Áur Veith

The cautionary tale of Áur Veith is thought to be emblematic of the Joshawkian society it originated from. The titular Áur Veith, literally "God Hunter," is a renowned huntsman who pursues increasingly powerful prey in the name of bringing glory to her family name; so famous are her skills that her personal name is "lost to history," and her services are called upon from across the land. In particular, during one bitter winter that has her family suffering from the cold, Áur Veith hears that there is a way to end the endless winter and bring back the sun to the land. She travels farther and farther from home, eventually coming across her greatest quarry at the ends of the world -- a god of snow and ice cloaking the land in an eternal winter.
In a battle lasting days and days, Áur Veith is victorious, but as the god's blood spills upon the snowy earth, she sees reflections of elsewhere in the world. Back home, her family suffers alone; despite Áur Veith's fame, they go hungry, because the scarcity of food means that no one could have provided for Áur Veith's family except for Áur Veith herself, and she left them in the name of the hunt. Áur Veith hurries home -- in some versions of the story, she returns to them just in time and retires her "God Hunter" title to instead hunt small game for her family to eat. In others, Áur Veith's family dies before she can reach them, and she is said to still wander the world in search of greater hunts to fill the emptiness in her heart.
The cultural implications of this tale are clear with the context of Kes Joshawk society: no matter what, attending to one's family is most important of all. The story is well-known enough in Kes Joshawk and neighboring countries that "Áur Veith" is a phrase often uttered in the context of long-term military service especially; even if such employment would gain glory and wealth for one's family, all of that is worthless if it means there is no family at all when their time in the military is over.
Category:Ealdremen Stories
Category:No Spoilers