Oh you know what! Theful must move the clouds when Suriin is off catching up with her brothers. Somebody needs to tell Cinderpaw. (haha I feel like we're Warriors discussing theology, with these asks)
That is a better explanation of Theful's purpose than half of the warriors have come up with. They're so busy debating on whether he's real or not because Suriin exists that they haven't factored Suriin herself into the conversation. Probably because she doesn't like being gossiped about.
See, now, if you ask me, it makes sense that Theful serves Suriin, and helps oversee her duties when she’s busy. After all, Thlainra is Rokhar’s personal servant! Seems only logical that all of the Three have their own attendants. Begs the question then who Horoa’s might be. (Sending in asks, pretending to be warriors debating theology, has such appeal. Hope you don’t mind if I throw my hat in the ring.)
(Not a problem at all, I'm having fun!)
Another very good solution to this debate! Theful is considered pretty foolish by the Clans, so him serving under Suriin would likely just be to keep someone's eye on him and have some assistance with the weather. Thlainra, meanwhile, has her own reasons for working for Rokhar - I don't think anyone has dared to ask what she gains from it, and she isn't inclined to say.
Horoa's servant? Well, I'd argue that he's got a whole crowd of 'em, in the form of his hunters! He's the most set in terms of servitude out fo the Three.
I feel a bit dumb for asking, but wouldn’t Theful be the cloudherder, since a herd is the thing that gets herded, and a herder is the one who moves it along?
Probably? I went with "cloudherd" to reference "shepherd", which of course means "one who herds sheep". I'm not sure if "cloudherder" would be more grammatically appropriate. I just write what I think sounds cool.
Translated literally as either “Clearsky” or “Bluesky”. Alternately spelled as Þeful.
Even within the Clans, where nearly every mythical character is treated with the utmost of respect and certainty of their existence, there is an appeal in tall tales and urban legends. They can’t be necessarily proven, and some don’t believe in them, and they’re fun specifically because of that.
The primary character filling the niche of “no, I swear, my mentor’s sister told me he’s real” is Theful, known best as the shepherd of the clouds and the personification of the wind. It’s not exactly clear to scholars what he is supposed to look like - some cats claim he’s the color of the clouds he chases through the sky, with others arguing for him being invisible or even as bright blue as the daytime sky. The description doesn’t seem to matter within stories or an explanation of how the wind works to wide-eyed kits, at least.
Theful is a very “expressive” entity; as the wind, his job is to clear the sky of clouds, herding them south of the Clans into the Aulmir. The speed and temperature of the wind, when it cares to grace the land, is a good indicator of his mood and of the weather he’ll be dealing with in the very near future. Where the clouds bearing rain or snow come from in the first place is not clear, only that Theful will guide them south as quickly as he can. For some, not quickly enough, but he’s doing his best.
The main point cats bring up when debating his existence is that, if he is indeed the one dealing with clouds the most, he would ostensibly be responsible for covering the moon on Gathering nights when the Clans are arguing amongst themselves. However, the common belief is that this is Suriin’s job, and to take this from her is blasphemy. Some try to explain this as Theful only being in charge of getting the clouds moving at all, with Suriin being the one to direct them to where they go and what sort of weather effect they drop. Others negate Theful altogether, calling this too blurry of a line to be valid.
This debate works out in Theful’s favor - because he’s argued about, he stays relevant and popular as a character in the minds of the young and old alike. Whether or not he exists at all, he’s kept alive by the “controversy” of his being. Some joke that he likes it that way, and others scoff at the idea that any folkloric or mythical being would appreciate being argued over for generations.
looking forward to the rest of the mythology and stuff
anyway heres the Gods and also clearsky and maybe my girl petalfall even though she doesnt have a post yet shhh
I was initially surprised when I found out that Clear Sky ended up becoming Theful in Clan myth, but as I thought about it the more it made sense. Assuming that the guy is about as controlling as he was in canon, it's not hard to see cats making jokes about how he'd control the wind itself if he could, and things just kind of spiraled from there.
To be clear: I have not read the fifth arc of Warriors, and I know very little about Clear Sky's character, other than he's a major douche. If I'm to make a statement on Theful now, I would say that his connection to Clear Sky is purely through name (as he can also be called "Bluesky"). Theful is playful and nice, if a little stupid. Our Clear Sky was indeed a control freak and a poor leader. A modern cat would not be able to connect the two at all.
