The concept of a “Creation Story” is one of the main focuses of the Phantammeron. Early on, when I started down the path of writing the Phantammeron in the 1980’s, I was interested in defining a deeper cosmology of characters and people behind it; a grander story whose structure, mythology, origins, and hidden purpose lay in a much older tradition. Without going too much into my deeper reasons for designing such an intricate origin-story in my books, it was the powerful underpinnings of well-written creation-myths and the influence they have on much later (and “liter”) narratives that really interested me. It was about a very deep and wide “emotional connection” of later events in my books to the characters, loves, designs, and tragedies of earlier ancestors and their effects on later events that really was at the core of this idea. There was a very powerful emotional effect on the reader when they could unconsciously feel and connect to a plot who’s basis originated to events in a much more ancient tradition whose story laid out the uncontrollable fates of those who came before. In other words, the “cause and effect” life of a story was better when you understood the whole story….not a later fragment. But it ultimately was about people…..what made the people in my stories do what they did. Why was a certain characters destined to thrive and overcome great odds, while another was doomed from the beginning to die a tragic death?
Of course the price a writer pays for forcing readers to delve into such long-winded, creation-myth narratives is very large. We are talking about writing, it would seem, a Bible-like origin story from scratch! I expected a bit of boredom and fizzling interest in my work, ultimately, when elected to take this stance in my writing. But as I have written about in other articles, its “Art for Art’s Sake” for me these days, and I write what I want to write, and care little for what the rest of the world feels about it these days. I write alone….I write for my pleasure.
Yet, something important needs to be said about the act of writing these really rich, interwoven mythological narratives. It’s really a powerful idea, and takes itself from much earlier traditions derived from initiatory druids and fairy tales and myths that wind their way back in time to those of my earlier ancestral homeland in Europe. But in terms of story-telling, it’s really about building up a readers connection to your characters in a way that draws them potentially to a whole new and very powerful way; a way not felt at all in this broken Digital Age of 140 characters Tweets and scan-reading on the Internet. Though the concept of Creation Myth as a medium fits better with the “Pre-Internet Age” I had started the books in (late-1980’s), it actually is ripe for this new Digital Age where paper books are waning as a medium, and young people are embracing the art of speed-reading their way through school, and relying on their source of information, not from their own brains, but that of the Internet; as a baby relies on its parents for everything! I am gaining ground now in my mind on an early gamble I now am making that readers, someday soon, will long for real narrative…precise and in-depth story telling that goes counter-intuitively with this Digital Age of ours. What I mean by that is people will long for depth, for more a richer connection to fantasy and character development, which originates from the lack of it in the Internet Age. It’s the same reason so many people now are starting to appreciate the analog sounds coming from old vinyl records, as opposed to stripped MP3’s which are a subset of the original musical sounds recorded by the artist. People are coming to differentiate in literature between quickly consumed shallow narrative and the their unconscious rejection of it.
These are just some of the reasons for my interest in what is truly a very rare and unknown medium….the art of writing Creation-Mythology in story-telling. In writing mine, I have given the worlds that stand behind my book a depth, and a 360 degree view, that I hope readers will someday embrace as something powerful and unique in story-telling. Its something I wholeheartedly believe in and am currently developing as I lay out the Phantammeron today. I hope you will follow my struggles in developing it and start to understand the unique importance it has in the Phantammeron.
As a sample of my story, I have written out a quick narrative of this for you below, which is part of the much richer creation story I am laying out for the book, as a whole.
Sample Creation Story
In the beginning of All Things, when the Twilight Forest of Phantaia was yet a wild, untamed beast made from the heart of The Mother, “Aa”, The Maker, her son, decided to give life to the forest, and against her desires, brought forth the Gomericon, or Gomi, his beloved creatures of the forest eternal. For them, he planted a seed, that in turn bore a mighty white almond tree, who’s fruits alone sustained them. These creatures took form, each to their own, such that they in turn they lived but to serve the Will of their Maker, whom they loved. Few know that purpose for it is hidden in the mind of The Maker, the Lord of the Forest.
The Gomi were his Children, and equally he loved them all in turn, and in his secret guidance to each he set them to work a mighty plan. Many traveled far from the Forest and the One Tree and into the nethersphere beyond even the eternal limitless bounds of the forest, and into new verses and dimensions not known here. Some transformed into the forest presence itself, and were its sustenance through the nourishment of their bodies, while others came together to form new beasts who’s combined powers were used for a greater purpose.
The first of his servants, which he made, was the bird-child, Ma-rael, whom he created from the inner kernel of his mind, and who most knew the purpose of the Maker. A silver bird was he, with amber eyes and who sang each morning to his Maker in song most wondrous, even to the ears of Him who made him. This beautiful bird so loved that he freed, opening his hand upon a time, from whence it traveled out and over the vast reaches of Phantaia. But it truth, it sought a gift for its father, and flew far and wide seeking a hill for the planting of Celebreava, the White Tree, whom the Maker had conceived as a gift of sustenance for his Children. It traveled far and wide till it came upon a mighty hill from which a small pool and spring had welled up out of the earth. This was the Secret Well of Eternity, who’s waters, original blood of the perished daughter of the all-Mother, cascaded down into a great cataract that in turn formed rivulets and finally a wide and mighty River of Time called Avalyr, who’s travels through the glades created the span of time and events that commanded the worlds and the planets, suns and moons, and sustained Phantaia and all living things. For, its flow, also set in motion events and controlled the movement of Time. Ma-rael returned to his Father and the Maker was pleased, so he changed the bird into an angel, whose form and light and presence was given special powers. Then he said unto him “you will be my messenger for all time”. And Ma-rael was grateful, and returned to the hill and from then on tended to the young tree that the Maker in time planted for the Gomi Children, and conveyed the messages from the Maker to the Gomi of the love of the Maker and his Purpose for All Things in Phantaia.
In time other Gomi were given form, deriving their presence in their purpose. Hynkirk, the Great White Stag of the Forest, Maru, the Mole, Ollam, the Owl who every night sat upon the limbs of Celebreava, . But of these most powerful was Ravashima, a great Golden and Electrum dragon, who’s wings beat every night, causing gusts of winds through the forest, who’s eyes shone out as the brightest of planets down upon Phantaia, and who’s breath created vast storms that rained down and sustained the Forests of Phantaia. In time Ravashima slept under the foot of The Maker , cruelly chained to the doorsteps of the Halls of Eternity.
It is the story of Ravashima that must be told, for in the heart of this beast chaos rolled in all-consuming black holes that sought in secret to devour all things, for its core was not the same as the other Gomi, but made from the heart of the Great All-Mother of the Cosmos, who’s only purpose was to devour all things, consume all light and return all things to their origin, which is Eternal Nothingness. It is this dark shadow within the beast, that was originally a slave to The Great Mother, she who bore The Maker. So, it hates him and strove to devour the Forest of Phantaia in time. But in fact, it is known, that The Maker created the dragon from two Gomi beasts, one of his own making, Shavalima, the White Hawk of Light and Creation, and the evil Ramaratha, Black Wyrm of Shadow, who from out the secret catacombs of his Mother’s Heart had come, a gift to the Universe, sent to consume all that Is, and return it to her as a nothingness and empty void. He it is said was designed to purge all the Forest back to its original form by devouring it piece by piece. So, at the edge of the forest, it spent its days eating away at the roots and cliffs of Phantaia, working his way inward slowly, and would do so, until nothing was left but an intrepid, inky void behind him.
Because of this, The Maker, defying his Mother’s Will, sent Shavalima the White Hawk to battle the Serpent, for it was destroying the beautiful Forest he so loved. A terrible battle erupted between them, and a great struggle between the powers of light and darkness ensured, and all the Gomi fled to the steps of the Halls of Eternity and Time before the Maker’s presence. The Maker then rose up and confronted the beasts and with a wave of his hand, brought the battle to an end. But he commanded that they become as one creature, so their hearts and minds and bodies were merged together as one. But the Maker paid a terrible price, for to bind them, he had to give his most precious asset, his forward-seeing left eye to the serpent, which gave him the power to know the future. In this the Serpent commanded, “I will go be as one, if you will give me your eye, so that I may know your true purpose and will”. From this union a creature of Light and Shadow was born, and this beast was Ravashima, a horrible Dragon, forever bound to both Light and Darkness, yet now a loyal servant of Him. So, the Universe was at peace, until the day that Bala freed the beast and let loose upon the World the Powers that would be the Doom of All that Was and Would be.
Yet the beast remained a servant to The Maker and did his will. Each night the creature would roam the forest. To sustain his desire for creation and devouring, he would rain life-giving waters upon the forest from his great mouth. But as darkness fell, he too would drink from the River of Time and take from it its precious waters at the Sacred Pool, which fed the White Tree from that source. THis unquenchable thirst would not be satiated and would doom the Forest in time. In fear the servants of The Maker, the Gomi, cried out before the Maker. So he took the beast and forged a mighty chain and bound it to a great rock on the top of the mighty peak overlooking the forest. There Ravashima could travel and fly over the heavens and create mighty cosmic storms, but yet not reach the River of Time nor Celebreava, the White Tree and the Sacred pool of Eternity that held its precious waters that were the source of all Time. For this he suffered unbearable agony and pain. Yet the precious waters were preserved, and sustained Time itself and all the creatures of the forest. Those Waters it was said were the All-Mother’s daughters life-blood, the eternal twin to Ramaratha. And his black heart sought to drink from her life force eternally.
The Maker, then returned to great task of building the Halls of Eternity, for coming soon would be a child. And he soon would seek his Father. So, The Maker began the task, as did many of his servants, of preparing a great city for his Children, upon the very edge of the Timeless Passages that in secret found their way by that Lonely River to his Sacred House.
He then turned to Ma-rael, and said “soon a precious child will be born of the One Tree, a Child of the Forest. His name will be given unto you, as Aman. And you shall raise him as your own, and in time he shall know of me and find his way to my Halls. And he shall bring Great Things and Joy to All. For unlike all things under me, he shall be Free.” And Ma-rael was amazed by this revelation and did not understand, and knew not what it meant but prepared the Gomi and the creatures of Phantaia for the coming of the Forest Boy.
