
A sweeping, lyrical tale imagines Earth’s earliest days as a fragile mist that must battle fire, water, and the whims of the heavens before it can become the solid world we know. The narrative blends mythic dialogue between the Sun, the stars, and a nascent planet, giving the planet a tender, almost parental voice as it endures cataclysmic eruptions, endless floods, and strange, prehistoric lifeforms. Through vivid, rhythmic prose, the story sets the stage for a grand transformation, hinting at a cosmic order that will eventually give rise to familiar seasons.
When the world finally steadies, four towering princes—embodiments of the emerging cycles—cross paths, each bearing the weight of the Earth’s destiny. Their meeting promises the birth of the seasonal rhythm that will shape humanity’s future, while the lingering chaos of the planet’s formation lingers like an echo. Listeners are invited into a richly imagined prehistory where the forces of nature converse, clash, and ultimately find harmony.
Language
en
Duration
~1 hours (101K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by D A Alexander, David E. Brown, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)
Release date
2020-08-12
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1856–1908
Best remembered for lively Danish fairy tales, this prolific writer gave animals, plants, and natural forces a voice of their own. His stories mix wonder, humor, and a clear curiosity about how nature works.
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