Galwrst

I was trying to get some rest and relax, sitting in my wing chair, near to the drawing-room chimney, reading a Vikings's Saga, and letting the gay notes of the Air des Clochettes or Little Bells Song of Lakmè, magistrally sung by Lily Pons, draw nimble sounds around me, when I was disturbed by a messy sound around the hall of my mind.

Reluctant, but resigned, I went into the place to find Elf, making room for a comfortable chair near the thought-processor.

Elf

Not wanting to repeat myself, I could not help me, but ask:  

What are you doing?

Elf looked at me as if he didn't know me and answered:

I am keeping my word, dummy!

Ah! I said feeling myself very dummy, and it was...?

My word! you speck of a man! he seemed so sure I should understand it made me more confused.

Not wanting to hurt his feeling I just could say:  

Oh, how nice!

Uncle Brough

Nice! you said Nice!! Oh, by Jove you are so... so... he was without adjectives to name what I am!

Well, what is going on here, said an old voice behind me.

Oh, here you are, uncle Brough! Elf was midway between obsequious and happy!

I promised you I would be here, and I always make my word good! said the old elf who has appeared in my mind, I do not know how!

Hey, you, Elf addressed me somewhat rudely, meet my uncle Brough, he looks older than me, but we were glwstryr on the same day, only he likes to be seen as an experienced Elf!

Uncle Brough looked like the Granddad of Elf, but they had the same age? What the...? I was more confused than ever, but I took refuge in my not giving acknowledgement to those anachronisms!

Yes, and I am here to tell you about the events that gave origin to our beings and our possession of Galwrst, said old uncle B, as he said he liked to be called, so sat down on the carpet and listen to this interesting story.

Well, if he said that the story was interesting, I was ready to exchange my book for listening to this old man, so I sat at the foot of the chair and next to Elf, to listen. A new thing since I found Elf in my mind.

Uncle Brough, sat on the chair, made himself comfortable, and brought out a corn pipe, already giving out smoke from its pot.

I was alarmed and asked him to extinguish it as I didn't like any smoking in my mind.

He smiled patronizingly and told me:  

Don't you worry, this smoke is not real, I use it for effect, you see!

The smoke was not real? but I could see it..., and it was used for effect... My old argyle socks are for effect! This man... eehh,  old Elf confused me with his alternative reality!


I had to accept this, anyway, because Elf was tugging anxiously to my sleeve and blowing: hush, hush, please!

After a while that uncle Brough, considered needed for effect he started to relate:

Galwrst

It all began with the end of the previous era.

Since the beginning all went easy and on schedule, Mado and Mada were the owners of the original Galwrst, and nobody could foresee the hecatomb, in the sense of the big upheaval that awaited us in the following days.

Please, take notice that the word "day" on these days, if I may use the redundance, did not mean the same time, and pass of time it has now, here on Earth.

Unicorn and female elf in Galwrst

Mada had received the order to identify and name all things in Galwrst, while Mado had to recheck that her husband work was neat. Also, there was some restrictions about what they could do, but those particulars were not known by the other dwellers in Galwrst.

And then it happened, somehow Mada and Mado had put in jeopardy their right to be part of the original plan, and they had waived what was their inheritance, and in an instant, the whole essence of being a 'man' and a 'wo-man', was deprived of the wonder it had before.

Most of us did not know, or understand what have happened, we were left with the idea there was a breach of obeisance, or the like. The only real fact was that the man and wo-man were evicted from Galwrst and sent to live with most of the beings they have named to a place at the East of Galwrst, where life was difficult and not free, it was said, to our amazement, that you had to earn, in the sense of making an effort to have it, the right to eat, grow, and proceed into a living.

These difficult ways seemed dreadful in themselves, but even after stating them, some of the news-bearing beings, added in a whisper: The worst punishment seems to be a kind of suspense of Life, after a time...

Suspense of Life?...

After a time?...

What can those sentences mean?

As you can see, in those days of innocence we did not know about Death, nor Time.

The high blazing figure with the brilliant thing in the hand stood at the door of Galwrst not letting anybody go out or come in, until finally the whole of the East of Eden was transported to a new Reality.

And so, we fairies inherited Galwrst, the man and the wo-man had not named us, so we were spared the eviction from Galwrst, but it was not a blessing since we were left disorganized and not knowing how to step forward our lives.

In some moment, Gowt the Maker, came and told us we should find a new leader and get arranged in a way we could function as a whole, and then we should wait for the new task that will be assigned to us.

Titania

So, we had a big meeting in the Central Garden, and looked forward to finding a new Leader. After seeking deeply in our ranks and soul we decided by unanimity to name Titania, the Beautiful, as our Queen.

She was overwhelmed by our choosing, She has always been a simple soul and this responsibility seemed too big for her shoulders. Anyway we insisted until she accepted and we asked her to look for a partner to complete her Yin with a Yang needed to balance the forces of Nature.

So it came to happen that Titania chose her husband in Oberon the Mighty, and together they gave new life to Galwrst. Naming each elf, sprite, pixy, troll, dwarf, and all the creatures that are known as Mythological, since they were not named before, came to be part of our world.

Oberon

News arrived that things were worse and worse in the East of Galwrst, men and wo-men, being far away from Gowt, developed a special kind of evil, and to our horror, we were informed they had learned to kill!

At first we didn't understand the meaning of this new word, but with time we could ascertain the evil in such action. And it was not the only perversion men and wo-men devised, but they enjoyed in creating new and worse aberrancies in their behaviour.

Female Green Elf

Then we received the command to grow in numbers, so Titania and Oberon created a way to make us glwst, that is to come to be, to be born. As we are not as men and wo-men, we have a different way to glwst: first we look for fresh dew on the flowers petals and leaves, and then we spray it with Maiden Mead produced by LOVE itself in the chalice of the kowrth flower at dawn of the Day.

After a while, and depending where the dew is resting on, we glwst as a different creature, if the dew is on a green leave we have green fairies, females if the Mead is soft, and males if the mead is strong in alcohol.

If the dew is on a red rose petal, a red elf is glwstryr, again male of female as befits to the Mead used, and so on! 

Male Red Elf

That is how we were multiplied on our land, and when it was the right moment, Titania told us she had received the command to send us to the land at the East of Galwrst and to make our residence in men and wo-men minds, to help them to learn how to be good people.

I must reckon it was not well received this command, since we felt humans, as men and wo-men were called now, did not deserve our help. I must tell with shame that some of us rebelled against Titania's order, proving with that behaviour that we were not better than humans. So some dwarfs, orcs, and Nibelungs were exiled into Valhalla and are part of a Myth, instead of being part of Real Galwrst.

Fortunately, there were few desertions and those of us who obeyed were blessed with many graces, and gifts, as you can feel when you know us as mentors.

I was fascinated by this tale, and waited for uncle Brough, start talking again, so I was not prepared for his words:

Hey son, have you some Strong Mead about here?

Eh? I said lamely as I always I do when I speak with Elves.

Mead, strong Mead, you bigheaded little human, he repeated without raising his voice.

Ehhrr! Elf came to help. No, uncle Brough, there is no Mead in here, nor out in the World. Mead is one of the gift given to Fairies, remember?

Ah! yes! yes! you are right, the old elf said.

Then getting up he added:

So, if there is no Mead I guess I have ended my narration here. It was my pleasure, do not stand up, I know the way out.

He turned on his feet and was lost in the shadows of the Archive.

I was so stunned I could not move. Elf waited for a second and then he said, in a manner of excuse:

Well, hope you have enjoyed this session! We will make another if the occasion arises.

He followed his uncle trail, and I was left alone and confused, my usual reaction to Elves, sitting on the carpet.

After a while, I went out again to my wing chair, trying to forget the procedure but to keep the gist of what uncle Brough thought was a good story if I could separate the preposterous from the important.

Hope you can do the same!


 The music is "Air des Clochettes" (Little Bells Song) by Delibes in his opera Lakmè, and sung by Lily Pons.


© 2013 Od Liam.