A teaching myth for children
Once upon a time, Chalana Arroy was walking through the hills near Orlanth’s stead, picking healing herbs. She heard odd noises a little ways off and went to investigate. Around the corner of a path, in a clearing, Chalana Arroy saw strange beings. They tended to have extra arms, legs, tails or heads. Unfortunately, white is very visible in the woods. Before the White Lady could blink three times, the weird creatures had surrounded her and refused to let her go. Chalana Arroy, then as now, was the most merciful and peaceful of the gods. Violence never crossed her mind. Instead, she screamed for help.
The first to hear Chalana Arroy screaming was one of Orlanth’s sons, Barntar, out hunting for dinner. Barntar hurried towards the screams. When he saw the White Lady lying on the ground, bound in strands of icky stuff, Barntar didn’t stop to think. He drew his sword and charged. One of the monsters, with six legs and two tails, hit him with its tails from behind, knocking him out. Soon Barntar was bound and screaming along with Chalana Arroy.
The next to hear all the screaming was Eurmal. Eurmal loves trouble, so he crept up on the clearing. Eurmal saw a chance to get his nasty morning headaches healed. He decided to sneak right under the monsters’ noses, cut Chalana Arroy and Barntar loose and then run away with them. Eurmal, however, forgot to take off his multicolored coat. Eurmal only cut halfway through the first of Chalana Arroy’s bonds when a thing with six arms and two heads picked up Eurmal and squeezed the breath out of him. When Eurmal woke up, he was tied up too.
Vinga was out in the hills, fuming because her father, Orlanth, wouldn’t let her join the warband. Vinga heard the screams. The clever daughter of Orlanth thought, ‘That sounds like trouble. I will sneak closer.’ Being limber, quiet and not dressed in white, Vinga crept up on the clearing. She saw Chalana Arroy, her brother Barntar and Eurmal in trouble. Vinga also saw too many monsters for her to defeat alone. So Vinga went back to Orlanth’s stead as fast as she could go.
Orlanth had been drinking mead with his friend Elmal, but put the mead down when he saw the expression on his daughter’s face. As she told Orlanth of Chalana Arroy being in danger, Orlanth yelled for the warband to arm and ride. “You had better ride with us and show us where, daughter,” Orlanth said to Vinga.
Vinga led Orlanth and the warband to the clearing. Vinga, Orlanth and the band whooped and yelled when they saw the captives. When the strange creatures saw and heard Vinga, Orlanth and the warriors in their wrath, they ran screaming, leaving the White Lady behind.
Orlanth invited Chalana Arroy to spend time in his stead. Chalana Arroy swore to heal Orlanth and Vinga always. Vinga still didn’t get to join the warband, but was allowed to guard the stead. Orlanth told Barntar he was not allowed to be in the warband. Eurmal was teased by almost everyone. So they all lived happily, until their next adventure.
