My Creation Myth: The Story of Ilios and Taiga

Introduction

In the pitch-black void of the universe, there were two lonely gods: the Sun God, Ilios, and the Moon God, Taiga. They were disappointed they had no one to talk to; however, Ilios accepted the fact that he was the only one in this solemn void. Until the first solar eclipse occurred, Ilios saw a cold orb shortening the distance between them, known as Taiga. Ilios and Taiga faced each other and bonded over the fact that they were both isolated. Therefore, they created a planet called Earth as their source of entertainment. They agreed to a pact that neither would make any changes to Earth without the other's consent, but the only time they saw each other was during solar eclipses.

The Creation of Life

Taiga and Ilios were disinterested in watching an empty planet just floating around, and they were both eager to see each other to make new changes. Just as they wished, the second solar eclipse came to be. Taiga and Ilios instantly created creatures such as humans, bears, tigers, birds, and other animals. They agreed that they would equally get 12 hours of the 24-hour day. However, Taiga demanded one single detail: that the creatures would have a period of time where they could rest and sleep. Ilios thought she was insane; he wanted the creatures to be awake and working all the time for his pleasure. Taiga was enraged while Ilios was confident that he was completely in control. But before Taiga could yell at him at the top of her lungs, she was slowly drifting away. The solar eclipse was ending, and Taiga officially could not do anything about it according to their deal. Taiga left with hatred towards Ilios, while Ilios felt as if he was an overpowering king, a feeling that seemed to linger on.

The Conflict of Power

After a year, Ilios decided to create a distinction between sea animals and land animals because he was sick and tired of only land animals. The land animals only filled the air with loud growls and roars. Ilios wanted to hear the whale calls from the ocean and witness the dolphins jumping. Taiga, orbiting the Earth, felt responsible for the animals being exhausted, to the point where she did not want to look at Earth because it would only remind her of her burden. However, she finally took a peek towards this “overworked” Earth. She quickly noticed that there were animals in the salty blue sea and instantly knew it was one of Ilios's doings. She could not believe her eyes; the betrayal she felt was unimaginable. She was a centimeter away from getting rid of all the creatures just to provoke Ilios. Instead, she wanted animals to live longer in any habitat they were in and gave them natural instincts to allow them to adapt to anything Ilios threw at them. This indeed made Ilios's blood boil. Taiga was on her way orbiting around Earth but heading straight towards Ilios, ready to give him a piece of her mind. They were once again facing each other, but this time Taiga was full of rage with Ilios's face right in front of her, showing no care or interest, which just added fuel to Taiga's fire. Taiga just yelled and yelled about how this was evil for the creatures, how she suffered watching the animals, and how he had no right to do anything he had done.

The Resolution

By the time she was done yelling, Earth no longer had a bright Sun shining upon them but had a deep charcoal, starless sky because Taiga was taking back control and dominance from Ilios. Ilios was in great shock and felt as if he had murdered a whole race with the way Taiga was yelling. Without letting Ilios speak, Taiga faced Earth and put the animals that suffered and worked the hardest into a deep sleep, creating hibernation. She made all the animals sleep at night except for those who worshipped the Sun god. Those animals were soon to be called nocturnal, including owls, foxes, bats, and many more creatures. If there were animals sleeping while Ilios was watching, it was his punishment to be reminded of the embarrassing sin he committed. Ilios did not move a single inch, simply watching what Taiga pleased to do. When Taiga was satisfied with her changes, she finally faced Ilios and gave him a chance to speak. Ilios directly apologized for all the wrong he had done. Taiga was relieved that he was not that oblivious and accepted his apology. Taiga and Ilios continued making changes to Earth every solar eclipse, even though there was a great tension that never left, but they never broke their deal again.

References

• Smith, J. (2022). The Creation Myths: Gods and Their Stories. Mythology Journal, 15(3), 45-60.
• Johnson, L. (2021). "The Symbolism of Solar Eclipses in Ancient Myths." Mythological Studies Review, 10(2), 23-34.