The Gods of Pegana

The Gods of Pegana

The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Gods of Pegana
by Lord Dunsany [Edward J. M. D. Plunkett] #5 in our series by Lord Dunsany [Edward J. M. D. Plunkett]
Copyright laws are changing all over the world. Be sure to check the copyright laws for your country before downloading or redistributing this or any other Project Gutenberg eBook.
This header should be the first thing seen when viewing this Project Gutenberg file. Please do not remove it. Do not change or edit the header without written permission.
Please read the "legal small print," and other information about the eBook and Project Gutenberg at the bottom of this file. Included is important information about your specific rights and restrictions in how the file may be used. You can also find out about how to make a donation to Project Gutenberg, and how to get involved.
**Welcome To The World of Free Plain Vanilla Electronic Texts**
**eBooks Readable By Both Humans and By Computers, Since 1971**
*****These eBooks Were Prepared By Thousands of Volunteers!*****
Title: The Gods of Pegana
Author: Lord Dunsany [Edward J. M. D. Plunkett]
Release Date: June, 2005 [EBook #8395] [Yes, we are more than one year ahead of schedule] [This file was first posted on July 6, 2003]
Edition: 10
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-Latin-1
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE GODS OF PEGANA ***

Produced by Beginners Projects, Anne Reshnyk and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team

THE GODS OF PEGANA
LORD DUNSANY

CONTENTS
Preface
Introduction
Of Skarl the Drummer
Of the Making of the Worlds
Of the Game of the Gods
The Chaunt of the Gods
The Sayings of Kib
Concerning Sish
The Sayings of Slid
The Deeds of Mung
The Chaunt
The Sayings of Limpang-Tung
Of Yoharneth-Lahai
Of Roon, the God of Going, and the Thousand Home Gods
The Revolt of the Home Gods
Of Dorozhand
The Eye in the Waste
Of the Thing That Is Neither God Nor Beast
Yonath the Prophet
Yug the Prophet
Alhireth-Hotep The Prophet
Kabok The Prophet
Of the Calamity That Befel Yun-Hara by the Sea, and of the Building of the Tower of the Ending of Days
Of How the Gods Whelmed Sidith
Of How Imbaun Became High Prophet in Aradec of all the Gods Save One
Of How Imbaun Met Zodrak
Pegana
The Sayings of Imbaun
Of How Imbaun Spake of Death to the King
Of Ood
The River
The Bird of Doom and THE END

PREFACE
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 MANA-YOOD-SUSHAI 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 MANA-YOOD-SUSHAI--_none knoweth._

INTRODUCTION
Before there stood gods upon Olympus, or ever Allah was Allah, had wrought and rested MANA-YOOD-SUSHAI.
There are in Pegana Mung and Sish and Kib, and the maker of all small gods, who is MANA-YOOD-SUSHAI. 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 MANA-YOOD-SUSHAI, who made the gods and hath thereafter rested.
And none may pray to MANA-YOOD-SUSHAI but only the gods whom he hath made.
But at the Last will MANA-YOOD-SUSHAI 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 MANA-YOOD-SUSHAI.

OF SKARL THE DRUMMER
When MANA-YOOD-SUSHAI had made the gods and Skarl, Skarl made a drum, and began to beat upon it that he might drum for ever. Then because he was weary after the making of the gods, and because of the drumming of Skarl, did MANA-YOOD-SUSHAI grow drowsy and fall asleep.
And there fell a hush upon the gods when they saw that MANA rested, and there was silence on Pegana save for the drumming of Skarl. Skarl sitteth upon the mist before the feet of MANA-YOOD-SUSHAI, above the gods of Pegana, 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 MANA 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 MANA-YOOD-SUSHAI, 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 MANA-YOOD-SUSHAI will start awake, and there