Back in the most ancient of days, the world once stood as a single continent. In these days, the peoples of the earth lived in no particular order. They had no appointed rulers or governing officials, no codes of morality or order. If one man had a dispute with another, the result would be bloodshed. As the years passed, some of the wise men of the earth who wore many a year upon their brow came to see that the barbaric and animalistic way in which men lived might not be the only way of life. So they gathered the various knowledge seeking people of the earth together to discuss this new enlightenment. After much heated debate, a conclusion was reached. The people of the earth were to adopt various rulers, and they would reign over specific new regions of the earth to create order out of the present chaos. These kings were to be chosen by the next new moon, for they had agreed that the state of things with mankind was desperate.
An announcement was made to the peoples of the earth, and the regions were defined. The wisest, most just, and bravest of men would be selected after they completed a series of difficult tests, tailored to each of the qualities which would be necessary for a ruler.
Now when the tryouts had first began, Chiosa, the goddess of chaos and jealousy, was informed of them by her sister Chira, the goddess of mischief. “Where did you come by this knowledge?” Chiosa said through clenched teeth. “I went to earth the other day to sow some mischief when I saw droves of men of all shapes, sizes, and colors gathered in a field. I said to myself, ‘what can this be?’ So I skipped up to one very dashing young man and inquired of him what was taking place, and he told me...” Chira replied. Chiosa was furious. Without saying a word, she left her baffled sister and ran to her palace. She screamed at the top of her lungs, smashing the contents of her godly palace in her blind rage. Her husband, Thevis, the god of strategies heard the commotion from outside and rushed to see what was the matter. Chiosa shouted to him the preposterous event which was taking place. Thevis calmed his irate wife. He urged her to pay her cousin Nestia, the goddess of foresight, a visit. When Chiosa asked Nestia what she saw in the future of the world and its determined rulers, Nestia related to her this: “I see the world in harmony and order. The kings rule with scepters of justice and mercy, and have favor in the eyes of all men and allegiance in their hearts. Agathon rules the northern realm, Amyntos the southern, Anakletos the eastern, and Hesperos the western. The world operates in a system which feeds on hard work and the reward which accompanies it for all. I see blue skies, and hear laughter and...”
“ENOUGH! Nestia, I have heard all that I need. How can man live happily in order? Isn’t chaos and autonomy what they want?”
“I guess not cousin...” Nestia replied wearily.
“Good bye, Nestia, oh cursed of gods. I would have rather not known that the mortals’ plans would be successful.” Chiosa fled Nestia’s castle and returned to her own, turning over every object in her path, smashing it into a thousand pieces. Thevis stood in the midst of Chiosa’s tirade and spoke calmly. “What did Nestia foresee, my bride?” At this Chiosa stood still, taking heaving breaths still clutching a clay vase. She related to Thevis all that Nestia had told her. “This is perfect,” Thevis replied after a moment of consideration. “Perfect? PERFECT?!? How can you say that husband? I gave man the ability to govern themselves and to live however they pleased, yet they trade that freedom for rigid order! This was my gift to the ungrateful ants, and I am repaid with rejection instead of the fragrance of roasted meats that I am due?” The goddess began to weep in her intense anger. In the endeavor to calm his wife, Thevis said “Chiosa, my dear, I have already devised a plan. Do not fear, love, in a short time, chaos will resume as a way of life.”
“But Thevis...” she spewed, her eyes now red from her tears, “I do not merely wish for chaos anymore. I want annihilation. And, I know how I can have my desire granted immediately.” She clung tighter to the vase in her arms and her eyes glinted so that Thevis realized her plan must be linked with it. He at once recognized it as the wedding gift to himself and Chiosa from her uncle Anokles. It was painted with swirls and patches of brown, gold, and green, and was of a spherical shape. Before Thevis could utter a question, Chiosa had darted from the room and exited the palace. She now ran as fast as her legs would take her to the palace of Acacia, goddess of magic. She knew that Acacia had recently uncovered the unfaithfulness of her husband, Tirius, a mortal, and that her heart was now bitter towards mankind. Chiosa related her story and desire to Acacia, and the goddess consented. She cast a spell over the vase, causing it to have direct control over the entire earth. When she was done, Chiosa lifted the vase above her head. Just as she was about to smash it to the ground to break into a thousand miniscule pieces, Thevis burst through the door. Chiosa was momentarily stunned, and Thevis attempted to snatch the vase from Chiosa’s clutches. Instead he knocked it from her arms and it smashed into seven large, irregularly shaped shards and hundreds of tinier ones. A great and terrible rumbling was heard by all the gods and goddesses in heaven. And, when some left their heavenly abodes to peer upon the realm of men, the world had separated into seven continents and various scattered islands, waters of the deep rushing in to fill the newly created gaps.