Legends of Belariath
Callie Volopa
The Story of Eriana and Florinia (The Verlosi Sisters)
A Legend of the Verlosi Vulpine Tribe
As Told by Callie Volopa
Special Thanks to Gali Shuminta for Technical Assistance
Verlosi, the fifth of fourteen children born to The Lady, was every bit the hedonist that his Mother was, and as a result he sired vulpine and half-vulpine children all over the world. It wasn't until very late in his life that he met his true love, a young healer maiden of 22 named Hinjabo, but when he did, Verlosi never again looked at another woman with lust in his heart.
Verlosi and Hinjabo married, and through Hinjabo, Verlosi sired the last of his children-- red-furred, identical twin girls named Eriana and Florinia. Against everything vulpines thought they knew about the nature of the universe, the twins were born with not one, but four tails each. Of course these were no ordinary children; they were the granddaughters of the Mother of All Vulpines Herself, but none of Verlosi's previous children (nor even Verlosi himself) had been born with more than one tail. Even today it is quite rare for a two-tailed vulpine child to be born. Verlosi and Hinjabo took this as a sign from The Lady that the lives of these girls would be very special.
Shortly after Eriana and Florinia were born, Verlosi passed away after a full life, and the twin vixens were raised by their mother Hinjabo. (This was before the modern practice of the entire tribe raising children). Hinjabo had been touched by the Divine Wisdom of her late husband and passed along that knowledge, as well as that of her own, humble life, to her daughters. And the twin girls grew in wisdom and beauty.
In fact, the Verlosi Sisters (as they came to be called) grew to be so wise that from a very young age they were called upon to mediate disputes among their fox-kin. The entire tribe marveled at their intelligence, fairness and compassion towards all, and embraced the twins as being among the most important members of the tribe. The sisters also grew to be so beautiful that their bodies began to glow with an inner light.
This light intensified as their growing wisdom caused them to become more and more beautiful, until ultimately they shone so brightly with the Divine Mystical Light that for a person to gaze upon them was unbearable-- causing searing, permanent blindness and incredible pain for anyone who attempted to do so. The twins had gone from being the heart and soul of their young tribe to becoming a very real threat to the tribe's continued existence. And for all their wisdom, the twins themselves didn't realize what had happened to them, because each of them could look at the other, and herself, without pain.
To protect their own existence, their fox-kin came up with several plots to drive away or assassinate the selfless young maidens, to no avail. It was only when their mother Hinjabo, returning from a long vacation, tried to greet them and was blinded herself that the Verlosi Sisters realized what had happened to them.
Horrified at what they had inadvertently done, Eriana and Florinia left their fox-kin behind and traveled the length and breadth of the earth trying to find solace, a place where they could be alone together and cause no more harm to anyone. But the earth had grown so populated at that point that every time the twins found a place to lay their heads, the respite proved temporary; ultimately another race would attempt to settle there and be blinded by the sisters' light.
Eriana and Florinia gave serious thought to ending their own lives, but as they stood at the peak of Gorgano ready to leap off, The Lady appeared to them in a vision, commanding, “Go south to the caves of Kipala, for there you will find the rest you have been looking for.” The twins did as their grandmother said, and huddled together in the cold and darkness of the caves of Kipala for three days. And then, as if hearing their despairing cries, a tribe of black-winged, outcast Torians appeared. And their eyes, much more capable of handling bright light, were not blinded by the sisters.
The Verlosi Sisters lived peacefully among the Torian outcasts for twenty-seven years, bringing the light of wisdom to the frightened tribe. But in the twenty-seventh year, a tribe of Torian brightwings attacked and mercilessly slaughtered not only the outcasts, but Eriana and Florinia as well. (This is why the number 27 is considered to be a sign of extreme misfortune in the Verlosi Tribe). Eriana and Florinia, realizing that this was to be their fate, made no attempt to defend themselves, merely looking deep into their executioners' eyes as they were stabbed through the heart.
The Lady had mercy on her granddaughters even in death, and answered their final prayers-- that they be allowed to continue bringing their wisdom to the world even though they should die. So The Lady transformed their spirits into stars in the nighttime sky, forming the Constellation of the Verlosi Twins. Florinia stands on the left, Eriana on the right, and in between them is the Great Rock of Wisdom, an ancient artifact that even today stands in the Verlosi Home Village.