Birth of the World

Before all else, there was the desert. It was a vast dune sea which stretched in every direction. Then came a hot wind, which blew some sand high into the sky. The grains which did not fall became the stars. The starlight bathed the desert in a nourishing glow, which brought forth a single palm tree which grew to a tremendous height. Soon, the tree became fruitful with dates, which ripened and fell to the ground. As each date hit the ground, it became a different kind of creature. First came the scorpion and the scarab. Then came the camel, the sheep, and the horse. Things proceeded in this manner, filling up the world with all kinds of life- fish, fowl, flora, and fauna. These scattered to every corner of the earth. A storm came and flooded the area around the tree. When the water was almost up to the top of the tree, some of the last few dates fell and became all the sea creatures. The last two dates became the first man and woman. They struggled in the water for a while until a whale and a dolphin carried them to shore. 

The architect saw all this and was pleased. He appeared to the man and woman and told them the story of what had happened. They in turn passed the story onto their children. Everything was going according to plan. The man and woman had many children together, and some of the stronger ones went off to join the architect. In doing so, they forsook having children of their own. The others found the desert more comfortable and multiplied. They spread across the earth and became all its various tribes and nations. At this time, all people spoke the same language. The architect was displeased by this, as he loved variety. He invited the all the kings to a banquet where he served them many kinds of enchanted food and wine. Each king ate and drank something a bit different, and so the magic caused them to all speak different languages. When they returned to their kingdoms, their people were forced to learn the new languages. In this way, tribes and nations of the world became divided by many languages. 

At this time, the world became very crowded as there was no such thing as death yet. The architect knew that no matter how big the world got, it would become crowded if there was nothing to clear away life from time to time. The architect appointed the scarab to be the keeper of the underworld with the power of death. In other lands, the insects therein were the servants of the scarab. This why insects are always found among the dead. Life gives countless gifts, and death keeps them forever. This is the way of things, and it keeps the world in balance. The architect surveyed the world and was pleased with it. It was filled with goodness of every sort. Even so, the scarabs complained that their work was too hard. They needed help to keep the balance of nature. And so the architect created evil, which encompasses all that is bad. It includes filth, pain, fear, illness, sorrow and countless other things. The forces of evil were entrusted to the scarabs and their servants to do with as they please. It is the insects that truly rule the world. That is why there are so many of them.

The two most powerful servants of the scarab are the fly and the mosquito. So numerous and cruel were they that the people cried out to the architect for mercy. The architect heard their prayers and dispatched the spider and the frog respectively to relieve humanity of their unbearable torment. For this reason, though the spider and the frog may be ugly and hateful, they serve an important purpose in the web of life, just like every other creature. The architect saw that the world was as it should be, and so he retired, never to be heard from again. That was a very long time ago, so long ago that no one can say for sure when it happened. All that can be said was at that time the stars were young and the mountains were new. The gods and heroes of the world had barely opened their eyes, and the monsters and demons slumbered peacefully under the earth and sea.  

Among the gods, there were the keepers of fire, storms, and war. Among the goddesses there were the guardians of health, fertility, and love. They did not follow the architect to his refuge, but instead remained at the edges of the earth where they might hear the prayers of mortals. To better attract the attention of the gods, our ancestors built temples and shrines. They built them tall in high places so that they might be more easily seen from afar. This is why holy places are all up in the hills and mountains. As the world matured, the vast desert slowly shrank, and new lands emerged. The wet places became swamps and jungles. The windy places became the plains, and the cool places became the forests. The primordial wind split into different sorts and so brought different weather to each land. The desert remained the harshest land, and that is why the people there are so fierce and warlike. Even so, it is their code of honor to be generous with guests and strangers, whatever land they might hail from.      

 

It was the scorpion which taught the desert people their ways, and so that creature is sacred to them. It first taught them that even small things can be powerful and fearsome. This lesson is often ignored and forgotten, even among the desert people themselves. The people of other lands neglect to learn it to an even greater degree. The scorpion's sting is the beginning of wisdom, as they say. It was the scorpion that told them that pain is the best teacher. This is the state of our world, though there are many other stories to be told about it.