#Mirolapye:culture

[varverine]

The Crowns

💎 1. MEADOWGLADE.

Oh, you undoubtedly recognized this elegant crown. The Topaz Crown is the symbol of power in Meadowglade. It is worn by its karhs, starting with Kargo himself. He commissioned a "crown that outshines the Stars" in desire to emphasize his greatness.

🌸 2. WOODLANDS.

As graceful and delicate as the spirits of the lynxes that wore it. Woodlands crown was stolen after the deaths of Bachwurt and Geoda, Iktina's parents. The animals saw this as a bad omen, but the little lynx was not upset at all. She wove herself a wreath of fresh flowers to replace the missing one. Where the crown is now, no one knows.

🌳 3. HERBAWAY.

Oak motifs, closely woven into the country's history, are of course reflected in the crown as well. Mainly the Acorn Wreath symbolizes Broskhadome itself - the capital of Herbaway, built in the branches of a huge oak. It was grown from an acorn by the first Aldreve, Odga-Trevva.

🗻 4. FOREFROST.

A one-horned Crown stretching to the sky like a snow-capped peak. Its foot is drenched in red to commemorate the sacrifice of the first Aldrekh Turg, who spilled his blood for Forefrost during the Great Biting.

☀ 5. BLUEDAWNING.

The waters of great Lake Vazhyan give off a mist, in which the Sun at dawn appears shining blue. This phenomenon  has become the symbol of the country. Bluedawning is famous for glass production, so their crown is also made of glass. It depicts the way the sun rises over Vazhyan, piercing the blue haze.

🍂 6. SLEEKGROVE.

Sleekgrove is ruled by Blueflare,  a she-wolf whose forehead is adorned with the Three-Leafed Wreath. The three autumn leaves symbolize the first aldrekh and his two children, with whom the history of the country began.

🌊 7. GALESALT AND EARTHENSALT.

These countries, though they have a border, used to be united and called Solevia. They are ruled by two sisters who commissioned these crowns.

They were given the names Amber Crown and Coral Crown, and the aldreves are also referred to by the commons as the Amber Aldreve and Coral Aldreve. There is also the Crown of Pearls, worn by their mother Ienidale while Solevia was still Solevia.

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[varverine]

🌠🌠🌠🌠 FUNERAL RITES 🌠🌠🌠🌠

The life of each beast is bright, full and worthy of composing a Song, but unfortunately it is not endless. And when the time comes, loved ones will have to take care of the mortal remains of their friend.

Different cultures have different ideas about what should be done with the body after the soul leaves it. We know that sometimes souls stay in bodies and go with them to the Underworld.  

🦴 Some beasts bury their dead so as not to offend the order of things and to accept the Underworld fate, if any.

🦴 Others, on the contrary, try their best to avoid the Underworld and hang their dead far away from the ground or bury them in rocks.

🦴 Others believe that if done this way, the body can come back to life if the soul happens to stay there. As was the case with the Sunken Dread.

Either way, it is a common ritual on Sko-Hjarn to keep the memory of the deceased alive. The details may vary from country to country, but overall the idea remains the same:

🌠 1. A bone is taken from the body of the deceased. It can be a phalanx of a finger, a paw, and in special cases, even a skull. The latter is not approved in all places, but where it is common, taking the skull is considered the most honorable option.

🌠 2. A figurine is made of clay, wood, metal or stone to reflect the external features of the deceased. Wealthy beasts with more time use stone and metal. A faster and cheaper option is clay. The wealth and status also determine the size of the figurine.

🌠 3. The bone is placed inside the figurine. The skull becomes the base for the head. Sometimes it is not even hidden under the material, but exposed, and an artificial body is added to it.

🌠 4. The tail is cut off from the deceased, and attached to the figure in a proper place. This is necessary to give similarity to the deceased, including scent. In many cultures, the tail is considered a very important part of identity.

🌠 5. The figurine is dyed to match the color of the deceased's fur. Additionally, a pattern hinting at the cause of death is applied. It may be stylized teeth marks in the place of a fatal bite, or there may be a swirl in the abdominal area, hinting at poisoning. Each animal makes it in their own way, which sometimes makes it hard to guess what happened to the beast. But usually this detail is very helpful to Myrilapian historians in determining the cause of death of a particular individual.

🌠 6. The further fate of the statuette can be different. Some leave the figure at the place of death of the deceased. Some take it to a place significant to then. Some keep it at home. Some put it where the body was buried or hidden.

🌠 7. If needed, the figure is renewed, painted, and sometimes molded anew from scratch. Of course, if there is anyone left who can do it.

#art #animal fiction #mirolapye #worldbuilding #writeblr #writers on tumblr #xenofiction #artists on tumblr #mirolapye:culture #mirolapye:mythology

[varverine]

Kargo mosaic

This ancient mosaic, made of flat colorful stones, adorns the main entrance to Canigar. It depicts the majesty of the first karh, the maned wolf Kargo. Each element is symbolic.

🏛 Kargo sits at the top of a stone staircase - a symbol of his unchallenged authority.

🏛 The stairs show the hierarchy of his pack - first, the leaders of the frostwolves, then the frostwolves themselves, and at the very bottom, the subordinate dog packs.

🏛 Between the dogs, Canigar itself is depicted - "A pawmade rock with a fiery gut".

🏛 Above Canigar is a red "nest" - a symbol of battle luck.

🏛 Kargo is trampling a bear skin with his paws. It is believed to be the pelt of the Wolfsbane himself.

🏛 Karh's neck is adorned by an elaborate necklace symbolizing the five countries that were the first to emerge from the common lands. Their presence on the mosaic is meant to demonstrate Karhgo's influence over all surrounding territories.

The light blue plate is the Forefrost.

The light green plate is Herbaway.

Dark green plate - Woodlands.

Dark blue plate - Bluedawning.

Yellow plate - Meadowglade.

🏛 The colored beads hanging from the necklace symbolize the rulers of the countries listed. Initially they showed Kargo's desire to subjugate them all, but with the coming of more peaceful times, they began to be interpreted as means of restraining Kargo and opposing him (restraining him as a collar, or preventing him from forgetting his interests by their constant presence).

🏛 The topaz crown is also a symbol of power. Here it resembles a star, which hints at his desire to resemble the powerful gods.

🏛 Two bowing horses with burning manes and fiery eyes refer us to the bloody event when all horses were exterminated in the Unbounded Field at Kargo’s will. Their meat was used to feed the builders of Psogar, and their presence on the mosaic is both an act of gratitude to the horses whose lives had to be taken, and a symbol that even such mighty beasts were subdued by Kargo.

🏛 The black flames signify the Great Biting itself, war and the death of those who oppose the Kargo. The fire originates from Kargo's heart, and is spread by his paws.

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