by Lidellia
The tradition of the Turath was begun by the Northerners long ago. In their
early, primitive culture, where magic was the province of Shamans, the Turath
gave the common person a way to surround themselves with magic.
The concept was simple – a leather strap was hung down from beside the entrance of a home. Upon it were tied various artifacts of natural magic, which, when thoughtfully combined, bestowed certain benefits upon the dwellers within.
In the untainted Northern mind, everything in nature had a spirit, and was quite alive in a literal sense. In that manner of thinking, everything in nature held power. But a few things, especially, contained special potency.
Stones with natural holes were among the most prized of Turath charms. Their powers were many. They bequeathed strong healing energy, protecting from illness and speeding the healing of wounds. If looked through, they allowed the viewer to see into the realm of the fae, and having one nearby brought good favors from faerie-kind.
Skulls were also treasured, as they were thought to contain the concentrated spirit of an animal. Every animal had special meaning to the Northern tribes, and skulls were carefully kept in order to gain the powers of certain birds and beasts.
Natural gemstones were thought to grant a direct link to the realm of the spirits, and tying any clear rock to a Turath was sure to bring dreams from one’s ancestors.
And finally, all manner of other plant, animal, and stone artifacts were collected -- claws to gain the strength of a creature, pinecones for spiritual awakening, the feathers of predator birds for successful hunting . . . almost all things in the Northerners’ world held some special significance.
The Turath was always hung on the right side (looking inward) of the outer entrance to a dwelling, for spirits, being in the realm of the dead, always walked widdershins (in a left-hand circle) if they had a choice. If spirits were leaving a dwelling, it was hoped that they would see the Turath and be encouraged by its powers to grant positive things to the people who lived within. (It was believed that spirits could come most easily into our world through the insides of peoples’ dwellings.)
Once civilization came to the Old World, the tradition of the Turath was adopted by the conquerors, who soon developed the concept into an artform. The magical significance of the tradition was ignored, and beauty instead became the primary objective. The concept of the symmetrical Turath quickly emerged, which gives us the kind we usually see today hanging from doorways. Distasteful objects such as skulls were abandoned in favor of more beautiful things – dried seedpods, beaded patterns, designs of woven strip-wood, and curls of golden wire were commonly combined with some of the original items that were still considered beautiful, such as pinecones, rough gemstones, animal tails, feathers, and polished wood.
When the tradition was first taken up by civilized Old Worldians, there was some anger from the few remaining traditional Northerners, who felt that yet another of their sacred rites was being destroyed. Often a noble would commission a fine Turath only to find it broken and ruined on their doorstep the next day. But as the last of the Northern Shamans was hunted down and killed, and the remnants of the traditional Northerners fled away into the woods to be forgotten by the likes of us, that small rebellion quietly disappeared, and today Turaths can be seen quite commonly, especially during holidays or celebrations.
Of late, however, with the recent resurgence of interest in traditional Northern lifeways, one can see, here and there, Turaths that look more akin to the Turaths of old. If you do see one, dangling with all manner of curious things, don’t be afraid to stop and ask the owner what it means. More and more of the secret ways of the native people of the Old World are being uncovered every day, and you just might learn how to make it rain, see in the dark, or awaken in yourself some other strange power of the Northerners, the original people of our land.