White

"Do you know why we use shells that are white, child?" the matron asked as she tied the bracelet of fine shells around the girl's wrist. Her father watched with the whisper of a smile hiding beneath his dark beard. A necklace of matching shells hung about his neck.
"For good luck!" she chirped, a grin of pure childish pride at knowing the proper answer to a question bursting over her face.
The matron nodded and smiled back briefly. She gave the bracelet's knot a light tug then gazed soberly into the girl's eyes. "Yes, but also to remind us what comes next will be difficult."
The girl's smile faded gradually, and she frowned in thought for couple seconds. "Is that bad?" she asked finally.
Her father brushed a hand over his beard to hide his broadening smile. "It is important," the girl's grandmother answered. "We must always be prepared for hard times, though sometimes we need luck to get through them." She tapped the shells with a bony finger and let her granddaughter absorb that for a moment.
Then, she added, "But the white also reminds us that something good comes to us if we endure." The old woman winked, her dark eye disappearing in her wrinkles for an instant, then nodded her head back toward her son. "Now, go remind your father before he leaves."

History

White represents hope and a bountiful future, but also the end of things and hardships yet to be endured. The white snows that blanket the lands of Ithilien promise flowing rivers and streams come spring, perfect for fishing and growing crops. First, however, one must brave the harsh and unforgiving winter.

Execution

• Charms and trinkets of white are given as gifts to give others hope for the future and to remind them that while there are struggles ahead, good fortune will come from them eventually.

• The dead are wrapped in white before burial, unless they die during the snows, in which case snow is packed around the body before the burial stones are placed. Burial stones are painted white, as well, signifying the life that has ended, but also to wish their soul good luck in what comes after.

• Pregnant women sometimes drape themselves in white to show others they are enduring the hardships of pregnancy and eventually labor. They must never cover their stomachs with white, however, lest they accidentally kill the unborn child or complicate the pregnancy.