Divinities both great and small populate the pages of the novel I am working on. They are not portrayed as all powerful but they are definitely Beings to be reckoned with. Dionysus drives the action of the story which shows the effects of what He does both on mortals and on other gods. His goal is to usher out the Age of Iron and bring in the new Age of Gold, completing a primeval cycle and starting a new one. His ambition is to be head of the Gods of that new age just as His father Zeus commanded the ages previous to that. As you might imagine, some of the current gods take exception to this but others welcome His actions. Below is some sample text. I’ll post the second half in a few weeks.
Dionysus stood on a stony shore of Baffin Bay waiting. It was a bleak isolated spot, unspoiled by human habitation. Grey hills sprinkled with snow loomed around Him. While the air was chilly, the ice that normally filled the bay was gone, sea birds skimming the waters. Low hanging dark clouds spitting sleet and fat raindrops came and went. A pale gray arctic fox paused and stared at Him, then seemed to shrug its furry shoulders and went along its business. The carcass of a polar bear lay yards away from Him, a flock of skuas, ravens and other scavengers feeding on it. A few seals popped up in the waters and dove back under, their faces momentarily having a human look. But the face He was watching for was neither a seal’s nor human.
He saw Her finally, surfacing and swimming in His direction. She slowly heaved Her massive body up onto the stony beach, a sack clutched in Her teeth. Black wet braids trailed along the ground. Her face had sacred markings tattooed on her dark skin . Short stubby fingers on Her front flippers gripped at the stones as She pulled Herself close to Dionysus and dropped the sack before Him.
“I only found the greaves.” Spoke Takannaaluk in a thick echoing voice. “I had the fish search for other parts but if there are other surviving pieces of Your Brother’s armor, they have not fallen into My domain.”
“This is actually more than I hoped for. Ares journeyed through all the mortal realms, avoiding our Father who insisted it was time to fully transition to the Otherworld. I’m not sure why He broke the Armor up and scattered it, unless it was to spite Zeus.”
“You best hope He didn’t drop any in Pele’s domain. She would have made short work of them in Her fire-pits.”
“If She finds them, She certainly will. But breaking the Armor up as He did makes it impossible to detect the pieces unless you are right on top of them.”
“True enough.” replied Takannaaluk. “I only chanced on the greaves after I had sunk a fishing trawler for violating sacred waters. Their nets had accidentally snagged them from the sea bed.”
“I thank you for contacting me.” said Dionysus, removing the greaves from the coarse woven sack. They gleamed a brilliant gold but the metal was Otherworldly in Its hardness. Hephaestus never did second rate work if He could help it. “What reward do you wish for your assistance?”
“Only that you put an end to the vile creations of humans that devastate My ocean. Their disgusting plastics, the nets which will not break down catching the innocent in their mindless grip. The huge boats with their stinking oils, poisonous radiation and endless streams of waste of every sort. I will be many centuries cleaning up after them.” Her voice grew mournful. “The many animals whose like will not be seen again; the Sea Cows, the Great Auks, the mighty whales who dwindle every year. Fah! If all the humans died, I would gladly celebrate their extinction. But you’ll want worshipers, I suppose.”
“Most gods do. But the number of humans will be greatly reduced. And I will teach them to honor our Mother Earth. You’ll be glad to hear I’ve already decontaminated many radioactive sites including a few underwater. It will take some time to eliminate them all but Gaia will be cleaner for it.”
“That sounds like a good start. Manannan mac Lir showed up recently at the borders of my domain warning me of the hazards of aiding you. I thought He had His nerve, telling me what I should or shouldn’t do. He’s not the god His father was, but Lir moved into the Otherworld long ago. Now there was a sea god! His son can’t hold a candle to Him. I threatened to eat Him if He kept bothering me. So He left.” Takannaaluk smiled grimly, Her razor sharp teeth gleaming. “If He thinks the humans are so wonderful, let Him be the one to clean up their messes.”
“There are many Who cling to the old order of things, my Sister among them. But times have changed. It’s clear the Age of Iron has reached its end point. If the Golden Age is to have a clean start, it’s necessary to wipe out the artifacts of the Iron Age. But I expect a good deal of resistance to that and not just from the Lesser Ones. Humans will fight tooth and nail to keep things the way they are, even if it does reduce Mother Earth to a waste land. They will certainly pray to their gods for assistance.”
“I wish them good luck with that!” snorted Takannaaluk. “Many of Them have either gone to the Otherworld or stopped listening to Their followers because the humans think they themselves own the world and can do whatever they want. If they pray at all, it’s only when it’s an emergency and they want something. They’ve forgotten that it’s a partnership, that they must give if they wish to receive. Teach them that if you teach them anything.”
“I will.” replied Dionysus, placing the greaves back in the pouch and slinging it over His shoulder. “Keep your ears open and let me know if you hear rumors of where the other Armor parts may be.”
“I shall.” said Takannaaluk. She heaved Her bulk around and crawled back into the ocean. Dionysus Himself vanished in a spray of golden light.
A raven, swallowing gobbets of meat from the dead polar bear, watched with a beady eye until He was sure the two gods had disappeared. Then leaving the carcass to the other scavengers, He flew into the air and headed towards Ireland with a speed far greater than any ordinary bird could achieve.
On the northwest coast of Ireland, Manannan sat on the grassy hillside above the Arranmore Lighthouse, whittling a large chunk of driftwood, the sound of crashing surf off in the distance. His reddish brown beard and mustache were neat in appearance. His dark hair, held in place with a headband, flowed over his shoulders. He wore a homespun shirt delicately embroidered with interlaced birds, their legs and wings woven in a complex design, His dark rugged breeches also homespun. The sea breeze teased a few stray locks of His beard. Hearing the sea gulls squawk in alarm, He glanced up. He watched as a raven dove out of the heavens at break neck speed. Just as it seemed the bird would shatter itself on the hardscrabble shore, it came up short, changed into a coyote and approached Manannan.
“Hail Brother.” It cried. “Greetings, He-Who-Wears-The-Drab-Coat.”
“Well, now.” laughed Manannan. “It’s been a while since anyone has called me that! So, Brother Coyote. What news do you bring?”
“Nothing good, I fear.” As He spoke, Coyote took on the form of a human with dusky skin, His face generously coated with bear grease some of which He wiped away and sucked off His finger. He wore buckskin richly decorated with beads and embroidery. “Takannaaluk found the greaves of Ares’ Armor and has given them to Dionysus.”
“I was afraid of that.” Glowered Manannan. “I suppose it was too much to hope She would heed my warning.”
“Is it true She threatened to eat you?”
“She did hint I was a tasty looking morsel.” Laughed Manannan. “She’s like the other giants; the Jotnar, Gigantes, Nephelim – all with vast appetites and all very old. She remembers how it was before humans. If She thinks Dionysus will bring any of that back with His new Golden Age, then yes, she’s going to help Him no matter what I tell Her.”
He set down the little wooden carving He had been working on, a child’s toy rocking horse. Coyote eyed it with interest.
“Nice. Is a blessed event in the offing for You and Your Wife?”
“Not that She’s told me. This is for some humans who live down the way and still put out offerings for the Good Folk. They’ve been childless a long time but the husband has been pestering my Wife and Me with prayers so I did an unbinding charm to open up his wife’s womb. She’ll be giving him the good news tonight, I think. I’ll leave this on their doorstep. They’ve done enough good work for the land, they deserve a reward for it.”
“I’ll head down south and visit my cousin Spider. See if He’s heard any interesting rumors.”
“I’ll go tell Athena about this latest news. She won’t be happy.”
“Is She ever happy? I don’t think I’ve ever seen Her crack a smile.”
“Of course She smiles and laughs.” Manannan leaned forward and lowered His voice. “Of course it helps if a certain Someone would refrain from taking rabbit form and leaving droppings in that kibble stuff She gives Her owl.”
“Why does everybody look at Me when stuff like that happens?” Coyote exclaimed, His tone injured. “Let’s face it, when She has a lot of tricksters around, She has to expect that sort of thing. Not that I would do anything like that!”
“Of course not, an honorable fellow like you?” replied Manannan facetiously. “Just remember She knows how to get Her own back.”
“Oh? …. Oh!” Coyote’s eyes widened. “Well, that might explain the porcupine quills in my sleeping mat last night! Man, I was hours picking those things out. Ha! That was a good one! Didn’t know the old girl had it in Her. Well, I’m off!” He shifted back to raven form. “I’ll get a message to you if I hear anything.”
Launching Himself into the air, Coyote streaked towards the south. Once He was gone, Manannan shifted Himself to the Otherworld and entered the quiet park where Athena was busy working over Her loom.
To be continued ….
