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Becoming a VölvaAn initiate is chosen by the wandering priestesses and brought back to the mother house for training. The initiate shows promise in psychic abilities such as dreaming about future events. Females are the only priestesses. There are no priests. There can be men who dedicate themselves to service to Yrsa, but these are usually battle warriors. They rarely marry. Most of them are single men with no families. The initiate is taken into service at a young age. There are few girls who show the proper abilities and even less pass the rigorous training. In the story of "The Initiate," Catriona is rather old for an initiate. Generally, the initiates show their abilities from birth. However, the child must be at least 7 years old before moving to the mother house. Catriona had shown her abilities before age 14, but no one had taken notice. Also, the sister might be shown a girl in a dream, as Elinor was shown. The girls serve seven years one-on-one with a sister, learning the ways of the sisterhood. There is training in herbal medicine, reading, writing, cultures, storytelling, spell casting, diplomacy, and all the other skills a cleric would possibly need. Some sisters learn weaving and dyeing, as there is a dye of woad blue that only the sisters know how to make. Some sisters train to be guardians, learning the skills of warrior craft. These sisters are known as "Sisters of the Shield." Few of the initiates make it to this point. Some give up; others do not have the proper gifts. After seven years, the acolyte, as the initiate is now known, travels with a different sister on the circuits to the villages. She helps the sister in her duties. The acolyte travels for seven years. After these 14 years, the acolyte takes vows into the sisterhood. Being a full sister (Völva) does not mean that she cannot marry and have children. Some sisters leave the mother house and settle in a particular community. This is rare, however. Valgarin is a huge land, and the traveling sisters are always needed. It is not an embarrassment if a sister is with child but is unmarried. Children are celebrated throughout Valgarin. If it is a boy, the mother raises it until age 5, and then he is fostered out. If the child is a girl, she will generally be raised in the sisterhood, especially if she shows a gift of psychic abilities. If not, she will still be kept in the mother house and taught the healing ways. It is considered an honor to marry one of these "daughters of the house." After the sister has taken full vows, she will continue to travel wherever she is needed. The Raven CloakThe Raven Cloak is bestowed upon the highest-ranking members of the sisterhood. As mentioned in the story, the cloak is rumored to fall apart if one who is unworthy tries to wear it. This has never been proven, however, as all who wear it are worthy. The Sisterhood of the ShieldThe Sisterhood of the Shield is the warrior subgroup of the Völva. They generally do not have psychic abilities, but are powerful in warrior ways. Some of these sisters go into battle with the men. Some of these sisters train young boys in skills. The men are uneasy around these warriors because they are fearless protectors of the land. They do not falter and are often seen at the forefront of the battle-lines. only the best female warriors are chosen to be in the Sisterhood of the Shield. |
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