Cybele's Story
I have been Earth Mother for longer then I can remember. Now I am sometimes called by the name of Rhea, but not by my true worshipers. I am no longer the Earth Mother, though I should have been for many more years. I am no longer the loving mother that I once was, for when my rule was ended I became more suspicious, and I no longer can afford to even hint at my mysteries to one who I am not sure will be loyal to me.
Before the Invaders came I ruled over a peaceful land. My people honored the Earth as they should, and I knew not of any other life. My sister, Hecate ruled over the realms of the dead. I was glad when she was called to that duty, and not I, for I feared it, and the solitude that came with it. But it was not as harsh a life then as it is now, for Hecate was not bound to share the fate of those she ruled. Hecate and I were the daughters of Gaea, the Earth Mother. She was not like all of the other Earth Mothers who had ruled this land, for she chose a different path. She chose to become the true substance of the Earth, beyond even Our lives. Whenever I walk upon this land I know that it is my Mother who I tread, and I know that she shall always be with me, no matter what the Invaders do to me.
I was chosen to be Virgin Huntress, and when the time came, I relinquished my Virginity to the King Stag. From that union I bore my first daughter, Leto. From that union I also became Earth Mother. My sister coupled with Pontus, the Sea Father, and bore two daughters, Demeter and Aphrodite. From that union she became the Dark Queen. I could not care for the many daughters I bore from my many unions with the Year Kings, so I sent the ones that seemed to feel the Earth to the Dryads, and the ones who felt the Water to the Naiads or Oceniads. None of them seemed to show the potential of the Virgin Huntress, so I left them with the Nymphs. So I spent my time with Hecate's children. Demeter felt the Earth and the Darkness, so she was to succeed her Mother. So Aphrodite was to be the Virgin Huntress. She did not wish for such a burden to be laid upon her, but she understood the necessity. I did not wish to lay that responsibility upon the girl either, so I let her frolic with the Naiads, waiting for my summons. She went to the Ocean, for she felt the water. I let her go.
But word came to me from Ishtar, the Earth Mother of the land to the East, of Invaders that killed many of the people, and discredited the Earth Mother. They were mostly men, and their men ruled over the women, even over the Earth Mother. They took more lands under their sway each day, a new company venturing out frequently, and conquering the People and Us. I had never heard the word conquering before, but it put fear in my heart. But I did not know how bad it would be.
They soon turned their eye to us. We had no weapons, for we had never needed them. When the Invaders came, their humans killed the People, burning their villages, and slaughtering them with their strange weapons. The ones that they did not kill they enslaved, and forced to worship them, instead of me and the other true gods. Each of my People's deaths and conversions sapped my strength, and I knew that I would not be able to resist when they came for me.
I was sitting upon my throne when they came for me. Three of them, their rulers, burst threw my doors. One, probably the leader entered first. He had hair as white as an elder's, though he seemed young. He held the bolts of lightning that We shoot through the skies during storms as if they were weapons. He spoke: "Cybele, Earth Mother of this land, submit to us. Your people have been conquered and you have no power. Do not try to resist." I could do nothing. But I did not wish to be conquered by them, whatever that consisted of. The only solace for me was to be forgotten. I asked them for this one favor. "Please, do not imprison me. Let me be forgotten, I do not fear the endless Darkness." And the one on the right, who had sea-green hair laughed. He threw back his head and laughed long and hard. And then he said: "You will have no such solace from us, Cybele. You shall be our prisoner, and you shall suffer. And shall feel every moment of it. Because that is the only way to conquer a people." And then the leader gestured, and many of their warriors grabbed me, and dragged me all the way to the caves that they were using as a dungeon.
The caves that they had chosen were the caves of Tartarus, an area of the Underworld that neither Hecate nor her predecessors had wished to use. But the Invaders turned them into an area of sorrow and pain. All of Us were taken there, all of the women. And I knew that I was the last one brought her, that all of the rest of Us had been captured without my seeing before me. I knew nothing of the cruelties that they might inflict on me, for among my People, such things are never done. I did remember a rule that I believed was applied to all of Us, not just my People. It was that all Maidens could not be bound, except by their brothers. So that meant that my daughters, and Hecate's daughters would be safe.
They put chains about my body, me who should have been free forever! I strained against those chains, that they had fastened to the wall, I tried to free myself from them. But I could not. The chains had been forged to hold a goddess.
I learned my captor's names, though I did not wish to. The leader, the one with the thunderbolts, he was Zeus. And the one with the sea-green hair, he was Poseidon. And the quiet one, he was Hades. And Zeus son, who came to look upon me while I was imprisoned, he was Ares.
And Ares held the whip. And the blood flowed down my back. For they whipped me, as if I was one of their slaves. And I screamed, I screamed long and hard in rage and pain, as they stood, impassive looking on, a hint of a smile in their eyes. As the Earth shook in sorrow that her daughter was imprisoned.
And then, bloody and screaming, I looked up at them, my tormenters. I asked them, in the middle of this suffering, I asked them: "Why are you doing this? My people have never done anything to you, why do you torment us this way?" And Zeus responded: "For power, for the sake of being something greater in life then just being the consort of some Earth Goddess. To allow these people to reach their full potential as a civilization." And I looked at him with such contempt, for even as his prisoner I knew that I was so much greater then him, for he was the most despicable being upon this Earth. And I spat at his feet. And he turned to his son and said: "Whip her again."
They finally left me. I do not know how long they stayed. I only know that it was long enough to make me long only for a release from pain. I did not strain against my chains any more, for I had no more energy. I could not remember any longer the Earth and the Air and the Sunlight. All I knew was blood and cold, hard stone. I did not know of any thing care about anything. I did not know the fate of my daughters, or sister, or my sister's daughters. Until Demeter, Hecate's daughter passed me.
She seemed to be walking through Tartarus, unaware of what had happened, when she saw me. She called to me: "Cybele, can that be you? O, Cybele, what has happened?" I was astonished that she had not been chained, until I remembered that she was a virgin, and free. She realized what must have happened and spoke: "O, Cybele, they have you too? But you are the Earth Mother, they cannot have taken you! All I remember was that I was in the fields with Leto, your daughter, when I heard rough voices crying, 'There are more of them, get them and, that is the daughter of the witch.' I knew that they must be the Invaders, but I never thought that they would get you. And what have they done to you Cybele? Are you hurt too grievously?" I said to her, kindly for I loved the girl, "These are only the wounds that come of being conquered. But you, are you all right? They have not harmed you?" She answered with surprise, "Of course not, I am fine. But what has happened to you?" I did not answer her question, I only gave her a warning: "Demeter child, do not venture out of the caves. For in the Earth you will be safe. But outside they shall be waiting for you. They wish to do their crime in daylight when all can see." She knew not what I spoke of, and was naive enough to not understand the fate that awaited her. She did not take my warning.
A short time from then I heard a scream, and I felt the power of the Earth Mother draining from me. The scream shook the bowels of the earth, for it was the first time that such a sound had been heard here. I knew what had happened. The Virginity of Demeter had been taken, by Zeus or one of the other brothers, I believed. They wanted the one who held the power of the Earth Mother to be under their control. So they took the Virginity of one of the daughters of a high Goddess, so that they could get her under their control as she gained the power, therefore dealing with such power. I wept for her.
I was forgotten as the Invaders created their palace and pantheon on the mountain Olympos. When Zeus and his brothers staged a victory parade with their captives I was near the head. First Zeus, Poseidon and Hades, in a golden chariot, were wheeled triumphantly through the streets of Olympos. Then I, in chains, was forced to walk behind the chariot in disgrace. To my sorrow, Demeter walked behind me. She, who should have had many more years as a Maiden ahead of her, was now, obviously pregnant, walking in victory parade wearing chains. I was only important as the dethroned Queen, it was Demeter, as the chained Earth Mother, who was the real trophy in the parade.
I was delegated to the spot of a lesser goddess; I was not even one of the deities chosen for the company upon Olympos. Word came to me of a few things. I heard when Demeter's child was born a girl, and Zeus took responsibility as a father. I heard when Aphrodite returned from the Sea, and was put in charge of "Love". I heard when Persephone was given as bride to Hades, and I heard when my daughter, Leto, was brought for to satisfy Zeus' lust, and bore twins for it. But I did little myself during that time. There was little I could do. Destroyed by a group of Invaders, and nearly Forgotten, all I could do was nurse my anger, and try to gain initiates. And there were a few devotees that I gained in that time. But in my fear I had made my initiation rituals even more difficult. For I am always surrounded by blood, and I can no longer be the peaceful Earth Mother, or even the Wise Woman, I am somewhere in between, for I never truly left Motherhood, nor do I remain in it. The blood that poured down my back is still there, and I can always feel the cracking of the whip that was the tool of my destruction.
