Here it is, my first myth! Fully translated into English for your reading pleasure:
Many years ago, before light reached the Earth, both people and gods lived as best as they could in the darkness. One day, the gods realized that a light source could change the lives of everyone. So, they decided that with their combined godly powers they could take a mortal human being and transform him into the light source of the whole world.
In order to find the human with the strongest prospects to be the world’s light source, they decided to hold a competition to find the strongest and smartest man. To attract men from all over the world, they offered the hand of the most beautiful goddess alive to the winner of the day’s events.
There were three tests, one of strength, one of cunning, and one of endurance. A thousand men from around the world gathered in the coliseum to compete for the hand of the beautiful goddess, Celina. They started fires and lit candles to illuminate the arena for all to see, and then, the tests began. The first test required the men to lift enormous boulders, twice their size and carry them to a finishing line twenty meters away. During the course of this rigorous test, many men were killed or simply couldn’t do it. After this test, only 500 men remained.
The second test put the remaining men in a massive maze, with little light to guide them. This test was designed to demonstrate the men’s wit and ability to reason. In the maze there was a pattern of obstacles, requiring keen observation and quick wit. There were trap doors, man-eating tigers and dangerous flames; to find their way through these obstacles, the men needed to find a pattern with which the obstacles occurred and avoid them as they attempted their escape. It soon became apparent by the end of the string of deadly obstacles that only two men remained.
The gods announced that the final test would occur after a period of rest. The two remaining competitors, Sergio and Ignacio decided to use their time of rest to visit Celina. First, Ignacio; he was overbearing and cruel to her. She was next visited by Sergio, who was kind and told her “You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, I would be lucky to win your hand in marriage.” She was so touched be his kindness and humility that she fell madly in love with him. To ensure that he won the final test, she gave him a special gift before he left to compete. A pair of shoes, crafted for him from the finest leather, which helped him run longer than most men.
When the race began, Ignacio vowed that he would defeat Sergio no matter the cost. He tried pushing him into the bushes and tripping him, but no matter how he tried, Sergio still pressed on and easily outran him. As they reached the finish line, many kilometers later, the gods marveled at the ease with which Sergio completed the test.
They looked him up and down and noticed the finely crafted leather shoes he wore. Upon looking at them, they realized that the shoes contained the magic of Celina and that the two of them had cheated. They were outraged, and decided that Sergio would not only take the place as the sun, but that he would also be unable to ever come near Celina again. To do this, they cast Sergio into the sky and he became the sun. By the end of the day, Sergio would come down to the earth and rest, but as he did, Celina would be forced into the sky as the moon.
The only time they could see each other would be through opposite sides of the sky. However, one god felt guilty for separating the lovers, and took mercy on them. He decided they could meet once a year on what is now called an eclipse. To this day, the two lovers still carry out their punishment, but always looking forward to the one day they can be together every year.
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