Dragon Song

Creation Myth revisited.

Once in time before time grew wings, when time still had a body - there was a dragon.

The dragon was all the colors of earth and sky and air and water. To see one of the scales of Dragon's coat you would see every flicker of the spectrum in one moment. More than the eye could process, more than the heart could hold in one breath. And so people would breathe deeply - once, twice, three times to catch every shade.

And the colors on Dragon's scale - they sang to people. They sang songs of places the people had never seen.

They sang songs of things that exited in the before time - before time walked this plane, before - when Dragon's call was all sound.

It is said that Dragon actually created this world. That it was his call, his song that made the first spark, the first flare that brought life into the darkness and from that light as it married the darkness - like sun and moon and night and day - from that spark came the seed of the earth.

Oh you who think the earth is not a sentient being then let me tell you of this time and of the great story that Dragon tells of when the earth first gave sound to itself. Earth sang within itself the song of making and planted seeds then birthed them to new life upon its surface.

Dragon saw as he cradled the earth in his own belly. Around the earth he spread, held her close to him for his warmth and when needed when ice covered every inch of the earth - he breathed gently upon it until the ice dissolved and once again the earth stood free.

It is said the Dragon's Song was something to remember, something to be known. And when people saw Dragon's scales with myriad colors flashing they had to take deep breaths - each person then held a piece of Dragon Song.

You can imagine when the Dragon passed over all these people on mthe Earth and the Earth was singing its seeds to life. And Dragon's scales shown beneath the sun or beneath the moon depending on the time of day or night that there was a symphony of sound in the world.

People raised their voices in harmony to sing the tone that was theirs.

I have said that there was darkness before Dragon sang the light.

I have said that as if the darkness went away, as if the darkness were no longer.

And I will tell you that we have come to believe that darkness is bad or evil and light is good or sacred. But the truth of it is that in everything that exists there is the light and the shadow. And it is how we use that energy that denotes how it will be in our lives.

And so it was that there were those, who walked in what they called light, who said that Dragon was of the darkness. For wasn't it true that Dragon came from the Void and that one song he sang was the only thing he had to give to the light. And now that had taken its course it was time!

Do you see?

Do you see how they could not hear Dragon's song?

That when they saw Dragon pass overhead or land in the field at the edge of forever - they saw only one color. They heard nothing.

And so it was they drew whispers to them, drew shadows 'round them until they made of Dragon something to be feared.

And even then - even then - as adults began to lose their contact with Dragon's Song, as they lost the tone that was theirs for life - the children, the children could see what the adults could not.

And so the children would come to see Dragon. They would sing out! And their tones would mingle with Dragon's Song and with the Earth's cry and the heavens and the waters and the air above us. And it truly was the most beautiful thing to hear.

~ Song ~

We have known enough violence in our lives to know what comes next.

One who knew magics of the Earth world - the herbs - the light and dark of Earth, mixed a brew that could fell Dragon. But always there is some sense of balance. And so it was at the last moment that Mother Earth pulled from those herbs their strength so Dragon would only sleep.

And when Dragon plummetted to the Earth she opened and cradled Dragon to her belly as Dragon had once cradled her. And she surrounded it with warmth and with the richest gems within her.

"To you, my Father," she said, "I give this place to sleep and rest until the Earth above and those who live upon it may see you as you are.

And so it was Dragon slept for time.

He slept for time and time passed on and went from a corporeal body to an idea.

And as things upon the Earth''s surface moved faster and time grew wings - the Dragon slept.

He dreamt oh so many things. He thought he heard the children sing to him again and he bugled one tone after another to let them know that he was still there.

In his dreams they danced with him in that field on the edge of forever.

As comes from all misuse if is powered eventually the Earth began to feel shifts caused by energies used against her. And so there were cataclysms.

Some are just the process of growth. Others - others were the result of neglect and willful damage.

And so there were places where the Earth cracked. Places where the fire from her belly spewed out. And in one of those spaces Dragon was shaken awake.

In that one moment what he felt was his child, the Earth - the seed he had planted, the song he had sung was endangered. He leapt from his place of sleep without fully weakening to flow out into the air above Earth.

And what he saw, what he saw startled him for the sound was not the symphony he remembered. Now there were harsh bleeps and bluds. Beneath it he still heart that sweet song of making and seed planting of Earth, but above he could not hear it fully.

He saw the children laughing the belly laughs he knew of old. In that sweet song he heard possibility and hope.

Then he heard the adults - the smack of a hand, the kick of a foot, the roaring of rage uncontrolled.

Dragon found within himself that same rage. But he would not express it as the humans did.

And so he circled higher and higher.

And from that place he sang a song of his rage. His scales went from myriad colors of all possibility to dark, single monotones. Mismatched in places, colors colliding...as he sang the song of his rage at what now sat upon the Earth,

He was so high above the Earth that ice began of I flow between his talons.

He felt ice between the ridges down his back.

He felt ice begin to spread between his scales.

And just when he thought he would not be able to bear anymore a tone reached him - all the way,

Far up in the sky, hidden by the sun of day, a small star sang.

~ SONG ~

"You are not forgotten," she said, "oh Mighty One, my Brother. You are not forgotten, Beloved Brother."

And Dragon felt the ice fall away.

He felt the rage begin to ground down so he could think again.

And he sang back to Sister Star.

~ SONG ~

"Beloved, beloved mine, you shine for me."

And so they began to sing a duet of beauty and love. I've - forgotten things that both shared from the time of darkness to the present.

As they sang their song winnowed down to the Earth and there were those who heard the tone that was theirs. Those that heard began to sing their tone back and from the Earth. There rose pockets of beauty and grace.

And the balance began again.

Reviews

[emmajoy]

Hope to read yet more work from you, soon

[emmajoy]

What a wonderful - though in places tragic, myth-like tale. Seems to come from a leather-bound and dusty old tome lying in a forgotten room! Cl;osed my eyes now and again, repeating words, trying to make pictures in my mind:- ' But always there is some sense of balance. And so it was at the last moment that Mother Earth pulled from those herbs their strength so Dragon would only sleep. ~~ And when Dragon plummetted to the Earth she opened and cradled Dragon to her belly as it had once cradled her. And she surrounded it with warmth and with the richest gems within her. '

A truly fascinating, occasionally sad, yet gloriously optimistic post.

[A. Amos]

Compelling and enjoyable read. Well done!

[Amelia Birch]

This is lovely, which culture is it from originally?