On Stendahl

A tribe of Zincs is located in and around what was once the Saguenay Fjord in eastern Canada, which has been renamed Stendahl by those living there. The pack living in this area has holy grounds located in the Saguenay Gaben - which they have renamed Heilagr - and guard this sacred rift valley very carefully.
They speak primarily Danish, with fair bits of Icelandic, Gaelic, and Welsh thrown in, the latter three often showing up in their way of naming things.

They prefer paying homage to the spirits of nature over worshiping gods, though worship of the gods is not entirely unheard of in this area. Those who follow a religion often give their respects to the Norse pantheon or to pagan deities.

Their spiritual matters are overseen by a shaman, the Óláfr. All other matters are overseen by the chieftain, the Ásgeirr. These two are supposed to be deeply related with one another, and are typically referred to as a single entity, Ásvaldr.

The pack itself is named Cútighearna, though it is much more common for a member to say they are 'of Stendahl' or 'fra Stendahl' rather than professing the name of the pack, as they are the only tribe that occupies the Stendahl area. Members of the pack are differentiated between the Anarawd, or current tribe members, and the Deòradh, or the exiles and outlaws of the tribe. It is possible for a Deòradh to regain their status as an Anarawd, though this depends heavily on their crime and their former status in the community.

The pack is nearly a hundred strong and growing, having come from the Zinc pack of 12 that had settled in the area.

They are rather out of touch with world politics and prefer to keep to themselves. They are not very hospitable to strangers and will not allow anyone to stay in their lands who does not have the permission of the Ásvaldr. It is very rare for a pack member who is not a Deòradh to travel or go on any sort of pilgrimage.

The Óláfr



The current Óláfr of the tribe is named Mathghamhain, but is commonly addressed by most as Mathúin. The one before him was named Labhraidh.

The Óláfr and other shamans attend to the spiritual matters of the people, and are typically also the ones who handle medicinal matters. They have an extensive knowledge of various rituals and many herbs.

Shamans are typically chosen at birth by their predecessors, and officially become shamans at the age of 12. They do not, however, inherit the title of Óláfr until their predecessor dies. An Óláfr may take on multiple proteges, but only the first-chosen may become the next Óláfr.

It is extremely atypical for an Óláfr, or any shaman, to bear children of their own. This is borderline taboo and is frowned upon by tribe members, and typically is regarded as a bad omen. Typically, the Óláfr chooses their first protege from the litter of the Ásgeirr, and may choose any further students from the litters of various tribe members. It is considered an honor of the highest caliber to be chosen as a student of the Óláfr.

Despite the stigma on shamans bearing children, Mathúin fathered a litter of two shortly after the early passing of the previous Ásgeirr. Though he did choose his heir from the current Ásgeirr's litter, he further tested the waters and took on both of his pups as his students.

Due to an incident, both of his pups became Deòradh. This is a source of much embarrassment to Mathúin and something that the current Ásgeirr likes to lord over him, causing some disruption within the pack. There has been much unrest due to this incident, and some people are prone to picking sides, which suggests further dissent in the future.

The Ásgeirr

[There will be a picture here later]

The current Ásgeirr of the pack is named Mads. The one before him was named Namid.

The Ásgeirr and their family tend to the practical and political matters of the tribe. They also handle matters pertaining to disputes, and the women of the Ásgeirr's family typically preside as judges for crimes committed in the pack, though the final ruling is up to the Ásgeirr themself.

Like the Óláfr, the Ásgeirr can be either male or female.

Ásgeirrs are generally expected to have large families. However, the Ásgeirr themselves is only expected to sire one litter, and any litters beyond that is the choice of the Ásgeirr. The family of the Ásgeirr is expected to be more fruitful.

The extended family of the Ásgeirr usually make up the mentors of the community as they especially must hold themselves to standards of honor, reason, discipline, and respect. For a member of this family to behave in a way that would shame their name is a crime worth of becoming Deòradh. For lower ranking families in the pack, this does not particularly hold true.

The title of Ásgeirr is inherited by the eldest member of the litter who was not chosen as a protege by the Óláfr. The Óláfr gets first choice in the pups before the next leader is chosen.
Though it is mostly passed down through family line, it is possible to challenge the standing leader for the title of Ásgeirr.

Namid, the previous leader, was very popular in the pack and Mads strives to make his own good decisions and not live in her shadow. However, he is young and reckless, and his bad relations with Mathúin have given him someone of a reputation for an impudent youth by Mathúin's supporters. However, his own backers agree with his point of view that what Mathúin did was inappropriate and possibly dishonorable behavior for the Óláfr.

Culture

[to be written, probably when i get home from school aha whoops]

Dress

[also to be written soon]

The people of Stendahl have a long oral tradition and many legends. Some will be transcribed here.

Floden ånd og søen ånd.

A very long time ago, there was a river spirit who fell in love with a lake spirit.
The river spirit was very playful and lake spirit was quiet and friendly. They matched very well, because they were both daughters of the moon. All water spirits are daughters of the moon.
Each day, the river spirit played with lake spirit. Lake spirit depended on the river spirit, and the river spirit was the only one who could make her happy.

One day the river spirit went down the mountain so she could meet with lake spirit. But there was a big wall in her way that she could not swim around.
The river spirit cried, but even her tears could not help her get over the wall. It was too big and made ​​of stone from the ground. But the stone spirits did not live in this wall. It had no soul.
Without the river spirit, the lake spirit was lonely. She wondered where the river had gone and why the river stopped coming.
Eventually, she had no hope. It had evaporated, as motionless water does.

After many years, the mighty wall began to break. The river spirit did not cry, and finally was able to push through the stone.
She swam quickly to the lake spirit, but instead of finding endless water, all she saw was a puddle.
The river spirit cried again. She was pained because of what had happened to the lake spirit.
Eventually, her tears filled the puddle, and once again there was endless water.
The puddle was a lake, and the spirit began to breathe again. The river had given her life back.
They were overjoyed to be side by side again. Even if a wall had come between them, in the end, they were able to overcome it. Love conquered the spirits, and the daughters of the moon lived happily together again.