Origin of shadows myth by Mariah Pompa

Mariah Pompa

World mythology

4/15/17

Origin of Shadows

There was Darkness and Darkness alone, no beginning and no end. It was just one entity, whole and at peace. It wanted to expand, it wanted to create. With a reach beyond all it formed what would be Moons, planets, and asteroid belts.

It wanted to go further, to create something more than rock. Reaching further it touched one of its creations and in darkness it formed the rough bark of trees, dappled the coolness of water, and created the first exhale of wind. This new creation would be Earth and Darkness loved it.

Hearing the water rushing in the streams, the leaves fluttering in the wind, and the subtle turn as it spun.

It could feel all of its creations but it could not see them.

So Light was born.

A flash so bright it startled Darkness and it lost part of itself. That part fled to Earth, trying to hide from the Light. It divided and divided until it could hide under the trees. By now it was no longer an “it” but a “they”. Darkness became many and they feared the Light, the light that would be named fire and become the sun.

Its scorching light frightened them forcing them to seek shelter until Darkness first creation, The Moon, rose up shielding them.

The Moon was gentle where the Sun was aggressive, its gentle rays coaxing them out into what would be their realm, Night. They were free to roam Darkness creation and be one with Darkness once more but it wasn’t the same. They were divided, lost, they couldn’t be one any more. Darkness mourned the half it had lost to the Light. To try regaining some of that closeness Darkness created something else: Beings. These strange creatures of all shapes and sizes that walked, ran, swam, and flew.

These creatures filled the Earth giving its lost half something to explore, to cherish, and enjoy. Sadly this gift was not well received. The Darkness watched as the two legged creations approached its other half only to shriek in fear.

These two legged beings found a different source of comfort in light and loved the Sun, living off of its many gifts. They feared the dark because that is when Darkness other half roamed. They called Darkness other half, Shadows and in return the beings were called Sun dwellers. These Sun dwellers could not feel through the darkness like the shadows could and used fire to keep their fears at bay.

The realms of Light and Dark never crossed paths.

 Each group enjoyed the splendor of their own realm but curiosity was a part of the creation as it was the creator. The Shadows longed to see the world in the light without fear of the sun. They tried and tried but the sun was too strong, its rays too bright.

If a shadow stepped into the light it was so startled it would fall to the ground unable to get back up. They were thin and formless, unable to push back against the heavy rays of the sun. They were trapped. They tried hiding under rocks and leaves but they couldn’t move as freely as the sun dwellers did.

The Shadows did not give up hope for with curiosity came determination. They would keep trying until they found a way. 

One day a Shadow waited by the forests edge. They had spent time trying to walk in the sun like the others but failed all the same. They didn’t give up however and went back to the same spot every sun rise to try again. It was here that they saw a Sun dweller walk by the path every day. This gave them an idea.

At night the Shadow would follow the path to the sun dwellers village. They were still weary of the fire that lit up the huts at night but they watched the sun dwellers and realized they had their own troubles.

While the Shadows wanted mobility the sun dwellers wanted to stay put. They had huts, water, and fire all they could ever need but they didn’t have protection. The Shadows were free of fears, they didn’t grow weary with age, they could weather any storm, and hunger was never a problem. They fed from each other, becoming full on their shared love. The sun dwellers needed food to eat, a hut for shelter, and another sun dweller to produce more. Shadows could make more the same way Darkness had, by losing part of themselves.       

 This brought the shadow back to the task at hand: the sun dwellers needed protection, to protect their food, shelter, and themselves. The sun dwellers tried to stay out later but they never stuck it out long enough. They feared the darkness, unlike the shadows and lost their food to wolves, fled from the cold, and fought off the rare violent sun dweller.

This shadow had a solution now they only need convince the sun dweller to help them in return. The sun forced back the moon, conquering the horizon once more. Sure enough the sun dweller came down the path and the shadow called out to them.

“Sun dweller”

  The sun dweller was hesitant but came closer as that curiosity came back to play.

“What do you want Shadow?”

“I want to walk in the Sun but the light is too strong, help me and I will protect you when night comes”

   “How could I help you?”

“Shield me from the Sun with your body, I can hide behind you and follow you wherever you go”

“How do I know you won’t attack me when my back is turned?”

“I swear to the Darkness which I am from that I will not harm you and will protect you through the night”

So the deal was struck. The Shadow left the forests edge to stand behind the Sun dweller. For once the sun did not send them to the ground and they were free of its burning rays. Standing behind the sun dweller, the shadow followed their lead. Together they walked down the path into the sun dwellers village. Others immediately noticed the strange Shadow following one of their own and fled in fear until they reached the sun dwellers hut. As night fell the Shadow was able to leave their hiding place. The sun dweller grew frightened but didn’t leave their post. The memory of their promise filled them with hope.

The shadow held true to its promise, scaring away the terrors of the night one by one. The wolves held no quarrels with the shadows, the cold didn’t make them shrink, and the thieves could sense their otherworldly presence and fled to avoid them all together.

The sun dweller rejoiced!

From then on every day the sun dweller would walk to different places so the shadow could see the world in the light. When night fell the shadow would leave the sun dweller to sleep and protect them. Other sun dwellers were still frightened of the black mass that followed one of their own. The Shadow ignored their reactions and started to test its limits. It found that it could not reach beyond its sun dwellers reach nor walk further than its sun dwellers stride. This would not do with it being so big there had to be a solution. Slowly the Shadow took on the shape of their sun dweller until they fit together perfectly.

But this sun dweller was not the only one with fears. So little by little the first introduced a second, third, then fourth until the whole village had their own Shadow. Neither group feared the others realm any more. They all had protection and they had each other, forming a new bond of light and dark. Darkness was happy once more, all of its creations were content and working together.

This was truly not the case, for there were some Shadows did not wish to see the sun. They felt that the sun was a great evil for separating them from Darkness. They grew angrier when the sun dwellers favored the Sun and its gifts, making it their god instead of the Darkness that created them.

These Shadows would hide in the forests and play tricks on any who entered. They would scare them at night when the Shadows reigned supreme. They were not bound by the deal as the first two were. They could go where they wanted, scare who they wanted, and take on any shape they chose.

They remained on the outskirts of the village, always. They watched as the Sun dwellers grew into something bigger and further from what they had once been. They forgot that their shadows were alive, that they were protectors, that they were their eternal companions.  

They forgot where they came from but these shadows did not. They would remind these sun dwellers of the other worldly beings that roamed the earth. They would be what remains of the old world, of Darkness first creations, of the loss that Darkness itself had suffered.