//------------------------------//
// On The Origin Of Beasts 
// Story: The Equestrian Sagas 
// by DmitriTheWriter 
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It was the Golden Age of Creation, and as of yet no beasts roamed the Earth, no fowl flew in the skies, and no fish swam in the oceans. The Earth was barren and devoid of all life. The gods saw to it that creatures be made to fill the world so that they may call upon their names and their rule over Creation may be supported.



And so it was that bountiful Gaia begat unto the world a son. His form was like that of an ox, but he was leaner with a long, thick neck, and skin plated with scales like those of a mighty dragon. His every step brought thunder to the earth, yet his willowy legs brought regal grace wherever he walked. He was as tall as the mountains, with a tail firm and long like a mighty tree. He was to be the mightiest of beasts, king and father to all lesser beasts that creepeth upon the Earth, and so he was rightly named Behemoth.

The might of Behemoth is such that his roar causes all beasts of the land that hath ears to tremble and bow. He is calm and gentle with his subjects, however, choosing only to eat the leaves off the trees and the grass that the bountiful Gaia provideth for him. He wandereth the Earth in a great desert to the south, accompanied by Harmony the Specter at his side, and there he shalt remain until the end of days.



Afterwards, swift-footed Aeolus called out to the winds and unto them gave a son, and his name was Ziz. Ziz is the king of all fowl that fly on the winds, and the rocs are his progeny. When his feet touch the Earth, his beak can kiss the heavens, and his wings unfurled can block the light of the sun. He flieth in the celestial spheres between the planets, roosting and laying his eggs where he may. When one of his eggs is rotten, Ziz casteth them out into the heavens, so that the Sun may incinerate them with its glory; we have given these eggs the name of comets.



Fiery-eyed Helios, seeing Ziz soaring about in the heavens, saw to it to create fowl of his own made of fire and light, and so, the majestic Phoenix was born. Phoenix was of the form of other fowl in the skies, except his flesh and feathers were crafted of fire, and his eyes crafted of light. He built for himself a kingdom upon the face of the Sun, and his kingdom was prosperous, because Helios had willed it so.

One day, one of the sons of the majestic Phoenix died, and for him the kingdom wept. There it came to pass that a group of phoenixes sneered at their king and mocked his departed son rather than mourn him in an act of foolishness, provoking the ire of Phoenix. "Why do you mock me so?" shouted the majestic Phoenix. "Why, when one of your own has died, do you choose to mock and jeer?" They had no answer, for really there was no answer for what they had done. And so it was that the majestic Phoenix cast them from the light of the Sun, cursing them with silence and eternal death for their insolence, and thereafter they became known as the earthly phoenixes.



Finally, the sweet Okeanos begat unto the world a daughter, and her name was Cetus. Gentle Cetus had the form of a great whale, and ruled the creatures of the ocean fairly and justly.

The gentle Cetus soon begat unto the oceans a son and daughter of her own, and their names were Kanaloa and Leviathan. Kanaloa's form is that of any fish in the waters that he chooseth to take, but most often he taketh the form of an octopus. He is the father to most creatures of the oceans, and most ocean creatures revere him as the greatest among them. When he may, he gazeth at the stars and planets in the heavens and divineth the future according to their whims, to no one's benefit but his own.

Fierce Leviathan is truly one of the most powerful beasts to call Creation its home. Her coils are numerous, and uncoiled she is seven leagues in length. In form she is like a serpent, who speweth forth mighty columns of fire from her maw, igniting the skies with her awesome power. In demeanor she is like a demon, and in physical strength like a god. 

Cetus and Leviathan, though mother and child, bore enmity with one another, for though Cetus was gentle and loving, Leviathan was brash and hostile, with no care for the benevolent rule of her mother. And lo, it was that Leviathan slew her mother the gentle Cetus, and exiled her brother Kanaloa to the island which bears his name. When nothing remained of Cetus but bone, she begat unto the world a son, and with him produced her progeny, the lesser leviathans of the oceans. The sweet Okeanos began to weep, for her only daughter was dead and her beautiful oceans had been taken captive by the monsters of the seas.

The other gods took heed of the grieving of Okeanos and the upheaval in the oceans, and with haste took up arms. But, as the fierce Leviathan swam in the depths of the seas, they could not reach her. It was then that fiery-eyed Helios had an idea. "Hear me, siblings, for this is what we shall do! We shall make a ball of packed earth, a thousand cubits wide, and infuse our blood into it, to lure fierce Leviathan to the surface!" 

And so it was that the gods crafted the perfect bait with earth and blood. Fiery-eyed Helios flew out over the navel of the world, the deepest part of the ocean, and with this bait cast his mighty line into the sea. Leviathan tugged at the bait, and with her world-shaking might nearly dragged fiery-eyed Helios to the depths of the darkness to be nothing more than a speck in the waters. Helios held fast, though, and reeled fierce Leviathan's form to the surface of the waves.

Fiery-eyed Helios drew forth his blazing sword Iliakos and swung at the fearsome serpent, but fierce Leviathan's scales were far too strong to be broken. Helios and Aeolus grappled with her with all of their divine might, but still Leviathan remained unharmed. It was then that sweet Okeanos glided across the surface of the waves to meet fierce Leviathan, carrying her spear Almyros with her, and pierced the monster in the eye, where it had not its resilient armor. And lo, fierce Leviathan bellowed with rage and agony, and in turn sweet Okeanos bellowed with scorn in her heart to the serpent thus: "Thou damned serpent, thou plague upon my seas! Thou, who stole my beloved and only daughter gentle Cetus from me, shalt with her hence follow!" A blue light soon after engulfed the seas and the gods themselves with its glory. When the light faded, neither sweet Okeanos nor her progeny the fierce Leviathan could be seen, for they were at the bottom of the oceans, never to be seen again until the end of all things. And the gods began to weep, for one of their own was lost.

The gods proceeded to hunt and slay the lesser leviathans of the seas and them back to the depths from whence they were conceived, never to see the sun's light again, for such is the way of monsters. Dismiss ye not fierce Leviathan herself, however, for she liveth still, and dwelleth at the navel of the world where dead souls go to be reborn, waiting to devour hapless souls and damn them to eternal oblivion. So be vigil, and search for the gentle and guiding light of Okeanos if ye wish to be reborn.

And so it was that there were beasts upon the earth, and fish in the oceans, and fowl in the skies, and the gods saw that it was good.