American Werewolf

The next couple entries are written by a friend of mine. For obvious reasons, he has asked to remain anonymous. 

I don’t remember much of how I got bitten. Mostly, I go by what people told me happened, but it’s strange, you know? It’s like everything before the bite was somebody else’s life. Didn't know how good I had it. But whatever.

I was camping with a bunch of friends, up on the cliffs of Flaming Gorge. Three days into Spring Break, it was a blast. Next thing I knew I was in the hospital. They told me I’d fallen off the edge of the cliffs near our campsite, and somehow managed to catch onto a ledge twenty feet down. I was treated for a couple bruises, nothing too bad. They told me I was lucky.

Up above me, in the campsite, everyone else—they were all dead. Killed, slaughtered by some animal. I’m glad I never saw that. Later that week we had a group funeral. John, Harris, Amanda, Colby, Sammy, and Terrance all together. It was closed casket.

They figured what it was pretty quick, but it was weird. Werewolf attacks don’t happen every day, you know. Not in Durango. They figured it was probably some tourist slipped through airport security, that kind of thing. Anyway, they called in some specialists, a shaman and a guy with yellow eyes, and then this other guy, normal looking kid around my age. The shaman said they could use me to track the first wolf. They could already tell I was bit, you see. Showing the signs.

What are they? Oh, you hear how silver burns the skin of a werewolf? Not true, doesn't do any good unless he’s already shifted. I can still wear silver rings, piercings, or whatever if I wanted to. The way to tell is a lot more subtle. There’s a difference in the aura of course, but mostly that changes with the moon, so you can’t tell much less it’s close to full. Then the canines are a tad longer, temper is shorter. Huge craving for red meat. Also, I smelled different. Animals didn't like me anymore, if they could smell me. The real test was when they scanned me with this special ultraviolet light. My bite was the first thing to heal up on me of course, but they found the traces left, like a ghost scar on my left leg. You could tell I really got tore up.

The man with yellow eyes smiled at me and shook his head. He was the one that did the little light thing. For some reason he kept glancing over at the kid that was with them. Told me his name was Connor, told me a lot about “my condition”, he called it.

There’s no cure. They have a couple options to deal with it. I could be locked up in a special facility every full moon, I could take special pills that would make me asthmatic and weakened for the rest of my life. Or I could join the Pack. It was no choice really. The Pack would never stand for another predator in their territory. If I’d tried the lock up, the pills, they would have killed me anyway, and it would be better. 

Sasquatch Weekend Part 3

Unfortunately, I offended the Elders in some way. I'm not sure quite what happened. One minute I'm deep in conversation with a lovely Sasquatch woman of 83 or so, two of her colleagues resting respectfully on either side, and another minute a dark-haired male comes in, and within the hour I have been left at the side of a highway, Wyatt is apologizing and telling me he'll see me back at the Uni, and most of my notes about the trip, except for a few little things from the first trek in.

Sasquatch Weekend Part 2

Sasquatch dwellings are built in five layers. First to go up is the framework of sticks and wooden beams, and then the finer woven mattes. Moss and dry grass is packed into the holes of the mattes for insulation, and then the whole is covered in specially prepared bark shingles. Inside, another layer of woven mattes cover the walls and allow for easy hanging. All of their furniture is easily collapsible, everything portable and pack-able with a few hours of practiced efficiency. The dwellings themselves, called jukhom, look like enormous tree stumps, and are spread in such a fashion that a careless hiker could walk right through the center of the village without knowing anything.

My own bright orange tent was extraordinarily out of place, needless to say, and soon after I had met with the elders of the village, Wyatt's mother kindly offered to let me stay inside of their jukhom. It was warm and cozy, complete with a small radio, lamps, portable stove... almost anything you could find in the home of a modern American.

I was led to the Jkha, the communal building at the center of the encampment, to meet with the Elders soon after waking. The Jkha is quite different from the jukhoms, resembling a small hill- although by small, I mean about 500 feet wide, and 40 feet tall. On the inside was a low perimeter second level, and in the center they had set up a large fire pit. The area was cordoned off into various workshops for the members of the tribe. Set around the fire pit were the elders, literally the oldest members of the village, smoking and debating among themselves on wicker chairs.

The size of the entire place was staggering. Most sasquatch's are between 8 and 10 feet in height, and their buildings, furniture, doorways, everything was built for their size. I've never noticed before, how easy we have it in the 'civilized world', where everything is made for generally human size, but those extra feet really make a difference. Walking among them, I felt like a child. Actually, Wyatt's 9 year old sister was taller than me by a few inches. They tended to treat me like a child as well, carefully, cutting my food up for me, opening jars or reaching to the top shelves for things I couldn't reach... but i'm getting ahead of myself a little.

Among the sasquatch people, influence is accumulated right along with age. The youngest, the children and the young adults, make very few decisions within the community and are protected from outside influences. Once a sasquatch reaches 26 years of age, they go through their first hrumner ceremony, and are considered an adult, with a vote in the community and the right to their own tent. Adult sasquatches practice a trade and do most a the physical labor throughout the camp. In their late 30s or early 40s, they marry and begin their own families. At around the age of 65, a sasquatch undergoes a second hrumner ceremony, in which they become an Elder of the village. Elders are the master craftsmen, the political force, and the voice of the community to the outside world. While a humans at 65 are beginning to feel their age, a sasquatch is in the prime of health.

Sasquatches that live beyond the century mark may undergo, if they wish, a third and final hrumner ceremony, becoming an acknowledged Ancient. Ancients carry the wisdom of their people with them, and form the core governing council of any gathering of the People. Their word for themselves has been integrated into the modern veracular: Yeti.

Sasquatch Weekend Part 1

Sasquatch (Homo pilosus): The legendary Big Foot, the Hairy Men are generally shy by nature and avoid all social situations like the plague. However, they are devoted to family and the few that become their friends. They are stereotyped as having bad, even violent tempers.

For my first Immersion project, my buddy Wyatt agreed to take me with him when he went home for the weekend. I was really excited, but also incredibly nervous. What would it be like to visit a Bigfoot village?

Wyatt was the only Sasquatch I knew personally. I met him my freshman year, when we were both staying in E.H. Hall. He's a pretty quiet, until you get him talking about the chemical structure of carbon-based polymers, or prebiotic molecules, or silica membranes. Then he can go on for hours about this or that beautiful or ugly chemical structure. Yeah, he's a nerd.

Wyatt is 8 foot 10 inches, with bright brown eyes. Like all sasquatches, he has a peaked skull, and he's covered in soft charcoal-brown hair. He cuts most of it short, all but a truly inspiring mow hawk that adds another 18 inches to his height. His skin is a slightly lighter coffee brown, and smooth- at first I had thought that all sasquatch have premature wrinkles like they always show in the news, Wyatt explained that generally only village elders talk to the public. Wyatt, as well as other sasquatches his age, are unusual for leaving the reservation. It had only been in the past 12 years, he told me, that the sasquatch Elders decided it would be best if some of the younger members of the tribes were sent to Universities, gaining knowledge that would benefit the entire People.

There are 22 sasquatches attending Arcadia University, more than in any other University in the United States. It's because of our intense forestry program, I think, and our dedication to xenosociological studies. That's part of the reason I decided to attend, myself.

Anyways, when I first asked Wyatt about it, he was understandably nervous. I didn't realize how much sway the Elders have on sasquatch culture, even those a hundred miles away. He sent my petition to the Elders anyway, and was very surprised when they said I could come. After the trip, I understood why he was so surprised.

Iktoo village is in an undisclosed location a good hour drive and 40 mile hike away from Arcadia. Sasquatch society is extremely isolated from outsiders, secretive and untrusting. I learned later that they only allowed me in due to my connection with Eostre, and because my research would help them to understand their steadily encroaching neighbors. Despite their almost obsessive need for space and seclusion, the sasquatch people are also very curious of the outside world.

As part of the conditions, I was blindfolded on the whole car ride to the drop off point. When we got their, it was 8 o clock Friday evening, already getting dark and a little cold, and I was glad for my heavy coat and boots. As it turns out, I still recognized where we were, but out of respect for their privacy I will not reveal the location.

Wyatt of course was walking barefoot. Sasquatch feet are incredibly resilient. They can handle extremely cold temperatures, and I saw Wyatt walk on broken glass without cutting himself once. He wore a pair of baggy jeans and a 6XL white hoodie that seemed to glow faintly in the twilight woods. It had a large picture of a polypeptide molecule. He was also wearing some wood-bead bracelets and a bone-shell necklace.

"Don't say anything when the guide gets here." He warned me uncomfortably. "We don't speak unless spoken to by the elders. We're a little old fashioned that way, I guess." He laughed a little self-consciously.

"Why do we need a guide?" I asked curiously, "Don't you know where it is?"

"The camp changes every couple of weeks, although it's generally in the same area. I could find it if I had to, but with a guide, it's much easier." Wyatt fell silent.

We stood there for about a half hour before the guide came, Wyatt reminding me nervously of various points of Sasquatch etiquette every couple of moments. Finally, our guide arrived.

He was a little shorter than Wyatt, a burnished red color to his hair that I noted even in the near-darkness. His face had the lined look so familiar in pictures, and he frowned and grunted at me disapprovingly before heading off into the forest.

A little advice: don't try following Sasquatch without a little magical help. Wyatt and the other moved silent as ghosts through the forest with huge strides, the darkness not bothering them at all, the chill only refreshing to them. I'd procured some Lupine Essence just for this trip, and I still had a hard time keeping up. I had to jog to keep up with their terrain-eating footsteps, breaking branches and stumbling occasionally, and despite the potion I was breathing heavily and sweating.

We hiked for about 6 hours, until about 3 in the morning. Finally, reaching a clearing in the woods, our guide indicated that we should set up camp. When we woke up the next morning, the Sasquatch camp surrounded us.

Short Overview of European Werewolves

You cannot understand the motley mixture that is the American Werewolf without first examining their predecessors, the European Werewolves. European Werewolves is a misnomer applied to a large variety of disparate shape shifting and cursed beings, in no way united except for their universal persecution.

The history extends back into the jackal cult of Upper Egypt during the Old Kingdom, which coalesced into the worship of Anapa. Even in such ancient times, these shapeshifters were elevated beyond the norm, and through some unknown means became intricately entwined with the Spirit Worlds. When the jackal cult was subsequently transplanted to ancient Arcadia, where the cult extended to wolf worship as practiced by germanic tribes. The myths associated with werewolves tell of a powerful king, Lycaon, and his legion of sons who practiced cannibalism and preyed upon the northern city-states of ancient Greece. In retribution the god Zeus cursed Lycaon and his followers with what is now known as lycanthropy.

Subsequent stories of Romulus and Remus have been attributed to werewolves, however historical accounts more closely align with the profile of the she-wolf with a Fenrir.

Lycanthropy is passed on from father to son, and historically all lycanthropes but three have been male. Lycanthropes must change into a large wolf in a cyclic pattern, usually once a month, although this pattern has little to do with phases of the moon as popular folklore would suggest. During this time the lycanthrope cannot control or recall any of their actions, and behaves exactly as a wolf would. Lycanthropes do not have any control over their shapeshifting, which is often quite painful. These days the pure lycanthropy strain is very rare, although there are still a few families in southern Italy and Norway.

Early on in the history of lycanthropy, the riastrad lineage of the now extinct fomorians and fenrir bloodlines mixed with Lycaon therianthropy to create what is now known as lycanthropy today: a dangerous, painful transformation once a month in which the cursed individual becomes a giant, bloodthirsty wolflike creature. The actual 'wolfishness' varies, with near-pure lycanthropes being much more wolf than near-pure riastrad berserkers, who resemble savage hairy men. These cursed monsters, also collectively known as Lycanthropic Werewolves, are immensely strong and are highly resistant to injury while transformed. In addition, Lycanthropic Werewolves do not register pain, and will pursue prey until it has been killed or the werewolf itself drops dead. Lycanthropic Werewolves can pass their curse to any of their progeny, male or female, but the actual condition generally jumps a generation.

Finally, a fourth group of cursed wolf shifters made their appearance; the Loup Garou, which first terrorized the countryside of Gevaudan in the 1760's and rapidly spread throughout Europe. Loup Garou are believed to be a strain of lycanthropy mixed with some hellish pact which taints all who come into contact with it. Accounts of the time are mixed, because of aggression between Fenrir in the area and the ruler of the time, however present Loup Garou are easily distinguishable.

Transformed Loup Garou stand around seven feet tall, with wolf-like hindlegs and tail, an upright posture and human forelimbs, and a wolfish neck and head. The ears are pointed and the teeth enlarged, and the fur is needlelike and stiff like boar spines. The Loup Garou have large retractable claws on all four limbs, and the tail is long and almost rat-like, although covered in the same coarse fur as the rest of the creature. The beast smells faintly of rot and brimstone, although the human form has no marked characteristics. Loup Garou, suffer a constant gnawing desire for the flesh of other living sentient beings, and many Loup Garou become cannibals even in human form. In beast form they go into a rage and destroy anything and everything in their path. Loup Garou are immune to almost any form of injury in beast form and in human form heal remarkably quickly. They are strong enough to rip a truck in half or pummel their way through stone walls. Stopping a Loup Garou is usually a matter of figuring out who they are in human form, although wolfsbane has proven remarkably effective, as the smell can drive the Loup Garou away.

Loup Garou are infected through a bite or scratch while the cursed person is in beast form, although surviving the attack of a Loup Garou is extremely rare.

Finally, to complicate matters further, are three other types of european shapeshifters, which are sometimes called werewolves. Actual wolf shape shifters really only played a role in Europe until the late 18th century, when along with all other types they were hunted down and retreated into Russia. Some magicians have also been able to take the form of a wolf, usually by using a belt woven from wolfs hair. Finally, their are the Fenrir.

Fenrir are unique in that instead of humans turning into wolves, the Fenrir are canine creatures turning into humans. They are large, the size of a small horse, and as intelligent as a human being. Although their relationship with humans is conflicted at best, in the last hundred years an uneasy truce has been established. Fenrirs closely resemble giant, short-furred wolf-dogs, with the low gate, large paws, and heavy head of a wolf and the more refined lines of a hound. The ears are large and triangular, like a jackal, and the markings are generally wolf-like. The Fenrirs call themselves the Hounds of God, and there history intertwines with the first prehistoric humans on the great tundras. Fenrir can speak human languages, although they prefer their own tongue, and each generation a few of their children are born with the ability to change into a human. Fenrir prefer the company of lycanthropic humans, who understand them better than regular humans, and it is believed the ability of certain Fenrir to shapeshift comes from the intermixing of Lycanthropic and Fenrir heritage. Fenrir stories claim the ability came from the ancient wolf gods Loki and Urdi. Whatever the origin, Fenrir transformed into humans are gifted with the senses of both forms, are more resistant to injury, and often have a close connection to the Spirit Worlds.

Order of the Heavens, Origin Myths

This therefore is the order of the Heavens.

The Creator is Father of All and through Him all things were made. He is the heart of the Garden of the Gods, and the sun is His, shining even past the seventh gate to light the outer darkness. Hallowed be the name of the Father, who knoweth all things and from whom all good things cometh, blessed be His name, forever and ever, Amen.

Closest to the Father is Ysue, Anu the Firstborn, whose face is always turned to the Father. Quick mercury is the sign of he who did submit himself to all things that he might redeem the children of Heaven, that all things might be renewed in him. Honored be Ysue the Redeemer, who did overcome Pain.

Isana the Brightest is eldest daughter of the Father. The Fair are her children and fair venus is her sign. Her children are immortal, but Isana waits for the bidding of the Father before using the fountains of Life which he did give her in the beginning. Blessed be Isana, fairest of the children of the Creator.

Maia the mother of all living and silver Sheshki, son of Tia stand next in order of the Heavens. They are bound forever together, never to be parted, as the earth and the moon. Maia loves Sheshki, and Sheshki will do all things for Maia his wife. Maia is mother of all the gods of the world, and from her the fountain of Life flows. Sheshki guards the remnants of Tiamat, that her peace be not disturbed until the ending times. In Maia and Sheshki are mortality and eternity, and their children are so bound to the cycles of death and life. Praises to mother Maia and to guardian Sheshki, who did sacrifice themselves nigh unto Death for the Heavens and the world.

The empty dwelling place of Lamnu lies at the door of the first gate, even mars the desolate.

Beyong the first gate and the first veil are the shattered coils of Tiamat who sleeps. Among her broken stones and dark places evil things are waiting.

Next is Kishar, giant among the children of the Creator, whose sign is jupiter. His eye ever burns inward and outward, and to him were given the Red Keys of the Second Gate. May Kishar ever guard us from evil.

The great brother of Kishar is Anshar, as the brother of jupiter is saturn. Anshar follows the strict path, and to him were given the Yellow Keys of the Third Gate. Many are the servants of Kishar and Anshar. May Anshar ever guard us from evil.

Desolate and empty is the abode of lost Enki, torn from her moorings. The sign of Enki is ouranos who lies on its side, and the Fourth Gate and the White Keys that pertain to it are broken, only to be recovered in the ending times. All mourn the passing of Enki, lost daughter of the Father.

Nodemi has lost her sister Enki. She has lost Lamnu, her favored brother, and her heart has grown cold. Who will bring himself near unto Nodemi, whose winds are ice and whose voice is colder than the stars? May Nodemi be blessed, who received the Blue Keys of the Fifth Gate, and may the sad daughter of the Creator be comforted. May Nodemi whose sign is neptune ever stand strong and guard us from evil.

The Spirit of the Dreamer, Mabar, lies in all places, ever vigilant. Mabar, Sheshki, and Ysue who is Anu, these three are the greatest warriors among the hosts of Heaven. Mabar it was who defeated Tiamat, when she was swollen with the power of the Evil One. Mabar it was who defeated two Abyssals, even Madness and Destruction. May Mabar never again return to madness, and may his protection always guard us from evil. Blessed be Mabar.

Among the children of the Creator are lesser beings: far Ex Machina, orderly Droan, the twilight crossroads of Kythri, and others born of Isana, Maia, Sheshki, and Ysue, of Nodemi and Anshar and Kishar. Among them are the last surviving children of Lamnu, of Tia and Enki. These too are the children of Heaven, who guard mortals and gods from the evil beyond the gates. May they be blessed, and the worlds which they hold. May all the Garden of the Gods be blessed with the Light of the Creator.

Beyond the Fifth Gate is the Sixth, and beyond the Sixth Gate is the Seventh and Final Gate that guards all the worlds of the Creator from the cold depredations of the children of Atrophy. Chained to the Final Gate, in torment until the ending times, is Lucifer the Betrayer, Father of Lies, that great satan, who even now harbors evil in his heart. Lucifer who was once Lamnu, favored child of the Creator, cast down into the outer darkness. May the Father ever keep us from the paths of the devils, who followed the son of perdition and were so cast out of Heaven.

Honored be the gods of heaven and their children.

The Abyssal War, Origin Myths

After the destruction of Tiamat, and the dispersion of all her legions, the hosts of heaven were called forth together in great Counsel. The Creator stood among His children, Anu and Lamnu, and Isana their sister. Anshar and Kishar stood together and mourned with Nodemi the loss of their sisters. Mabar joined them, the silver blood of Tia still wreathing him like smoke, and penitent Sheshki looked on from afar. There also were the children of the gods, and the Fair, and the eldest dragons.

Then the Creator called forth Lamnu, and questioning him, did ask, "Know ye not how the gate of thy sister Enki was overthrown, and her habitations left desolate?"

And Lamnu answered, saying, "Yeah, Father, am I the guardian of all my siblings? Yet would I have guarded her eternally, but Tia did obscure even Thy vision. How should I then know what Ye did not? And now we mourn."

"Seekest thou to obscure thy works of darkness from me, thy Father?" The Creator bowed His head in sorrow. "Even now will I pardon thee, and thou confess and repair the damage which thou hast done to the heavens and to thy family."

"I know not of that which thou accuseth me," Lamnu answered. "Wherefore have I cause to repent? What have thou against me, Thy faithful son, who sought always Thy will?"

"This I, Thy Creator, do know. In the days of our peace thou didst wander far, even outside the limits of heaven, yea, even beyond the fourth gate, and there did encounter an abomination of Apothis, yea, even the Abyssal of Lies, and did war with him. And now, my son, the darkness has entered into you, and thou hast become the father of lies, because of thy pride, because thou wouldst not call for the aide of thy brothers, nor thy sisters, nor even thy Father, in the darkness where thou fought. And the spirit of lies did possess you that you did come near unto thy sister Enki, and did break down her gate and consume her dwelling place, that she did flee before thee. And behold, she has been taken into the hand of the Almighty, and even I, her Father, know not where he has taken her. And behold, other Abyssals have entered by the broken gate, yeah, the Abyssal of Death, and the Abyssal of Madness, the Abyssal of Pain, and the Abyssal of Destruction, and they have engorged thy sister with their sins, and even now do they lie waiting for the children of heaven. And even other Abyssals have entered my garden. Yea, and even thou hast hidden away the fountains of life which belonged to thy sister Tia. Yea, and all this would I forgive thee, and thou acknowledge thy fault and return unto me."

Then Lamnu protested for vehemently, but the eyes of the congregation were turned towards him, that they did perceive the Abyss of Lies which did still dwell within him. And Anu did turn his face in sorrow from his brother, and the heart of Nodemi turned cold as winter to see what Lamnu her beloved had done unto Enki her closest sister. And when Lamnu did see that the eyes of heaven were turned upon him, he did fear, and did anger against them, and did rally his armies, yea, even a third of the hosts of heaven did he turn with him, that he might rebel against heaven and his Father. And the Creator cast out Lamnu and his followers from heaven, yea, beyond the fifth gate, into darkness, and chained him there to bar the way in everlasting torment. And thus Lamnu son of the morning became Lucifer, that great satan, and terrible was his fall and those who followed him. And all the hosts of heaven did mourn for so great a destruction, for the daughters of heaven and the son of perdition, and for all the Fallen.

Then did the Creator call forth Sheshki, child of Tia, and Maia, daughter of Isana. Maia and Sheshki stood together before their Maker in fear and trembling. "Didst thou not take the fountains of Tia thy mother, and hide them in my Garden?"

And Sheshki did answer, "Father, in the battle Lamnu did bring the fountain of life to me, and I did take them, and hid them with one who I trust above all others."

Now the Creator did turn unto Maia, daughter of Isana, and asked, "Daughter, didst thou not receive the fountains of Tia, and are they not now with thee? Wherefore no son may keep the fountains of life, but only the daughters of heaven."

Maia answered, saying, "Father, Thou knowest that I did receive the fountains of Tia from Sheshki, and if Thou wilt take them again to Thyself, I will give them unto Thee. I ask only to share in the punishment of Sheshki, whatever that may be."

The Creator said, "Yeah, because of the things which each of ye have done, ye shall be joined together, that none shall ever separate you. And this shall be your purpose, and the purpose of all my children, that ye shall overcome those Abyssals which have entered into my garden. And behold, I am ever with you and among you, therefore fear not."

Therefore the hosts of heaven did speed through the Garden of the Gods, and seeking did find the Abyssals which had infected the garden. And the First was Mabar, who seeking did find an Abyssal that did cause the darkness to chitter and false visions to appear. And behold, an Abyssal did accompany the first, and it was greater and more terrible, and it did consume the veils of heaven. And Mabar did fight these two like a young lion, and his roar did shake the worlds. And the first did cloud his vision, and the second did enter into the abode of Mabar, that Mabar did fight against the hosts of heaven. But behold, the voice of the Creator was with the spirit of Mabar, and did whisper unto him. And Mabar harkened unto the voice of the Creator, and within his own abode he bade the first Abyssal enter, and he named the first Abyssal, Madness. And Mabar did call unto him the second Abyssal, and he named the second, Destruction. And behold, the dwelling place of Mabar was destroyed utterly, and Mabar was left desolate, yet the Abyssal of Destruction did consume the Abyssal of Madness, and the Abyssal of Madness did expunge the Abyssal of Destruction. And Mabar was granted blessings of the Creator, and did become the Dreamer.

And behold, Sheshki and Maia did search far in the Garden of the Gods, and among the remnants of Tiamat, they did find the hidden Abyssal, true child of Apothis, the Abyss at the end of all roads. And Maia and Sheshki did battle the Abyssal, and did name him Death. And behold, Death was strong, yea, more powerful even that Tiamat, who lay broken, and when Death raised his head and gazed upon the stars, all the heavens trembled. None could prevail against Death, and Atrophy held sway for a time in the Garden. Then Maia and Sheshki, youngest of the gods, did sacrifice themselves, and did open their dwelling places, that the heavens be not ended by Death. And in that moment the Creator gave them of the fountains of Life, that Death was chained to the living. And now behold, all the children of Maia and Sheshki must overcome death, that they too may receive the fountains of life.

Now therefore Anu did see the sorrow and suffering of all the children of heaven, and did perceive the Abyssal of Pain. And Anu did bow down before the Creator, and humbling himself did go among the mortal children of Maia and Sheshki, and did suffer himself all the suffering of existence. Thus did Anu overcome the Abyss of Despair, of Sin and and the Unclean Thing. And through his pain Anu did comprehend all things, that he became even like unto his Father. Through the love of Anu the Redeemer, the Firstborn, all the heavens are renewed, that they may overcome the powers of Apothis.