Writings of Porphyry Ivanov. Parables.
The Man-Serpent.
This is being written by I and My right hand. He who knows My right hand will read My tale. This is how it begins, the whole story grows from a word.
And here is what I says: when there were no heaven and earth, there were no troubles on the earth’s crust, where a man walked and where he dwelt. And, of course, there were as many people as wheat sown in the field — so many people were there on the earth’s crust.
At that time a man began to think too much [and decided], “I’ll create for myself of the people, in other words, of the dust of the ground, a man such as myself, who will look like me.” And he formed such a man of the dust of the ground. He set in his forehead a horn with two eyes, and that man became to look like him, it came out a living image of the man.
And the man says to the other, “I create thee that thou becamest the sovereign over all things thou seest.” So he began to look backwards and forwards, and saw everything — how the people lived and dwelt in the dust on the earth’s crust. Then his eye became even more blazing with envy, when he saw that the people were good, beautiful and kind by themselves, and that they have gotten the virtue from Nature herself.
Nature really rewarded them and put into them her feelings — she gave them her feelings, and emotions, and strength, and mind. It is the truth that there were such people in Nature. And the man — it was the serpent who was more cunning than any beast. He thought a lot how to speak, deal with people. He also had two eyes. And he looked like a man, but his eyes were envious — he did not want to get anyone of people going forward because they were beautiful and kind, there was too much virtue in them.
And he conceived to create a heaven for himself.
The man-serpent!
He did just as he planned.
A heaven is being created here.
[The end of this tale is the following:] the instinct of life, thirst for water have prevailed over all other ideas.