THE ARMENIAN LEGEND OF THE CREATION OF THE SUN AND FIRE

Adapted by Elise Rorick from Translations  by Bonnie C. Marshall

Once There Was and Once There Wasn’t...

…A cold dark Earth. When that cold dark Earth gave birth to the human race, Arev and Krag were only children, barely able to walk. These two small children were a part of a tribe living in the caves of Mount Ararat.  The men of the tribe hunted all day in the cold and dark, in order that the people may eat. But it was dangerous work, and they often fell victim to the wild beasts of the forest. You see, the wild beasts had an advantage over the new human race- the beasts had sharp eyes that could see well in the dark. The humans, however, did not, so the beasts could often see the humans before they saw the beasts. Therefore, only the strongest, swiftest, and sharpest men of the tribe were successful hunters. Because they needed so much strength for hunting, the men ate almost all the wild game they caught themselves. The golden-haired maiden, Arev, and the curly-haired boy, Krag, spent their childhood only dreaming of juicy meat in that cold dark cave. Very rarely were they able to partake in the feasts. 

One day, someone proposed a change in this status quo, and the dark cave erupted in a din of argument. The new proposal was that the tribe hunt all together- and partake of the meat all together. The strongest of the men, the successful hunters, did not like the idea of being slowed down or put in danger by the weaker members of the tribe, and thus it became a long and violent quarrel. Arev and Krag listened from the darkest part of the cave as their people fought for days to choose a leader whose word, once spoken, could be law and settle the matter of hunting and feasting. Eventually, the wisest of the men was elected (or else all his opponents were quashed), and Arev and Krag found themselves glad mostly that the hunters could go back to hunting. They didn’t get to eat much meat, but even scraps were better than nothing at all. Still too young to venture outside of the cave and battle the beasts of the forest, Arev and Krag resolved that one day they too would become strong and agile hunters. 

The new leader declared a new law.

Henceforth, the leader himself would eat first to maintain his strength to guide the tribe. The hunters would eat second to maintain their strength for continued hunting. The women and children would still eat last, but now at least it was law that every hunter bring his game back to the cave to split amongst the tribe. Keeping fresh meat to oneself outside the cave was expressly forbidden, and anyone who broke this law would be cast out to fend for themselves in the dark and cold. Even before fire, there was strength in numbers, and safety and shelter in the cave. 

Though life on that cold dark Earth was difficult for the first humans, under their new leader, the tribe prospered.

As it grew, so did Arev and Krag. Finally, they were big and strong enough and had proved their worth- they were able to join the hunt. Sparkling with anticipation and excitement, they ventured together out of the cave and into the forest, their senses pricked for animals. After a time, they found themselves separated from the other hunters. They had been tracking a rabbit through the brush, when the wind changed and whispered to them “Danger!”  

A tiger was nearby!

They could hear it’s heavy footsteps and it’s snuffling breath. But mostly, they could hear the sudden echoing silence that had descended around them. All the animals of the forest quietly held their breath, hoping to stay undetected by the terrible predator. 

“Quick! Up into the tree!” Krag whispered urgently. “We’ll never be able to outrun it!”

He hoisted Arev up into the branches, clambering quickly after her himself. With the dexterity of monkeys, they raced up the tree, climbing out of the beast’s reach. As they waited and watched in the silence, trying to quietly catch their breaths, the tiger followed their scent to the base of the tree. Sniffing the air, the beast reared up, placing his front paws on the tree trunk. But he was unable to climb any further.

He let out a great roar, indignant that his prey was out of reach. Arev trembled, and hid her face in Krag’s broad shoulder. 

Krag was not afraid. He felt bold. He had to protect Arev, and this was his chance to bring home a great feast for his tribe. Congratulating himself for his quick thinking, he palmed the large stone in his hand, which he had grabbed as they escaped up the tree. He studied the tiger, waiting for the perfect moment to pounce.

Suddenly, the bright burning eyes of the tiger lit up it’s entire face. At that moment, Krag pounced, and with a swift and well placed blow of the stone, the tiger fell. 

The brand new hunter let out a “whoop!” of victory, and dancing and beaming with pride, he looked up to Arev. 

She was beaming too. In fact, she was downright glowing, and surrounded by a shimmering light. Krag was startled, even a little frightened, but he was mesmerized. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her glowing beauty. He didn’t even realize that his own face was burning bright as well. 

“What’s….happening?” Krag asked, still enthralled. 

“I’m not sure….” The young maiden responded, as she climbed down from the tree.

He helped her down off the last branch and she stood shining in front of him. Her face looked just as enchanted as he felt. She placed a hand gently on his cheek and continued. 

“The burning bright gaze of the tiger- when it flashed it must have burned your face, for now your face is engulfed in hot flame. Your bravery has made your face handsome, and the heat of it has pierced my heart. My soul is glowing- I think- burning out from my heart...because of you.” She moved his hand to her heart with her own. 

The heat bubbled out of her and hot tears of happiness, love, and a little pain (the first tears ever shed on earth) streamed out of her bright eyes. 

As Arev’s tears fell, they did not hit the ground. Instead, they turned to bright glimmering star drops, and floated up into the dark black sky. They sprinkled the heavens with the burning light of Arev’s love, and Krag looked on in awe.

One single tear, however, did fall. It fell from Arev’s chin and dropped, still burning, onto Krag’s hand, which was still resting with Arev’s hand on her heart. The glowing tear burned his hand, but somehow the pain felt sweet, and it did not sway his gaze. 

Finally, Arev smiled, and wiped her eyes. 

“We should go.” The glowing maiden said brightly. “Our tribe will be waiting for us, and for this feast.” 

The spell was partially broken then, and shaking his head from the enchantment, Krag looked around with caution and remembered where they were. He bent down and hoisted the fallen beast onto his shoulder, still struggling to take his eyes off Arev (which did make the hoisting of the tiger a tad more difficult). The two set off through the forest, with Arev walking in front, lighting the way with her still burning passion. The whole forest seemed to glow with her radiance. 

When they entered the cave, it was illuminated for the first time.

The cold dark corners were pierced with the pair’s warm light, and the people of the cave were frightened. It took them a long while to reassure their tribe that they were not evil forest spirits, but their very own Arev and Krag. The people gathered around, casting furtive glances at the couple, but also glancing hungrily at the freshly killed tiger. Eventually they conceded, and the tribe began to feast, but all the while the other inhabitants of the cave watched the shining maiden and the young man’s fiery face with fear and distrust.

Their fear hardened their hearts.

A short time passed, and darkness gave way to light in the cave. The bitter cold gave way to warmth, but though they had the warm fire of Krag’s burning face, its warmth could not soften the cold and hardened hearts of the tribe. In the light, the people could see for the first time that they were all quite different. The beauty of some (and the ugliness of others) was striking to all. And it hardened them further with jealousy and resentment.

Though the leader was wise, even he was not immune to the effects of this revealing transformation. He noticed first that there were many beautiful maidens in the cave, and it made him glad. But the light also granted him the vision to see that these young beautiful maidens were not looking at him in return. Their gazes fell to the younger and stronger hunters, and with this revelation his old heart twisted with envy. 

The wise old women of the cave were equally troubled. They were visibly older, grayer, and hadn’t as many teeth as the young women, and they could see that the young men and hunters of the tribe were paying much more attention to the young and beautiful maidens. Their hearts too, twisted in fear and jealousy. Eventually they went to the leader discretely and demanded that things return to how they had been. 

“You must kill Arev and Krag. Their light is more oppressive than the darkness! Soon we will all fall to despair! Let the darkness return. In the darkness, we were happy, for we did not know these differences. The less we know, the happier we can be.” 

Their demands caught on, and soon others began shouting “Kill them! Kill them!” 

The leader nodded solemnly. He raised his hand and a respectful silence fell. In his darkened heart, he agreed with the cruel old women. But he sagely knew that as the leader, he must be wise and forward thinking. The light and warmth was not all bad, after all. It allowed them to cook meat, and stay warm on the coldest of nights. And when Arev went hunting with them, her illumination gave the hunter’s a great advantage over the beasts of the forest, for now they could see equally as well. 

Considering all of this, he raised his voice and made his proclamation: 

“In the cold and the dark, we suffered long. It was difficult to see the edible plants of the forest, the fish and the game. The nights were very cold, and many of our tribe died as children for lack of warmth. We cannot kill Arev and Krag, for then we would loose all the benefits of their heat and light. But neither can we allow them to stay together, for when they are together, their brightness is too strong. It illuminates too much, and some things are better left in darkness.”

His decision rendered, as the leader stepped away, he glanced at the nearest group of young beautiful maidens and shuddered. 

The people of the cave were satisfied with their leader’s proclamation, and did as he had advised. They separated the young man and the maiden.

Arev they threw into the sky, and she became the burning sun, illuminating the forest each day for the hunters.

Krag they bound, and used his burning face to ignite the fires of their caves. They even passed him from cave to cave, sharing the fire’s warmth with their inquisitive neighboring tribes until he had spread all over the world. 

Each morning, the shining Sun Goddess Arev rises, searching for her lost love’s burning face until dusk. Thousands of years have passed, but Arev’s hope of finding her lost love has never eclipsed. To this day, the brilliance of her heart pierces the darkness, chasing away the cold nights. Her soul shines throughout the day, radiating with love for her dear Fire Spirit Krag. 

The Fire Spirit endures the same cruel fate as his beloved.

As he travels the world, keeping people warm with hearth fires and campfires, he catches longing  glimpses of his beloved, mesmerized by her dance across the sky each day. Each morning he rejoices at the sight of her luminous beauty, though his own light is often extinguished shortly after dawn.

And each night, as his fires are ignited again in the glowing dusk, he watches with the same enchanted awe and pain as Arev’s glowing sunset paints the sky and dips below the horizon, until only his own burning glow remains to light the night.

And so it will go on, for as long as the Sun Goddess and the Fire Spirit love one another, their love and their light keeps them immortal. Just as our burning love keeps us immortal - in a sense - as well. 

Three apples fell from heaven- one apple for the storyteller, one apple for the person who heard the story well, and one apple for the whole world.  

~*~

In ancient Armenia, the people referred to themselves as “Children of the Sun” and worshipped the sun goddess Arev (or Ara) at an intriguing archeoastronomical site called Carrahunge, which is similar in purpose to Stonehenge. This myth of Arev and Krag is passed down from oral traditions of unknowable age. Incidentally, I discovered this story in a book of recently translated myths and legends of Armenia while researching my own heritage, and I have rewritten and adapted the story myself. It was first published in the Winter 2020 Volume of the Starlight Emporium Magazine (still available for purchase, even though the Emporium is currently on hiatus). I thought that it would be appropriate to share this story and the illustration I made to go with it for the Summer Solstice, as we celebrate the jubilant life of the sun. I find it intriguing that the Summer Solstice coincides with the beginning of Cancer season in the Zodiacal tradition, given that the sign of Cancer is the sign of nurturing emotional mothering. Yet again we can see traces of celebrating the feminine energies on days that purportedly are all about the fiery masculine Sun, and yet again I am reminded that the oldest myths and legends actually praise the sun as feminine. For more on this topic, check out my Spring Equinox article, Sun Goddesses of Spring.

In fact, almost none of the celebrations that have taken place around the world for time immemorial on these celestially significant days are actually anything other than inherently and obviously packed full of feminine energy. Summer Solstice indeed is also known as Midsummer, and there’s nothing all that “masculine” about May-poles or Weddings or A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Celebration itself, especially the celebration of community and nature, is inherently feminine in nature. (For more on the historical types of celebrations that have happened on the Summer Solstice, check out the brilliant article in the Summer edition of the Starlight Emporium by Anailia Raven.) The proper masculine comes in to play more subtly, in these and most other societal instances: by creating the boundaries necessary in order that the feminine energies of celebration, life, and light may burn brightly and thrive. Just as in this ancient story from an ancient land: the feminine is the light, but she is sparked by and fueled by the love of her masculine partner, and working together, they protect and illuminate the world.

May your Solstice this year bring you light, love, and renewed life. ✨