Fárransadh
Fárransadh (Elvish: "day of the hunter") is a holy ritual for followers of Arawn that takes place the week after Snowfall's Eve. At some point during this week, those who wish for Arawn's favor in the coming winter must hunt down a weak or defenseless creature, carve out its heart, and consume the heart in its entirety, either cooked or raw.
History
The rituals of Farransadh date back to the early centuries of the Age of Anxiety, when Wood Elf tribes in Scalados sought whatever parts of the gods' favor they could possibly glean. According to legend, a young huntsman from a western offshoot of the wood elven tribes, having lost his entire family to famine the previous winter, wandered into a cave deep within the Blue Mountains, hoping to either slaughter an entire sleuth of bears for their meat and fur or die in the attempt. The first bear he shot became an avatar of the god Arawn, who bade him to eat the hearts of every other bear within the cavern or else die before the first snowdrops of spring breached the earth. Much to the god's surprise, the hunter spent seven days and seven nights in the caverns, seeking out every last bear and living off only their flesh.
Arawn appeared once more to this hunter, and blessed him and all his descendants with the strength of the greatest bears, for as long as they maintained his strength and his heart. When the hunter returned to his village with Arawn's proclamation, he did so with the raw heart of the elder bear clutched in his hand. It is said that Arawn made the bear's heart beat before the village, even as the hunter took a bite from it as he would an apple.
Execution
Anyone who follows Arawn or wishes for his blessing must consume all or part of the heart of a creature killed since Fárransadh's start. According to Arawnian scriptures, the creature should be somehow weak, defenseless, or otherwise deserving of death according to the natural order of the world. It is seen as an extension of Arawn's domain to cull old, weak, or otherwise useless creatures from any given herd.
Observance
Since the date for Snowfall's Eve changes each year, so does the period of Farransadh. In any given location, Arawnians consider Farransadh to begin on the sunrise after Snowfall's Eve and end precisely seven days afterwards. Arawnian worshippers with access to the diviners' predictions about the holiday sometimes set traps in the days leading up to it.
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