Lithomachy

'The Hours tried to bury the memory of what happened to the Wheel, the Flint, the Tide, and the Seven-Coiled, but the Dove won't permit it.'
'The World Does Not Weep'

The Lithomachy (from Ancient Greek lithos "stone" and machia "battle"—a reference to the Titanomachy) is an unofficial name for the sequence of events surrounding the death of the gods-who-were-stone. Also called the Extirpation, this period marked many significant changes in the hierarchy of the Mansus, as new gods were born and usurped the gods-from-stone who had reigned since before the existence of humanity, the ways of the House were reshaped by the Forge of Days, and mortals became able to ascend and become Hours themselves.

Background

'Xi describes the rites of the gods-who-were-stone, the first Hours, as practiced before the existence of human civilisation by the Carapace Cross.'
'Songs of the Carapace Cross'

In the ancient days of the Mansus, the gods-from-stone ruled and were worshipped by the Carapace Cross, the predecessors to humanity. It is never explained where these Hours came from, or how long they reigned – it is simply stated that they existed before any living memory can recall. These gods were the Horned Axe, the Wheel, the Flint, the Tide, the Seven-Coiled, and the Egg Unhatching, and seemed to represent primordial, prehistoric forces.

While an exact timeline is unknown, several early events likely had some part in causing the Lithomachy to occur:

• The rise of the Moth and the Red Grail, the first gods-from-blood. It is disputed which of the two Hours came first, though both arose in the days before the Wood’s darkening. The Moth arose from a chrysalis of black and white, to which birds of the air were sacrificed, while the Red Grail rose from a crimson well in which beasts of the earth were drowned.
• The descent of the first gods-from-Light from the Glory, the Sun-in-Splendour and the Forge of Days. Their arrival is said to have fundamentally changed the Mansus.
• The birth of Humanity. While several different origins to mankind are presented, the one most frequently referenced is the Shearing of the Carapace Cross, in which these ancient beings cut off their wings and hair and pass within Humanity.

For some time, some remnant of the Carapace Cross and Humanity existed simultaneously. But mortals were barred from entering the Mansus. Humans lived in the dark, and while some like the Unwise Mortal entered the service of the gods-from-stone, it is implied that most were treated with hostility. In particular the Seven-Coiled is presented as a hungry monster with a disdain for humanity. Conversely, though, there are stories of mankind making sacrifices of blood to the Red Low Sun, by which it knew us and was kinder.

The Extirpation

'The assassins of the Tragulari, who end the long lives of Long, tell stories of the wars between the Hours in the dawn of the world, when the sun was red and low - wars where the savage sound of savage bells unravelled the light of moon and sun...'
'The Dartsmen'

Whether a singular movement or a sequence of independent actions, the gods-from-stone were killed and replaced by these new Hours and rebels from among the ranks of Humanity:

• The Wheel had its skin stolen and was usurped from within by the Moth.
• The Tide was drained by the Red Grail.
• The Flint was shattered and eclipsed by the Forge of Days.
• The Seven-Coiled was slain by the Colonel, scarred by the "traitor gods" to protect him from the monster and aided by a priestess who would become the Mother of Ants, making them two of the first gods-from-flesh.
• The Egg Unhatching, fearing its death, fled to the Glory, but still ultimately ended up dead in Nowhere. But some fragment of his power was retained by a mortal servant of his, likely the Unwise Mortal, who became the Watchman.

Additionally, the Forge of Days opened the ways of the Mansus, “despite the screams of stone”, and humanity, led by the Colonel and the Mother of Ants, stormed the gates of the House to become the first Know. With the Mansus opened to mortals, various gods-from-flesh would begin to appear, including the Ring-Yew and the Twins.

The war between the Hours was only halted by the appearance of Worms, who feasted upon and bred within the corpses of the dead gods-from-stone, and threatened to consume existence.

The Restitution

'The writer credits the Red Grail, the Ring-Yew and the Horned-Axe - the powers the Sisterhood reveres - with agreeing a final treaty between the Hours of the House and the Hours they'd displaced... '
'The Morphy Codex'

The Lithomachy finally ended when the last god-from-stone, the Horned Axe, made a pact with the Red Grail and the Ring-Yew, who had ascended sometime after the opening of the Mansus. As recompense for the death of the Horned Axe’s siblings, the Red Grail sacrificed one of her Names, who loved the Yew. This Name ascended through the Peacock Door and became the Thunderskin.

Aftermath

'Perhaps these are glories... but then it cannot be that Glory is merciful.'
'In Memory of Gods'

It is often debated among occultists whether the Lithomachy was justified or not. Some argue that the gods-from-stone were cowardly and vile, standing in the way of mankind and their ascension into the House. Others condemn the usurper Hours for their crimes, and regret the destruction of the old gods.

Regardless, none debate the significance of these events. With the gods-from-stone gone, the Sun-in-Splendour, mightiest of the Hours, began his reign of the House of the Sun. The current structure of the universe was set in place, as mortals who entered the House became Know and sought to ascend further, to become Long, Names, and even Hours.

But the dead gods are not gone from this world completely. Their echoes can still be heard in the Mansus, and their duties and roles in the House were not completely usurped by those that killed them. Among the forces in the Mansus and the Wake still tied to them are the following:

• The Horned Axe remains, the last god-from-stone, guarding the passages of the House.
• The Wheel seems tied to the birth of not just the Moth, but also the Velvet, who awoke when the wood-roots tasted blood, as well as the Thunderskin, who now serves in his stead as a protector of the world. And in the House of the Moon, the Wheel still turns, and may someday return.
• Additionally, the blood of the Wheel and the Flint lives on in the line of Antaios and the Children of Earth.
• The Egg Unhatching could return one day as well, and may have already, with the existence of a current Hour known as the Egg.
• The Seven-Coiled is tied to the birth of not only the Mother of Ants, but her Younger Sisters who still guard many ancient locations, as well as the Ligeian known as Medusa.
• The corpse of the Seven-Coiled, and likely the other dead Hours, also became the breeding grounds for the Worms which threaten to consume existence to this day.
• While the other Hours would prefer to forget the gods-from-stone, the Elegiast ensures that the world still remembers the colours lost.

What Remains

'…Why the labyrinths? Because, the legionnaires say, there are Hours ruling now who would fight to consume the last scraps of their old enemies; and those who feast would eclipse those who abstain…'
'The Watchmen'

Though the passing of the gods-from-stone is ancient history, their ultimate fate is a subject of particular focus in the endings of Book of Hours, depending on the History recorded by the Librarian...

• Remembered - Many of the Hours would prefer the old gods were forgotten, their last vestiges erased from existence. But Histories may be written in which the memory of stones will be preserved, so that the past may never be erased by Eternity.

• Consumed - The remnants of the gods-from-stone were hidden, so that none may be tempted to devour them completely. But Histories may be written in which the feast will be fulfilled, where the old word will feed the new, and the bloody gods will have their hungers satisfied.

• Revenged - Though dead, the gods-from-stone are not entirely gone, and paths for their return have been left often. Histories may be written where one or more of the gods-from-stone rise up once more, to enact their vengeance upon the world.

• Reborn – There are ways by which the gods-from-stone may be restored, colours long lost brought back to the world. Histories may be written where old-new gods arise, and compromise might be found between the world that was and the world that is.

Other Notes

• While a starting date is difficult to place for the Lithomachy, it seems likely to have extended through prehistory for humanity into the Bronze Age. Many of the deaths of the gods-from-stone can be interpreted as changes in human civilization, such as the shattering of the Flint by the Forge marking the transition from stone tools to metal ones, or the slaying of the Seven-Coiled representing a transition from myth to history, as the Colonel goes on after this legendary event to found Mycenaean Greece.
• Ghirbi, the Name who watches over the Stag's Door and asks the riddle necessary to pass, was among the company of mortals who first entered the Mansus and became Know, though he regrets this act and his current circumstances.
• It is possible that the Flowermaker is yet another Hour whose origin is tied to the Lithomachy, assuming the "First Forbidden Acts of the Forge" were either the destruction of the Flint or the reshaping of the Mansus.

Sources