Hippogriff Reborn

When the god Hippogriff falls to earth and has her wings eaten off by a troll, Hyalor rescues her, revealing her new self and purpose, as Gamari Horse Mother.

## Complete Myth

Gamari Horse Mother used to be Hippogriff, a winged goddess who flew around the world in the company of Yamsur, a brother of Elmal. Hippogriff and Yamsur, then called Yamsur the Splendid, called no one place home, but if they did, it would be a faraway green lushness known as Genert's Garden. They distinguished themselves in many Gods War battles. Yamsur flickered hot, always saw to it that his exploits were well noticed, and took his pleasures with the same zest he showed in combat. Sometimes his appetites would take him to Nivorah, the city guarded by steady Elmal.

In her comradely love for Yamsur, Hippogriff did not see that she too would one day bear the brunt of his inconstancy.

It happened first when they fought a bullying Ram, Storm Bull. When Yamsur rushed to battle lesser foes he could more impressively defeat, Storm Bull tore Hippogriff's fangs from her mouth.

It happened again when Yamsur offended Maran Gor the Earthshaker, and Gamari paid the price. Maran Gor broke Hippogriff's legs and crushed her bronze claws. Yamsur fashioned hooves for her afterward, and said he would never let her down again.

But when they were visiting Elmal's City, where Yamsur said the finest women dwelt, the troll god Zorak Zoran burst up from below. He devoured a grain house, a herd of cows, and a battalion of warriors. Elmal and Yamsur fought him, but when he gored Yamsur, Yamsur flickered away. Hippogriff tried to follow, but Zorak Zoran seized her, tearing off her golden wings. He threw her aside to die. Elmal pursued him through the streets, into the fields, and into a wood, until the troll finally plunged into the ground, where Elmal could not follow.

It was not Yamsur the Splendid but a mortal who went to Hippogriff's side. This was Hyalor, who saw that she would never be sho she was, and whispered into her ear a new way for her to be. Maddened by pain, she could not see it. So he climbed on her back to calm her. She bucked and writhed, shrieking in fury over her abandonment by Yamsur. Hyalor held onto her, staying on her back, until she accepted his tenacity. If she wanted a loyal sun to follow, Hyalor told her, she would find it not in Yamsur, but in his patron, Elmal. In exchange for this, she would receive the protection of a new tribe. Its gods would defend her from attack. Its people would tend to her offspring. She would no longer be able to fly as a matter of course, but would gain dominion on the surface. The partnership between horse and man would grant her greater influence over the course of events than any adventures she could get up to with the so-called Splendid God

Thought divine, Hippogriff had never entertained the possibility of receiving mortal worship. Other gods had done so, but it had always seemed a burden to her, a rein on her freedom. Now she saw the necessity of this moment, understanding that the bull god, the earth beast, and the troll had shorn away the parts of her that obscured the full truth of her being.

*I am no longer Hippogriff*, she thought.

"You are no longer Hippogriff," said Hyalor.

*I shall rename myself Gamari*

"-so I will rename you Gamari," Hyalor said.

*And I will change everything.*

"And you will change everything."

And that she did.

She showed this right away by performing the Birthing Miracle, drumming with her hooves on the receptive earth. From the meadow on her left sprang a herd of strong stallions. From the one on her right arose a herd of silky mares.

Then she performed the Riding Feat, which gave us the right to ride these fine horses, and Hyalor had ridden her.

Some of the city warriors opposed to Hyalor haughtily refused this gift. This cursed them, so they later had to become Wheels, sending their god Samnal the Thief to raid Gamari's herd. The chariots Samnal made imprisoned their drivers and their stolen horses alike.

Gamari proved her loyalty to Elmal. When the demon army came, she rode around them so many times that General Yaralka lost all but two of his heads.

During the exodus, she granted the Kumis Gift, giving us cheer against the cold, and bravery against our many trials.

Gamari never had cause to regret her transformation. She and Hyalor rode together across the earth until he died, and now ride together in the heavens.