The Great Flood
Summary
When the Great Spirit visited Vellikka they spread life and spirits to the world to keep the lonely planet company. But they saw that there was no land for the spirits to live one. The world was water, and while some life liked the water, the spirits could not live that way.
To make space for their spirits, the Great Spirit pulled land from beneath the waves, grabbing at it with several hands and forming mountains as they did so. The peaks rose first, but it was not enough space, so they continued to pull. Eventually the land was wide and large, and the Great Spirit and its spirits were pleased with what they saw.
The Great Spirit left, and for a long time things were good.
But this didn't last. The ocean, which had covered the land for so long, did not like this new way of things. It felt left behind and forgotten by the land of whom it had taken such good care. So the ocean did the only thing it knew how; it rose up and covered as much of the land as it could. You see, the ocean sought to prove to the land that it could not stand alone. The Great Spirit may have drawn the land up, elevating it, but that did not make it superiour to the mighty and powerful ocean.
The land let the waves wash over it, comforted by the return of its old friend. The land knew it could not stand alone, and that without both the land and the ocean were needed to keep the life and the spirits that the Great Spirit had left behind happy. The land loved the ocean, and was comforted by the way it hugged its shores, brushing back and forth as a reminder of their friendship.
Relieved, the ocean finally retreated back, allowing the spirits and life to return to normal.
But even now, the ocean is filled with emotions and this makes it unpredictable. When its emotions become to great, it rushes over the islands to the south, in part as a proof of its power, and in part to remind everyone that they share this planet, and both are needed to keep this lonely planet happy.
Historical Basis
Most of the Vellich treat this as the truth of things, as they know no different.
Outsiders believe that the Vellich evolved from the sea, and this story is in deference to those beginnings.
Spread
Everyone in Vellikka grows up knowing this story. It is one of the most commonly accepted of the Vellikka origin stories, alongside Where The Spirits Come From. It is taught to children across the continent, but especially those living on the long and winding coastline.
Variations & Mutation
An alternative variation of this story suggests that the planet pushed the land up in order to attract the attention of the Great Spirit. But this is definitely the less common of the versions of this story, and is only told in a few extremely isolated communities.
Yet another version suggests that the planet created the land to keep the spirits happy, but that is only recorded in one document by the Story Vault.
In Literature
There are several accounts of this story documented in books and scriptures held by the Story Vault. It is not clear which of those held there are the oldest, and none seem to be an original.
Related Articles
| Nature | The Rising Tide |
|---|---|
| Culture | Vellich World View, Place of Spirits |
| Stories | Where The Spirits Come From |
Date of First Recording
unknown
Date of Setting
unknown
Related Ethnicities
Related Species
Related Locations
I enjoyed the way you gave both the land and the ocean personalities & motivations. Well done!
Thank you so much! :)