The Serpent's Curse

The Lord God said to the serpent, 

'Because you have done this, 

cursed are you above all livestock, 

and above all beasts of the field; 

On your belly you shall go, 

and dust you shall eat, 

all the days of your life. 

I will put enmity between you and the woman, 

and between your offspring and her offspring; 

he shall bruise your head, 

and you shall bruise his heel.

Genesis 3:14-15

Within the context of Eldwan, Alero's motivations have always seemed nobler to me than Lucifer's but now I am not so sure. In the course of developing Eldwan, I have made the story not just about human characters struggling through the contradictions they are faced with, but also about the greater powers that be in the subcreation. I claim no knowledge of the nature of angels or spirits in this world, but within Eldwan I am free to define them as I will. 

As I last told it, in the creation of Eldwan, Eleyon sets up the garden of Elin with two chalices in its centre, the chalice of energy and the chalice of ether. As humanity matures, the chalice of energy is made freely open to us, but the chalice of ether remains off limits

Alero's main point of contention with Eleyon is that the prohibition on the chalice of ether is unnecessary, especially for his most capable students. When he encourages his disciples to rebel, he does so because he believes that he is doing so for their best interests.

Side note, but come to think of it, a fruit is a far more potent symbol than an artificial chalice. A fruit is a natural creation, that bears that signature of the masterful creator, that unreplicable complexity that is life. A chalice is something made by human hands, and is not primal. The notion of a fruit of a tree is a fundamental symbol in our world. I feel conflicted about whether I should change the chalices to another object, at least one that is natural, or biological. Though, once I apply those restrictions as well as the sentiment that animals were not given yet as food, there are not really many options left but a fruit of some sort. 

Alero never intended for him and humanity to be at odds. Though the whole of Eldwan's age of light, he works with humanity to help them achieve their apotheosis, through the Luminosa. He is frustrated by the frailty and imperfections that he observes, but he chooses to believe in his obstinacy that humanity is better off without Eleyon and in a space where they can define their own reality. 

At the end of the age of light, Alero's conviction is shaken, because in spite of anything, he cannot find out what they are missing that prevents them from being like Eleyon. Luminosan society has imploded, and Alero finds himself in a state where he is analysing the whole situation, unsure of what went wrong. Eleyon gives him a chance to return to the fold, but Alero still feels that Eleyon must be the one standing in the way of his success, and rejects the invitation. Alero blames Eleyon for the destruction of the Luminosa, but deep within himself he wonders if his original purpose was misguided.

When Alaris is rejuvenated, Alero gets a taste of rejection for himself, and in a selfish anger, he determines that he will be the one to humble the new gods. By the end of the age of water, Alero has decided anew about the nature of humanity. Eleyon has not made them too good, he has made them too flawed, and Alero makes it his new mission to prove to Eleyon that humanity is capable of atrocities so debauched that they are not worth the saving, not worth Eleyon's concern. At the heart of this is an unwillingness to accept the blame for the disharmony he has caused. The culpability Alero throws is not on himself, but on the nature of man, and on Eleyon himself. 

This is the point of resonance between the mythos of Eldwan and the curious statement: 'I will put enmity between you and the woman.' The statement as a punishment seems in a way to imply the converse, that prior to the fall, the serpent had not intended for himself and humanity to be at odds. This point has many areas worth speculating about, such as the extent to which Lucifer understood the effects of sin and the ultimate destruction that would await before he tempted the man and woman, or the kind of relationship that the serpent had with the man and the woman before the fall. At least in my mythos, Alero is unaware. But like Alero, Lucifer is not omniscient.

Before Alero tempts those who will become the fallen, he declares his intentions in the city of the gods, and a third of the wevel agree with him and they are all cast out of the city. Oleri is Michael in this scenario, embodying justice and truth. On that note, Uleva will be linked to the other side of the equation, namely agape and grace. Eleyon watches everything that happens with the quiet knowledge that rebellion must be allowed to run its course. Ilvesu tries to conceal her own guilt for having poisoned the chalice, or perhaps now, the tree of ether.

The first rebellion must have been the subtlest of things, or at least I feel that it should be. Borne out of pride indeed, but pride manifests under many disguises. Yet rebellion is rebellion indeed, stark against the holy perfection of God.

The second part of the curse then comes into play, and in the age of Kings, as Alero revels in his new purpose, he begins to see that Ilvesu, Lady Wisdom, has curiously been assigned to a particular group of people. They do not seem too different, or exceptional, but she is tasked to them for now. Remembering that his destruction will come through the ever contentious nature of humanity,  Alero begins to watch in growing apprehension about what Eleyon is planning through his chosen family, and resolves to try and destroy them in particular. The rest is history. 

I don't really know where this idea will take me, but to incorporate it into the shifting tapestry of Eldwan's history is a way I could give it voice and a canvas without infringing on dictating the nature of this reality.