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Take a seat by the hearth, strangers, and Vig Dereksunu will tell you the tale of...
How Bear Lost His Tail
Back in the beginning, long before even the elves walked the land, Eostre created a creature she called Bear. Feeling pleased, she showed the beast to the other gods and asked them to provide gifts.
Tiw looked upon the timid creature and bestowed strength and courage. Dargar, his unruly soon, gave bear a ferocious temper, claiming that strength alone was no gift. Eira, ever wary of Tiw and Dargar's warlike ways, countered these by making bear protective but not aggressive.
Kenaz gifted bear a fur cloak to keep him warm in winter, for until then Bear was naked. Enraged that Bear would not be frozen should he enter his realm, Thrym cursed Bear, forcing him to fall asleep each winter. Ertha came to Bear's rescue and offered him sanctuary beneath the earth so he would be safe while he slept. Eostre Plantmother said Bear would be a vegetarian, but Neorthe gave Bear permission to eat fish.
Pleased with the gifts, and not too annoyed by the curses, Eostre let Bear loose into the world. Bear was an expert fisherman, for his tail was long and luxuriant back in these days. He dangled it in the river, and when a fish nibbled at it he flicked his dinner out of the water. Bear regularly boasted he was the best fisherman in all the world.
The Unknowable One, who had declined to give Bear a gift, was out walking one day when he heard Bear boasting of his fishing prowess to his friend Beaver. The trickster approached Bear, loudly mumbling to himself.
"What's wrong?" asked Bear. "You sound like you have a problem."
"It is Pike," the god replied, throwing down his fishing rod. "He has outsmarted me again."
"What is Pike?" asked Bear, for he had never heard of the creature before.
"Oh, he's a sly devil," the Unknowable One said, his face glum. "He's a big fish that lives in the river beyond the hills. No one has ever caught him. I think the Norns have decreed him to be uncatchable."
Bear roared with laughter. "Don't you know who I am?" he grinned. "I am Bear, the best fisherman in all the world. Take me to this river and I will catch this devil fish for you."
So the Unknowable One led Bear over the hills to a wide river. Bear sat on the riverbank and dangled his tail into the water. Suddenly he let out a loud yelp, for Pike had noticed the lure and bitten Bear's tail clean off, leaving just a stump. The Unknowable One fell into fits of laughter, tears of mirth rolling down his face.
"You tricked me!" Bear roared, rising to his full height.
The god wiped his eyes and smiled. "Aye, and now you have no tail with which to catch fish."
"But I like fish" bear said glumly, his rage replaced by the sudden thought he may never eat his favorite food again. "What am I to do now?"
"If you want to eat fish, learn a new trick," the god said. "And mind your pride, next time." With that, the Unknowable One left.
Bear never did manage to learn a new trick. Instead, he just stands in the water and opens his mouth, hoping fish will jump into it. He eats well enough, but he was never so good a fisherman as when he had his tail.
_________________
Wiggy
TAG Creative Director
wiggy@tripleacegames.com
How Bear Lost His Tail
Back in the beginning, long before even the elves walked the land, Eostre created a creature she called Bear. Feeling pleased, she showed the beast to the other gods and asked them to provide gifts.
Tiw looked upon the timid creature and bestowed strength and courage. Dargar, his unruly soon, gave bear a ferocious temper, claiming that strength alone was no gift. Eira, ever wary of Tiw and Dargar's warlike ways, countered these by making bear protective but not aggressive.
Kenaz gifted bear a fur cloak to keep him warm in winter, for until then Bear was naked. Enraged that Bear would not be frozen should he enter his realm, Thrym cursed Bear, forcing him to fall asleep each winter. Ertha came to Bear's rescue and offered him sanctuary beneath the earth so he would be safe while he slept. Eostre Plantmother said Bear would be a vegetarian, but Neorthe gave Bear permission to eat fish.
Pleased with the gifts, and not too annoyed by the curses, Eostre let Bear loose into the world. Bear was an expert fisherman, for his tail was long and luxuriant back in these days. He dangled it in the river, and when a fish nibbled at it he flicked his dinner out of the water. Bear regularly boasted he was the best fisherman in all the world.
The Unknowable One, who had declined to give Bear a gift, was out walking one day when he heard Bear boasting of his fishing prowess to his friend Beaver. The trickster approached Bear, loudly mumbling to himself.
"What's wrong?" asked Bear. "You sound like you have a problem."
"It is Pike," the god replied, throwing down his fishing rod. "He has outsmarted me again."
"What is Pike?" asked Bear, for he had never heard of the creature before.
"Oh, he's a sly devil," the Unknowable One said, his face glum. "He's a big fish that lives in the river beyond the hills. No one has ever caught him. I think the Norns have decreed him to be uncatchable."
Bear roared with laughter. "Don't you know who I am?" he grinned. "I am Bear, the best fisherman in all the world. Take me to this river and I will catch this devil fish for you."
So the Unknowable One led Bear over the hills to a wide river. Bear sat on the riverbank and dangled his tail into the water. Suddenly he let out a loud yelp, for Pike had noticed the lure and bitten Bear's tail clean off, leaving just a stump. The Unknowable One fell into fits of laughter, tears of mirth rolling down his face.
"You tricked me!" Bear roared, rising to his full height.
The god wiped his eyes and smiled. "Aye, and now you have no tail with which to catch fish."
"But I like fish" bear said glumly, his rage replaced by the sudden thought he may never eat his favorite food again. "What am I to do now?"
"If you want to eat fish, learn a new trick," the god said. "And mind your pride, next time." With that, the Unknowable One left.
Bear never did manage to learn a new trick. Instead, he just stands in the water and opens his mouth, hoping fish will jump into it. He eats well enough, but he was never so good a fisherman as when he had his tail.
_________________
Wiggy
TAG Creative Director
wiggy@tripleacegames.com
