The Mare of Mistveil

The winter holiday Mistveil has many legends associated with it, but none as famous as it’s origin tale, the Mare of Mistveil.

AND THE STORY GOES LIKE SO…

In a far away city by the name of Mistveil, three friends were taking a stroll down the streets of their hometown in the crisp winter air.
First was the tailor, who led the way with determination in his step and whimsy in his eyes. Second was the painter, who cautiously followed through the snow-covered streets. Last but not least, the baker, who tagged along while humming a tune.

They approached the town’s local shrine, curious about what the gods had to share today, but something was off as they walked through the vine covered walls. Instead of being filled with play and song as the shrine usually was, nothing but silence swirled around the grounds.
Curious, the three friends approached the heart of the shrine. Instead of finding their god singing of stories long gone inside, there was only a veiled stranger. He turned towards the three and rested his hand on the offering poduim, his veil sparkling in the dappled sunlight. Like the rest of the shrine, he was strikingly off-looking without any particular reason.
The three asked his name, but he simply turned away and told them to this: To save their deity, they had to find some way to bring her back as the “Mare of Mistveil” before the end of the year. The stranger then vanished before their eyes, leaving them with this new information.


Surprised with their new task, the three left the shrine to figure out a plan. Mare of Mistveil? What was that? How could they bring their deity back as whatever it was?
They walked back the way they had came, debating amongst themselves on what to do when the tailor stopped in his tracks and proposed an idea.
Gods evolved through stories, so they’d craft a new story- they’d make a play with their deity being the star of the show. The others were delighted with this idea, and immediately the three set to work.
The tailor brought up the story with his family, who volunteered as the actors. The artist began to paint some art to plan how some of the scenes might look, attempting to capture the exact feeling that their deity always had during her holidays. And last but not least, the chef baked some cookies to share with the local children who helped him come up with the story.
They continued to work, with the tailor making the outfits, the artist making the backgrounds, and the chef using his past skills as a sculptor to help make some of the props. By the time the last week approached, they were ready.


As night fell, they gathered everyone from every corner of the city and began the performance, telling of a great horse spirit who gave the gifts of dreams to the kind ones and the stuff of nightmares to the unkind. The play went perfectly, and after the final curtain call, they were all greeted with a surprise.
Hidden amongst the set, the stands, and the entire theatre was hundreds of gifts- each addressed to someone who attended or participated in the performance. The contents of the gifts varied- each aligning right with the giftee’s dreams, just like in the play.
This wasn’t planned at all. The three friends were just as confused as the rest of the crowd when a strange glow came from outside the theatre. They rushed outside into the bitter cold and snow, trying to find it’s source.
They trudged through the freezing fog as the wind howled around them, the glow getting closer and closer until it was revealed. Their deity stood before them as the mare from the story, eyeing the three of them before stepping forward. She thanked them all for giving her this new form, and told them that in a few years time the city would be destroyed. They’d have to leave, but she told them to share the day with the rest of the world. While they may not be able to save their home, if they kept the story alive they could bring a little bit of it with them wherever they went. They heeded her word, and brought the spirit of Mistveil to even the furthest reaches of the continent.

VARIATIONS AND THEORIES

There are a lot of variations to this tale- one of the most popular ones being that this unnamed deity herself had to create the play for her own survival while using her powers to punish those who tried to stop her with unrelenting nightmares and rewarding those who helped her with dreams. This variation is usually found in eastern Valyria, while the “first” version seems to be most common in a few areas in the north.
Other variations are sprinkled all throughout the continent, with a few elements in common- a city named Mistveil, the mare herself, a dying deity (usually also the mare), and cookies. The other parts make sense, but why the cookies? Nobody really knows, but the consensus seems to be “Because cookies, that’s why.”


As for the theories, a ton of ruins were recently uncovered in the north also dating back to before the blank period. A lot of people thing that they are the ruins of the city of Mistveil, though it has yet to be confirmed.
In a lot of versions of the story, the city was destroyed by some sort of cataclysmic storm after the people left it, leaving theorists to think that it may have been destroyed by a flare from the rings.

THE HOLIDAY IT CREATED

The holiday Mistveil was created around this story, with the general gist of it is decorating the area with lights to attract the Mare, and if you are good she will give you the stuff of your dreams (or nightmares if the opposite was true).
Most of the presents are from parents, relatives, or friends, however it is not unheard of for a few extra presents to appear throughout the house without anybody’s knowledge. There have been a lot of investigations into these extra presents, but so far nothing has been found.
Apparently the Mare hasn’t quite forgotten about what happened all those years back.

In Literature

Multiple books feature the Mare of Mistveil as a character, plus there are multiple poems written about her. One of her most notable appearances in literature is in one of the most popular YA novel series on the continent where she appears as a mentor for one of the main characters.

In Art

There are many murals and tapestries depticting the legend, some even dating back to a similar time as when the legend formed. There are also a few songs related to the holiday that are still sung to this day.

Found in:
Valyria

Date of First Recording

Unknown, but supposedly since before the blank age.

Date of Setting

"On the darkest night before the sky lit up", whenever that was.

Trivia

• There are still some sightings of the Mare even though it's been centuries since the legend supposedly took place. She's most commomly spotted by the supposed "Mistveil ruins".
• Setting cookies out during Mistveil seems to get her attention more, and usually you will find more gifts afterwards.