The Merrow Religion and Children's stories

The Goddess of Water (Ah'wala'rah), Anahita

The Gods and Goddesses of land created their creations and cried tears of joy and from those very tears came the seas, which came to sustain and keep the earth from wilting. Within those murky depths stirred the Goddess of Water, with pale green flesh and a tail of a beautiful fish where legs were for others. She danced alone in her water domain, fascinating and beautiful creatures flowing out of the currents made by her tail. Now, you see, the land creatures could not see past the ocean's surface all of the time and they longed to see what the Goddess of Water was creating. They had it in their minds to throw their wood and trash to the waters to make them shallow so they could venture out and see the beauty of the ocean. Those actions, however, killed Anahita's lovely creations. Seeing this, Anahita went to the shore and assumed a form similar to the land creatures so she could walk like them. Anahita traveled along the shore, weeping and pleading for the land creatures to stop, but they did not. Anahita sat weeping and the Moon soared down from the sky where it lived, taking on a form similar to those of the land. The Moon was not very good at this though, because one could not tell if the Moon was male or female. Nevertheless, the Moon asked Anahita, "Why do you weep," in a beautiful voice. Anahita stood carefully and waved an arm gracefully towards the water, "They destroy as I create! Why do they do such a thing?" The Moon frowned at Anahita's sadness, "Such beauty should never know the pangs of sadness. Dance with me, my love, for I know of such loneliness and helplesness." The two of them danced so fantastically in the waves that it churned them up and swept away the trash. One of Anahita's most beloved creations, the first Merrow who sprang from her tears when she first wept, began to descend upon the evil land walkers marring the sea's beauty. They were so attuned with the ebb and flow of all things that they flowed the very life force of the evil land walkers into their own bodies. The Gods and Goddesses of the land were still celebrating their creations, paying no mind to the evil deeds that they did. They soon noticed and became furious. They tore through the waters and yanked the Moon from Anahita, casting the Moon back into it's home in the sky and removing the Moon's ability to come down to the land and sea. The Gods and Goddesses of land altered their domain, brightening the light and separating the worlds of land and sea more so Anahita and her favored creations cannot fare well on the land. Anahita still dances within the tides and since the Gods and Goddesses of land cannot control the Goddess of Water, from time to time she reaches up to try to caress the Moon's face, her home shifting along with her. The Moon was forced by the Gods and Goddesses of the land to slowly turn towards Anahita and to then turn away, torturing the Moon for ever going against them. Anahita felt the heaviness of separation one night and sat upon the shore, weeping. One of her favored creations came upon the shore, despite the difficulties, and asked in her sweet voice that sounded like droplets of water, "What can we do to soothe your pain?" Other Merrow had taken notice and took place by their creator's side to see what they could do. Now," she paused,"jealousy hung heavy like a stone within the hearts of the land walkers, so when a few of them took notice of the beautiful creations of Anahita surrounding their fantastic creator, they attacked. The Gods and Goddesses of land seized Anahita, preventing her from fighting alongside her beloved daughters and sons. Land walker blood stained the sand and then a blade of one of the Merrow, the very Merrow her first tried to ease Anahita. Anahita screamed in agony as one of her beloved Merrow shattered into droplets of foam, turning back into a tear. The Moon turned to see what had caused Anahita such agony. The Moon saw what happened and made the sea foam of the fallen Merrow turn into a glowing sphere that rolled within the waves, the Moon then brought the glowing sphere up to sit beside it. The Moon was then forced to turn away, but it managed to whisper to Anahita, "I will keep her safe, along with any others who happen to fall. Do not worry, my love." Anahita and her Merrow creations began to wear things that sparkle, so their fallen sisters and brothers could see them below while they swam by the Moon's side in the night sky. Ah'wala'rah's children were created on the shore, a meeting place of the world of land and the world of sea. The Merrow are able to adapt, some live within the depths and slowly become more and more suited to the depths. Some live in the frosty northern waters and have adapted to produce more body heat with subtle movements, those of the tropics have adapted to be colorful and have poisonous spines in their fins. Ah'wala'rah looks like a beautiful, light green skinned woman with seashells covering sensitive parts of her chest, and seaweed to serve as a loincloth. She is a benevolent Goddess, oftentimes freely soothing the hurts of those who come to her. The magics of water carry powerful soothing magics in line with their goddess’s temperament, but those who search deeper into their tides, find not all waters are so gentle as the rain. Some Merrish artists depict Ah'wala'rah intertwined with her lover, the Moon, in it's androgynous human guise. There are a few stories and tales of the Goddess and her creations interacting with those of the land that are told to children Merrow. Most, if not all, are intended to warn our children about the dangers of the land and how to be cunning in the face of danger.

Some of the most famous are:
 * 1) Ard'aldo and Inyalah
 * 2) Mother Sea Turtle and the Sea Gull