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of the Angaraks. And his totem is the dragon.
And Aldur caused to be made a jewel in the shape of a globe, and
behold, it was very like unto the size of the heart of a man, and in the
jewel was captured the light of certain stars that did glitter in the
northern sky. And great was the enchantment upon the jewel which
men called the Orb of Aldur for with the Orb could Aldur see that
which had been, that which was, and that which was yet to be
yea, verily, even that which was concealed even though it were
in the deepest bowels of earth or in darkness most impenetrable.
Moreover, in the hand of Aldur could the jewel cause wonders no
man or God had yet beheld.
And Torak coveted the Orb of Aldur for its beauty and its power,
and in the deep-most crevasses of his soul resolved he to own it even
if it came to pass that he must slay Aldur that it might be so. And in
a dissembling guise went he even unto Aldur and spake unto him.
'My brother,' said he, 'it is not fit that thou absent thyself from the
company and the counsel of thy brothers. I beseech thee that thou
takest unto thyself a people and return to our company.'
And Aldur looked upon Torak his brother and rebuked him.
saying, 'It is not I who have turned from the fellowship and sought
lordship and dominion.'
And Torak was shamed by the words of Aldur, his brother, and
was made sore wroth, and rose he up against his brother and smote
THE HOLY BOOKS
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' and reached forth his hand and took from his brother the jewel
which he coveted, and then he fled.
And Aldur went unto the other Gods and spoke with them of
what had come to pass, and the Gods rose up, and each of them
besought Torak that he return the Orb to Aldur, but he in no wise
would do it. And thus it came to pass that the Gods caused each his
own people to gird themselves for war.
And behold, Torak did raise the Orb of Aldur and did cause the
earth to split asunder, and the mountains were cast down, and the
sea came in and did engulf the lands of the east where the people of
the Gods dwelt. And the Gods took their people and fled from the
great inrushing of the sea, but Aldur and Belar joined their hands
and their wills and did cause mountains to rise up to set limits upon
the sea which had come in. And the Gods were parted one from the
other, and the people also. And men began to reckon time from the
day in which Torak caused the seas to come in.
Now it came to pass that the six Gods went even unto the west
with their people, but Torak took the Angaraks unto the east, and
the sea that had rushed in separated the Angaraks from the other
peoples.
Not without hurt, however, did Torak crack the earth, for such
was the virtue of the Orb that in the day when Torak raised it against
the earth and against the mountains did the Orb begin to glow.
Faint at first, the fire of the Orb waxed stronger with each of the
commands of Torak. And the blue fire of those distant stars seared
the flesh of Torak. In pain did he cast down the mountains. In