The Morning of the Gods
There was Chaos – IA! Chaos! – And every word was spoken at once.
Every deed was done at once. Every sight was seen at once.
From Chaos came Lendor – IA! Lendor! – And with his sword he ordered the cosmos.
He set every word in its place, every deed in its place, every sight in its place.
And Lendor withdrew, judging this neither good nor ill.
Lendor says nothing, does nothing, sees nothing.
He stands in his still eternity, contemplating the order he set in place.
On the cosmos's edge, where Lendor's Order meets the Chaos outside,
Was Amman – IA! Amman! – First of giants, father of worlds.
Amman, with his hundred brides, sired the Elder People.
Stronmaus, Hiatea, Surtyr, Thrym, Skoraeus,
Grolantor, Karontor.
And Diancastra, and Iallanis were his children.
The day of the giants lasted a thousand years, according to Lendor’s ordering.
During the thousand and first year of the giants' reign,
Darkness came to the giants. Memnor – IA! Memnor! – Amman's brother and shadow.
Memnor put Amman in an enchanted sleep, and hid him away.
The son of Stronmaus was Phaulkon – IA! Phaulkon! – first of the gods.
Phaulkon wooed Lydia – IA! Lydia! – Daughter of Iallanis.
In disguise, Syrul – IA! Syrul – Lydia’s dark twin,
Crept into Phaulkon's marriage bed, and bore his sons.
One, Pyremius – IA! Pyremius! – She hid among the monsters of the Furnaces,
The realm of fire and darkness; the realm of the yagnadaemons.
The others she hid in Lydia's womb.
Phaulkon’s sons were Kord, Dalt, Pyremius, and Vatun.
The grandson of Karontor was Llerg.
Kord, Vatun, and Llerg conspired to slay Memnor,
Cast him down, end his reign.
With their father,
And Jascar and Fortubo, grandsons of Skoraeus,
The gods marshaled on Memnor’s castle in the clouds.
Long was the fight.
The blood ran like rain on the land.
The first plants bloomed.
Phyton, son of Hiatea, watched over them.
The gods cast Memnor down into Gehenna, the Furnaces,
The realm of fire and darkness.
Even the yagnadaemons avoided him, in his shame.
It was the morning of the gods, according to Lendor's ordering.
Notes: This peculiar hybrid of Suel and Giant mythologies is found among some of the more learned skalds of the Rhizia, though it is atypical of the myths of the northern barbarians. Although it is full of detail about many gods not commonly worshipped by those folk, it leaves out entirely many major Suloise deities, including Wee Jas, Norebo, Beltar, Osprem, and Xerbo. The omission of the latter two is especially puzzling among the seafaring Cold Barbarians. It's thought the myth might have originated among the mountain-folk, who are more concerned with hunting giants than sailing the oceans, but this is only supposition.