Once, long ago, Water, Fire, Truth, and Lies lived together…
Once, long ago, Water, Fire, Truth, and Lies lived together in a large house. They were all polite to each other, but kept their distance, Truth and Lies sat in opposite corners of the room, and Fire was careful never to cross Water's path.
But one day they went hunting together and gathered a large herd of cattle, which they began to herd to their village.
Truth proposed to divide the cattle into four equal parts, and the others agreed, except Lies, who pretended to approve, but secretly wanted to get his hands on the whole lot.
He went up to Water and whispered in her ear: "You are stronger than Fire. Put it out, and we will have a bigger share." »
Water did as he asked: it threw itself on the fire and put it out… And the three remaining elements continued on their way…
Then, Lie approached Truth and whispered to her: “Look: Water has destroyed Fire! Let’s abandon this cruel woman who killed our warm friend, and let’s go graze our cows in the mountain pastures.”
Truth and Lie took the path to the mountain with the animals, and Water, despite all its efforts, could not follow them. It spread over the sides of the mountain and bubbled over itself… It is still there today, cascading down the mountainside…
Another competitor eliminated, for Lie…
Once they reached the top, Lie turned to Truth and said: “I am stronger than you, I am the master, and I say that all the cattle are mine!” » But Truth rebelled; she refused to obey Lie…
The Wind was then chosen to decide which, Lie or Truth, was the strongest. The Wind, feeling powerless to decide between them, slipped into the world, to ask the opinion of men on the question.
But he gathered contradictory information: some thought that a single word from Lie could reduce Truth to nothing, others retorted that, like a flame in the darkness, Truth is powerful enough to change everything.
From all that he had heard, the Wind finally concluded that Lie is very powerful, but that it has only been allowed to exist where Truth has ceased to be heard. And that is how it has been ever since…
Truth and Lie
God decided one day to create all things, both good and bad. He created everything and its opposite: night and day, upside down and right side up, the moon and the sun, top and bottom.
Truth was created large, majestic and very beautiful. Lie was created small, ugly and sickly.
But, in his goodness, God gave him a machete to defend himself and to equalize his chances with Truth. Then, he sent them to exist in the world…
Truth and Lie then go their separate ways. People prefer to listen to Truth, she is so attractive by her beauty and everything is so clear with her. Lie is rejected, and begins to feel hatred and jealousy towards Truth growing in him.
So he decides to lie in wait for her, to corner her in a hollow path and to provoke her. A fight breaks out between these two opposites of the Word…
Truth, stronger and more resistant, takes the upper hand, but, too sure of herself, relaxes her attention for a moment… Lie, who is quick and cunning, takes advantage of this moment of distraction to cut off her head with his machete.
Truth, panicked, gropes for her head to replace it on her body. Searching feverishly, she finally feels one under her fingers.
Then, in her confusion, she pulls it towards her with all her strength and replaces it on her body. Alas, it is the hideous head of Lie that she has – in her blindness – decapitated.
And it is since that time that Truth has gone through the world with the filthy head of Lie, and Lie with the beautiful head of Truth – and that men are mistaken and are unable to distinguish truth from lies.
