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A Myth - prose fiction

The prose fiction here is intended to be something like a small contribution to a modern mythology. In his introduction to ‘Plato: Selected Myths,’ taken from the Platonic dialogues, Catalin Partenie writes, ‘The term ‘myth’ is a transcription of the ancient Greek muthos...but what the ancient Greeks called muthos is quite different from what we and the media nowadays call a ‘myth.’ For the ancient Greeks - at least in the archaic phase of their civilization - a myth was a story that unveiled reality, hence a true story...between this archaic version of myth and ours stands Plato: for him a myth is, taken as a whole, false, but there is truth in it also...myth may be false in its fantastical details, but it may mirror the truth.’ Plato ‘opposes myth to philosophical argument’ but nevertheless he ‘envelops his own philosophy in fictional narrative dialogues...’Plato’s myths include ‘The Androgyne’ and ‘The Birth of Love’ (in the dialogue The Symposium), the famous myth of ‘The Cave’ (in The Republic) and ‘The Two Cosmic Eras’ (in The Statesman.)

This piece of writing can only be compared with Platonic myth-making in the most limited ways, obviously. It’s concerned with the coming of naturalistic interpretations of reality, with an appreciation of natural causes. Perhaps the secular world view would gain from myths, which 'may mirror the truth.'

A Myth

“When the earth was first formed, it was red hot. It was surrounded by steam, millions of tonnes of steam and other gases. Slowly, the earth began to cool and all the steam condensed. Water fell on the surface of the earth in such a downpour that anything alive on the earth would have been crushed by the weight. But there was nothing alive. Life started in the seas that formed after the rain fell. Life started, evolved and prospered until the first human beings came along. Those first men and women must have blinked in wonder at their surroundings. The air was brilliantly, transparently clear - it was as if that deluge had occurred only in recent times and had washed down all the dust, everything that would hamper vision. Of course, there was no pollution. Except near a volcano, there was no smoke or fumes, not even a haze.

“So the sun and other stars shone brilliantly. They shone brilliantly but cheerlessly, in a sky that was always black. The sun didn’t do much to warm the earth. It was like the coal fires in the winters when I was young. Those winters always seemed to be bitterly cold and even a big coal fire never warmed the whole room. You could only feel the benefit of the fire if you stood really close to it. Well, of course, those early people couldn’t get nearer to the sun, snuggle up to it for warmth. All they could do was flap their arms or run about or huddle next to each other for warmth - or put up with it and complain.

“Life was grim in those days. At any moment, an island - just a bank of cooled lava, in many cases - might sink without warning beneath the black waves and everyone on it would die. Often, electrical storms would rage and when one broke out, people would scatter in all directions, yelling and shrieking. The storm would drift steadily, as if picking out and chasing after the poor humans fleeing in a particular direction. Suddenly, they would be stopped in their tracks. The flickering purple light would surround them and no one would ever see them again. Those who had been lucky enough to run in other directions would stop, breathe a sigh of relief and admire the beauty of the terrible spectacle.

“There were countless other dangers. There were reptiles of prey, some of them living exclusively on a diet of human beings - hominivorous reptiles, they were called. When the reptiles had found someone to eat, they would circle high above for a few moments and then swoop down with their toothed beaks open, ready to gobble the person up. But sometimes, the air would be so thickly crowded with them that they would get in each others’ way, their hideous leathery wings would become entangled and some of them would come crashing to the ground. In the confusion, the person might be able to escape.

“So the world was full of dangers. It was still being formed. Nothing was fixed, not even the laws of nature. Every so often, the sun would fail to rise and people would groan and curse because they were without its weak warmth. But it might be on just such a day that the mountains of snow and ice which lay inland in almost every country would start to thaw. Torrents of water, excruciatingly cold, would sweep across the land, bringing devastation.”

He could see that the story was frightening her, and as if to make amends, he continued:

“Of course, there were compensations. If someone blundered too near the edge of a precipice and lost his foothold on the loose stones, he wouldn’t necessarily fall on to the rocks below. He might well be lucky and stay suspended in the air - perhaps gravity was very weak at that place on that day. Quite soon, a breeze might blow him back and he might be able to grab a thick fern and save himself.

“Even more remarkable, you could sometimes alter the laws of nature to suit yourself, if your will power was strong enough. Not many people could manage it, but you would sometimes see someone floating high above the ground. Sooner or later, his will wouldn’t be strong enough and he would gently return to earth, as if by parachute. Other strange things were possible. In every country, there were stories of people who had avoided or survived every natural catastrophe and who now refused to die. They were so strong-willed that they refused to submit to their body’s natural processes. But it seems that there wasn’t a single one who chose to live longer than a thousand years. In the end, they would feel that life had become boring and would decide to leave it. It was said that that was a very strange sight - to see the person’s face suddenly change, one moment smooth, the next deeply wrinkled, to see the bright cheeks cave in, the eyes lose their lustre and become sunken, the whole body suddenly wizened and rigid.

“I want to tell you about two children who lived in those times. One was called Zayedh and the other one was called Lamil. One day, they were walking by the sea shore when they saw a peculiar little boat bobbing up and down in the distance, its bright green colour a strong contrast with the inky water. The waves brought it closer and closer until they were able to reach out and bring it in. They saw then that it was skilfully woven from fronds of fern or some other plant and that it was sealed with resin, of the kind which could often be seen dripping from the giant trees. They looked more closely and they were horrified to see underneath a little shelf in the boat an emaciated young man. They pulled him out, filthy and unconscious, and laid him on the pebbly beach. After a while, he opened his eyes and they fed him on the rotting dinosaur meat which was all they had. Quite soon, he felt strong enough to talk. They found no difficulty in understanding him because there was only one language in those days. He told them that his name was Glib and that he had travelled from a far-off land.

“‘I was determined to escape one day,’ he said. “The land’s very favoured. It’s warm all year round. You only have to stretch out your hand and take the fruits which grow everywhere. There, even the poor are rich.’

“Zayedh couldn’t believe his ears. ‘Then why did you want to escape?’ he asked.

“‘The people are hateful. If anyone dares to criticize their way of life, they are shocked. Only a few people want to leave but just in case, they keepe. If anyone tries to escape, the guards drop stones on their heads. Anyone who tries to gain entry to the land is killed, too.

“The boys were alarmed to see that the strength of their welcome visitor was failing now - perhaps his stomach was not used to dinosaur meat or perhaps he had an allergy to it. They shook him vigorously.

“‘Where is this place?’ Lamil demanded. ‘Give us exact instructions.’

“‘That’s easy,’ Glib said, weakly. ‘Just travel due East from here and you are bound to reach it...if you survive, like me, all the dangers between there and here.’ His eyes closed.

“‘You must tell us!’ Zayedh said. ‘If we get there, how do we avoid being killed by the guards?’

“‘Rest underneath the cliffs. There are fruit trees there. Cast aside your skins. Rest, recover your strength...when you are ready, scale the cliffs at night and if you are challenged, break into laughter and singing. Sing the praises of the place. Then, the guards will think you have simply strayed, that you live there, that you have no wish to leave.’

“To say all this was a great effort for him. There was now no hope for him. He died, with a smile on his face.

“The boys buried his body in a shallow grave and set to work to repair the boat he had sailed in. They were encouraged to see that it was of stout construction, with a thick hull, but they could not help noticing evidence of the terrible sufferings the young man had undergone. Some sea-monster must have shaved a layer of resin off one corner. There were rows of teeth marks there: a narrow escape. Inside, there were blood stains.

“It was almost a month before the repairs were completed. The making of a new sail took a long time, since the rushes and reeds needed to make it grew in a distant pond and they often had to stop the work of gathering them to flee from the poisonous, brightly- coloured snakes which glided along the surface of the water, hissing threateningly. But they had one stroke of luck. They found a dinosaur which had blundered into a deep mud flat and had become trapped. They managed to kill it with a long stake and to take away masses of meat before flying reptiles reached the scene and feasted on the remains. So at least they would have plenty of provisions for the journey and they were able to replace their filthy, tattered skins with new ones, cut from the dead creature.

“At last, their preparations were completed. They pushed the boat into the water, hopped in and started paddling. Navigation would be no problem. Polaris, the Pole Star, shone then as it does now and it was possible to see it in the day time as well as at night. To help them to navigate more accurately, Zayedh had made a little instrument out of slate, with lines drawn on it.

“The first island they passed was called the Isle of Despair. Everywhere, it was brick red and nothing seemed to grow on it. Even if the boys had wanted to land their boat there for a rest, it would have been impossible to do so, since the land rose out of the water steeply on every side, although it did not rise to any great height. As their boat passed, they saw horrifying groups of people, watching and staring without uttering a single sound. All of them, men, women and children, were coated from head to foot in fine red dust and their faces seemed to plead for help, although they must have realized that the boys could do nothing to help them. It was the grimmest sight imaginable.

“Lamil began to cry and suggested they should turn back. ‘Suppose Glib made it all up!’ he cried. ‘It seems impossible that a place like that should exist...and even if it did, who would want to leave it?” But Zayedh was of firmer mind.

“‘Of course there’s such a place,’ he said, and even if the place isn’t as fine as he said it is, one thing’s certain, it can’t be worse than the one we’ve left. What have we got to lose?’

“The argument seemed to convince Lamil and anyway, before long, they were forced to forget their misery. By luck, there had been a wind which carried them due East, but soon, it began to drop and they had to paddle. It was hard work, but there was no alternative. Zayedh said that it would be best if only one of them paddled at a time whilst the other one slept or rested. So he ordered Lamil to paddle until morning came and said that he would take over then.

“When morning came he was as good as his word but he had not paddled for long before he noticed that ice was beginning to form on the surface of the sea. Then, they both had to paddle but the work became harder and harder and in the end, they had to give up. The ice was now quite thick and getting thicker all the time. They were stuck fast. They were both deeply disappointed. Suddenly, though, Zayedh jumped up, took a stake and went to the side. Judging that the ice was now thick enough to hold him, he lowered himself onto it. He asked Lamil to get out of the boat too and used the stake as a lever to loosen the boat and lift up one side. The boys were then able to drag the craft onto the ice and to jump in again quickly. Zayedh hoped that when the wind rose again, it would be strong enough to propel the boat gently over the ice. If so, the ride would be quite smooth, since the bottom of the boat was covered with resin. There was no wind for two whole days, but just when they were at their wits end, a strong breeze started - going East too, as luck would have it. Soon, they were being given an exhilarating ride over the ice. Lamil clapped his hands and laughed out loud, but Zayedh kept one eye on the Pole Star the whole time and squinted along the lines of his slate instrument.

“The ice not only made their travel faster but also gave them some protection from the sea monsters. Even so, every so often they would see the ice break thunderously in the distance and the heaving back of some bellowing sea animal.

“They travelled in this way for a long time, but one night Zayedh, who was on watch at the time, saw the ice suddenly thaw. The boat settled into the water. Soon after, the wind dropped. He woke up Lamil.

“There was nothing for it but to begin paddling, but soon, they stopped. In the night sky, a wonderful sight was to be seen. Shooting stars sped across the sky in enormous numbers. It was a magnificent display. Orion, up to his usual tricks, was throwing snowballs at Taurus the Bull and Aries the Ram. Both constellations moved this way and that to dodge the missiles. This was nothing unusual. Most stars were never still for long and for night after night you could see them twisting and turning. Some never took part, Polaris for one. He was a dull old star. But soon there was a scene of tumult and chaos such as had rarely been seen before.

“Orion came rushing up to attack Taurus, who blundered in front of Auriga the Charioteer. The charioteer was unseated and knocked flying. He landed on top of Canis Minor, the little dog, who howled and howled. In the general confusion, Aries accidentally butted Pegasus, the Winged Horse, who went stampeding across the heavens, almost flattening Aquarius, spilling all his water and setting Capricorn on a mad rampage of his own. Bootes the Ploughman thought this was a good chance to make a grab for the Northern Crown, which he’d coveted for a long time, but Virgo had got it first and she ran away with it. Bootes deserted his plough and set off in hot pursuit. Cygnus the Swan now went for Polaris with open beak, hissing and beating its wings. Polaris ran away in terror, in search of a quiet corner of the heavens where he could lie low until it was all over. He hid beneath Columba the dove, hardly daring to look.

“It had been a thrilling spectacle until now, but when the boys saw that Polaris had deserted his post, they were terrified.

“‘What’s going to happen to us now? We can’t find our way,’ said Lamil.

“‘We sit and wait,’ said Zayedh. ‘He’s sure to return.’ A day passed, and there was no sign of him. ‘We can’t wait for ever,’ Zayedh said. Before long, we’ll have no food left and then we’ll be too weak to paddle. There are sea monsters all around us. If we stay here any longer, one of them is going to eat us.’

“‘But which way do we go?’ asked Lamil. The black sea gave them no guidance at all. It was the same in every direction.

“‘We’ll have to guess the correct direction,’ said Zayedh firmly. ‘Let’s go that way,’ and he pointed with his finger towards gloom and darkness.

“They began to paddle, saying not a word. They paddled for hours. Then, they saw dimly in the distance a huge, dark column of swirling water, a water-spout. The water beneath the boat seemed to be drawn towards it.

“‘I knew we should have gone the other way,’ said Lamil. Zayedh told him to shut up and to paddle harder than ever. They paddled furiously, water flying in all directions from their paddles. They began to feel that the force drawing them towards the water-spout was weakening. Then, quite suddenly, the water-spout shifted towards them. They saw the immense, curved wall of water towering above them. In an instant, their boat was sucked into it and smashed into a thousand pieces. And that was the end of Zayedh and Lamil.

“All of this had been observed, in a kind of design office. It was decided that action had to be taken. The Constellations were seen to first. Orion, the biggest troublemaker, was disposed of with a thundering great upper-cut which sent him flying into space at tremendous speed. Bootes was kicked up the backside, sending him flying too. An attempt was made to wring the neck of Cygnus the Swan but it flew off. The other stars were terrified and shot off in different directions. In fact, even now, the stars are moving away from each other at tremendous speeds.

“As seen from the earth, though, their motions seem beautifully regular. It was decided that the time had come to put an end to this celestial anarchy. From now on, the stars would follow regular laws. Ever since, the stars have moved round and round. They are like sad horses, once free to gallop proudly and roam as they wished but now driven round the circus ring under the command of the stern task-master. True, if you look very closely, some of the stars seem to have just a little freedom, but it’s no more than the freedom of the circus horse to move its head a little to the left, a little to the right. But no power can force them to enjoy their slavery and they burn with frustration, are consumed by anger and hurt pride. Some burn with a passion that’s white hot, others have cooled in anger and glow orange or red. In time, the anger of all of them will come to an end and they’ll be nothing but empty shells.

“I haven’t said anything so far about the planets. They reflect the light of the nearest star, the sun. They seem at first sight to have been left with a will of their own. For instance, if you look at Mars or Jupiter over a period of time, you’ll see them loop the loop, do little somersaults in the sky. It’s called retrograde motion. Those little somersaults must be allowed because they amuse. At any rate, the planets have no choice in the matter.

“But don’t imagine that the stars and planets were the only things called to account. Everything else was seen to. New laws were passed, incorporating the old regulations but this time with no exceptions. It was decided, for example, that it was wrong to cheat gravity, just for amusement. It was felt too that it wasn’t right to avoid death indefinitely. A giant tortoise was seen lumbering along by the side of a pond. In future, it was decided, no human being must live longer than a tortoise. It’s lucky that eyes weren’t fixed first on the little mayflies hovering over a pond. The decision was passed on to another department to implement in detail. They said it would be easy - all they had to do was to correct a little design fault in the genetic system.

“It was also decided that all the tough new laws should take effect at midnight after the day when the new laws were passed. When it came to midnight, you can imagine what a shock it must have been. In various places, middle aged people, only 500 years old or so, and with no wish to leave the world, suddenly shrivelled up and died. Youngsters enjoying a little night time levitation tumbled to earth at once.

“It was quite a time before people got used to the new system and most of them were convinced that things had been better in the old days. Others, though, were quick to see the advantages.

“‘At least you know where you stand now,’ they said. They were able to make all sorts of things which it hadn’t been worthwhile attempting before. One group felt that having to use legs to get from place to place was too much trouble. Earlier, they’d attempted to fit a round thing on to a stake but something had always gone wrong. Good, hard wood, that they’d chipped into shape with enormous effort, using sharpened stones, might suddenly turn as soft as jelly. Now they knew that provided they didn’t let the wood rot, it would be serviceable. They knew it would be a little time before all the problems were solved but they were confident that they would succeed. They had a baby dinosaur penned up, ready for the time when they’d built something it could pull.

“Others began to use their imagination in different ways. If one of their number fell sick, moaning and clutching his stomach, they might lie in wait for some passing stranger who seemed full of health, overpower him and drag him off. They’d put him next to the sick person, and, holding the two firmly, cut open their bellies with flint knives. Then they would peer inside gravely, paying no attention to the protests and prod the entrails with their stubby fingers, comparing the two insides and trying to work out what had caused the sickness.

“In no time at all, people stopped complaining of illnesses. If they became covered with boils and their tongues became swollen and furry, they would say in a weak and faltering voice that they had never felt better.

“The people who hated the new laws and preferred the old system said it wasn’t right to cut people open and that those who did such things were sure to get swallowed up by an electrical storm. They said that the sick would get better if only they had enough will power and if they didn’t they only had themselves to blame. In time, this view of things came to prevail almost everywhere, but that’s another story.”