(ZGen)Dawn of Evil's Bane[M]

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story takes place before any of the Zelda games released so far, and, as such, will contain few, if any, of the characters from the series titles. No Link, no Princess Zelda, no Ganondorf--though they will be referred to (not by name).

The Legend of Zelda: Dawn of Evil’s Bane

“Before time as we know it began, before life and the spirits of the dead were born, three golden goddesses descended upon the chaos that was Hyrule, bidden by the Master of all to fashion a world of unsurpassable brilliance to serve as a light in the darkness of the Void. They were three of the most beloved stars in all the heavens, the fairest and most beautiful of the Immortals, given the three Good Gifts in their purest forms, and so chosen to bestow these Gifts upon creation.

Din, the goddess of power, Nayru, the goddess of wisdom, and Farore, the goddess of courage, shapers of the world and sustainers of all sentient life. The daunting task set before them would require all their powers, all their wits, and all their resolve to fit the grandiose design set forth by the Master, and so, taking the greatest care, they began their spectacular undertaking.

The first to put her skills to the test was the goddess of power, Din, eldest of the three Sister goddesses, maker of fire and wielder of thunder. With her strong flaming arms, she cultivated the land and created the red, barren earth, sculpting upon it the mountains, valleys, and plains for the people to dwell amidst. Then she formed the sun, to give light to the world and to hold it back from the spiral of the Void, and stole a fragment of it to place inside the earth: its core, the very heart of the world.

When Din had finished her craft, her younger sister, Nayru, Goddess and Protectress of all knowledge of things both big and small and even of those intangible, poured her wisdom onto the earth and gave the spirit of law to the world, etching into its design the finer details, filling the deeps with seas and the skies with clouds to maintain them. Her contributions were essential to preserving harmony in this new world, as without the seas and skies and the natural rule, no life could exist.

Youngest of the three was Farore, Goddess of courage, artist among immortals, and Mother of the winds. With her rich soul, she produced all life forms who would uphold the law, from beasts to sprites to man in all his likenesses, from trees to grasses to flowers, and gave each man its individual spirit, each animal its disposition, and each plant its potency. Then she borrowed some of Nayru’s wisdom, and gave every man and beast intelligence—the animals were bestowed with the blessing of instinct, and for man, moral integrity and the power of reason.

The three great goddesses, their labors completed, departed for the heavens, leaving in their wake three sacred golden triangles, the basis of the world’s providence, the three Good Gifts, power, wisdom, and courage. These sacred triangles rested in the heart of the world, the Sacred Realm, a place most hallowed, and they came to be known as the Triforce.

It is said that one day the three golden goddesses will descend to Hyrule once more and reveal to man the doorway to the Sacred Realm, and from that day forth, so long as man keeps the Triforce for the sake of justice and truth and all that is good, the world will have abundant prosperity. If he fails in this, however, the world will plunge into darkness, and the burden will be placed upon a child of Farore to restore order and balance to Hyrule.”

(Volume I, The Tomes of Mudora, “The Creation and Legacy of Hyrule.”)

I've always been curious to read various renditions of Hyrule's creation, and have so far read three, yours included. Without a doubt, I enjoyed this one the best. Your take is excellently wrought, the description of the goddesses, and their communal formation of Hyrule in particular. The language is perfect, as is the complexity of your sentences (though I thought the first sentence had a few more adjectives, and a bit more length, than it needed). The final paragraph wrapped this section up nicely, especially the last sentence, which put in mind the monologue at the beginning of The Fellowship of the Ring. I look forward to reading more.

Chapter One is taking a long time to write, which is both a good thing and a bad thing--good because the quality is definitely a priority, bad because it's not going to be posted for awhile. But I'm sure you all can wait.

Originally Posted by Selah

I thought the first sentence had a few more adjectives, and a bit more length, than it needed.

After my first re-reading upon publishing, I must say I was at first inclined to agree with you, but then I looked back at why I wrote it that way. The Master of all (symbolic of the monotheistic God) gave the goddesses specific directions as to what he wanted the world to be, and described in no uncertain terms the level of quality he wanted them to acheive, so a higher level of descriptive adjectives, more verbose and even a little fluffy, were needed to convey this.

There will be many more interactions between the Immortals as the story goes on, and you can expect to see more passages like this one. So, look forward to that.

The final paragraph wrapped this section up nicely, especially the last sentence, which put in mind the monologue at the beginning of The Fellowship of the Ring. I look forward to reading more.

Glad you noted the style and its inspiration.

...? You know, I don't mean to be curt, but why post an intro if you don't plan on posting anything else?

Originally Posted by Layke

...? You know, I don't mean to be curt, but why post an intro if you don't plan on posting anything else?

Writing takes time, especially when one is bogged down with school, scholarships, and work.

Originally Posted by LionHarted

After my first re-reading upon publishing, I must say I was at first inclined to agree with you, but then I looked back at why I wrote it that way. The Master of all (symbolic of the monotheistic God) gave the goddesses specific directions as to what he wanted the world to be, and described in no uncertain terms the level of quality he wanted them to acheive, so a higher level of descriptive adjectives, more verbose and even a little fluffy, were needed to convey this.

The style also functions as being 'mythic' - stately and distant. Works well.

I'm a little cold on the idea of a 'Master' god, especially because it makes the three goddesses seem like daughters who need a father's direction. Rings false, to me.

But whatever - it's your story, and you still write as well as ever.

Originally Posted by pipking

I'm a little cold on the idea of a 'Master' god, especially because it makes the three goddesses seem like daughters who need a father's direction. Rings false, to me.

The Wind Waker introduced us to some of the other deities of Hyrule, so we know there are more than just the goddesses. The Master is intended not to serve as an almighty figure, like the Judeo-Christian God, but to serve as more of a organizer for the plans for the realm of the immortals. He assumes no authority over the lives of the people of Hyrule, only of the other gods. The goddesses do not 'need' him, but he needs them.

He is not important to the progression of the storyline, so it does no harm to shed light on this.

I know writing takes time, but you are a great and very talented writer and not just me, but I am sure many here on ZU, love to read your work. I will try to be patient, but I just am worried that this might be another Wars of the Hero, great start, and then just abruptly ending without finishing. Please don't let it be!

Originally Posted by Layke

I know writing takes time, but you are a great and very talented writer and not just me, but I am sure many here on ZU, love to read your work. I will try to be patient, but I just am worried that this might be another Wars of the Hero, great start, and then just abruptly ending without finishing. Please don't let it be!

I have a lot to do, and Wars of the Hero is too big a project to carry on right now. I'm hoping this one, since it's not on such a grand scale, will be an easier task. So far, since there's so much creative freedom, things are moving along quite nicely. I'm still not done with Chapter One, though, but I promise you it is coming along.