Welcome to my story page! I love to read, and since I've only stumbled upon a few pages with Pagan legends on them, I thought I'd put some of the one's I've found on here. They're just fun to read!
Before Time was-a story
Before time was, there was The One; The One was all, and all was The One. And the vast expanse known as the universe was The One, all-wise, all-pervading, all-powerful, eternally changing.
And space moved. The One molded energy into twin forces, equal but opposite, fashioning the Goddess and God from the One and of The One.
The Goddess and God stretched and gave thanks to The One, but darkness surrounded them. They were alone, solitary save for the One.
So they formed energy into gasses and gasses into suns and planets and moons; they sprinkled the universe with whirling globes and so all was given shape but the hands of the Goddess and the God. Light arose and the sky was illuminated by a billion suns. And the Goddess and God, satisfied by their works, rejoiced and loved, and were One. From their union sprang the seeds of all life, and of the human race, so that we might achieve incarnation upon the Earth.
The Goddess chose the moon as Her symbol, and the God chose the sun as His symbol, to remind the inhabitants of Earth of their fashioners.
All are born, live and die and are reborn beneath the Sun and Moon; all things come to pass thereunder, and all occurs with the blessings of the One, as has been the way of existence before time was.
Maiden Story by Whyte Bard, from "The Bardic Mysteries: The Book of the Fool" (Children's story)
The Maiden, being young and giddy, was watching the Men and Women as they played and laughed in the Garden one morning. She turned to the Fool, blinked her eyes, and said, "They are so fine and good, smiling all the time. How will they ever learn and grow if they have no obstacles; if there is no pain?"
And Trickster smiled a mad smile, and gave the Maiden a box. It was a small box, of something that might have been wood, but wasn't, and it had no lock on it. It did, however, have a small, neatly lettered sign on its lid.
Trickster pointed to the sign, and said, "That's called 'writing.' I haven't invented it yet."
"Oh," said the Maiden, "But what's in the box?"
"Oh," said Trickster, "You don't want to know!"
"I don't?" said the Maiden, slightly miffed, "But I'm Deity!"
"I know that," Trickster grinned, "But you still don't want to know."
"Well...all right." And the Maiden flounced away, very much put out.
Trickster watched Her go, and grinned. He then put the box down where the Maiden could see it whenever She looked in that direction, and sauntered away, eating an apple.
The Maiden looked at the box for several days.
"I wonder what's in there..." She would think to Herself. "That Person is always up to some trick."
Finally, Her curiosity got the best of Her, and She walked into the Garden and picked up the box.
She sat down under the apple tree, and spread Her skirts about Her, and placed the box on Her lap.
She looked at it for a long time, and then thought, "Well! A little peek inside can't do any harm..." And She opened the box.
Immediately, the lid sprang off, and a cloud of tiny things flew out! They were like flies, or mosquitoes, and they buzzed crazily about Her head for a moment, and then flew off in all directions.
Trickster stepped out from behind the tree.
"Well, now You've done it," He said.
"Done what?" asked the Maiden.
"Let loose what was in the box. Pain, and Suffering, and Envy, and Hatred, and Jealousy, and War, and Covetousness, and Sloth, and quite a lot more."
Just then, the box gave a great heave, and a very tiny, very bright little Something flew out.
Trickster smiled a warm smile, and said, "...and Hope. I'm an eternal optimist. Want an apple?"
"I guess so," said the Maiden. "What did it say on the lid, anyway?"
"The usual. You know, 'Do Not Open This Box.'"
"Oh. I guess I messed up, huh?"
He smiled at Her, and said, "Not really. We would have had to do it anyway, and this makes a better story, though they might get it wrong."
They both looked at the Men and Women, who were now sitting around on the grass arguing with each other. A couple of the Men were fighting, and a group of the Women were talking in whispers about another group of Women. Another Man had fenced off a section of the Garden, while another was coughing a little with a bewildered expression on his face.
"Excuse me for a bit," said Trickster. "I guess I have to be the One to finish this, and get them started up the Path."
He walked briskly over to the Men and Women, changing His Aspect as He went, until He appeared as a different sort of Being indeed.
"Time to leave," said the Angel to the Men and Women.
"Yes, we know," they answered, only half sadly, and the Men and the Women started out from the Garden, out on the Path Of Being Human.
Trickster watched them go, out from the Gates.
"Good luck..." He murmured, and he sheathed the Flaming Sword and closed the Gates of Innocence.
Thus it was, and so it is, and evermore shall be so!
The First Fire
In the beginning of the world, there was no fire. The animal people were often cold. Only the Thunders, who lived in the world beyond the sky arch, had fire. At last they sent Lightning down to an island. Lightning put fire into the bottom of a hollow sycamore tree. The animal people knew that the fire was there, because they could see smoke rising from the top of the tree. But they could not get to it on account of the water. So they held a council to decide what to do.
Everyone that could fly or could swim was eager to go after the fire. Raven said, "Let me go. I am large and strong."
At that time Raven was white. He flew high and far across the water and reached the top of the sycamore tree. While he sat there wondering what to do, the heat scorched all his feathers black. The frightened Raven flew home without the fire, and his feathers have been black ever since.
Then the council sent Screech Owl. He flew to the island. But while he was looking down into the hollow tree, a blast of hot air came up and nearly burned out his eyes. He flew home and to this day, Screech Owl's eyes are red.
Then Hooting Owl and Horned Owl were sent to the island together. But the smoke nearly blinded them, and the ashes carried up by the wind made white rings about their eyes. They had to come home, and were never able to get rid of the white rings.
Then Little Snake swam across to the island, crawled through the grass to the tree, and entered it through a small hole at the bottom. But the smoke and the heat were too much for him, too. He escaped alive, but his body had been scorched black. And it was so twisted that he doubled on his track as if always trying to escape from a small space.
Big Snake, the climber, offered to go for fire, but he fell into the burning stump and became as black as Little Snake. He has been the great blacksnake ever since.
At last Water Spider said that she would go. Water Spider has black downy hair and red stripes on her body. She could run on top of water and she could dive to the bottom. She would have no trouble in getting to the island.
"But you are so little, how will you carry enough fire?" the council asked.
"I'll manage all right," answered Water Spider. "I can spin a web." so she spun a thread from her body and wove it into a little bowl and fastened the little bowl on her back. Then she crossed over to the island and through the grass. She put one little coal of fire into her bowl and brought it across to the people.
Ever since, we have had fire. And the Water Spider still has her little bowl on her back.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Origin of Witches
A Lithuanian Tale
Once upon a time, a young woman went off into the woods to pick mushrooms and with her she took her new hope chest. While she was searching for mushrooms it began to rain very hard. She quickly removed her clothes and placed them in her hope chest; then stood naked under a tree, until the rains subsided.
Later, she dressed and continued picking mushrooms, until she was spotted by Velnias, (Lithuanian Horned God of the Underworld). Velnias asked if she had been picking mushrooms during the rainstorm, and if so, how had she remained dry?
The young woman replied that she had a secret that prevented rain from touching her.
Velnias was intrigued and pressed the woman for her secret. The young woman agreed to tell Him, but only if He revealed all His magical arts. So a bargain was struck and Velnias taught the woman all that He knew of magic and healing.
It was then that the woman told Velnias how she had avoided the rain. Velnias spit and flew away, raging and screaming that He had been tricked.
Thus, the woman became the first witch and passed on her teachings to others from that time on. And so, witches flourished.
If you'd like to add some stories, please email me!
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