The First Raid
On their 16th birthday a child from Svellbjargheim is finally allowed to join the rest of the village on a raid. They will leave their home at the next mid winter and will return just in time for the next Soulstice. If the child manages to return from this journey they are allowed to call themselves an adult.
History
This ceremony evolved from the tradition to take a child out sailing when they came of age. This was intended to learn them how to handle a ship for the purpose of fishing or trading. But as the people of Svellbjargheim became more warlike the tradition became more focused on the raiding.
Execution
On the morning of their 16th birthday the child is violently woken up with the sound of bells ringing. The child, thinking that the village is being attacked will either reach for their weapon or cower under their bed. Their family will then either congratulate them on their warrior spirit or laugh at their cowardice.
The child is then taken to the hearth were the rest of their extended family and friends are already waiting for them. They receive all types of gifts: from a new drinking horn to spiced goat meats. However the most important gift they will receive on that day is a new weapon, imbued with the bones of a recently diseased family member. It is this weapon with which they will hopefully claim adulthood in the battles to come.
The raiders will leave at mid winter, when the coldest time of year has passed. On the ship all sailors share the work load equally, although adults will often take over the heavier tasks from their younger fellows in the name of good spirit. When the raiders finally make landfall the youth will be met with a most miraculous sight: verdant hills and snowless peaks. During their time up north the young raider will face many adventures and will have to show his true mettle if they want to survive the onslaught of hostility. Once the raiders have captured enough prisoners and booty they will return to their home in the south, making sure they arrive before the next Soulstice. If the child has survived this adventure he will be considered an adult. Upon arrival on the dock the local tattoo artist invites the youth to write down their first adventure in skin. These first tattoos are often payed for by the raid leader and are as such free of charge for the young adults.
Related Ethnicities
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