Prologue

BY IZABELA RAITTILA

Preface

Ever since I can remember I have always had a vivid imagination. As a child and throughout my teenage years I would often come up with stories only a few of which were written down and many were left unfinished. As I grew up, I abandoned this hobby but I maintained an interest in mythology, folklore, horror and fantasy particularly the works of H.P. Lovecraft, Andrzej Sapkowski and J.R.R. Tolkien.

The original idea behind these tales has been in my head for many years but it was only recently that I finally made a decision to write them down. The following set of stories are meant to act as an introduction to the culture, traditions and beliefs of the inhabitants of a fictional continent that later became known as The Gragiyan Empire, which comprises of four provinces: Gragiya, Arhia, Lavinium and Niralis. The fictional Gragiyan and Enai languages are meant to be phonetic with each letter pronounced as it is written. So names such as ‘Cri’, ‘Dri’ are meant to be pronounced as (Kr-ee), (Dr-ee) and the same goes for nouns such as ‘lietr’ . The names of the races are always referred to in the plural form so Erai, Enai and Morkrai may refer to a single being as well as group of individuals.

I would like to thank my family for their continued support.

– Izabela Raittila, 10.02.2021

The Stories

In the beginning there was a great void. Then out of it came two of the first and the greatest of the gods. The immortal lord and lady of the skies, the father and mother of the Erai, Ifir and Era-Gragiya. Together they created the first race of immortals, their children, the mighty Erai. First Era-Gragiya gave birth to twins, a son called Nir and his sister Vea whose names mean the sun and the moon. They were a restless duo, forever chasing each other across the dark sky. Then Ifir grew tired of their antics and with his hands he formed small balls of light and let the twins play with them. First they each grabbed a handful and threw them at each other. Then goddess Vea threw them randomly into the sky and thus the stars were formed.

Yet still the game did not last and it was not long until they became restless again. So Ifir used all his power to create a much larger ball of flame and light, so bright that it lit up the whole sky. He then told each of the twins to move to opposite ends of the sky. Nir grabbed it first and used all his strength to throw it towards his sister. Vea saw the ball move across the sky from the distance but it was still very far away. As the light moved away from him, Nir, exhausted from his ordeal, lay down in a blanket of clouds to rest. Many hours would pass until the ball had finally made its way to Vea. Like her brother, she used all her strength to lift it and throw it back to him. Then it was her turn to rest as the light moved, growing brighter as it made its way towards Nir. And so it continued each day and night. Thus the sun and moon came to be as Nir and Vea continued their game. It is said that Nir sleeps when the sun sets and the ball makes its way towards his sister. Vea sleeps when the sun rises.

Eventually, Ifir and Era-Gragiya had more children. A daughter, Afa – the queen of the seas and waters – an immortal being with wave-like blue hair and a fishtail instead of legs; a son, Atar – the god of war who rides across skies on a mighty horse; another son Silyan, the brown-haired, bearded nomad, lord of the forests, hunting, animals and beasts; the flame-haired Fiehri, god of fire and volcanoes, a patron of smiths and craftsmen and the youngest son Makar, lord of the underworld, a grim-looking being with a disfigured face and grey eyes so sensitive to light that he could not bear to look into the sky. It is for this reason that Makar always dwelt in the shadows and kept to himself.

Ifir joined hands with his children and together their power combined to create the earth. And from the earth’s core crawled out another immortal being who is also counted among the Erai – a female of pale skin and copper-colored hair, the earth goddess named Lavinia. With Nir and Vea still in the sky, Ifir then allowed the rest of his children to come and live on the newly formed earth. Silyan planted the first seeds and the trees began to grow. He brought the animals with him. Lavinia gazed into the vast lands and stretched out her arms to create fields, beaches, deserts and mountains. Afa filled the empty craters with water and a vast space became the sea into which she jumped and there she remained. Fiehri looked to the mountains and he used his power to set one of them alight thus creating the first volcano. There inside the volcanic rock among ash and lava he forged his home. Atar rode across the lands on his horse exploring, then he vanished again back towards the sky.

However, Makar refused to move and hid himself under a tree, standing there deep in the shadows. Seeing this, Lavinia took pity on him and she clasped her hands together. The earth trembled and cracked creating an opening in the ground. There, deep down under the surface Makar crawled into a place of no light and shadow. It was here in these cold halls of darkness and shadows that Makar made his home. He then sealed the entrance with iron gates. This place became known as the underworld – the halls of Makar.

Up in the sky, inside her palace of wind and clouds, Era-Gragiya felt an ever-growing sadness when she thought of her son Makar sitting there alone in his dark halls. She worried about how lonely he would become. And so she wept. In search of a means to end his wife’s anguish, Ifir collected one of the tears into a dish and from it he formed another immortal female being, another Erai – the slender, raven-haired Morae, the lady of sorrow and shadow. Morae then cloaked herself in shadow, flew down to the earth and dug her way into the underworld. Enchanted by her appearance lord Makar opened the iron gates and he welcomed her into his kingdom. There she remained and came to rule as his queen, lady of the dead, bringer of sorrow and unnumbered tears. They say souls of the dead pass through the iron gates to stand in the cold halls waiting for lord Makar and lady Morae to judge them. They say that the judgement of Makar is final and cannot be reversed. Once the judgement has been passed, their fates are sealed and the souls are trapped inside Makar’s halls.

After creating the mountains and fields, Lavinia headed to the seashore. There she took some water and mixed it with clay. From that clay she made figures, beings similar though less fair and perfect than the Erai, both male and female. Up in the sky Ifir gazed out of his palace, intrigued at what she was doing. He then flew down onto the shore. Though pleased with how lifelike the clay figures looked, Lavinia was not satisfied that her attempts to bring them to life had failed. As she pondered over how to fix this problem, Ifir knelt beside her. His hand reached out to hers and together their powers combined bringing the figures to life. Thus the mortal race of men was created.

Still not satisfied with what they have achieved, the Erai then set about creating new beings to help them maintain their realms. Thus another immortal race was formed – the Enai, the lesser gods or elves as some folk call them. So the Enai became their servants. Afa’s Enai could be found swimming with the fish and other water beings in rivers, lakes and the sea. Silyan’s Enai roamed in the forests, tending to the trees, collecting berries and fruit, watching over the animals. Fiehri’s fire Enai guarded his volcanic palace and worked with metals and precious stones. Atar’s warrior Enai rides with him across the sky. Sometimes they ride down on the earth. The people of the Arhia province believe that his Enai also rides past the battlefields watching the soldiers. They bury their dead soldiers with their swords in the belief that Atar will venture out into his brother Makar’s halls and choose some of these warrior souls to ride along with him and his Enai.

All except for the servants of Makar. For these were not the light beings, not Enai but Morkrai, ghastly creatures of shadow and darkness whom some folk refer to as dark elves. They say that the Morkrai come to collect the buried dead and guide them to the halls of Makar. As the souls enter, they open the iron gates and escort them to await their judgement. Only those deemed highly noble and pure of heart may be permitted to leave Makar’s halls and pass beyond it, through a pale flame connecting the earth to the skies. These fortunate souls were then allowed to dwell in Ifir’s palace in the skies, a beautiful place of light and color where they may rest. The Morkrai guard the others until the time lord Makar passes his judgement. Many believed that by burying the dead with something of value will grant them an audience with lady Morae. They say that if a soul brings her a gift she will listen to his or her plea, a chance to prove one’s worth of a peaceful afterlife in Ifir’s palace. The lady of sorrow will listen and pass her own judgement. Many believe that only she possessed the power to convince her husband to grant pardon to the most noble of souls. For lord Makar and lady Morae are usually of similar mind and an agreement between them is always reached and their judgement is final. Dead criminals are stripped of their possessions and buried with nothing but a stone slab to mark their graves with the words “Morkrai, morkrai errari en kar , envenri fe ahre noer Erai Makar” (“May the morkrai guard them for all of time, imprisoned in the cold halls of the Erai Makar”).

Then Ifir asked Lavinia whether she would like to join one of his children in this new world. She agreed yet she could not decide in which of the realms she would like to stay in. Ifir then suggested that she would visit his sons in their respective realms before making her decision. First Lavinia visited the sun god Nir. The bright light stung her eyes and she quickly grew restless. Once Nir threw the large ball across the sky he grew tired once more and he fell asleep. Lavinia bid him farewell and left. Next she returned to the earth. There in the woods she met with lord Silyan, her friend and kindred spirit. Her presence in the woods was welcomed by all, the birds would sing and flowers started to blossom. His Enai prepared a feast for them and they danced and played music with their wooden flutes. But as some time passed Silyan grew tired of his surroundings and he wished to move on to another part of the earth. And so he wandered off with his Enai and Lavinia found herself alone once again. The war-lord Atar arrived on a galloping horse and carried her with him. Yet it was not long until Lavinia grew tired of the ride and after a while she jumped off the horse. Atar looked back and waved to her before riding away.

Then Ifir suggested that Lavinia should visit his son Fiehri in his palace of volcanic rock. Fiehri’s Enai welcomed her and they opened the stone gates. The flame-haired god of fire greeted her and he let her sit by his side on a throne of hematite. Fiehri then offered her a gift, a necklace with precious stones, crafted by him with the help of his Enai. Many days did they spend together sitting by the fire, watching the embers flickering and the lava flowing inside the volcano.

Then Ifir decided to pay a visit to Fiehri and asked whether Lavinia had reached a decision. She smiled at him and reached out her hand towards Fiehri. – “I wish to stay here”- she declared. And so it was that Lavinia, the earth goddess, came to marry Fiehri, the god of fire. Every autumn, as the harvest season drew near she left Fiehri’s realm to walk through her fields and meadows assisted by her Enai. Then once the season changed she returned to her husband in his palace of rock and lava.

So the race of men began to worship the Erai and they prayed to them in times of need. They prayed to Ifir in the sky so that he will bring them good weather. Each day they gaze in awe at the sun and they leave a small offering of flowers to the god Nir thanking him for his light. As night came they prayed to his twin sister, the moon goddess Vea so that her light would let them rest and bring them good dreams. The fishermen and sailors prayed to the sea goddess Afa as they dragged their boats to water and set ships to the sea. They ask for her to be gentle and steady her waves allowing them to sail through them. They feared her anger might cause a storm causing their ships to sink and all their catch to be lost. Worse still, they feared her Enai, who at her behest may pull them into the depths. Farmers prayed to the earth goddess Lavinia asking her to grant them a good harvest. During the harvest season many ventured out into her temple in the mountains with a small offering of the finest crop in the belief that this will bring them good fortunes in the following year. Young girls and future mothers prayed to the fair Era-Gragiya, Ifir’s queen and mother of all the Erai, in hope that she will protect them during the birth of their children. They prayed for a safe and healthy birth as well as for the future health and well-being of their children. Those who lived near the woods prayed to the forest god Silyan in the hope that he and his Enai would protect them from the wild beasts during the hunts and allow them to gather food, herbs and firewood. Some would leave offerings of flowers or berries for his Enai to collect on their travels. The warriors prayed to the war god Atar that he may grant them courage and strength for the battles to come. The smiths and craftsmen looked towards the volcano and prayed to Fiehri asking for his guidance to help them with their work. They feared his wrath, for the god of flames was quick to anger and his fury was great, forcing the lava to pour out of his palace bringing death and destruction to all.

Most of the mighty Erai, who remained in their realms with little concern for the lives of mortals, some of their servants, the Enai, occupied the same lands as the humans and occasionally watched them from a distance. The mortals also grew curious of them for they heard many stories of these lesser gods. It was said that they had the power to heal wounds, possibly even to revive the dead and to make themselves invisible. Some mortals would enter the forests in an attempt to seek out lord Silyan’s Enai with their offerings of fruit, berries and flowers. Others ventured deep into the caves with gifts of precious stones for Lavinia and Fiehri’s mountain Enai. Yet these fair, immortal beings were rarely seen for they were wary of mortals and preferred to stay with their own kin serving their Erai lords.

(Further adventures in the the Gragiyan Empire can be read in Raittila’s books The Stories They Told Their Children and Tiriyanin’s Children. For more information, check out her website.)