She grew with the life that She carried inside.

And gave of Herself with love and with pride."

"The Mother was bearing. Her life She was sharing."

"The dark empty void and the vast barren Earth,

With anticipation, awaited the birth.

Life drank from Her blood, it breathed from Her bones.

It split Her skin open and sundered Her stones."

"The Mother was giving. Another was living."

"Her gushing birth waters filled rivers and seas,

And flooded the land, giving rise to the trees.

From each precious drop more grass and leaves grew,

And lush verdant plants made all the Earth new."

"Her waters were flowing. New green was growing."

"In violent labor spewing fire and strife,

She struggled in pain to give birth to new life.

Her dried clotted blood turned to red-ochred soil,

But the radiant child made it all worth the toil."

"The Mother's great joy. A bright shining boy ."

Ayla's breath caught in her throat when she heard those words. They seemed to tell the story of her and her son, Durc. She remembered struggling in pain to give birth to him and afterward, how it was all worth it. Durc had been her great joy. Zelandoni continued in her magnificent voice.

"Mountains rose up spouting flames from their crests,

She nurtured Her son from Her mountainous breasts.

He suckled so hard, the sparks flew so high,

The Mother's hot milk laid a path through the sky."

"His life had begun. She nourished Her son."

This story seems so familiar, Ayla thought. She shook her head as though trying to make something fall into place. Jondalar, he told me some of this on our Journey here.

"He laughed and he played, and he grew big and bright.

He lit up the darkness, the Mother's delight.

She lavished Her love, he grew bright and strong,

But soon he matured, not a child for long."

"Her son was near grown. His mind was his own."

"She took from the source for the life She'd begun.

Now the cold empty void was enticing Her son.

The Mother gave love, but the youth longed for more,

For knowledge, excitement, to travel, explore."

"Chaos was Her foe. But Her son yearned to go ."

Ayla's mind kept nagging at her. It's not just Jondalar, she thought. I feel as if I know this, or at least the essence of it. But where could I have learned it? Then something clicked. Losaduna! I memorized all kinds of things he taught me! There was one story like this about the Mother. Jondalar even recited parts of it during that ceremony. It wasn't exactly the same, and it was in their language, but Losadunai is close to Zelandonii. That's why I was able to understand what they said so fast! As she listened, she concentrated on bringing the memory of the Mother's story back and began to feel a sense of the similarities and differences.

"He stole from Her side as the Great Mother slept,

While out of the dark swirling void chaos crept.

With tempting inducements the darkness beguiled.

Deceived by the whirlwind, chaos captured Her child."

"The dark took Her son. The young brilliant one."

"The Mother's bright child, at first overjoyed,

Was soon overwhelmed by the bleak frigid void.

Her unwary offspring, consumed with remorse,

Could not escape the mysterious force."

"Chaos would not free. Her rash progeny."

"But just as the dark pulled him into the cold,

The Mother woke up, reached out and caught hold.

To help Her recover Her radiant son,

The Mother appealed to the pale shining one. "

"The Mother held tight. And kept him in sight ."

Ayla began to smile as she started anticipating the next verse, or at least the essential meaning of it. The Mother Earth tells Her old friend, the Moon, the story of what happened to Her son next, Ayla thought.

"She welcomed him back, Her lover of old,

With heartache and sorrow, Her story She told.

Her dear friend agreed to join in the fight,

To rescue Her child from his perilous plight."

And now the listeners say it their way, Ayla said to herself. That's how the story is supposed to be told. First the Losaduna, or the Zelandoni, narrates it, then the listeners answer or repeat it another way.

"She told of Her grief. And the dark swirling thief. "

Then it's Zelandoni's turn again.

"The Mother was tired, She had to recover,

She loosened Her hold to Her luminous lover.

While She was sleeping, he fought the cold force,

And for a time drove it back to the source."

"His spirit was strong. The encounter too long."

"Her fair shining friend struggled hard, gave his best,

The conflict was bitter, the battle hard pressed.

His vigilance waned as he closed his great eye.

Then darkness crept close, stole his light from the sky."

"Her pale friend was tiring. His light was expiring. "

"When darkness was total, She woke with a cry.

The tenebrious void hid the light from the sky.

She joined in the conflict, was quick to defend,

And drove the dark shadow away from Her friend."

"But the pale face of night. Let Her son out of sight."

"Trapped by the whirlwind, Her bright fiery son,

Gave no warmth to the Earth, cold chaos had won.

The fertile green life was now ice and snow,

And a sharp piercing wind continued to blow."

"The Earth was bereft. No green plants were left."

"The Mother was weary, grieving and worn,

But She reached out again for the life She had borne.

She couldn't give up, She needed to strive,

For the glorious light of Her son to survive."

"She continued the fight. To bring back the light."

"And Her luminous friend was prepared to contest,

The thief who held captive the child of Her breast.

Together they fought for the son She adored.

Their efforts succeeded, his light was restored."

"His energy burned. His brilliance returned."

The Great Mother Earth and the Moon have brought the Sun back, but not all the way; Ayla was again anticipating.

"But the bleak frigid dark craved his bright glowing heat.

The Mother defended and would not retreat.

The whirlwind pulled hard, She refused to let go.

She fought to a draw with Her dark swirling foe."

"She held darkness at bay. But Her son was away. "

Was the Zelandonii version longer than the Losadunai story? Or did it just seem that way? Maybe singing the story makes it seem longer, but I really like the singing. I wish I understood it more. I think the songs change sometimes, the singing of some verses doesn't sound the same as other verses.