"And Otga, jealous of her brother's light, stole a piece unto herself. Jealously she held it close to her body and treasured it. However, the chaos of her nature could not be denied. She infected the light with her grasp and it began to consume all. Thus fire entered the world.”

Myths of Creation: Folktales and Folklore

“All things are artificial, for nature is the art of God.”

Thomas Brown

Arc 2 – Shifting Currents

It is commonly acknowledged by the major religions that Yamash, the hermaphrodite God of balance, was the first of the gods to come into existence. The exact nature of their creation varies from account to account and religion to religion. The disparities are sufficiently varied that no uniform account can be created, though uniform accounts of their nature can. Some religions say they were born as a counterpoint to nothingness, from the need of the great and infinite void to be filled. Others claim that they have existed forever, or that they created themselves. Still more insist that they were co-created with the universe. The origins of Shurum, God of order, and Otga, Goddess of chaos, are equally convoluted.

Interestingly, accounts of the time of their, and humankind's, creation share a particular phrase in multiple texts. This phrase, depending upon the source and translation, can read different ways. In certain sources Yamash covered himself in darkness when his partner Bynzug died, and Bynzug split apart to create Shurum and Otga. Other sources say his face was “shadowed with grief" when Shurum and Otga, his children in this account, fought over dominion of the universe. Different accounts claim he “hid his face in darkness,” in grief over the fall of humanity.

A third category of accounts diverges. In these, before the shadow, comes light. In some cases this is the birth of Shurum, followed by the darkness of Otga's birth. Yet another account speaks of "celestial fire" which Yamash used to drive mankind from paradise. after they had proved unfit stewards, and they found their new home filled with blessed darkness. A different text speaks of "the fires of creation," used to make the world, which Yamash dimmed afterward to spare mankind destruction.

Regardless, there are a few consistencies which define the gods of the world.

Yamash is always the God of balance, and their dominion is the night, where they show their glorified face. Unlike the other gods, their position is eternal and unchanging, and though their face is bright it is not blinding, nor is it changeable like Otga. Though they rule the night, they have charged Otga and Shurum to maintain the balance of day.

Shurum is the God of order. He is the God of light, ice, and reason and his face is the sun. He provides light, but he is cold and distant, unless moved by the passion of his counterpoint.

Otga is the goddess of chaos. She shares the day with Shurum and is both fire and darkness. She represents passion and change, but is inherently unstable. Her passion would ignite the whole world, save that Shurum withdraws from her presence. Her face is the celestial maw.