Shhh, don’t tell my teacher I whipped this up in under five minutes.

Lauren Hemphill

Mythology

Hero Myth

After the story of the great creator Vix, three boys became restless across from the elderly gentleman. Lit by the flickering of the fire in the dark Colorado forests, the smallest of the boys spoke up.

“What about something else? What about a hero?”

The old man smiled, putting his wrinkled hands together. “Well, I know one about the great warrior Felara, daughter of a farmer.”

A skeptical look crossed the boys’ faces; how could a farmer’s daughter be a hero? But none of them protested another story, so the old man continued, leaning towards the light of the fire for warmth.

“Now, though this story changed over time, the original is as follows. Once upon a time, there was a beautiful woman named Felara, the first and only child of a farmer. She worked hard day and night, building large arms and legs, and covering her beauty with dirt.

“But one day, a great war came, and she was drafted. She was pulled into this war, away from her family, and forced to fight and kill. Yet the horrors of war struck a nerve; she saw the blood and gore and she thought of all the families losing their children each time she pulled the trigger of her gun. So she saught another answer.

“She ran away from the army, fleeing into the night. She prayed to the great Vix, creator of all, the find a way to end all war. Before she fell asleep that night, she found her way to a cave. When she woke, a great beast with seven legs and one arm stood above her with a mighty face of an ox. ‘Who dares enter my lair,’ he roared, startling Felara out of her slumber. But Felara remembered her prayer and stood tall, answering the beast with the same ferocity. ‘I am Felara, a farmer’s daughter. I am seeking for a way to end all war.’ Well, this beast was sent by Vix to test Felara, so he attacked the woman. But due to her strength built up from working on the farm, she bested the beast and was allowed further into the cave, where she came to a waterfall. As she drank from it, she saw a light in the water. ‘You have done well, my child,’ it said in a booming voice. ‘Now one last test. To end war you must sacrifice the one you love the most.’ Felara felt crestfallen; she could not bear to let her father die by her own hand, so she refused the light’s offer and started back to the start of the  cave.

“Well, the beast stopped her on her way out. He told her that she had passed the last test and produced a large shield. ‘But alas, my dear girl, this tool cannot stop the nature of man. It may delay war for centuires, but man sees too many possibilities in war. It will start again and you, my dear, will be with the creator by then.’ He handed her the shield with a smile on his strange face. ‘I will protect this tool again until someone have need of it that is as kind and strong as you.’

“So Felara used the shield, which stopped all war for years. The legend says, however, that a new hero will rise soon, to make sure that all war stays stopped.”