A History of Death

I was old in those epochs uncounted When I and I only was vile And man yet untainted and happy Dwelt in bliss on the far arctic isle -H.P. Lovecraft

In the ancient days, the gods became jealous of humankind, who lived at that time happy and innocent. And therefore in spite they chose to bring death to the world.

The youngest of these spirits was still curious and playful, and desired very much to see this human race of which so much was spoken. And so his elders sent for him one day, telling him they had a job for him to do. And he was greatly overjoyed when they told him he was to give a gift to the human race. And the gift, he was told, was death.

He walked the earth joyously, talking to everything he saw, even such things as rocks and rivers (some of which have marvelous stories if one has the time to listen.) And he came upon an ancient creature with the head of an eagle and a body of a lion (although in fact these creatures where based upon It, and not the other way around) and asked it what death was. And when it told him, he was much grieved and walked sadly on, for he had made a promise.

The humans had a queen then, who dressed in red and had black hair, and was beautiful, and kind, and wise, and all the people loved her. And it was she that was to die, and be carried off by the spirit the gods had sent.

There was a festival going on when the spirit came to the places where the humans lived, and every person in the world was there. For the gods knew if the people saw their queen die, then death would enter their hearts, and no person would be free of it.

The spirit desired to walk among the people, if only for a little while, but they fled from him, for he had become the god of death. Only the queen dared to stand before him, and see him for what he was, and she gazed into his eyes. And he carried her off, but not to the land of the dead, but to a cave by the sea, a secret place outside of time where many possible realities may meet. And she knew not why he had done this, but chose to remain with him, for she saw the desperate love in his eyes, and also because he alone of all spirits and mortals was worthy of her. And so they lived happily for many years, and in one sense their bliss was eternal, and they are still there together, and in another they spent together only a single night, or even a single moment, and that was enough, for this is a place outside of time.

But she knew he had a secret, for he would never leave this sanctuary. And he would never speak of it. But one day, by speaking to shadows, she came to know the truth. And she knew what had to be. She returned to him, and he saw in her eyes that she knew, and fell to his knees in despair. But she told him then these words.

"The spirits told you with lying words that they sent death to us as a gift, yet in lying they spoke the truth. The gods hate life because they cannot die, and hate us because our spirits are still innocent, the world still fresh and new, but where it to never change, the play of life would die in our stead, and we would become as they. Do you not love me so fiercely because you know each day we spend together may be our last. The joy I feel at each new sunset, would that be the same after 10000 years? It is through sorrow that we learn to love, it is through despair that we learn what hope is. It is through death that life shall be renewed."

"These things are all well to say." Said the spirit. "But if you truly knew death, you would think otherwise."

"What do you know of death?" Said the woman.

"Nothing." Admitted the spirit.

And the woman thought on the matter of death, and finally decided that she must learn it's secrets, and conquer it, for the good of her people. And so she said to the spirit;

"This gift you where sent to bring me, may I see it?"

"Do not be a fool." Said the spirit. "Even the gods fear death."

"It was for me." Said the woman. "I should be able to look at it."

"I will never let you see it, for I could not bear to lose you."

"You should have hidden it better, for I know already where it is." Said the woman. "But I will respect your wishes." And she kissed him, and acted as though the matter was forgotten.

But she watched him from then on, and the next time he left she followed him, secretly.

He dug beneath an oak tree, and found a small box, and carried it with him and walked far, farther than he had ever gone before, up a mountain, and into a cave, and he hid it under one rock among thousands. And as soon as he was gone, she took the box, and opened it, and gazed inside of it. There was inside a color of green she had never seen before, and it rose up like a mist, and danced before her eyes, and it was beautiful, and enticing, and mysterious. And she took it into her hands, and began to explore it's mysteries, and it enveloped her. And when the spirit found her, she lay upon the ground, and her skin was cold, and her heart beat no longer.

She had descended to the world of the dead. And of that world she made herself queen, for she was alone, and there was none to oppose her. And when she had learned the secrets of it truly, she made it then that even the gods would die, and they feared her, and sought a way to bind her.

The spirit, when he found her dead, removed his heart and placed it in the box, and buried it under the same tree, and willed himself to forget. He wandered, then, in search of death, not knowing that, by placing his heart in a box built to contain death, he made it so that death could not touch his heart, and because his heart could not die, neither could he. He became the deathless wanderer, awaiting the one who could lead him to his death.