The First Death

"The First Death" tells of the moment when mortality first entered the world. A mortal being died, and Elyndra, goddess of memory and creation, wept, for she had not intended for her creations to end. As she mourned, her daughter Virelyn, goddess of death and silence, knelt beside the body—not to undo the death, but to honor it. Virelyn showed her mother that memory could preserve what had been lost, and that death was not destruction, but transformation. Moved by this revelation, Elyndra wove a crown of living memory and placed it upon her daughter’s head, naming her Keeper of Last Echoes and giving her dominion over the threshold between life and oblivion.

This myth is widely accepted and considered foundational across many cultures. It is retold in funeral rites, inscribed on tombs, and quoted in memorials. However, certain apocryphal sects believe the first death was a divine punishment or curse, rather than a natural part of the cycle. Some scholars debate whether Elyndra truly forgave herself for allowing death to exist.

Variations

• In Virellian myth, it was a child who died first, and the flowers that grew from their grave became the first sentient plant-folk.
• A mystic variation claims the soul of the first dead mortal became a star, joining Naelir’s dream and watching the world from above.
• In Embergardean tradition, death is seen as a forge—Virelyn is the flame that tempers the soul for what comes after.

• Druids and death-priests treat this myth with solemn reverence, viewing it as a sacred truth and a source of balance.
• Common folk find comfort in it, as it paints death not as cruelty, but as a promise of remembrance.
• Some arcane institutions dispute the myth, proposing that death was a consequence of imperfect creation, not divine intent.

• “Echoes of the First Breath” is a poetic cycle where each stanza is spoken from the perspective of those left behind.
• The fable “The Last Gift” tells the story in simple terms for children, personifying Virelyn as a gentle stranger who takes your hand when you’re ready.
• Elyndra’s grief is a major theme in the play “The Weavers’ Crown,” performed in cities during the Day of Last Light.

In Art

• Mosaic murals often depict Elyndra and Virelyn kneeling on either side of a fallen mortal, memory blooming like flowers from the corpse.
• Glasswork funerary masks in Virella often depict Virelyn’s face—half in shadow, half reflective silver.
• In temples of memory, entire shrines are dedicated to the first death, where people leave items to be “remembered.”