"Bhuda" the Wheeled Sleigh

Arianrhod, the Virgin of the Moon, was very jealous of her Silver Wheel. She was afraid that some men could steal her white shield. Odin had given her a charge: to light up dark places by night - expecially paths, ponds, ravines - so that no human or beast would drown into black waters or fall from a cleft.

Gaia, the Earth Goddess, was grateful to Ariarhod for her celestial care, and sometimes helped her. She sometimes ordered a soft breeze to flow through the forest and over the valleys. Gaia loved playing over waters or among the leaves, singing at the Moon Goddess for her benevolence.

The Crystal-haired Virgin rode the twilight, painting with warm gold her beautiful legs,while with her arms she lifted her silver disk towerds the sun to catch its rays.

she rode fast on her winged horse, and lighted up the night. but she had not to spread too much light, because Darkness (the natural cloack that covers the rest of humans and beasts) could have got angry.

Cernunnos, the Stag-horned God and ancient protector of animals, fell in love with the beautiful goddess. But arianrhod could not see him, because she was entirely absorbed by her charge. If she had looked around, she would have let the Moon wheel fall to the Earth.

Anyway, Cernunnos didn't give up. Each night he was consumed by desire, and each night he gallopped off at full speed towards a hill. Once there, he growled and howled at the Moon. He made so much noise that the humans suddenly woke up because they thought that it was an earthquake.

Once men didn't know the wheel. they had wooden sledges and used them for transportation. Those sledges had big wooden shoes and men drove them on snow or grass. "Bhu'uda!!" they shouted while flying down the hills. But the sledges had some limits: they could not slide over mud or stone; it was hard to move them.

But let's go back to the Horned God. The big noise he made evry night reached Arianrhod's ear. she was a good and serious goddess, but she could not bear those tormenting serenades. and she tried to cover her ers with her hands....

Suddenly, a great crash was heard all over the Earth!

A falling comet had collided with the Silver Wheel, and a big piece of moon fell down to the Earth in a thousand pieces.

A long darkness came over humankind, until Odin ordered to make another Silver Disk. He also ordered Cernunnos not to bother Arianrhod with his terrible voice. Then, Arianrhod took her place among the stars again.

When a new day took the place of the night, some humans found many small silver disks near their homes. Some of them tried to use them by fixing them under their sledges.

They discovered the wheel.

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Thank you Lucien for this beautiful story.

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Please, do not copy this work. It is copyright of the above author, and he gave me permission to use it.