It is said that there once was a Tree so great that it encompassed the entire world. Its roots drank from the vast oceans, and its branches reached into the heavens and soaked up the silvery light of the stars.
It is also said that there once was a dragon queen, Dracaena, whose scales were as black as the Void. She fed on light and, like the Void, could never find enough to satiate her appetite. She flew past the great World Tree and was angered how it consumed the light she desired for herself.
So Dracaena breathed her foul breath at the world—a miasmic cloud of poison and disease. The oceans soured and the World Tree sickened. The Tree then pulled nourishment from the stars and was healed and, in turn, healed the oceans beneath its roots.
Dracaena retreated and fell into a deep slumber and, after a thousand years, she awakened and returned. Still, the Tree absorbed the starlight, and again she was angered. Once again she breathed her foul breath at the world—a blazing torrent of fire and ash. The oceans boiled and evaporated, and the World Tree sickened. Then the ashes settled and the embers cooled, and the Tree wept tears of salt that formed the oceans anew.
Once again Dracaena retreated and fell into a deep slumber, waking only after a thousand years had passed. Again she flew past the World Tree, and again was angered how it stole her starlight. She perched in the Tree’s great branches, and breathed her foul breath upon the World Tree itself.
This time, her breath was darkness and sorrow, emptiness and despair. She pulled it from the very depths of the Void and, as she breathed, the Void claimed both her and the World Tree, leaving our world abandoned and exposed to the cold light of the stars.
And though our world survived, it is because of Dracaena that sickness and disease claim our elderly, that fires claim our homes, and that sorrow and despair plague us in the depths of the night. It was she who unleashed these horrors upon the world, and without the World Tree, these wounds can no longer be healed.
It is said that one day, Dracaena will find her way out of the Void. When she does, she’ll return and devour the stars, and our world will forever be consumed by darkness.
We must pray that such a day never comes.
A very impressive epic style! This feels like a creation/end of the world story of a fantastic culture where dragons are worshiped both as gods and demons.
Sophie
Sophie’s Thoughts & Fumbles
FB3X
Wittegen Press
Thanks Sophie! I’m a big mythology fan, so it’s fun to write my own myth-type stories sometimes. 🙂
Wow, what beautiful imagery and epic style. It feels as if it had come out of history and been handed down generation by generation.
Tasha
Tasha’s Thinkings | Wittegen Press | FB3X (AC)
Thank you, Tasha. 🙂
I like it! I don’t usually like “written” mythology but this piece is really well done 🙂
@TarkabarkaHolgy from
Multicolored Diary – Epics from A to Z
MopDog – 26 Ways to Die in Medieval Hungary
Coming from an oral storyteller, I take that as a great compliment. Thank you. 🙂
As a myth, it explains human suffering in a most satisfying way. Both tree and dragon contain the roots of our collective character;noble and hateful. Very enjoyable writing.
Thank you. 🙂
Wow, you continue to impress. I was hoping it would end with hope the tree would grow anew with the discovery of a world tree seed or some such. Instead it was scary, in a good way!
Thank you! This was kind of my version of a Pandora’s Box myth. 😉
I read this earlier in the day today and have just re-read it (as I knew I would when I wanted to make a comment!).
This is an extraordinary story Sara, thank you. A myth to endure … and belongs in the annals. A friend suggested to me to do a handbook/ebook on my posts, and I’m passing this idea on to you…your writing is excellent!
This speaks truth – and we must continue to pray. Although the Phoenix rose from the ashes …
Thank you and hope you’re having a good Easter weekend.
Thank you, Susan! I’ve actually been considering bundling up these stories into an ebook. We’ll see!
And we had a great weekend, thank you. 🙂
Wow! That was written so beautifully. The imagery is spot on. This would make the beginning of a great epic tale.
Thanks, Chrys. 🙂
I love new myths, and this is no exception! But like Jennifer, I was hoping for a more hopeful ending! (I also like dragons, and hate to hear tales of their being terrible and mean-spirited. 🙁 That said, when a dragon is having a “bad day,” it’s a bad day for EVERYONE.)
Thank you, Holly. I also like dragons, but I prefer to think of them just as I would people: that some are nice and some… less so. 😉 Thanks for stopping by!
Hi Sara – sounds like a fairly difficult time if Dracaena gets her way … but she sounds a good antagonist – who the hero will win over .. I certainly would rather she doesn’t come to life now .. cheers Hilary
Thanks Hilary and yeah, probably would be better for everyone if Dracaena never returns. 😉
I love this! Such a great creation story.
Thank you, Laura! 🙂
Great ending. I love the mythology feel to it. Reads like a story I would find in a collection of folklore.
Thanks, Tanya. That’s pretty much what I was going for, so… yay! 😀
I especially love how you ended this. This rivals the best of the myths I have read. 🙂
Wow, that’s a great compliment. Thank you, Sue! 🙂
That was a fantasuc story. I’m finally not hopped up on cold meds to concentrate enough to read it. It’s very sad this one.
Thanks, Djinnia. Hope you’re feeling better. 🙂
Lovely mythical story, and sad. I hope someday the World Tree can be revived and bring healing back to the world.
Thanks, Lori. 🙂
This is really good. Wonderful imagery.
Susan is right. After the challenge, you should consider an e-book compilation.
(There are lots of writers, from past years, who have created e-books from their A to Z posts)
Thanks, Michelle, and perhaps I will. 🙂