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death-and-mortality
The shadow that follows the children of Edondurath symbolizes human mortality and the inescapable presence of death.
1 chapter across 1 book
The Left Hand of Darkness (1969)Ursula K. Le Guin
17. An Orgota Creation Myth
This chapter presents a primitive Orgota creation myth describing the emergence of the world from ice and the sun, where three ice-forms create the earth, seas, plants, animals, and men. The myth recounts the awakening of thirty-nine men, the violent actions of the first awakened Edondurath, and the eventual union between Edondurath and the youngest brother, which gives birth to human nations marked by an ever-present shadow symbolizing mortality and the passage of time. The story concludes with a cosmic vision of the sun's eventual self-destruction and the return of ice and darkness.