When the gods walked alongside Man, Shiva and his celestial brethren ruled over a time of enlightenment and tranquility. But as is the case of all times of peace, it was not to last. It came to pass that a race of demons known as the Raktabija broke free from their subterranean crypts and spread like a plague on the land, slaughtering all who stood before them. Humanity cried out to the gods for salvation, but the prophecies of the Raktabija proclaimed that only a woman could destroy them. A
