Old Gaiad/51

In the wake of the great destruction, there was hope

The dark age began. Romer’s gap was on the world with seemingly no life, yet life thrived

The daughter in the 20th generation of Silvio there was Rhea

Carbonifer bore Rhea two sons: Romulus and Remus

And these sons would define the world, and so we call this era the Carboniferous period

Romulus and Remus argued where to found their nations. Romulus said the great Palatine Hill rising up from the waters of the river Mississippi, and Remus said the small Aventine Hill, below the river Mississippi

Romulus gouged out the eyes of Remus and said, “If you shall not look up to see the stars you do not need your eyes” and so Remus lived the rest of his life under Aventine Hill. To this day the sons of Remus live only underground, in salty aquifers

Romulus Remus Romulus climbed out onto land like so many brothers before him, with pierced spiracles on his sides and six legs

Romulus was ripped apart and so his son succeeded him: Hexapus

Hexapus bore two sons: Vernus and Proturus the Coneheaded

Proturus became ancestor of the house of Coneheads

Proturus the Coneheaded Vernus became the father of Tails and Collembo

Vernus and his wife Collembo became the ancestor of the Springtails

Tails had many tails and so he was loved by all

Tails bore two many-tailed sons: Dipluron and Ectognus

Dipluron became father of the two-pronged bristletails

Dipluron Ectognus begat Archegnos and Zerygos

Archegnos became ancestor of the Jumping Bristletails

Archegnos Zerygos begat Zygentos and Pterygos

Pterygos lived under the water. He built gills for himself

His gills filled his spiracles with air.

Pterygos begat Isopter the twenty-gilled

Barameda Barameda chased down Isopter

So Isopter climbed out of water onto a tree

And soon he needed air, so he jumped, and his gills glided him down slowly to the water

Isopter begat Dezotopter the eighteen-gilled

He took his son up a tree, and pushed him off, and Dezotopter flew to the ground more elegantly than his father

Each generation glided more elegantly than the last

Dezotopter begat Seizapter the sixteen-gilled

Seizapter begat Quatorzapter the fourteen-gilled

Quatorzapter Quatorzapter begat Duzapter the twelve-gilled

Duzapter Duzapter begat Decapter the ten-gilled

Decapter begat Octapter the eight-gilled

Octapter begat Hexapter the six-gilled

And Hexapter was greater than his ancestors.

In adulthood Hexapter reopened his spiracles to the air, but kept his gills, and with muscles he flapped them, he could fly even from the ground

Hexapter begat Insectus

Just like his father Insectus lived life first underwater, and when he came of age he spread his wings and flew

Insectus became father of the insects

Insectus Insectus begat Ephemeros and Draco

Ephemeros was an absent father. When he was young he had a million children and died the same day. Without a father his children did the same thing, and have been doing this each generation to this day.

Mayfly Prom The sons of Ephemeros, the Mayflies, all have a giant prom every May, and then they all get pregnant and die.

It works for them but not for us. If you are human don’t follow the example of Mayflies

Draco lived his life with more patience than Ephemeros. He shortened his tails to fly

Draco bore two sons Neopter and Odonatos and raised both in the Rhine

Neopter folded his wings and walked on land, he flew when he needed and ate plants

Odonatos had broad wings but couldn’t walk for his legs were solely for hunting, he flew everywhere and ate his own brethren, sons of Neopter and Ephemeros

Neopter Odonatos The sons of Odonatos are known as Warriorflies. Dragonflies Griffonflies and Damselflies are all members of this brave clade

Dragonfly Damselfly The Griffonflies grew almost a meter wide and ruled the skies for 70 million years

Griffonfly And Neopter became ancestor of all other insects: beetles, ants, flies, and a million more