Spirit of UL stretched forth his hand and prevented them, and they
could not unmake that which they had wrought, no matter how
monstrous or ill-shapen. And he spa’e unto the younger Gods,
saying: ‘Behold, what thou hast wrought thou mayest in no wise
unmake, for in thy folly hast thou tom asunder the fabric of the
heavens and the peace thereof that thou might bring forth this world of
thine to be a plaything and an entertainment. Know, however, that
whatsoever ye make, be it ever so monstrous or unseemly, it will
abide and be a rebuke unto thee for thy folly. For in the day that one
thing which is made is unmade, in that day shall all that is made be
unmade.’
* Here is that prohibition, but this isn’t the final word. It was ultimately refined so that ‘Be
not’ wouldn’t obliterate the entire world, but only the person foolish enough to say it.
Primitive mythologies seethed with ‘forbidden words’ (‘jehovah’ is probably the most
prominent). We tampered with that idea and made the obliteration the result of a
command rather than a mere word. Sin doth lie in the intent.
And the younger Gods were wroth, and in despite spake they unto
each monstrous or unseemly thing they made, saying, ‘Go thou even
unto UL, and he shall be thy Cod.’And UL spake not.
And the younger Gods wrought men, and each selected that
people which pleased him to be God over them. And it came to pass
that when each had chosen, there were peoples yet who had no God.
And the younger Gods drove them out, saying, ‘Go thou even unto
UL, and he shall be thy God.’
Now these were the generations of the wanderings of the Godless
ones. Long and bitter were the years when they wandered in the
wastelands and the wilderness of the west.
And it came to pass that among their number was a just and
righteous man named Gorim, and he spake unto the multitudes of the
Godless ones, saying, ‘Stay thou and rest from thy wanderings here
upon this plain. I will take upon myself the search for the God named
UL that we might worship him and find thereby a place in the world.
For verily, we wither and fall as leaves by the wayside by reason of
the rigors of our wanderings. The children die and the old men also.
Better it is that one only die. Abide here against my return.’
THE HOLY BOOKS
And lo, Gorim went out from the multitude alone and sought the
God named UL that his people might find a God to worship and a
place in the world.
Twenty years sought he the God named UL in the wilderness and
found him not. And things monstrous and gross assailed him in the
wilderness, but he prevailed and was not slain.
And yet he wearied in his wanderings, and his hair grew grey as
the years dropped like leaves upon his head. And upon a certain day
Gorim despaired and went up unto a high mountain and spake unto
the sky in a great voice, saying, ‘No more! I will search no longer.
The Gods are a mockery and a deception; the world is a barren void;
there is no UL; and I am sick of my life which is a curse and an
affliction unto me.’
And behold, the Spirit of UL spake unto him, saying, ‘Wherefore
art thou wroth with me, Gorim? Thy making and thy casting out
were not of my doing.’
And Gorim was sore afraid and fell down upon his face before the
Spirit of UL.
And UL spake unto him, saying, ‘Rise, Gorim, for I am not thy
God.’
But Gorim rose not. ‘Oh, my God,’ quoth he, ‘hide not thy face
from thy people who are sorely afflicted by reason that they are
outcast and have no God to protect them.’
And again UL spake unto him, saying, ‘Rise, Gorim. Seek thou a
God elsewhere, for I am God unto no people. I made thee not, and
am incurious as to thy fate.’
But still Gorim rose not. ‘Oh, my God,’ quoth he again, ‘thy
people are outcast and they perish as leaves before the cold winds of
winter. The children die and the old men also, and there is no place
in the broad world where they might find rest.’
And the Spirit of UL was troubled by the words of Gorim, the just
and righteous man, and he rose up in wrath saying, ‘Rise, Gorim,
and quit this place. Cease thy drasty complaining, and leave me in
peace. Seek thou elsewhere a God, and trouble me no more, for I am
not thy God.’
And still Gorim rose not. ‘Oh, my God,’quoth he,’yet will I abide.
‘thy people hunger and they thirst also. They seek only thy blessing
and a place wherein they might dwell.’
And UL spake, saying, ‘Then will I depart from here, for thy
speech wearies me.’
And yet did Gorim abide in that place and went not away. And,
behold, the beasts of the fields brought him to eat, and the fowls of
THE RIVAN CODEX
the air brought him to drink by reason of his holiness. And did he
abide there a year and more.
And the Spirit of UL was sore troubled.
And came unto that place the things monstrous and unseemly
that the Gods had made and that the Spirit of UL forbade them to
destroy, and sat they at the feet of Gorim. Chimeras and Unicorns
were there and Basilisks and Winged Serpents also, and they abode
there watching Gorim.
And UL came unto Gorim and he spake, saying, ‘Abidest thou
still?’
And Gorim fell upon his face, saying, ‘Oh, my God, thy people
cry unto thee in their affliction.’
And the Spirit of UL fled.
And there did Gorim abide and was brought meat by dragons
and water to drink by creatures unnamed. And the days and months
did rain down, and another year passed.
And again came UL unto Gorim and spake, saying, ‘Abidest thou
still?’
And again Gorim fell upon his face, saying, ‘Oh, my God, thy
people perish in the absence of thy care.’
And again did the spirit of UL flee from the righteous man.
And there still did Gorim abide, and food and drink were brought
unto him as an offering unto his holiness and his righteousness by
things that have no name and things that are unseen. And passed
yet another year.
And the Spirit of UL came again unto the high mountain where
Gorim abode, and the creatures monstrous, named and unnamed,
seen and unseen, made great moan.
And UL spake, saying, ‘Rise, Gorim.’
And Gorim fell upon his face and spake, saying, ‘Oh, my God,
have mercy.’
THE HOLY BOOKS
And UL spake, saying, ‘Rise, Gorim. I am UL – thy God, and I
command thee to rise and stand before me.’And reached he down
and lifted Gorim up with his hands.
‘Then wilt thou be my God?’ Gorim asked of UL, ‘and God unto
my people also?’
And UL spake, saying, ‘I am thy God and the God of thy people
also.#
And Gorim looked down from the high place whereon he had
abode and beheld the unseemly creatures which had fed him and
comforted him during his travail, and he spake unto the God UL,
saying, ‘And what of these, oh, my God? Who will be God unto
the Basilisk and the Minotaur, the Dragon and the Chimera, the
Unicorn and the Thing Unnamed, the Winged Serpent and the
Thing Unseen?’
And the Spirit of UL spake not and was wroth.
‘For also are these outcast, oh, my God,’ quoth Gorim. ‘The
younger Gods cast them out in thy despite because they were
monstrous and unseemly. Yet is there beauty in each. The scales of
the Basilisk are like jewels. The head of the Chimera is lofty and
noble. The Unicorn is of exceeding beauty, and its single horn is
intricately twisted and graceful. The wings of the Dragon are
majestic, and the body of the minotaur magnificent. Behold them,
oh, my God. Turn not thy face from them, for in them is great beauty
and delight unto the eye if thou be but willing to look. Unto thee
was each sent by the younger Gods and was told to seek thee out to
be their God. Who will be their God if thou turnest thy face from
them?’
‘It was done in my despite,’ quoth UL, ‘and these monstrous
beings sent unto me to bring shame upon me that I had rebuked the
younger Gods. I am not God unto monsters.’
And Gorim looked upon his God and spake, saying, ‘Oh, my
God, mayhap the space of a little time will give thee leisure to
reconsider. Yet will I abide here a little while, trusting in thy justice and
thine infinite mercy.’ And so saying, he sat himself again upon the