On the edge of the Black Forest where the hanging cattails bob and wave there is a hoof-beaten path that slips by the marshes. The tribesmen call this region Mamorra, or the place where the water and the land are one. The nameless path is the only way to navigate the swampland, and the tribesmen will tell you to never cross the marsh or the slimy river Azarrat that runs along the border of the hooded forest. They say that Azarrat is a magical river that keeps the black spirits from devouring the souls of the villagers. Those that wander into the forest never return. Even if they escape the demons’ insatiable hunger, the villagers lock their gates to them. They fear the parasitic spirits lying in wait, drooling black into their red red hearts beneath skin like soft leather. Many a good man has died this way after entering the forest. They are left exposed to the harsh climate until their noses go black and their stomachs and cheeks suck their bodies dry. The black skin is a mark of the soul’s disease; every body is touched by its mark before death. By the shivering fire the shaman unfolds the tale of the forest – how it was once green and vibrant, and how it darkened so many years ago…
In the beginning there were two, Koraak and Anya. Koraak was the most powerful of all men and ruled the entire world. Anya was his wife, and together they made many children and raised them until their bones were full and their hair was long. It was a hard life, and Koraak was the strongest of all men to survive nature on his own. He had to build a shelter from the wind and rain, gather his own fruit, and hunt all of his own meat. He battled lions and tigers that came to take his life and feast on the soft bellies of his wife and children. Koraak, with his jagged spear, the swiftness of his foot, and the long dark braids of his hair, ruled for many moons as the king of his realm. When his daughters grew of birthing age, he made children with them as well, for he was the king and he was all-mighty and all-powerful, so he possessed all women. The children worshipped him as God and they were in awe of his great power. It was an honor to join Koraak’s harem.
But the oldest son, Enon, grew jealous. He saw each of his sisters brought to his father’s bed and felt a burning from deep within his loins. He wanted a woman for himself. He gathered fruit and he hunted fowl and small deer and he thought he deserved to make children of his own. He looked down at the growing strength of his legs and the firm grasp of his hand and thought he was ready to be a man. But he had not yet learned honor, and in his jealousy he lost respect for the great Koraak. So he waited until the clouds smothered the moon black in the night sky, covered his face thick with mud and soil and crept to his father’s tent with a spear sharpened and hardened by the fire. But when he pulled back the skin of his father’s tent he saw that Koraak was awake. For Koraak was all knowing, and he had seen the jealousy smoldering in his son’s eyes. Koraak turned to Enon and said, Son, why have you come to me in sin’s cloak with a spear in hand? Have you come to betray me? And Enon looked upon the beauty and strength of his father and let his spear fall because he was ashamed. He turned his eyes down from Koraak and awaited his punishment, for He had brought him to the earth and provided for him from the beginning, and Enon owed his life to his father. But Koraak could not destroy his own creation and he said, Enon, my son, I can not bring myself to kill you for your betrayal, but you may not live here any longer. I am casting you from my realm. You will live alone in the farthest corners of the earth without the comfort of any man’s company. You will forget the warmth of the fire and the taste of the feast I bring to the table, for you will only feed on grass. Enon, you will never know the touch of a woman. And with that, Koraak transformed Enon’s youthful figure into a hideous animal covered in coarse white hair. He gave him a thick beard for warmth and hooves on his feet for the long journey. He gave him a strong jaw, wide teeth, and a strong stomach for chewing and digesting grass, and two small horns to protect himself from harm. And so it was that the goat came to be.
For many months Enon wandered the earth. He grazed the clumps of dry brown grass and grew sour contemplating his lonesome fate. The seasons changed and returned again and he kept wandering until the pain of his isolation slowly left his mind. He forgot the laughter of his siblings and their swinging braids, he forgot the rich sizzle of meat and the warmth of the fire, he forgot the triumph of slaying his prey, he even forgot his own name. And although it was the last of his memories to leave him, he forgot Anya’s motherly love and the commanding strength and beauty of almighty Koraak. All that remained were clumps of brown grass and the cold hard ground beneath his hooves. It so happened that one day he grazed past a twisted old tree that curled like white smoke into the sky. The old tree was their place of gathering for great feasts, and when Enon looked on it he remembered his name and his curse, and jealousy and fury flooded his soul once again. He gnashed his teeth and stamped his hooves beneath the tree until he came up with a plan, then sat on his haunches and waited.
When the red sun sank low and made long shadows through the trees, Enon saw a figure emerging from the woods. It was Barrad, the second eldest of Koraak’s sons. He was returning from the hunt and carried a brace of hares slung over his shoulder. Enon hid in wait behind the twisted white tree until Barrad got close enough to hear his voice, and not wanting to startle him, he called his name out softly, Barrad. Barrad stopped and searched the field, but he could not find the source of the voice. Enon spoke again, Barrad, come to the tree with branches that twist like white smoke, I have things of much importance to tell you. Barrad hesitated, and after unstrapping the spear from his back, he approached the tree that stood alone in the field. When he reached the tree, Enon revealed himself, and Barrad was so frightened by his ugliness that he nearly drove his spear through Enon’s throat. But Enon cowered and spoke again, Barrad! It is your brother, Enon. Let me speak. I have secrets to share with you. I can cure the burning in your heart. Tell me, does Koraak still take all the women for himself? Barrad stuck his spear into the ground and said, “Koraak has warned me of you, Enon. I must not speak with you.” Enon raised his head from the ground, and looking into Barrad’s eyes he said, Barrad, you are now your own man. I see you have caught a healthy brace of rabbits. Your legs are strong and your hand is quick. You can raise your own family now, so why have you not? Swelling at the praise of his body, Barrad nodded his head and replied, “It is true, I am a man strong and well, but Koraak keeps all the women for himself so I may not make children of my own.” Why is that, Barrad? I know you feel unrest within, I can see it in your stance, yet you do nothing about it. Barrad replied, “Koraak is the strongest of all men and He is King, I can not defeat him, for he is all-powerful and all-knowing. That is why he possesses all the women.” Enon’s bearded face curled into a smile, This is true, Barrad. You may not be able to defeat Koraak by yourself, but he will not kill his own children. If you band together with our brothers, you can kill Koraak and take all the women for yourself. Bring our brothers to this tree tomorrow night to meet me. Enon turned away with his beard swinging from his chops and trotted back into the forest. Barrad continued home, trying to steady his shaking legs that quivered in anticipation.
The next night Barrad returned with all of his brothers to the white tree in the field. The moon was hidden behind black clouds, and Enon, with his long beard bending in the wind, showed them how to rub mud and soil on their faces to stay hidden in the dark. Enon also lay on the ground and rolled in the muck so his long white hair could not be seen. They crept through the night with their spears grasped low at their sides and the only sound was the breath of the wind. But when they pulled back the skin of their father’s tent, they saw that Koraak was awake. For Koraak was all-knowing, and he had seen Barrad’s trembling legs and the fever in his eyes when he returned from the hunt. Koraak had sadness in his eyes when he spoke, I see the time has come for my sons to betray me. My only wish is that you do not harm Anya, for she has done nothing but raise you with motherly love, and it is the most vile of sins to cause your own mother pain. And with that Koraak rose empty-handed and walked toward the shaking spears of his children. They stuck him like a pig countless times and tore many holes in great Koraak’s flesh but Koraak would not die, and he kept standing before his children with sad eyes. Enon, knowing that Koraak was a God that could only be killed by burning out his soul, told the children to tie him to the roasting spit and build the largest fire they had ever built. And so they did, and they placed Koraak at the tip of the flame until his flesh sizzled burned and blackened and Koraak’s body became ashes pulled away by the wind. Now, said Enon, We have power. And since they had burned their God, the children lost control of their souls, and sin overtook them all. The night glowed red as the embers in the dying fire, and Koraak’s sons lost themselves in bloodlust and orgy, taking each of their sisters in turn against their will. Enon could not be seen in the burning light. Just beyond the glow of the fire and under the cover of darkness, Enon crushed Anya’s wrist in his hairy jaw and dragged her off into the forest.
When the orgy ended and the morning rose clear and cold, the brothers looked around with guilt and jealousy. They waved their spears before wary eyes, and sat in gridlock among Koraak’s ashes. In time, each of them took their clothes, spears, and tents, and dragged a woman away to the farthest corners of the earth, where the ground was hard and cold and the grass grew in stiff brown clumps. Koraak’s body was scattered and absorbed into the earth, but a God’s soul can never be broken. Koraak had seen Enon drag Anya into the woods and his soul shook with anger. It is said that he still wanders the forest to this day, searching for Anya to release her soul from captivity and bring revenge upon Enon, who brought mankind into the darkness of sin with the jealousy in his heart.
Breaking Bull 