The Culture of River Twine Holt - Revision history

Hinomiko16: /* Rites of Passage */

2013-07-03T18:45:11Z

‎Rites of Passage

Hinomiko16: /* Rites of Passage */

2013-06-08T16:46:51Z

‎Rites of Passage

Farscout: /* Games that Elves Play */

2013-06-04T01:22:53Z

‎Games that Elves Play

Farscout: /* Games that Elves Play */

2013-06-04T01:10:05Z

‎Games that Elves Play

HollyH at 20:26, 14 July 2009

2009-07-14T20:26:42Z

HollyH: /* Rites of Passage */

2008-07-05T03:31:18Z

‎Rites of Passage

HollyH: /* Celebrations of River Twine Holt */

2008-07-05T03:31:00Z

‎Celebrations of River Twine Holt

HollyH at 03:30, 5 July 2008

2008-07-05T03:30:33Z

HollyH at 04:52, 6 February 2008

2008-02-06T04:52:55Z

Show changes

HollyH: Replacing page with '(Return to the [http://www.rivertwine.com River Twine Holt] website.)'

2008-02-06T04:51:45Z

Replacing page with '(Return to the [http://www.rivertwine.com River Twine Holt] website.)'

Show changes

@@ Line 49: / Line 49: @@
 == Rites of Passage ==
-''(article by Joan M. - posted 10/23/06, updated 07/04/08)''
+''(article by Joan M. - posted 10/23/06, updated 07/04/08, updated soul name search section on 07/03/13)''
@@ Line 61: / Line 61: @@
 '''Soul Name Searches'''
-Some elves know their own soul names before adolescence, while others have to actively search for it. The soul name search is such a personal thing that no ritual grew around it, rather the youth would simply know when their time has come, and leave the Holt alone for a journey. The search can last hours, a day, a moon-turning:  nothing is set, everything is acceptable. The one tradition, though, is that no one asks about the search, ever. Only the searcher may ever initiate such a conversation. There is nothing more private than the soul name search.
+Some elves know their own soul-names from an early age. For others, knowledge of it comes later, in their mid to late teens; elves will generally have "found" their soul-name by the age of about 20. The tribe has come to believe that it is beneficial for a youth to go on a "soul-name search", which is a period of time away from the tribe when the youth contemplates the world, the Way, and his or her own place in it. This period is similar to meditation, and results in the elf discovering his or her own soul-name and thus a greater understanding of his or her full and deepest self.

@@ Line 66: / Line 66: @@
 '''Wolf-bonding'''
-Cubs bond with their first wolves in a variety of ages and circumstances, keeping to little official order except the serious business of introducing the new puppy to the tribe, which cubs do with all the solemnity of parents introducing a new child, tribe name and all. Another thing a newly bonded cub is expected to do is make "rounds" between the adult wolves and make it public knowledge that the pup is now theirs. Lastly, elf cub and wolf cub will sleep curled up for at least the day following the bonding, marking each other deeply with their scent.
+Cubs bond with their first wolves in a variety of ages and circumstances, keeping to little official order except the serious business of introducing the new cub to the tribe, which cubs do with all the solemnity of parents introducing a new child, tribe name and all. Another thing a newly bonded cub is expected to do is make "rounds" between the adult wolves and make it public knowledge that the pup is now theirs. Lastly, elf cub and wolf cub will sleep curled up for at least the day following the bonding, marking each other deeply with their scent.
 An adult elf bonding anew only follows the second custom of introductions around the pack. Many times, such an introduction would lead to a tribal howl, the elves howling the names of both elf and new wolf.

@@ Line 121: / Line 121: @@
 '''High-and-Low:''' More a sport than a game, H&L makes use of the natural obstacle course of the holt's wood and rivers environment. To spice things up, the elves enjoy leaving "surprises" for the participants – a weakened branch, a harmless trap, or a net closing up an easy path. To spice things up even more, sometimes the participants would burden themselves with packs, cups of water, one tied hand, or even another elf on their backs. H&L is usually a race, although some extreme courses have as many winners as can actually get through them.
-'''Stickball:''' originally developed with dip nets and a dead seabird tied into a ball, this rough & tumble game is similar to early lacrosse, and consists of two teams each armed with one-to-two-foot long sticks with a small net of rawhide strings or woven bark at one end, and a hide ball stuffed with hair.   The playfield can range from be open ground (such as a clear, level grassy field), to thick forest -- the players sometimes send playfield boundaries, and sometimes no boundaries are the agreed-upon arena for the day.  Each team (number of players can vary) scores by getting the ball into the opposing team's goal -- the goal can be a single tree, stump, or spear that has been stabbed into the ground, or landmarks like a badger hole, a burl of a tree, even a bird's nest.  Usually each team has a separate goal (making it easier to defend), but the rules of stickball can be as variable as the players:  sometimes players insist on complex rules and rigid defensive vs offensive roles for players on their team, while while sometimes the players agree that their are no rules at all except the push to score.
+'''Stickball:''' ''(native lacrosse)'' Originally developed with dip nets and a dead seabird tied into a ball, this rough & tumble game is similar to early lacrosse, and consists of two teams each armed with one-to-two-foot long sticks with a small net of rawhide strings or woven bark at one end, and a hide ball stuffed with hair.   The playfield can range from be open ground (such as a clear, level grassy field), to thick forest -- the players sometimes send playfield boundaries, and sometimes no boundaries are the agreed-upon arena for the day.  Each team (number of players can vary) scores by getting the ball into the opposing team's goal -- the goal can be a single tree, stump, or spear that has been stabbed into the ground, or landmarks like a badger hole, a burl of a tree, even a bird's nest.  Usually each team has a separate goal (making it easier to defend), but the rules of stickball can be as variable as the players:  sometimes players insist on complex rules and rigid defensive vs offensive roles for players on their team, while while sometimes the players agree that their are no rules at all except the push to score.
 '''Word games:''' Not all elf games are physical. Riddling circles are popular with both elders and know-it-all cubs, and on lazy nights more settled, patient elves would compete for finding the most rhymes for one word, naming a past chief's wolf-friends, or composing brief witticisms. Speaking Pebbles is a primitive, oral version of scrabble, in which pebbles of different colors represent syllables – the elves pick pebbles blind from a pile, then play in conversing only with words that contain their "color".

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:10, 4 June 2013
Line 120:		Line 120:

	'''High-and-Low:''' More a sport than a game, H&L makes use of the natural obstacle course of the holt's wood and rivers environment. To spice things up, the elves enjoy leaving "surprises" for the participants – a weakened branch, a harmless trap, or a net closing up an easy path. To spice things up even more, sometimes the participants would burden themselves with packs, cups of water, one tied hand, or even another elf on their backs. H&L is usually a race, although some extreme courses have as many winners as can actually get through them.		'''High-and-Low:''' More a sport than a game, H&L makes use of the natural obstacle course of the holt's wood and rivers environment. To spice things up, the elves enjoy leaving "surprises" for the participants – a weakened branch, a harmless trap, or a net closing up an easy path. To spice things up even more, sometimes the participants would burden themselves with packs, cups of water, one tied hand, or even another elf on their backs. H&L is usually a race, although some extreme courses have as many winners as can actually get through them.
		+
		+	'''Stickball:''' originally developed with dip nets and a dead seabird tied into a ball, this rough & tumble game is similar to early lacrosse, and consists of two teams each armed with one-to-two-foot long sticks with a small net of rawhide strings or woven bark at one end, and a hide ball stuffed with hair. The playfield can range from be open ground (such as a clear, level grassy field), to thick forest -- the players sometimes send playfield boundaries, and sometimes no boundaries are the agreed-upon arena for the day. Each team (number of players can vary) scores by getting the ball into the opposing team's goal -- the goal can be a single tree, stump, or spear that has been stabbed into the ground, or landmarks like a badger hole, a burl of a tree, even a bird's nest. Usually each team has a separate goal (making it easier to defend), but the rules of stickball can be as variable as the players: sometimes players insist on complex rules and rigid defensive vs offensive roles for players on their team, while while sometimes the players agree that their are no rules at all except the push to score.

	'''Word games:''' Not all elf games are physical. Riddling circles are popular with both elders and know-it-all cubs, and on lazy nights more settled, patient elves would compete for finding the most rhymes for one word, naming a past chief's wolf-friends, or composing brief witticisms. Speaking Pebbles is a primitive, oral version of scrabble, in which pebbles of different colors represent syllables – the elves pick pebbles blind from a pile, then play in conversing only with words that contain their "color".		'''Word games:''' Not all elf games are physical. Riddling circles are popular with both elders and know-it-all cubs, and on lazy nights more settled, patient elves would compete for finding the most rhymes for one word, naming a past chief's wolf-friends, or composing brief witticisms. Speaking Pebbles is a primitive, oral version of scrabble, in which pebbles of different colors represent syllables – the elves pick pebbles blind from a pile, then play in conversing only with words that contain their "color".

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:26, 14 July 2009
Line 1:		Line 1:
	(Return to the [http://www.rivertwine.com River Twine Holt] website.)		(Return to the [http://www.rivertwine.com River Twine Holt] website.)

		+	__TOC__

	== Celebrations of River Twine Holt ==		== Celebrations of River Twine Holt ==

@@ Line 48: / Line 48: @@
 == Rites of Passage ==
-''(article by Joan M. - posted 10/23/06)''
+''(article by Joan M. - posted 10/23/06, updated 07/04/08)''
@@ Line 80: / Line 80: @@
 After this, the elves at the Holt will hold the first Howl for the deceased.  As with dead wolf-friends, the Howl may be postponed to allow hunting parties to return.  Memories and stories of the deceased are shared, and their loved-ones may distribute some of the dead elf's possessions to the members of the tribe.  Again, this is usually not a party/celebration, and does not tend to turn boisterous or sexual; but a feast is held to reaffirm the tribe's bonds with one another.
 == Games that Elves Play ==

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 == Celebrations of River Twine Holt ==
-''(article by Joan M. - posted 10/23/06, updated 07/04/08)''
+''(article by Joan M. - posted 10/23/06)''
@@ Line 46: / Line 46: @@
 '''Full Moons'''
 It is a rare and exceptional thing to have both the Mother and Child moons full at the same time on River Twine's world. For any concerned with the passage of time, this once every 512 years, and will be either during the spring thaw and in the early winter time. This is thought to have a distinct effect on the world, the water, the animals, and most conspicuously our elves and their bond pack. It is cause for a special Howl to the Full Moons ... which shall be expounded upon later
 == Rites of Passage ==

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 == Celebrations of River Twine Holt ==
-''(article by Joan M. - posted 10/23/06)''
+''(article by Joan M. - posted 10/23/06, updated 07/04/08)''
 '''Birth of a Cub'''
 Unless the circumstances are unique, the tribe usually lets Recognition be a private affair of the two lucky elves. However, the birth of a child, a new holt member, is cause for celebration. The rest of the holt has the eight-of-days following the birth to make plans for the tribute, before the parents 'publicly' introduce the new cub and share with the tribe the child's name. Special foodstuffs of the season are made for the celebration such as honeycakes, nutbreads, meat pies, new juices concoctions, spiced porridge. In more recent births, the tribe has been flourishing and many elves have brought to the couple and new child handmade and individualized gifts, as well. The time is spent celebrating, communing, and learning what can be learned from the newborn cub, the renewal of life, and the enhancement of hope.
 '''All Spirits' Night'''
 This is a tradition which is not tied to the seasons, but to the actual measuring of time by moon-turns since the last time it was held (in other words, yearly). In a tradition that goes back countless hundreds of years, All Spirits' Night is a revel in honor of the tribemates who died whether recently or long ago. The elves howl for, perhaps even with, the spirits emphasizing for all, the good that happened to the holt since their passing.
 '''New Moon New Name'''
 Name changes usually come with great personality or life changes. Even if the name is Given by the chief at the moment of change (such as Redlance's change of name), it is traditional that the elf goes to the chief to ask, the chief holds a council and it is discussed to see if it will be accepted. Of course it usually is and is announced at the next Howl, or (depending on circumstances and timing) possibly a Howl of it's own is made for the night.
 '''New Green Bliss'''
@@ Line 68: / Line 71: @@
 An adult elf bonding anew only follows the second custom of introductions around the pack. Many times, such an introduction would lead to a tribal howl, the elves howling the names of both elf and new wolf.