Long ago, when the cosmos was being created, the four elemental gods were givenprovidence over their own kingdoms.

Air was the gentle god who gavelife to all living creatures. His domain was the sky and all within it. Hemarried the wild untamed goddess of wind. Together they ruled the skies and allwithin it, including the stars and moon. They made a daughter and called herSelene, and placed her in charge of the stars and moon. She was a creature withlong shining silver tresses that flowed down her graceful form. Her glowing skinwas smooth, porcelain pale with eyes the color of the sky. Her flowing robes wereformed of moonbeams. Her father gave her a harp, which she would play to make themoon rise in the night and set in the day. With her melodies, she pulled back thedelicate black veil to partially or fully reveal, or conceal, her moon atwill.

Selene's one downfall was that she became easily bored. She wasoften lonely and longed for companionship. One night she was playing her harp tomake her moon rise when she saw a boy - no, a tall, handsome young man - with amuscular physique, deep-blue eyes and flowing sea-green hair.

This wasTidus, son of the goddess of water, dancing among the waves, playing a set ofpipes made of coral. His beauty entranced Selene and without knowing it, hergraceful fingers plucked the strings of her harp in a different melody. Thewaters came closer to her.

Tidus halted his dancing and tried to pull hiswaters back. Selene did not like this, so she played her harp faster and evensang along in her melodious voice to give it more power. Tidus looked up and sawSelene sitting serenely upon her throne and was entranced by her beauty. He cameto her then, freely, and sang the song of the sea. Selene ceased her playing androse to meet him. But the moon, jealous of its mistress's lack of attention,reached out its power toward the water.

Just when the two lovers' handstouched the water along, Tidus was pulled away from Selene. Both Selene and Tiduscried out in despair as Tidus tried in vain to pull himself back. Selene wentback to her moon harp and played fervently to bring Tidus back to her. The moonhad to obey and pulled the water in with her lover in tow to Selene. Butoccasionally, the moon rebels and pulls the water back from shore to keep itsmistress's lover away. And so, that is how we have tides, as Selene tries to pullher lover into her, and her jealous ward pulls him back.