Lore24 May 9: The White Gates of Enki

Legends tell of an old city, long claimed by the deserts. In ages long past, this city was the crown jewel of the world, its walls tall, and its sorcerers mighty. According to these legends, when the favorite wife of its Sorcerer-King, Enki, died in childbirth, he became obsessed with getting her back. Now, for the meager men of today, such a feat is impossible, but people have grown feeble since the times of their ancestors, and indeed, Enki’s magic was so powerful, that he reclaimed his wife from the Underworld.

The gods, however were not happy with this violation of the order they set up at the dawn of time. They sent ferocious beasts, one after the other, up from the depths of the Underworld to reclaim their prize, and to drag Enki down as well. But the city held. Monster after monster fell before they could breach the walls, killed by the magic of Enki. Enki, on the other hand was worried. He knew he couldn’t hold out forever, so he made a daring plan. He traveled to the mouth of the Underworld, and tore it down. He then took it home, and placed it in the middle of his city. After that, he constructed a giant pair of gates from the whitest marble and ivory, taller than even the highest towers of the city. He used these gates to close off the mouth of the Underworld, and sealed them shut with all of his magic, so that only the dead can enter, and no-one save the gods can come out.

After Enki’s death the gates remained, and as the city was slowly abandoned, they stood an eternal vigil over its remains. It is said that they are still standing there, somewhere in the deserts, watching over the empty streets and buildings, keeping the world safe from the monsters of the Underworld. They say it doesn’t matter if one believes in their existence, as everyone will stand before them after they die, to seek entrance to the Underworld.

Image by Edin Hadzik

Comments

  1. Hill Giant's BootMay 29, 2024 at 7:12 AM

    Hey, wanted to let you know I've been having a great time following along with these! Hope you've been doing well this month.

    ReplyDelete

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