[I/T] Dyr Andar: Spirit Animals OPEN FOR POSTS!

[Geyser Eelborn]

A nature-loving colony for Ice Tribers.

History
Has not yet occurred! So. Er. A little awkward there, but yes.

Who are the Dyr Andar? -- Beliefs and Traditions -- Structure -- Members & How to Join  

[Geyser Eelborn]

Beliefs and Traditions
Andar: The Dyr Andar believe that to each B’alam was given, as well as a half-spirit, the spirit of an animal by their creator, the Great Creature (aka the Grand Weaver—no one’s been around to tell them what he’s called!). No B’alam can be complete unless they embrace their spirit animal, their andar. The andar can be detected as the animal that a dyr most closely identifies with, that they admire or emulate or look up to. Much of Dyr Andar life and spirituality revolves around them. It is not taboo to slay an animal of the same species as your andar, but you must ask your andar for permission to slay that animal.
The Spirit World: They believe that there are two worlds, the natural world and the spirit world. The natural world is the world that B’alam inhabit, and the spirit world is the world where the lines between B’alam (dyr) and andar blurs, and where they walk in the same skin.
Names: Each dyr has a two-part name. The first part is the part their mother gave them (or, if first gen, they give themselves). So a blue cub might have been named Sky or Stream by their mother. When they complete the Tracking to become an adult, they give themselves a second name based on their andar. So for example, if Sky’s spirit animal is a floofalo, it might be Sky Soft or Stream Hoof (or Sky Floofalo, hey, we ain’t judging). If it’s a bird, it could be Stream Feather or Sky Flight or something like that. Giving your child the first name of an animal is seen as bad luck, as it’s seen to be influencing the cub’s andar.
Spirit-Tracking: A coming-of-age tradition whereby the adolescent (adult, in shop terms) spends a week ghosting their andar, learning from them and living like them (except eating like them—if your andar is a deer, you do not have to eat like a deer). During this week, the dyr must remain out of contact with all other B’alam. When the dyr returns, they go to the leader of their choice and present to them what they learned in the past week. If the leader deems them to have learned enough, they are allowed to give themselves a second name and join the leader’s faction.
Lost in the World: Not everyone knows what their andar is when the time comes to Track them. A “lost” dyr consults with a mistletoe and a sage (a druid and a shaman), who engage in a secret ceremony involving liberal use of psychoactive drugs. The mistletoe and the sage consult with their own andars to receive instructions on how the younger dyr can discover their andar. They pass the instructions on to the lost dyr.
Elections: Occur once a year (time to be determined--possibly the Spring Equinox). During this time, the Mountain, the Tempest, and the Yggdrasil are chosen by the colony.

Who are the Dyr Andar? -- Beliefs and Traditions -- Structure -- Members & How to Join  

[Geyser Eelborn]

Structure
Governing Body: Each faction—Skogur, Vethur, and Steinur—elect a leader, who will represent them. The leader confers with the other leaders to come up with a decision for the colony as a whole.

Factions:
Skogur: healers, druids, and spiritual leaders. Their ranks are named after plants; their leaders are named after trees. The leader of the Skogur is the Yggdrasil.
>Mints (lead by the Spruce): herbalists
>Poppies (lead by the Willow): healers
>Mistletoes (lead by the Oak): druids--those who communicate with nature/the physical world
>Sages (lead by the Yew): shamans--those who communicate with the spirit world
>Crocuses (lead by the Maple): bards

Vethur: hunters, herders, and others whose lives revolve around animals other than B'alam. Their ranks are named after meteorological phenomena, such as precipitation and weather patterns; their leaders are named after storms. The leader of the Vethur is the Tempest.
>Winds (lead by the Tornado): trappers
>Thunders (lead by the Thunderstorm): chasers--those hunters that chase after their prey
>Hails (lead by the Hailstorm): flushers--those that startle the prey so that the chasers can catch them
>Flurries (lead by the Squall): trackers--those who figure out where the prey is
>Rains (lead by the Flood): herders and other familiar tenders

Steinur: warriors. Their ranks are named for stones; their leaders are named after gemstones. The Steinur are divided into three ranges, or primary groups. At the moment, each range is not united under a single cohesive leader. This may change later on (when we figure out what to call them. Cough. The leader of the Steinur is the Mountain.
>Sedimentary: support groups and aids
>>Flints (lead by the Malachite): scouts
>Metamorphic: basic troops
>>Slates (lead by the Topaz): regulars
>Igneous: heavy hitters
>>Granites (lead by the Hematite): tanks (slow, but very strong)
>>Basalts (lead by the Obsidian): berserkers

Who are the Dyr Andar? -- Beliefs and Traditions -- Structure -- Members & How to Join  

[Geyser Eelborn]

Yggdrasil:
Spruce:
>Mints:
Willow:
>Poppies:
Oak:
>Mistletoes:
Yew:
>Sages:
Maple:
>Crocuses:

Tempest: dibbed by Ice_Dragon_Demon?
Tornado:
>Winds:
Thunderstorm:
>Thunders:
Hailstorm:
>Hails:
Squall:
>Flurries:
Flood:
>Rains:

Mountain:
Malachite:
>Flints:
Topaz:
>Slates:
Hematite:
>Granites:
Obsidians:
>Basalts:

How to Join!

Dyr Andar has not yet been formed--it's being run by Geyser Eelborn and Ice_Dragon_Demon and neither of us yet have the B'alam to found it or run it! We would like this to be a colony, so we will need seven-eight members and at least one other person to join us in this. I think we might be open to suggestions (I'll have to ask Ice when she's online); we're probably open to members, too! Go ahead and join up. Most posts are available, though I think Ice would like the first Tempest, and I would like one of the other leaders as well. BUT OTHER THAN THAT. Feel free to join us, please!

Side note: Ice Tribe only. Sorry, but the fluffybutts need more stuff going on up there.

[quote="Geyser Eelborn"][/quote]
[color=brickred][b]In the footsteps of my spirit![/b][/color]
[b]Username[/b]:
[b]Dyr[/b]:
[b]Andar[/b]:
[b]Brief blurb[/b]:
[b]What naming trend is discouraged?[/b]

Who are the Dyr Andar? -- Beliefs and Traditions -- Structure -- Members & How to Join  

[Geyser Eelborn]

Extra post reserved, just in case.

Who are the Dyr Andar? -- Beliefs and Traditions -- Structure -- Members & How to Join  

[Geyser Eelborn]

And another, you never know.

Ice_Dragon_Demon

Who are the Dyr Andar? -- Beliefs and Traditions -- Structure -- Members & How to Join