Worldbuilding Dragon’s Bane and the Dragon Ceremony
In which you get to see part of the folklore and ritual of the Agravér
Hello again Fellow Adventurer!
As usual, this month has just flown by – I think 2022 started off a bit too fast for me. But – good news – I’m still on track to have the edited stories for Where the Stars Used to Sing ready for release on 31 January!
This week, however, I’m looking at the worldbuilding of The Ruon Chronicles, with a focus on the dragon’s bane plant and the dragon ceremony of the Agravér.
The Dragon’s Bane Plant
The dragon’s bane plant is a large, woody shrub that is found in the north of Agravér, the south west of Eafod, and the south east of Kauko:
The roots of the plant is actually poisonous to dragons, and the whole plant is poisonous to humans to a more or lesser degree. For example, the flowers, when ingested, can kill an adult, while the leaves can make one very ill and leave a long-lasting, painful rash.
The bark and resin is less poisonous than some of the other parts of the plant, and is burned and the ashes used in the dragon ceremony.
The ash, which is pressed into cuts made into the skin to form tattoos, gives the receiver a fever that, in some cases, can kill. This forms part of the dragon ceremony (which is discussed in greater detail below).
The appearance of the dragon’s bane plant
Okay, so I tried to do a sketch of the plant, but I seem to be really – o, so very – out of practice, that I’ve decided to go the way of describing the plant as a sort of Frankenstein’s monster plant.
The flowers looks something like a fire lily, though smaller:
The leaves resemble those of a Scottish thistle plant:
The bark is all cracked and flaky like a quiver tree’s:
I hope that that gives a relative good idea of the plant… One day in the future I may actually get the sketch looking the way I want to!
But onward to the dragon ceremony.
The Dragon Ceremony in The Ruon Chronicles
The dragon ceremony is only done in Agravér, though in the past it was also done in Eafod. The border between the countries form the separation between those who still do the ceremony and those who don’t, as it is banned in Eafod on pain of death.
There is a ritual in gathering the resin and bark of the dragon’s bane plants that is followed by the elders of the villages when the teenagers of the village are to undergo the dragon ceremony. The Nithin oversee this ritual.
It’s this bark and resin that are taken back to the villages to be burned to ash in special containers.
(Note that I talk here of “villages”, though towns are included as well. There are no large cities in Agravér – except those left in ruin after the Midland Wars.)
The dragon ceremony is performed by the elders of the village and two of the Nithin. The Nithin wear their own type of hiding cloak – made using Ver-nith runes embroidered in black on white cloth – until they reach the bonfire that is made in the centre of the village when they reveal themselves to the people.
Because none of the ruon-born Agravér are left alive apart from those who become Nithin, they do seem to just appear at the fire, ready to do the ceremony.
The ceremony itself is done to those who are thirteen or fourteen years old as a coming-of-age ceremony.
During the ceremony, the arm of the teenager is held by one of the elders while one of the Nithin makes the cut that will become the tattoo. This cut is made about a thumb’s length from the right elbow on the upper arm.
The teenager is not allowed to pull away or make any movements that will cause the line of the tattoo to be crooked.
If this happens, the tattoo will not be made, but the scar will be kept on their arm, with sap from the leaves of the dragon’s bane dabbed on it to increase scarification as a sign of their weakness.
They have one more chance to do the ritual when they are fourteen years old, but, if they fail that, they will not receive any tattoo throughout their lives. This is such a matter of shame that many who fail in the ritual rather commit suicide.
Once the cut is made, the second Nithin will push some of the ash into the wound to create a tattooed line on the teen’s arm.
The following words are then spoken by the Nithin, the elders and the teen: “Out of ashes we were born, We are tempered by the fire of dragon tears. With ashes we are marked. In fire we will die. Through fire we will become ash once more.”
The wound is then bound in white linen and the teenager taken to their house to have their “dragon spirit” speak to them in the fever dreams caused by the compounds in the ash.
(Those who failed will also be taken home and left to sleep – should they awaken, they will be given a second chance at the ritual even if they did not see the dragon spirits.)
Once the teens wake up from the fever dreams, they are usually asked if the dragon spirits spoke to them. Should this happen, they will live through the next test given a few days later when another village – or even a village across the border – is attacked and each of those who underwent the ritual is to kill someone.
Should they be killed in one of these attacks, they will be left behind and won’t receive a proper burial.
A great feast is held for those who do return and they will receive their second tattoo on that day.
Other Writing News: Mesopotamian Mythology
In other writing news, another of my mythology articles on Stargate SG-1 was published this month! This time it’s about Mesopotamian mythology – “Stargate: How Mesopotamian Myth Links 'Fire and Water' to 'The Tomb'”.
A forthcoming article will be about Arthurian legends – huzzah!
That’s it for this newsletter, however. Until next time (when I’ll reveal the final Where the Stars Used to Sing), stay safe!
Love,
Carin