Sunday 23 June 2013

George Joy’s Guide to Faerytale Creatures, No 8: Frozen Water Imps

Frozen Water Imps, more commonly known as Frozimps, are so called more because of legend than because of any similarity to or relationship they have with River Imps, or Rivimps (in the same way that Sea Imps, or Seamps, are connected erroneously with Rivimps). 

Various theories exist that explain why and how Rivimps ended up living on frozen water high up in the hills and mountains.  Across the world cultures connect it with their own Great Flood myth, seeing Rivimps as having been displaced (and presumably altered, in line with the creation of Seamps) by the flood, settling in their new home. 

Others see Frozimps as being refugees from either the Dark Warrior’s Second Coming or other Rivimps, abandoning their river homes for the safer mountain tops, with some never returning.  Further, some say that wizards took them to their place of safety, altering them so that they would survive.  The Frozimp and Rivimp’s own chronicles, however, show this to be untru (see below).

Another couple of theories (one a ridiculous modern take on the other) sees them as Rivimps displaced by Rockles or Ötzi the Iceman. 

As for the Frozimp’s own creation story - this no human has been able to establish, that part of their chronicles is a closely guarded secret.

Though it is possible that some or all of the above things happened to Rivimps, or that Frozimps and Rivimps could well be related to a common ancestor, their only real link would seem to be via the rivers that connect and unite their communities.  Frozimps, after all, though they live in some similar ways to Rivimps and are similarly built, they have lungs, not gills, feet, not flippers, and are actually really tiny, hairy people.

Frozimps live in networks of ice caves dug into mountain glaciers and compacted hilltop snows.  Much like Mountain Elves and Dwarves, these are made of tunnels that open out into great community halls and have smaller homes situated to the sides.  They have hairy bodies to help keep them warm over which they wear clothes made from animal hides and leaves to help keep them warmer still, and dry too.  The same materials are used within their tunnels, homes and halls as insulation.

Living high up away from most natural resources, all Frozimp communities have established trading links with the Rivimps that live in the rivers that start on their mountain.  Some Frozimps mine for precious stones near the surface and also trade any flowers and plants they can gather that Rivimps cannot.  They are also fantastic craftspeople and will make clothes and other items from river materials that are superior to that which Rivimps can manage.

Another advantage for Rivimps is that Frozimps have always acted as lookouts for danger from their mountaintops- during the Second Coming of the Dark Warrior, they forewarned Rivimps across Europe and Asia, allowing them to get to safety before the Shadows drew over (thus destroying at least one of the above creation stories).  Because of this, Frozimps and Rivimps will always be connected, even if not in the way many argue that they are. 

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