On Rain Ownership is a readable found on Amphoreus.
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On Rain Ownership
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Rain falls from the sky. It gathers into rivers and flows into the sea. If that is the case, do the sky-blotting raindrops belong to Aquila's sky or Phagousa's ocean? As one of the most enduring topics in the debates at the forum, this question has yet to have a conclusive answer.
Regarding the ownership of rain, the theory that we are most familiar with is the primordial theory. Phagousa's priests cite the classics, finding attribution from the creation epics of the Titans' origins. During the Era Luminosa, Aquila and Phagousa spawned from the Pillar of Stone, born of Georios' breath. From that moment on, the ocean and earth have been locked in eternal odds. Phagousa, despised by Georios, could not descend upon the earth. Thus, they wandered between heaven and earth, turning into inextinguishable rain. It wasn't till Talanton's intervention that the brewing pool named ocean was created on this land. Thus, from the beginning, the rain was a phenomenon that was under Phagousa's realm of governance.
In response to this argument, scholars of the Grove of the Muses put forth the Fruit Thesis as a counter-argument. To view the rain as Phagousa's brethren was but one perspective — all of Amphoreus' water, the finest wine in a cup to the rivers in the valley, were all part of the divine object that was the Chalice of Plenty. Even if raindrops would fall from the clouds, it was because they had mistakenly entered Aquila's divine realm in a drunken stupor, and would soon find themselves driven out from the skies by Aquila's enraged, thundering lance.
With this reasoning, any matter containing water would be part of Phagousa. Ripened fruits also contain tasty juices. Therefore, the fruits on trees were also part of Phagousa. But even a three-year-old child from Castrum Kremnos would know that the fruits of the earth are gifts from the Bough of Rift. Thus, the proposition that rain was part of Phagousa was highly contradictory.
The rain in the sky was a part of Aquila, absorbed by flora, thus becoming the offspring of Cerces. If any body of water was a part of Phagousa, it would surely take responsibility for the black tide that was devouring the world.
Among the many debates, there was no shortage of sophistry. Gordicus, a sage active during the Era Bellica, once declared in a public debate that rain should be a part of Mnestia's divine being.
In the rain, people can still see the sky, the earth, and the ocean, but none have seen butterflies fluttering in the rain. When butterflies appear, the rain does not. When rain appears, butterflies vanish without a trace. One could posit that rain and butterflies were two halves of a whole, and that the golden butterfly symbolized Mnestia. The rain equally patters down on all that exist, causing cold and illness in both humans and beasts, but it only nourishes flora — lifeforms protected by Cerces. This inversely also proves that Mnestia, as Cerces' companion, nourishes its lover's body in the form of rain.
Gordicus' eloquence at the forum left many sages without retort. His destiny also took a turn with this event. After being exiled on successive charges of blasphemy by the nine cities, the proud sage fell by the coast and died in a huge downpour. It is said that returning fishermen saw countless sirens roiling up huge waves, carrying the lifeless Gordicus away with the tide. They said that Phagousa was angered by this prideful sage, and turned his soul into a fish, keeping him by her side as a jester for all eternity.
Since the world still functions normally, the roles of the many Titans governing it must be distinct. But our wisdom is less than that of even a leaf in a forest — it is only natural that we cannot fathom the truth that constitutes Amphoreus. Only those who acknowledge their own ignorance, questioning it with humility, will be able to inch towards Cerces' logic. Gordicus' tale serves as a cautionary reminder for future generations.
Other Languages[]
| Language | Official Name |
|---|---|
| English | On Rain Ownership |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 论雨的归属 |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 論雨的歸屬 |
| Japanese | 雨の帰属について |
| Korean | 비의 귀속에 대해 |
| Spanish | Sobre el dueño de la lluvia |
| French | Au sujet du propriétaire de la pluie |
| Russian | Кому принадлежит дождь |
| Thai | ว่าด้วยผู้ครองสายฝน |
| Vietnamese | Bàn Về Quyền Sở Hữu Mưa |
| German | Wem der Regen gehört |
| Indonesian | Membahas Asal-Usul Hujan |
| Portuguese | Sobre a Posse da Chuva |