The Snake and the Osprey are two primordial beings that are thought to have created the material world. They are sometimes called the Urs because they are the oldest things in existence.
[Long description:
Minimizations of the Snake and the Osprey locked in combat. They superficially resemble the animals after which they are named. The Osprey brandishes its thick claws and snaps its beak, revealing the holes in its jowls, which could be mistaken for eyes when its beak is closed. The Snake mirrors the Osprey by baring its own teeth and coiling around its old enemy. It has the same jowl-eyes, along with billowing whiskers or horns of light flowing out of the corners of its mouth.]
Interpretations
The Diasporas
The Diasporas traditionally view the Snake and the Osprey as age-old enemies whose warring made the world. The universe is a snakeskin that was shed during their eternal dispute, a rumbling of two immense and uncaring forces of nature. It was not an intentional act of creation, and arguably, the Snake and the Osprey are not intentional beings.
The Snake and the Osprey have been locked in combat as long as the ceaseless wheel of the world has turned. Their struggle keeps the universe in motion, and creates pockets of dynamism in the otherwise cold and empty grave of existence. It’s thought that one day the Snake will separate from the Osprey, and eat all the world and then itself. This marks the end of the world and, perhaps, the beginning of another.
This world is not the first. Accounts vary, but there are plants, animals, spirits, and other beings that are thought to have jumped like fleas from one snakeskin to the next. There is, however, some sentiment that this world may be the last. In recent years this has become more popular, as the advent of sidereal wayfinding yields new insights into the cosmos. The discovery of black holes and the apparent emptiness of our universe raises questions about where the other snakeskins are, and why stillness has fallen over everything around us.
Brundel
Brundel cosmology imagines the Snake and the Osprey not as enemies, but lovers—an anomaly in the global theater. Their dancing (or lovemaking) is thought to have created the world. Though accidental, and probably insignificant in the eyes of the Urs, this act of creation was nonetheless an act of love.
The Snake and Osprey exist simultaneously as impersonal forces of nature and personal beings with thoughts and desires, a duality that is typical of Brundel science and philosophy.
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