Animals In Terrimoirine Folk Stories

Animals in Terrimoirine folk stories have rôles and characters often based on their species. Generally if an animal is a character it will talk and behave more or less like a sapient being. Non-talking animals also appear under the usual heading of natural hazard.

The animals found across Terrimoire on the planet Shade range from insects and small vertebrates up to fairly large hunting mammals - wolves and foxes, bears, dolsets, wildcats, wild dogs.

Of these, there is of course the imagination-catching relationship between foxes and wolves, which naturally results in many stories featuring both animals together whereas a wolf or fox alone is seldom seen (or only as a non-sapient animal). Other large mammals feature from time to time.

Long-standing domesticated animals also feature in folk stories, including livestock species and of course the dog.

Archetypal (biped-given) names are given for those animals that have them. In order to convey the right sense, these are translated from European where equivalents exist.

For non-animal symbolism, see Symbolism in Terrimoirine folk stories.

1. Hero

2. Dog

3. Mouse

4. Horse

5. Bird

6. Wolf and Fox

7. Bear

8. Dolset

9. Wildcat

10. Wild Dog

11. Unicorn

12. Dragon

13. See also

1. Hero

The main character of the stories is almost always one of the five races, not another animal. The species of the hero is often interchanged depending on who is telling the story. Heroes who succeed through wit, luck and trickery are most likely to be cast as voks, those who inherit advantages or use brawn, bravery and charm as faleighs, the rare case of 'the highly-skilled unsympathetic wanderer' tends to be feraisai and the generous and pure of heart (the types who are drawn into adventures through honest mistakes or attempting to help a rogue) are most usually cast as srolli. The few appearances of rocca, who are not native to Terrimoire, take the typical 'stupid or aggressive foreigner' form.

2. Dog

The domestic dog is often a loyal companion and advisor, whether listened to or ignored. Sometimes a kidnapped or murdered dog is the primary cause of the adventure (examples: Ina's Wolfhound, The False Mirror, King of the Cats, The Loyal Spaniel). The dog may also be accused of disloyalty, only to be proven innocent later (whether at a timely moment, as in The Tree's Bark, or too late, as in The Vile Stepmother.)

Dogs also feature as guardians of treasure or princesses' bedchambers, in which capacity they are only rarely overcome by bribery but quite often by trickery. Common methods include lulling the animal to sleep using cuddles, woodwind instruments or honeyed meat (a traditionally soporific food, not to mention sickly).

Archetypal dog names: Fido (m), also Rex, Rover (both m)

3. Mouse

In satire, mice in particular are often analogues for bipedal people, with the same wide range of behaviours and flaws. 'Foible fables' are often toned down and so made more acceptable by making all the characters mice.

In the more usual biped-led folk stories, a mouse on its own is often persuaded to find information (compare the phrase "a mouse in the skirting") or help through patient industriousness (sorting grains in The Stupid Tasks, chewing through sacks in The Robbers), while the presence of a lot of rats or mice generally indicates a plague or curse that must be lifted magically or removed by killing all the mice.

4. Horse

Often treated as a mere method of transport for storytelling purposes, occasionally a horse can double as a companion and information source.

In contrast to dogs, who are generally exactly what they seem, a horse may turn out to be something quite different. Occasional monsters show up in the shape of horses. A general rule of thumb for folk stories is that one should not get onto a stranger's back.

A special case is the [Lord/Queen of Horses] character, who sometimes shows up in warriorly situations.

5. Bird

Smaller birds are good-hearted, generous and generally benign unless gravely offended on behalf of another (example: The Hungry Dog). Owls are always dopy, dozy and dull (The Golden Mountain, in which the sword piece guarded by the owl is attained by simply lifting the sleeping owl and taking it). Day-hunting carnivorous birds are often savages, attacking for no good reason, while occasionally an unusually reasonable hawk or eagle is encountered (Prince Dothy). Corvids are cheeky, smart and self-important, tending to trick (The Runny Cheese) or be tricked (Little Vugel), while the suicide bird is positively emo.

Archetypal owl name: Dormen (m)
Archetypal crow name: Corwa (f, occasionally Corwus, m)
Archetypal suicide bird name: Gilda (f)

6. Wolf and Fox

Reflecting the unique partnership of foxes and wolves in temperate northern Shade, the wolf and the fox, or a group of wolves and a fox, or rarely a contingent of wolves and a pair of foxes, are usually cast in the rôle of clowns - the wolf being the buffoon and the fox the rascal (briefly in To Market and Back, or as main characters throughout much of the story in The Lost Doll). Otherwise the wolf may play the steadfast, loyal or dull-witted companion and the fox the coward or traitor (particularly seen in tales from the feraisai southeast, such as Hiding Petal and the many tales of Feather-Haired Eude in which a fox-wolf pair is a recurring minor antagonist).

Archetypal wolf name: Isengrim
Archetypal fox name: Reynard (see also the character Reynard)

7. Bear

Bears can play the rôle of gentle - or not-so-gentle - giant. Bear characters often have a philosophical tendency, in keeping with the traditional view that the shorter the tail, the more wise or serene the animal.

Archetypal bear name: Bruin (m)

8. Dolset

Although a real animal, so little has been known about the secretive dolset until comparatively recently that its appearances in stories tend to be unrealistic bordering on fantastic (compare the dragon, below).

Dolsets are occasionally given fanciful hidden societies away from bipedal eyes (The Orange in the Cave, Little Greken).

Archetypal dolset name: Occule (unisex)

9. Wildcat

Wild cats, which in Terrimoire range from cocker spaniel to lynx size and are extremely rare, are rather more common in folk stories, where they are fond of setting upon children with their claws (Stylieli's Bad Day, The Silver Branch).

They do not often have speaking parts (but see The Lucky Fours for the self-described "cleverest cat in the world", who is bribed with dried fish to lead the children out of the woods).

10. Wild Dog

Wild dogs, by contrast, are shown to have strange tendencies to raise abandoned children (Little Bone-Tooth, The Princess of the Dogs). They do this in spite of their other tendency to eat their enemies alive - a known behaviour of these dogs, although exaggerated.

Terrimoirine wild dogs are traditionally believed to have magical powers in their unusually melodious howls and barks, and bands of dogs creating magic are commonly stumbled upon, interrupted or even joined by the hero (Little Crocus, in which the dogs are pleased with her contribution, or The Miller's Trial, in which they aren't).

11. Unicorn

Unicorns uncreatively represent corruption or barbarism. There are plenty of cases of rulers 'cursed' with unicorn visitations (King Vooz's Embarrassing Problem, The Search for a Murderer) and of water sources poisoned by unicorn presence (Jojo and the Dragon, Hippity-Skippity).

12. Dragon

Dragons feature in Terrimoirine stories even though there are no giant reptiles in Shade's temperate or 'Mediterranean'-climate regions. Because of this, their characteristics and behaviour are entirely fanciful, which is to say, completely made up.

The fictional dragon is a mysterious beast, never a direct antagonist. Often it serves as a test for the hero (The Luck of the Bridegroom, in which Dragon pretends to swallow the golden dish and will not open his teeth). The hero never rides the dragon (but see rare cases such as Juis and his Brothers, in which the dragon fetches the rescued mother on its back, and The Box of Puzzles, in which the princess is brought likewise).

Also worth mentioning is that the dragon is reputed in folklore to cure unicorn poison, although a general rôle of healer is not usual - rather, the dragon can have a purifying function through hard work or strife, thereafter granting the hero its help or a special power (The Needle and Thread, The Virtuous Stable Boy, Little Minska).

Frequently the dragon gives aid of some kind, but always by the dragon's own rules and always with consequences, whether these ultimately turn out to be good or bad for the hero. It is common for the dragon to name a price, or declare that there will be a price. Usually this works out very differently from what the other party expects. This has given rise across Terrimoire to the phrase "asking a dragon for help", which means "getting an outcome that was not at all what you bargained for".

The dragon, as an archetype connected with knowledge and the teaching of (occasionally harsh) lessons, lends its name to dragannerie, the code of conduct for academics and teachers.

Archetypal dragon name: They are only ever called Dragon.

13. See also

• Symbolism in Terrimoirine folk stories