Far from the brothers' blinding light
Beneath the blanket of the long night
Grottans work in the dark and deep
Where the glow moss grows
And where crawlies creep
So lay down, my childling, and sleep
No need to fear
And no need to weep
The Grottan Clan was a small Gelfling clan which dwelled underground in the caves of Grot. Centuries of living in the caves gave the Grottans exceptional eyesight, though this made them sensitive to sunlight.[3] In the Skeksis' artificially imposed hierarchy of clans, the Grottans were considered the lowest,[2] and they rarely ventured to the surface world.[4] Their patron tree was Vliste-Staba, and their sigil animal was the Hollerbat.
They were primarily a pastoral people who tended Nurloc herds[1] and were generally not overly concerned with personal hygiene.[5] Due to their subterranean life, Grottans were among the Gelfling most attuned to Thra and the Crystal, and measured time by monitoring the tides of underground lakes. The abundance of fungi and minerals in their homeland also made them proficient alchemists and healers.
History[]
The Grottan Clan during the Second Battle of Stone-in-the-Wood
According to the Gelfling creation myth, the Song of the Six Sisters by Sylus, the Grottans were, along with the Vaprans, an offshoot of the Silver Sea Clan, entrusted by Thra to preserve the Gelfling's knowledge, only to be split in two, with the Grottans being entrusted with keeping the records of the "shadow".[6]
They were granted Grot as a homeland after the Skeksis evicted the Arathim as a reward for their loyalty, a fact remembered by clan members during the time of Thriya[7] but apparently forgotten during the late Age of Division.[8]
By the late Age of Division, many non-Grottan Gelfling began to believe the Grottans had gone extinct.[4] After the collapse of the Alliance of the Crystal, the Grottans were enslaved by the Arathim, who had allied themselves with the Skeksis in the hope of reclaiming their ancestral home. When it was revealed that the Skeksis intended the Arathim to die alongside the Grottans in the caves, now infested with the Darkening, the two factions made peace, assuring one another that they would share the caves in future.[8] Both Grottans and Arathim would later join the Gelfling resistance during the Second Battle of Stone-in-the-Wood.[9]
Territory[]
The bulk of the Grottan population inhabited Domrak, a great hall in the caves of Grot situated by a subterranean lake.
Culture[]
The Grottans were a small clan whose childlings were educated in basic alchemy and other skills, before being assigned specific tasks as adults by the maudra and her elder council. Grottan laborers were slow workers, as their culture favored quality over speed. Because of their proximity to the ground and the presence of white crystal veins emerging throughout their home, the Grottans were particularly devoted to the veneration of Thra and the Crystal, sometimes touching the veins in silent prayer.[10]
Finger-Talk[]
- Main article: Finger-Talk
Because long-range vocal communication in the caves of Grot would often become unintelligible through echoing, the Grottans invented Finger-Talk, a system of tapping which could be heard if one pressed their ear to the cave walls.[11]
Daylighting[]
- Main article: Daylighting
Emerging to the surface world was forbidden in Grottan culture, with authorized expeditions known as "daylighting" being approved only with permission by the Maudra and her council, strictly for the purpose of obtaining supplies not available in the caves.[12]
Timekeeping[]
As the Grottans lived far from the sight of the Three Suns, they measured the passage of time by marking the highest point of Domrak's underground lake, whose depth fluctuated according to the orbit of the Sister Moons. This ritual, known as Moontide, was the prerogative of the Maudra.[13]
They also kept track of the movements of the Three Suns by carving tiny holes on Domrak's ceiling which would emit the Suns' light, with the morning being heralded by a musical performance consisting of a firca, followed by a bowed string instrument and a voice.[14]
Alchemy and herbalism[]
As their cavernous home ensured a cool temperature ideal for storing supplies, the Grottans were able to invent many substances, from medicines to explosives, without fear of them spoiling. Alchemists were skilled healers, capable of creating pastes made from stone and moss which could accelerate the healing of wounds. Their most prized medicinal ingredients came from the innumerable fungi that grew in Grot's dark corridors. They also fashioned explosive powders for clearing collapsed tunnels or ventilation shafts infested with Hollerbats.[15]
Animal husbandry[]
The Grottans viewed themselves as shepherds to Grot's fauna, having formed a commensal relationship with the Nurlocs, Hollerbats and other creatures sharing their home. These animals would be fed daily and, in turn, would provide services such as loosening soil and rock in the case of the Nurlocs or provide flammable guano in the case of the Hollerbats.[16]
Food[]
The Grottans had a rich cuisine, thanks to the abundance of flora and fauna inhabiting the depths of Grot. Most dishes were vegetarian, made from vegetables and fungi cultivated by farmers and seasoned with a staggering array of spices and flavor dusts, made from sources such as dried moss and salt-rock. They also fed on fish and dwarf armalig. Surface-dwelling food sources, such as leafy vegetables, were rare treats, and considered "dayfare". Such foodstuffs would be preserved in vinegar, salt and sugar for future consumption.[17]
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1
Age of Resistance – "End. Begin. All the Same.". Netflix. August 30, 2019
- ↑ 2.0 2.1
Age of Resistance – "The First Thing I Remember Is Fire". Netflix. August 30, 2019
- ↑ Age of Resistance – "Nothing Is Simple Anymore". Netflix. August 30, 2019
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Age of Resistance – "What Was Sundered and Undone". Netflix. August 30, 2019
- ↑ Age of Resistance – "She Knows All the Secrets". Netflix. August 30, 2019
- ↑ Lee, J.M (2020), Songs of the Seven Gelfling Clans, Penguin Young Readers Licenses, pp. 108-109, ISBN 0593095596
- ↑ Lee, J.M (2020), Songs of the Seven Gelfling Clans, Penguin Young Readers Licenses, pp. 104-106, ISBN 0593095596
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Age of Resistance – "Time to Make...My Move". Netflix. August 30, 2019
- ↑ Age of Resistance – "A Single Piece Was Lost". Netflix. August 30, 2019
- ↑ Lee, J.M (2020), Songs of the Seven Gelfling Clans, Penguin Young Readers Licenses, pp. 93-95, ISBN 0593095596
- ↑ Lee, J.M (2020), Songs of the Seven Gelfling Clans, Penguin Young Readers Licenses, p. 96, ISBN 0593095596
- ↑ Lee, J.M (2020), Songs of the Seven Gelfling Clans, Penguin Young Readers Licenses, pp. 97-98, ISBN 0593095596
- ↑ Lee, J.M (2020), Songs of the Seven Gelfling Clans, Penguin Young Readers Licenses, p. 99, ISBN 0593095596
- ↑ Lee, J.M (2020), Songs of the Seven Gelfling Clans, Penguin Young Readers Licenses, p. 100, ISBN 0593095596
- ↑ Lee, J.M (2020), Songs of the Seven Gelfling Clans, Penguin Young Readers Licenses, p. 101, ISBN 0593095596
- ↑ Lee, J.M (2020), Songs of the Seven Gelfling Clans, Penguin Young Readers Licenses, pp. 102-103, ISBN 0593095596
- ↑ Lee, J.M (2020), Songs of the Seven Gelfling Clans, Penguin Young Readers Licenses, p. 107, ISBN 0593095596
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