Winter Solstice in Llyn
In addition to my standard Summer Camp 2020 Author's note, I'd like to add that this particular article is very much a WIP. It might contain unfinished sections, missing names or temporary placeholders.
Every year the native tribes of Llyn celebrate the Winter Solstice. In Llyn, being the Region closely linked to Winter, the Winter Solstice is the most important event of the year (see the mythology of Adhonaglamar [TO BE PUBLISHED] - the Crone of Winter, one of the Four Dwellers, initially dwelt in Llyn).
Winter means cold, hardship, hibernation. The tribes spent a good part of autumn hunting and gathering food, to store for winter when food and game are hard to find out in the wild.
To celebrate the passing of autumn to winter, the tribes hold a massive feast on the Winter Solstice. The feast symbolizes the last opportunity the inhabitants of Llyn have to eat fresh food, and during the feast they eat lots of it. But this is no mere gorging on food; the tribes use the feast to give honour to Nature, and particularly the Crone of Winter. Every morsel of food is blessed by the shamans and treated with respect during the meal. Nothing goes to waste, nothing is spilled.
The luckiest tribes get to offer their tribesmen the finest food there is to be found in Llyn: fresh meat from a White Mastodon. Mastodons roam the woods of Llyn in small herds. Though sometimes hunted for their pelts and meat, they are revered and respected, as they were beloved by the Crone.
Occasionally, a Mastodon is born with a white/grey pelt. This is a rare occurrence, and when such an animal is found in the wild, it is considered a gift from the Crone to her people.
If a tribe comes across a White Mastodon long before the solstice, it will try to trap the animal and bring it to their village. There it is treated and fed well until the Winter Solstice.
Mostly though the tribes will go out to hunt for White Mastodons in the days before the solstice. The hunters of a tribe compete with each other to bring down the animal, as being able to offer their tribe the meat of a White Mastodon is considered a great achievement.
Whether caught beforehand or hunted in the runup to the Winter Solstice, the White Mastodon will be killed and butchered to be eaten during the feast. Every bit of the animal is used; what isn't edible will find other uses (the pelts for clothing and blankets, the tusks for weapons and decoration, etc.). While one cannot debate taste, the tribes of Llyn none the less claim the meat from a White Mastodon is far tastier than that of a regular Mastodons, or any other animal. Being able to eat its meat at the solstice is considered a sign from the Crone that the tribe is favoured by her during the coming year.
Every year the native tribes of Llyn celebrate the Winter Solstice. In Llyn, being the Region closely linked to Winter, the Winter Solstice is the most important event of the year (see the mythology of Adhonaglamar [TO BE PUBLISHED] - the Crone of Winter, one of the Four Dwellers, initially dwelt in Llyn).
Winter means cold, hardship, hibernation. The tribes spent a good part of autumn hunting and gathering food, to store for winter when food and game are hard to find out in the wild.
To celebrate the passing of autumn to winter, the tribes hold a massive feast on the Winter Solstice. The feast symbolizes the last opportunity the inhabitants of Llyn have to eat fresh food, and during the feast they eat lots of it. But this is no mere gorging on food; the tribes use the feast to give honour to Nature, and particularly the Crone of Winter. Every morsel of food is blessed by the shamans and treated with respect during the meal. Nothing goes to waste, nothing is spilled.
The luckiest tribes get to offer their tribesmen the finest food there is to be found in Llyn: fresh meat from a White Mastodon. Mastodons roam the woods of Llyn in small herds. Though sometimes hunted for their pelts and meat, they are revered and respected, as they were beloved by the Crone.
Occasionally, a Mastodon is born with a white/grey pelt. This is a rare occurrence, and when such an animal is found in the wild, it is considered a gift from the Crone to her people.
If a tribe comes across a White Mastodon long before the solstice, it will try to trap the animal and bring it to their village. There it is treated and fed well until the Winter Solstice.
Mostly though the tribes will go out to hunt for White Mastodons in the days before the solstice. The hunters of a tribe compete with each other to bring down the animal, as being able to offer their tribe the meat of a White Mastodon is considered a great achievement.
Whether caught beforehand or hunted in the runup to the Winter Solstice, the White Mastodon will be killed and butchered to be eaten during the feast. Every bit of the animal is used; what isn't edible will find other uses (the pelts for clothing and blankets, the tusks for weapons and decoration, etc.). While one cannot debate taste, the tribes of Llyn none the less claim the meat from a White Mastodon is far tastier than that of a regular Mastodons, or any other animal. Being able to eat its meat at the solstice is considered a sign from the Crone that the tribe is favoured by her during the coming year.
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Author's Notes
This article was created during Summer Camp 2020 - as such it is a beginning rather than an end; the article will most likely be edited/changed in the future when the world of Adhonaglamar grows. This may explain any lack of visuals or a proper lay-out.
Cover image: from Pixabay. Edited by Errandir, Summer Camp 2020 logo by World Anvil.