Why moon and dawn are together

It is a story of forbidden love, of woven magic and of the reason why the moon follows the dawn when he ought not to....

   He was the moon god and she was the goddess of dawn--that was the problem, they couldn't be together. Everyone knew that. It was the basic law of nature and even the gods were reluctant to disturb nature’s perfect balance.

 

  ‘Iluminado and Dawn would never be together,’ they whispered.

 

  ‘The moon would never reach the dawn.’

 

  Even the distance between the two lovers was difficult to calculate, for it took the shape of time rather than length. The moon god, Iluminado was given a certain period of time when he was supposed to flash about his luminous cloak and light the earth just enough for the mortals to make out the difference between night and day.

 

  The sun god, Asolearse was given the duty of lighting the earth for the other half.

 

  Now, Asolearse loved his beautiful daughter, Dawn, who was still a child and needed a duty to be remembered by. He wanted to give her an important one so that the mortals would always look up to her. So he told her one day when she was 8000 years old (6 years in human age) "

 

  ‘My beautiful daughter, the fairest child, I give you the duty of waking up the world. May you rouse the mortals from their dreams with your mellow light.’

 

  And so it happened that the early part of the day, when the darkness vanishes, was named after her.

 

  But Dawn fell in love with Iluminado when she grew up. They never met or saw each other and yet she knew him through and through. Maybe it was because the fays had predicted that the daughter of sun would indeed love the moon, or it was because the angels had written songs about a forbidden love that would embellish the heavens. No one ever knew the reason and so I fail to provide one but I hope someday you would find that out. What I know is that Dawn loved Iluminado more than she loved anything else, even more than her next breath. She felt him the way she felt her own heart.

 

  Iluminado, on the other hand, had loved her from when he had first seen her on the day of her birth. Her gold eyes had mesmerized him.

 

  Asolearse had invited every god and goddess on Dawn’s birth, including the moon god whom he saw very rarely.

  That was the first time Dawn and Iluminado set eyes on each other--liquid gold looking into evening blue.

  But such was the tale of the two that they had eons and eons of distance between them--for the vastness, as I have told, needed to be measured in time rather than length.

 

 

  Once, Ciela, the goddess of the sky and Dawn’s mother, saw her weeping on the bank of the silver waters (one of the 5 rivers that drain the heavens).

  She had heard the angels and the gods whispering about Dawn and her secret lover. Gently, she asked her daughter--

 

  ‘My child, who is this secret lover for whom you weep this way?’

 

  Between sobs, Dawn said, ’Oh mother, it is the lover whom I can never see, yet I know him; it is the lover whom I can never hear, yet I feel him; and it is he who can never be mine, yet I am his already. It is Iluminado.’

 

  Ciela didn't know what to do. She loved her daughter and approved of her lover but she knew that all the other gods would condemn her and her daughter if they heard this, they won’t even spare Iluminado.

 

  So she told Dawn in a hushed tone, ‘My child, I control the sky and all the stars in it and so I give you the liberty to be with your lover.’

  Dawn looked up at her mother who continued speaking, ‘But my child, you two can be together only till the last star disappears and no more after that. He is the ruler of the night and rule he shall the night and not show his face during the day, you being the bringer of the day would bring the day and not show your face during the night or during the day. But when it is neither day nor night and when the stars have started to vanish would be the time you can see each other. Watch the stars wisely for when the last one disappears and it is the time for your father to arrive, you would have to look away and if you don’t, the gods would condemn you to the darkest places of hell.’

 

  Here Ciela paused and looked at her daughter for approval. At Dawn’s nod, she spoke again, ‘Mind you, my child, when the two of you are together no one, mortal or god, should see you together.’

 

  And so the tale goes that Iluminado and Dawn saw each other as the dawn arrived. But the two were completely opposite, one’s embark marked the other’s dismissal. They were like fire and water together, like heat and ice, like blooms and fall. And yet they continued loving each other for all eternity.

 

  As for the mortals, they had already felt for them after hearing the angels’ songs and whenever they saw the lovers together, they turned away and pretended otherwise.

 

   And so I tell you all, if on some peaceful morning you come across the moon and the dawn together, look away for they are courting each other. Cross your fingers and pray that no god ever sees them together.

 

                                                                                                                                              ***

Author's Note

I wish you liked the story. no offence meant to anyone if you think that mythologies should not be played with. I hate twisting mythologies myself but it is as my best friend, Sam says-legends die if you don't re-invent them.

Reviews

[Frieda P]

I don't usually read stories here but your title drew me in... I find the idea of the moon touching the dawn illuminating...

A warm blush of a love story on your page Moon, why not take poetic license with mythology, that's how it all started to begin with...

'I give you the duty of waking up the world'...awesome line, you woke mine up...

[Moonie]

Hahaha! Thanks for the lovely comment, Frieda! Your reviews would always be treasured by me. :))

[Frieda P]

Awh, you're a sweetheart, was my pleasure! :)

[Einstein Noodle]

Ms. Moonie! :) glad you have kept all your old stuff on the table ... look at all the love here my friend! ... even reviews from Frieda and Barley Girl .. both sadly off the air .. love and joy Moon glow!
E.

[Julie McCarthy (juliesp..]

Loved this
The title captivated me
Drew me in
X

[Jacob Clifford]

I've always had a soft spot for mythological stories. I really like how, instead of using the existing figures like Apollo or Helios or Ra, you use more original characters for the gods. This story feels like a real story one might hear in from a myth or legend. Very well done, and very creative.

[barleygirl]

You've done a great job of writing this with the simplistic telling of a parable. It sounds the way a myth sounds & your various characters are interestingly described & used to convey your lesson or conclusion. I very much like this collection of characters, but I'm used to the Native American point of view on these things. It's always interesting to get a different point of view. Your writing has a playfulness that makes this a fun read.

[Nicholas Shea]

I love your writing so much. You have SO much talent. I hope to see more you post in the future. Gorgeous words.

[Moonie]

Thank you very much, Nicholas!! 😀😀😀

[For Play]

Well done and worth pursuing. It does have a dreamy ambiance like good chocolate laced coffee.

[Moonie]

Thanks for the kind review! :)))
Glad you enjoyed!

[Ava gray]

it really nice!. your good at writing!

[Moonie]

Heyy...thanks for your lovely review!! :))

[Ava gray]

all goods you are a great writer

[KeithEBaucum]

You can write about anything you want to. I like this and we need new mythologies. Greek and Roman mythologies never sat well with me. I guess I like African Mythologies better. We should come up with new mythologies.

[Ardra]

wow... wonderful.... if stories could take breath away this one does...

’Oh mother, it is the lover whom I can never see, yet I know him; it is the lover whom I can never hear, yet I feel him; and it is he who can never be mine, yet I am his already. It is Iluminado.’

loved these lines... thanks for sharing this wonderful story .

[Moonie]

Thank you, Ria! I am thrilled that you liked it! :))

[Cyprian Van Dyke]

The title drew me to the story and had me from the beginning. I don't know much about mythology but the concept was truly entertaining. The story had a deep, poetic, Shakespeare's style depth to it that dared me to delve. Tyfs!