The Garden of Eden

Re-Translated from the Original by Tony Lewis

When the earth was young, the gods made the first human beings, breathing into them the breath of life and thereby giving them their souls. The gods then created a garden paradise called Eden for the first two humans to live in, filled with many trees to make the garden a beautiful place and to provide food for its inhabitants. In the middle of the garden, the gods put two special trees, the Tree of Life and the Tree of Wisdom.

The gods wanted the humans to help them take care of the beautiful garden, so the All-Father asked the Boy to come up with names for all the animals. But there were so many animals, the Boy quickly realized he needed help. The All-Father said the Girl would help him, but he warned the pair not to eat the fruit of the Tree of Wisdom, for once they did, it would be all over for them. Then, the All-Father told the rest of the gods, “It’s best that the humans remain innocent, for they’re not ready to know what we know.”

The Boy and the Girl were so innocent they went around the garden naked and it didn’t bother them. One day, though, the crafty Snake came upon the Girl when she was alone. Snake asked her, “So the All-Father said you can eat from any tree in the garden?”

The Girl answered, “Yes, any of the fruit trees. Except the two in the center. He said if we eat that fruit, we’ll be struck dead.”

Snake laughed. “The gods are going to strike you dead for eating some fruit? That’s ridiculous. They know that the day you eat the fruit of the Tree of Wisdom, your eyes will be opened. You will gain all the wisdom of the gods.”

The Girl thought that wisdom sounded like a good thing, and the fruit did look pretty tasty. She decided to eat some, and then she gave some to the Boy, and he ate it too. Suddenly, they realized they were naked and, filled with embarrassment, they wove together some leaves from a fig tree to cover themselves. When they heard the All-Father approaching, they were overcome with shame so they ran and hid.

The All-Father called out, “Hey, where are you?”

Sheepishly, the Boy and the Girl came out from behind the trees. The Boy said, “When I heard you in the garden, I was afraid… because I’m naked. So I hid.”

The All-Father said, “Oh, and who told you that you were naked? You weren’t eating the fruit I told you not to eat, were you?

The Boy pointed at the Girl and shouted, “It’s her fault! She gave it to me!”

The All-Father asked the Girl, “Why did you do that?”

The Girl blurted out, “Snake tricked me into eating it!”

The All-Father turned to Snake and said, “You trickster! They won’t thank you for this. In fact, they’ll probably hate you for it.”

Then he turned back to the Girl, sighed, and said, “You wanted the wisdom of the gods? Well, here it is. Eventually, you’re going to get pregnant and have babies. And it’s going to hurt. A lot. And the men around you are always going to want to tell you what to do. That’s just how life is.”

Then he turned to the Boy and said, “You know what? You don’t get to play in the garden forever. You’re going to have to work hard for most of your life just to scratch out a living. You’ll curse the weeds that sprout among your herbs and vegetables, and you’ll eat your meals with sweat on your face. That’s just how life is.”

Then the All-Father said to the rest of the gods, “Hey, look! Now the humans are as wise as we are! We’d better kick them out of the Garden of Eden before they foolishly eat from the Tree of Life as well and become immortal! Then their sufferings would never end!”

But before sending them out to make their own way in the world, the All-Father made tunics of leather for the Boy and the Girl so they would at least have some proper clothes. They had to grow up now, but they were still his children and he loved them.

In the Beginning

Re-Translated from the Original by Tony Lewis

Time was, the gods made the Planet Earth. At first, the world was shapeless and empty and darkness covered the sea, but the breath of the gods blew over the surface of the water. Then the gods called forth the light, and the light appeared. The light pleased the gods and they made it separate from the darkness. The gods named the light “the day” and the darkness “the night.” Evening and morning joined them together, making the first day. Then the gods built the sky to separate the rainwater above from the seawater below and named it “the sky.” Evening and morning came again, making the second day.

Then the gods told the seawater to recede so they could see dry land, and it did so. They named the dry land “the earth” and the waters they named “the sea,” and the gods were pleased. Then the gods told the earth to sprout grass and other plants and to sow their seeds, and for fruit trees to grow across the land and make fruit, each according to its kind. It did so, and the gods were pleased. Evening and morning came again, making the third day. Then the gods called forth bright lights in the sky to divide day and night, and to mark time, and to illuminate the earth. The gods made two lights, the brighter light to rule the day and the dimmer light to rule the night and the stars. The gods set the lights in the sky and were pleased. Evening and morning came again, making the fourth day.

Then the gods called forth swarms of living creatures to swim in the seas and fly through the air. The gods created the great dragons and all other living creatures, every species that swims in the sea and every species that flies in the air, and they were pleased. The gods blessed them and told them to increase and multiply and to become numerous on the earth. Evening and morning came again, making the fifth day. Then the gods called forth other living creatures to walk upon the ground, every kind of beast and every kind of insect, every animal on the earth. The gods made them, and were pleased.

Then the gods said, “Let us make human beings, similar to ourselves, to rule over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and every animal that walks the earth.” And so the gods created human beings, similar to themselves, making them male and female. The gods blessed them and told them to increase and multiply and to become numerous on the earth, to master their domain, and to rule the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and every animal that walks the earth. The gods told them, “Look, we have given you all the plants that sow their seeds and all the trees that bear fruit to be your food. Every animal on the earth and in the sky has green plants to eat.” Then the gods looked at everything they had done and were very pleased. Evening and morning came again, making the sixth day. The Planet Earth was completed, the whole project was finished.

On the seventh day, the gods’ work was done, and so they stopped. They blessed the seventh day and declared it to be a day of rest from all the work they had done.

Beltane Intro

Beltane is the name of a major Celtic feast that can be traced back to early medieval sources, one of which claims that it descended from the Druids. It was a fire festival held on May 1st, which in the British Isles marked the beginning of the summer season. In America, however, we find ourselves at mid-spring at this time due to climatic differences. According to historian Ronald Hutton in his 1996 book The Stations of the Sun, the name “Beltane” most likely means “lucky fire,” referring to the ritual bonfires that were built to ward off ill-health and ill-fortune for the coming year. He reports that the tradition was maintained in Ireland and other Irish-influenced areas of Britain well into the 19th century, as well as in “parts of England in which native British culture lingered the longest” (p.223). This suggests that the bonfires were indeed a survival of a widespread ancient practice. Interestingly, he notes also that mentions in Welsh literature impart an “arcane quality” to May Day, similar to the oft-celebrated “thinning of the veil” at Samhain, which lies at the opposite point on the Wheel of the Year.

Being the time of year when trees are budding and flowers are blossoming, it seems appropriate that the theme of Beltane celebrations should be “Life.” New life is coming into view all around us, reminding us to renew our hopes and aspirations. But we also take stock of where we are, as though from the top of a hill, and consider how best to move forward. Are there goals we want to pursue? Where do we want to put our energy? If we were trees, we could devote ourselves to growing our trunks taller, spreading our branches wider, digging our roots deeper, or making our protective bark thicker. Even trees have to choose their priorities for the year. And their choices will affect all the other trees with which their root systems connect. So we also celebrate the interconnectedness of all life on this world and remember that we do not stand apart from or above that web of life. Whether you’re a tree or a bird or a human being, life can be daunting—all the more reason to celebrate.