covara

the fish, long in catching, that divides between boy and man

The covara is a predatory salt water fish that lives in shallow, rocky shoals around the small islands that dot the shores of the Southern Sea. Though not particularly remarkable on it's own, it gained limited historic notoriety as the focus of the "encarga", the coming of age rite of Zahaani males from adolescence into full adulthood.
Once caught by the boy, it is roasted over an open fire, and eaten whole in front of the other men of his family, and sometimes respected male elders. When he had consumed the whole fish, he was proclaimed an adult. The ash from the fire used to cook the fish was smeared along the new man's forehead, nose, and cheeks. The young man is then considered a full adult member of the community and given the responsibilities on the farm, in the community, and on the the fishing boats. One of the adult man's community responsibilities was to find a wife. Though it was a minor secondary element of the ritual, the young man was not officially allowed to begin this search until, over the first few days of his new fishing responsibilities, the ash was completely washed off his face by the sea splashing over the sides of the boat.

History

The rite of encarga originates in a story about a group of men that were amongst the first zaahani to leave Landen with Mara Alvrez. A great deal of experimentation was happening at the time as they tried to learn how to survive without the use of magic. They foraged for all kinds of things, fished in different ways, and tried growing various types of crops. A small group of men attempted to build a fishing boat and took it to sea. They were swept out to sea and their boat capsized and was dashed against the sharp rocky outcrops that poked out of the water around the shores of a small island. Stranded, the men were unsure what to do and had brought no food. They had however, brought several types of worm and insects they had been intending to use as bait to see what was most effective. As they worked to figure out a way to leave the island and return to the mainland, they executed their experiment in the shoals and bits of open water amongst the jagged rocks. The only fish of any size that lived amongst the rocks and shallows, was the covara. They caught and roasted the fish on small fires they were able to build, but due to the difficulty of catching them, and their relatively small size, they were forced to eat the entire fish from teeth to tail, for fear of starvation. Eventually, the men discovered that the small fish would ignore most of their bait, but of the couple worms that would draw their attention, the small carnivorous biteworm was the one they seemed to like best. Over a couple of days, the men were able to construct a small raft that ironically proved to be more sea-worthy than the boat that's wreckage they had used to build it. They returned home with stories of their ordeal, a new respect for the sea, and as proof of their dedication to Embranda (their ideology that forbid magic use at all costs).

Observance

When a zaahani male reached "shaving age", usually around 13 or 14, they were considered a "kweno barbidor" or "little shaver", often just "barbidor". This would be proclaimed to the community the boys father or uncle, and he would then be given his razor, which was a major symbol but also serious investment. Once they had been declared barbidor, a boy was theoretically allowed to begin the rite of manhood, the encarga. In practice however, this was not encouraged or expected of a boy until at least 15 or 16, as the skills and knowledge needed to complete the rite could not even be taught to them until they had fully left their mothers care and joined the men in the fields and more importantly, on the boats.
The rite of encarga was considered simply to be the whole consumption of a covara, what made it so difficult however was the steps leading up to that consumption. They were many, and dangerous. They could be begun at any time and take as long as needed, with each step repeated as many times as needed.

journey north into the forest to gather branches or fell small trees

build a sea-worthy raft

find a biteworm nest and collect a pouch full for bait

take to the sea in the raft

journey to one of the small rock islands along the coast with a rod and line

fish for and catch a covara

return it safely to the shore and gather the men

build a small beach fire

roast the whole covara

consume it completely

declare yourself a man

receive the marks and congratulations of your fellow men

With all of the dangers, skills, and personal fortitude needed to complete these steps, and to do so without resorting to the "evils" of magic. It is no wonder that boys dying as a part of the full ritual was far from unheard of. Most who failed were due to drowning on the way too or from one of the islands, or even reaching one of the islands but dying of starvation or injury. A few even bled to death attempting to gather the needed biteworms. Due to the danger and difficulty, it was common for barbidor to attempt various steps many times, and to not complete them until they were in their late teens or even early twenties. Some few never completed the ritual at all, and were never declared men. These few would not be allowed to marry or have a family, and would instead spend their adult life as a part of their family household, helping with the home and farm, but never being allowed out to sea. These few "adult shavers" were not especially shunned or condescended to, in fact they often took on important and respected roles in their family, they were simply excluded from the elements of life reserved exclusive for men, or women.
For those who successfully completed the often years long ritual, they had proven their strength and skill, and their dedication to the embranda, and were granted the full responsibilities of an adult zaahani man.

"A man must be strong, of course, but he must be prudent, disciplined, and skilled also. There is no better test of these things, than the covara."

- Felip Camara, Blademaster (255AS)

Primary Related Location

Southern Sea

Related Ethnicities

• Olde Easterner
• Zahaani