An Time

An Time is the phrase that is used to refer to the mythical time before the gods were created. Miranen mythology holds that the universe was originally populated by an advanced race, the An, who destroyed themselves when they created the Haltai.

The An
The An are a mythical species of being that existed in the time before the gods were created. They are described as being short, with "every feature as round as a nut," and possessed three fingers on each hand and three toes on each foot.

In the myths surrounding them, the An were highly advanced. They had evolved to the point where they no longer had to deal with the tedium of caring for their house, raising crops, or otherwise handling manual labor. Instead, they spent their time on the pursuit of knowledge.

Eventually, the An learned the secret to creating life. They decided to use the secret and create a new race of beings. However, their efforts were extremely dangerous. They succeeded in creating the Haltai, but their entire species was destroyed as a result. This is typically described as their world burning to ash, and it is said that when the fire went out it took all light in the universe with it.

In Miranen Culture
The mythology of the An serves as a foundation for one of the most important notions in Miranen culture: the idea that invention and the pursuit of science or advancement (especially if you neglect caring for your home, crops, family, etc.) is a terrible idea that will only wind up harming you and those around you.

While the An are one of the most common Miranen myths, it's worth noting that they are believed by the Order of Scripts to be entirely fictional. The Order believes that the Haltai created themselves from nothingness and thus defined the very idea of being.