Story of the Bear
Wolf Tribe Story (told in episode #1)
A long time ago, it is said, the Bear was a wanderer, forced out of his ancient burrow by earwigs who drove him mad. For many ages, he wandered the world, always unwanted, settling down long enough to produce young and then again forced to wander to the ends of the earth. One day, the Bear came to a great sea of water, water spread like snow. So angry was the Bear at being driven from place to place that he did not turn back but instead began walking; he walked across the water for sixty days and nights. He walked so far that he came again to land: steep, smooth land. After much walking, the bear came to a cave in the land with a glowing white light within it.
Inside, the cave was so hot that the Bear's fur singed black and the earwigs hidden in the crevices of his body poured out to bask in the warmth. But despite the great burning heat, the Bear was curious to see what lived in the cave and after turning many corners and entering far into the steep, smooth cave, he met the sun. It was then that the Bear realized that he had come to the Ivory House of the East Wind in which the sun had taken refuge from the violence and cruelty of Winter.
Today, the Bear rules all the world from the Ivory House of the East Wind. It is said that he grows fatter each year from the hundreds of animals and people who steal into his house to bask in the warmth of the sun which he keeps there for most of every day. Sho-karok the Far Runner once journeyed all the way to the Ivory House of the East Wind so that he could touch the sun. It is said that the Bear uses his skull as a drinking vessel for the blood of the animals he catches.
Story of the Wolf
Wolf Tribe Story (told in episode #1)
First Man and First Woman fell into Winter out of a hole in the sky. Naked, they lay in the snow, young and weak and pink; the first wisp of hair had not yet grown on their heads. Too astonished and helpless to move, they lay crying for the Sky World to take them back as their skin changed from pink to white. So white they became that they could not be distinguished from the snow. So cold they were that they ceased even to cry as ice filled their mouths.
Though mute and white the children were, the Wolf found them with her cunning scent. But instead of eating them, Wolf placed her belly over them and let them suckle at her teats. Thenceforth, she raised First Man and First Woman as he own children; she hunted for them, she carried them on her back when they were tired, she taught them the harsh way of Winter and even when she lay old and dying, she commanded them take her skin when she died and make their clothes of it.
Although she has died, it is said, and withdrawn from Winter, a time will come when we must return the favour of the Wolf. Because Wolf will come again to Winter, born from Sky World through a hole in the Sky; when that day comes, he will by right suckle at a mother's teats and clothe himself in the skin of man.
Story of the Mammoth
Wolf Tribe Story (told in episode #1)
Before Winter, long ago, men lived in a place called Summer. In the world of Summer, there was game beyond number and fountains of metal and wood sprang from the ground when it was pierced by a spear. When men lived in Summer, everything was easy: bellies were always full, children all grew up to be big and strong and all the world was ruled by a giant named King.
King surrounded himself with many councilors -- wise men and women from every corner of the world. Despite the abundant wealth and the universal happiness of all the people, King and his council met many times, sometimes to feast, sometimes to sing, sometimes to celebrate but sometimes they met to discuss things far off.
It is said that at one of these councils that discussed things far off, the Mammoth sat at King's right hand. Because the Mammoth was the oldest and wisest of all creatures, he could remember a time when all was not bountiful, when it was cold and men died for lack of warmth. The Mammoth told King much secret lore about the beginning and ending of the world and when King had heard the secret counsel, he called for the most devoted and dutiful man in all the world, Va-Zohm to come to him and attend the council. When Va-Zohm presented himself, King ordered for him to be killed, his throat cut. King himself then slit the man's chest open. Holding the first fire drill in his trunk, the Mammoth reached his trunk into the chest and moments later, withdrew it, wreathed in flame.
It is said that every flame since kindled takes its spark from the Mammoth's first fire, from the Fire Drilling of the Heart.
Story of the Owl
Wolf Tribe Story (told in episode #1)
It is said that the Owl was not always white but was a grey colour like the Wolf. One day, it is said, the Grey Owl was jealous of the Mammoth for while the Owl cultivated wisdom and remembered every feast song, even those of the other councilors of King, the Mammoth had proven his wisdom by making the Heart Fire.
Envious, the Owl stole into the Mammoth's tent one night on silent wings and quietly unraveled his trunk, to free the Fire Drill within it. But as soon as the Owl seized the drill in his talons, a cold white flame shot up his whole body, transfiguring him into a creature of pure white. So shocked was the Owl that he dropped the drill into the Mammoth's trunk which quickly curled around it, though the Mammoth showed no sign of waking from his deep sleep.
So ashamed was the Owl that the other councilors would see him transfigured as he was that he flew far into the North to establish his court in the Ice House of the North Wind.
Story of the Lazy Huntsman
Wolf Tribe Story (kept by Shotanari, told in episode #7)
Once there was a lazy huntsman who displeased his village by never bringing home any meat. Instead, he would wander aimlessly during the hunts, either tracking the sun as it struggled across the sky or building little igloos or simply daydreaming. After one such day of wandering away from the hunting party, Sho-karok came home to his village to find all the people in mourning for two great bears had set upon the hunting party and devoured all but one of their number. The people chastised Sho-Karok for his laziness and openly wondered whether more might have survived had he stayed with the other hunters for, despite all his sloth, Sho-karok was a skilled spearman. So angry were the people of his tribe that they banished him from their community.
After that time, Sho-Karok wandered farther until one day, he met the Snowy Owl. The Owl took pity on Sho-Karok because he too had known great shame. And so he invited the young hunter to meet him in the Ice House of the North Wind. "But I cannot fly like you," Sho-Karok said. "Your house is far in the North, beyond the Ice Mountains."
The owl smiled at the foolishness of the young man. "Sho-Karok," he said, "I did not learn to fly to my house from the Ptarmigan but rather from the Fox." And before he could ask more, the Owl flew away and vanished.
Perplexed, Sho-Karok journeyed far in search of the Fox and became so quick with his bow and so keen of sight that he could shoot a fox dead from a hundred paces away. When he killed a fox, Sho-Karok would call to the Fox, "Tell me the secret of the Owl's flight and I will leave your kind in peace." But his calls were never answered.
Many years passed as Sho-Karok continued his quest through Winter, hoping to meet the Owl again but to no avail. And after many years, he came upon his people who were hungry and forlorn for food had again become scarcer. But when they saw him, instead of shunning him, they looked on him with admiration, seeing his fat belly and beautiful fox fur coats. "Sho-Karok," they said, "while we have been hungry and cold, you have prospered, even by yourself in Winter. Return to us and become our huntsman."
And Sho-Karok agreed.
Story of the Lynx
Wolf Tribe Story (kept by Zofelar, told in episode #7)
One day, long ago, there were many standing stones that stood all around Winter, different kinds of standing stones -- not just of slate but of all manner of materials: ivory, bone, metal and other smooth hard things that were taken from the Land of Summer. It is said that two of these stones were very peculiar in shape, standing like crouching beasts, part fox, part wolf and part something wholly different.
Orpiror, cleverest of the Earwig Tribe had surveyed the stones many times and decided to lay an ambush for the Mammoth Tribe by moving the standing stones from one place to another. If he moved the stones, he thought, they might think themselves lost and weaken themselves by sending scouts, looking for the way back to their hunting grounds. Then the Earwig Tribe could dine on its favourite food: the soft flesh of babies.
It took many weeks to move the strange standing stones to a place likely to be found by the Mammoth Tribe and well-suited for an ambush. And there was much strife amongst the Earwigs who hate hard work and do not respect their Chieftans. Still, through his powers as an Earwig Shaman and by force, the stones were moved.
And sure enough, just as Orpiror had planned, the Mammoth tribe came suddenly upon the standing stones and was confused and they sent out scouts to see how the could have become so lost in Winter. It was then that the Earwig tribe attacked, falling on the old, the women and the children of the camp. It was in this moment, that Zomanad, Shaman of the Mammoth Tribe heard the voice of the Mammoth speak in his head as often happens to Mammoth Shamans. And he did as the Mammoth instructed and placed his fire drill in the eye of the standing stones.
Suddenly, the eyes of the standing stones came ablaze with a hot orange glow and they sprang to life, attacking the Earwig Tribe and driving them back. It was agreed that day that the Mammoth Tribe should divide in twain, the larger part continuing and the smaller part becoming the Lynx Tribe.
Story of the Fox and the Ptarmigan
Wolf Tribe Story (kept by Fatima, told in episode #7)
One year, the Fox, with all his cunning, tricked the Ptarmigan into foraging for food on the ground by leaving small morsels of food that had fallen from the Sky World. The Fox knew that although the bird ate well half the year, he was often hungry and worse still, missed his friends in the Sky World. As the Ptarmigan drew close to the ground to stare at the shiny treasures the Fox had left glittering on the snow, he cried out in joy.
In this moment, the Fox pounced on the Ptarmigan and pinned him to the snow. The Fox looked greedily at the beating breast of the bird and imagined with great hunger the beating hear buried just beneath it. But just as the Fox bent down to tear out the Ptarmigan's throat, the bird cried out, "Kill me and you will never learn the secret way to the Other World!"
"But I cannot fly," said the Fox, "what use is your secret world to me. I am not a sky creature!"
"That is true," said the Ptarmigan, "but is the House of the North Wind in the sky?"
"No," said the Fox.
"Is the House of the East Wind in the sky?"
"No," replied the Fox again.
"It may be," said the Ptarmigan, "that there are many secrets of this world that can only be seen from the sky."
"I shall not kill you then," said the Fox, "if you show me this secret lore."
The Ptarmigan then told the Fox many secrets and then flew away. But it is said that the Fox profited little by these secrets and grew angry at the Ptarmigan and all his kind. Thus it is that foxes always hunt the ptarmigans, and on rare occasions, when they catch the birds, they wholly eviscerate them, searching for hidden secrets that will profit them more. Because of this, the Ptarmigan has great enmity for the Fox and his kind and flies before him, knowing him to be a breaker of covenants and a despoiler of the slain.
Story of the Collector
Wolf Tribe Story (kept by Shokirin, told in episode #7)
It is said that when the people came to Winter, they angered the Collector, an ancient giant who eats men's souls. For many years, the Collector followed behind the various tribes as they journeyed across Winter and ate the sensitive souls of those who died, every year depleting the people of Winter. Some say that the Collector does not truly consume the souls as they live in his belly and are given by him as tribute to the Bear at the House of the East Wind.
The Collector, depleted the people of Winter so that there were so few sensitive souls that soul-less babies were born and formed the Earwig Tribe. Thus developed the Vigil of the Soul that every mother must keep.
One day, the Collector happened upon a great battle between the Bear Tribe and the Owl Tribe. So great was the slaughter that his hunger was sated by the hundred souls he swallowed in one day. Bloated and tired, the Collector fell asleep in the snow.
It was in this moment that the Owl who had also come to watch over the battle flew at the Collector's sleeping form and pierced his belly with his beak, releasing the souls he had collected. And before the Collector could wake, the Owl flew away and hid atop the Ice Mountains.
When the Collector regained his senses, he felt a terrible hunger, the like of which he had never felt before. And he found over the days that followed that his hunger grew and grew, no matter how many souls he swallowed.
Story of King's Court
Wolf Tribe Story (kept by Fovoldan, told in episode #7)
Long ago, when people lived in the Land of Summer, King held a great banquet for all the animals of the world. At his right hand was seated the Owl and at his left, the Mammoth. At the Mammoth's left hand was the Wolf and at the Owl's right hand was the Bear. But the Ptarmigan had no place at King's table. Because he was not seated at the table, the Ptarmigan ate what little scraps of food and bone were thrown away.
One day, King went away to war against the Earwigs of the North and he asked the Owl to rule in his stead because of his intelligence, pride and mastery. Feeling sorry for his kindred bird, the Owl asked the Ptarmigan to occupy one of the empty seats at the table while King was away.
"Which of the empty seats?" the Ptarmigan asked the regent.
"How many empty seats do you see?" replied the Owl, perplexed. For he saw only one empty seat: that which had been his own.
"I see three," said the Ptarmigan.
The Owl and the Bear laughed at the Ptarmigan's folly for they too could see only one vacant seat. But the Mammoth was troubled. He asked the Ptarmigan to tell him which were the other seats he could not see.
"One is the seat to your right," said the Ptarmigan. "And the other is to the right of the Owl."
Having spoken these words, the Ptarmigan looked downcast. But the Owl and Bear laughed heartily at this; touching his wing to the Bear's paw, the Owl demanded to know how it could be that someone sat between him and the Bear. "Who is this third who walks between us?" he demanded.
"Your pride has indeed grown to overcome your cunning if you cannot see," said the Ptarmigan. "It is for this reason that I have been sent to aid you."
At this the owl laughed. "To aid me?" he laughed.
"Yes," said the Ptarmigan. "For it is clear that you have lost your way to the Sky World. For from the Sky World, I can see all of the places at the table while your great eyes are blind. For they should be looking down instead of up."
At this, the Owl was angry and withdrew his offer of a seat for the Ptarmigan and the bird's counsels were heard no more in the court of King. And so it was that the wisdom of the Owl failed and wise counsel was heard from neither ambassador of the Sky World when King returned for the Owl's counsel had been turned from wisdom to folly and the Ptarmigan's counsel was silent.
Story of the Bear and the Monster
Wolf Tribe Story (kept by Gatain, told in episode #7)
You have heard elsewhere that long ago, the Bear came to a great sea of water which stretched out even to the House of the East Wind. Unsure of what to do, the Bear lay down at the edge of the sea of water and slept. When he awoke in the morning, he brushed the frost off his whiskers and sat up. To his delight, he saw that a part of the sea had turned to ice. Gently, he stepped onto the new ice but as he did, he heard a great rending sound and he watched helpless as the ice onto which he had stepped broke from the shore and, unbidden, floated out into the water.
The Bear, despite his strength and bravery, was very frightened as he felt the ice continue to move under him, bearing him towards the House of the East Wind. For thirty days and nights, the Bear floated helplessly towards the East. And as he floated, he grew more and more hungry until one day, he reached out and dipped his paw into the water. Feeling a strange wriggling sensation, he withdrew his paw and found that impaled on his claws was a strange legless beast. Too hungry to wonder at the beast's kind or origin, the Bear swallowed it in a single gulp. Although foul in taste, the creature sated the Bear's hunger and for the next thirty days, he speared a creature from the water each day on his claws.
After thirty days, the Bear saw that he was approaching a new land, a steep, smooth land. But just as the ice on which he had sat for the past sixty days was about to reach the shore, a huge creature rose up from the water, larger than any beast he had ever seen. Its skin was smooth and hairless, like that of a man but his body was coloured grey; he had no body, only a gigantic head with a vast gaping maw.
"Turn back," the monster said to the Bear. "I am the keeper of the House of the East Wind."
"But the house is mine by right," the Bear replied. "It is my turn to live in the House of the East Wind and bask in the rays of the Sun."
"It is not your turn yet," the beast said. "Go back whence you came."
But the Bear refused. And so, the beast opened its huge mouth and swallowed the Bear and his ice sled.
Suddenly, the Bear found himself in a watery darkness, surrounded on all sides by cold grey flesh. The Bear found too that the water within the beast's mouth was rising and the ice on which he stood was melting. But he was a valiant and courageous creature so he unsheathed his claws and tore at the flesh of the beast. He bit and rent and tore the creature from within. With each tear of the creature's flesh, great fountains of blood erupted. All around, the Bear could hear a terrible screaming noise but he fought on and after many days, he tore through the creature's flesh.
When the Bear emerged from the mouth of the beast, he saw that the whole sea of water was now red with blood. And clinging to the remains of the beast, he floated to the shore and thence made his way to the House of the East Wind.
Story of the Mammoth's Departure
Wolf Tribe Story (kept by Norfinn, told in episode #7)
The day that the Bear arrived in the House of the East Wind, the Mammoth was living in a house made of the thickest, warmest sturdiest wood. Therein, he slept on a bed of moss infront of a great hearth where he burned hundreds of fire drills to bask in their warmth. Like all beasts in the world, the Mammoth nonetheless felt the chill as the Bear's shadow obscured the sun.
While most of the world's creatures fled to one of the four winds, seeking warmth, the Mammoth instead searched for the confused and frightened people who were cowering, frightened, wondering what the meaning of the Bear's shadow could be. One by one, the Mammoth found all the frightened people and led them to his house.
For sixty days and nights, the people stayed in the warm house of the Mammoth while the skies grew dark but after a time, they saw that the fire on his hearth was growing low and cold. For a long time, they stared despairingly into the embers.
It was then that the Mammoth reached up to the ceiling of his house of wood and pulled down pieces of broken wood in his trunk and even as he did so, snow fell through the new opening and doused the fire. Sitting around the dying fire, the frightened people looked up to the Mammoth to rekindle the fire. But instead, he broke his fire drill into six pieces and gave one shard to each of the tribes who crouched around the hearth. And then, without a word, he left.
Although they waited a long time, the Mammoth never returned and so after a time, the tribes held council and agreed that each would take a portion of the Mammoth's house with them. But soon after this was decided, fighting broke out over which portions of the house should be taken by each tribe. It is in the lore of each tribe which portion of the Mammoth's house they took away. But it is known that the Mammoth tribe stayed on the hearth for many more years, awaiting his return. Some say that they are still there, waiting; others say that they followed on his trail while still others say that they have found the Mammoth in a secret warm place.
Story of the First Fire Drill
Mammoth Tribe Story (kept by the son of the chief of the Mammoth Tribe, told in episode #7)
A thousand years ago, in the days before King made his great court at the centre of the world, there was the Mammoth. He and his friend, the Wolf, saw that the people were hungry and cold and lived in abject fear in the ice. So tall was the Mammoth that, seeing that the people lacked his woolly coat or the sleek coat of the Wolf that he determined to raise them up from their suffering.
It was in those days that the Mammoth's trunk was so long that if he raised it and stretched it as far as he could, it could reach even into the Sky World. And so it was that the Mammoth pulled the first wood down from the sky and made from it the first fire drill. The first fire drill was seven times larger than an axe handle and could therefore not be wielded by mortal men.
And so it was that the Mammoth took the fire drill in his trunk and pressed it into the snow. It is said that it is at this place where King built his court at the centre of the world. It is said that when, after a time, the Mammoth saw that the drilling was enough, he left the centre of the world but that King and others, in their folly, missed the warmth that the hearth fire made. And so it was that when the Mammoth left the court of King, the Beast of Vazohm took up his place at the drill. And so on through the ages until the Bear came to the court and, in a rage, swallowed the Fire Drill.
But in swallowing the fire drill, the Bear smelled the scent of the Mammoth upon it. Since the Bear has caught the scent of the Mammoth, he has hunted him everywhere, devouring his children at every turn, leaving their blood spattered on the snow.
Story of the House of the South Wind
Mammoth Tribe Story (kept by the shaman of the Mammoth Tribe, told in episode #7)
Many thousands of years ago, it is said, there lived a tribe of wolf-men -- half wolves who were both wolf and not wolf. This tribe were wanderers through the wastes of Winter, curious, bright and powerful, masters of many crafts.
It was in those days that the Mammoth lived in the House of the South Wind and never came north to Winter. Because the Mammoth tribe had lost their protector, they were reduced to an abject state, always fleeing from one place to another, eking out a miserable existence from scraps of meat and falling into degeneracy.
Being men of knowledge, power and wisdom, the wolf men decided to aid the Mammoth tribe by finding the House of the South wind and leading the Mammoth back to his people. But when they tried to journey south, they found that the Bear guarded that way, for he too was seeking the Mammoth. But the wolf-men were valiant and fought against the Bear and his children. They fought for thirty years, until the mound of bear carcasses reached nearly to the Sky World.
And so it was that even though so many bears had been defeated, their way was still barred by the malice of the Bear who turned his children's corpses into slate. And so it was that the wolf-men turned back and wandered in the snow for many years. It was in those years that they came upon the Mammoth tribe, who, though poor, remembered much of what the Mammoth had told them. And this is what the Shaman of the Mammoth Tribe told them:
Turn aside from the Beast of Vazohm; he will not yet avail you
Turn aside from the Craft of Vazohm; your knowledge of it is not yet complete
Turn aside from the Path of Vazohm; it cannot yet be traversed
Turn instead to fighting the Bear; for this is what Wolves do
Turn instead to the Ivory House of the Rising sun; for it is the Bear you seek
Turn instead to the Secret Way of Porhen; for though the road is hard it can be traveled
Story of the Earwig
Walled Island Wolf Tribe Story (told in episode #19)
The Earwig was, in former times, a creature of no account. He was cruel and slothful, vain yet ugly, a breaker of oaths and cause of many feuds. So it was that all shunned him; yet, because of his slothful nature, he never made his own tents or caught his own meat. Unwelcome, he took to stealing the food and even the warmth of the other animals. So angered were they at the Earwig that they took to slaying his kinsmen on sight. After a time, to avoid the arrows and knives of those who shunned him, the Earwig became a master of stealth who could move unseen and unheard.
So stealthy did the earwig become that he could, after a time, hide in the fur of the other animals; and so he did, hiding next to their skin to keep warm and stealing their food while they slept. For many ages, the Earwig survived like this, learning subtle tricks for tormenting the other animals. It is said that it is because of the thickness of his fur that the Earwig and his kin were able to torment the Bear the worst causing him to go mad.
Some say that, in fact, the Bear is not mad but instead, that the Earwig has crawled inside his head; they also say that it is the Earwig who made the Bear steal the sun.
Story of the Man
Walled Island Wolf Tribe Story (told in episode #19)
Many years ago, so our elders tell us, the King Eider found a great cache of fermented meat. So succulent and abundant was it that, forswearing his way of eating, he opened his gigantic beak and swallowed the meat, yearning to taste that which, by craft, other creatures enjoyed. Not knowing drunkenness, the King Eider veered this way and that through the Sky World, toppling stones, knocking down tent poles and pushing small objects off the edge into Winter.
So it was that First Man and First Woman fell into Winter from the sky. Being creatures of the Sky World, they were not made to survive in the cold and brutal lands of Winter. Naked, they lay in the snow, young and weak and pink; the first wisp of hair had not yet grown on their heads. Too astonished and helpless to move, they lay crying for the Sky World to take them back as their skin changed from pink to white. So white they became that they could not be distinguished from the snow itself. So cold they were that they ceased even to cry as ice filled their mouths.
Though mute and white the children were, the Wolf found them with her cunning scent. But instead of eating them, Wolf placed her belly over them and let them suckle at her teats. Thenceforth, she raised First Man and First Woman as her own children; she hunted for them, she carried them on her back when they were tired, she taught them the harsh way of Winter.
When First Man and First Woman had grown and learned to hunt and clothe themselves in the skin of the animals of Winter, the time came that the Wolf decided to return to her own kind and leave Man and Woman to make their own tribe. First Woman was glad of this for she was already pregnant with the twin children of First Man and eager that she might be considered a mother in her own right. But the First Man was not pleased for, even in the night, when First Woman was asleep, he would steal away from her bed and wander the wastes with the Wolf for there was so much yet to learn about the ways of Winter.
So the time came that the Wolf blessed First Man and First Woman and bade them farewell. And so First Man led First Woman to a place where birds were plentiful and he slew many for her to aid her in enduring the birth of their children. But the first night, when the moon, came out, First Man stole away from his sleeping wife and chased after the Wolf. So it is that First Man's blood runs both in the Wolf Tribe and the Tribe of Man.
Story of the Gyrfalcon, the Wolf and the Bear
Walled Island Wolf Tribe Story (told in episode #19)
Long ago, it is said, when the world was young and all lived in the Land of Summer, the Wolf and Bear were friends who would aid one another in hunting and play and wrestle on the ground when their hunts were over. In those days, the whole world was rich in game and many creatures now lost roamed about the Land of Summer.
In those days, the Bear and Wolf hunted also with the Gyrfalcon who could fly high into the sky and espy the largest, richest herds of animals beyond the horizon. Such a league between beasts there has never since been for, one day, the Gyrfalcon exhorted the Bear and Wolf to climb the Encircling Mountains with him at dusk for he told them that he had discovered a secret that would profit both exceedingly and would make them the greatest hunters in all the world.
Climbing the mountains was a difficult task and it took the Bear and Wolf many days to claw their way up the steep ice slopes. But so great was their fortitude that, after many hundreds of days, they reached the top of the mountains. From thence, the Gyrfalcon showed them the secret lore he had discovered: far beyond the mountains, they could see, across a wide plain, the House of the East Wind where the Sun resided during the night.
Not only was the Ivory House of the East Wind beautiful and radiant but the Wolf and Bear could see that all around it was the largest herd of mammoths that ever they had seen. So it was that the three raced across the plain and set upon the mammoths whom they killed by the dozens, gorging themselves until they could eat no more. As the three lay on the plain, basking in the warmth of the Ivory House, the Gyrfalcon said, "There is too little sport in the killing of mammoths; it is not to hunt the kin of the Mammoth that I brought you here."
"I hunt not for sport," said the Bear, "but to stuff my belly."
But the Wolf was curious and asked the Gyrfalcon why he had brought them to this place.
"Why to hunt the greatest quarry of all," said the Gyrfalcon. "To hunt the Sun."
The Bear laughed at this idea but the Wolf was silent and that night, in his dreams, the Wolf was visited by the Mammoth who spoke to him saying, "I do not begrudge you the lives of my kin for it is in my nature to be hunted. But take this warning to your heart: this plain and the Ivory House are not your place. Nor is the Sun for hunting."
In the morning, when the Gyrfalcon roused the Wolf and exhorted him to come hunting with them, he declined, saying that he had to return to the She-Wolf and see if she had birthed her litter. And so he left his friends who pleaded with him to stay.
"Do not be troubled by your dreams," they said, seeing into his heart, "for we too have been visited by the spirits of the mammoths we have eaten." But their words were of no avail.
And that night, even without the Wolf, the Gyrfalcon and Bear stole into the Ivory House of the East Wind while the Sun slept and crept close to her. Making sure she was asleep, the Bear and the Gyrfalcon set upon her, tearing into her skin. So rich and wonderful was her flesh that the Bear found he could not bear to share his prey with his friend and so, while the Gyrfalcon clawed at her eyes, the Bear opened his mouth wider than it had even been opened and swallowed the Sun and his friend. But, finding the food too rich to eat at once, the Bear belched and out of his jaws flew the Gyrfalcon who was enraged.
It is said that the two fought for a year and a day, breaking the Ivory House of the East Wind but that, nourished by the body of the Sun, the Bear was victorious. And when the Gyrfalcon returned to Summer, driven out by the Bear, he found that he game had vanished and that it had become a waste. Thence he journeyed, seeking the Wolf who he found, eventually, in the Land of Winter but the bond between them had been severed and the Wolf resented the Gyrfalcon for his poor counsel and blamed him for the loss of the Sun.
Since then, all kindreds of creatures have been estranged and combine together only when they must fight the Bear and his kindred who are now stronger than all others owing to the swallowing of the Sun.
Story of the Sleeper
Walled Island Wolf Tribe Story (told in episode #19)
Long ago, there was a great league between the Mammoth and the Sleeper. For, being the wisest of all beings, the Mammoth taught the Sleeper the nature of the Sky World. Even when they lived in the Land of Summer, the Sleeper was always cold and, even when warm, sweated away all his heat. Because he took pity on the Sleeper the Mammoth taught him how to catch the sweat of the Sun, Moon and stars on his tongue. It was in those days that the Moon was always full and she and the stars always blazed bright with the colour of the Sun.
The Sleeper, it is said, was a vain and cruel beast who soon took to consuming nothing but the sweat of the Sun, Moon and stars. But this food could neither fill nor sustain him. And so he asked the Mammoth to teach him how to hunt the stars but the Mammoth would not, saying that it was ordained that only the Eider might hunt in the Sky World. This displeased the Sleeper who renounced his friendship with the Mammoth and set off to seek the counsel of the Eider. But the Eider, being like the Mammoth refused to aid the Sleeper in his quest to hunt the creatures of the Sky.
And so the Sleeper returned to the Mammoth and demanded from him the Starsweat that he knew his former friend secreted away inside one of his ears. But the Mammoth would not yield, saying that he was the keeper of the Starsweat and that he was saving it for some special task whose nature he would not reveal.
Angered, the Sleeper took counsel with the Gyrfalcon who, always seeking a new quarry, was eager to aid the Sleeper in hunting. It is he who taught the Sleeper to fly and who guided him to the sky to hunt the stars. In those days, there were many more stars and those there were also burned hotter. And although he aided him in his hunt, the Gyrfalcon found the stars too hot to strike; only the Sleeper could bear their heat. And so it was that the Sleeper began swallowing the stars and in him, their blood began to flow, making him stronger than any other creature in Summer. Soon, in his vanity, he chased the Gyrfalcon from the sky, claiming it for his own.
In those days of the Sleeper's dominion, many stars fled from the sky and still others learned to hide their warmth. It was in those days that the Sleeper attacked the Moon and the two battled in the sky for one hundred years. It is during that battle that the Moon was wounded nearly to death and the stars all fled or hid their warmth while the Sleeper fought with all his might. But, just as the Moon faced death at his adversary’s claws, the Sleeper began to falter and fail for he had expended all his warmth in the battle even as the world grew cold. And so it was that just as he was about to strike the fatal blow, the Sleeper's eyes closed and he fell from the sky. It is said now that he and his people lie in eternal sleep until the time comes for them to atone for their evil and repair the world. For when the Sleeper is ready to atone, the Mammoth shall wake him with the Starsweat he hides in his ear.
Story of the Eider & the Gyrfalcon
Walled Island Wolf Tribe Story (told in episode #19)
Long ago, the Gyrfalcon flew very high in the hopes of entering the Sky World where he hoped to forage for food. For a long time, the Gyrfalcon had been hungry for game in Winter was scarce and the creatures he found were poor and sickly; in the Sky World, he hoped, the food would be warm and bountiful and tasty. But when he attempted to fly up into the Sky World, he hit his head on a cloud; while the Gyrfalcon had imagined the clouds would be light and airy, in fact they were hard and crusty. And so he began pecking at the hard clouds with his beak.
For sixty days, the pecked at the clouds and finally, he pecked through their brittle exterior. But as soon as he had made a hole large enough for him to pass through, out flew many hundreds of eiders who knocked him to the ground. After lying exhausted for many days, the Gyrfalcon flew up again but found that the hole he had made was gone and the cloud he had pecked through had changed shape. So, once again, he began pecking to make a new hole in the clouds. And, sure enough, after sixty days, the cloud skin broke but this was a thick cloud and heavy pieces of shattered cloud rained down through the hole and knocked the Gyrfalcon to the ground where he lay exhausted with pieces of cloud stuck to his feathers. But the Gyrfalcon was proud and determined and so he flew up to the clouds again and, once again, pecked for sixty days. But this time, just as he felt the cloud beginning to weaken, out of the cloud came the King Eider who told him: “You are a bird of the air, not of the sky.”
And so it is that the King Eider has come down from the Sky World to remind the Gyrfalcon not to try again.
Story of the Wolf & the Sleeper
Walled Island Wolf Tribe Story (told in episode #19)
Long ago at the beginning of time, there was only the Man Tribe. The Man tribe was strong and powerful and ranged all over Winter. They ranged over the whole world, from one side of the Encircling Mountains to the other. In fact, the world was like a sea of Man. It was in those times that a special man named King was born; King busied himself not only with the feeding ofhis family but traveled throughout the Tribe of Man feeding and helping others. But no matter how far he ranged and how little he slept, he could not help everyone.
After many years of traveling and aiding others, King returned home to find that his wife had grown old. Fearing that his wife was so old that she could not give him children to carry on his work of helping man, he danced a special magic around his wife so that she could conceive children. And so she conceived twins. But these twins were very different from one another; one was the Sleeper and the other, the Wolf. The Sleeper was regal and proud and very clever, mastering many crafts under King’s tutelage and so King favoured the Sleeper and traveled all around Winter with him aiding man while the Wolf stayed at home with his mother.
So it was that when King’s wife finally died of old age, only her son the Wolf was with her. And as she lay dying, she gave him a secret blessing. She told him that as the twin not favoured by his father, he would have a special task to do when his father and brother could no longer help man. And so the wolf set out on his journey through the world but found that his help was unwanted by those of the man tribe who followed King and the Sleeper. But now that King is only a memory and the Sleeper cannot help, it falls to the wolf to aid man.
Story of the Mammoth’s Contest
Walled Island Wolf Tribe Story (told in episode #19/20)
In the days when our grandfathers were young, the Mammoth called all of the animals with more than two legs together. “I am old,” said the Mammoth, “and my joints creak and my eyes are poor. I need a friend who is both strong and quick to guide me through Winter and aid me in finding nourishment and safe places to sleep. Who among you will offer to be my guide?”
Although the Mammoth was old and sickly, many animals vied to be his chosen helper; for many wished to learn his secret lore. And so it was that the Earwig, the Wolverine, the Lynx and the Fox all stepped forward, wishing to aid the Mammoth. Honoured by the devotion of so many animals, the Mammoth thought for a long time about whom to choose. But in the end, he said, “I cannot choose amongst you worthy creatures for each of you would make a fine companion for me in my old age. And so I shall set for you a contest to decide who shall aid me for I can choose only one companion. The contest shall be this: bring me the Sweat of the Stars and I shall choose you.”
At this, the animals cried out, angered at the Mammoth’s choice. “If this was what you wished,” the Fox said, “why did you not invite the winged animals to this contest?” But the Mammoth was silent.
At the end of forty days, the Mammoth called the animals together again and asked them which had completed the contest. One by one, they arrived. First the Earwig came, scuttling along the ground with a little skin in sweat; then came the Fox, darting quickly to the Mammoth across the snow; then came the Wolverine, also carrying a skin of sweat. And so the Mammoth asked the animals to report on their quest.
First spoke the Fox saying, “I have been serving the Gyrfalcon these past forty days for he promised me that he would give me star sweat for my service. But he has cheated me and given me nothing. Please Mammoth, give me more time!”
Next spoke the Earwig saying, “I have succeeded in finding you the Star Sweat, Mammoth.” And with these words, he handed him a skin full of the magic glowing liquid.
The Mammoth inspected the skin and, after a moment, he shook his head. “This is not Star Sweat but Sun Sweat that you stole from the Bear,” the Mammoth said. Enraged, the Earwig turned and ran away, swearing vengeance against the Bear.
Next spoke the Wolverine saying, “I have succeeded in finding you the Star Sweat, Mammoth.” And with these words, he too handed over a glowing skin of sweat.
The Mammoth opened the skin and looked down at the Star Sweat but far from being pleased, he frowned. “Where did you get the Star Sweat?” he asked the Wolverine.
But the Wolverine replied, “Is it not enough that I have given it to you?”
“Open your mouth,” the Mammoth said, “as wide as you can.”
The Wolverine did as he was told and the Mammoth reached his trunk down the Wolverine’s throat and out of his stomach, he extracted the bloody form of the King Eider who limped away to nurse his wounds.
At length, the Mammoth announced his decision. “I have decided,” he said, “that my companion shall be the Lynx.”
Aghast, the other animals demanded to know the reason for the Mammoth’s decision. And the Wolverine was especially angered. “I am the only one to bring you the Star Sweat,” he announced, “yet you reward the one who is not even here.”
And so the Mammoth explained his decision: “I did not choose the Fox because he did not bring me Star Sweat. I did not choose the Earwig because he brought me Sun Sweat instead. I did not choose the Wolverine because he robbed and murdered in order to obtain the Star Sweat. Instead I chose the Lynx because he returned thirty-three days ago and asked me if I would give him the Star Sweat I keep hidden in my ear. And so I gave him the Star Sweat that he presented to me.”
And so it is that the Lynx serves the Mammoth while all creatures shun the Wolverine.
The Story of the Fox
Walled Island Wolf Tribe Story (told in episode #19/21)
Long ago, when creatures first came to Winter, no one paid much heed to the Fox for in the land of Summer, quickness and intelligence were of little account because everything was abundant and easy. So it was that the Fox was regarded as a crafty and untrustworthy creature whose guile served no purpose save to entrap, ensnare and rob the other creatures. And so it was that although the Fox was able to feed himself and often even had food to spare, the other creatures shunned him for a long time. It was during those years that the Fox turned his fur white so that he might make his way about Winter largely unnoticed by the other animals. So it was that he heard many secret counsels that the animals gave one another.
Eventually, the Fox became so proficient at stealth that he could hide even in the fur of the other creatures of Winter. So it was that he sneaked into the camp of the Bear and then into the Bear's fur as he lay sleeping. Although the Bear's heart was the loudest and strongest of all creatures of Winter, even the Mammoth, so keen was the Fox's hearing that he was able to discern the words spoken by the earwigs in the Bear's fur. It was then that he heard their secret plot that they would trick the Bear and his friends into swallowing the Sun.
As soon as he had heard this plan, the Fox ran to the other animals in Winter to warn them that the Bear and his friends were going to attack and eat the Sun but none would believe him. "You are a Fox," they said. "We know that you are urging us to leave our homes and follow the Bear so that you might steal our meat and slay our babies."
"Just because I would slay your babies and steal your meat," said the Fox, "does not mean that the Bear is not truly, even now, swallowing the Sun."
And so the Fox was shunned until the Gyrfalcon returned and told the animals that he had been tricked into aiding the Bear in swallowing the Sun. But none would believe the Gyrfalcon either. And so it was in those times that the Gyrfalcon and the Fox became friends and took to hunting together. While weak compared to the Bear and Wolf, the far sight, quickness and craftiness of the Fox and Gyrfalcon make them the greatest trackers in all of Winter.
And so it came to pass that as food grew scarce and it became known that the Bear had indeed stolen the Sun, the Fox and Gyrfalcon became respected and their advice on the finding of food was sought by all.
The Story of the Mammoth's Trunk
Walled Island Wolf Tribe Story (told in episode #19/21)
One day long ago when the animals had first come to the land of Winter, there was much suffering and hunger and many creatures died. It was in those days that the Mammoth was accounted the wisest of all creatures and animals from all over Winter came seeking his aid and counsel. But in Winter, the Mammoth has always been sickly and so he was often of little help and his advice could hardly be understood for the chattering of his teeth and the sniffling of his trunk. And because the Mammoth was so poor a hunter in Winter, the other creatures had to bring him gifts of food in order to hear his counsel (as it is even today).
But, over time, creatures came less and less to seek the Mammoth's counsel for they had witness the Sloth die while waiting for the Mammoth to stop trembling; so too had they witnesses the Sleeper falling into slumber while awaiting the Mammoth's answer; the Legless Monster is also said to have never returned from seeking the Mammoth's advice.
It was in those times that the Gyrfalcon and the Fox began to hold court for while lacking the Mammoth's wisdom, their answers were quick, sharp and easy to comprehend. But the Mammoth took this hard.
So it was that when the Mammoth found himself hungry because so few creatures now sought his counsel, he decided that he must win back the confidence of the creatures of Winter. And so it was that he traveled to the Encircling Mountains and after much labour, was able to climb them part-way. From there, the Mammoth extended his trunk skywards, hoping to reach up to the Sun and bring some of its warmth down to Winter. But when his trunk touched the Sun, the Mammoth found that it had grown sticky and, try as he might, he could not detach his trunk.
It is said that for many years, the Mammoth stood like this, unable to rest his front legs on the ground, with his trunk stretching up through the air to the Sun. And much as he pulled and strained, he was unable to pull it down. And so, after a long, long time, the Mammoth sent the Lynx to ask the Gyrfalcon to aid him in detaching his trunk. But the Gyrfalcon would not believe the Lynx and did not go to aid the Mammoth for many years. And so it was that by the time the Lynx could convince the Fox of his sincerity, the Gyrfalcon found that much of the Mammoth's trunk had died from loss of blood; so the Gyrfalcon cut it in twain with his beak, saving what little living trunk remained. Since then, the Mammoth has been both a beast of great wisdom and of great humility.
