3. Ages of Yr
The following is a note by a scholar of the Apocrypha of Yr:
There are several narrative threads in the Apocrypha of Yr (the “Book” hereinafter), which appear to describe the creation and fate of a universe that, in many respects, very much resembles our own. These narratives are not presented in a chronological order, and there is some debate about whether they are intended to be read as part of a whole or if they are entirely independent. The academic consensus view, however, is that the various narratives are meant to form a single corpus made up of several distinct “Ages.” The Ages are, for the sake of critical analysis, frequently further sub-divided into eras or epochs. The precise beginning or conclusion of any given epoch is disputed, but the Ages are well established as follows: the Age of Myth; the Age of Independence (also known as the First Age of Mankind); the Golden Simonian Age; the Dark Simonian Age; the Post Simonian Age (also known as the Second Age of Mankind); and, the Age of Machines.[1]
The Age of Myth is something of a misnomer in the sense that it is not clear from the Book that the recounted events of that age were intended to be any more or less historical than any other age. The converse is true as well: there is no reason to consider the stories of later ages to be less “mythic” than the stories in the Age of Myth. All of the stories in the Book share characteristics which indicate that they were produced by a single author. And, of course, relative to readers today, all of the stories are ancient.
The Age of Myth has its monicker for two reasons. First, the subject-matter of the stories in the Age of Myth is similar to myths in our own culture from traditions distinct from the Book. And, second, some characters (though not all) in later ages of the Book refer back to the events in the Age of Myth as if the stories were mere legends.
The Age of Myth begins, as one would expect, with the creation of the universe. Its stories show a period when gods directly intervened in the lives of mankind. The gods (or Archons) in the Age of Myth take a wide range of forms and their relationships with Mankind are idiosyncratic. In some instances, gods mate with humans (occasionally out of evidently reciprocal love) and spawn demigods. In other instances, gods view humans as little more than insects.
The Age of Myth ends when Ialta (sometimes called Yaldabaoth), the chief god, abandons the material world with the other Archons. They choose to reside in the Celestial Realm among the stars rather than interfere in the lives of mankind. [2]
The subsequent First Age of Mankind is a turbulent period in which humans are forced to to survive in a dangerous hostile world without supernatural assistance. The stories regarding this age are largely focused on two of the more popular characters in the Book, Norea and Obizmid, both emissaries from the Celestial Realm who arrive in the material world to guide the development of early civilization.
Unlike other ages, which conclude with apocalyptic change, the Golden Simonian Age begins subtly. The lives and stories of Obizmid and Norea continue well into and arguably after the age concludes. However, there is unanimous agreement among scholars that the birth of Simon Magus, the most powerful magician who ever lived — widely believed to have been the incarnation of Ialta himself, is among the most consequential events in the entire Book. The Golden Simonian Age describes the rise and fall of the First Simonian Empire as well as the adventures and personal challenges faced by Simon himself.
The Dark Simonian Age follows the fall of the first Simonian Empire. It concerns a period in which there is no omnipotent figure like Simon to organize society and enforce a singular vision. The world splinters into numerous factions, some of which continue to worship Simon, while others, like the Obizmidian Empire reject his teachings entirely. Scholars reference Simon in their description of this Age despite the fact that he is not personally present, because his influence looms large for more than a thousand years — directly affecting both local custom and global politics.
The Second Age of Mankind is a long period following the rejection (though not the eradication) of divine and/or supernatural forces from the development of civilization and the material world in general. The Second Age of Mankind is, perhaps, the longest according to the internal chronology of the Book, but one of the shortest in terms of page count. Nonetheless, several of the most popular characters in the Book — such as Annie Circle and Zenobia Jones — have their origins in this age. [3]
The Age of Machines is the final age, chronologically, of the Book. The stories in this Age concern the development of artificial intelligence and the simultaneous (not coincidentally) rediscovery of magic. The Age ends in a final triumph for several characters and a grave catastrophe for others. Whether that catastrophe corresponds to what we know as the Central Void is both a thrilling and haunting notion. But, it cannot be denied that there are clues that this may indeed be the case.
In the final sections of the Age of Machines, several characters escape what many scholars believe to be Orbis Prime to reside on the moon of their world. Once settled, the moon colonists commence work on massive vessels to seek worlds beyond the first two cosmic orbits as new homes for Mankind. Are those vessels our own Interplanetary Ships?
[1] There are many scholars who simply number the Ages: the First Age, the Second Age, &c. The sequence of the Ages referenced here follows the most conventional order.
[2] There are several notable exceptions who remain in the material world — most famously, Ao Guang, the Archon of the seas who takes the form of a gargantuan dragon.
[3] The Second Age of Mankind is certainly longer than either of the preceding Simonian Ages as well as the subsequent Age of Machines. However, it is difficult to gauge the length of the Age of Myth or the First Age of Mankind, because both were prehistoric in the context of the Book and there are few markers to orient a reader due to the fact that many of the characters are immortal.