Before there was a world, there was nothing; only that which is now called the Emptiness Before.
And within this Emptiness, six beings took shape. Great and beautiful, they slept in nothingness, and did not know they were, for their sleep was dreamless.
Then a Voice called to them, “Wake!” and they woke, and beheld one another and the nothingness.
And the Voice said to them, “I have created ye from nothing, that ye might serve me and obey my commands. Dragons I name thee, and by no other name shall ye be called.”
Then the dragons called to the Voice, ”What shall we call thee, O Maker, and what is thy command?”
And the Voice said, “Ye shall know me as Eirun, the Maeshri, thy Master. Hearken to my command.”
With that, the dragons slept once more, and dreamed, and Eirun spoke in their dreams. Many things he told them, and they listened, and were amazed, for the scope of his design was great. Beautiful dreams he sent them; dreams of things yet to come, and a great longing came upon them. For these were visions of the world they were to make manifest.
Then Eirun called them by name, and each woke in his turn. Then all together they began their long work.
Now the making of the world was begun, and Eirun was glad; for it pleased him to see his servants work. Six dragons there were; three male and three female, and they loved one another as brothers and sisters. And these are their names, which Eirun gave to them, according to the order by which they were called:
First to wake was Zavoris, mightiest of the dragons, whose sharp eyes lay bare the hearts of things. Then came his sister, Airel the fair, filled with peace. Then Hafaer was called, and all the Emptiness shook with his waking-roar. Singing Irina woke, and her quiet sister, Elithain. Last of all came Shar, with fairness and justice.
And this is the account of the dragons’ works, as it has been told through generations:
When the dragons had woken, Zavoris said to the others, “Eirun our master is beyond Time, yet Time is empty. I will fill it.” And he created darkness, which spread till it filled the Emptiness.
Then Elithain said, “Time is empty no longer, but we cannot see in this darkness. Maeshri is bright. I will make light, but it will pale to the light of Maeshri.” And Elithain created stars, and scattered them across the darkness, and they shone all about the dragons.
Then Shar said, “The world must have a strong foundation, according to the design of Eirun. So it shall be.” And Shar created the stone beneath the stars, and upon this he made the earth.
And Hafaer said, ”Even as the master has shaped us, so must we shape the stone.” Then Hafaer covered all the stone in fire, and shaped it, and from his shaping came mountains and valleys, and every sort of hill and trough.
When Hafaer was done, and his fires had cooled, Irina flew down; and alighting on the tallest mountain, she began to sing. And as her song washed over the earth, springs leaped from the stone, trickling from high places to form streams. And these streams formed rivers, which flowed together into great lakes of clear water.
Then Airel said, “I will make wind, as was commanded in the dream.” And she did so, and the wind moved all about the earth.
Now all the dragons gathered together, and combining the gifts Eirun had given them, they made a great heat and light. Then Shar took the light and placed it over the earth.
And they called it Hala, the sun, and rejoiced to see it rise on the First Day of the world.
But there was no moon, nor any seas, for those were not in the first design.
Now the world that the dragons had been commanded to make was completed, and taking leave of one another, they flew in every direction; north and south, east and west, and to the points in between. And they made a circle around the world, in the great mountains that are at the edge of Time.
And together they cried, “Maeshri, O mightiest Eirun, thy world is ready.”
Then Eirun appeared and came down into the world, and the dragons were dazzled. For the light of Eirun is brighter than the sun or any light there is. And Eirun looked upon the darkness of Zavoris that fills Time; he gazed at the stars of Elithain and walked upon the earth of Shar;. He stood by the streams of Irina, upon the mountains of Hafaer, and felt the gentle brush of Airel’s wind. And he watched the sun as it rose, and was pleased.
And he said to the dragons, “Ye have done as I commanded in the dream. Behold! Now ye shall witness the reason for which ye have labored.”
Then he stretched out his mighty hand, and from the earth sprung grasses and flowers, and weeds and ferns, and bushes and shrubs. Trees there were also; mighty trees with thick trunks and spreading boughs; graceful trees, tall and straight of stem; great forests of trees that covered the land; and trees that stood alone on vast fields of grass. All the growing things Eirun made, and he gave them life.
Then he made the insects and the worms, and all the small things that creep upon the ground. And he gave them life. Then he made the birds and the ducks, and the fishes in the waters, and all things that fly and swim; and he gave them life. Then he made the rabbit and the turtle, the deer and the snake, all the beasts that walk on four legs, all those that have hair, and those that have none. These he gave life also.
And he said to the dragons, “See, even as I gave life to thee, so have I given life to these things. Indeed it was for this that ye brought the world into being; so that the green things, and the birds, and the beasts, and the fishes in the waters might have a place to be.
“But there is a greater reason. For here in the world shall dwell the children of Eirun, who shall be masters over all the things which you have made, and verily over the living things. They shall be like to me, and they shall reign in the world till its end, when they will join me in the place beyond time. This command I give you, minethi, my servants; you shall safeguard my children, till the coming of the final Day. My curse fall on he who errs, if any harm should come to them.”
So saying, Eirun took a little of each part of the world—darkness, light, earth, fire, water, and air—and from this he made man, male and female, and they were like to him in form and in spirit. Then he blessed them and gave them the command of the world. And he charged the dragons with their care.
So was the world made, according to the ancient tales which have survived.
nighty night...
