Mana-Yood-Sushai

MANA-YOOD-SUSHAI is a fictional deity in the works of Lord Dunsany, mainly The Gods of Pegana, but also mentioned in a later work, Time and the Gods. In these books, he is the first god and creator of all the other gods.

The first description of him is as follows:

• "Before there stood gods upon Olympus, or ever Allah was Allah, had wrought and rested MANA-YOOD-SUSHAI."

He first appears at the beginning of The Gods of Pegana,

• "In the mists before the Beginning, Fate and Chance cast lots to decide whose the Game should be; and he that won strode through the mists to MANA-YOOD-SUSHAI and said: "Now make gods for Me, for I have won the cast and the Game is to be Mine." "

In other words, the creator god obeys either Fate or Chance, though it is not disclosed which.

In the mythology of the books, he created the gods and then was made to sleep, kept that way by the continual drumming of Skarl the Drummer, since when he awakes he will destroy the world and all the other gods and create them anew. No-one may pray to MANA-YOOD-SUSHAI, as any prayer would awaken him from his slumber - even his own priests are forbidden from praying to him. However, despite this one day he will awaken and the world will end:

• "But, when at the last the arm of Skarl shall cease to beat his drum, silence shall startle Pegana like thunder in a cave, and MANA-YOOD-SUSHAI shall cease to rest.."

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