Legend of the
Willow
In the summer of
1957, two brothers were playing along the southern shore of Lake Erie when they
came across a metal urn half-buried in the clay cliff. Thinking the urn was made of gold, they took
it home and hid it in the attic while they tried to figure out what they would
do with it. The urn had a sealed lid,
and the lid had a strange writing on it that didn’t look like any language they
had ever seen. Curious yet fearful of
what might be inside, they couldn’t decide what to do. But a few days later, they finally pried the
cover off.
Inside were dozens
of golden plates with more of the strange characters on them. To play it safe they took the urn to a pawn
shop to see how much they could get for the gold. However, they were disappointed to learn that
the urn wasn’t make of gold. In fact,
the man at the pawn shop wasn’t able to tell them what the material was. They figured if the urn wasn’t make of gold,
then plates weren’t, either, and none of it was worth anything. So they put the urn and plates back in the
attic. And when the house was sold
several years later, the brothers had forgotten about their false treasure.
In 1986, the owner
of the house was cleaning out the attic when he came across a small, wooden box
with the urn inside. He, too, thought it
and the plates were made of gold.
However, when he discovered the truth, he became fascinated by the
strange writing. Doctor Antinow was an
anthropologist and suspected that the characters could very well be the
language of an ancient society. To prove
his premise, he took the urn and plates to a colleague who was a symbolist. And the symbolist, in turn, solicited the help
from an ethnographer. Together, the
three doctors worked on decoding the characters and finally got results when
they entered the information into a high-speed computer. However, the results were so bizarre that
they didn’t publish their findings for several years, fearing that the
scientific community would claim that it was all a fraud.
Finally, in 1990,
Dr. Antinow submitted the findings to a select committee that reviewed the work
and ultimately certified that the writings, though not absolutely proven, was
most likely the language of a lost civilization that had inhabited the southern
shore of Lake Erie about 17,000 years ago.
With that
endorsement, Dr. Antinow published the following paper:
Approximately
17,000 years ago, an ancient civilization flourished on the southern shores of
Lake Erie, somewhere between Cleveland, Ohio and the small town of
Vermilion. According to the records they
left behind, their clan consisted of about 15,000 members. The name of their chief was Ja-Nan-Pol-Seeki
(which translates roughly to Grand Ruler), but for the sake of this article,
we’ll call him Ruler Seeki. His wife’s
name was Doon-bon-Ril (she who lays with Ruler), but we’ll call her Queen Ril. And their daughter’s name was
Didi-Onsa-Tioo-Ra (the fairest flower of the Land), who we’ll call Fairest
Flower.
Another notable
name of our story is Molo-Molo-Cal-Ti (the strongest and fastest worrier of the
People), who will be known as Fast Runner.
Our story begins on the day Fast Runner was
to wed Fairest Flower. She had been
courted by many men of the tribe but, when Fast Runner proclaimed that she
would be his bride, no one was of a mind to challenge him. Although she was ambivalent about marrying
him, she accepted the demand of marriage to please her father, Ruler Seeki, who
felt that it was time for her to move out of the palace.
The villagers had
worked for days preparing for the nuptials and all was ready for the
festivities. Fast Runner was robed with
garlands of flowers and furs of the man-eating carnivores that roamed the
area. And Fairest Flower was anointed
with fragrant oils and strings of wild flowers.
When Ruler Seeki stepped out onto the patio of the palace and announced
that the ceremony should begin, Fairest Flower came out and stood beside him. Then, on cue, Fast Runner came out of his hut
and marched to the patio, waving the fur of a white rabbit, a symbol of
virility.
When he got to the
patio and stood before Ruler Seeki, Fairest Flower let go of her father’s arm,
walked over to her betrothed and took hold of his arm. With that gesture, the ceremony began.
With great
fanfare, Ruler Seeki began reciting the ancient words that bound a man to a
woman and a woman to a man. Just as he
got to the part where Fast Runner would proclaim his love and loyalty to
fairest Flower, a cry went up from some of the people near the water’s edge.
Displeased by the
outburst, Ruler Seeki no less had to stop the ceremony to see what was exciting
his people. But what he saw made him
forget about anything else.
A dark cloud had
materialized far out over the lake. That
in itself was unusual because the rest of the sky, from horizon to horizon, was
clear and sunny. He watched as the cloud
approached the land, getting darker and more menacing as it drew closer. When it finally stopped about a quarter of a
mile off-shore, it began to spin. The
rotation was slow, at first, but it quickly built up momentum and was soon a
blur of water and mist.
The entire tribe
stood transfixed as a dark funnel dropped down from the belly of the cloud and
snaked its way to the surface to the lake.
As soon as the tip of the funnel touched the water, there was a
brilliant flash of light that temporarily blinded the onlookers and a
tremendous clap of thunder that shook the ground. Then all was silent as the mist dissipated
and the cloud evaporated.
But they were
shocked again when they saw a golden creature coming across the water toward
them. It wasn’t walking: it seemed to be
gliding over the water. As it neared the
beach, the people began backing away, fearful that the god would claim them for
a sacrifice.
When the creature
reached the shore, it stepped out onto the sand and walked to within a few
yards of the wedding party. Then, with a
booming voice, it said, “Fairest Flower shall be my bride.”
Ruler Seeki was
shocked into silence.
But Fast Runner
stood tall and said, “She is my woman!
You have no claim on her!”
The creature took
a step forward and said, “We shall see.
Step aside and let me have her or you’ll pay the price, Fool.”
Fast Runner stood
firm. “No! You’ll have to take her from me.”
With a booming
laugh, the creature waved his arm toward the sandy beach. “As you wish, Mudman.” He began walking back toward the lake,
beckoning Fast Runner to follow.
Fast Runner didn’t
hesitate. He wasn’t going to let anyone
take Fairest Flower from him, not even a god.
When the two of
them were facing each other at the water’s edge, the creature put hand on the
hilt of his dagger and said, “You’re a fool.
No mortal has ever beaten me in combat.
Save yourself and walk away.
Fairest Flower is destined to become my woman.”
Fast Runner tossed
off the wreaths of flowers and said, “Does a god need a dagger to beat a mere
mortal?”
The creature
paused a moment, taking measure of Fast Runner.
Finally, he took the scabbard from his belt and threw it on the
ground. Then he began taking off the
golden shell that covered his head and body.
The people stood fascinated as the god took off everything but his
golden loin cloth.
Within a few minutes,
the creature had turned into a handsome man with golden hair that fell to his
shoulders. He was as tall as Fast Runner
but had a wider chest and thicker arms.
When he was fully
uncovered, he faced Fast Runner, again, and said, “I need nothing but my hands
and my strength to defeat you, Mudman. I
give you one last chance to save yourself.
Walk away and live.”
Fast Runner didn’t
bother responding. He crouched and held
his arms out, readying himself for the fight.
Golden Man did
likewise, and the two of them began circling each other, looking for an
opening. Then, suddenly, the Golden Man
kicked out, catching Fast Runner on his left hip. The blow was so unexpected and powerful that
Fast Runner was thrown off balance for a moment. Golden Man pressed the attack by lunging
forward with a punch that was meant for Fast Runner’s face.
Fast Runner saw
the strike coming and instinctively twisted to his right, intending to go full
circle and strike out with his left foot.
Golden Man’s blow
glanced off of Fast Runner’s shoulder, and his momentum put him off
balance. He saw Fast Runner’s foot
coming at him, but he couldn’t recover fast enough to avoid the impact.
Fast Runner’s foot
struck Golden Man’s right thigh, buckling his leg and forcing him to one knee. But Golden Man quickly recovered and swung
away in time of dodge a second kick that would have struck the side of his
head.
Fast Runner let
the momentum from his missed kick carry him around so that he was facing Golden
Man, again. By that time, the god had
gotten up and was back in an attack position.
The two of them
circled each other, looking for an opening.
It was Fast Runner
who struck out, first. He feigned a
punch with his right fist then quickly struck out with his left. The move caught Golden Man off guard and the
blow caught him squarely on his jaw. He
reeled backwards and struggled to regain his balance. But Fast Runner continued the attack with a
kick meant for Golden Man’s stomach.
Still off-balance
Golden Man none-the-less saw the kick coming and jerked to one side. The kick
only glanced off of his hip. He was
still dazed by the blow to his face and backed away to let his head clear.
Seeing his
opening, Fast Runner lunged at Golden Man, intent on landing another punch to
his face. But when he was halfway
through his swing, Golden Man swiveled around and kicked out behind him,
catching Fast Runner solidly in his stomach.
Fast Runner’s punch missed and the blow to his stomach knocked the
breath out him. He doubled over and fell
to his knees.
Golden Man, still
dazed, failed to follow through and Fast Runner was able to get back onto his
feet.
Then both of them
began circling each other, again, looking for an opening.
The battle
continued as the people watched in awe.
They had formed a large circle around the combatants and cheered
whenever Fast Runner seemed to have gotten the upper hand. And they groaned when the god got in a
blow. But they were thrilled to be
witness to a battle between their best warrior and a god from the lake. What impressed them most was the fact that
Fast Runner was holding his own against a god.
They had expected the fight to be a quick one, with Fast Runner losing,
and the god claiming Fairest Flower.
However, the two
combatants fought on, each getting in punches, kicks and jabs. There were several times when it looked like
one or the other was winning. But, each
time, they would recover and come back, seemingly more determined than ever to
win.
The fight went on
into the night, and the people built bonfires to light the combat zone. Captivated by the fight, Ruler Seeki had a
chair brought out so he could watch in comfort.
Queen Ril and Fairest Flower stood beside him, supplying him with food
and drink as the night wore on.
Finally, at early
dawn, Golden Man feigned a kick but quickly swung around and caught Fast Runner
in his throat with the side of his hand.
Fast Runner instinctively lashed out, but his windpipe had been smashed. He fell to his hands and knees, gasping for
air that wouldn’t come.
Golden Man knew
that he had struck a fatal blow and stood back to let his opponent die.
In one last
effort, Fast Runner looked over at Fairest Flower with a look of apology. Then he fell to the ground and stopped
moving.
The people were
stunned into silence. The god had
defeated their best warrior. Now they
waited to see what would happen, next.
Golden Man had
fallen to his knees when he was sure Fast Runner was dead. He had never gone up against such an opponent
and knew that he could have been the one on the ground. When he got his breath back, he stood up and
walked over to where he had shed his outer covering. Then he slowly and methodically fastened each
part to himself. When he was finally
done, he picked up his dagger and stuck it in his belt. Then he walked over and stood before Ruler
Seeki.
Ruler Seeki was
too terrified to speak. This god had
defeated his best warrior.
But Golden Man
pointed a finger at Fairest Flower. “I
claim your daughter as my woman.” He
looked around. “Is there anyone else
foolish enough to challenge me?”
No one spoke up.
Finally, Ruler
Seeki said, “No one challenges you, God.
My daughter is yours to take.”
With that command,
Fairest Flower stepped forward and lowered her head. And when the god put his hand out, she
reached out and took hold of it. Then
she meekly walked beside him as he led her to the water’s edge.
When Golden Man
got to the water, he turned and said, “Fast Runner was a worthy opponent. I honor his bravery, and so shall you.” He pointed to a knoll a short distance up the
shore. “You shall bury Fast Runner on
that hill. By-and-by his spirit will
cause a tree to grow in the hallowed dirt.
And this tree will lift its branches to the sky, giving honor to the
memory of Fairest Flower. And this tree
shall be called Willow in my honor. And
by-and-by this mighty tree will produce seeds that will be carried far and wide
by the four winds. And these trees will
grow by a water’s edge where they can continue to pay homage to a great fallen
warrior and his lost love, Fairest Flower.
I decree it, and it shall come to pass.”
With that, he took hold of Fairest Flower’s hand, again, and led her out
onto the water.
The people stood
silent as the god and their princess glided out over the water. As they watched, another cloud began to form
where to last one had appeared. Then the
cloud began to rotate, faster and faster.
They stood in awe as the god and Fairest Flower neared the funnel that
was beginning to drop out of the cloud’s belly.
Then suddenly, the funnel leapt downward and there was a brilliant flash
of light and a tremendous explosion that shook the ground.
When the people
could see, again, the funnel was gone and the cloud was dissipating. And the god and Fairest Flower were nowhere
to be seen. They stood there for a long
time, trying to come to terms with what they had witnessed.
Finally, Ruler
Seeki stood and addressed his people, “We have seen a miracle this day. My daughter has gone to live with the
gods. It saddens me to lose her, but
this is the way of life. Even as your
great ruler I must obey the Golden One.
We shall honor Fast Runner as we have been instructed. He was, indeed, a worthy opponent for a
god.”
The people cleaned
Fast Runner and anointed him with fragrant oils. Then they wrapped his body in animal furs and
buried it in the knoll the god had pointed to.
The people had
doubts as to whether Fast Runner’s soul would produce a tree and soon lost
interest in the matter. However, a week
later, a sprout appeared over the gravesite.
Not sure if a weed had sprouted there by coincidence, they kept a close
eye on it.
But the spout did
grow to be a tree. And the tree’s
branches did rise up to the sky. And it
seemed to them that the tree was paying homage to a lost love. And they began called the tree “Willow,” as
the god had decreed.
Willow grew with
each passing day and reached further into the sky. But as the summer season waned, its limbs
began to sag. The people became alarmed,
fearing that if Willow died, the god would exact a revenge.
However, Willow
didn’t die. But its limbs continued to
sag until the tips touched the water nearby.
It seemed to the people that, rather than pay homage to the god, Willow
was reaching down to touch the water that had taken Fairest Flower away. Touched by Willow’s sad plight, the people
began calling the tree “Weeping Willow.”
The season passed
as did the years. And, as the god had
decree, Weeping Willow produced seeds that were scattered far and wide by the
four winds. And, of course, the trees
grew only where the limbs could touch bodies of water and continue to reach out
to Fairest Flower, that she might one day return.
To this day and
forever more, weeping willows will grace our land to remind us that true love
may be lost but not forgotten. That is
the saddest but sweetest memory a person can take to the grave.
Copyright © 2016 Lawrence Entertainment Group
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