First Book of the Janee
“Being a True and Accurate Account of the Beliefs of the Janee, who are the First People and the Favoured of the Gods”
SECTION 1
1 Once there were Elder Gods. Or perhaps just one Elder God, 2 the supreme being who is the author of life and death. 3 He gestated himself inside the cosmic egg, developing in solitude, having no father or mother. 4 He cracked the egg, emerged and stood on the broken pieces, and realised that he was alone. 5 Wearying of the loneliness, he created the world from the pieces of the egg. 6 Then he shattered himself, creating the stars and all that is in the world from the shards of his body. 7 His last conscious act was to create the New Gods, fashioning them from fragments of his divine brain.
SECTION 2
1 The eight New Gods were Arawn, Qidra, D’Aad, Salaah, Oohm, Sahir, Jaadu and Razim. 2 With the world newly made, the New Gods took delight and began creations of their own.
SECTION 3
1 Qidra the God of Nature created all the animals and beasts of the land, air and waters, giving them life. 2 During his labours he was careful to guard his work, 3 making sure that Jaadu, the God of Evil, did not interfere. 4 Cautious though he was, 5 he did not notice the machinations of Sahir, the Goddess of Magic. 6 The Goddess of Hidden Crafts secretly infused some of Qidra’s works with her power, 7 and so the monstrous creatures were created, 8 of which the Great Dragons were her most glorious achievement.
SECTION 4
1 Oohm the God of Life created the humans, giving them life and soul. 2 He became mortal for a day and a night, 3 and spent the time walking along the shore-line of Lake Janee. 4 At dawn the next day, the God departed. 5 The trace of memory and essence that remained took shape and became humans. 6 While he dwelt there, he was careful to guard his work, 7 making sure that Sahir, Goddess of Magic, did not interfere. 8 Cautious though he was, 9 he did not notice the machinations of Jaadu, the God of Evil. 10 The God of Treachery secretly infused some of Oohm’s works with his influence, 11 and so fear, jealousy, lust and greed were created, 12 of which hatred was his most glorious achievement.
SECTION 5
1 In this way, the first people, the first creatures and the first beasts appeared on Tem. 2 The Old People built their homes on the shores of Lake Janee, 3 and just as they were descendants of the Gods, 4 and we their descendants, 5 every Janee has in him or her some aspect of the Divine.
SECTION 6
1 Jaadu and Sahir had brought about all that is 2 vengeful and malevolent, causing 3 decay and wrongness, 4 introducing the frost in winter and the 5 droughts of summer. 6 They inflicted pain and suffering on the creations of Qidra, 7 perverted the works of Oohm, 8 disrupted the accomplishments of Salaah, 9 mocked the integrity that D’Aad embodied, 10 created blood-lust in the followers of Razim and 11 hastened the hand of Arawn.
SECTION 7
1 While the first people slumbered, Qidra set about creating the star-filled heavens. 2 At first, his creatures had only the Moon to light up the night sky, 3 but then Qidra set in place a myriad of celestial lights, the stars, to act as companions and guides. 4 Their bright light displeased the Dark Grim God, and he desired one further corruption. 5 He challenged Sahir to perform the task he had in mind, using her vanity and conceit to ensure she would carry out his wish. 6 As Qidra lay resting after his great labour, Sahir sprang into the sky like a snake, and 7 in opposition to the stars brought forth dark seething masses, parts of her own body with volition of their own. 8 The stars were consumed, and in their place, 9 she left the planets, to wander chaotically in the night sky, 10 and offer no guidance or direction. 11 Indeed, only the first creatures knew the stars, but all their wisdom was lost, rendered irrelevant by Sahir’s deed. 12 Great though her power was, 13 she could not destroy the stars, 14 nor obscure them for eternity. 15 Instead, she caused them to slumber, and 16 to be set down upon the surface of the Earth, where they remain to this day, hidden and asleep. 17 When he awoke, Qidra was appalled. 18 He laboured in vain to have the stars restored to the sky, 19 and eventually gave up and withdrew: his work had been defiled.
SECTION 8
1 When the first people awoke, they were terrified by the utter darkness of the night sky. 2 They wailed in terror and petitioned the New Gods, 3 but Qidra was silent to their cries. 4 Then Oohm the God of Life, assisted by 5 Razim the God of War (who was skilled in metal craft) and 6 Salaah the Goddess of Peace (who was skilled in the ways of brilliance and beauty), 7 created a celestial veil, with mock stars arrayed on its surface. 8 In this way, the night sky was again brightly lit, 9 reminding all who view its luminous glory of the mercy of the New Gods.
SECTION 9
1 Amongst the stars, unveiled, move the planets, 2 and although they do not provide direction for the traveller or navigator, 3 those who study their motion are able to predict the future, 4 and are a reminder to the canny of the wisdom of the New Gods. 5 Other signs in the heavens can also be read by those who have understanding: 6 comets are a warning that great evil is approaching, and 7 shooting stars are the souls of powerful people briefly visible at the moment of their death. 8 Such, then, is the story of how the world came about.
SECTION 10
1 And these are the New Gods: Qidra the God of Nature, Sahir the Goddess of Magic, Oohm the God of Life, Arawn the God of Death, Razim the God of War, Salaah the Goddess of Peace, D’Aad the God of Justice, and Jaadu the God of Evil. 2 Blessed are the New Gods and blessed are the Janee, their children.