Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Well, hello there, little guppy. What brings you to me?

Ah, i see. You want another story about our Leviathan Gods, don't you?

Oh, it's alright. You don't bother me at all. It pleases me to see you young'uns so eager to learn.

Now, what kind of story do you want to hear this time?

Hm? Oh. So that's what you are interested in? Your granny mentioned a story of how us merfolk came to be?

Well, you're in luck, little guppy. Because i am the last one to remember what happened back then.

The last one of our kind who was born an air breather. Or a land dweller, like you young folks use to say nowadays.

Huh? Yeah, of course. We have our origin on the dry planes.

What happened, you ask?

Well, sit down on your impatient fins and i shall tell you, little guppy.

Good, that's much better.

Now let me think.

It was, once upon a time, like other storytellers would say, when Rungholt was just a hill in the middle of a landmass long gone now..."

Chapter Text

It was called Doggerland. And it covered about half of what is now called the Northsea.

Land dwellers had a good life there. They thrived on what the land gave, what the sea allowed them to take, and what they could get by trading with travellers.

Most of those came from the lands in the south, some of them from places far more exotic than anyone in Doggerland could imagine.

They brought spices, luxurious pelts like miniver or otter, unbelievable stories from their own lands and expensive fabrics like silk or velvet. They traded most of those for what was known as amber, a precious little gemstone in all shades from milky yellow to rusty brown. The people of Doggerland called them the tears of the sea, tears of the sun or, more commonly, the tears of Dream.

When the traveling merchants asked, they would always hear the same answer.

Dream was one of the twin deities that protected them. Dream and his other half and twin brother Nightmare were highly respected and worshipped. They controlled the weather and the sea, helped the folks whenever they were in need and were both dear to the people of Doggerland.

Nightmare kept the tides going, which caused the waves that swept the precious ambers on the beaches.

The twin Gods knew that amber weren't actual tears from Dream, but fossilized tree resin. But the air breathers valued it highly and it bought their people a wealthy life, they knew to thank the sea gods for.

They established rules of conduct, every little child already took in with their mother's or wet nurse's milk.

Pray to the deities for mercy and their blessings.

Sacrifice and say your Thanks when the higher beings are generous.

Leave the bycatch to the sea as an offering when you haul in a good catch.

They lived by those rules, and were happy to do so, it were such little things compared to what their Gods did for them.

Chapter Text

Dream and Nightmare cared deeply for the air breathers of Doggerland.

Originally the land had been nothing but an endless expanse of flat marram grass covered hills behind beaches and dunes of white sand, flooded relatively regular by winter's high tides.

The firsts to kind of settle there migrated from further inlands to evade warring tribes and to explore the possible properties of these open windswept planes.

For a summer they lived of fish, and someone discovered the amber, littering the tidelines. They liked the precious stones and crafted necklaces, bracelets and amulets from them.

With autumn, the first heavy storms came and the people saw themselves forced to travel back further inlands.

For the winter the planes belonged to the waves, storms and the ice and snow.

In spring the people returned and set up camp for summer once more.

Dream became curious about them. He recognized some faces from the year prior. He began to observe them from afar and told his brother about them.

This second year something went different. At summer solstice the people made a huge bonfire and celebrated, drinking mead, singing and dancing and praying to the, to them, unknown deities of this planes, thanking them for the full nets, the bright sun, clean breeze and, of course, the precious amber stones, they collected during summer to trade them inlands for high prizes.

The gratefullness of the air breathers pleased the twin Gods immensely.

When the weather became heavier again, the travellers migrated back once more, only to return as soon as the weather would allow them to.

After a few years of migrating back and forth, the travellers decided to try and build dikes to prevent the flat lands from getting flooded, so they could stay permanently. If it annoyed the deities, they would show their anger, and the tribe would continue their half nomadic lifestyle.

But the weather held longer that year and the people took that as a sign of approval from the deities.

At autumn equinox, a time they usually were back inlands already, the tribe celebrated and thanked the merciful deities that accepted them here.

They had to transport material from inlands to build their first settlement. For that, some had traveled back to trade the amber and buy lumber for the construction of a community building, and provisions to get them through winter.

At the winter solstice celebration they saw the twin deities for the first time, dancing in the wild waves and playing in the storm.

At spring equinox the tribe made two bonfires right next to each other, burning some element in one of them, that they had acquired from some other merchants, and that let the flames burn blue and purple, like one of the twin deities had glowed at winter solstice.

That caught the attention of the two and they ascened from the waters.

The people bowed and prayed and thanked them for their blessings.

The twins smiled benevolent at them and introduced themselves to their new worshipppers.

Since then the people of Doggerland, how they named those planes at some point, had always been close to the twin Gods and heeded the few things they asked of them.

The land was properous, blessed by Dream and protected by Nightmare, who sunk the occasional ship of pirates or vikings. He was actually a little miffed that the Norse men pictured him as a giant evil serpent. Rude.

However, Doggerland was blessed and the people knew it. Despite their wealth they stayed humble, grateful and honest. The men were strong, tireless workers and the women were pure and fair to look at.

Then, the devil snuck into their paradise.

Chapter Text

It wasn't the actual devil, but some stranger, who came do trade.

When he saw how the people of Doggerland lived in symbiosis with the land and only took what they needed, he called them fools. They could make a bigger fortune if they wanted to, and told them how they could catch more fish and, more importantly, collect more amber and that they should set a higher price.

The people only shook their heads and told the greedy stranger that they owed their fortune the twin Gods that blessed and protected them and taking more would be disrespectful to them.

The stranger talked to many of the people, but was always told off, until he left.

In the years that followed other merchants and travellers told them the same, or similar, things ,and some even settled down in Doggerland, building pretentious manors a little offside, on the plateau that was the only elevation on the planes of Doggerland. But the tribe never tried to settle there because it was more exposed to the winds.

The newcomers became more and almost spread like cancer, slowly creating their own town on the plateau. They waved off the already old teachings of the good people and insisted on their ways. They never participated in the festivities in honor of the Gods, they never prayed to them and took as much as they wanted from the beaches and the sea.

It made Dream sad and Nightmare angry. They both knew it was only a matter of time before those ungrateful ways would start to corrupt the impressionable youth of Doggerland.

But what could they do?

They, reading Nightmare, couldn't destroy the town on the plateau without wiping out all of the lower ground of Doggerland.

Or could he?

Nightmare got an idea, but he would need Dream's help to accomplish it.

He would seperate Doggerland's people from the rest of the world and protect them for all time from the influence of greedy and evil air breathers.

To do that, he needed to destroy Doggerland, and it would be Dream's task in this to save their people, their friends.

But first he needed to convince his brother.

Chapter Text

Summer turned to autumn and became winter until Dream finally gave in, but he made it a condtion for his involvement that they would warn their mortal friends, so they could take precautions or leave if they didn't want be a part of it.

Nightmare immediatly complied and assured that he had planned to warn them nonetheless. He also wanted to wait for the next season, so it wouldn't be as cold and their people could get used to their... changed life conditions.

The winter solstice came and with it came the festivities.

The bonfires burned bright and high and the good people sang praises for Dream and Nightmare, thanked for another good year and prayed for the future.

And for the first time they prayed for something in particular.

To be freed from the greedy people from the plateau.

Nightmare and Dream ascended from the waters to speak to their people.

"Worry not, good people of Doggerland," Nightmare said, "we are displeased with those people as much as you are. I have a solution, but it will mean a great change for you and your way of life. My dear brother Dream agreed to help me, since he possesses certain, necessary abilities, i lack.

So listen and think thoroughly about the decision each one of you will have to make.

On the day of spring equinox, i will destroy Doggerland with the rising floods. Dream will grant you a new life and a new body, so you will be able to live in our domain, the sea. There, you will be save from being exploited or corrupted by the greed of the other air breathers.

We are aware that you might not wish to become something else, therefore we give you time to think this over and leave if you wish to remain the way you are.

Those, wishing to leave the lands behind, gather here, on the dike, to be changed by Dream and come with us to build a new settlement in the depths that will become your new home."

Dream finally spoke up. "I am not happy that this land will have to disappear, honestly. But i am also aware that the others' greed threatens to poison you good people and i couldn't bear the thought of any of you losing their Soul to the devils of greed.

Those of you, who choose to leave here and stay on land will have our best wishes for your future and we hope that you will tell your children about our connection. We wish you luck and bless you.

Those, who decide to come with us, we will meet here, at spring equinox, like my brother said.

Until then, be safe and think it through to make your decision."

With that, the twin Gods descended back into the sea, and the people of Doggerland talked about it until deep into the night.

Chapter Text

During the following weeks the Doggerlanders discussed the Gods' announcement and began to plan the preparations for their leave.

There were things to be taken care of.

The residents of the plateau witnessed, how their neighbors seemed to prepare for something. But none of them would ask those ambitionless fools, what stupid idea they had come up with this time.

A handful of Doggerlanders left one moon cycle after the winter solstice and took most of the livestock with them, along with letters and memorabilia. They returned when the snow began to thaw and brought answering letters and verbal messages back.

When the time came, they usually would have prepared the fields for spring sowing, they did nothing of the like.

They lived off their food reserves and spent most of the time discussing things, meditating, and praying to their Gods.

Then the spring equinox came.

The Doggerlanders led their last remaining sheeps and oxes to where they used to celebrate the solstice and equinox, and sacrificed them to the twin Gods.

The plateau residents knew off animal and blood offerings and didn't think too much off it. Maybe their neighbors had become a little too enthusiastic in their worshipping.

They had always been fools. So it wasn't too farfetched to them that they had descended into some kind of religious madness.

The plateau residents didn't witness the actual sacrifice, they only saw the others herd the animals to the place where they always celebrated and put two and two together.

Later they saw the two bonfires from the distance and averted their eyes, as if even watching the celebrations from afar would somehow taint them.

The Doggerlanders didn't know about what their unwanted neighbors thought, and even if they would have known, they wouldn't have cared at all.

They made their offering and prayed to their beloved Gods.

Eventually they ascended from the waves.

They were moved by the offering of their people and accepted it gratefully.

After they shared the meat, Nightmare announced that he had to go now to prepare.

He left and the good tribe could see the glow of his Magic right under the everchanging skin of the ocean that was the water surface.

When the bright cyan glow vanished in the distance, the horizon already started to darken.

After watching his brother leave, Dream returned his attention to the Doggerlanders, smiling.

He laid his cupped hands on the dike and called on his Magic.

A brilliant, golden glow lit up in his hands and formed a dome, the size of a small hut.

Dream gave the people a reassuring smile when they eyed the light dome, unsure of what to do.

"Don't be afraid, good people. Step up and enter the light, one at a time, and you shall receive your new form."

After they exchanged looks between each other, not sure who should go first, one of the eldest stepped forward. He climbed onto Dream's hands and entered the light.

A few moments later, he tumbled out on the other side.

But. Now he had a strong looking fishtail instead of legs.

The other elders followed one by one, and were turned just like the first one. After them everyone else followed, sorted by families.

The newly created merpeople slithered and crawled from Dream's hands to make room for the others.

It took a while to change everyone, but eventually it was done.

Dream scooped the merfolk up with his hands and put them into the water, where they experimentally swished their tails to figure out how to use them. Dream helped as best as he could.

Then, Dream led them away, into the depths. Where they would be safe from the storm Nightmare was brewing up out at sea.

The waters slowly rose, but Nightmare kept the waves at the coast from changing for now. He planned to build up as much force as he could.

He knew, he could easily destroy Doggerland by calling upon Poseidon's warhorses, but for one, he felt it was way over the top, and two, this wasn't really a punishment. Poseidon's beasts were to take revenge, but this here was about protecting their people and taking their land with them, out of reach of the greedy rotten Souls that resided on the plateau.

Plus, he - like his brother - was still a young God and itched to test the limits of his powers. He had power over anything connected to the waves and weather. His mere existence regulated the tides.

Dream, on the other hand, had power over anything alive in the sea or connected to it. Like their faithful people.

While collecting more and more force out at sea, where the waves are born, he still kept the waves lapping at the dikes and washing up the beach like usual. He felt the pressure growing, but he still held it back, testing his boundaries.

Then. It became too much.

Somewhere during the late afternoon, Nightmare couldn't hold back the power any longer.

So, he gave it form and let it go.

The waves suddenly retreated from the shore and disappeared behind the horizon.

Not long after, a wall of raging water and seafoam raced towards Doggerland. It was high enough to blend out the already sinking sun and shroud the doomed flats in an ominous darkness.

When the wave hit the dikes, they gave like they were made of loose sand, being washed away like everything else. Every house and tree, the fields and dunes, everything was taken by the sea.

Everything.

Except.

The plateau.

The wave broke over it without doing much damage, the storm that accompanied the apocalyptic freak-wave, keeping the plateau residents inside their houses.

When the storm cleared in the morning, Doggerland was gone. Nothing but water around the plateau.

Chapter Text

The plateau is now called Rungholt and considered an island, while Doggerland now lies deep below the seafloor.

For the greedy people, a lot things changed abruptly. The flood and the disappearance of Doggerland deprived them of the amber strewn beaches, as well as a direct connection to the mainland. It, also, humbled them, showed them the power of our beloved Gods.

In fear of the twins' wrath they began to pray and honor the celebrations. They prayed for forgiveness and actually changed their greedy ways.

They made boats to catch fish, and it was only a matter of time, before one of them came across one of us. I don't remember, who exactly was the mer that met the air breathers, i only remember that they were one of my closer friends.

They warned the people of Rungholt, not to anger the Gods again or it might be their downfall. After that the air breathers installed the sacred rules.

"Pray to the deities for mercy and their blessings.

Sacrifice and say your Thanks when the higher beings are generous.

Leave the bycatch to the sea as an offering when you haul in a good catch.

To catch and kill one of the talking creatures of the sea is a sin and will anger the deities of the sea, so leave them be and release them if one should happen to get trapped in the nets."

No one ever mentioned to them that Nightmare used up too much Magic and fell asleep after he released his hold on the flood and the storm. Now we help Dream watch over him while he keeps the everchanging tides going with every breath he takes.

Ever-forgiving Dream began to answer the prayers of the air breathers, not just of Rungholt, but also along the mainland shore and the many small islands.

It's like that for several air breather generations now.

I know, nothing stays forever, listen to one who's been around a while now, little guppy. Dream's changing us gave us that long of a lifespan.

Between the air breathers is no one alive anymore, who still could remember personally. Not even their grandchildren.

They tell their offspring that we all died when the wave hit. I guess, in the beginning it was to make them aware of the importance of keeping the rules, but now they really believe it, since there's no one around anymore to tell them the truth.

And we keep to ourselves. No reason to tempt fate.

So. Are you satisfied now, little one?

What? Of course, Nightmare will protect you, should you ever get caught in a net. Dream said, his brother keeps an eye on everything, even in his sleep.

And now, off you go. Your friends are waiting at the entrance. Go play. This old sea urchin needs some rest now.

Goodbye, little guppy.

Chapter Text

Es ist bald tausend Jahre her
(Schneller als der Wind, ihr glaubt es kaum)
Versank mein Land im grauen Meer
(Schneller als der Wind, ihr glaubt es kaum)
Ich hab' die Wogen kommen sehen
(Himmel voller Wolken, schwarz und schwer)
Wir werden alle untergehen
(Schneller als der Wind, ihr glaubt es kaum)
Kein Baum, kein Haus wird hier mehr stehen

It's been about thousand years ago
(Faster than the wind, you wouldn't believe it)
That my land sunk in the gray sea
(Faster than the wind, you wouldn't believe it)
I saw Waves coming in
(Sky full of clouds, black and heavy)
We are all gonna go down
(Faster than the wind, you wouldn't believe it)
No tree, no house is gonna remain

Ich war in Doggerland
Und ich sah seinen Untergang
Jeden der dort verschwand
Hab' ich gekannt
Ich war in Doggerland
Tief versunken im Nordseeschlamm
Dort liegt das Doggerland

I was in Doggerland
And i saw its downfall
Everyone who disappeared there
Was familiar to me
I was in Doggerland
Sunken deep in the north sea's mud
There lies the Doggerland

Das Land war voll von sattem Grün
(Frei so wie der Himmel und das Meer)
Die Frauen fein, die Männer kühn
(Frei so wie der Himmel und das Meer)
Wir lebten hinter weißen Dünen
(Taschen voller Gold, was will man mehr?)
Gehüllt in Samt und Hermelin
(Frei so wie der Himmel und das Meer)
Bis einst der Teufel uns erschien

The land was full of lush geenery
(Free like the sky and the sea)
The women fair, the men valiant
(Free like the sky and the sea)
We lived behind white dunes
(Pockets heavy with gold, what else to wish for)
Dressed in velvet and ermine
(Free like the sky and the sea)
Until the devil appeared before us

Ich war in Doggerland
Und ich sah seinen Untergang
Jeden der dort verschwand
Hab' ich gekannt
Ich war in Doggerland
Tief versunken im Nordseeschlamm
Dort liegt das Doggerland

I was in Doggerland
And i saw its downfall
Everyone who disappeared there
Was familiar to me
I was in Doggerland
Sunken deep in the north sea's mud
There lies the Doggerland

Von jetzt auf gleich brach jeder Damm
(Schneller als der Wind traf uns das Meer)
Die See verschlang den ganzen Stamm
(Schneller als der Wind traf uns das Meer)
Nur meine Leiche trieb von Dannen
(Viele Jahre lang weit über's Meer)
Damit sie davon künden kann
(Jedem, der vorbei segelt seither)

Within a heartbeat each dam broke
(Faster than the wind the sea hit us)
The sea swallowed the entire tribe
(Faster than the wind the sea hit us)
Only my corpse drifted off
(For many years far across the sea)
To tell what happened
(Everyone who comes sailing through)

Ich war in Doggerland
Und ich sah seinen Untergang
Jeden der dort verschwand
Hab' ich gekannt
Ich war in Doggerland
Tief versunken im Nordseeschlamm
Dort liegt das Doggerland
Dort liegt das Doggerland

I was in Doggerland
And i saw its downfall
Everyone who disappeared there
Was familiar to me
I was in Doggerland
Sunken deep in the north sea's mud
There lies the Doggerland
There lies the Doggerland