters. Beyond the place where they dwelt there was a river, and from the
hillside, away from the forest, a small stream flowed down to join it. Upward
of the stream was a valley, in which lay a small lake fed by an unfailing
stream of sweet water. Here, in a house of wattle, dwelt a maiden whose name
was Asarua, and she lived with her mother, Mamuah, who was a wise woman and
blind.
GLN:9:2 The young woman had barely reached maidenhood and
neither hunted for food nor dug in the ground. She dwelt in a garden of trees,
her implements of toil being pruning hook and knife. Her days were spent in
joyful tasks, and a song was ever on her lips. She worked happily among the
trees, loosening the soil about their roots, cutting away the overgrowth and
pulling up the weeds. She knew the art of fostering twigs so that fruits grew
on trees strange to them. She grew vines, the fruits of which were not used for
wine, and these she twined around bowers and over the branches of trees.
GLN:9:3 The women dwelt under the protection of Asarua’s
father, but the mother of Asarua was not of his household, for he was a strange
king, though a mighty one. The place wherein they dwelt was fenced about and
guarded by seven fierce hounds, tawny-coated and long of body. The maiden was
supple and firm-breasted, she was tall and graceful, red of cheek and light of
skin. Her sole garment was plainly woven and unadorned, for she lacked all the
things, with which women bedeck themselves. Upon her head she wore a garland of
leaves, and her only ornaments were flowers. She was shy and restrained of
glance; nevertheless, she was not unobserved, for the eyes of men had fallen
upon her from outside the place wherein she dwelt. They did not enter the
place, for to them it was sacred ground, upon which men feared to trespass.
GLN:9:4 One day, a hunter passed by and became smitten by
her beauty and modesty. He thought also of what she had to offer, fine fruits
and green growing herbs, a garden of plenty where, in her embrace, he could
find rest from the rigours of the hunt. He came to pay his court, garbed as for
the chase with bow on back and spear in hand. He brought with him two wild
geese and a young piglet to lay at her feet, but when his steps brought him
within the fence, the hounds were loosed upon him. The hunter, seeing that he
was unwelcome, took counsel with himself and thought, “Perhaps if I am uncouth
in her sight, my brother the shepherd will seem better in her eyes.”
GLN:9:5 Therefore, the shepherd came and sat on the grass
outside the fence, paying his court with music from the pipes, but she paid no
heed to him. Still he remained, until wearying of his piping, she called out,
“Go, for what want I with one who sits blowing wind all day? Go learn music from
the flowing waters.”
GLN:9:6 In the days that followed, others came, among
them a merchant, a rich man, a lord of grainfields and vineyards. Word of her
beauty had been brought to him, and he was challenged by her inaccessibility.
So he thought, “If indeed it is as men say, then I will have this woman for my
own. Have I not riches enough to provide all that gladdens the heart of a
woman? So he came wearing a mantle of scarlet with brooches of bronze. He wore
buckles of silver and ornaments of carnelian and gold. He was a man possessed
of a smooth, well oiled tongue, the owner of a storehouse of fine words. He
came with attendants who drove off another who sat outside the fence. The
merchant came boldly through the gate of the fence, but Asarua met him. When he
paid court with bejewelled words, she said, “What have you to offer but gold
and treasure? Think you that such unfeeling things can capture my heart? Am I
to be bought as a woman bound within her father’s household? Am I to be another
counted among the many women you have known? An occupant of a cornerplace
within your heart, O man of many lovers?” Then he was wrath with her; but she
took no heed and the hounds drove him off, even the lordly one, for the ground
here was sacred.
GLN:9:7 One day, not much later, the young Ancheti came
that way and in passing, he saw the maiden Asarua, but because of his
unfamiliarity with women, he hesitated to speak, though he, too, was smitten by
her beauty and maidenly bearing.
GLN:9:8 Passing that way again Ancheti stopped by the
place and seeing an old woman seated beneath the tree, he said to her, “Mother,
may I have some water, for I am thirsty from journeying.” The woman replied,
“My son, there is water in plenty below on the other side of this place, which
young ears should hear, but I am blind and cannot see. I, too, thirst and
therefore I beg that you enter and bring me cool water from the pool below the
waterfall.” So Ancheti entered and drank, and he gave water to the woman.
Though Asarua espied him from afar, she did not come near, but neither were the
hounds allowed near him.
GLN:9:9 Hurmanetar had returned from his strange journey,
but was puzzled when he saw Ancheti was silent and spoke little, that his
thoughts were not inside him. So Hurmanetar questioned him, “Wherefore are you
sick? What ails you? “Then, when Ancheti spoke to him of the maiden he had
seen, Hurmanetar said, “This is a delicate matter and one not for the heavy
tactics of men. Does not the fawn take flight at the sight of the hunting hound?
While the moonflower that closes its petals at the touch of a man opens them at
the touch of a woman. Your heart has guided you rightly when counselling
caution, for you are ill equipped to catch this rare bird of beauty when
unaided by wisdom. For a woman’s errand, let us send a woman, the nightingale
sings in the presence of the owl, but hides in silence when the hawk roosts
nearby.”
GLN:9:10 Then Hurmanetar spoke with the maidservant of
she who had mothered the daughters of Formana, and the maidservant agreed to do
the things he told her. Thus, on the morrow, she went forth unaccompanied, and
coming to the place where Asarua dwelt, sat down outside the gate. When the
eyes of the maiden eventually fell upon her Asarua saw the bent, old woman,
weary and travel-stained from the journey; and out of kindness, for she was
gentle and compassionate by nature, brought the old woman in, that she might
sit under the shade of a tree to rest herself and eat some fruit.
GLN:9:11 After the maidservant had rested in the shade
and refreshed herself, she spoke to Asarua and said, “How lovely is your
garden, how well watered, how bright and refreshing its many fruits. I have
heard much of this place, but more of you and your beauty; but no words of men
have done justice to what I see with my own eyes.” Asarua said, “The words of
men often differ from the thoughts of their hearts; while flattering words are
bait above a well set trap. Let us not talk of men and their wiles but of more
pleasant things. Come, let us walk around the garden.”
GLN:9:12 They walked and came to a place where grew a
tamarisk tree, and about the tamarisk entwined a vine holding many bunches of
grapes. The old maidservant said, “Behold this tree, of what value would it be
were it not for the vine? Would it have any value, except as firewood? And what
of the tree to which it clings, would it not straggle along the ground, laying
in the dust to be crushed underfoot by any passer-by? It would be a helpless
thing unable to raise itself up, a barren creeper bearing no fruit. So, see
what benefit comes from their union, and learn wisdom. Is not the tree named as
a man is named and the vine as a woman is named? We who are old see lessons in
such things and, in learning from them, gain wisdom. The young are ever loath
to even read to their benefit from the book which is always open before their
eyes.”
GLN:9:13 Asarua listened, but said little, and as they
walked the maidservant spoke of the young daughters of Formana whom she had
nursed, and of the ways of man and woman. She spoke as such women speak, her
tongue following a winding road. The speech of men comes out like an arrow, but
the speech of women comes out like a puff of smoke. Men talk with the naked
tongue, but words from the mouth of a woman are veiled and devious. The tongue
of a woman is a sword sheathed in silk. Not for nought are women called the
twin-tongued. Perchance, these words were added in the days of Thalos, for not
all men think thus of women.
GLN:9:14 The maidservant had an inexhaustible supply of
words, and Asarua was so taken aback to hear the things of which she spoke that
she could find no words to answer. Thus speaking, they came to the small
dwelling place, where the mother of Asarua was preparing a meal. She invited
the maidservant to eat with them and to sleep there that night, and this the
maidservant gladly accepted.
GLN:9:15 After they had eaten, the maidservant spoke with
Mamuah, the mother of Asarua, and the talk was of unfortunate women, whose
daughters were fair yet refused to be married, daughters who closed their ears
even to good advice on marriage, whether such women were true women or
unnatural women. The words which mattered were few while the words in which
they were buried were many, but the former were not lost on Mamuah, whose ears
were not closed to such talk, and they entered her heart. She gave attentive
ears when the other spoke of Ancheti who, though but a youth, was wise. Though
he had not yet drunk deeply from the waters of wisdom, nevertheless the well
from which he drew them was a never failing one. “Be wise,” said the
maidservant. “Choose this young man, for surely none better will come this way.
He does not wander from his place of duty; he is not slothful in manner, nor
does he spend his days in futile pleasures. He does not go from woman to woman,
and while it is true that this could be because of his age, yet he speaks of
women only with respect, which is not the way with budding fornicators. He is
manly; he is of the blood of kings, and above all, he is wise, because he has a
wise instructor. He is a youth of good promise and one who would not bestow his
love lightly.”
GLN:9:16 The mother of Asarua heard the words of the
maidservant with both ears, and when the maidservant was departing said, “Come
again when the moon is new, that we may speak more of these matters.” Ancheti
visited the place again and when the maidservant returned at the new moon,
Mamuah said, “It is well, my daughter will marry the youth, Ancheti. But first
he must bide in the place where he now serves for one year; then, he must
labour in this place for one year; after this he may marry Asarua with my
blessing.” This seemed good in the eyes of Ancheti, and so it was that he
laboured two years in order to marry Asarua.
GLN:10:1 In the days when the Elshumban were gathered in
war hosts, Hurmanetar departed with his household and the household of Ancheti
to dwell in the land between the Great River of Sweet Waters and the Bitter
Waters of the West, and they built an encampment there. They were in a land
where some men spoke as Hurmanetar spoke, and though there were men of blood
with them, the people of the land let Hurmanetar and those with him dwell in
peace among them, because in those days men were inflicted with Inahana.
GLN:10:2 When the task set upon him was nigh finished,
Hurmanetar knew that his days in the land of the living were not to be many
more; therefore, he betook himself into a place of solitude. There he fasted
for many days, casting his spirit that it might commune with the Father of the
Gods, but the voice of God remained silent. Then, he left that place, going
into a cave, where he dwelt in the half light for many days; but again there
was no response from the Father of the Gods. So Hurmanetar departed from the
cave and returned to his people, where he was heard to say, “Woe, for truly my
God has forsaken me and remains dumb against my pleadings. yet, I have done all
the things told me beforetimes and written in the great Book, wherefore have I failed?
GLN:10:3 Then he went apart from the people and slept
alone, for his heart was heavy. But behold, in the night he had a dream. In it,
he saw the Sacred Symbols spread out upon a cloth of white linen, and each was
displayed according to its form. As he gazed upon them and numbered them, each
by its own number, an ass came and ate up the Sacred Symbols, and lo, the ass
became a falcon. Then as he looked, the falcon became a cow, and between its
horns was a crown of silver and a crown of gold, and the cow spoke to
Hurmanetar, saying, “Drink of my milk, and anoint your eyes with it; thus they
will be opened and you will see.” Hurmanetar drank the milk and anointed his
eyes, and then he awoke. Remembering the dream and being wise, he needed no
other to interpret it for him. So then, he straightway did the things which had
to be done, about which those with understanding will know, and departed from
the people.
GLN:10:4 Hurmanetar went out towards a place of solitude,
about one day’s journey distant. Having gone about half the way, he became
weary under the noonday sun, and so sat down beneath a tree to rest in its
shade. Then, as he drowsed, behold, a great flash of light came down from out
of Heaven, and it smote the ground before him. He heard a great noise like a
mighty whip crack, and he was blinded. Then, he heard a voice saying, “Behold I
am here, the God of Gods and the God of Men in the beginning.” Hearing this,
Hurmanetar fell upon his face and cried, “O Great One, I am Your servant.”
GLN:10:5 Then God said, “Wherefore would you open a door
unto me? Because the race of man has been defiled, and men are no longer with
Me, am I not the withdrawn One, the Hidden One?”
GLN:10:6 Hurmanetar, still on the ground, answered, “O
Father of the Gods, I Your servant would know Your will. I have a task nigh
finished and seek to know whether it is well in Your sight, or whether it is a
thing done without Your blessing.”
GLN:10:7 God answered Hurmanetar, saying, “Is this not a
Sacred Thing, a heritage saved and handed down from the days when men walked
with Me? Therefore, it is a good thing, though care must be taken to ensure it
is not disclosed to the eyes of profane men. The concoctions, which, when
properly compounded, will enable men to span the spheres can also, used
otherwise, give men near unlimited potency and extreme pleasure with
woman-kind. Therefore, such things must be carefully safeguarded, for in the
hands of lesser men, they will certainly be abused. But let it all be as it is
written; do with it as you have been instructed.”
GLN:10:8 “You call upon Me as the Father of the Gods, nor
do you err in this. Yet I am the Hidden God, the God of Secret Manifestation,
the Wronged God, the Betrayed God, the Disappointed God. I am the God who
sought to give love Divine to men by making them My heirs, making them
partakers of divinity, co-creators with Me. But men spurn their birthright, not
through wickedness alone, but through their weakness and love of pleasure.
Therefore, the love once offered cannot now be displayed in all its glory; it
cannot be revealed in its beauty; it must now be leavened with severity and
chastisement. This, so that those who are the inheritors of divinity may return
to it with undiminished powers, but purged of their weaknesses and love of
unprofitable pleasure. This you should know, that men may know: Divinity of
itself is not a created thing and cannot be bestowed as a gift. It comes as the
crown of achievement. I, the Almighty God who, by taking thought can create ten
thousand worlds, say this.”
GLN:10:9 “Men have said, as they will say throughout the
ages, ‘Why, if God be almighty, can He not create perfection immediately? Why
does He not create beings having the knowledge of divine love forthwith? Why
have Earth, with all its trials and tribulations?’ Know this; what appears to
you as ages in time is, to me, but a flash of thought in a moment of eternity.
I breathed in, the hosts of earths and the spheres were not. I breathed out and
the hosts of earths and spheres were. I breathe in, and they are no more. All
things exist within the Eternal One and that which men know as the span of time
is the act of creation.”
GLN:10:10 “Mark the flight of an arrow from the hands of
a bowman. It flies from the bent bow; time passes, then it finds its mark. But
to Me, the arrow leaves the bow and strikes the mark together. Distance, time
and change are not with Me. Once I, your God, was not apart from man, My
offspring. Now I am veiled from his sight, not because I have willed it so, but
because man has chosen to bring this about. The barrier between us grows ever
more dense, as man wantonly spurns his birthright; henceforth, it may be
penetrated only by long and arduous preparations, and even then those who would
do so must know the key. I come to you, not because of your preparations but
because your God is ever ready to incline towards men. Though there is this
barrier between us, it is not impervious to the sincere prayers of a pure
heart. This, men should know. As for you, your days are numbered, you are now
no more than the basket holding the seeds, which will be strewn and sown by
another hand. Many things of which I have spoken are not for the ears of men,
for such knowledge, freely bestowed, would not benefit them. Other things are
beyond their present understanding; let these, therefore, be recorded unto the
generations of men yet unborn. Men are now as children and must learn again as
children, being taught childish tales.”
GLN:10:11 “Therefore, go hence, go to Ancheti, and tell
him of these things. Say also that his God, I Who Am, chooses him as the sower
of seeds. Let him know that I Who Am will guide his steps and will open a door
in the barrier, that he may hear my voice. Let your eyes now see again and,
behold, I Am Who I Am.”
GLN:10:12 Then Hurmanetar left the place where he had
seen the face of the Father of Gods, returning to the encampment of his people,
which had been set up in the midst of pastureland. When he drew nigh he saw
cattle lying beside the running waters, and men were moving among them. The
cattle were dead and their bellies swollen. Men came up to Hurmanetar and
cried, “Behold, the sustenance of our children is taken from their mouths. The
cattle have eaten a herb that burns as fire in their bellies so they crave
water, drinking until they become overfilled, and their bellies burst from
within; therefore they die. Who is this whom you call Father of the Gods?
Perchance the gods do have a father, but where is the god who protects men?
Where is the god who is the Father of Men? While you leave us to pay homage to
the Exalted One, who may concern Himself with the affairs of the gods but has
no concern for the welfare of men, our cattle die. Because of your words, we
have neglected to build an altar to Shemakin or to pay homage to Yahana; truly
we are men who have been deceived and led astray. We are men who have walked
with their eyes turned upward and fallen into a quicksand. Tell us then, O wise
one, who are the gods of men and of cattle?”
GLN:10:13 This filled the heart of Hurmanetar with ire,
and he cried out to the wrathful people, “Wherefore do you cry out to me and
seek some god to come to your aid? There is but one God, and these that you
call gods are but manifestations of His members. Why do you seek to cast blame
on God for your own neglect? Has He not relinquished His hold on all creatures
that serve man and given them into your hands? Behold the beasts of the forest
and wilderness; do they eat of the herb that poisons? Are they not able to know
the herb that is harmful and the herb that nourishes? The herb that heals in
sickness and the herb that brings death? Who taught them this wisdom? There are
creatures under the care of God, which know not the slothful care of man,
therefore they are safe from the deadly herb and pass it by. But you, having
taken these poor beasts to benefit from them, are solely responsible for their
wellbeing. They are your responsibility.”
GLN:10:14 “The Father of the Gods made cattle as He made
all creatures, and while He ruled their ways, they were protected from the
deadly herbs. Then men took them unto themselves so they might serve them. They
yielded milk and cheese to nourish them and firm meat to sustain them, their
hides covered them warmly as they slept. These things the cattle gave, not unto
God, but unto man. Therefore, who should protect and care for them, he who
benefits or He who does not? Do you expect God to herd your cattle? To keep
them from the deadly herb while you slumber in the shade? Is this not a just
reward for your slothfulness? You know that the herb is deadly, but these
cattle, the dumb servants of man, know it not, for they are delivered into your
care. Would you take all they give while denying them the diligence of your
protection? What kind of men are you who cry, “Woe unto us, whom God has
forsaken.” Who wring their hands, saying, “What god shall we seek to aid us in
our self-wrought calamity? Arise like men, to shoulder the burden of your own
slothfulness and lack of diligence. Never fear that God will fail man, for if
man does the duties of man, God will do the duties of God, for it is man who
falls short. It is man who seeks to take more than he gives. Surely whatever
man takes for his benefit, also becomes his responsibility. God decrees that
man may take whatever he will for his own use, but in so doing, he must also
assume responsibility for its care and rightful use. Is this unjust?” The men
said no more.
GLN:10:15 Hurmanetar then made the men draw the cattle up
out of the water, and some which had eaten of the deadly herb were saved. He
then divided the pastures and sent men to seek out the places of the deadly
herb and cut it from the soil.
GLN:10:16 One day, Hurmanetar was going about the
encampment, and he came upon a man burying his newly born daughter, and Hurmanetar
was wrathful at the man for such a deed. It was an abomination performed by the
sand wanderers and the wild men who dwelt in the wilderness. Taking the child,
Hurmanetar brought it to the wife of Ancheti, who saved it so it lived. It was
named Mahat, meaning pure of heart, but because of the sand which had filled
her eyes, she was blind.
GLN:10:17 The strangers about the encampment became
enraged against Hurmanetar because of what he had done. Also, because he had
struck the father of the child so he bled, they demanded that the blood be
requited. They said, “This is an unjust deed, for he who buries a daughter
because he lacks sustenance for her does no wrong in our eyes. Is it not better
that she be buried in the ground out of sight than kept with disgrace? Is it
not for the father to decide whether a daughter should live? Has a woman a soul
of her own? Is she not no more than the maker of the body, while the soul is
given into her keeping by man?”
GLN:10:18 The strangers about the encampment were not so
many, while those with Hurmanetar were many and strong, but he dealt justly
with those claiming payment for the blood. They were given a piece of silver
and a calf that was ready for the slaughter. Thus, Mahat came into the
household of Ancheti.
GLN:10:19 Hurmanetar was sitting with Ancheti and said to
him, “I have spoken to you of the happening while I sat beneath a tree in a
place of solitude, and of matters which you should know in order to be wise.
Into your keeping have been given the treasures I have wrought by my own hands,
and you are well instructed in the Sacred Things and the Mysteries. You have a
destiny upon you, which may not be fulfilled in this place, while the
sustenance obtainable here declines day by day. Therefore, let us depart and go
a long journey by way of the bitter waters, for should we go by way of the
forest or through the great wilderness, we may not live. Our flocks and herds
can be driven before us, for the road is wide and well watered. Let us not
delay in this place, for already there is a restlessness among the people
here.”
GLN:10:20 So they departed from that place, journeying
towards the bitter waters and when they came there they turned southward,
continuing until they came to Basor. There, they encamped, for the death
sickness had come upon Hurmanetar. As he lay upon a couch of sheepskins, he
called for Ancheti, but he did not come, for he had gone before them to spy out
the land. However, Ancheti did come before Hurmanetar passed from Earth, and
Hurmanetar knew he was there and called him to his side. Then Hurmanetar said,
“My hour is at hand, but I am without fear, knowing I go not to a place where
men eat dust, where all is darkness and gloom. The fears of my youth are but
shadows having no substance; they flee before the pure light of Truth.”
GLN:10:21 “Upon you there is a great destiny, may you
reach out and grasp that, which your heart desires, and having attained it, use
it to deliver all men from the darkness of ignorance. Go forth like the sun who
throws his rays down like a net over the land to enlighten it. Go to a land
where the honest man will be made rich and the dishonest man impoverished, for
the balances must be adjusted so that riches cease to be the reward of
dishonesty and deceit. Go to a land where those holding places of power and
position will stand forth as examples of goodness and honesty; where none but
the worthy occupy high positions; where those who have possessions and estate
use these to succour the needy and resist the strength of those who oppress the
weak and unprotected.”
GLN:10:22 Ancheti said, “But where is this land, and how
shall I find it?’ Hurmanetar answered, “Were there such a place, what good
purpose would you serve by going there’? What you will have to do would have
been done already by another.”
GLN:10:23 Hurmanetar died and was buried deep within the
ground ,and none knows his tomb. May he live forever and dwell with the Father
of the Gods whom he served!
GLN:10:24 These things concerning Hurmanetar have been
rewritten many times, but the copies have always been true. That which follows
has been added on, but when made and by whom, it is impossible to discover.
GLN:10:25 Hurmanetar is buried in the land of Philistia.
Is this Okichia?
GLN:10:26 The father of Hurmanetar was Nimrod of the Twin
Bows. This, I doubt, and it is not stated.
GLN:10:27 The stone of Makilim is at Bethgal even now.
The words on the tomb of Yadol are: ‘He died because he was not as other men’.
I, Frastonis, have seen it.
GLN:10:28 Could this be when eighty generations have
passed? Men of this race are unsound witnesses. The Samarites say Yadol was not
mortal man.
GLN:10:29 This we know in truth: the deeds of Hurmanetar
and Yadol are more fully told in The Tales of the Hithites.
GLN:10:30 The shield of Ancheti was called the Big
Shaker, and painted upon it was a likeness of the mudhopping bird. It was this
bird that taught men writing, for it left mud marks, which men first read as
omens, later forming them into signs, which could be read. They are not as ours,
though men among us can read them.
GLN:10:31 Ancheti taught the mystery of metals in
Okichia, a land of beer, bread and milk. He was renowned in the Twinlands of
Light.
GLN:10:32 Mahat, the blind one who remained virgin,
guided Ancheti to this land while yet a child. She was filled with the inner
light of wisdom and saw with the spirit. When he knew not which way to go, her
father sat her on the ground and held a breast feather before her, upon which
she blew. He went whichever way it inclined and was never led astray. Later,
she used this method when settling disputes and giving judgements. She was
greatly honoured, for in the whole land, there was no wiser woman.
GLN:10:33 We who make these writings indestructible have
abandoned the Book of Ancheti, for it has nought of value to those who follow
us, and this is a work of much labour. It contains laws for a people living in
a land called Okichia, who must have been less than barbarians, for he forbade
such things as the eating of children newly born, the mixing and drying of
their blood for eating in uniting brothers and the hanging up of women in
travail. Also the cutting of a woman’s private parts and the deballing of men.
GLN:11:1 These are the words for the Sons of the True
Doctrine, written in the temple of Sacred Mysteries at Yankeb in the Days of
Darkness, by the Unnamed Lord of the Secret Belief, who then lived. The true
knowledge of the teachings and mysteries of Yosira concerning the spirit within
the body, taken from his books and rewritten truly after the custom of writing.
GLN:11:2 Yosira spoke to his Sons in this manner, “I am
the Viceregent of the God of Gods. I am the custodian of the Books of Power. I
am the Voice of Heaven. I am one sent into Tamerua as a lightbearer, that a
call may go thence throughout all lands. Let every man be watchful of his deeds
and ways. Whosoever be watchful of himself is a man of wisdom, for he shall be
saved from the terror of everlasting darkness.”
GLN:11:3 “I am the torchbearer running before the
chairlitter of Truth. I come to reveal the greatness of men, to tell them of
their immortal selves, of their spirits which have to be ransomed from the doom
of devouring darkness.”
GLN:11:4 “The God of Gods spoke unto me, saying, “Long
have you dwelt under my shadow and listened to my words. Now, arise and go
hence to a land where these things, of which we have spoken, can be
established. To a place whither I shall lead you, for it is not proper that
those who dwell there should remain uninstructed. Behold, I have given you the
secret of immortality, but know that, though all men are born into a heritage
of immortality, not all enjoy it. The God of Gods, in His infinite mercy,
plunges many into the waters of forgetfulness. Yet even from there, they may
return to be renewed, not of themselves but through the supplications of
others.”
GLN:11:5 When Yosira came into Tamerua, he gathered his
sons together on the stones beneath the place called Homtree and spoke to them
in this manner, “I am the Dawnlighter and a torchbearer for the God of Gods.
These are my words, which you will do well to absorb, as the dry sands soaks up
water. Though they are words of wisdom, they are useless unless accepted by men
who have control over themselves. They have no value to men who are unable to
feel compassion for others or who close their ears to Truth.”
GLN:11:6 “You are the few chosen ones, my sons, light of
my light, who shall hand the light on down through the generations. To you, I
give the true conception of God. To you, I give this standard, that it may be a
rallying point for those who will accompany us; for we stand on the borders of
a land, which has found favour in the eyes of our God.”
GLN:11:7 “With us are fighting men, but they are few,
while those who stand ready to repel us are many. Therefore, we will not set
ourselves against them in battle array, but go among them with guile, to gather
many who will fight with us. You shall be the light of the fighting men, even
as I am your light and the God of Gods my light.”
GLN:11:8 “The light that is with me was kindled at The
Supreme Source, which is the God of Gods. Therefore, my light shines with such
brilliance that it must be veiled in part, lest it blind you. It is even as the
sun be seen through a veil of cloud, it may be gazed upon for as long as
desired. Seen thus, it is a thing of beauty and mystery, not something, which
burns and consumes the eyes of the beholder.”
GLN:11:9 “Therefore, even as I veil my light from you, so
shall you veil your lights from the eyes of the uninstructed. Yet, in all
matters not pertaining to the light, you shall instruct them in the fullness of
Truth. In all matters concerning their bodies, you shall instruct them in
Truth. But in all matters concerning the Lord of the Body, you shall instruct
them with a light that is veiled.”
GLN:11:10 “Behold the nature of man. Within him is a
spark from the Divine Source, and this is the Lord of the Body. This alone is
everlasting, this alone of man is his true self. This spark is enwrapped within
a heavy mantle of matter; it is enclosed in a covering of earthly clay. This
spark alone is the seat of life; it alone has understanding and thought. Such
things are not with the clay of the flesh, neither are they kin to the stones
from which the bones come. The life within man radiates out from the enclosed
spark, and through the blood, endows the body with life and heat. Life gives
forth heat, and the greater the life, the greater the heat.”
GLN:11:11 “As the sun gives light and fire spreads heat,
as the flower radiates perfume, so does the Central Light give forth a vaporous
unseeable glow, and this our fathers called the Breath of God. This Breath
comes forth in two manifestations: there is a heavy form and a light form, and
from these, all things are compounded. From The One comes the Sacred Glow in
its two aspects, which men call the Breath of God, and from this are made all
things, which are in Heaven and Earth.”
GLN:11:12 “Above is the God of Gods, and below Him are
Heaven and Earth. Heaven is divided in twain; there is a Place of Light and a
Place of Darkness. Within the Place of Light dwell the spirits of Good and
within the Place of Darkness dwell the spirits of evil. Between them, the
boundary is not fixed but flows back and forth according to their fluctuating
strengths. But they who abide in the light shall always prevail, for light will
ever dispel darkness. Therefore, those who dwell in darkness withdraw before
the brilliance of those who dwell in the light. This light and darkness are not
such as men can understand, for it is not the light and darkness known on
Earth.”
GLN:11:13 “Before the Gates of Heaven is the Land of the
Horizon, whence go all who depart from their earthly body. From here, there are
two great gates, one leads to the Place of Light, and the other to the Place of
Darkness, and the Lord of the Body is admitted into its appointed place
according to its likeness. He who is filled with the light and is a k cannot go
to the Place of Darkness, for it would draw back before him. Neither can he who
is a Dark One go into the Place of Light, for there, he would shrivel before
the light, as the white worm coming forth from the damp darkness of its hole
shrivels in the light of the sun.”
GLN:11:14 “Between Heaven and Earth, there is a great
gulf across which the dwellers in Heaven may not return, but Earth is not
wholly beyond their reach. Man receives, from the Place of Light, that which
influences him for good, and from the Place of Darkness, that which affects him
for evil. These things may be written, but the secret things concerning them
may not be recorded in such manner that they come to the knowledge of the
unenlightened men.”
GLN:11:15 “That which comes from Heaven, whether
influencing for good or evil, comes forth as shades in the likeness of men, which is rare; or much more
often as lukim, which are like unto motes. It may also come as waves of air,
but not air such as we breathe and feel. It is something altogether different
in nature. Things come forth which are not stable, and these are the
formless Ones. All things are held in form by the Breath of God, which changes
formlessness, but the formless Ones can alter form into instability.”
GLN:11:16 ‘There are three great spheres, and that containing the Earth is held
together by the Great Glow outflowing from the God of Gods. That part of
the Great Glow, which is light and contains life is called Manah, while that
which is heavy and contains the flesh of things of the Earth is called Manyu.”
GLN:11:17 “The One Who is the God of Gods is so great
that He cannot be defined in the speech of men. Neither can they conceive Him
in their thoughts, for He is beyond their understanding. Mortal man has
limitations; therefore, let men conceive Him as they will. It is of no importance,
providing their conception serves both His purpose and the glorification of
man.”
GLN:11:18 “Man is not yet great, and until he becomes so
it is well that he worship the many Godforms conceived within his thoughts,
providing they be such as tend to raise him above himself. Nor do ritual and
worship do harm of themselves, unless they, too, thickly overlay the truth so
it is buried from sight. Ritual and outward forms of worship can be aids to
purification of thought and provide a kind of sustenance for the Lord of the
Body. What are the Lesser Gods beloved by unawakened men but thought-conceived
friends and guides? Yet, this is a dangerous path men tread, balanced between
light and darkness. Therefore, when man wanders towards the abyss of darkness, reveal
a little more light, that he may see and so return to the path. Beware, too,
lest he follow gods that are false guides and would lure him into the quicksand
of carnality, or into the wilderness of ignorance.”
GLN:11:19 Before crossing into Tamuera, Yosira chose
captains to be over the fighting men, and they sent forth men to spy out the
land. He also sent some from among his sons into the land of Tewar, that they
might talk with the people there, and these came back bringing hostages from
the governors of the land of Tewar. Then, Yosira spoke with the sons of the
governors and they gave ear to his words; they were receptive to his speech.
GLN:11:20 Yosira spoke to the people, “These are the
words of the God of the Gods. Henceforth, no child shall be sold into bondage
by its father or by any man who has ward over it. Such may not yet be the
custom of all the people in this land, but if they become mighty, this they may
do, for such is the nature of men.
GLN:11:21 “If a man have a woman in bondage, he shall not
cause her to become a harlot unto men, for this is a great wickedness and he
shall not go unpunished. If she become with child unto her master, then neither
she nor the child shall be given in bondage to another. But if she be given to
a freeman who takes her in marriage, then it will be well.”
GLN:11:22 “The greatest wickedness in the eyes of the God
of Gods is all incest of the first degree, which is that between mother and son
or father and daughter; or between the mother’s mother and the son of the
mother, or between the mother’s father and the daughter of the mother; or
between the father’s father and the father’s daughter, or between the father’s
mother and the father’s son. This is a wickedness unto the God of Gods, for it
calls forth the strongest of the Formless Ones, causing it to enter into an
earthly body to become an abomination before the eyes of God and man.
Therefore, they who commit such an act shall perish by fire. If it be committed
with a child, then, the child shall not perish, but it shall be branded with
the mark of incest.”
GLN:11:23 “Adultery is a foul and evil thing which you
shall abhor, for it permits the lukim to pollute the fountain of life. In a far
off land there lived a queen more beautiful than the Dawnflower, who, because
she was powerful, disregarded her heritage of womanhood. As powerful kings had
many wives, she thought she could do likewise with men. The God of Gods and
Creator of Life created men and women intending that each should play a
different role. They are in no wise alike, for as men have their function, so
do women have theirs. What is meet for one is not meet for the other, and
because the Creator made them as they are, each should follow their own path,
never seeking to journey along the other’s. Now, while the seed of one man was
yet with her, this queen took the seed of another, and the seed of one man
strove with that of the other so that both perished and became a corrupt
pasture. Thus, the way was cleared for lukim to enter into the antechamber of life
and the sacred shrine of life was polluted, becoming the breeding place of
foulness. So it was that when other men came unto her, the flesh of their
bodies was seized upon by the lukim and corrupted, for foul lukim had made
their abode within the woman. So the wellspring of life became a fountain of
polluting evil. Adultery is an abomination to the Bestower of Life; therefore,
let it not go unpunished.”
GLN:11:24 “None shall sleep in the bed of another, unless
the spell of his presence be first removed. For he who goes into any place or
takes up any thing while it is under the spell of another’s presence, shall
surely suffer. They who are of the same kin living under the one roof will not
suffer unless sickness already be there.”
GLN:11:25 “None shall eat from the platter of another or
drink from his drinking vessel until the spell of his presence has been
removed. None among those who know the God of Gods shall walk in anything
poured out for a libation unto strange gods, neither shall he touch any part of
the libation. If it come upon him he shall go forthwith to the Master of
Mysteries and be cleansed.”
GLN:11:26 Yosira said unto the people, “These are the
words of the God of Gods. None among you shall wash himself in water used by
another and contained within anything made by the hand of man. None among those
who know God shall touch a woman while the days of her heritage are upon her.
No man shall go unto a woman with unwashed hands, and when man and woman have
lain together, both shall purify themselves before going about their tasks.”
GLN:11:27 “Among the lukim none is more subtle than the
nableh, which seek sustenance among the food of men. Therefore, if you have
bread within your dwelling, then it shall not be hung up; but if there be meat
or fish, then it shall be suspended within the dwelling. If you have bran or
meal which has been pounded, then it shall be kept in a capped container with
nowrata flowers; thus the lukim will not come upon it. Neither crushed corn nor
the crumbs of any repast shall be left within the sight of man or within the
boundaries of the dwelling, lest the nableh seize upon them for sustenance. All
things that have held life but have not been used for food shall be buried
within the ground. All vessels which have held food but hold it no longer shall
be made clean with sun and sand.”
GLN:11:28 “When the flesh of any beast or of fish or fowl
becomes dark in your keeping or has the smell of rottenness upon it, then it is
a sign that the nableh have come upon it and it shall be taken out and buried
where no beast can come upon it. Thus, the nableh are left without sustenance
and will be forced back into their dark abode. But if you permit them to
sustain themselves, then they will come in their hosts and, being fattened and
strengthened, will afflict you with many terrors during night watches.”
GLN:11:29 “If the pouring place or the spout of any
pitcher or pot have a blackness upon it, then that pitcher or pot shall be
broken, for it has been entered by the fiery lukim. If any who know God eat
with strangers, they shall purify themselves at the rising of the sun on the
following day. If any among you eat with a hand uncleansed by water or sand,
then be prepared for attack by the lukim of the night. He who draws the blood
of any beast must cleanse himself of all blood, lest he be attacked by the dark
lukim. Neither food nor drink of any kind shall be kept under a bed or against
a sleeping place, lest the lukim of the night come and take up their abode
therein.” These are words of the God of Gods spoken through the mouth of
Yosira.
GLN:11:30 Yosira said this also, “All things, which may
sustain the lukim are to be buried or burnt. Anything coming forth from the
nostrils or mouth of any man or woman is rejected from within and becomes sustenance
for the lukim. Still waters that lie upon the ground are their drinking places
and forbidden to men. Water shall not be used as drink unless it be drawn from
within the ground, or be in a place where it is shaded by trees.”
GLN:11:31 “Eat only food known to be wholesome and which
gives contentment to the stomach. In taste, it should be soothing and
refreshing, never bringing pain and discomfort. Eat not of anything that is too
dry or oversalted, or which brings sickness upon you. Any food, of which men
eat and has become rotten or mouldy has been seized by the lukim for
sustenance; this you can see, for the rottenness and mould upon it is the
excreta of lukim.”
GLN:11:32 “Anything that has blood in it and is dead,
having died of itself, shall not be eaten, for the lukim have made their abode
in it. No man shall eat uncooked meat; even that, which the sandfarers carry
shall not be eaten.”
GLN:11:33 “The slaying of any man or any woman is
forbidden, but it is not unlawful to slay in war or in self-defence, or to
uphold the purity of the household and home. To kill deceitfully or to strike
from behind is murder and shall not go unpunished. If blood be shed, it shall
not cry out from the ground in vain, and unto the kinsmen of each one slain
shall be the order of revenge.”
GLN:11:34 “If you swear an oath one with another, saying,
“Great God, bear witness” or before any strange god, to deceive another man,
then consider, for only the most foolhardy turn their back on such an oath. For
it is sworn on the life of the Lord of the Body, and if it be broken, the Lord
of your Body will be everlastingly disfigured with an unremovable scar. Man has
many trials to overcome in his life, and not the least of these tests is
oathkeeping. Though an oath may diminish and become nothing with the passing
years according to the memories of men, it is everlastingly impressed on the
Lord of the Body. Wiser far is he who never makes an oath.”
GLN:11:35 “If any man say, “The whirlwind and the
sandstorm, the floodwaters and the burning fire, these do I fear because these
I see, but the lukim, which I see not neither do I fear, that man is a fool,
for he knows not the deficiencies of his own eyes. The lukim, he will learn to
know by their manifestations, for they will seize upon his body and torment it,
sometimes even unto death. It is likewise with the God of Gods; none may see
Him, but by His manifestations is He made known unto men.”
GLN:11:36 Yosira spoke to the captains of the fighting
men and to those who were with them and said, “When we come into this new land,
all things that the people who dwell therein hold sacred you will neither
defile nor mock. Neither shall you stir up strife with any man, for we come to
them as friends, not foes.” Therefore, when Yosira and all those with him came
up into the land of Tewar and dwelt there, peace was in the land.
GLN:11:37 Then Yosira taught the people of Tewar the
weaving of cloth and the working of metals, and showed them how to make tools
and weapons of metal cast in a mysterious manner. But the secret of the
sharp-edged weapons, he revealed only to his own.
GLN:11:38 The people of Tewar built a habitation for
Yosira and a temple of brick bound with reeds. There were skins upon the walls
and on the floor, and the doors were of wood. Then Yosira spoke to his sons in
this manner, “These are the things in which the people of this place shall be
instructed: The dove is the most sacred of birds and shall not be eaten, but if
people say, “Forbid it not to us for sacrifice to our gods,” then, it shall not
be forbidden them.”
GLN:11:39 “The milk of all beasts which do not have horns
and part the hoof is not for the sustenance of man, but if the people say,
“Forbid it not, for it is our custom,” then it shall not be forbidden them.”
GLN:11:40 “The sacrifice of breast children at the burial
of the dead shall be forbidden, for the blood of the young cannot provide life
for the old, each man being the fashioner of his own destiny. He that has life
shall bear it with him, and none can possess the body and life of a breast
child except the God who gave it life. He who buries a living breast child with
the dead shall himself die.”
GLN:11:41 “All things buried with the departed one,
whether they be weapons or dishes, instruments or ornaments, shall have the form
released from them before they are placed within the ground.”
GLN:11:42 “This shall be the law unto all those who work
with metal, whether it be gold, silver or copper: One
day in seven shall be a day of rest for the fires herewith the metals are wrought.
On this day no fire will be lit and no metal touched or moved from its place.
On the even of this day, all things of metal that have been made since the last
day of rest shall be placed in a trough of sanctified oil, remaining there
until their appointed time. Nothing shall go out from the workplace of a
craftsman in metal until it has passed through the oil.”
GLN:12:1 Yosira gathered his sons about him and spoke to
them thus: “These are the days of the dawnlight, and I am the Dawnlighter from
beyond Bashiru. I am the Torchbearer for the God of Gods. These are the laws,
which I made for my people in the land of Tewar, the laws of one speaking with
the mouth of the God above all gods.”
GLN:12:2 “He who places a spear or arrow within a dead
body shall be accursed, and his hand and arm will become things of evil. They
will swell up and become consumed by fire. Likewise shall be accursed who
looses these weapons against another, but if it be a man of Tamuera who looses
the weapons, then he shall die by them himself, for he is beyond the reach of
the curse.”
GLN:12:3 “A tree that reaches up above twice the height
of a man shall not be stricken for burning or to take away its land. But if it
be dedicated to the adze and is then used by a craftsman in wood, then it may
be stricken and cut. Trees are not things to be lightly dealt with, for they
move the winds, which cross the face of the Earth and generate these in great
forests of the North and South. The slaughter of a tree is no less wrong than
the slaughter of an ox or a sheep, for the same breath of life is in each.
Therefore, never bring them low wantonly. Are not trees held sacred by the
people of this land? Is it not more reasonable to dedicate a mighty tree or a
grove of trees to a god than a mute stone or object cut from wood?”
GLN:12:4 Therefore, when Yosira moved among the people he
did not forbid them their grave groves, nor did he silence the words of the
women, who tended them. But Yosira said, “These things are for women and not
for men, let the women bide, but men should follow the callings of men and
their place is not among the grave groves.”
GLN:12:5 Now, when Yosira came among the people, they
dwelt away from the river, fearing the god of moving waters who molested them
at night. But Yosira bound the god of moving waters, so he no longer troubled
the people. Then Yosira bade them build their dwelling places beside the moving
waters, decreeing that none should dwell beside still waters unless the still
waters be filled with the life of fishes.
GLN:12:6 In those days men sought to appease the Formless
Ones and the Spirits of the Night with offerings and worship.
GLN:12:7 But Yosira forbade them this, and he surrounded
the whole land with a protective wall, which no Dark Spirit could penetrate,
while all those within were dissolved. Every Dark Spirit being neither male nor
female and every Dark Spirit, which clothed itself in the shape of a beast or
bird was bound and cast back into the Place of Darkness.
GLN:12:8 All men who were blood kindred with the beasts
of the forest or with fowl or with serpent, dwelt together according to their
kinship, and were divided thereby. Yosira forbade them not their kinship but
did forbid the rule of blood. He spoke to the people in this manner: “Great are
the ties of that thing, which binds men together and joins them with their
forefathers, but greater still is each man in himself, his destiny lying within
himself alone and not within his kindred. Man is not a drop of water in the stream
of life, but a fish that swims within the stream. Yet insofar as these things
have ever been, the twenty-four great kinships shall remain secured in their
establishment.”
GLN:12:9 Before the coming of Yosira, a man could not
take to wife a woman of his own blood, but Yosira redeemed the land with blood,
safeguarding it against barrenness. So henceforth men could take wives from
among their own blood kindred, and the land remained fruitful. This, the Spirit
of Life, became strong among men, for it was not spread out to become diluted
and weakened.
GLN:12:10 Until Yosira came, none in this land knew of
hokew, and it filled men with fear and awe, but Yosira revealed all its secrets
to his sons, and the secrets are known even in these days. Hokew is that, which
sustains the Dawndwellers. It is but thinly spread throughout the Earth, and
before the days of Yosira, men could gather it, storing it in stones and in
sacred objects. It may be drawn upon by the spirits of men, as women draw water
from a well. It is hokew, which bestows fertility, causing flocks to multiply
and crops to increase. Its secrets are known by the Twice Born.
GLN:12:11 Though in the days of his distress, Yosira
called upon his Father in Kanogmahu, he forbade his sons to call upon Him
likewise, for Yosira was their father on Earth and their advocate in the Hall
of Admission. Therefore, none can call upon Him with impunity, for if He dealt
with them, He would neglect His task among the Dawndwellers. Nor is any man
justified in calling upon the spirit of a Departed One, for they are beyond
concern for the everyday affairs of men.
GLN:12:12 When the Sons of Yosira had established their
rule over the people, the leaders of the people came to Yosira desiring to make
him their king, so he would rule over them. But when they came before him,
Yosira replied to their wish in this manner, “I am the mouth of the God of Gods
and the light of my people. I will be the father of your king and the director
of his footsteps, but your king I cannot be, for I am dedicated in service to
the God of Gods.” Saying this, Yosira then took his son, who was grown to
manhood, and led him forth by the hand, giving him to the people to be their
king.
GLN:12:13 Later, while the leaders and governors of the
people still remained gathered after the anointing of their king, Yosira spoke
to them as the mouth of God. He said, “To judge justly between man and man is
one of the greatest obligations of a king and those who stand in his place. So
from this day hence, judgement shall not be given by those who sit under the
trees, listening to the words whispered among the leaves. However, if three men
sit far apart and each gives alike judgement, the words from their mouths being
the same, then the judgement shall be good. However, if it is a matter where a
life can be forfeit or property taken away, a family divided or a man or woman
enslaved, then judgement shall be given only by the king or by one who wears
his mantle and bears his burden.”
GLN:12:14 “Sacred waters are living waters filled with
the power of hokew and shall no longer be used for any purpose other than
sanctification and purification. No longer shall they be used to decide whether
a wife be guilty of adultery; henceforth, she shall be tested by the bitter
draught alone.”
GLN:12:15 “He who eats the flesh of swine shall be
accursed, for to eat the flesh of swine is to eat something dedicated to the
fathers of men and an abomination. Flesh of the ass shall not be eaten, for it
diminishes the vigour of men.”
GLN:12:16 “Henceforth, the bodies of the dead shall not
be broken or burnt, for the hokew within them departs with the Lord of the
Body. Therefore, nothing can be added unto a Victorious One by rendering up the
essence of his earthly mantle through the flames of the fire.”
GLN:12:17 “The people shall not be denied their feasts,
nor shall they be forbidden the rituals of fruitfulness. Their offerings to any
god shall not be taken away. As the gods of the people are today, so shall they
remain, for they serve their end. They may depict their gods after their own
fashion, for the likeness of such gods is of small consequence. But the
likeness of the God of Gods shall not be fashioned by any man, for He is beyond
the understanding of men. No man shall seek to find His likeness in water.”
GLN:12:18 “The festival to the god who draws up the land
is not to be denied the people, but no longer shall they eat the flesh of
asses, for now this is forbidden. The days for the feast of the forefathers
shall not be diminished, lest the gift of long life be thereby curtailed. With
them alone is the distribution of the life forces and in their keeping are the
powers granting fertility and good fortune. Unto those who control the
sprouting of corn, the increase of herds and the harvests of fishes, the
potency of men and the fertility of women, success in hunting and victory in
war shall be given all due honour and worship.”
GLN:12:19 “He who causes injury or death, sickness or
suffering by drawing the likeness of another in sand and piercing it with a
fire-hardened stick, or who makes the likeness of another in wax to burn in the
fire, or in clay to be pierced by stake or thorn, is henceforth accursed. He
will be delivered to the lukim of disease or death.”
GLN:12:20 “He shall be accursed who mixes living grain
with fat to enslave the earthshade of another man or woman. He shall be
accursed who calls up the nightshade of another or the nightfrightener. All who
are so accursed will be delivered to the lukim of sickness or shall become the
prey of Formless Ones.”
GLN:12:21 “It is not wrong to make an image of a breast
child, that a woman may conceive, but to make the likeness of a man’s private
organ so that a woman may conceive is wrong and any woman making or lying with
such a likeness shall be accursed. She who is so accursed will be delivered to
the lukim of sickness and pain.”
GLN:12:22 When Yosira came up into Harfanti, he found
there people with strange customs, which displeased him, but he forbade them
none except those which were evil in the sight of the God of Gods. While there,
he laid a great curse upon any who transgressed his laws.
GLN:12:23 These were words spoken through the mouth of
Yosira, which he caused to be recorded: “Henceforth, no maiden shall be
enclosed in bark and kept in darkness for seven days before marriage, but she
may be kept in seclusion among women. If she has to be purified, it must be
done with water and not with fire. A woman shall never be mutilated to purge
her wickedness.”
GLN:12:24 “Henceforth, the private parts of young women
shall not be sewn up to preserve their maidenhood. This shall remain in their
own keeping and in the keeping of the young women’s kindred in good faith and
trust. To sew or cut the private parts of any woman is a great wickedness, for
this is the portal of life, and woman is not an unworthy guardian. It is best
that women remain maidens, until their marriage day, of their own free will and
choice; but if, because of the maiden’s weakness, this seems doubtful, then the
obligation shall be on her kindred.”
GLN:12:25 “The custom of the Habshasti, whereby the legs
of young women are bound together, after which young men may enter their
chamber to lie with them, is a thing of wickedness and no longer permitted.
Now, if any man discover the nakedness of a maiden, he shall not go
unpunished.”
GLN:12:26 “Man shall not see the nakedness of woman in
childbirth, even though the woman be his wife. The hut of childbirth and all
within its circle is a place forbidden unto men. Henceforth, no woman shall be
suspended at childbirth.”
GLN:12:27 “If the wife of a hunter lie with another man
while her husband is absent so that he be slain or wounded during the hunt,
then no wrong is done if her husband or the kindred of her husband slay her.
Neither shall it be cause for bloodslaying if the kindred or husband slay he
who lay with her.”
GLN:12:28 “The foreskin of a man is cut to defy the lukim
of impotency. This is not forbidden to the people, but they shall not preserve
the foreskin in fat and use it to endow stones with hokew. The binding of
foreskins is forbidden.”
GLN:12:29 Yosira laid the greatest of all curses upon
those who captured and enslaved the Lord of the Body belonging to another.
Since that day, none has done so and lived. He also laid a curse upon women who
baked their new born children and ate them because of the barrenness of the
land. He also cursed the chief of the women’s kindred.
GLN:12:30 Beforetimes, that which grew to fullness within
the wombs of cattle and sheep was sustenance for men alone, but when the beast
cast it forth before its day, it became sustenance appointed for women. Yosira
forbade this and cursed all that came forth from the womb of beast before its
time.
GLN:12:31 Yosira had these things recorded in Yapu: “No
child shall be slain wilfully, saying, ‘Our god has denied it proper
sustenance.’ Above all gods is the God of Gods who is the God of Life and they
who proclaim these things proclaim a falsehood against Him. Yet they shall not
be accursed until after the day when they have heard the laws of the God of
Gods spoken unto them. Before then they have been led astray by those who
should guide them, and on the leaders shall be the curse.”
GLN:12:32 “Henceforth, the empty body shall not be bound
tight against itself, but stretched out, for the earthly body cannot be reborn once its Lord has
departed. The people shall not be forbidden the carrying of it, nor
shall they be stopped from elevating it, but it shall not be hung over the
living waters, lest it call forth a Formless One in the darkness of the night.”
GLN:12:33 “If the kindred of a man come up to molest him
at night, the nightshade shall be bound by the power of hokew transmitted into
a hollow log filled with fire-retaining substances. The log will then be burnt
in purifying fire and the ashes buried after the fashion of your fathers, but
the hokew shall not be given back. That hokew, which comes from a man whose
crops and trees yield abundantly is best.”
GLN:12:34 “The spirit of the life of men does not dwell
in the moving waters and therefore it cannot enter into a woman from the
waters, neither does her own water bear it up from the ground. Even as a tree
springs out from a single seed and the barley from a single grain, so is it
with the seed of men. That which forms within the womb of woman is not built up
from many outpourings of man, once will suffice. If the blood of a woman be not
stopped, then she carry no child, for the life within is blood of her blood.”
GLN:12:35 “No man shall fashion the likeness of any beast
to lay with it so that his flocks and herds be increased, for henceforth he who
does so, and all his beasts, shall be accursed so they sicken and perish. Nor
shall any man spill his seed into an object of wood or stone and bury it If he
does so, then be he accursed, so that he is forever molested by the nightshades
of terror.”
GLN:12:36 “It is foolishness to resort to the charmers
who make likenesses of beast so their kind may be brought to the arrow and
spear. Unless he who seeks the wild beasts be empowered with the hokew gathered
by the kindred of his habitation, nought can guide his steps or strengthen his
arm, neither will his eye see keenly. The success of the hunter is not to be
found with the charmers, but lies in the goodness and uprightness of the kindred
within his habitation.”
GLN:12:37 “If a woman take seed from a young man and
deliver it to the charmers so that barrenness be removed from her, then she and
the youth, and if she bear any children, they also shall be accursed. The young
man will be seized by the lukim which feasts on the hearts of men, and the
woman by those which tear open the bowels.”
GLN:12:38 “It is an abomination in the sight of the God
of Gods for men to deball themselves, and all who do shall be accursed. Those
who would deball themselves for the sake of their god may instead make an
offering of their foreskin, and this will be acceptable by any god. The prayer
of thankfulness that they are not born women shall be made at the time of
sacrifice upon the altar.”
GLN:12:39 “The excreta of man and woman shall never be
left exposed to the eyes of anyone, nor in a place where its smell can come to
the nostrils. Nor shall anyone pass water where another can smell it, for they
whose nostrils the smell enters thereby gain power over the other. The smell
from human waste draws up the formless lambata, which afflict men and women at
night and turn their bowels to water.”
GLN:12:40 “No offering of meat shall be eaten raw. It
shall be roasted before a fire and the bones pounded into flour and eaten with
meal. If the offering be consumed within a dwelling place, then the blood which
has been spared must be smeared upon the door posts, so that the dark shades of
the night haunters and the death bringers be repulsed by the power of life.”
GLN:12:41 “It is the duty of a son to provide sustenance
for a Departed One who was his mother or his father, and he shall not neglect
his brother or his sister or any of his kinsfolk who lack children. If he be
neglectful of his duty, he shall not escape molestation by the earthshades of
the Departed Ones, which will wander relentlessly until satisfied. if Formless
Ones be called forth by neglect so that they reach stability on Earth, they
will haunt the dark watches of the night and suck life-filled blood to sustain
their awful forms. No man may keep them from his dwelling, for they will slide
in stealthily, even as snakes.”
GLN:12:42 “It is wrong for charmers to call forth Dark
Spirits. Any charmer so doing within the borders of the enlightened land shall
be accursed, so he be seized by the nightfiend. if such be done, and the Dark
Spirits wander out of control, then one of the Twice Born shall be called upon
to return them to their dark abode.”
GLN:12:43 “It is not sufficient for men to shun the ways
of wickedness, for unless the Lord of the Body be clothed in brightness, they
who watch for him in the Land of the Dawning will wait in vain. Those who lack
that, which would bring them into the Place of Light will fall prey to the
Lords of the Dark Places and be forever lost to those who love them.”
GLN:12:44 “All those who are Awakeners of the Dead shall
be accursed and delivered to the lukim of madness. If any of my people deal
with them, then they too shall be accursed so that they become prey to the
terrors of the night. It is futile to consult the Departed Ones, for what can
they do but advise on matters of little import? If they have anything of
importance to impart they will come unbidden to men of understanding and make
it known.”
GLN:12:45 When Yosira came with his sons and those with
them into the true land of Tamerua, he strove with the people of Kantiyamtu who
followed the ways of wickedness and ignorance. He remained among the people of
Tamerua during the days of Gabu, dwelling at the place where now stands the Temple
of the Skyseer, in an abode of reeds, by the moving waters.
GLN:12:46 In those days, the people of Earth united
themselves with those who were in the land of Morning Light by the powers
within the body of a womanchild, seeking in this manner to preserve the hokew
of their kindred. When Yosira saw the wickedness of the custom he placed a
great curse upon all the land and upon those who split the body of a
womanchild, so that her flesh cried out from within them. Therefore, the land
became stricken with a great plague. Since then never has anyone in the
enlightened lands eaten the flesh of man or woman, and no womanchild is
violated in the great wickedness of ignorance. The people of Tamerua greatly
feared the curse of Yosira.
GLN:12:47 Yosira taught the people that the power of
hokew resided not in the flesh of the body but in the bones, and that each bone
contained the essence of all the being, man and woman. Then the people began to
seek union with the Departed Ones in the land of the Morning Light, by the
power of the bones, and Yosira forbade this not, though he knew it was futile.
But where there was healing in the bones and they were able to draw it forth,
Yosira was not displeased, for all things pertaining to the good of the people
were well in his sight. Nevertheless, he forbade to women the burden of the
bones of their husbands, and since then no shades have risen to molest them.
This was because of the protecting power, which he drew forth to fill all the
land; it relieved the women of their burden, raising it from their backs.
GLN:12:48 All the charmers who brought forth shades from
the Land of Dawning and all the Questioners of the Dead and the Awakeners of
the Dead were cursed, and this curse hovers over the land even to this day. Yet
there are still some who seek to call forth a shade from the swathed body made
eternal, but all they raise up is an ill-omened messenger from the Place of
Darkness.
GLN:12:49 Yosira did not forbid to the people the rites
of homage due to their departed kinsfolk, for in the Place of Morning Light,
these were the powers most interested in the welfare of any mortal man. Yosira
never forbade anything that was to the benefit of men, taking away nought but
the things which were futile or harmful. In those days, there were no rites of
written record, but Yosira caused them to be given to the people. Not so that
these should renew life in the Departed Ones upon Earth, but so that the Lord
of the Body should be sustained and strengthened in the Place of the Morning
Light by the link of hokew, sacrificed by those remaining on Earth.
GLN:12:50 Yosira spoke to the people, giving them laws
which were recorded in this manner: “These are words of the God of Gods, Who
created man and beast upon the sacred island. No beast shall be mated with
another not of its kind, and if this happen, then both shall be slain and their
bodies burnt. If this be done with the permission of a man, that man will be
accursed. Neither shall any beast be yoked together with another not of its own
kind. During the first year of its life, no beast shall be made to take up the
burden of man.”
GLN:12:51 When Yosira came to Kambusis, he found there a
man of the Hestabwis bound and prepared for sacrifice, and he cried out against
the deed, but none gave ear to his word. So, standing off, Yosira placed a
staff of power upright into the ground and danced around it, singing the song
for drawing forth the spirit. When they saw this, the people were wroth against
him and called upon their charmers to curse him so he departed from the Earth.
Their curses were ineffective, and when one charmer approached the dance ring
of Yosira, Yosira called forth a tongue of flame, which consumed the charmer.
Then the people became afraid and fled. So Yosira released the man who was bound
upon the place of sacrifice, but he was not yet whole. Yosira also cursed all
those who offered the Hestabwis as a sacrifice to their gods; since that day no
man of the Hestabwis was ever slain upon the altars.
GLN:12:52 Yosira did not curse the charmers of that
place; instead, he called them to him and gave them dominion over the Dark
Spirits which left their abode to wander Earth, molesting men in their
habitation. Thus, the charmers became greater in the eyes of the people, and
from that day onward, they have cleansed the land of all Dark Spirits. However,
Yosira forbade them the calling forth of the Lord of the Body from any man so
that he became the servant of another, and he placed a great curse upon any
charmer who disobeyed this law. Yet, this is done even now, but those who
transgress the laws of Yosira do not escape the awful fate due to them, for his
power is yet potent in the lands of his people. When the transgressors stand
before him in awful judgement, their deeds will witness against them.
GLN:12:53 Yosira forbade those who sat in judgement the
right to judge men by the fat of crocodiles or by the horn or skin. Instead, he
revealed to them the manner of making judgement through corn and by the burning
sword. He also taught them how to brew drink, which loosened the bonds from the
tongues of men, so that Truth was no longer restrained.
GLN:12:54 The people dwelling among the trees, along the
banks of the moving waters, lived in fear of tree apes. They held these sacred
and would never harm them. They believed that these tree apes snatched the
departing Lord of the Body and ate it, that they lurked in wait to catch it in
a mighty, unseen net. So Yosira went about cursing the food reserve for the
tree apes so that it became fire in their bellies, causing the life within them
to come up as foam out of their mouths. Thus the land was freed from fear of
the tree apes, and henceforth the Departed Ones have gone in peace, no longer
being molested by the tree apes.
GLN:13:1 Yosira taught that within each man resides a
little man who is the Lord of the Body, and this is the life of men. While man
sleeps, the little man wanders abroad to journey as it will, at death,
departing from him forever.
GLN:13:2 The Lord of the Body cannot be seen by mortal
eyes, but it is not hidden from all-seeing eyes of the Twice Born. When
departing at death, it comes out from the mortal mouth, waiting awhile until it
grows celestial wings.
Then it flies away to the Western Kingdom, where the wings are shed.
GLN:13:3 In the place whither it journeys, the Lord of
the Body needs no earth-made abode; therefore, burning the earthly habitations
of a Departed One is futile. However, if the habitation remains and it is not
purified, it becomes the gathering place for shades arising from the Place of
Darkness, for the habitation need not be destroyed, but it must be purified by
incense and water and refilled with protective hokew.
GLN:13:4 If a man come upon another asleep, the sleeper
must be awakened quietly and with gentleness, so the Lord of the Body may
re-enter peacefully. For if the sleeper be awakened before it has re-entered,
or if it jump back in fright, then the man will become sick. Therefore, when
awakening a sleeper, it is well to call gently to the being without.
GLN:13:5 When the mortal body becomes sickened without
the heat of the lukim being present, or if the man or woman be seized and
tormented by the Dark Spirits of madness, this may be caused by the daysleeping
of the Lord of the Body. Thus, if the Lord of the Body be awakened from its
daysleeping, or restored from its restlessness, then the man or woman may be
cured. These things, Yosira permitted to be done after the fashion of charmers.
GLN:13:6 Yosira taught the curing of many kinds of ills
within the mortal body and the use of draughts containing the life of herbs and
growing things. He used fire to stop life leaving the mortal body. The manner
of effecting these things is written in the Book of Medications.
GLN:13:7 When Yosira came with his sons into the land of
Tamuera, the people there dwelt in darkness, and they were ignorant of all
knowledge. They were divided among themselves into many kindreds, and strife
was frequent. They had no kings, and only the old men ruled. There were many
charmers who ruled the people by delusions and also those called the Keepers of
Customs and the Teller of Tales.
GLN:13:8 One people dwelt among great trees and thick
forests in the midst of swamplands. Their habitations were made of reeds and
stood upon high platforms. These people were called the Children of Panheta,
for he was their god in the days following those, during which men were first
created in the midst of the waters.
GLN:13:9 Another people dwelt beyond reach of the waters
and away from the trees, and they were nameless. They dug holes for their
habitations or sought abodes in caves within the hillsides. This people had no
gods, but worshipped the Dark Spirits and the Kamawam of the forest, which
seized men at night. When the men who had been seized returned to their
kindred, they were without words, being dumb. They died in the midst of
madness, tearing at their bodies. But there was no Kamawam in the forest, this
madness being the work of charmers wishing to instil fear into the hearts of
men.
GLN:13:10 This is the manner, in which it was brought
about: When the charmers seized men at night, they took them to a secret place,
where their tongues were pierced well back with thin thorns. Thus the tongue
swelled up, so they whose tongues were so pierced lost the power of speech. The
charmers also pierced the victims about the waist with slivers of wood, so none
could discover where they were inserted. They drove other splinters into them
at the bridge between the private parts and the rear channel, and none could
discover them there and know the victim was pierced with thorns and splinters.
GLN:13:11 Yosira cursed all the charmers who practised
this evil with a great curse, so they were driven to madness by a demon which
ate away their bellies. Since then, the Kamawam has been known no more in the
land.
GLN:13:12 Yosira taught men to beat metal out of stones
and to burn stones, so that they gave up their heat. He taught men to work with
clay and he taught them the weaving of cloth and the making of beer.
GLN:13:13 When Yosira came into the land, the people knew
nought about the cutting of water channels and the sowing of corn, but Yosira
taught them these things. It was he who brought fertility to the land; it was
he who died in the midst of the waters to give them life, and his life is in
them still. Therefore, it was through the Spirit of the Great One who died in
the days of old that the soil became fruitful. Beyond the reach of the living
waters which rise and fall like the chest of a breathing man, the land is dead.
It remains barren like a woman who has not known a man. It was known even to
the men of old that if the land was not refreshed with the living waters, but
with other waters, then its increase would diminish from year to year until it
became waste. The increase within the soil comes not from water alone but from
the life within the water. Life comes forth from life, and that ,which has not
life cannot beget life.
GLN:13:14 Therefore, the good land is that, which is
married to the threefold god, and land not so married remains barren. The
married land is covered with the rising waters, but the land not married is
ignored by them.
GLN:13:15 These things were written concerning The
Children of Panheta: Yosira spoke with Panheta as man speaks to man; therefore,
the laws of the Inta were not changed, remaining to bind alike those of them
who dwelt on the soil or dwelt on the sand. If any man went among the Inta,
their laws became his laws and if any woman left the people to dwell among the
Inta, she became even as they and might not return.
GLN:13:16 Even as the Sunspirit journeys on a road set
between the stars, so does the spirit of man journey with the movement of the
waters. Therefore, when a man dies, his body shall be buried lengthwise with
the great river.
GLN:13:17 Even as the land, upon which things grow
belongs to the kindred whose blood is within it, so shall no man own to himself
alone anything growing up from it, whether it be grass or herb or tree. But
each man and woman may take of every herb and fruit as much as can be gathered
in the hands and eaten before sunsetting.
GLN:13:18 Of all things which are a seed and can be
eaten, each one may gather for themselves as much as can be stored within a jar
or suspended from the foodpole. All things which are a seed and can be eaten,
but which are not stored in ajar or suspended from a foodpole, shall be stored
in the pit of the kindred. Nothing shall be placed within the pit unless it has
been heated by fire and cooled.
GLN:13:19 Even as the Spirit of Life resides in the
things, which men eat, so does it reside in the living things, from whence they
came. Therefore, any tree or bush bearing the food of men shall not be cut or
broken.
GLN:13:20 The blood of beasts cries from the soil even as
does the blood of men; therefore, if shed it must be appeased. Slay no beast
unless it be needed for food, and bury the head and whatever comes out of its
belly. Every other part which is taken shall be eaten or burned, except for the
bones and the skin, which are to be used.
GLN:13:21 Fire serves man, but it can also become his
master. Consider its nature. Does it spring out of the wood unbidden or of its
own volition, or does it require the agency of man? Does it reside in the wood
or is there a firespirit? Only the fools among men start something, which they
cannot control. Never let a fire grow into a thing of much smoke, keep it
bright, using no more wood than is needful for the purpose. Let it not stray
from its proper place, which is the place where it serves without menace.
GLN:13:22 When they become of an age to do so, every man
and woman should take themselves a mate. Those who fail to do so are not held
in the highest esteem.
GLN:13:23 By the things whereby a man commits a wrong, so
shall he be punished. Likewise, he shall be dealt with according to the nature
of the wrong. The customs from times past are not unhelpful guides.
GLN:13:24 When Yosira came to the place where the Inta
dwelt, they made him welcome in this manner, ‘When we saw you, our hearts were
gladdened. The life was renewed in us and though content as we were, you
brought refreshment and joy.’ Yosira called these people his unweaned children.
GLN:14:1 These things were written in the Book of the Two
Roads: Yosira, who is therein called Yoshira, came from beyond the Realm of
Athor and was the first king of Tehamut. He established the festivals of the
new moon, the festival of wool drawing and the days of devotion. When first he
brightened this land by his presence, the welfare of its people was in the
hands of false priests who taught that man was a double-spirited being, in whom
the Spirit of Good struggled with the Spirit of Evil for possession of his
soul. Each deed and thought was said to strengthen one or other of the
opponents. The people were not completely deceived in accepting this; it is
perhaps an earthly distortion of reflected Truth. but neither is it wholly
true. In the days of old, men saw Truth but dimly, for it could be only
partially revealed in accordance with their ability to understand it. Truth is
a light growing even brighter in the darkness of man’s ignorance, and as the
generations pass and go down into dust, men see more clearly. Each lightbearer
dispels a little more darkness, and Yosira was a lightbearer, the greatest of
them all.
GLN:14:2 Before Yosira came, bearing the lamp of
brilliant light, Truth was but dimly perceived in this land. The false priests
of those days taught that when the Great God created man, He held back
immortality as a special gift for those whom he favoured. This is not the
attitude of One Who is Great, and therefore such doctrine cannot be accepted.
That these priests were misled themselves was not so great an evil as their
misleading of others who trusted them. A true priest should approach as close
as possible to the shrine of Truth and interpret whatever he sees there as
clearly as his ability and the understanding of his followers permit. In those
olden days, no man had yet been reborn to wisdom and enlightenment. Therefore,
nothing was known about the Gardens of Light, and men believed in the Dark
Abode alone, This Dark Abode was a place where sand and dust were the
sustenance of the dead, whose bodies were clothed in long hair and feathers.
Men, in those olden days, knew little more than that.
GLN:14:3 They also believed that souls risen to glory
really consumed the food and wore the garments and ornaments provided for their
use. They did not know, as we do, that as the soul is subtle, itself, so can it
use nought but the subtle elements of earthly things. Even now, incense is
burned before the statues of those risen to glory, so that they may receive
their portion. There are those who believe that the sustenance of the soul, and
its continued life, depends upon the monthly communion sacrifice of its kinsmen
on Earth.
GLN:14:4 As a man who walks with a lamp at night is
attacked by those who lurk in the darkness, so are enlighteners who seek to
bring light into the gloom of ignorance attacked by those whom it would reveal
in their true likeness. Thus, when Yosira cried out against those who, while
not permitting the slaying of men and women in their daily lives, nevertheless
allowed a child to be slain as sacrifice, or buried beneath the pillars they
raised up, he was condemned as an enemy of the gods.
GLN:14:5 When Yosira was in the land far up the River of
Life, one named Azulah who stood close to the right hand of Yosira slew a man
who was kindred to the Leopard. This enraged the god of these people, for the
slain man’s blood cried out to him. Therefore, men of the Leopard came into the
land of the East seeking to slay Azulah for his offence against their god, but
he had withdrawn to a place of hiding. So when they found their search to be in
vain, the men of the Leopard returned to their place, informing their priests
of their failure. The priests then held the rituals for calling down the war
power, drawing it down in strength. Then, because Yosira was the overlord of
Azulah, the men of the Leopard went forth against him, claiming the right of
war.
GLN:14:6 But in the night, when the hostile host waited
before the camp of Yosira, the war priest defiled himself, and so the war power
failed to make faint the hearts of those with Yosira, the war priest having
lost control over it. Thus, the war power came into the hands of Yosira, and he
cast it back so it fell upon the Men of the Leopard, and their knees were
loosened, and their bowels went to water, and they fled from that place.
GLN:14:7 The Men of the Leopard dwelt within the forests,
towards the sunsetting side of the moving waters, and Yosira pursued them
there. He did not enter the thick forest, but, coming to an island in the midst
of the waters, he made camp there. He had a prisoner whom he released, sending
him to the priests with this message, “Come in peace, that I may hear your
complaint and judge whether it be just.” But the priests of the Men of the
Leopard came down only to the edge of the waters and would go no further, and they
called out across the waters, “What was just heretofore is just no longer, for
this is now a matter to be settled between our kindred and those who are with
you, for blood still cries out for blood.”
GLN:14:8 Hearing this, Yosira answered, “Let us be wise;
there are judges above us, so let the God of the Moving Waters decide the
matter.” To this the priests said, “It is well.” Then Yosira took Azulah into a
boat, rowing him through the waters against the South wind. Stopping the boat,
Yosira commanded Azulah to leap into the waters, so he might be tested by
swimming, and this Azulah did. He swam powerfully and the God of the Moving
Waters did not take him, for Yosira had covered the waters with his power, so
the waters bore up the swimmer, carrying him in safety to the shore.
GLN:14:9 Then Yosira sat down with the chiefs of the Men
of the Leopard and made a covenant with them and with other peoples likewise.
This was that when a man slays another among his own kindred, none among them
shall protect him, and he shall be either slain or cut off from those of his
own blood. However, if the slain man be of a kindred different to that of the
slayer, then the slayer may be slain by men of either kindred. If the kindred
of the slayer would avoid the toll of blood, then they must send a token to the
kindred of the slain man, together with an account of the deed. They must also
agree that the blood be upon their own heads and revenge in their hands, and
account of such revenge shall be sent to the kindred of the slain man together
with their forfeiture.
GLN:14:10 Then all the kindred bound themselves with a
great oath, declaring that, if blood cried out from the ground in vain, then
the night terrors and blood shades would be called upon to fall upon the
kindred of the slayer and not upon the kindred of the slain.
GLN:14:11 It was at the time when this covenant was made
that Yosira spoke in this manner to his sons, “These are the meats, which are
accursed and shall not be eaten. All the meat of any beast which dies of
itself. All the meat of any beast, which has been slain as a sacrifice to the
small gods. All the meat of any beast, which has been slain by wild beasts and
all meat, which has been offered up on the door stones. These are unclean
meats.”
GLN:14:12 When Yosira had gone throughout the land and
purified it, and bound up its wickedness with curses, he taught those who dwelt
there the making of waterways. He also instructed them in the meanings of the
heavenly signs. He built Piseti in the midst of the reedlands and drained the
swamps. Then he raised up the first temple of brick and stone. At this time, he
established those who were recorders of the days and seasons.
GLN:14:13 While Yosira was at Piseti, the priests stirred
up the people against him, and so he fled to the Land of God with his sons and
blood kindred. But his wife and youngest son did not go with him, for they were
with her father in the land, from whence the great river flowed. This was the
land of Kantoyamtu, where priests taught that death is not the normal lot of
man. These priests said that though their forefathers of old were just as
mortal as men, their forefathers’ fathers were heirs to immortality on Earth.
This is an erroneous teaching, one belonging to the childhood of man, but later
men were taught that death is just the departure of life, which takes flight
with the soul.
GLN:14:14 While Yosira was at Piseti, his true son,
Manindu, commanded the Mesiti who were a host of men and workers in brass. They
subdued the whole land, returning it to Yosira. Later, it was delivered into
the hands of Manindu whose seal is on it even yet.
GLN:14:15 After the time of Manindu, the people forgot
the God of Gods, for He appeared distant from them, and they worshipped other
gods whom the priests devised. The light was dimmed and only poorly reflected
in small, hidden shrines.
GLN:15:1 The Voice of God came out of the Heavens unto
His servants even before the days of Wunis, but in these days, it has come to
certain of His Devoted Ones who heard it within the cavern of visions.
Afterwards, each wrote it down according to his own hearing, and lo, when they
came together, it was seen that each had recorded the same words. Thus, the
things, which were heard by the three and set down by them in writing, all
being agreed alike are things recorded forever.
GLN:15:2 “I am the Voice of God Who is the God of All Men
and Ruler of their Hearts. I have many aspects and come differently to all men,
I am the God of Many Faces. To you, My servants, I give these words, that they
may be carried to all men. Obey My commands, and I will be your God. I will
enlighten and instruct you, guiding you along the way. I desire your love and
loyalty, and your adherence to My plans, but I do not desire your servility. I
am not only your God, but your Commander, as well, and so I expect obedience
and discipline, as befits those who prepare for harsh and grim battles such as
those, which lie ahead.”
GLN:15:3 “My desire is for love rather than futile
sacrifices of burnt offerings, but it should not be a passive love but one
expressing service in My Cause. A certain knowledge of right and wrong, with
free choice of the former, is of greater value in My sight than pointless,
ritualistic worship. I
derive no pleasure
from the wasteful shedding of blood from bulls and lambs. I gain nothing from
the fat of sheep and the flesh of goats. I am the Creator of All, so
what can men give that would increase My greatness? Men are misled if they
believe that their sins can be purged by vain rituals. Only active goodness can
obliterate the stain of sin.”
GLN:15:4 “Men approach Me in fear; they come to me with
servility. They beg forgiveness for their sins and request My help in worldly
matters. To sing My praises is their excuse for coming into places made sacred
unto Me, but they come wanting something, be it only reassurance. With this
attitude towards Me, do you wonder that I remain mute before their pleas? Bring
Me no more vain offerings of flesh and blood, for such wastefulness of life is
an offence to the God of Life. What benefit do I derive from all your feasts or
festivals? Give me dedication and effort; that is all I ask. Above all be true
to yourselves, for I abhor the face of hypocrisy, the face now all too familiar
when men approach Me.”
GLN:15:5 “Men bring Me meat and wine, fine flour and
wheaten cakes, thinking I can consume these, or that I have need of such
sustenance. I would be far better served were these to be given to the widow
and orphan, to the multitudinous poor whom you suffer to exist in your midst.
Poverty is man-made, and it is not sufficient for the wealthy to give alms to
the poor; those with power and position, with wealth and plenty must strike at
the roots of poverty. If they fail to do this, then the alms they give have no
merit in My sight.”
GLN:15:6 “Your solemn assemblies, your tedious
processions, your long faces and melancholy expressions bring no gladness to My
heart. Your burdensome ceremonials and futile offerings of life and food benefit
Me in no way at all. Men themselves may derive benefit from these, but their
hypocrisy when they proclaim they do this in My name is not hidden from Me.”
GLN:15:7 “The reek of your incense smoke rises and
disappears into the air, but it comes not unto Me, nor do I have need of it.
Yet, I will not deny you the pleasure of its fragrance ,which can bring inner
harmony and peace by soothing the spirits of men. Nor will I deny you your
feasts, if the fetters of wickedness be thereby loosened from your souls, but
do not say they are undertaken for My benefit or glorification. Fasting and the
denial of bodily appetites may serve useful ends for men, but though you may
deceive yourselves regarding their intent, do not try to deceive Me by
misstating their purpose. I have no desire to repress the joy and exuberance
welling up in the hearts of men; far rather would I prefer that such humanising
emotions be cultivated. Therefore, pray if prayer serves its true purpose,
which is to harmonise your spirit with Mine so communication becomes possible.
Keep your festivals and feasts if they serve their purpose, which is to inspire
and refine your spirit. Do all that elevates your spirit and develops your
souls; that is the true purpose of life. Do all that is good for you; nothing
wholly beneficial is denied you, but do not declare that in so doing you confer
benefit upon Me. I am the God Above and Beyond All.”
GLN:15:8 “I do not deny you your rituals and ceremonials;
worship Me if you will as you will, but bear in mind that this cannot
substitute for your obligations. Ritual and worship cannot be an adjustment or
payment for the things you have failed to do, or be an apology for your own
shortcomings. Neither do they compensate for iniquities against your fellowmen.
If you attach importance to ritual and ceremonial, let it be in a proper
proportion, and never let them dull your conscience against deeds of
wickedness, of usury and injustice. Never let your duty and obligations be
neglected because you worship Me diligently, following a formalised ritual and
ceremonial. Let this not become an excuse for failing to share your bread with
the hungry or for neglecting the needs of the destitute or weak. I am not
deceived. A life dedicated to Me is not one preoccupied with worship; that is
more the life of a coward trembling before the unknown. He who dedicates his
life to Me gives shelter to the homeless and succours those in distress, but
even these are not the ultimate in goodness, for they are passively accepted.
The ultimate in goodness is to actively combat all the root causes of evil.
Those who are my true followers live a life of service and goodness. They live
in harmony with their neighbours, harm none and do not shirk the burdens and
obligations of earthly existence.”
GLN:15:9 “I am better served by obedience to My laws and
conformity with My plans than by ritual and offerings. To listen to the words
of the Sacred Writings while striving to understand them is better in My sight
than offerings of flesh and treasure which benefit the priests more than they
do Me. Among the things,
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