Children's Tales from the Far North

Children's Tales from the Far North is a collection of short stories collected from the folklore of the inhabitants of Naravut Island, a large island off the northwestern coast of the Gale Plains. The fables in the collection are staples of Naravutian culture and embody ancient traditions and beliefs. While most islanders can recite the tales from memory, the collection was compiled as an anthropological study by mainlanders following the annexation of the island by the Kingdom of Humanity in the early 940s. The original author of the compilation is unknown, but it is possible that several people co-authored the book.

Summary
Dating back to before the formation of the Kingdom of Humanity in the Plains, Belkin and the Witch tells the story of a troublesome young Naravut boy named Belkin. Belkin, unlike the other children, does not play well with others, respect his elders, or finish his village duties on time. One day, after being scolded by his parents for his behavior, Belkin decides to run away into the forest and live on his own. Soon after entering the deep forest, Belkin encounters a witch who invites him to live with her, with promises of no chores and undivided attention. Belkin jumps upon the opportunity, but quickly discovers that he misses his life in the village. Three times, Belkin asks the Witch to make his new life more like his village life; the witch creates small effigies to play with him and larger effigies to scold him, both of which terrify him. After his third request is granted, Belkin realizes that the Witch only wishes to eat him, prompting him to escape. He runs through the forest aimlessly, being pursued by the effigies and the Witch, silently praying to the spirits to bring him back home. He narrowly escapes his pursuers and arrives back in his village, where he returns to his normal life with a new appreciation for it.

Lessons
The purpose of Belkin and the Witch was to teach the children of Naravut to be content with their lot in life and their duties. Like many other local tales, it sought to instill a fear of Naravut Forest and magic into the listener, as the peoples of the Island fear the primal magic that flows throughout the Forest.

Summary
Though this story has many different interpretations, this tale is considered a staple in Coldwater's culture, as the setting is widely believed to be the village that would later expand to become the city. A fisherman by the name of Kristoff, his wife, and their two children, live on the eastern banks of Lake Naravut in a small village. Although they are not particularly affluent, they are very happy and healthy. Kristoff’s neighbor, another fisherman by the name of Jens, tells Kristoff that he has learned of a way to summon the legendary Lake Serpent, a creature said to grant wishes to those that can find it when it appears once every hundred years. Although he is wary of interacting with spirits, Kristoff decides to take Jens up on his offer, and the two sail out to the middle of the lake in the night. True to Jens’ word, the Serpent rises up from the water to meet the duo, offering both of them a wish, but warning them that it may have unintended consequences. Ignoring this, Jens immediately wishes for a larger, nicer house. Kristoff refuses to take the wish, stating that he is happy with his life as it is. When the two return, they are shocked to see that Jens’ house has been set ablaze. Speaking with the leader of the town, Jens learns that the townsfolk are willing to build him another, larger home, but he will be without one for weeks, and all his irreplaceable personal possessions have been lost in the fire. Distraught by this, Jens and Kristoff return to the Serpent twice more, with Jens attempting to wish for more and Kristoff continually refusing. Each new wish has greater consequences for Jens, until finally, he is left dying in Kristoff’s house. Kristoff returns to the Serpent alone and wishes that his friends health be returned. The Serpent tells Kristoff that he can grant this wish, but he will have to leech the health of someone else. He offers to take the health of his wife or his children, but Kristoff refuses, knowing that the safety of his family and friend is paramount above all else. In the end, Kristoff ends up willing to give his own health in exchange for his friend’s, but the Serpent takes pity on Kristoff and heals Jens without harming anyone. Kristoff returns to find Jens is alive and well, and explains what happened, prompting Jens to realize the error of his selfish ways.

Lessons
The tale of the Lake Serpent embodies the most important values of Naravutian culture: a strong dedication towards one’s friends and family, a willingness to make sacrifices, and living humbly and without greed.

Summary
This tale, though only written within the last one to two centuries, reflects the attitudes of the native inhabitants of Naravut towards other Humans from the mainland. A young woman by the name of Rayna has decided that she does not wish to be married and instead wants to become a warrior. Proud of her decision to help defend her homeland, her father immediately sends her off to the guard with equipment so that she may begin her training. After many weeks, Rayna excels in her training and becomes a full-fledged soldier. As one of her first assignments, she is tasked with meeting up with and guiding a group of soldiers sent from the capital, with the warning that they may be shady individuals. Paying no mind to this, Rayna meets with the soldiers and, throughout the course of the day, becomes so fed up with their behavior that she refuses to speak with them any further than giving directions. Not content with this, one of the capital soldiers decides to make a move on her; she is so infuriated by this that she strikes the man down, prompting the rest of the soldiers to attack her. She quickly dispatches them, their weak bodies being no match for a strong Naravutian woman. After that, she smears obscenities on their armor using mud and removes them from the city.

Lessons
Contrary to many of the other folktales of the area, The City Boys was written in protest towards the mainland occupation of the island by the king's forces. Rather than reinforcing any traditional lessons, this tale stresses the importance of isolationism and the belief that the Humans of Naravut are superior to those from the mainland.

Trivia

 * Children's Tales from the Far North takes some inspiration from real life fairy tales, such as Hansel and Gretel by the Brothers Grimm.