chapter one
Deep within the vast darkness of Chaos, the ingredients of life emerged.
Atoms, molecules, and chemicals swirled into a primordial mist to create matter and energy.
Chaos was the lone and primal creator, and from her boundless womb came all of existence — that which was… is… and shall be.
First, from Chaos, emerged a female form. She was beautiful and broad-breasted; emanating life’s glorious shining light from her body of cosmic carbon dust. This was Gaia, light from darkness. Born lifeless and inert, she fell through the void of Chaos. She fell and fell, for time unimaginable until she woke into awareness of her existence.
When her eyes opened, she saw the emptiness around her and wept. She curled up into a sphere and became the earth. Her tears of hydrogen and oxygen formed condensation. Her skin became the land, her breasts formed the mountains. Her beautiful hair came to be the floor of the sea and at the centre of it all, was her consciousness.
However, Gaia could not bear to unfurl and look above, as there was nothing but darkness all around.
Hence, she opened her eyes and willed her consciousness to fill the seabed, creating Pontus, the ocean, to keep her company. His life-force pulled and tugged through her body, creating rivers, lakes, and streams. Together, they brought many children into being including Nereus, Thaumas, Phorcys, and their sister, Ceto.
Pontus and her children, however, remained in the waters and mists. Thus, she still felt the dark and lifeless void that surrounded her warm body. Oh, how she longed for a heavenly companion to engulf her completely. So she looked up into the void one final time, her desire creating the sky and the heavens: Ouranos. His great, heavenly arms surrounded her with suns and stars, comforting her with his expansive thermal strength and spinning her slowly.
Gaia had found the perfect companion in Ouranos, no more would she have to peer into the darkness alone.
A new cyclical force emerged from this union and from it, Chaos provided the missing ingredient: love. Eros was born from Chaos and was entrusted to Gaia’s care.
Eros and Gaia were one-half of the cycle: the light and the love. And Chaos, seeing the need for balance, created Nyx, ruler of the night, and Erebus, the darkness and shadows. During the day, Eros flew through the air igniting energy between Gaia and Ouranos, while Nyx united them at night time. And when Gaia joined with Ouranos, the Titans were born: Cronus, Coeus, Crius, Hyperion, Iapetus, Theia, Rhea, Themis, Mnemosyne, Phoebe, Tethys, and Oceanus.
Thus, the symmetry of the Universe began — light and dark. Erebus took Nyx as his wife and their union bore, amongst others, the righteous anger called Nemesis.
Phorcys, the Immortal Old One of the sea born of Gaia, ruled the seas with his wife and sister, Ceto. Ceto bore frightful daughters. The first, Scylla, was a grotesque monster. Her next offspring, the Graeae, the Aged Ones, were sisters three, Deino (Dread), Enyo (Horror), and Pemphredo (Alarm). They were implicitly connected to each other — their hair grey from birth, with only one eye and one tooth which they were forced to share.
So it was, that these protogonei inhabited the earth and oceans, whilst mortals slowly evolved from the protein remnants of Gaia and Ouranos, crawling from the seas onto the land. As the eons passed, humankind began to walk on two legs and developed the ability to speak. Seeing the greatness of Gaia and Ouranos though, people began to fear them.
Soon after, Ceto then bore the Gorgon sisters, born of the same egg: Euryale (She, of the Bellowing Cries) and Stheno (the Forceful). Birthed within the deepest caverns beneath Mount Olympus, their clanking brass hands with claws of sharpened steel and hair writhing of venomous snakes, made them the Queens of the Underworld. Their dreadful forms became the nightmares of mortal men as their voluptuous female figures with enticing curves, seductively lured men to come just a bit closer — shyly, coyly, with eyes lowered in coquettish charm. But, once their prey stepped closer, their slithery manes would violently spew and hiss and the shine of gold beneath their unfurling blackened wings tantalized their powerless victims into submission. They were at their core monstrous demons who would lick their victims with venomous, lolling tongues, paralyzing them; then (depending on their mood) they would rip these men apart with sharpened fangs or turn them to stone with a single, mesmerizing gaze.
Though valiant mortals soon gained knowledge of the Gorgons’ formidable powers and tried to destroy them, all attempts were in vain. For the power of Gorgon essence lay in their seductive charm; the irresistible desire to meet their eyes could not be controlled. It was said that for one brief moment, the victim would be captivated in the light of their beautiful, albeit mesmerizing eyes before the stone paralysis began to creep from the legs, to the heart, then to the mind.
These were the children whom Ceto bore from the seed of Phorcys. All monstrous and strong, all powerful and immortal. However, none were blessed with the beauty and goodness of their grandmother, Gaia. None had the light within, to compete with Gaia’s grace. And so it was, that Ceto contemplated that perhaps she might lose favour with her mother as other offspring of Gaia had borne at least one child of grace in her honour.
Now came the time to make amends and honour Gaia as Ceto was again with child. She wanted this child to be blessed with gifts that her other children did not possess. So, rising up from the sea, her squid like tentacles carried her with great speed, up to the highest peak of the highest mountain to appeal to Gaia for her favour so that her last child might be blessed with a distinct destiny. Standing in her half aquatic form, she bow down in supplication, lips nearly touching the ground, she closed her ocean-green eyes and carefully spoke:
“Great Mother of all Creation, I come to you today to beseech your blessing. Here where the silence carries my words to you — let your grace and ultimate majesty guide my request to fulfilment. The child I now carry will be my last. I ask that you help this child become as wise and beautiful as her grandmother. If you please, Gaia, help this child’s destiny be one of greatness.”
From within the great mountain, Gaia’s serene response came at once.
“Ceto, my daughter of the sea, you have pleased me with your request. Long have I yearned for the pure light of the heavens to shine within your spawn. But, altering the destiny of mortal or god is not such a simple task. The rules of this universe are complex and everything in creation has its purpose and place. However, if it should be that this child’s destiny be changed by the holder of all destinies, then it shall be done. Go first to Anangke.”
Inspired by Gaia’s promise, Ceto opened her arms and faced the skies above. With soft breath, she called the name of her sister, Anangke, the Goddess of Destiny, Necessity, and Fate. An all-powerful entity worshipped by men and gods alike, Anangke held the fate of every being in her hands. Transported then to a world of light and cloud, Ceto’s tentacles formed her legs and stood pure and naked before a great throne of shining crystallite. Fluid and almost translucent from the greatness of the light, the figure stood tall before Ceto as she called out “Sister, I—”.
A booming harmony of voices replied at once. “Ceto! My sister, as Goddess of Fate I know your purpose here! This desire can indeed be accomplished and inevitability, must be served! Your child must be born a human mortal; she must live a human mortal life, with human mortal parents. This will be her form for many years. Only in this way may she choose her own path. With no influence whatsoever, only her given soul to guide her, she must go to the mortals.”
Ceto’s tears began to rain from her scaly grey cheeks as she realized that her child’s life, that of a daughter, would be far removed from her own.
“This is the time that your child will not be your own. She will be a human; she will live, eat, and act as a human. She will be happy, brave, beautiful, and wise. But, hear me now, Ceto! Medusa’s life as a human will be cut short. Her human life will end by the actions of a god. On the eve of a day of worship, Medusa’s true form will surface.”
From the shining throne, a lucent female image materialized, tall and beautiful. Anangke approached her sister and closed her eyes by a cylinder of white light. Suddenly, Ceto was thrown into Chaos where her body floated in an ocean of darkness. Gaia pulled her down into her depth, entering Ceto’s womb to craft the child in her own image, reforming the golden life-strands of the gods into earthly elements and the double-helixes of all mortal creatures.
She chose for the child, the gifts of beauty, grace, intelligence, and love — just as Anangke had said. She carefully wove within the rudiments of the mortal blood the gift of prophecy and true discernment. Finally, deep inside the child’s heart, Gaia placed a seed from her Tree of Life—the seed of the knowledge of the immortals; the primacy of the gods.
As eternity is as swift as a blink of an eye for the gods, so it is as deep and lonely as solitude everlasting for the mortals. Ceto slithered down the hills and back into the deep foreboding sea, to find her husband Phorcys and wait for the night when her child would come into being.
