The Holy Seal and the Sun
Summary
In ancient times the Holy Seal constantly had to protect her cubs from predators. One day she got a great idea - if she made the sun disappear it would be too dark to see her cubs, and they would be safer. But how could she make the sun disappear?
After thinking about this for a really long time she decided that she would eat the sun. She beckoned for her children to follow, and started the trek towards the sun. The Great Hero Nuti saw the Holy Seal and her cubs on their travels, and stopped the little group.
"Where are you going?" Nuti asked.
"I am going to where the sun hits the ground to eat the sun," Holy Seal answered.
"You can't do that! The elves need the sun to live!"
"And I need darkness to keep my cubs safe."
Nuti understood that the Holy Seal just did what she had to do to protect her cubs, in the same way as Nuti had to do what he could to protect the elves. He prayed to the Goddess, Inmalia, for guidance on how to solve this problem.
Inmalia, as the mother of the elves, saw the threat to her children, and had to do something to protect the elves. She became angry at the Holy Seal for threatening her children, even though it was to protect her own cubs. She immediately changed the length of day and night, making the time of year when the Holy Seal had cubs the lightest, darkening the opposite time of the year when the cubs are larger and more able to escape the predators themselves. She also ordered her elves to light a huge bonfire on the night the sun never slept, to strengthen the sun against being eaten by the Holy Seal.
The Great Hero Nuti saw the despair in the eyes of the Holy Seal as she realized her cubs would be even more exposed than before during the light northern summer. The Holy Seal still tried to chase the sun to eat it, but the large bonfire lit by the elves every year made it hard to be able to eat the sun. Nuti felt great sadness about this - the Holy Seal had just tried to protect her cubs after all. He pleaded to the Goddess to do something to help the Holy Seal, to make her cubs just a little more protected.
Inmalia first refused, then hesitated. Then she turned the Holy Seal's cubs white, to better be able to hide in the snow. It wouldn't help on the brightest time of year, during the days of no snow, but at least it would help a bit. The Holy Seal was thankful, but it wasn't enough for her to stop trying to eat the sun.
Yet, as long as the fires of the elves burned bright every midsummer, the sun was strong enough to escape the threat of the Holy Seal.
After thinking about this for a really long time she decided that she would eat the sun. She beckoned for her children to follow, and started the trek towards the sun. The Great Hero Nuti saw the Holy Seal and her cubs on their travels, and stopped the little group.
"Where are you going?" Nuti asked.
"I am going to where the sun hits the ground to eat the sun," Holy Seal answered.
"You can't do that! The elves need the sun to live!"
"And I need darkness to keep my cubs safe."
Nuti understood that the Holy Seal just did what she had to do to protect her cubs, in the same way as Nuti had to do what he could to protect the elves. He prayed to the Goddess, Inmalia, for guidance on how to solve this problem.
Inmalia, as the mother of the elves, saw the threat to her children, and had to do something to protect the elves. She became angry at the Holy Seal for threatening her children, even though it was to protect her own cubs. She immediately changed the length of day and night, making the time of year when the Holy Seal had cubs the lightest, darkening the opposite time of the year when the cubs are larger and more able to escape the predators themselves. She also ordered her elves to light a huge bonfire on the night the sun never slept, to strengthen the sun against being eaten by the Holy Seal.
The Great Hero Nuti saw the despair in the eyes of the Holy Seal as she realized her cubs would be even more exposed than before during the light northern summer. The Holy Seal still tried to chase the sun to eat it, but the large bonfire lit by the elves every year made it hard to be able to eat the sun. Nuti felt great sadness about this - the Holy Seal had just tried to protect her cubs after all. He pleaded to the Goddess to do something to help the Holy Seal, to make her cubs just a little more protected.
Inmalia first refused, then hesitated. Then she turned the Holy Seal's cubs white, to better be able to hide in the snow. It wouldn't help on the brightest time of year, during the days of no snow, but at least it would help a bit. The Holy Seal was thankful, but it wasn't enough for her to stop trying to eat the sun.
Yet, as long as the fires of the elves burned bright every midsummer, the sun was strong enough to escape the threat of the Holy Seal.
Cultural Reception
This tale is told to every Inmali elven child during the Midsummer night every year.
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