by Feath Pym
Neanderthal Mythos
Feath Pym
Copyright 2015 by Feath Pym.
Foreword
Formatting corrected in this version.
What do you do when the Mist Spirits reach for you in the forest glades? How do young hunters learn to hunt? How do you stay out of trouble, to live another day? Where did The People come from?
Were Neanderthals the knuckled dragging, hirsute, chest beating, embarrassing cousin of Humans or were they intelligent, forbearing survivalists?
What does it take to live in a Neanderthal world?
Thank you for picking up a copy of Neanderthal Mythos. There are several types of short stories in this small e-book. Mainly there are cautionary tales - stories told to Neanderthal children that are aimed at keeping them alive. They are not ‘and they lived happily ever after’ stories. Read them yourself before deciding if they are suitable for your children.
Also there is a bonus section at the end, with chapter one of Season of the Sand Bird, which is the first of four books in the Neanderthal world.
Feath
Mother Raven and the Three Eggs
“In the beginning,” Eh Speak said, his voice soft, “Raven created herself from the night.” His lips hardly moved and the clan leaned in to hear him over the crackle of the fire. “Raven waited until Father Sun rested, then reached up and gathered the night in her fist, pulling it down and shaking it out, before she cast it over her shoulders. She pulled the branches from the oak and put them to her arms, saying the sacred words. She felt to her feet and found the black stone, which she napped into a beak. She rose to the sky and plucked two of the sky fires and made them her eyes.”
The People nodded and smiled to each other, knowing the story of First People, waiting for the good bit. Eh Quest picked up a stick and poked the fire, letting the sparks fly up and light the cave wall with flickering shadows. When the fire died back down, the shadows gathered closer as well, to hear Eh Speak tell the tale, for it was their story, too.
“In the light of the moon, she danced the beat of life. It was so beautiful, the sky wept and she spun in its tears. When Father Sun gathered its strength for its new day’s work, Raven launched herself into the sky to greet him. Father Sun and Mother Raven danced together and Father Sun blessed Raven.
“When Raven tired she flew back to the oak and roosted quietly in its branches. The next sun rise Raven knew she was blessed and so she made a nest in the safety of the oak. When she was ready, she laid her eggs. From the first egg came all the animals; the mammoths and the wolves, the ducks and the fish, the cats and the hippos and many more. From the second egg came the shadows and the banshees, the evil and the sly, the tricksters and the soul suckers. From the third egg came The People.”
A soft ahh came from the people around the fire. Yet it seemed to Eh Quest more voices other than the clan spoke. He eyed the shadows in the cave warily.
“The animals raced away from the oak, to find places they liked. As their nature pulled them, they made home in water, plains, trees or ground.” Eh Speak continued. “The shadows raced away, to find the places they liked; under rocks and in caves, in the forests and in the mountain valleys. The People watched as all the things that would hurt them scattered and populated the world, so they wisely stayed in the trees.”
A soft babble of voices broke out, as they told each other how smart the First People were. A baby cried and was quickly hushed with a bounce and a breast. Eh Speak waited for the quiet to resume.
“Raven watched her children race away, except for The People. It made her happy that they stayed with her. For many lives The People stayed in the trees with her. They lived on the bounty of the oak and the other trees around them. They ate the fruits and the nuts and the very daring snatched handfuls of rich grains to eat. Life was good for many generations, they lived a blissful life. And then one day a young male fell from the tree.”
The sucking in of breaths came on this announcement and Eh Quest could not tell how many were from The People and how many from the shadows.
“Beloved of The People, they could not abandon him and soon they jumped down to be with him. He had broken his arm and could not climb back into the tree. The People were frightened. They watched the grass waiting for the animals or the shadows to grab them, claw and tooth, but nothing happened. The People stood tall, watching over the grass, but days passed and nothing came. So they shucked away their fear and boldly walked across the plains.”
Eh Quest’s mind went back to be with the first of The People to walk on the ground. He felt their fear, their courage; his heart trembled with pride in them.
“Mother Raven was saddened to see them go but knew it was the way. She looked at her wings that she had created for herself so long ago and knew she wanted to keep them. So she gave up her memories of hands and feet; she rejoiced in her flight and very sharp beak. She continued with her life but she never forgot her children, of which The People were her favourites. When asked properly, she would return to help them, when she could.”
“Yes, it is good!” Others laughed and slapped each other in delight, for they were favourites and the chosen.
Eh Quest thought he heard the hissed words, “Lies! Lies, Eh Speak, and we will prove it...” and shivered.
Ba Naughty
“Tonight, I will speak of Ba Naughty, the dragon. Dragons were animals that lived long ago, they are all gone now and the story of Ba Naughty might tell you why!” The children – as well as the adults – gathered around him and the small fire, eyes glistening. “Ba Naughty was a dragon, in a mighty dragon clan, led by his father. Ba Naughty’s real name was Animal Who Twisted Your Tail, and you can see why they shortened it to Ba Naughty!” He gave the children a beady eye and they all giggled.
“Now, Ba Naughty was a happy little dragon, always jumping on wagging tails, or hunting for the best dandelion’s heads to nibble, because if you didn’t know it, dragons eat grass like deer!” Eh Quest knew he didn’t say the story as well as Eh Speak, but he spoke to children, mainly, and he didn’t want to frighten them too badly. So he made Ba Naughty, who was actually rather bloodthirsty and more aggressive than he was making out, more like a clan child. The better to remind them not to be naughty!
“During the winter, the dragon clan lived deep within a sheltered canyon, where the grass grew very green and long, and the water as clear as the air and as cold as ice! And during the summer, the dragons moved up the canyon, to the mountains above it, where they played and dozed in the summer heat, eating the lush grass there and the juicy fruits. Dragons were strong; that and their infectious mischief kept them out of trouble with others.
Now, even though the dragons were monstrous and scary to look at, they were a little slow, up here,” he said, tapping his temple. “They knew the way things were, and the way they’d always been, but were not too quick to realize when something new, and dangerous, might be around. So for those few things that ate dragons, like sabre-toothed tigers, they were easy pickings, especially if the cats caught a dragon alone!”
Eh Mak made the chuffing roar of a sabre-toothed tiger who announced the success of a hunt. The children jumped and screamed, clutching each other. Some of the adults also jumped, and then they glared at Eh Mak in mock anger. Then everyone laughed, poking each other at how their neighbour – but not them! – had been fooled by Eh Mak’s excellent cat roar. Eh Quest repeated a story they all knew, but telling it in a new way, so the story felt new even to the adults. Once the laughter quieted down, they all hunkered lower, watching Eh Quest with glittering eyes from under heavy brows. The sound of night birds hunting hung gentle in the air, surrounding them as he continued.
“And so the fa
ther dragon warned Ba Naughty never to go off alone, or the sabre-toothed tigers might get him!” The adults grunted agreement at that, sending a warning look to their own little dragons, who never noticed as they never looked away from Eh Quest. Eh Quest leaned in, a conspirator on this dark night. “Ba Naughty knew his father’s rules, and swore he would never do so. But Ba Naughty got caught up in a game, chasing the tree spirits that lived on the mountain. He followed one bright spirit down over the hill and up another, then down into another valley! Before he knew it, he’d gone far away from the other dragons. A chill came over him when he knew without a doubt, he had gone so far away no one would ever hear him, if he had to scream.
“In this little valley, far from the other dragons, is a small pond, with fresh water that came up from the ground. Ba Naughty took a long drink, and a few mouthfuls of grass because he’d come a long way and felt hungry. The tree spirit twisted around him and laughed and Ba Naughty chased it around the trees until it started to get dark. Now Ba Naughty knew he was in trouble! It was dark and he should have been with his father by the time Father Sun fell, as well, Ba Naughty knew something even more terrible. He didn’t know how to get home!”
There were gasps from the children as they
