Clandestine Echoes

As I was drafting the previous post, I happened to read through liber primus of Ovid's Metamorphoses. I wish I could understand the latin original more smoothly, but I haven't been practicing Lingua Mater very regularly over the last few weeks and poetic syntax is such a barrier to my rudimentary comprehension abilities. So for both our sakes, here is the link to an English translation.

The most interesting correlation was between the four created Wevel and the four elements of Ovid, which I never intended, but have somehow been forced into establishing. The Wevel were initially conceived as spiritual governors of the four fundamental forces, Alero - Electromagnetism, Ilvesu - Gravity, Oleri - Weak Nuclear, Uleva - Strong Nuclear. Of course, over time, they accrued a whole lot of other associations, which ranged from the emotional and temperamental to the racial and locative. Now, in writing the creation of Eldwan anew, I find myself writing in such a way that the Wevel align fairly well with the elements of Ovid's creation. This leads to an odd mish-mash of pagan ideas with biblical ideas. My more conservative side rebels against the blend of oil and water, but I have to add that Tolkien did something similar with Arda and that went brilliantly. I suppose the key is to emphasise the ultimate authority of the initial creator.

Reading Ovid's epic, the passage that leaped out to my imagination was this :

Then earth from air, and seas from earth were driv'n, 

And grosser air sunk from aetherial Heav'n. 

Thus disembroil'd, they take their proper place;

The next of kin, contiguously embrace; 

And foes are sunder'd, by a larger space. 

The force of fire ascended first on high, 

And took its dwelling in the vaulted sky: 

Then air succeeds, in lightness next to fire; 

Whose atoms from unactive earth retire. 

Earth sinks beneath, and draws a num'rous throng 

Of pondrous, thick, unwieldy seeds along. 

About her coasts, unruly waters roar; 

And rising, on a ridge, insult the shore.

I had wanted to associate each of the Wevel with a particular realm before, and perhaps one of the Aristotelian senses, but this passage cemented the elemental parallels in my imagination. I'll give the main alignments of each of the Wevel systematically.

Alero

Fundamental: Electromagnetism
Drive: Curiosity, Exploration

Regional: The High Heavens, space beyond the atmosphere

Classical Element: Fire
Sensory: Eyes, Sight

Ilvesu
Fundamental: Gravitation
Drive: Prudence, Reflection
Regional: The Deep, the seas and subterranean reaches of the earth
Classical Element: Water
Sensory: Ears, Auditory and Vestibular

Oleri
Fundamental: Weak Nuclear
Drive: Isolation, Originality
Regional: The Skies, the earth's atmosphere
Classical Element: Air
Sensory: Nose, Smell

Uleva
Fundamental: Strong Nuclear
Drive: Interaction, Cooperation
Regional: The Land, the land surfaces of the earth
Classical Element: Earth
Sensory: Tongue, Taste

It might be worth reinterpreting Metamorphoses, or its counterpart in the incorporated fabric of Eldwan, as a corrupted retelling of the associations of the Wevel and their domains, rather than as the Wevel being strictly tethered to whatever pseudoscientific associations that Empedocles' quartet has accrued. The Eldwanian Greeks are supposed to be descended from the Alarians after the Deluge, so that would also make sense. Thus the Eldwanian creation myth I published in the last post would be an odd meld such that the biblical creation and hellenistic creation myths would both be its derivatives, either embellishing as in the case of Ovid, or withholding information, as in the case of Genesis.

An Overview of Eldwanian History - The Creation

New information calls for new incorporations, or at least a decision over what to borrow and what to leave aside for Eldwan. Those of you who have read the series of Resolving Genesis posts probably know what is coming. This is a revised account of the creation of Eldwan, with more detail and commentary on the symbolism involved.

CISEL

Eleyon is and time began. In the stillness of the ether, contemplating the form of his existence, Eleyon formed within himself three persons, and in such a mutual comprehension he has remained since. Encountering nothing else in the etheric void, Eleyon creates Alero and Ilvesu in paired harmony, shortly followed by Uleva and Oleri. Eleyon named the four created spirits and himself the Yevel, the wills of ether, and all was in accord.

Then Eleyon wove strands of energy, fluid and fine, from the ether and set them into a grand tapestry. Threads interweaving and braiding into plexi, a plane of energy was formed on the vast cosmic loom. Eleyon now breathed life into the fabric, commanding it to teem with consciousness. So it was that the souls were formed, and Eleyon named them the Wevel, the wills of energy, and all was in accord.

Then Eleyon began to knot threads of energy into the dust of the world, aided by the other Yevel and Wevel, and the cosmos grew heavy with matter. Ilvesu gathered the substance into one place, and the Yevel and Wevel did hover above the surface of the mass. The dense sphere Eleyon named the earth and gave dominion of the deep to Ilvesu, and all was in accord.

Then Eleyon told Alero to bring light into the world, and so Alero did. Eleyon separated the light from the darkness. The light Eleyon named the day and darkness he named the night. Eleyon gave the rule of the heavens to Alero. Now there was evening and morning; the first day, and all was in accord.

Then Eleyon told Oleri to shape the firmament, separating substance from substance, and so Oleri did. Eleyon named the firmament the sky and gave dominion of the airs to Oleri. Now there was evening and morning; the second day, and all was in accord.

Then Eleyon told Uleva to gather the substance below the sky, and to let dry land appear, and so Uleva did. Eleyon named the dry land the ground, the gathered substance he named the seas and gave dominion of the ground to Uleva. Then Eleyon spoke to some of the Wevel and worked with them to make the ground and the sea bring forth grass, herbs and trees, each bearing seeds according to their own kinds. Now there was evening and morning; the third day, and all was in accord.

Then Eleyon told Alero, Ilvesu, Oleri and Unavo to fasten lights in the expanse of the heavens, to mark the passing of the days, months and years, and to give light to the earth below, and so the Yevel did. The Yevel crafted two great lights, the greater to mark the day and the lesser to mark the night. Stars they also made. Now there was evening and morning; the fourth day, and all was in accord.

Then Eleyon told more of the Wevel to let the seas be filled with living creatures, and the sky be filled with winged birds, and so these Wevel did. They brought forth fishes and beasts of waters in thousands of forms and sizes, and winged birds in the air, each producing young according to their own kinds. Now there was evening and morning; the fifth day, and all was in accord.

Then Eleyon told the last of the Wevel to let the land be filled with living creatures, walking or creeping over the ground, and so these Wevel did. They brought forth beasts of the wild and beasts of the field, and things that creeped over the ground, each producing young according to their own kinds. Finally Eleyon himself made man and woman, and when they were made, Eleyon granted dominion of the plants, the creatures of the sea, air and land to them. He blessed them and told them that all the green plants were given as sustenance, to subdue the earth with kindness and wisdom, and to be fruitful and multiply. Now there was evening and morning; the sixth day, and all was in accord.

Then Eleyon looked at all he had brought into being, and he was glad that all was in accord. Thus were the heavens and the earth completed in all their fullness. On the seventh day, Eleyon rested from what he had done, blessing it and sanctifying it, for it was a day when all the Yevel and Wevel rested.