For a while, I've been wanting a version of the Marriage Contest between Heler and Elmal. It's an important myth, especially if you're playing with the Red Cows, since they and the Dolutha are naturally reproducing that conflict. But I want a version that is quest able from all three sides of the story, both because I think we need more quests for goddesses and because I don't like the 'passive earth goddess' thing that can creep into Storm Tribe myths. So I've written three versions of the myth, one from each of the three sides. I'm looking for feedback, especially ways to give them a bit more of the strange myth-logic a good Gloranthan myth needs.
The Esrola version owes a debt to Edan Woods, who offered a version of it on the Google+ group a while ago. I've revised it but a good chunk of his structure and wording remains. Thanks, Edan! So here's the Esrola version. This side of the myth focuses on Esrola's journey to learn what she needs to know to solve her problem.
Esrola’s Search (with thanks to Edan Jones)
Long ago, in the Time before Time, in the time before Death, in the time before Orlanth had come, even before the time when the Bright Emperor ruled everything, there was the Earth, and it was great and fertile. Esrola the Bounteous covered the ground with Life, providing for all so that no one was ever hungry and nothing was ever wanting.
But one day, things changed. Esrola’s fields were turning empty and Lifeless. Life became hard for everyone, and there was too much wanting and not enough of anything good. The radiant goddess did not understand, for she was young and beautiful and had never seen such a thing happen. So she set out for her mother’s hall, Great Ezel, because her mother Asrelia knew many things that she did not. There she asked her mother what she might do to fix this problem.
The wisdom-goddess gazed deeply at her daughter, and wept. Her daughter was Life itself, and so could not see the dark things that were coming. Asrelia knew that Esrola could not solve this problem until she could see it clearly.
"Life is all important, but it is not enough," she instructed, and told Esrola that she would need to learn to see what threatened the land. The Life-bringing goddess must learn for herself what the problem was, because until she knew the problem, she could not knew the solution.
Esrola listened to her mother’s wisdom, and so she walked down into the earth, seeking to understand what could possibly threaten Life. She found the Labyrinth of Caves, where dark and terrible things lurked. She saw the Gnawer of Roots, which seeks to destroy from underneath. It sought to undermine her, but she showed it that her roots ran far deeper than it could ever understand.
She saw the Pestilent Cold, which wraps itself around its foe like a blanket and drains it of warmth. It tried to smother her, but it could not chill her and fled from her instead.
She saw the Withering Rot, which dries out that which lives and scorches it. It attempted to burn her vitality away, but her Life was inexhaustible and it could not overcome her.
But then she saw the thing that was beyond her, the thing that had been placed deep underneath to keep it away from the living, the thing that was what Life was not and could not be. And at last she understood. She saw clearly and learned how to see the things that could threaten her. And from that, she understood that she needed someone to combat these things for her.
Having walked the deep places of the earth, she returned to the world above and prepared herself. She put her golden hair into the Maiden Braids, with a jeweled comb to hold it in place, and put on her dress of Life. She put the Necklace of Desire about her throat and walked the land. When she did so, the entire world stopped to watch. A thousand gods offered themselves to the radiant goddess as her husband and protector, but only two of them were worthy to help her in this matter, the clouds who had turned to follow in the goddess' path, and the sun who had descended to offer his warmth to her.
Both gods were worthy, but they were too opposed to each other. The sun sought to dry up the clouds, and the clouds sought to cover up the sun. Esrola thought that she would need to choose one of them to protect her, and so it was necessary to test them.
The Life-goddess led Heler and Elmal to her fields, and showed them how they had lain fallow. She asked each god to provide and protect, to show her who was most worthy. Heler went to the fields and offered himself to them. He rained down on the withered crops, nourishing them and covering the field with his wool. He gifted Esrola with a mighty herd of sheep, and his son Voriof to herd them.
Elmal went to the fields, and offered himself to them. He shone down upon the frozen crops, warming them and ripening them with his light. He gifted Esrola with many hives of bees, and his son Minlister to protect them.
The Life-goddess was happy that each had given provision and protection, but each was as worthy and as loyal as the other, and she was unsure which she should choose. Plagued by her problem, she sought out her mother once again.
The crone of secrets laughed at her daughter's complaint. "It is no problem at all to have many worthy protectors. Although the men will insist you must choose one of them, in truth there is always another way. You do not need to pick between them. Instead, each one may serve you in turn, as the sun follows the rain, as your needs declare."
Esrola thanked the wisdom-goddess for her insight. She returned to her suitors, and told them of her decision. At first they were angry, and jealous; but the radiant goddess simply smiled, and showed them to her fields, letting them understand that she was the source of Life, and they were merely her protectors. Convinced by this, each god settled down, and loved Esrola in turn, glad for the opportunity to serve and love Life.