Week 5 Story: The Forsaken One

In a time when dragons were rare and powerful creatures, they ruled the land from the skies while humans worshipped them as gods. There was one dragon in particular that was said to the oldest and most powerful of all of the dragons - it was called Xiphos. The humans, including a young lass and her mother, all looked to Xiphos as their main god, and they relied on it to protect them from foreign invaders and their foreign gods.

Naturally, the humans offered up many valuables and sustenance to Xiphos in order to appease him. Xiphos, however, grew tired of the same offerings, and it began asking for the things that the humans held dearest to their hearts. Needless to say, the humans were hesitant, some were even unable to, provide Xiphos with the offerings it demanded. Xiphos, enraged by the lack of precious offerings, roared its displeasure, and it condemned the foolish humans to a life without the protection of their one true protector.

Word soon spread that Xiphos abandoned his human domain, much to the dismay of the locals. May thought that it was only a matter of time before foreigners heard about the abandonment and decided to take the rich lands for themselves.

It was about four weeks after Xiphos’ departure that the young lass overheard a conversation at the local bar. The men inside despairingly discussed the news that the foreign army had assembled and was on its way to take everything from the now god-less lands. All of the people wept and wailed, for now they were truly doomed. Many began to pack up and attempt to get as far away as possible with the hopes of relocating to new lands. Others tried to pray to Xiphos for protection and offer it what they could, but it was clear to all that Xiphos had forsaken them.

The lass could not afford to move her ailing mother. She also had nothing to offer Xiphos to entice him to return. However, the one thing the girl did possess was an incredible determination to protect her family and her people.

As the days passed, the foreign army grew closer and the girl attempted to find a solution to her problem. Many others, mainly the elders and the children, could not afford to move or were simply unable to. She refused to leave them like the others had.

It was that night that the girl had a dream. In the dream, she remembered the tales her father used to tell her about the dragon gods and how they possessed such immense power. Each dragon god had a name bestowed upon them by some greater power. The name granted the dragons their awe-inspiring power, but they were also kept a secret. Only the dragon knew its true name. There was a rumor that dragons were honorable creatures, even if their personalities were terrible, so if a brave warrior defeated one, then that dragon would be forced to give the warrior its true name. By learning the dragon god’s true name, that warrior would acquire that god’s incredible power. Of course, this was all a rumor as no one had been able to defeat or let along entertain the thought of challenging a dragon.

As soon as her father finished speaking, the girl woke with a start. She knew what she had to do in order to defend those dear to her.

Sword. Source: pxhere.

Author's note: This is loosely based on "Secret Name of Ra". I pretty much changed everything else but kept the main idea the same. In this story, the main god is a dragon, and, like Ra, it has a given name that is the source of its power.

Bibliography: This story is part of the Ancient Egyptian Unit and can be found here. Story source: Egyptian Myth and Legend by Donald Mackenzie (1907).