This is my take on a creation myth for a fantasy setting.

At first, all was Darkness. The Darkness stretched far and wide and there it sat alone. In its loneliness, the Darkness began to wish for others so that it would not be so alone anymore.

First, the Darkness wished for light. And in that wish, the multitude of Stars burst forth out of the Darkness as sweet babes. Some were big, some were small, some were dim, and some were bright. The tears of the new children of the Darkness all collected and fell down into the cold where they formed a ball of rock. This ball is what became the World.

The World sat in the Darkness for a very long time. The Stars took no notice, they were too young. The Darkness took no notice, she was too busy tending to the Stars. The World sat alone and, like the Darkness before it, the World began to wish.

First the World wished for light. And in that wish, the Sun appeared. The World was afraid that the Darkness might be jealous of the Sun, so it asked the Sun to only come out for a little while. Each day, the Sun would peek out and run across the sky to stay hidden from the Darkness. Because the Sun was running every day, it began to get very hot and began to sweat. The sweat from the sun fell down from the sky and made the seas. Now there was water.

The World was happy for water. It was different from the rock that it was used to and it made pleasant sounds.

For a time, the World was happy. The Sun ran across the sky, and the Darkness never knew that it had made a wish. But the World began to get lonesome again, whenever the Sun was hiding from the Darkness, so the World began to wish again.

Next the World wished for plants. And in that wish, the first sprouts of the first plants began to grow. The World now had something to tend to as the Darkness tended to the Stars. The World was afraid that the Darkness might be jealous of the plants, so it asked the plants to only grow when the Sun was running across the sky. Each day, the Sun would begin its journey and the plants would grow a very little bit. Because the plants grew, they began to produce food. Now there was grain and fruit.

The World was happy for grain and fruit. It allowed the World to make more plants, which the World loved.

For a time, the World was happy. The Sun ran across the sky, the plants grew and made grain and fruit, and the Darkness never knew that it was making wishes. But, for as pleasant as the plants were, the World began to want more excitement, so the World began to wish again.

Next the World wished for people. And in that wish, the first people sat up out of the rock and began to move around. The World was afraid the Darkness might get jealous of the people, so it asked the people to only come out when the Sun was running across the sky. Each day, the Sun would begin its journey, the plants would grow a very little bit, and the people would go about their lives. Because the people lived, they began to eat and love. Now there were families.

The World was happy for families. They allowed the World to watch something work and grow and together. For a very long time, everything was good.

But there was one family that was not happy with coming out only in the day time. The father of this family decided to stay out after the Sun had gone into hiding. The first night he was out, he decided that without the Sun, there wasn’t enough light to see. So, he asked his three sons to find a way to see in the dark. The first son was very strong, and he decided to start digging in the rock and dirt to try to collect the sunlight in the holes he made. The second son was very swift, and he decided to run along with the Sun to try to steal some of the Sun’s light. The third son was very clever, and he decided to build a trap for the Sun’s light.

The first son dug into the dirt and rock, and while he never collected sunlight to shine in the night, he did find wondrous jewels and metals that reflected the light in the day. He became the first miner and was very wealthy. The second son ran along with the Sun, and while he never stole the Sun’s light, he discovered far away lands that shared the Sun’s light and created maps of the world. He became the first explorer and was very knowledgeable. The third son set a trap for the Sun. The third son took some of the wood from the plants and began working it into a box. While he was working, he used some of the rocks that the oldest son had dug up and found that when he struck them together, it made a very little light. Thus fire was born. The third son discovered that he could release the sunlight that the plants had collected during the day and created fire.

The father of the family was very proud of his son. He showered his third son with gifts and favor. This upset the first and second sons.

The father took the fire outside during the night time and could travel around with great ease. But the Darkness saw that there were stars on the World and took notice. The Darkness first took notice of the World and was very angry. How could something so beautiful exist without the Darkness knowing? How dare the father try to fight against the power and presence of the Darkness? The Darkness wished for something to hold the people at bay and in that wish, all manner of beast stood up from the rock, just as the people had. These beasts had fearsome teeth, horrible appetites, and roamed the darkness as easy as people had roamed during the day.

In her fury, the Darkness also came to the World and declared that she had betrayed the Darkness and so threatened to swallow up all of the World’s wishes: the Sun, the plants, and the people. The World begged the darkness not to destroy her wishes, so the Darkness allowed the World to make a choice. The Darkness would take one of the fire-bearer sons and his family, but the decision would not be for the father to make, it would be left to the World to decide.

At first the World was distraught. How could she decide among her people which to sacrifice? So, the World asked the three sons to come before her. She asked the three sons privately and in turn which of them each would wish to be taken. The first son told the World that he would go in his brothers’ place, having had the most time to enjoy the gifts of the World. The second son also said that he would go in his brothers’ place, having traveled far and wide seeing the beauty of the whole world. The third son, however, said that he didn’t care which of his older brothers went, so long as he was allowed to stay in the sunlight.

The World knew that truly the older sons were more deserving in their sacrifice, and told the Darkness to take the family of the third son. The Darkness covered their lands with thick smoke and clouds, blocking out the Sun, and withering the plants. No matter how much fire they created, it never replaced the light from the Sun.

For many years, fathers passed their knowledge and gifts down to their sons and daughters. The children of the first son became industrious builders and keen inventors. Their comfort with tunneling and heaving great loads about made them short and strong. The children of the second son became intrepid merchants and adventurous scholars. Their speedy travel made them swift and their everlong search for knowledge made their eyesight far and sharp. The children of the third son toiled long and hard in harsh lands. Their anger at being outcast and their jealousy of their kin made them bitter and twisted in their appearance.