bc im making one rn, do the clans have a creation story?
Oof okay this is gonna have to be a four-parter.
Directory:
Part One: Ancient Ancestors/Mythology
Part Two: Why DotC is ass The Tangled Mess of Canon's Creation Story
Part Three: A Basic Overview of the AtD Timeline
Part Four: The Founder's Stories
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Part One: Ancient Ancestors/Mythology
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Explained in this post, anything not directly stated in TPB is free game for me. I am a very big mythology nerd, so I allowed myself to add some stories and rituals that can fit inside canon.
One thing I've noticed is how often Lionclan and Tigerclan and Leopardclan are brought up in the first arc. And how seemingly ever following arc seemed to drop the premise entirely. I always thought that was such a shame because there were SO many interesting things you could have done with that concept.
In this fictional land the clans live in (not britain), big cats emigrated up north, eventually becoming the wild cats known now. (At least this is what the clans believe). Cats with lion/tiger/leopard traits are held in high esteem, and NOT naming a kit with these traits those names is seen as very weird ad probably a bad sign for the cats life.
There are no stories about specific big cats, they've just been relegated to specific stereotypes and roles for whatever narrative the elder needs to tell. It's like in certain folklores that use animal characters. The fox is always sly, the mouse always scared, the bear always tough, the owl/crow always wise.
Tigers are bold, strong, but also clever and quick. They are NOT 'the bad ones' who the writers equate with Shaowclan, because that is bad and sucks. Tigers are actually (irl) incredible swimmers, so Shadowclan AND Riverclan hold them in the higher esteem.
Lions are what inspired Thunderclan's somewhat unique and very intense ideal of 'nobility'. The 'kings' who do good by all, leading without question. In an older age, Skyclan held lions in the higher esteem as well, though that has long since faded. They are still basically Thunderclan's mascot to this day.
Leopards are beloved by Riverclan and Wndclan. While strong, they are not AS strong as lions and tigers, so Thunderclan and Shadowclan tend to brush them off. Leopards were rumoured to be fast as the wind, and favoured intelligence over raw strength.
The Old Clans, as the are known, are often put down by the older apprentices as being 'kit tales', but elder warriors know the wisdom these stories hold. Due to the vague nature of the stories, many older cats question whether or not they hold any truth, but understand the importance of these stories and know to let them be.
As for whether I, the author, have decided if they are true or not, well, I'll never tell : )
