On the Humble Dawn-Sleeper

Excerpt from A Guide to Harvesting and Harnessing All The Wild Has To Offer

(Pages 82-83, from Chapter 5: Water-Dwellers and Amphibians)

The Humble Dawn-Sleeper

Sailors and fishermen who travel the northern frozen seas talk of a legendary, ancient monster which devours entire ships of helpless seafarers. They call it the Arctic Reaper, and perhaps you have heard of it. I will share with you some rare knowledge. I know well the beast they fear, and it is not a monster nor a vengeful god. It is a natural shark, and its name is the Humble Dawn Sleeper. And it is indeed legendary, for a single one of these sharks can live for over a thousand years, and grow larger than three or four longships together. Colliding with one would surely devastate any vessel, but the Humble Dawn-Sleeper resides very deep in the ocean, and is unlikely to surface unexpectedly. A competent sailor should see one coming and navigate around it. Their skin is pale or dark gray in colour, with white fleck sometimes visible on their backs. They have short fins, small eyes, and rounded faces.

The Humble Dawn-Sleeper is named so because it is a lethargic, slow swimmer, due to its giant size, and there is no known elder creature in the north seas, thus, it is said to have been sleeping since the dawn of time. It is also a serene creature, and is not aggressive. It does not attack boats, despite what the tales would have you believe. Only fools should fear the Humble Dawn-Sleeper. My people have a tale of our own of the Dawn-Sleeper, that they are the ancient sentinels of peace in the sea, the children of the ocean god. They are anchors of balance and bring order to the turbulent sea. Once, in the time of the Infant World, the ocean god’s tricksome brother tried to sow chaos in the sea by sending one of his servants of the depths, a luminous crab, quick and small, to blind the Humble Dawn-Sleeper. The agile crab latched its claws into the Dawn-Sleeper’s eyes and held fast, destroying the shark’s sight, but paragon of serenity, the Humble Dawn-Sleeper was unaffected, and simply swam on. To this day, the crab tries to keep the shark from its duty by destroying its eyes, but it never succeeds.

In the winter, the Humble Dawn Sleepers gather in the shallow waters below the Great Bend, along the cliffs of the coast of the northern highlands, in what must be hundreds. In the spring, they travel further north, and break apart the sheets of ice the ocean had frozen into with their giant bodies so that the new water may flow. There is a festival marking the true beginning of world winter held when the Humble Dawn-Sleepers arrive in the Bend each year. Tragedy, reader, that you will never witness such a grand thing. It has been centuries since the Humble Dawn-Sleepers gathered in the Great Bend, and as long since one has been seen any any other than the ignorant sailors who cry of doom, so self-centered are they that to them the majesty of nature is a threat. You will never be able to hunt and kill a Humble Dawn-Sleeper, not only because you will likely never see one, but because they can only be slain by a specially-forged harpoon that has been blessed by the ocean god. So, you may think there is no purpose to me telling you of the Humble Dawn-Sleeper, but know I do so in the hope of someone remembering it as it was once known. Thus I describe it as if it still is.

Suggested uses for various components of the Humble Dawn-Sleeper

The Skin

The Humble Dawn-Sleeper’s skin is toxic. Cut it away, and cut into pieces. It can be touched with bare hands, but do not ingest and do not touch face after handling without first washing hands thoroughly. The skin can be used to make dyes for for fabric, or measured in small quantities has a variety of medical applications. It can be used to make a tonic that invigorates one’s bowels or empties one’s stomach, should such a thing need be done. A material can be extracted from it which can also be used as a temporary paralyzer or numbing agent, which can be useful for surgery.

The Meat

The meat of the Humble Dawn-Sleeper should not be consumed raw for risk of making oneself sick, but when prepared properly, it is safe. First, gut and behead the shark and bury in shore-stones, and leave for two to three moons. Retrieve shark and cut meat into strips and hang in stone-earth for several more moons. During this time a crust like tree bark will form on the meat. By the new season, the meat will be ready to eat. Cut away the bark, cut into pieces, and serve. The meat will have properly fermented and no other cooking is necessary. This was once a delicacy in the north, but I am told it is an acquired taste.

The Teeth

The Humble Dawn-Sleeper’s teeth are very different on the top and bottom of its mouth. The upper teeth is in two rows, flat and pointing downward, and are not serrated like some other sharks. These can be carved into arrowheads, or worn as jewelry. The teeth on the lower jaw are square, interlocked in three rows and alternate pointing side to side. Keep in arrangement when removing, and thread matching teeth together to create a sharp weave that can be affixed to armour, shields, or war-clubs. Careful not to put your hand on it, they cut extremely deep and you may lose your fingers before even realizing what is happening.