From: Clay Luther (clay@cool.vortech.com)
Date: Tue 05 Oct 1993 - 22:32:57 EET
Pendress told us this tale.
Long ago, the Sun and the Moon shared the sky together. But the Sun was cruel and mean to his wife and her family and she fell out of love with him and fled his house. She hid in her mother's house, where the Sun was forbidden to come. The Sun became angry and proclaimed she was not welcome in his house again. But he still loved his wife and he wished to see her again. He searches for her now, begging forgiveness for the pain he caused her. He calls her name as he searches the sky for her. And though she hides in her mother's house, sometimes she follows behind him unseen, yearning to touch him, but still hating the cruel things he said and did to her and her family. Sometimes his callings to her embarrass the Moon and she blushes red. When the sun goes home, she wanders the night sky alone and weeping, her face sad. Sometimes, a tear falls from her face to the earth, brilliant green and red and blue. Sometimes she stays in the sky too long, and the Sun catches a glimpse of her and races to greet her, but she always slips away before he can reach her. During the day, the Moon sits next to her mother's fire, weeping. Her mother, saddened by a daughter's pain, collects the tears and weaves them into her cloak.
The Sun and the Moon are very sad, and all Heaven weeps for their pain.
The Tale of How The Sun Marries the Moon
One day while the Sun was traveling through his father's orchard he became hungry. He reached into a tree and plucked down an apple and ate it. He sat beneath the tree and ate the apple and soon fell asleep. His father set down his torch, which lit the orchard, and went inside to rest. Lady Dark awoke and unfolded her cloak and went for her nightly stroll. When the Sun woke, he saw that it was night and was afraid, for he was far out in the orchard and it was very dark. Then he saw a bright red lamp wandering through the trees and he followed it. He crept through the trees and saw two figures, one tall and terrifying, the Lady Dark herself, cloaked in black, and a beautiful red-headed girl next to her, carrying a silver lantern. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, more beautiful even than his glorious mother. Her face was white as alabaster and her hair was straight red strands and she wore, like her mother beside her, a cloak of darkness. She carried a little lantern that cast a warm red glow before her to light her way. Overcome he stepped out from behind a tree and said "Fairest lady and my Aunt Dark, please forgive this intrusion, but I must know this maiden's name for I think she is the most beautiful creature in the world." And Darkness said to the Sun, "Youngster, you see before you my daughter Moon, whom I am bringing to your father's house this evening." The Sun bowed to the young girl, saying, "Oh Fairest Damsel, Beautiful Moon, I would guide you through the night to my father's house, if you would honor me." And purest Moon blushed, for no young man had ever spoken so kindly to her, and she was taken with the Sun's golden hair and his sparkling eyes and his warm words. She said, "I think I might go with you, young boy, if my mother permits." And Lady Dark nodded her head and said, "It is so, I think." and permitted the Sun to guide them to the king's house. When they arrived, Darkness hung her cloak and the king woke and lit his torch and morning came early that day. A feast was called, and Lady Dark introduced fairest Moon to the king and the queen, who both agreed she was very beautiful and welcome in their house. When the players came, the Sun stepped forward to the Moon and asked to dance, and she accepted. While they danced, he asked "Fair Moon, why do you carry that lamp for your mother?" And she replied, "Sometimes she wishes company on her long walks, and on those nights I go with her. I take my lamp, which my father gave me, for comfort and warmth." And the Sun replied, "My father has a great torch which burns very bright, lighting the whole world if he wishes. It so pleases my mother that he warms her with it, and she produces many wonderful things in its light. The seeds for my father's orchard were made by my mother, and she makes many other beautiful things, as you well know." And Moon said, "Oh, I would so much like to see your father's torch, for it sounds more glorious and wonderful than my little lamp." But the Sun grew sad, "My father has forbidden that. He says the torch is dangerous and powerful. Perhaps, he says, one day I will get to hold it, but for now he keeps it locked in the high tower. Each morning he alone climbs the tower and lights the torch and each evening he douses it and climbs down again." The Moon grew sad, and when the Sun saw her face, he felt sad, too, saying, "Please don't cry. If you really want to see it, we can climb the tower tonight together while my father sleeps and I will show it to you." So together that night, after the king and queen went to sleep and Lady Dark went for her stroll, the Sun and the Moon climbed the stairs, with only her lamp to guide them. In the high tower, they found the torch, still hot and smoky from its day-long burning. "I know not how my father lights it." said the Sun, but the Moon replied, "Let us use some of the fire from my lamp!" She held her lamp to the torch and it immediately sprang to fire. So brilliant was the flame that they covered their eyes and backed away. Then, uncontrolled, the fire grew and its light shot out of the tower and across the world. The light grew brighter and brighter. Poor Lady Dark, who liked the night, was caught in the hot light and burned before she could run back to the king's house. She screamed, "Curse upon you, Foul King, for lighting your accursed torch and spoiling my stroll! Look at my cloak, it is all burned and holed!" This awoke the king and he replied, "I did not light the torch, mistress!" and he ran to the tower. At the door, he found the Sun and the Moon, who flung themselves at his feet. Spoke the Sun, "Oh father! I am a fool! I lit your torch to show it to young Moon, who so wanted to see it, but its fierce fire scared me and I ran away!" The king bellowed, "Oh my foolish son! What have you done? Did I not tell you to wait? Now the torch burns wild and my orchard will wither!" Then the king ran into the chamber and grabbed the torch, but so fierce was its flame that he was burned to the bone, but he put it out and twilight fell. He fell to the floor and cried, "My son! Come to me, I am burned and I die!" And the Sun came to his father's side and cried for the burns were terrible indeed. And the king spoke, "My son, I die, and you now must carry the torch for me. Your foolish deed has destroyed my wondrous orchard and many of your mother's works as well. You must take the torch and keep it. You must go into the world and fix the damage you have wrought here today." And then the Old King died. Then Lady Dark spoke "Young fool, you have killed my brother and burned me in the process! No more shall you be welcome in my home, careless nephew! No more shall I speak to you on good terms!" Then she stretched out her hand for her daughter to come, but the Moon said, "I cannot go with you mother, for I am to blame for torch being lit, not young Sun. He only wished to please me. No, I will stay with him and help him rebuild what we together have destroyed." Then the Moon and the Sun took the torch from the tower and went to the queen and asked for a sack of her finest seeds, which she gave them, and together they left the old king's house and traveled the across the world, toiling the land and replanting the orchard they had burned down together. So it was that the Sun married the Moon.
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Clay Luther clay@cool.vortech.com Macintosh Software Engineer Kodak Health Imaging SystemsYelo's gift was a necklace of clam shells from the Ouel Stream strung on gut string with a delicate knot of reeds which performed the role of pendant.
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