Songs of the Seven Gelfling Clans Read online

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  Illustrations by Brian Froud, Pippa Broadhurst, Ryan DaSilva, Tim Napper, Jon McCoy, Max Berman, and Cyrille Nomberg.

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  Published in 2020 by Penguin Young Readers Licenses, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.

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  Ebook ISBN 9780593097571

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  Contents

  Cover

  Copyright

  Title Page

  Introduction

  The Stonewood Clan

  Daily Life

  The Stonewood and the Skeksis Lords

  Name Day

  Stone and Wood

  Gelfling Fire and the Crucible

  Attitude toward Others

  The Stonewood Lyre

  Food

  Recreational Poisons and the Screaming Tree

  Songs of the Stonewood

  A Final Word

  The Spriton Clan

  Daily Life

  Spriton Craft

  Cohabiting with Podlings

  The Pavilion

  Patrons of the Landstrider

  Festival of the Sour Squash

  Life Beyond Sami Thicket

  Swoothu Training

  Food

  Songs of the Spriton

  A Final Word

  The Vapra Clan

  Daily Life

  The Role of the All-Maudra

  The Tithe

  A New All-Maudra

  Chrysalisday—Celebration of the Sister Moons

  The Art of Flight

  The Ha’rar Port Market

  Mountain Hot Springs

  Food

  Songs of the Vapra

  A Final Word

  The Grottan Clan

  Daily Life

  Finger-Talk

  Daylighting

  Moontide

  The Morning Song

  Salves and Alchemy

  Hollerbats, Nurlocs, and Other Cave Creatures

  Living in the Shadow of the Arathim

  Food

  Songs of the Grottan

  A Final Word

  The Sifa Clan

  Daily Life

  Samaudren

  Era-Ianem, the Wind in the Sail

  Far-Dreamers

  skekSa the Mariner

  Hooyim Boat Races

  Sifan Charms

  Day of the Rose Sun

  Food

  Songs of the Sifa

  A Final Word

  The Dousan Clan

  Daily Life

  The Xerics

  Life Apart

  Language of Silence

  Day of the Dying Sun

  Trial of Daeydoim

  Incense

  Tattoos

  Funerals

  Food

  Songs of the Dousan

  A Final Word

  The Drenchen Clan

  Daily Life

  Healing

  Hard-Talk

  Muski Companions

  Spring Festival

  Drenchen Drums

  Waterfasting

  The Mystic Blue

  Food

  Fisheries

  Sogflower

  Songs of the Drenchen

  A Final Word

  To End Is to Begin

  About the Author

  Introduction

  In my youth, I dreamed of walking the many paths of Thra, from the shadowy trails intertwined among the trees of the Endless Forest to the snowy cliffs that give way to the Silver Sea. And yet, on the eve of my fated departure, traveling pack on my shoulders and Firca at my breast, I found myself afraid. Afraid of the unknown that lay beyond the green leaves I had always called home, but more than that, afraid that once I had left, I might never find my way back.

  But I could not bow to the fear and hold it in my heart forever. By the light of the Rose Sun, I left the place where my mother and her mother and her mother had lived happily and died peacefully, and set out to pursue my destiny: to witness as much of the world as I could, and to fill my ears and heart with as many songs as others might deign to tell. To dream-etch every scent and sight; to commit every wonder to memory.

  My naive quest was to seek out the Gelfling—scattered across the land in seven clans, each more reclusive than the last. The Stonewood, deep in the Endless Forest. The Spriton, in the open plains. The Drenchen, in the far southern swamps. The Vapra, in the blustery cold north. The Dousan, wandering in the Crystal Desert. The Sifa, sailing upon the Silver Sea. And the Grottan, hiding deep within the mountains.

  It took most of my life, and I do not regret a single day. With the Brother Suns and the Sister Moons as my guides, I sought out the seven clans. I met with their younglings and their elders. I sat with their maudras. I listened to their songs. I saw my life divided into seven chapters, each lived with one of our mighty clans so that I might finally uncover the whole that is made up of our seven parts.

  That was many trine ago. Now, I look upon my records as if they were adventures had by someone else. And they were; the youth who charged, fresh-faced, into unknown lands was a Gelfling wholly different from the one who writes this introduction, looking back. My heart is full of songs and memories, my fingers burning with the makings of one final dream-etching. And brightest is a spot in my forehead, not unlike Mother Aughra’s third eye. It yearns to open and spill out all I have seen, all I have learned, so that the experience might not be trapped within only one mind forever.

  And so, I arrange this collection for you. All I have learned and loved of our proud and gentle ways: this teller’s songs of the seven clans.

  Thriya

  Within the dark Endless Forest that fills the Skarith Basin like moss in a cupped hand, there is a mou
nd of stones piled as high as the trees. Moss and vines and roots weave the boulders together, making them one. Making them whole. And there it stands, at the foot of a clear lake, for all to see: Bolentor, the Stone Tower. Or, as it has come to be known by Gelfling far and wide, Stone-in-the-Wood.

  Spilling out from the rocky rise is the village that the Stonewood clan calls home. Nestled in the wealth of the abundant forest and with the lake at its back, Stone-in-the-Wood is everything a woodland-dwelling Gelfling might dream of. This is the place where I was born—the place where my journey began.

  We Stonewood Gelfling are known for our toughness and bravery, traits that are required to live in the eat-or-be-eaten world of the Endless Forest, where no Gelfling sits at the top of the food chain. The Stonewood take pride in their reputation, and as a community, they enjoy encouraging one another, even during competitive sports. While I believe that reducing a clan to a few attributes is foolhardy—no one is ever one thing or another just because of their clan affiliation—I can safely say we Stonewood go out of our way to emphasize our hardiness and courage, especially when interacting with Gelfling from other clans.

  Like all Gelfling clans, the Stonewood have a clan-first mentality. When I was young and faced with decisions for the future, I would turn to my clan for guidance. No matter whom I asked, the answer always began with “What’s best for the clan?” Although this way of thinking taught me to prioritize the Stonewood and set aside the well-being of other Gelfling clans, I found, after my later travels, that this clan-centric philosophy may—ironically—be one of the few concepts that the seven clans have in common.

  Daily Life

  Stone-in-the-Wood is a large, industrious community, with daily roles carefully assigned by our maudra and her elder council in order to maintain a prosperous, thriving clan. Among the Stonewood are blacksmiths, woodcrafters, stoneworkers, fire keepers, gardeners, hunters, and a dozen other specialists who all work together, day after day. The work within the community is balanced, oral tradition and wisdom are passed down, and the clan remains strong, healthy, and happy.

  Many are surprised to find that my parents were not song tellers but wayfinders. Their role among the Stonewood was to aid travelers in their journey, sometimes leaving for days at a time to guide others through the Endless Forest. As a youngling, I accompanied them many times on their journeys. These adventures with my family inspired some of my favorite songs.

  Days in Stone-in-the-Wood begin early in the morning—the first clang of the blacksmith’s hammer signifies the start to a new day. Those whose work takes them outside the bounds of the village say their goodbyes and depart; those whose work occupies them within the village meet in their groups to discuss the day’s plan. Work continues until sunset, when the hearth is lit for a communal supper and, of course, a song or two. At night, the lanterns full of Firebugs are strung along the shell-roofed homes at the base of the rise. The flickering light of the lanterns makes it seem as though the village itself rests among the sparkling stars.

  The Stonewood and the Skeksis Lords

  On the edge of the Endless Forest, the earth splits, and out sprouts a magnificent castle of black stone, like a claw reaching for the very suns: the Castle of the Crystal. Within its mighty halls dwell the Skeksis Lords, and may they do so forever that we might warm our faces in their radiant light. Indeed, it is thanks to them that such a fantastic structure even exists. From any place where a Gelfling might crane their head above the trees of the wood, they will see the tower of the castle, proof of the impossible power wielded by the Skeksis, and evidence of their ability to protect that which lies hidden within the castle’s shining and hallowed walls.

  While the Stonewood benefit from the natural bounty of the wood and the Black River, we also prosper from our proximity to the Skeksis. Many Stonewood are called to serve the Skeksis within the castle itself. This is an honor bestowed more frequently to Stonewood Gelfling than to Gelfling of any other clan. In my youth and into my young adulthood, I saw many younglings receive their invitation (though I never received one myself—song tellers are rarely called to serve as guards at the castle). I remember seeing my friends’ faces brighten when they heard they had been called by name to walk among the Skeksis. It is an unparalleled task among Gelfling, and especially among the Stonewood, whose relationship with the Skeksis might be called more intimate than that of any other clan (aside from the Vapra).

  This discrepancy does not go unnoticed by my clan. It is no secret that many Stonewood believe the Skeksis were in error when they chose the Vapra to be the leaders of the Gelfling and our ambassadors to the Skeksis. This is an idea I first heard before I could even hold my first flute, and one embedded in many Stonewood conversations, from passionate Gelfling venting their feelings over a cup of brew to my maudra herself when entertaining Vapran representatives from Ha’rar. Why was the Vapran Citadel chosen as the capital of the Gelfling when Stone-in-the-Wood is often called the hearth of the Skarith Land? The Stonewood maudra interacts with the Skeksis on a more frequent basis, and it is Stonewood Gelfling who are most commonly called to serve at the castle. So why was the Vapran maudra named All-Maudra? As a young Stonewood, it was natural to wonder why the Skeksis chose to favor the Vapra over our clan.

  But it was even more important to know the dangers of disagreeing with the Skeksis. Not only because the Skeksis are much wiser and more powerful than us Gelfling, but also because mistrusting the Skeksis, and in turn the Vapra, might result in rivalries that could damage our livelihood and reputation. If the Vapra decided to challenge the Stonewood, it could mean fewer imports from the north, including any and all trade from the Sifa, who use Ha’rar as their primary trading port. Not to mention jeopardizing our long-earned rapport with the Skeksis . . . Whether or not the Skeksis were wrong in choosing the Vapra, accepting the circumstances as they are now may be the safest way to preserve the Stonewood clan’s strong standing.

  Name Day

  While every Gelfling celebrates their Name Day in a different way, our Stonewood Name Day tradition is very dear to me. While naming a Gelfling and presenting the youngling is essentially the same as it is in other Gelfling communities, the celebration of the first Name Day in Stone-in-the-Wood has an additional ritual of passage.

  When a youngling celebrates the sixth anniversary of their Name Day, they, along with any other younglings whose Name Days fall within the same season, are sent to climb Bolentor without the guidance of adults. Each youngling is sent to the summit with a small chisel. When they reach the top, they find a stone that fits their liking and carve a sigil into it. This becomes the sign of their name, memorialized with the hundreds of other sigils carved before them.

  I have such fond memories of my Name Day climb; I remember precisely the spot where my sigil was carved. After so many trine, it is overgrown with moss and vines. Yet during my many travels, knowing that my sign was still carved atop Bolentor made me feel as though, no matter where I wandered, my home always waited for me, there in Stone-in-the-Wood.

  Stone and Wood

  The Endless Forest is dense, and it is the great equalizer of the Skarith Land; in order to live happily among the other creatures of the wood that are strong of tooth and nail, we Stonewood have, quite appropriately, honed our stone- and wood-crafting skills into an art. These important trades are very similar, in that they take time to learn and even more time to execute. Training trees and other wood life to grow in specific shapes can occupy the entirety of one woodcrafter’s lifetime; doing the same with stone can take generations.

  However difficult to master, these talents fortify the entire village from the ground up, perhaps most evident in the way they weave the stone, trees, and wood together to create a myriad of homes for the Gelfling of the clan.

  Though some do use metal swords and the like, Stonewood hunters and trappers prefer stone-tipped spears and even finely crafted stone daggers. Made by a community
of highly skilled woodcrafters, Stonewood spears are renowned for their durability and perfect balance.

  Gelfling Fire and the Crucible

  An incredible monument sits at the base of Bolentor. This is the Crucible and the Stonewood hearth.

  The Crucible, like all Gelfling hearths, is the gathering place for the Stonewood during important occasions. This is the place where our maudra delivers announcements and conducts ceremonies, where newborns are introduced to the rest of the clan, and where traders from other regions are first greeted and welcomed to Stone-in-the-Wood.

  Among these many communal purposes, one tradition that revolves around the Crucible is of particular note. Looking upon the hearth, one will find that the metal in the center of it—melted nearly beyond recognition—bears the form, here and there, of weapons.

  It is this way by intent. Every time the Stonewood must take up arms, when the battle is over, the warriors carry their weapons to the Crucible. There dozens of swords and spearheads are jumbled upon one another and melted in the fires until they are no longer the instruments of violence they once were. Through this ritual, we separate our aggressive acts and memories from our everyday lives, leaving them to be consumed by the flames in the Crucible’s belly.

  The Crucible and this ritual of destruction by fire is a prime example of our relationship with our patron element: fire. It is said in many songs of ancient lore that when the Gelfling were split into seven clans, it was by way of the seven elements. Those with fire in their hearts, whose embers never die, became Stonewood. Our warmth lights and leads the way for other Gelfling, so much so that Stone-in-the-Wood is often regarded as the hearth of the seven clans—not only because of its central location, but also because of the bright, brave souls that inhabit it.

  Many songs tell of a sacred place where, in the far future, the Gelfling will once again receive the blessing of Thra in the form of song; many of the far-dreamers who have peered into the flames and seen this dream believe that Stone-in-the-Wood may be the location foretold in the prophecies. After living beneath the mysterious stones of Bolentor and among my fellow proud and enduring Gelfling, I do not doubt this could one day become that place. For we Gelfling always gather at the hearth; and there is no greater hearth than Stone-in-the-Wood—in the shadow of Bolentor, where the flames of the Crucible grow steadily stronger upon the backs of melted swords!