Parable of origins

Common religious text, could be known by anyone

"In the long night before the dawn, there were six sisters born of one mother who brought them forth alone. They were alone in the land at the edge of the void and when they grew to reason, there were no mates for them. They asked their mother “How is it that you have children, yet you have no mate?” And their mother said “I am the matter and you are the form, and the second cannot make the first.” And she saw that her daughters were unhappy with this answer. So she told them “If truly your hearts cannot rest without mates and your wombs ache for children, go forth to the border and call your mates unto you and they will answer your call.”

So the six daughters went to the edge of the darkness, where they had often seen their mother call being from nothingness. The eldest, a tall, strong woman, stepped to the very brink and called “Send me a mate who is worthy of my strength!” And from the dark nothing there came forth a creature of tremendous size, fierce and strong: a bear. And the eldest sister was pleased. Then the second sister, quick and nimble, stepped forward to the edge and called “Send me a mate who is faster than my eye, slender as a whip!” And from the darkness there came forth a creature both slim and fleet: a lizard. And the second sister was pleased. The third sister, who was stolid and peaceful, stepped forward and called “Send me a mate who will never quarrel, who will help me in everything I do.” And from the blackness there came forth a creature large but calm, helpful but docile: an ox. And the third sister was pleased. The fourth sister, clever and crafty, stepped to the boundary and called “Send me a mate who is swift of mind, swift of foot, and swift of spirit!” And from the nothingness there came forth a creature that seemed made of pure quicksilver, formed into a shape both strong and sharp: a wolf. And the fourth sister was pleased. The fifth sister, quiet and thoughtful, stepped to the border and called “Send me a mate who is wise but does not speak his thoughts too readily.” And from the emptiness there came forth a creature flying on silent wings, with bright eyes to see all: an owl. And the fifth sister was pleased. And lastly there stepped forward the sixth sister, and she was the most beautiful, but also the youngest and most guileless. She thought for a time on what all of her sisters had asked for and what they had received. And then she stepped forward to the rim of darkness and called “Send me a mate who is beautiful and who will love as I love,” for she could think of nothing better than to love and be loved. And from the void there came forth a creature sleek and handsome, amorous but fickle: a cat. And the youngest sister was pleased, though she realized she should have asked for a mate who would love only her.

With their mates, the sisters returned to their mother, but they found her missing. They were fearful and searched everywhere, but found her not. And then they heard her voice speak to them. She said “I am not here, but I am near. You will find a part of me in your mates, for I am the matter and only I can call forth the form from the void.” And the sisters were saddened, for they knew then that in bringing forth their mates, they had consumed their mother. And their mother spoke again, saying “You will bear many children. But take care that when your children grow to reason, they do not mate outside their own kind, for that which was sundered may not be joined again, until the great day is at an end.” And her voice fell silent and no matter how her daughters called to her, they had no answer. But for the first time, they saw the sun rise."

"As there are six spokes to the Wheel, there are six paths to the Centre. Six times the Wheel turns for each of us, six times the sun rises and falls, and six lives will we all live before the end of our day. So too are there six Houses, and each shows us another way to journey ever closer to the Centre. From the Bear, we learn of strength and courage. From the Lizard, cunning and stealth. From the Ox, sincerity and fortitude. From the Wolf, creativity and discovery. From the Owl, wisdom and patience. And from the Cat, beauty and love. So it is that we must pass through each of these Houses, as a traveller in a lodging along the path to the Centre. If one should step from this path, which is both narrow and fraught with difficulties, what then will become of them? When they arrive before the final judgement, they will not have learned all that they should have. They will be deemed unworthy and their essence consigned to the Void, unless by some great mercy they may be spared."