The Tale of Selune and Eirun

Type:

Myth / cosmology

Setting:

The heavens above Eldranis, honored world-wide

Figures:

Selune, the pale moon of Aurelios; Eirun, the crimson moon of Noctyra; Galdrim, the peacemaker

The turn:

Made as opposites to hold the balance, the two moons grew beyond their purpose and fell in love

The catch:

Aurelios and Noctyra feared their bond would skew the balance and forced their orbits apart

The blessing:

Galdrim's compromise gives them one reunion a year, the Day of Moonbonding, when their mingled light blesses the world

Selune and Eirun were not primordial entities like Aurelios, Noctyra, and Galdrim, but celestial beings crafted as part of the divine experiment that brought Eldranis into being. Set in the heavens as twin moons to keep the balance of light and shadow, they did the one thing their makers never intended: they fell in love.

Legend

After shaping the world, the triumvirate saw the need for cosmic stewards to maintain the balance of light, shadow, and physical forces that defined their creation.

Selune was crafted by Aurelios as a manifestation of serene light and reflective wisdom, her pale glow a guide for mortals and a reminder of hope in the darkest times. Eirun, born from Noctyra, embodied passionate energy and the transformative power of shadow, his crimson light igniting change and stirring mortal hearts with ambition and desire.

The two were placed in the heavens as twin moons, tasked with orbiting Eldranis in harmony, their contrasting natures serving as a celestial reminder of the world's delicate balance.

Though their roles were defined by their creators, Selune and Eirun grew beyond their intended purpose. Observing the lives of mortals below, they began to envy the connections and emotions shared by those who walked upon Eldranis. Over countless eons, their admiration for one another deepened, and they fell in love.

Their union brought a new kind of balance to the cosmos, one born not of duty but of passion and understanding. Together they strengthened the light and shadow of Eldranis, weaving their energies into the tides, the growth of crops, and the flow of time itself.

Their love did not go unnoticed by Aurelios and Noctyra. While Galdrim admired the harmony their union brought, the other two saw it as a distraction from their duties. Aurelios feared their bond might skew the balance too far toward stability, while Noctyra saw the potential for chaos should their emotions grow unchecked.

To preserve the intended balance of the world, the gods decreed that Selune and Eirun must be separated, their orbits shifted so that they could no longer move in tandem. Heartbroken but bound by their creators' will, the two moons drifted apart, their love stretching across the vastness of the sky.

Moved by their sorrow, Galdrim intervened, proposing a compromise to the other gods. Once a year, on the night of the Day of Moonbonding, the orbits of Selune and Eirun would align, allowing them to reunite in the heavens. During this alignment, their combined light would bathe Eldranis, blessing the land and its people with harmony, passion, and renewal.

Mortals revere the alignment as a sacred event, a reminder that love and connection can endure even the greatest of distances.
The mingling of Selune's pale light and Eirun's crimson glow is said to weave invisible threads of unity across the world, strengthening bonds of love, friendship, and family.
Couples wed or renew their vows on the Day of Moonbonding, believing love pledged beneath the joined moons will outlast any separation.
When both moons stand full together on other nights, folk read it as a powerful omen; an eclipse of one moon by the other is held to be the moment the veil between worlds hangs thinnest.