Timelost Tales

Origin Of The Ocean

    A long time ago, before the hills got dusty, before the waves grew salty, and before people made their homes out of the rock, there was a small village nestled in between two mountains. On each mountain lived a giant, a man of proportions both terrible and awe-inspiring. The people of the village lived in rows of small, rickety tents and raised sheep. They did not, as one might think, raise sheep purely for their wool, or for their meat, but every morning they would send three sheep to west mountain and three sheep to the east mountain. They had long ago made a deal with the two giants, promising daily sheep in return for safety and land. The giants kept their promise, but every day the West Giant grew increasingly more tired of eating sheep and started eyeing the villagers.

    One morning, after eating his meal of sheep, the West Giant strode over to the east mountain to speak to the East Giant, shaking the ground as he went. He loudly complained about their lack of meal variety and pleaded for the East Giant's assistance in a plan he had thought up. The next morning, they were to take the sheep and the villagers sent to bring them. The East Giant listened and felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. He had always liked the villagers and felt no need to break his promise. However, because the West Giant was larger and stronger than him, he reluctantly agreed. Feeling pleased with himself, the West Giant walked back to his mountain, whistling as he went, and leaving the East Giant to think things over.

    At last, feeling guilty, the East Giant climbed down to the village. He simply could not take this deception. He quickly explained to the villagers what had taken place, insisting that he had only accepted out of fear and offering to help them. The villagers were shocked. They could not believe that the West Giant would so easily break his promise after all these years. The villagers accepted the help of the East Giant and listened with rapt attention to his plan. The giant declared that, on their morning trip to the West Giant, they should all go with their sheep together and bring a riddle. The West Giant was overly fond of games requiring wit, although he was not exceptionally good at them. They were to distract the giant with the riddle while a handful of men tied a long piece of rope loosely around his ankles. The giant was so tall that he was not likely to notice. Then, when his ankles were tied, they were to take the sheep and run quickly back to their village. The West Giant would not be able to chase them, and the East Giant promised that he would deal with the traitor after the villagers had left.

    The villagers were delighted with this plan. It seemed so easy and not remarkably dangerous. They happily agreed to the East Giant's plan and waved him off. Soon enough, the next morning came. The villagers went as one to the west mountain, two of them carrying a large coil of rope. When they got to the west mountain, they called out to the West Giant, declaring that they had a riddle that they wanted to share. The giant climbed down the mountain hastily, wondering what this riddle could possibly be. The villagers, grinning from ear to ear, recited their riddle:

"Rough on the edges

Beware of ledges

If you're in my coil

You'll soon be eating soil"

    The giant was deeply perplexed. He could not fathom what would make him eat soil, and coils? The only thing he knew of that could be found coiled was a snake, but that did not seem to fit in with the first part of the riddle. The West Giant sat on a nearby boulder, deep in thought as he rested his chin on a huge fist. The villagers laughed to themselves as the two men who carried the rope tied the giant's feet together. When they were done, the villagers asked the giant if he had an answer. "No, I have no answer. Pray, tell me what it is." The giant bellowed. The villagers just laughed. They told him that he would soon find out and then they sped back to their homes. The West Giant hopped to his feet, intending to give chase, but he fell flat on his face.

    The East Giant heard the West Giant's screams. Grimly, he strode towards the west mountain. With each step, the screams of the enraged giant grew louder. With each scream, the East Giant's heart rate increased. He stopped for a moment. Despite the fact that the West Giant couldn't move, the East Giant was terrified. What if he got loose? Taking a deep breath, the East Giant continued on his way. He could not let his fears get the best of him.

    It wasn't long before the East Giant arrived at the west mountain. He followed the screams to where the West Giant was laying. The giant's right leg was bent at an odd angle, clearly broken. The East Giant stopped and stared. What was he supposed to do? He had originally intended on talking with the giant, or chasing him off if diplomacy didn't work. Now he wasn't sure. He could still try to talk to the giant, but what would he do if that didn't work? The East Giant shook his head. It was better to do what he knew he could first. Stepping towards the injured giant, he explained what had happened. He also said he was sorry about the injured leg. At first, the West Giant was shocked. He soon got over that though. Yelling insults, he tried to rise to his feet, only to crash back down in agony. The West Giant lied on the ground, glaring at the East Giant.

    The East Giant looked down on the West Giant sadly. He didn't know why the West Giant was so stubborn, but he knew that he couldn't let him stay. The East Giant grabbed him by his uninjured leg and dragged him to the other side of the west mountain, where he dropped him on the plains that stretched out into the rest of the world. The West Giant was crying now from all of the pain and the embarrassment of being dragged away by a smaller giant. The East Giant could not bear the sight, so he turned and walked back to the village. There, he told the villagers what had occurred. He promised them that the West Giant would not be able to cause them trouble anymore, and he said he would return to his mountain, expecting sheep in the morning as usual. The villagers stared at the East Giant in awe. The story seemed incredible. They gave the giant some of their sheep, and after he was gone they left in the direction the East Giant had dropped the West Giant. As they got closer, they could not hear the screams and wails of the injured monster, but instead they heard a loud rushing and crashing sound. Finally, they arrived at the location described to them and they couldn't believe their eyes. There was no grass plain like the East Giant had said, instead there was a great pool of water stretching out as far as the eye could see. Tasting it, they realized it was salt water. The villagers looked at each other with wide eyes. The injured giant had cried an ocean!

    The villagers marched back home with quite the tale to tell the East Giant (who was much surprised by the news). After a few years, the villagers started catching fish in the ocean. They became expert sailors and eventually sailed away in search of better lands. However, the East Giant stayed where he was. Sometimes a sailor landed nearby and he would tell of how the ocean came to be. He couldn't say that the West Giant had died, however, as the ocean level kept rising, and the waves, he speculated, were the result of his tantrums. The East Giant could never be sure though, so he stayed on his mountain for the rest of his life keeping a watchful eye on the ocean.