The Gods of Pegāna

The Gods of Pegāna

By Lord Dunsany.

Table of Contents

1. Titlepage
2. Imprint
3. Dedication
4. Preface
5. The Gods of Pegāna
   1. Introduction
   2. Of Skarl the Drummer
   3. Of the Making of the Worlds
   4. Of the Game of the Gods
   5. The Chaunt of the Gods
   6. The Sayings of Kib
   7. Concerning Sish
   8. The Sayings of Slid
   9. The Deeds of Mung
   10. The Chaunt of the Priests
   11. The Sayings of Limpang-Tung
   12. Of Yoharneth-Lahai
   13. Of Roon, the God of Going
   14. The Revolt of the Home Gods
   15. Of Dorozhand
   16. The Eye in the Waste
   17. Of the Thing That Is Neither God Nor Beast
   18. Yonath the Prophet
   19. Yug the Prophet
   20. Alhireth-Hotep the Prophet
   21. Kabok the Prophet
   22. Of the Calamity That Befel Yūn-Ilāra by the Sea, and of the Building of the Tower of the Ending of Days
   23. Of How the Gods Whelmed Sidith
   24. Of How Imbaun Became High Prophet in Aradec of All the Gods Save One
   25. Of How Imbaun Met Zodrak
   26. Pegāna
   27. The Sayings of Imbaun
   28. Of How Imbaun Spake of Death to the King
   29. Of Ood
   30. The River
   31. The Bird of Doom and the End
6. Colophon
7. Uncopyright

Imprint

This ebook is the product of many hours of hard work by volunteers for Standard Ebooks, and builds on the hard work of other literature lovers made possible by the public domain.

This particular ebook is based on a transcription produced for Project Gutenberg and on digital scans available at the HathiTrust Digital Library.

The writing and artwork within are believed to be in the U.S. public domain, and Standard Ebooks releases this ebook edition under the terms in the CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. For full license information, see the Uncopyright at the end of this ebook.

Standard Ebooks is a volunteer-driven project that produces ebook editions of public domain literature using modern typography, technology, and editorial standards, and distributes them free of cost. You can download this and other ebooks carefully produced for true book lovers at standardebooks.org.

Dedicated
to
Lady Dunsany.

Preface

There be islands in the Central Sea, whose waters are bounded by no shore and where no ships come⁠—this is the faith of their people.

In the mists before the beginning, Fate and Chance cast lots to decide whose the Game should be; and he that won strode through the mists to Māna-Yood-Sushāī and said: “Now make gods for Me, for I have won the cast and the Game is to be Mine.” Who it was that won the cast, and whether it was Fate or whether Chance that went through the mists before the beginning to Māna-Yood-Sushāī⁠—none knoweth.

The Gods of Pegāna

Introduction

Before there stood gods upon Olympus, or ever Allah was Allah, had wrought and rested Māna-Yood-Sushāī.

There are in Pegāna Mung and Sish and Kib, and the maker of all small gods, who is Māna-Yood-Sushāī. Moreover, we have a faith in Roon and Slid.

And it has been said of old that all things that have been were wrought by the small gods, excepting only Māna-Yood-Sushāī, who made the gods and hath thereafter rested.

And none may pray to Māna-Yood-Sushāī but only the gods whom he hath made.

But at the Last will Māna-Yood-Sushāī forget to rest, and will make again new gods and other worlds, and will destroy the gods whom he hath made.

And the gods and the worlds shall depart, and there shall be only Māna-Yood-Sushāī.

Of Skarl the Drummer

When Māna-Yood-Sushāī had made the gods and Skarl, Skarl made a drum, and began to beat upon it that he might drum forever. Then because he was weary after the making of the gods, and because of the drumming of Skarl, did Māna-Yood-Sushāī grow drowsy and fall asleep.

And there fell a hush upon the gods when they saw that Māna rested, and there was silence on Pegāna save for the drumming of Skarl. Skarl sitteth upon the mist before the feet of Māna-Yood-Sushāī, above the gods of Pegāna, and there he beateth his drum. Some say that the Worlds and the Suns are but the echoes of the drumming of Skarl, and others say that they be dreams that arise in the mind of Māna because of the drumming of Skarl, as one may dream whose rest is troubled by sound of song, but none knoweth, for who hath heard the voice of Māna-Yood-Sushāī, or who hath seen his drummer?

Whether the season be winter or whether it be summer, whether it be morning among the worlds or whether it be night, Skarl still beateth his drum, for the purposes of the gods are not yet fulfilled. Sometimes the arm of Skarl grows weary; but still he beateth his drum, that the gods may do the work of the gods, and the worlds go on, for if he cease for an instant then Māna-Yood-Sushāī will start awake, and there will be worlds nor gods no more.

But, when at the last the arm of Skarl shall cease to beat his drum, silence shall startle Pegāna like thunder in a cave, and Māna-Yood-Sushāī shall cease to rest.

Then shall Skarl put his drum upon his back and walk forth into the void beyond the worlds, because it is the end, and the work of Skarl is over.

There may arise some other god whom Skarl may serve, or it may be that he shall perish; but to Skarl it shall matter not, for he shall have done the work of Skarl.

Of the Making of the Worlds

When Māna-Yood-Sushāī had made the gods there were only the gods, and They sat in the middle of Time, for there was as much Time before them as behind them, which having no end had neither a beginning.

And Pegāna was without heat or light or sound, save for the drumming of Skarl; moreover Pegāna was The Middle of All, for there was below Pegāna what