The North Man
ÉSZKANDE FÉRFI
For many centuries the people of the Great Isthmus and Northwestern Heberia were in near-constant conflict with the Neander Men of the North. This long-standing animosity gave rise to a wide variety of legends and folk tales depicting Cynids in a negative light, many of which achieved widespread popularity in the northern countries. Common among these fables is the cautionary tale of the North Man, or as he is called in Lovásic, Észkande Férfi.
The North Man is typically depicted as a fierce Neander warrior with a flowing white beard and blood-red eyes, riding a large jet-black reindeer named Rodolf. A devourer of unruly children, he wears a fur coat of white wolfskin, stained deep red by the blood of innocent babes. He carries with him a large sack, which he uses to carry away his victims.
No child is safe from the North Man, who is capable of scaling walls, picking locks and even climbing down chimneys. Some children have amusingly been known to try to satisfy the North Man's appetite by leaving plates of cookies and glasses of milk for him at night when they have been especially naughty.
There appears to be a historical connection between the modern depiction of the North Man and the old Neander raiders upon which his character is based. Northern warriors indeed rode domesticated reindeer into battle. In winter they would frequently wear fur cloaks over their leather and bone armor, and white wolf pelts would not have been uncommon at the time. One can imagine that after a battle the white fur might indeed take on a red appearance from blood and gore.
"If you children don't behave, the North Man will come and eat you up!"Mothers frequently invoke the threat of the North Man to tame disobedient offspring. Originally told to keep children from venturing into the forest at night, the legend of the North Man eventually served as a scold for just about any youthful indiscretion. The old folk tale is especially effective when told at night in the dead of winter.
--Common motherly admonition
THE MYTH
The North Man is typically depicted as a fierce Neander warrior with a flowing white beard and blood-red eyes, riding a large jet-black reindeer named Rodolf. A devourer of unruly children, he wears a fur coat of white wolfskin, stained deep red by the blood of innocent babes. He carries with him a large sack, which he uses to carry away his victims.
No child is safe from the North Man, who is capable of scaling walls, picking locks and even climbing down chimneys. Some children have amusingly been known to try to satisfy the North Man's appetite by leaving plates of cookies and glasses of milk for him at night when they have been especially naughty.
HISTORICAL BASIS
There appears to be a historical connection between the modern depiction of the North Man and the old Neander raiders upon which his character is based. Northern warriors indeed rode domesticated reindeer into battle. In winter they would frequently wear fur cloaks over their leather and bone armor, and white wolf pelts would not have been uncommon at the time. One can imagine that after a battle the white fur might indeed take on a red appearance from blood and gore.
PART OF A SERIES ON
LOVASNÉP CULTURE
The Turul with the Sword of Teldus
Comments