The Wanderers

The Wanders are a collection of four figures that appear across world mythology. While some mythical characters are believed real in certain cultures, and some have widespread appeal in large regions, only these four have traces from the Oru Sea to the Southern Ocean and everywhere in between. They include:

• The Winged Crone
• The Fairy Girl
• The Shadow Man
• The Phantom Sailor

Some of them can be identified as coming from certain parts of the world, such as how the Phantom Sailor is clearly from the Khanty Sea, but other regions have just as many stories about them, implying they are not geographically tied to any one place. Thus, their title of the Wanderers.

Connections Between Them

Some theorize that they are connected somehow. The Fairy Girl, the Phantom Sailor, and the Winged Crone could represent the maiden, the mother, and the crone, respectively, with the Shadow Man representing a patriarchal figure alongside them. Critics of this theory argue that it makes no sense to have a fourth, male, presence in a feminine trinity.
Another theory is that the represent the four elements. The Winged Crone represents the air, the Phantom Sailor water, the Fairy Girl (with her lantern) fire, and the Shadow Man earth. Again, though, the Shadow Man doesn't seem to fit the pattern. Considering he is the only one see as an antagonistic force, though, it might be logical that he is not aligned with the other three. Perhaps he is a separate, malevolent force that the other three exist to combat.

The Wanderers and the Reckonings

The theory that has the most cohesion, though, is that they are linked the Reckonings. A comparison of mythology reveals that they did not enter the global consciousness at the same time. Stories of their appearance all begin in the years after a Reckoning. Furthermore, key elements of their appearances are tied to the disasters that befell humanity after their respective Reckonings.

The Winged Crone has the longest history, dating back to The First Reckoning. This was the Reckoning when it is said the Winged Ones vanished from the world and, allegedly, before this event, flying birds existed. The Wanderer from this period has a pair of wings.
The Fairy Girl and her dog appear after the Second Reckoning and The Betrayal.
The Shadow Man arrived on the mythological scene after the Third Reckoning, which gave birth to the Strangers. He's believed to be linked to them somehow.
The Phantom Sailor appeared after the Fourth Reckoning, when sailing became significantly more unsafe due to the appearance of leviathans.

For those who believe the Reckonings are the explanation, the big debate is on the direction of causality. Are these beings actual, physical people whose reason for apparant immortality is tied to the Reckoning? Or did the traumas of the Reckonings create the environment for these myths to form? Is there an immortal sailor woman who braves the seas to battle leviathans after the Fourth Reckoning granted her the strength, or did the new dangers of the ocean cause sailors to invent a protector? Is Gimmick, the Fairy Girl's dog, the last dog in the world, or did a culture mourning the loss of their companions invent him out of nostalgia?

Notable Members

• The Fairy Girl
• The Phantom Sailor
• The Winged Crone