Of the Lunessa

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Now Etelim and his queen, Cúdenna, lived in a great palace beside the sea, built they say from the light of the stars and the pearl of the sea. And when Etelim and Cúdenna were walking together upon the beach, Etelim had a vision. He saw upon Cúdenna's golden hair a circlet, wrought of silver, with a great blue gem set in its center. And for many years Etelim searched to find this gem, so that he might make this fair circlet for his queen. But the gem could not be found, for it did not yet exist.

After a time, Etelim gave up his search, and returned home to his palace by the sea. And as he stood upon the cliff before the sea with Cúdenna, he was struck with inspiration. He would make the beautiful blue gem, by the magic of the waves.

And so Etelim set to work with this task. He gathered seawater, and water from a river, and the melted snow that ran from the mountains, and together he laced these with kelp from the sea, and by some magic of the deeps of the ocean transformed these simple materials into a gem. And the gem he named Lunessa.

Then, for Etelim was no smith of metals, he went to Tasuwen, his friend, and asked him to make the circlet that was to hold the Lunessa. It was to be as fine and delicate as the webs of Cuvulien herself, he said, and Tasuwen was to leave a place to fit the Lunessa, but Etelim himself was to set the gem in its place.

And so Tasuwen set to work, and for a year and a day he laboured to make the circlet of Cúdenna. And when Etelim returned to see how Tasuwen had done his job, he saw that the circlet of Cúdenna was brighter and more beautiful than any other made in Elíma in all the ages of the world. For the circle was of a silver brighter than all other silver, for it had within it the light of the stars, and it hurt the eyes to look upon. And Etelim was happy, and thanked his friend Tasuwen, who was proud.

So beneath the night sky, graced by the ever-watchful stars, Etelim with great reverence placed the Lunessa within its place upon the circlet. And in that moment the stone and the starlit silver were joined, and from the Beginning of the world until its end, that is called Tanowaith, they could never be parted. And so in the joining of silver and stone, the stars and the seas were joined in union and friendship. Etelim felt in this moment a great reverence and awe for this unity, and he was glad. So Etelim the king took the circlet of Cúdenna to his queen, and lifting it up spoke thus, "Even as I, Etelim, do place this upon they golden hair, know that it shall make ye more beautiful even than ye are now, and as ye wear this know also that ye have the love and protection of the seas and of the stars, and those great powers shall not harm ye."

And Etelim placed the circlet upon Cúdenna's hair, and she began to glow with all the radiance of the night sky and of the moonlight upon the waves, and Etelim loved her so.