Tales of the Dreamstealers

Tales of the Dreamstealers are used by parents and grandparents to soothe and calm children to a peaceful nights rest. The tales themselves vary from storyteller to storyteller, but fit a general pattern of problem solving and happy endings.

Summary

Dreamstealers are imp-like creatures who feast on children's dreams and nightmares. Ferasha have light yellow to orange tinted skin who thrive on happy dreams and promote happiness, goodwill, and productivity, Zimuwi have deep red to navy blue tinted skin who thrive upon nightmares and promote chaos, selfishness, and famine.

Historical Basis

Tales of the contrasting Dreamstealers are told to children to beware dwelling on bad or difficult topics as they drift off to sleep and focus on good or happy thoughts. These pre-sleep rituals are believed to help children avoid nightmares and promote restful sleep.

Spread

Emphasis on the Dreamstealers and their tales varies widely throughout the lands, however the practice of positive story-telling to young children at bedtime is wide spread.

Variations & Mutation

These tales have led to other bedtime rituals such as prayers and the practice of telling happy and postive ending stories to children as they drift off to sleep. Variations include, though not specifically mentinoing the Dreamstealers, the use of lullabyes and songs sung to children, using major keys, simple melodies, and positive imagery.

In Literature

While the tales themselves have not been well documented, the practice of telling positive stories and their effect on children and sleep have been studied in the past. Such research was stopped, when it was found that telling scary or unhappy stories appeared to have severe negative effects on the children.

In Art

A few books and paintings have been made to record the images of the Dreamstealers, but the interpretation of their images varies widely beyond the basic description of their imp-like size and coloring.