The Vulpine Before-Life, Between-Lives, and Afterlife

[CallieO]

Vulpine Concepts of the Before-Life and Afterlife

Nopa'Shuka: The Cradle of The Lady or "Well of Souls", the Before-Life

Vulpines believe that their immortal souls are hand-crafted and nurtured by The Lady in the nopa'shuka, the Cradle of The Lady, which can be seen from the aurora australis in the southern reaches of Belariath. The spirits first manifest on earth during a woman's Visitation, when they appear in a dream to their future mother and ask to be brought into the world. For a period of about a year after the Visitation, the vixen is fertile and can help achieve that goal. Vixens are only fertile after the Visitation, and they usually get five or less Visitations in their entire lives.

When the vulpine immortal souls enter their physical bodies during the Soul-Joining Ritual at about age 20, they come down from the nopa'shuka directly into the vulpines' bodies.

Sometimes, a vulpine will die before attaining their Soul-Joining Ritual, and sometimes, a vulpine won't earn their soul at all. Different tribes of vulpines have differing believes as to what happens to these "surplus" souls. The Karalinka Tribe believes that some non-vulpines, whom The Lady favors, receive these souls. Some tribes believe the souls just continue to rest in the nopa'shuka until they're sent down to earth in another vulpine body. But most vulpine tribes believe that these souls eventually come down to earth in the form of zilzhani, wandering, homicidal vulpine spirits that prey on the living until they're destroyed, or "liberated", from that miserable existence.

Pyta'Shuka: The Bosom of The Lady, the Between-Lives

For vulpines who die before their final rest on earth has been attained, they go to the pyta'shuka, the Bosom of The Lady. There, The Lady and Her Divine Husband Trejani personally comfort and heal the spirit which has suffered a traumatic death, and prepare it for its return to Belariath.

Vulpines believe the pyta'shuka can sometimes be found in the heat distortion on earth, particularly around the equatorial region.

Kiro'Shuka: The Veil of The Lady, the Afterlife

Vulpines believe that when their time in Belariath is over, their souls ascend to the kiro'shuka, the Veil of The Lady, which manifests itself in the aurora borealis in Belariath's northern reaches. Sometimes, when the Veil is seen, the souls of the departed vulpines look down upon those still living and take pleasure in their lives, and occasionally intercede on their behalf.

Once a vulpine's soul is joined to their corporeal body, it slows the aging process to a near-standstill, and enables a vulpine to live for 900 years in youth. Eventually, their time in the world comes to an end, and they join their departed ancestors in eternal bliss in the kiro'shuka.