Tribal Orc birthday sacrifice Tradition / Ritual in Dragon Flight | World Anvil
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Tribal Orc birthday sacrifice

Each birthday in the Orc Tribe is commemorated by a sacrifice. The more powerful or significant the sacrifice, the greater the coming year will be and the more strength that Orc will gain during that year. An Orc is not considered grown until they are able to hunt and sacrifice their own prey.   Fathers hunt when the mother of their child is close to giving birth; those that are able to bring their prey home before the child is born, are expected to have children that are greater at hunting. Those that return with their prey after the child is born feel ashamed and are expected to have a generally weaker child. Some tribes will even kill the child if the father hasn't returned in time, other tribes often have the mother leave to find a better provider. Where the mother is prized herself, for her strengths, many men or women will attempt to bring her a better sacrifice, so that she will choose to stay with them instead of the father.

Execution

The sacrifice must be captured and brought back to the place or birth, or to the child, and slaughtered in honor of the child; praying for strength and skills for the coming year. The child must consume some of the sacrifice, whether the blood or its flesh, so that the ritual is complete.   When the child is able to capture it's own prey and bring it back home, sacrificing the creature themselves, that is when they are considered grown.

Components and tools

Any means may be used to capture the creature, as long as it is ensnared by the person making the sacrifice. The sacrifice itself, must be done with a ritualized dagger, that is passed down to the child when they are able to sacrifice their own prey. Families with multiple children will create new daggers for those children. Those who do not have children to pass their dagger to, are broken upon the death of that Orc. When a dagger is passed down, the one who passed it will create a new dagger for their own birthday sacrifices; which may be passed down as well to other children.

Participants

The child, the mother, and the prey hunter; as well as the prey.   When grown, it is only the Orc and their prey.

Observance

Every year the hunter captures their prey, brings it back to the tribe, and sacrifices it; either for their child or themselves. After the Orc celebrating their birthday consumes from the prey, the meal is shared with the rest of the tribe; so that the tribe can grow strong as well. If another Orc sacrifices for the child as well, the mother will decide which prey that child will eat from, with the remaining meal shared with the tribe as well.   The rituals of the sacrifice involves praising nature, praying for strength and skills, thanking the animal for it's strength, slicing the creature's throat, and taking chosen parts of the creature for consumption. If the Orc, whether child or not, consumes the sacrifice, than the coming year will be one of strength. If not, than the child will be considered weak; and some tribes will then kill the Orc child/adult.

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