The Beggar King

“Tell me a story.”

Tam blinked. “What?”

“You’ve collected so many. Tell me one.”

He stared at her a long moment, then, “All right. I’ll tell you the tale of the Beggar Moon. The Hunter’s Moon, when the Beggar King hunts his soul.”

“I thought he hunted other people’s souls.”

“Depends on who’s telling the story. Be quiet.”

Veray hid a smile and settled back to let the story pour around her, like the light of the Beggar Moon itself.

— Excerpt from Beneath the Thorns
by Leigh Janzen

The Beggar King is a dark character of myth believed to walk the world seeking souls, whether his own or others depends on the tale. But he is a convenient bogeyman for mothers wishing to hurry their children off to bed. "Go to sleep or the Beggar King will find you."

What he does with the souls he captures depends greatly on the tale as well. In some he consumes them. In others he feeds them to the flock of ravens or daemon cats--depending on the telling--that follow in his wake. Still others have it that he holds the souls enthralled, their former owners left to wander mindlessly for eternity in his wake as one more member of his ragged court.

But in all cases he is said to walk abroad beneath the light of the full moon. Though it is the Beggar Moon, the Hunter's Moon, the great golden-red moon of autumn, which is most associated with him.

Raven Crow Night by Alexas_Fotos

This is of course convenient for any children who are avoiding bed at any other time or season. But maternal storytellers are often quick to point out that the stipulation of a full moon is applicable only to the Beggar King himself. His entourage of ensorcelled beasts might find the deviant offspring at any time.

Spread

While the figure of the Beggar King is most popular in the northern reaches of the Bound Realms and the border lands of the Outer Realms, he has found his way into the ballads and tales of most cultures within the vicinity of the Encircled Sea .

Variations & Mutation

Raven Landscape Lake by Mystic Art Design

While some versions of the tale have the Beggar King accompanied by a clowder of daemon cats, others have it as a flock of ravens. The ravens are the more common variant in the northern kingdoms.

In some tales the Beggar King is hunting the souls of evil doers, or naughty children. In others he hunts his own soul. Most commonly--particularly in the southern regions of the Bound Realms--the storytellers have it that he hunts the soul of any young maiden foolish enough to walk alone beneath the light of his Beggar Moon.

Pretty girl, The Beggar King will keep you. The Beggar King will eat your soul.
— Excerpt from "Beggar Moon"
by Leigh Janzen

In Art

There have been numerous ballads inspired by the tales of the Beggar King. Any good minstrel or traveling player can give you a sampling. But aside from the tales and songs, the Beggar King does not appear in much art within the Bound Realms. As a minor folk character he is not generally considered a fitting subject for most artists who are, after all, creating at the whim of their patron's purse strings.