IN WHICH HERMES WITNESS ES THE BIRTH OF THE WORLD
Previously: Pausania, the oldest of the nurses of the babies of the gods, has agreed to reveal to Hermes the origin of all things. Here he is projected into the past, ready to witness the birth of the world.
When Hermes opened his eyes, everything was darkness, a profound darkness. There wasn’t the faintest glimmer of light. He did not know where he was. He could hear nothing, nothing except an immense silence. The young god was floating in an endless vacuum. He could feel strange movements around him, as though some form of matter were stirring in silence. As though forces were growing restless in this emptiness where he found himself.
“You are inside Chaos,” a voice breathed in his ear. It was the voice of Pausania. She reassured Hermes: “You see, in the beginning there was nothing at all. Nothing except a gaping hole—Chaos. And then, all of a sudden, we do not know how, or why, goddess Earth emerged from the Chaos. Look! She is called Gaia.”
At last, something stable and solid had just been born out of this vertiginous black hole. Gaia, streaming with light, was offering herself up as the solid surface of the world. Hermes could not take his eyes off her, dazzled by this apparition. He felt protected, he felt safe, exactly as when he was still in his mother’s arms. Part of Gaia still remained plunged inside Chaos, yet the rest lifted itself upwards. She was the goddess of the earth, the mother of all things in the universe. Henceforth, all beings would have a place where they could put down their feet. She stretched herself gracefully. And it was at that moment that another god appeared above her.
“This is Uranus,” breathed the voice of Pausania in Hermes’ ear. “He is the sky!” Uranus looked powerful and protecting. Hermes saw him lie down just above Gaia, covering her entirely, like a lid. Uranus had just attached the sky for ever above the earth.
Hermes murmured: “But this earth and this sky are still empty, they do not resemble at all the earth and the sky as I know them!”
Pausania broke into a little laugh: “How impatient you are!” she replied. “We are still only at the beginning of the story… There is still someone very essential missing…”
Utterly absorbed as he was by the marvels taking place under his eyes, Hermes had not noticed the presence of another figure, who had also come out of Chaos just after Gaia. This was a very old man with a long white beard. Two silver wings were attached to his back. He was sitting very close to Hermes, and was watching fondly the meeting between Gaia-Earth and Uranus-Sky.
“How beautiful it is…” he said all of a sudden. These words made Hermes jump.
“But… but… who are you?” asked the young god, discovering his new companion.
“I am Eros,” replied the old man, “I am the god who brings love. For nothing may be born without love.”
Eros’ voice was pleasant. The kindness which could be read on the old god’s face inspired trust in Hermes. He looked once more at Gaia and Uranus as they were creating the world. Gaia had just given birth to the mountains, the hills, the valleys and the caves on the earth. Then she had fallen asleep. Leaning tenderly over her, Uranus caused a light, fertile rain to fall. This rain slid in every secret crack of the earth. Instantly, the grass emerged, the trees, the flowers and all of the earth’s plants. The light rain which continued to flow gently on Gaia filled the ponds, the streams, the rivers, then the oceans.
Hermes, eyes glistening with excitement, asked Pausania: “But why did you tell me that the story would be terrible? What I see here is wonderful!”
“It is after this that it all becomes complicated,” replied the old nurse in a dark tone, “yet you have had the answer to your first question. Now, you must go back home. Come and see me when you have more questions to ask me.”
To be continued…