Myth of the Moon Goddess - The Aradia Chronicles, Books One, Two and Three

by Rane, April

  She had tried to speak with him of their past-life, but when she did, he would just shake his head and tell her it was not important. Only the moment was important. “Live in this moment,” he had said many times. He had great inner strength, but since she had been born, it seemed the food he ate disagreed with him and sometimes weakened his body. Then he would go off into the forest, eat berries, and drink the pure water, and his health would return. As soon as he would come back to the village and eat the grains that were offered, his body would fail him again. It was a mystery, one that he had told her not to ponder, as some things need not be known.

  He had taught her how to be still and also how to move as fast as a mountain cat. Everything that he had learned as a warrior of the Goddess Cybele, he had shared with her. They had spoken of the complicated thought process of the human and the uncomplicated thoughts of the animals and he had told her, “When you are in battle you must know how the human enemy thinks, but you will out maneuver them every time if you listen, smell, and move like an animal.”

  Jontue had always treated her with love. Even when she would rail against men and their corrupt ways, he would laugh and agree that men sought power, whether through war or lust.

  “It has been so since the beginning of time,” he had always said. How she missed his deep, resonant voice.

  Eurynome was startled when she felt a tear in the corner of her eye, for she never cried. In the act of disclaiming her weakness, she began to angrily wipe her eyes, but then collapsed on the ground with great anguished sobs, and reaching for his ashes rubbed them on her arms and legs. Memories of all that they had shared made her body tremble despite the warmth of the day. Intoning an old familiar chant, she slipped into a light trance and Jontue appeared to her, looking healthy and vibrant.

  “Jontue, don’t go!” she said, reaching out her hand to him. “I know you said that you taught me everything that I need to know, but you did not tell me how my heart would feel when you left. You did not tell me of the missing piece, and of the tears that would come. You never told me that I would lie on the ground covered in your ashes, and feel no purpose in living any longer.”

  Their surroundings began to slowly shift and around them there appeared a magnificent garden, the trees laden with copper leaves. Jontue, she remembered, always liked fall when the leaves changed and the weather became cooler.

  “Ah, Nomie,” he said, motioning to a fallen tree trunk, “come sit by me.”

  Eurynome hesitated. She felt deep within her heart that if she complied, he would tell her goodbye. As she felt herself fighting that thought, the vision started to fade.

  “Yes, yes. I’ll come and sit by you if you tell me a story.”

  “I will, and with the one story, every story I have ever told you will be embedded in your mind so that you may entertain the women on the pilgrimage. I know… I know you think to protect them, not entertain them. However, a good leader knows how to settle in the warriors at day’s end. So I will tell you the story of Aradia. She was of noble birth, just as you are.”

  “You’ve teased me with the fact that I am of noble birth before,” Eurynome said, shrugging as she settled down to listen. “I won’t give you the satisfaction of asking you to explain as you are more stubborn than me”

  Jontue smiled, and began.

  “There once was a Moon Goddess named Aradia. She was a weaver of magic spells and had a remarkable talent with herbs. She was revered upon the Moon, loved and honored by all. Her life was one of ease and veneration. She had no challenges, you see. Her mother, the Goddess Diana, Goddess of the Moon, realized that in order for her daughter to be immortalized in the heavens and on earth, she would first need to become mortal and take up the challenges of earth. Earth life would teach her the distinction between strength and courage. It would allow her to garner wisdom from all of the knowledge that she had learned on the Moon, and most of all, she would learn compassion and humility. Diana knew that her daughter would succeed in her challenges, but she did not know how difficult it would be to ask her to take up the mantle of a human body, nor did she know how exhausting it would be to see her daughter suffer.

  “In the end, Aradia did come to earth. In her first life, through anger, she misused her powers. Then because of arrogance that she believed was pride, she succeeded in taking her own life.”

  “You mean she killed herself?” sputtered Eurynome in disbelief. “What would bring her to that? You said she was strong and filled with knowledge. This is much different than the stories you usually tell me. The hero is always strong and even if they waver, they are never cowards!”

  “Ah Nomie… life brings us many twists and turns. Aradia’s strength and beliefs worked against her. All that she had been, and learned on the moon, did not serve her here. At least it did not in her first life.”

  Jontue looked very sad, and he spoke hesitantly.

  “Nomie… what if I told you that you were Aradia, and that the mission you go on now, what you do, how you handle yourself will serve to erase some of the choices you made in your first lifetime? It…”

  Eurynome vehemently interrupted. “That could not be!”

  “No child, listen and then tell me what you think. As Aradia, during the last of your life, you were angry, angry especially at men! Can you not look at your life and see that you came back into this new life with that ugliness clinging to you? When you leave life in the manner you did, you start the very next lifetime in very similar conditions and with all of the emotions, hates, loves and fears in place. In the lifetime you are now living you need to learn to trust one person completely and to find some good in men.”

  “But are you not a man?” asked Eurynome as if that resolved her of any past sins. “I’ve put up with you haven’t I?”

  Jontue chuckled. “Yes… you’ve done an admirable job putting up with me…”

  “Well…you know what I mean. I’ve listened and learned everything you’ve taught me, I’ve…”

  Jontue interrupted, “Yes, and you’ve ignored the fact that I am a man very well indeed! Though tis true, I never approached you in that way.”

  There was a long pregnant pause as they looked longingly at one another.

  “It is time,” Jontue said finally, “I must go. Prepare yourself, for in our next lifetime you will feel all the love I carry for you, and you will know what it is to be loved… and to love.”

  As his image started to fade, Eurynome stood abruptly, and stamping her foot, declared, “I don’t believe it! That is just a story. You cannot expect me to believe that I am the great Goddess Aradia, and that I made such terrible mistakes. What kind of story is that?”

  Jontue’s voice reverberated from a great distance, and with a chilling sense of loss, Eurynome heard this final words.

  “There is always truth in the stories of old, and many times there are lies in the stories you are living.”

  “Caw, caw, caw!” A mutinous call broke the tranquil dawn. The dusky morning sky faded from view, as a massive flock of crows hummed low over the heads of the pilgrims as they began their journey. The birds’ black swath veered to the left, leaving only deafening sound in their exodus. Some women reached for their children. Eurynome caught her grandmother’s eye, and shook her head as if to say, I know the crow’s direction is a warning to postpone the journey, but our destiny awaits… say nothing!

  The motley group of women, young girls and animals headed northeast over the mountains to Hattusas. Some were herding sheep. The group moved slowly, yet in a very determined fashion toward their destination. There was a collective excitement that began to build in all of them as they sang hymns to the Goddess Cybele. Chanting the name of the Goddess, they prayed for good weather and strength for the journey.

  Eurynome moved methodically ahead of the others, keeping the sun to her right, taking her role as a guide very seriously. Noting landmarks that her teacher had told her about, she paid attention to the thickness of the bark on the trees and the side
the rock’s moss was growing on, so that she would know that they were heading northeast at all times.

  Jontue had taught her well and if truth be told, it seemed that some of the knowledge came from memories of a different lifetime, a lifetime that did not take place on earth, in which she lived by the law of the land, intricately connected with nature, and navigated by the stars and shared her food and bedding with the wild animals.

  Night arrived softly, as food was put away and cooking utensils cleaned. Wearily the women prepared their bedding, and fell quickly in to a deep slumber. Eurynome awoke early, all of her senses sharp and alert. Dawn had not yet arrived. Quietly, she left the sleeping area, and sat down beneath a large oak a short distance away.

  Long gnarled limbs were bent low, as if to give her shelter. As her mind cleared, she sent a silent prayer of gratitude to the Goddess. She did not know how it could be, but she knew that she would play a pivotal role in the outcome of this journey, and in the women’s lives that were even now sleeping soundly nearby.

  “Dear Goddess, help me get them safely to Hattusas,” she murmured. She lay down beneath the tree, feeling a quiet peace for her part in the journey. She let her eyes slowly close, knowing she would awaken again before the others.

  On this first morning of the journey, it seemed even the Sun was having a hard time getting up. Eurynome, with a firm foot, nudged the women who found the foggy morning a good excuse not to get up. She then proceeded to leave camp. The early risers were cleaning the cookware with leaves and storing the barley bread for their second day of travel. As they finished up, they began to follow the trail marked by Eurynome. Marta and her mother Theta were done before the others and headed out in good humor. Thiscara, grandmother’s friend, called out, “Mamma, we are off. Are you nearly ready?”

  Some of the clan called Eurynome’s grandmother Mamma in reference to her elder status. The name, an endearment, also came from a place of love as she had brought many of them into the world or touched their lives through healing herbs.

  As the second day closed, a tired group gladly huddled around the cook fire while Eurynome told stories of the goddesses in their varying degrees of splendor, wisdom, and even irreverence. Then, hesitantly, she spoke of a Goddess named Aradia. Having never heard of her, many of the group encouraged her to continue the story. Enthralling them with things she had seen in her dreams or visions, she attributed it all to the Goddess Aradia. As she spoke, her aura took on a golden hue. Grandmother noticed, and looked around to see if others in the group had seen the shimmering energy as it took on the shape of a goddess with a golden shield and sword. Eurynome slowly stood, her face etched in reverence and pain, her eyes misted over.

  “The rest of Aradia must be left for another time.”

  The women moaned in unison, begging her to continue.

  “Perhaps Aradia’s story is yet unfinished,” Eurynome said, as she emptied her cup on the ground. Pouring it slowly, watching the fluid seep into the soil, her face softened and she heard Jontue’s voice say, ‘There is no death.’ As she turned to leave, there was a murmur of regret from the circle.

  The third morning broke quickly and clearly, resonating birdsong carrying through the trees. The first group was out of sight and as the second group headed into a pass bordered by granite rock, laughter and song intermingled with the hum of the awakening day. Suddenly a loud piercing sound tore through the hills, followed by the bleeps of an injured sheep. There was enormous confusion and some of the group headed toward the sounds of the wailing animals. A few of the women scattered, going in different directions, but a cry for Eurynome arose from them all, hanging in the air with the haunting echoes of the sheep.

  Within moments of their cries, Eurynome appeared at the top of a granite cliff wearing a breastplate and carrying a golden shield that glistened in the morning light. Holding a spear in one hand, with a double sided axe tucked in her belt, she emanated all the qualities of a golden goddess, unsullied and unafraid. As the sun filtered through her burnished hair, creating a dappled halo of rainbow flashes, Grandmother was captivated by the breathtaking sight. For a moment she wondered why Eurynome was heading toward the echo, rather than in the direction the terrifying sounds seemed to be coming from, but then intuitively she knew that this is what her granddaughter had been trained for. Clearing her head she instinctively grabbed the woman closest to her and began to issue orders.

  “Find something to use as a weapon and head for cover,” she cried. “There! Toward that cave!”

  Recognizing the danger for the young girls, Theba physically moved them into a darkened crevice and told them to be very quiet. Some of the women who had been in chaos, seeing grandmother’s calm deliberate manner, began to respond to their own maternal instincts to protect their young. In unison the strong supple ones began to pick up rocks as weapons and searched through their packs for knives used to slaughter the animals.

  Now, from the direction of the sounds of tumult, Eurynome’s shouts could be heard, mingled with deep voices barking commands. And then, suddenly, screams of terror rent the air, to be followed by a silence even more alarming. After a moment, Eurynome appeared at the opening of the cave, blood dripping from her spear and oozing from wounds on her head and arm.

  Grandmother, recognizing the ritualistic marks of the first kill, was more frightened at first by the blood painted on her granddaughter’s cheeks and across her nose and forehead, than the wounds she could see on her arms.

  Approaching the cave, the girl knelt and ransacked through the stores until she found some sea salt and cloth. Reaching under her short skirt, Eurynome, removing the small knife that was strapped to her thigh, placed the leather wrapped hilt of the knife into her mouth and applied the salt to the gushing wound on her arm.

  Concern grew among the women, as they gathered closer to Eurynome who, taking a few deep breaths, assumed an expression of pride as she looked at the women who had armed themselves.

  “We fight or die on this hill,” she told them. “We are up against a small band of renegades looking for quick plunder and rape. They will not think anything of killing the old ones and they will take your daughters for slaves. I see that some of you have armed yourselves. Will you fight beside me?”

  Eurynome could see fear and doubt in the ashen faces of a few of the women, and knew that they must be convinced to follow her.

  “We are many, and out-number them,” she said. “If we surprise them by attacking, many of us will live. They have surrounded Theta’s group and believe they have won. Right now, they are celebrating. Do you not hear their cries of victory and shouts of joy? By now their weapons are discarded, for they are raping your sisters! Do you hear me?” Eurynome continued, and she felt their apprehension turn to outrage.

  “It will take two or three women to attack each man,” she cried. “You can do it! Are you with me?”

  One by one, courage replaced fear as they raised their weapons high in the air. As the women moved single file out of the cave, Eurynome indicated for three groups to form. Quickly telling them what they would need to do, she had one group take the trail; another she motioned towards the ravine. The strong sure -footed ones followed her up and around the rocks above the area where the renegade band had surrounded Theta’s group.

  Motioning for the women to stop, Eurynome posed atop a crag from which she could see two men beat and rape her friend Marta. With deadly aim, she threw her spear and saw it penetrate the back of one of the rapists.

  With a loud war cry, she jumped on top of the other man, knocking him to the ground. Taking the hatchet from her belt, she dealt him a fatal blow. The others followed her lead; hissing, scratching and using rocks and make-do weapons, they surprised the band and killed or injured all but two, who chose to run away.

  While the attack was taking place, Grandmother, after checking to see that everyone was safe, quietly moved toward the area where Eurynome had first appeared covered with blood. Grandmother was not sure what she wou
ld encounter, but was glad to meet three women on the trail that she thought might have been killed. Speaking all at once, they told her that when the shouting and cries came from the ravine, Eurynome came out of nowhere and moved like a panther toward the strange echoing sounds. After she had disappeared, they heard shouts and war cries, and becoming frightened, stayed hidden until now.

  Tattered and worn the small band of women followed Eurynome, making their way to the others waiting in the cave. The women cheered when they saw the returning group although Eurynome did her best to stifle their sounds, trying to alert them to the danger that could still be lurking. She knew it was important not to let the renegades know where they were hiding. But the adrenaline of victory was so sweet the women could not contain themselves. They hugged, cried and softly chattered amongst themselves.

  Just as Eurynome looked around for her grandmother, another joyous cheer went up as Mamma and the small weary group she had encountered joined the women in the cave. They all turned toward Eurynome to honor her, but the distant and somber look in her eyes stopped them.

  The events of the day had aged Eurynome’s voice, adding sadness and anger to its natural depth. Standing at the entrance to the cave, she looked toward the Sun. It was not even noon; her heart ached for man’s inhumanity and worse, for women’s willingness to allow it. A voice rife with grief, fury, rage and sorrow echoed softly through the cave.

  “We must bury our dead.”

  The austere cave that had offered solace became desolate and uninviting, as everyone looked around to see who was missing. The women realized that in their relief they had not taken into account the dead and the fact that two mothers were grieving because their daughters had been taken. With eyes downcast, they went out to gather their dead and began to prepare themselves for the burial rites.