***This is just a little something that I put together for my original myth submission in World Mythology. I hated to just file it away, so here it is. I didn’t take time to research the basis for names, so if anyone knows Gaelic (particularly Irish) you may recognize some words that I commondered for my own purposes (and some that I altered). None were proper names, …all basic nouns/verbs with basic meanings that seemed applicable.

The Tarlaíonn, a Tale of Transformation

In the beginning of time, Amhábhar, many of the worlds were formed and were then known as A’Talamnahs. With them, the seeds of future worlds known as the Cre an Domhan, were also set in place. Some of these worlds existed within the same physical realm or reality while some lay in other realities, parallel universes that were placed alongside, layered, yet never touching. Some of those worlds were mirror or shadow worlds, literal duplicates of other worlds, differing only in paths or choices taken. Others were so dissimilar that, for travelers crossing between, only the bravest would dare to explore.

Into one of those worlds, Tar Tuaíthe, the race of Tarlaíonn was born. The Tarlaíonn were spirit beings, capable of physical form and possessed of an adventurous and inquisitive nature. In spirit form, they were one of the first to master the crossing, though they would not be the last.

Through the birth and death of many suns, as they crossed between, they learnt of the peoples on active worlds and watched the Cre an Domhan find the substance to emerge. They sought out civilizations, watching them rise and fall, as they recorded each history in their minds. Once every thousand cycles, at home on Tar Tuaithe, they would hold the festival of Céilidh Tuairimíocht to recount all the marvels that they had seen. Above all things, they loved lore, and the gathering of it was the sole purpose of their immortal lives.

Many races of peoples, both human and otherworldly, grew and became numerous. Time passed and the spaces between expanded; the crossing became more active and more perilous. The Races who had mastered the crossing had multiplied, until the paths between became as thin and cracked as the ice in spring. The masters, Tiarnas Seansailéira, gods of each universe held counsel and came to agreement. The crossing must end; the doorways would shut. Only those with enough power to rival the gods would be capable of the crossing.

When the edict was pronounced, it cast many peoples into chaos. The traveling cultures had spread themselves throughout all corners of the A’Talamnahs . Re-gathering would take time, and many had never seen their own home world. The massive movement was enacted, and finally each talamnah held only its own people again.

The wheel of time moved through multiple ages. The loss of other lands was slowly forgotten, for the peoples of the countless races eventually forgot what it was to know the Cruinne A’Talamnahs, the full universe of worlds. Through it all, the Tarlaíonn despaired. Their only joy was in the gathering and telling of diverse histories and they felt enclosed within their own borders. The crafters of tarlaíonn magic began to seek a way out.
Seemingly endless cycles passed before an answer was brought forth. Even then, it held little promise. From within their own world, they could force an opening to the paths between, but in doing so, they would be required to release their physical form. Physical form was necessary to perform this magic; therefore, it would be irreversible. Their choice was to remain bound to their world, or choose freedom with exile. They could travel to gather knowledge of others, but no longer enact a gathering to share what they had gained. Contact in ones and twos might be possible, but the treacherous paths would accommodate no more. And so it came to pass that the Tarlaíonn abandoned their land, their society and their physical form, for the love of other worlds and peoples.

As lone travelers, the Tarlaíonn searched the Cruinne A’Talamnahs for civilizations of interest, yet again. Not long into their solitary walk they found that they could merge consciousness with certain beings in various worlds. If they found individuals who were seeking origins and answers, ones who gave thought to their universe, those minds were open in such a way that the Tarlaíonn were able to engage with them. In doing so, they were able to pass thoughts and ideas, as well as images from the Tarlaíonn memories of times before the barring of the way.

Having no festivals to share their lore, no more gatherings of the Tarlaíonn, they poured out an eternity‘s worth of lore, one drop at a time, to those whose minds they had found open. These memories, passed to the unsuspecting individuals, became the seeds of creative thought. Many histories, from places long forgotten by all but the Tarlaíonn, were now transformed into myths and tales by people who were no longer aware of each other. As time passed and the Tarlaíonn moved from one world to the next, new bonds formed, while old bonds still existed. At first, the Tarlaíonn did not understand that the connections had remained. Subsequent visits began to show evidence of new influences, ones that they had not intended. New lore from recent travels was mixed with the ancient ones that they had gifted to each civilization. It became apparent that links had formed, not only with the Tarlaíonn themselves, but with varying peoples across different realities and universes.

Visions, or so they seemed, came to the races of the Cruinne A’Talamnahs. Dreams of life on a desert planet came to one inhabiting a world that knew water and little else. Thoughts of purple skies with multiple suns now seemed vivid and real where reality saw only a single red sun rise in a sky of blue. The Tarlaíonn had become the seed of inspiration for the first forays into fables of oral tradition. From there, a slow progression of literature grew throughout the Cruinne A’Talamnahs. Tarlaíonn memories, as well as the connections formed between peoples, provided a wealth of information.

The effect was great. In both the small ways, such as simple methods of entertainment, and the large, systems of faith and religion, most found root in the knowledge shared by the Tarlaíonn. In primitive societies, troubadours and minstrels became more praised and more prevalent. For the more advanced, celebrated authors of novels of all genres penned numerous depictions of worlds they would never see. Throughout all of it, their creative genius was attributed to individual inspiration, or the muse. In actuality, most storytellers were granted a glimpse of reality other than their own, a glimpse of Tarlaíonn memory and sight.

The Eclectic Pen - The Tarlaíonn, a Tale of Transformation

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