How Horses Came to Orlanthstead

For a long time, the Orlanthi people did not ride. It took a daughter of Ernalda and a son of Elmal to bring us horses, uniting two people, here in Berenstead.

## Complete Myth

During the age of imperial stagnation, when the tyrant Yelm ruled gods and people alike from his towering golden throne, no one rode, because horses did not yet exist.

To bring motion into the world, making possible the changes that would suit not only gods but the freedoms of people, Orlanth knocked Yelm from his perch.

When Yelm fell, his sons gained the ability to move and change. One of these was adventurous Yamsur, who rode the skies on the back of a flying god called Hippogriff. She could walk on four legs but preferred to traverse the world above with her two wings.

Yamsur and Orlanth had much in common, but since the Storm gods had killed his father, it was understandable that the one would seek vengeance against the other. Orlanth offered wergild for the death of his king, but the hot-blooded god refused, declaring feud against Orlanth's clan.

During one raid, Yamsur and Hippogriff fought Storm Bull, who tore the fangs from her mouth.

In another they fought Ernalda's martial sister, Maran Gor the Earthquake. Maran Gor broke Hippogriff's legs and tore off her claws.

The solar healing goddess repaired her broken bones, and Yamsur fashioned hooves of gold to replace her claws.

Though Yelm was long gone, he kept making trouble. Now he vexed the trolls in the underworld. Angered, they came to the surface. Their death god, Zorak Zoran, who was like Humakt with wrath in place of honor, attacked Hippogriff. He tore off her wings.

Splendid Yamsur, wounded in the battle, could not aid her. Elmal, chasing Zorak Zoran through the streets of his golden city, could not aid her. But Yamsur's mortal descendant, Hyalor, could. He saw that she was still a goddess, and undoubtedly a more beautiful and essential creature. She was First Horse.

Hyalor learned to ride First Horse and taught this magic to his kinfolk, granting them status in the city of Nivorah. They fought well when the solar peoples fell into warfare with one another. His jealous cousin Samnal stole some of First Horse's daughters, chaining them behind chariots.

Orlanth's outlaw nephew, Valind the Glacier, attacked Elmal City, and its people had to flee. Hyalor led his people, the Riders, south. Samnal's folk, the Wheels, followed them.

Meanwhile, Orlanth's folk were moving the other direction, from south to north. They met here, in the valley.

Rams fought Riders, who fought back and also fought the Wheels and sometimes each other.

This was the best time, a time of abundance, with the cloak of free clouds overhead, shielding people from the sun's tyranny. But the Rams lacked one power their northern foes possessed: the secret of riding and fighting from horseback.

So our earth priestesses realized that one of their daughters was the child of Vingkot Orlanthsson, the first king. They contrived to find the best of the horse folk and married into his clan. She was Redalda and he was Beren. She gave him the magic of kingship and he gave her the magic of the horse. Redalda demonstrated the latter by riding at their wedding, though no one had taught her.

She demonstrated the former by birthing our new tribe, the tribe of the horse, with warriors descended from Orlanth and Elmal, and steeds descended from the goddess once known as Hippogriff.