Ar Thúannan Rheine (Part 2)

Hello, hello, here comes the second part.

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Three virgins came to Salea-oh-Ramar at sunset on the fifth day, and all the Highest met them.

“Listen and hear the silent breath of the mountains,” said Agarad, “see the moon shining in the cold sky. May each of you build a boat out of the moonlight and breathe the breath of the mountains into it, so that it takes its soul away into the sky and does not drown in the starless mist.

She sharpened Guataerim the light of the moon, bent it with her hands, gave it shape - and now, the bends of the boat were already visible. But she was too light, and any gust of wind carried her away; she was too fragile and could easily crumble into dust. Then Guataerim absorbed the breath of the mountains and breathed lightly on the boat, and it embodied in essence, and hung in the air, like a bright star.

Leidahann took in the mountain air, expelled it from her chest, and acquired that shape, became visible and tangible. And the boat was already ready, but it was too heavy and could not take off, it was too transparent and did not hold even the lightest leg. Then Leidahann gathered the light of the moon into a handful and covered the boat with it, and it embodied in essence, and hung in the air, like a white light.

Seangorakh danced along with the moon on a starry night, was silent along with the mountains, and her dance was the dance of beech shoots, and her silence was the silence of proud pines, and they lined up far and high, beyond the sky and the stars.

Morning came, and Agarad said to them:

"Show me your work!"

Leidahann came out first and showed everyone her boat, built as if from white birches.

“Look how gently my boat floats, and no one will fall out of it!” - she put a full jug in it and flew around the mountain, and not a drop of water spilled from the jug.

The second Guataerim came out and showed everyone her boat, built as if from strong oak.

“Look how fast and swift my boat is, no one will notice how it sailed!” - she stepped into the boat and flew around the mountain, and no one understood when she started flying and when she finished.

The third Seangorakh came out and showed everyone her boat, built as if from a gray alder.

“I have nothing to boast about, lord,” she bowed her head. “My boat swings on the waves of clouds and flies much slower than a flash of lightning…”

Her sisters were proud, and Agarad already wanted to say goodbye to her, but the sun rose, and illuminated the boat, and inflated her sails, and she sailed up, cutting the clouds, as if there were no obstacles for her.

The Highest admired, and Agarad smiled, looking at Seangorakh. But her sisters were offended and envied her.

Then Ilidas came out and said:

“All three of you are worthy, but we could not determine the best. Come to Lonnduyan^[1]Lonnduian, "Lake Hollow"; in seven days, and then we will decide which of you will receive our gift.”

Days passed, and the envy of the first two sisters for the third grew, and one day Guataerim said:

“How long will it continue like this, that our sister will make us a laughingstock?”

“And that’s true,” agreed Leidahann. “Because of her, the Higher Ones don’t put us in anything. We must make sure that she does not come to the third test.

They came to their sister at the end of the fifth day and said to her:

"Young Wine Day is Coming"^[2]one of the names of the holiday of the spring equinox;and we want to give you a present, sister. Meet us at midnight at Karnah Afras and we will come."

She believed the sisters Seagnorach, because she trusted them, and they did not show their evil intention by word or movement.

Midnight was approaching, and the sisters went out to Karnach Afras. The way was far, and a wide steppe stretched before them, as they left the village. As soon as Guataerim wanted to step on the tall grass, she parted, and crawled out in front of her.

"Evil is at your feet," he hissed. - Attracts you, but will you succumb? Darkness is not light, rise above it"^[3]a very strange parallelism that looks like an allusion to Scripture (see Brsh 4:7, “…sin lies at the door…”). … Continue reading.

But the alva grimaced, hissed no worse than the snake:

“The One Alvay did not create me for this, so that I would listen to the advice of creeping reptiles!” - and with her foot she kicked the old grass snake out of the way, like some kind of carrion.

The steppe was wide, and the sisters walked for a long time. But now - it ended, and trees grew before them, spruce and beeches, lindens and maples. Just as Leidahann wanted to step on dry brushwood, two fires were lit in the darkness, and a fox came out in front of her.

"Evil is in your hands," he barked. - Attracts you, but will you succumb? Darkness is not light, throw it away^[4]a very strange parallelism that looks like an allusion to Scripture (see Brsh 4:7, “…sin lies at the door…”). … Continue reading.

But the alva grinned, the fox growled no worse:

“It was not for this that I was born an alva, so that red dogs would point me!” - she picked up a stone from the ground and launched it at the fox, but missed, and the fox disappeared among the trees.

The forest was dense, and the sisters walked for a long time. But now - it ended, and they saw mountains and hills in front of them, stretching into the distance for many fields. And just as they wanted to set foot on the stony slopes, a whistle rang out, and a tawny owl appeared in front of them.

"Evil is in your mind," she whistled. - Attracts you, but will you succumb? Darkness is not light, reject it"^[5]a very strange parallelism that looks like an allusion to Scripture (see Brsh 4:7, “…sin lies at the door…”). … Continue reading.

But the sisters simply passed by, and for a long time their laughter resounded like a booming ring among the hills.

So they reached Karnakh Aphras, and Seangorakh was already waiting for them there, and smiled at them.

“Here it is, our gift to you, little sister! Leidahann Seangorach grabbed her hands, and Gwataerim raised a knife over her, “now there will be no one better than us!”

Guataerim stabbed her sister in the heart with a knife, and she, gasping, knelt down, pressed her palms to her chest, and they were stained with blood.

“No one should find her here,” Leidahann told her sister. “Let’s feed her body to vultures, wolves and snakes, then no one will know how she died.”

They stripped the flesh from the bones of Seangorah, and scattered the bones themselves throughout Karnah Aphras. Blood spilled on the gray stones, and the bones were covered with earth, and the moss on the stones has been brown-red since then, and every autumn the white realaes blooms on the hill.

“Crows and vultures,” shouted the Guaterim, “fly hither! Do not hesitate, you will have something to profit from!

She fell silent - and in a moment dark wings obscured the stars, and vultures and crows flew to the hills, but they did not accept the flesh of Seangorakh, but attacked the sisters, and they fled away, pursued by hoarse croaking, to the very forest.

“Wolves and bears,” Leidahann shouted, “run here! Do not hesitate, you will have something to profit from!

She fell silent - and in a moment a crunch of branches was heard, and bears and wolves ran into the forest, but they did not accept the flesh of Seangorah, but attacked the sisters, and they fled away, pursued by a formidable roar, to the very steppe.

“Snakes and vipers,” Guataerim shouted again, “crawl here! Do not hesitate, you will have something to profit from!

She fell silent - and in a moment a rustle of grass was heard, and vipers and snakes crawled into the steppe, but did not accept those flesh of Seangorakh, but attacked the sisters, and they fled away, pursued by an evil hiss, to the very village.