How Legends Are Made

This is my first complete short story so any and all constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated! Hope you enjoy.


Once upon a time when fantastical, unimaginable creatures roamed the planet and Mother Earth was still nubile there was born a boy of such high chivalric standing he would one day be viewed as a god among men. Our story begins with the birth of this legend. He was known by many names and titles but the one his own mother bestowed upon him was Seth. The boy was born at the stroke of midnight on the Summer solstice, a time of the year when energy pathways are opened throughout the Earth. It was storming as though the gods had sent an omen, the flash of the lightning and the roar of the thunder were monstrous to behold and hear. The storm was so powerful it left any who witnessed it awe struck. At midnight it all ceased. As the boy emerged from the womb the Earth rejoiced and the skies cleared so the moon and stars could gaze upon this wonderous child. His birth was not told of in prophecies or legends, there were no great evils to face, he was simply a miracle sent by the Creator to unite and advance mankind.

As a boy Seth's life seemed rather ordinary; he studied with the wise men of his tribe and trained with the warriors and hunters. From the time he could crawl he was constantly curious, always wishing to understand everything he came in contact with. The wise men recognized he was special from a very young age though. He easily grasped anything they taught him, he was the best fighter of all the boys, and wherever he went a divine "luck" seemed to follow those he came in contact with. They did not understand what it meant and the spirits would not tell them the child's purpose on Earth. They decided to do their best to equip the boy with as much wisdom as they could pass on in hopes he would one day use it to accomplish something great.

Things changed drastically the day of Seth's 12th birthday. His tribe was attacked by wandering nomads and several of his mentors and friends were killed. The tribesmen drove away the nomads but the carnage they had left behind created a scar on Seth's heart. He could not understand why anyone would wish to leave their homes and families to attack others. He could not understand the aggression, the bloodlust, or the lack of conscience. When he inquired about these things with the wise men he was told it was the way some men were. Those men were too proud and did not live the way of the spirits. They would all suffer for their actions in the afterlife he was told. This did not sit well with the boy. He did not wish vengeance upon the men, he simply wished for them to see as his people did. He wished they could have been reasonable men, men of peace and respect. The pain he felt for the loss of his people set in motion the story that would make Seth a hero sung of in taverns for centuries to come.

A couple of years passed and times were calm but still Seth could not forget the day of the attack. He spent his evenings thinking, planning, and reflecting. As hard as he tried he could not think of a way to bring all the men of the world together in harmony. He decided one day that he could not unite all mankind by sitting in his village with his own people doing nothing. He recognized that being young and with no reputation preceding him no one would listen to him or respect what he had to say so he gathered together a ragtag assembly of some men in the village including some of the warriors and wise men who had once been his teachers. Together they visited the neighbouring villages and towns, they spread their word of unity and harmony amongst all men and standing defiantly in the face of oppression and offense. By the time they left the gates of the 4th town they had assembled a group of over 700 able bodied men and about 2 dozen healers, wise men, and seers. It was at this time that several of the barons, earls, and other men of power in the area began to worry about the presence of this boy who could summon armies without any authority. A small contingent of soldiers was sent to Seth with a message to return all his men to their homes and to return to his own village. Seth laughed at the messengers and sent them back with the words "You will not oppress the will of my brothers." This infuriated the barons so they raised an army of 1000 men and dispatched them with the orders to make sure every soul of the boy's militia be put down.

The barons did not dispatch enough men, however. In the time they spent collaborating and arranging troops Seth had visited many more towns and his followers were now numbered at around 3000 men total. The soldiers were discouraged but had no choice but to engage in combat due to their orders. The miltia's tactic was far different from the expectations of the soldiers though. The soldiers were not struck down in battle, rather they were surrounded and disarmed, then bound so they could no longer fight. Once all the barons' soldiers had been rounded up they were each given the option to join Seth's movement or to face death by the blade. Almost every soldier agreed to join once they understood the boys intentions. This bolstered the groups numbers and provided them with a large number of trained, well-equipped soldiers.

Seth was not impressed by the barons' attempted show of tyranny and their lust for power. He swore to all the men who followed him that he would remove these despicable tyrants and construct a form of government that provided everyone with security and equality. He denounced violence and war but spoke of the necessity to fight to defend themselves from those that wished to oppress them. They would offer every enemy the opportunity to repent and join the movement, but they would strike down those who wished power for themselves and those who fell victim to pride. Within mere months Seth had marched his men, which had grown to an astounding 20,000 heads, against a dozen garrisons of men who stood for the barons, earls, and princes. At first the battles were gorefests as pride prevented the leaders from surrendering or admitting defeat. They would fight to last man but it was always in vain. Victory was Seth's companion.

(continued in next post)

After the first few garrisons fell the others saw how futile it was to fight against this man. One castle had been flying white flags on the turrets before Seth's group was within 10 miles. Tales were spreading like wildfire of the man who commands the largest army in the world and fights not for power, for himself, for a god, or for another man; simply justice and harmony. He was as strong as the bear, as nimble as the rabbit, as wise as the turtle, and as merciful as Mother Earth herself. He led his forces not by intimidation or by force, he led simply because he should and he wanted to give all people a voice that would be heard. He was revered by the common man and feared by anyone with an ounce of power or influence. He was a god in mortal skin.

People began making pilgrimages to meet the man who had wrestled their freedom from those who wished to enslave. After he had displaced every person who was in a position of power over others he began the process of replacing the foundation of the flawed society that had been in place for millenia. His dream was to create a society where every human being was equal and self-sufficient. He abolished money for a bartering system; his belief was that money could be amassed and used for evil, whereas a man who provided for only himself, his family, and his community never had more than he needed and this would discourage pursuing greed. He created a new justice system where everyone in the community was involved in prosecuting those who did harm to another. Everyone stood together against crime, it was agreed there would be no policing force, everyone worked together to show they would not put up with disrespect. There was no religious institutions, they were destroyed. Seth believed spirituality was individual and independent. It was something everyone should discover on their own. He created a society that encouraged self growth, community growth, spiritual growth, and most of all peace.
This is what he has been and will be remembered for.

A man can be as great as he wishes to be, it is his actions though that echo through history.

The end.

wonderful tale!! Well written and easily readable.

I enjoyed thoroughly.

Thanks WW! I appreciate your compliments, glad you enjoyed it.