The Children of Glumhaven
The story of those who never came back.
The Children of Glumhaven, also known generically as The Young Who Sing Without Voices, is a myth that has become widespread among the poorer sectors of the city of Solaris, while also seeing variations elsewhere in the Grand Duchy of Magna and even other, far away parts in the Kingdom of Crendameth.
The myth has largely been attributed to superstition surrounding Glumhaven Park, found in the northwestern side of the capital. The stories, as oft told by mothers to their children or swapped between themselves when going about their business, tells of how children who go to the Park after a certain time of day get so distracted that they wander off into the lake, never to be seen again by anyone.
This tale was told primarily to keep children and young folk away from Glumhaven Park, although the exact reason for this varies depending on who tells the story. The general notion is, however, that there exists some sort of presence or energy that makes the adults who pass by feel uneasy, and it is this discomfort that prompts them to keep children away from the place. This, when paired with the strange phenomena observed in the park during the early hours of the morning, has given the people of Solaris enough tools to start creating an explanation for that which they can't explain.
The myth has largely been attributed to superstition surrounding Glumhaven Park, found in the northwestern side of the capital. The stories, as oft told by mothers to their children or swapped between themselves when going about their business, tells of how children who go to the Park after a certain time of day get so distracted that they wander off into the lake, never to be seen again by anyone.
This tale was told primarily to keep children and young folk away from Glumhaven Park, although the exact reason for this varies depending on who tells the story. The general notion is, however, that there exists some sort of presence or energy that makes the adults who pass by feel uneasy, and it is this discomfort that prompts them to keep children away from the place. This, when paired with the strange phenomena observed in the park during the early hours of the morning, has given the people of Solaris enough tools to start creating an explanation for that which they can't explain.
Summary
The myth, set in varying periods before the present, is always told with a warning at its beginning:
Gradually, the children will each start hearing songs that calm them down, their lyrics inviting them to stay with the ones singing it. Shapes and lights are said to appear, guiding the children deeper into the park, where they are only heard from again when they sing for the next children to come to the Park, creating a cycle that will only end when children learn to listen to their parents and never go to Glumhaven Park again.
"Children who are good will never go to Glumhaven, where shadows are long and deep, warmth is scarce found and the world shimmers and fades, else their voices will be part of the choir there hiding, unseen to gods and mortals."immediately followed by a group of children who do not heed this warning venturing into Glumhaven without a care in the world, finding ample space and quiet to play in, away from the strict rigidity of adults. As the story progresses, a thin mist begins to obscure the place, eventually becoming so thick that the children lose their sense of direction and get separated from one another.
Gradually, the children will each start hearing songs that calm them down, their lyrics inviting them to stay with the ones singing it. Shapes and lights are said to appear, guiding the children deeper into the park, where they are only heard from again when they sing for the next children to come to the Park, creating a cycle that will only end when children learn to listen to their parents and never go to Glumhaven Park again.
Historical Basis
The myth's veracity has long been debated by the scholars of the Stonepillar Academy, with most of them finding slivers of evidence to support the claims that the myth might be more of a legend than a myth. This is because, in reality, there is something to be found in Glumhaven Park, yet its nature is still to be ascertained.
The myth was originally born from an incident that happened over a century ago, where a young girl disappeared around the area where Glumhaven can be found. Supposedly, this is the original version of the myth, where the girl, after arguing with her parents, ran away from her home and tried to find solace in the quiet that the Park offered. In that time, however, there was only one voice to be heard, and it was most certainly belonged to something that was not child, according to witnesses close to the area. The end result was, indeed, the same, with the girl disappearing only to be heard as a disembodied voice through the Park's mists.
After this, several conflicting stories of more children in larger groups would crop up from time to time, always becoming part of the otherworldly choir.
However, the original story was able to be explained some years after the fact. She had not, it turned out, become one with the mist. Rather, she had drowned in the Park's lake as she attempted to swim it. Miscalculating its depths, she began struggling to keep afloat and, after a long period of fatigue, her clothes became waterlogged and dragged her down. It wouldn't be after some weeks after she had her argument with her parents that someone looked for her in the park, where they found her body. The story of her being taken away by a singing mist, however, came from the fact that people did hear singing coming from the lake, and because the day was punctuated with a low-hanging mist through it, the myth of the Glumhaven Park was born.
Still, there are some things this does not explain, like the lights the glowed above the water's surface, or why it took so long to find the girl's corpse. These questions only exacerbated the myth further, cementing it in popular perception as that which goes on in the Park guarded by cold air and long shadows.
The myth was originally born from an incident that happened over a century ago, where a young girl disappeared around the area where Glumhaven can be found. Supposedly, this is the original version of the myth, where the girl, after arguing with her parents, ran away from her home and tried to find solace in the quiet that the Park offered. In that time, however, there was only one voice to be heard, and it was most certainly belonged to something that was not child, according to witnesses close to the area. The end result was, indeed, the same, with the girl disappearing only to be heard as a disembodied voice through the Park's mists.
After this, several conflicting stories of more children in larger groups would crop up from time to time, always becoming part of the otherworldly choir.
However, the original story was able to be explained some years after the fact. She had not, it turned out, become one with the mist. Rather, she had drowned in the Park's lake as she attempted to swim it. Miscalculating its depths, she began struggling to keep afloat and, after a long period of fatigue, her clothes became waterlogged and dragged her down. It wouldn't be after some weeks after she had her argument with her parents that someone looked for her in the park, where they found her body. The story of her being taken away by a singing mist, however, came from the fact that people did hear singing coming from the lake, and because the day was punctuated with a low-hanging mist through it, the myth of the Glumhaven Park was born.
Still, there are some things this does not explain, like the lights the glowed above the water's surface, or why it took so long to find the girl's corpse. These questions only exacerbated the myth further, cementing it in popular perception as that which goes on in the Park guarded by cold air and long shadows.
Spread
The tale of the Children is widespread, reaching new audiences at bedsides, markets, windowsills, tabletops and washing lines throughout Solaris, the rest of the Grand Duchy and a sizable part of the rest of the Kingdom. It is so well-known that it is jokingly said that each town has its own Glumhaven, its inhabitants just don't know it yet.
Variations & Mutation
The myth has suffered so many variations the original tale has been lost to time, with each individual version almost serving as its own myth. Most of these mutations come from the people telling them, usually parents to their children or between each other, becoming 'contaminated' with each teller's personal bias of beliefs.
Broadly speaking, what most changes is what the children do before or during the stories to deserve such punishment, citing disobedience, rebelliousness, carelessness and other negative aspects that requires them to be disciplined. Other variations include the time at which the evens happen, the number of children that are never seen again, the forces that take them away, what they see and hear before this happens and other, smaller permutations that have found their way into the story's telling.
Another important branch of differing versions include those that are told in other parts of the capital or even outside its walls. While the core aspect remains largely the same, the places vary greatly, with their iteration's Glumhaven Park being things such as abandoned shacks, moss-covered statues of gods long forgotten, lone riverbanks and similar place, where popular memory has ensured that the location is mostly associated with feelings of uneasiness.
Broadly speaking, what most changes is what the children do before or during the stories to deserve such punishment, citing disobedience, rebelliousness, carelessness and other negative aspects that requires them to be disciplined. Other variations include the time at which the evens happen, the number of children that are never seen again, the forces that take them away, what they see and hear before this happens and other, smaller permutations that have found their way into the story's telling.
Another important branch of differing versions include those that are told in other parts of the capital or even outside its walls. While the core aspect remains largely the same, the places vary greatly, with their iteration's Glumhaven Park being things such as abandoned shacks, moss-covered statues of gods long forgotten, lone riverbanks and similar place, where popular memory has ensured that the location is mostly associated with feelings of uneasiness.
Cultural Reception
Currently, the people of Solaris hold varying degrees of respect for the myth, with some believing in it and others being completely skeptical about it, though most of the people within the capital's walls know better than to simply ignore the facts that happen in the tale. Outside of the capital, one can find similar and nearly identical results
However, even if such feelings are commonplace, and the story's message is often heeded, the myth itself has not impacted the Kingdom's culture beyond this.
However, even if such feelings are commonplace, and the story's message is often heeded, the myth itself has not impacted the Kingdom's culture beyond this.
In Literature
The stories depicted in the myths can oftentimes be found in a bards repertoire of tales, or in tomes compiling the myths, accounts and legends of the early and current Kingdom. The versions found therein attempt to be as true to the Solaris iterations as possible, while also adding footnotes to indicate key differences with other renditions.
In Art
There are several pieces depicting the myth's events, albeit representing the version specific to where the artist is doing the depiction. Most of them show a string of children marching into the place of their disappearance led by forces pictured as wisps of light, all the while singing and at ease. Most of the pieces are kept private, as they are seen as garish or in poor taste.
Date of First Recording
Approximately 400 years BE
Date of Setting
Varies depending on the telling
Related Locations
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