The Tale of Sorosotuzho

Happy Holy Day of Sorosotuzho to you! He is the God of the Atmosphere, floating above us all and passing judgment on our every movement.

He used to be the King of the Gods and Ruler of the Universe . . . but His insolent son Korutuzho castrated Him. You know how that goes, right?





Far above us, far above the tallest mountains, far above the farthest reaches of your imagination, floats the heavenly air of the gods. This air is Sorosotuzho, Who watches over all, casting His judgment upon mortals below. Sorosotuzho is the atmosphere that no mortal can touch. Sorosotuzho is the heavenly light, of which only a small portion filters down to us on the earth. Sorosotuzho is the soul of the world, the beginning and end of all life in the universe, the source of everything.

Every evening, Sorosotuzho hides His glorious light by descending to the earth, Who is His mother Kara, Goddess of Soil. Every night, as darkness encompasses the world, They lie together and produce life. Their children are countless: hundred-limbed giants, one-eyed demigods, and numerous gods.

Chief among His children were Korutuzho, God of Agriculture, and Zhaké, God of Rivers, although neither controlled those aspects originally. They were merely gods with nothing to do but live as They saw fit. The remainder of the gods and giants had even fewer responsibilities, so they lived life to the fullest, carousing and battling however their instincts led them.

All these new gods and giants, however, disrupted the quiet life of the Eldest of all the gods, Kérasa, High Goddess of Water. Kérasa, being the Eldest, held the Tablet of Destinies, which proclaimed Her to be the Ruler of the Universe. The noise of the new gods drove Kérasa insane. Lacking reason, She waged war upon the new gods, using Her position as Ruler of the Universe to call hordes of demons and dragons to Her side. Sorosotuzho fought valiantly at the head of His army of light, defending the gods and giants He had created. The war lasted for years and Cycles.

The day came, however, when Sorosotuzho and the gods of light prevailed. Kérasa and Her evil were defeated. Zhoro, God of Heat and a triumphant warrior, killed Her chief dragon and obtained the Tablet of Destinies. Rather than keep it for Himself, though, Zhoro recognized Sorosotuzho as the strongest of the gods of light. Zhoro presented the tablet to Sorosotuzho, Who held it aloft for all to see. Sorosotuzho was now the Ruler of the Universe and King of the Gods, shining His magnificent radiance upon all in the world, whether god or mortal.

Sorosotuzho returned to the upper atmosphere to observe all His realm. Upon His head as a crown, He grew a pair of bull horns, each a mile long. He was the Ruler of the Universe, the source of all goodness and light in the world, and the distributor of judgment for everyone in His domain.

His sons, though, were causing quite a ruckus still. Sorosotuzho decided that They required responsibilities, or else They might destroy the universe He worked so hard to maintain. Disguising His intentions with a game of chance, Sorosotuzho challenged Korutuzho and Zhaké to rolls of the dice. They, having nothing to do all day but drink, fight, fornicate, and gamble, gladly accepted.

By placing the dominion of the oceans as the prize for one roll, Sorosotuzho granted all the seas to His son Zhaké. Upon the next roll, He wagered control of the land. Korutuzho won the game, taking all earth into His power. The two young gods were thrilled to have beaten Their father at dice that it wasn’t until the next day that They realized They now had significant responsibilities to manage and maintain aspects of the universe. At first, They were angry with Their father, but He scolded Them and They agreed to buckle down and take control of Their new kingdoms.

For many years, everything went swimmingly. The young gods settled down and the universe prospered. Sorosotuzho floated over all in the upper atmosphere, ruling the world from far above, seeing and judging all.

One day, however, Korutuzho attempted to steal the Tablet of Destinies. He had grown tired of controlling merely the earth and desired control over the entire universe. When Korutuzho arrived at Sorosotuzho’s throne room, though, He found that the Tablet of Destinies was no longer there. Sorosotuzho had hidden it, knowing of His son’s ambition to overthrow Him. Korutuzho tried to talk His way out of the situation, but Sorosotuzho did not listen to His lies. The King of the Gods hooked His son with His bull horns and threw Him deep into the Underworld, imprisoning Korutuzho for His insolence.

Even with Korutuzho locked away, Sorosotuzho worried. Would His other children plot against Him as well? Were They scheming that very minute? He had not a moment to lose, lest They all attack Him together. One by one, Sorosotuzho captured every god, giant, and demigod He had sired, jailing Them alongside Korutuzho deep within the earth. Only once They were all imprisoned did Sorosotuzho relax.

That was not the time to lower His guard, however. The goddess Kara, Who was the very earth imprisoning the gods and giants, took pity on Her children. She felt Her son, Sorosotuzho, had overstepped Himself and was no longer fit to rule. Kara offered a sickle to all of Her imprisoned children, asking One of Them to rise from the earth and turn the bull into a steer.

Korutuzho leapt forward, eager to oblige. He grabbed the sickle and climbed up through His earth, His mother, to confront His father once more. Sorosotuzho had been relaxing above the clouds, satisfied that His position was secure, when suddenly His son broke into view, waving the sickle over His head. Sorosotuzho tried to spin to gore Korutuzho with His horns, but the young god was quicker. With a deft stroke of the sickle, the earth god castrated His father, rendering Him powerless. In agony, Sorosotuzho retreated to the far reaches of the atmosphere, abandoning the Tablet of Destinies for Korutuzho to claim.

While Korutuzho released His siblings from the Underworld and held the tablet aloft for all to see, Sorosotuzho nursed His wounds and plotted revenge. The universe was rightly His; without Sorosotuzho’s gift of responsibility, Korutuzho would still be drinking and carousing without the slightest ambition. The universe would fall to anarchy under Korutuzho’s reign. The universe needed Sorosotuzho’s sage judgment and care. He was the light of the universe, the source of all life, and the air of the gods, after all.

In the midst of Korutuzho’s celebratory party, Sorosotuzho swept upon His son and challenged Him to an honest duel. All the gods backed away from the two, giving Them space, except for one. Zhoro, Who had placed the Tablet of Destinies into Sorosotuzho’s hands so many years before, now stood at Korutuzho’s side. Sorosotuzho demanded to know the reason for this betrayal. Unsheathing His sword, Zhoro informed the air god that Korutuzho was now the rightful King of the Gods and Ruler of the Universe.

Enraged, Sorosotuzho swiped at the two gods with His horns, but They proved too nimble for His attack. As Korutuzho backed away, Zhoro stepped between Sorosotuzho’s horns and sliced His sword through Sorosotuzho’s chest. The air god fell to the ground, defeated, whereupon Zhoro proceeded to hack His body into infinite pieces. Sorosotuzho was no more. Korutuzho ruled the universe.

Sorosotuzho’s essence lived on, however. Day by day, His soul collected itself in the upper atmosphere. Slowly and deliberately, Sorosotuzho reformed without body as the great bronze dome that is the sky far above us. He is the heavenly light of which only a small part filters down to earth. He is the air which the gods breathe. From above, He watches everyone -- mortals and deities alike -- and casts His judgments upon all. Sorosotuzho is the source of all life in the universe and the soul of the world, as He shall be for all time.