River Twine Holt Glossary
(Return to the River Twine Holt website.)
Glossary of Elfin Terms
agemate" - friend about the same age
arrow-whip - missile weapon made with a flexible stick and leather strap; designed to give a dart more distance.
Ayoooah - Wolfrider word/sound incorporated in to many different meanings
beesweets - honey or honeycomb
bellyworms - parasites that enter the stomach and cause malnutrition
Big Moon: larger of the two moons
bloodworm - river leech
bond-pack" - wolves allied with and ridden by Wolfriders
branch-horn - very large deer-like animal with spreading antlers (elk)
"By the Two Moons" - general exclamation of astonishment
capnut - acorn; also capnut tree is the oak
carrion birds - vultures, crows, etc.
cave slugs - slimy worms found in caverns
Child Moon - alternate name for the smaller of the two moons
cub / cubling - elfin Wolfrider child; plural "cubs" or "cublings"
den-hide - a practiced, coordinated defensive action in which all members of the tribe hide and keep silent on command
dreamberry - a berry that causes intoxication in elves when eaten fresh; fermented, it is hallucinogenic; can be poisonous to humans
dreamberry talk - drunken babbling
dreamberry vision - a hallucination
elf-friend - a wolf's particular Wolfrider
Firstcomers - refers to the first elf arrivals in the world (their children were High Ones, but not Firstcomers)
fisher bird - water bird similar to kingfisher
flesh worms - parasites that infest the flesh of living creatures
furmate - a casual lover
"High Ones" - used as curse or blessing; refers collectively to the pureblooded elves who first arrived on the world, and to their pureblooded children.
Howl - Wolfrider ceremony in honor of deceased elf or wolf, to tell stories about him/her and keep memories alive
itchleaf - poison ivy
joining - mating
kill-hunger - akin to a pack or "shark" feeding frenzy
kit / kitling - Wolfrider term for a female elf child
lifemate - term for elves who have formed a permanent relationship, usually (but not always) as a result of Recognition
Little Moon – the name of the smaller of the world’s two moons
Lock-send - a sending directed to one individual only; a private sending.
lovemate - term for elves in a more serious relationship, but one that is not sparked by Recognition.
magic - power usable by elves to circumvent natural laws
Moon Madness - a state of dementia supposedly induced by both moons being full at the same time.
Mother Moon - an alternate name for the larger of the two moons.
"My Eyes See with Joy / My Hand Touches with Joy" – General elfin greeting, usually after an extended separation
mud rat - a small animal that hibernates
nut mush' / nutmash" - a) porridge; b) metaphorically, weakened to the point of uselessness
owl pellets - expletive for expressing disbelief
puckernuts - expression of distaste
Recognition - entirely involuntary process - psychic link between two elves of the opposite sex whose progeny would improve the elven race; sometimes (but not always) results in lifemating.
season of death sleep - interchangeable with Autumn or Fall
season of new green - interchangeable with Spring
season of white cold - interchangeable with Winter
"Shards" – curse or blessing, not certain from whence it derived.
skyfire - lightning
skyfire storm - lightning storm
squirrel chatter - talking without making sense
Soul-name - secret name devised by wolfriders to keep some part of themselves protected in a largely telepathic society.
Sun Goes Down - west
Sun Comes Up - east
swamp rot - expression meaning that one's words are totally unbelievable
ravvit - rabbit
taal - elfin child's game similar to hide and seek
taal-stick - wand used by children playing taal to touch each other; each touch counting a point
The Way - the wolfrider’s way of life, which in general is respectful of all life.
touch-me-touch-you - child's game similar to tag
tree walker - one who is at home in the tops of trees and can move easily and silently from branch to branch
treewee - tarsier-like creature known for timidity and silliness
turn of the seasons or turn - one year
wolf-friend - term for an elf's bond wolf
wolf-nap - brief nap of a few minute’s duration, alternating with period of watchful wakefulness.
wolf-send - elfin method of communicating telepathically with his/her wolf
wolfsong - the "always now" state of mind of being perpetually in the present
woodworms - wood-boring insects
Preserver-Speak
Bigthing - preserver term for people bigger than they are; later, used of humans
Birdbasket - preserver term for bird’s nest
Dark - preserver’s way of measuring time.
Dig-Digs - Preservers names for trolls
Hangy-Down - a suspended cocoon
Highthing - preserver term for elves
Juiceberries - preserver term for favorite type of berry.
Noisybad - preserver’s term for describing behavior they dislike.
Stillquiet - preserver term for being asleep, preferably wrapped in wrapstuff.
Wrapstuff - preserver’s term for their preserving webbing. Any living thing fully wrapped in it is perfectly preserved until unwrapped.
(Return to the River Twine Holt website.)
