Amanda Wiinters

The Golem Amanda Wiinters

The story for this takes place a few years after the indents that took place in "Abode of the Dead". Alia marries Arran and they have twins, a boy and a girl through supernatural means. In spite of their desire to live in peace, they discover that the Queen Sherh-Shul never stops pursuing them because of her lost chance at immortality through drinking Arran's blood. To keep her children safe, Alia sends them into the mountains one day and they find their way to the Abode of the Dead, where they find a black clay statue that houses the body of a fifteen-foot giant. In ancient time, when the world was warmer, giants used to roam the world who were immortal and were the size of of small trees. Since they were an ancient race, ad had skin fair and white as ivory, golden hair and golden amber eyes. No one knew where they came from and the legend was that they were the offspring of the gods and ordinary men and women of much smaller size. However, when the world grew colder and the flora shrank in size, and smaller humans evolved from small, ape-like creatures began to spread throughout the world. Less of the giants were born in each passing generation and in desperation a chief of these giants asked the World Mother through a shaman for an answer. The dire answer that was given was: "The goddess says that she will not save your people. Yours is a dying race. Eventually all your people will perish. Either by war, or disease, or famine. There will ultimately be not a single white giant left in all the world, in a single generation." When asked what will cause the goddess to help them, the shaman pointed to men who preferred to be with men rather than seek a wife. This results in something like a holy war to eradicate the world of these individuals. Unfortunately the giant Etlu was one such giant. The story follows the life of Etlu as he leaves the village and journeys to the city of Kurgal where he meets Amenthas, a priest of Arraneth. A deity in black robes and a silvery mask, seemingly able to journey from the world of the gods to speak to his worshippers and priests. Arraneth is quite different from many other deities as he does not oppose the joining of beings of the same gender. Yet, for reasons unknown to Etlu and Amenthas he advises against their union. "The Golem" is a tale that is the second book in the "Lord of Life" series that examines the issues of religions, spirituality, belief and homosexuality.