Heathen Elf

These elves prefer life within the plains and on the heaths.

Naming Traditions

Feminine names

Some examples of feminine names include Heather, Daisy, and Lilac.  These are not the extent of female names though they do tend to be used often.  Most of the time their names are related to something to parents considered to be pretty.  This by no means was any indication they thought their daughters should be ornamental.  Far from it some of the prettiest plants can also be the most deadly.

Masculine names

Some examples of male names are Heath, Glen, and River.  Like the female names, these are chosen for their implied strength.  The males are considered to be the workhorses of the heathen elves.  This naming convention is currently being disputed by the newer generations.

Culture

Culture and cultural heritage

At one point all elves were the same.  Then there was the separating of ways for the three different groups.  Over the millennia each group became distinct in appearance and lifestyle.  The only things they all still have in common are the wild hunt and their pointed ears.

Common Dress code

The typical garment is made from either wool or hemp. They like it comfortable and warm for the winter nights. With the durability of hemp cloth, they do not need to replace their outfits often.
These garments are usually tan or green during the spring, summer, and autumn to blend in with the natural surroundings. During the winter they prefer either white to match the snow, or if they are in an area that doesn't get snow, they will choose a colour that helps blends into the surroundings.
Heathen elves prefer to walk barefoot.  This is because the blessing of earth is hindered by footwear.

Common Customs, traditions and rituals

With the coming of age rite, the only time it is cancelled is when the double full moon becomes a double lunar eclipse.
On the longest night of the year, the heathen elves gather around the burial mounds to celebrate the dead.  This observance begins at dusk and continues until dawn.  The entire community participates, though the children often fall asleep during the night.  When this happens the older children take them off to their beds then return.

Birth & Baptismal Rites

For the heathen elves, the practice of the blessing of earth is done within three days of the birth. This involves the newborn elf to have their finger pricked and a drop of blood added to the communal soil.  After their blood is added to the communal soil their feet are pressed into the pot, sealing them to the land.

Coming of Age Rites

All elves go on a Wild Hunt for their coming of age.  This can be a trying time for a young heathen elf as some find the rite to be degrading to those who are captured.

Funerary and Memorial customs

When a heathen elf dies they are buried in a barrow mound. These mounds start as a single burial in the center with a ditch surrounding it. Over the centuries more are added to the mound and it grows.

These mounds are visited once a year by the community during the longest night of the year.

Common Taboos

Heathen elves find it unthinkable to miss the annual remembrance of the dead.  The only exception to this is when there is a double full moon on that night.

Corrigenda    Fae    Fae Wildlands      Fae      Elf      Heathen Elf

ANATOMY & MORPHOLOGY
Heathen Elves have golden brown skin tones that glow faintly in the dark. Their sharp-pointed ears have the ability to swivel slightly to catch sound from all directions.
ECOLOGY & HABITAT
Heathen elves live in the heathlands, making their homes in the nearby cliff faces. They use their magic to help the vines grow to cover the entrance to their homes. Their homes are lit by fairy lights.
BIOLOGICAL CYCLE
Female heathen elves are fertile every ten years starting at the age of eighty. Males become fertile at eighty-five. Young elves have the tendency to explore their sexuality before they become fertile and will usually choose whether they prefer the attention of males, females, both, or neither.
BIOLOGICAL TRAITS
Your typical heathen elf is lithe and lean. This does not mean there are not those who tend more to the larger size.
AVERAGE HEIGHT
Heathen elves average between four feet nine inches and five feet eleven inches. There have been known to be exceptions. The females tend to be about one to two inches shorter than the males. Don't let this fool you they are just as capable if in a more subtle way.
AVERAGE WEIGHT
Though most weigh between one hundred ten and one hundred seventy pounds, there have been the exceptions with some weighing up to three hundred pounds.
FACIAL CHARACTERISTICS AND FEATURES
Heathen elven features are quite sharp and angular, their high cheekbones prominently displayed through the use of make-up by both males and females. Their sharp-pointed ears have a tendency to be pierced, either with bone or stone. Their eyes though bright have a decidedly diamond shape to them, narrowing at the corners towards their ears.
PERCEPTION & SENSORY / EXTRASENSORY CAPABILITIES
These elves have a stronger connection to the earth through the birth rites.
With their sharp ears, they are capable of hearing into the upper registers of sound.

Female heathen elf pic crafted on Artbreeder.com Barrow mounds from Bundo Kim found on Unsplash.com Header Pic from Skull Kat found on Unsplash.com