[MOC] Jörmungandr, the Sea Serpent

[Louis of Nutwood]

“We apologize, great serpent of the seas, for we do not live in harmony with our Mother Nature”, said the Elders in a time long gone. 

With the drop of the first snowfall, came the season of shortage, when not a seed grew from the soil and men would hide within their homes. In need of stockage to go through Winter, men raged against each other in pursue of a better crop, a better land, a better life. But as years passed, Winters became longer and colder, and the Elders presumed it was a curse from the Gods. 

“We do not live in harmony with Mother Nature, who gives so much, but asks so little in return”, they proclaimed, convincing all men to establish a ceremony of appreciation, hoping the Gods would be pleased enough to end the Winter season. 

For seven days, a selection of the most dexterous, cunning, strong, and sharp men were set to battle each other in a series of games for the appreciation of the Gods, to thank them for sharing their knowledge, protecting the mortals, and providing for the crops.

By the end of the seventh day, guided by the ancient Elders, all men were sent to the seashore, where the golden sun would set on the horizon as a white mantel of snow covered the rocks. There, the results of the games were shared with the public and the man with the lowest scoring was pushed into the waves, as an offering to the Gods. Facing the edge of the world, to the eternal sea, the Elders called upon Jörmungandr, the sea serpent, and offered him a cleansed soul. 

But snow continued to fall. 

The second man with the lowest score was sent forth, and as the Elders proclaimed the sayings that would wake the giant serpent and bring an end to the cold winds. 

But once again, snow descended from the sky.

This time, Fiandr, the strongest of all men, most dexterous and cunning, winner of the Games Ceremony took the lead. He walked along the rock wall up to the highest cliff, where a lonely tree hung with white leaves. Fiandr faced the eternal sea and called the serpent. 

[We apologize, great serpent of the seas, for we do not live in harmony with our Mother Nature.
We apologize, great serpent of the seas, for we do not seek your guidance, but our own foolish desires.
We apologize, great serpent of the seas, for what we do cannot be undone.
But here I stand, devoid of arrogance, proud or greed, offering my life, if you are merciful enough to take it.
Take my flesh, for it does not suit me anymore.
Take my blood, for it does not serve me anymore.
Take my soul, for it does not scream, anymore.
Take my life, and I will swim alongside you in your castle under the waves, protecting the world of the living and nurturing a life of balance and harmony until time stands still.]

Fiandr screamed at the waves, his breath a smoke of frost. He took his knife, gleaming with the last light of the sun, and with a sharp movement, he cut open his wrist, letting a red current flow like the northern rivers.

Before the first drop of blood reached the ground, a blue serpent emerged from the frigid waters of the eternal sea. As fast as its head left the water, it dove back in, taking with it the soul and flesh of the most skillful of the mortals.

The Elders stood as the last snowflake detached from the grey ceiling that covered the world, and a warm breath of wind caressed the land.

From this day on, when the cold winds blew and the Season of Shortage began, The Games Ceremony took place as a way for the mortals to show their appreciation for the Gods, for the winner to claim its rightful place alongside Kevin, the Jörmungandr, sacrificing his life, and for the Gods to show their mercy.
 
“We apologize, for we do not live in harmony with our Mother Nature”

_______

Louis of Nutwood.

_______

Really hope you all like it. 
Skol!

[zoth33]

NIce little build.  I really like the sea creature, the colors and the look of the spikes and scales look great.  The rock work and the water with the combination of the snow makes for nice scenery.  Great story to go along with the build.  

[Grover]

Awesome build!  Love the dark background and the juxtaposition of the dark blue with the white of the snow.  The light blue tiles are perfect for the cold sea, and I really like the plate built path up to the cliff.  Those things take a while to build and yours looks good.  I really like the story that goes along with the build.  Great theme of sacrifice and tradition.  Keep up the good work!

If you're doing HSS and this is near Valnötstrad, I'd count it as a holy site under Religion.

Edited August 12, 2020 by Grover

[marvelBoy123]

That sea serpent looks great, the shaping looks really organic!

[Louis of Nutwood]

17 hours ago, zoth33 said:

NIce little build.  I really like the sea creature, the colors and the look of the spikes and scales look great.  The rock work and the water with the combination of the snow makes for nice scenery.  Great story to go along with the build.

Thank you, Zoth! It's always a pleasure to have your comments. Glad you liked it, man!

15 hours ago, Grover said:

Awesome build!  Love the dark background and the juxtaposition of the dark blue with the white of the snow.  The light blue tiles are perfect for the cold sea, and I really like the plate built path up to the cliff.  Those things take a while to build and yours looks good.  I really like the story that goes along with the build.  Great theme of sacrifice and tradition.  Keep up the good work!

If you're doing HSS and this is near Valnötstrad, I'd count it as a holy site under Religion.

Aaah, fellow builder Grover! What a delight to have you once more wandering and commenting in my builds. 
Your evaluation is always much appreciated, and I cherish your thorough analysis. I'm thrilled you liked the sacrifice theme involving a bit of the Mitgardian tradition from way back. 
And I'm not sure.. I guess I'm not doing the HSS, and would love clarification. Because, heck! If there's anything to participate on, count me in.
And absolutely, this is a truly HOLY site in the outskirts of Valnötstrad.
Where do I sign in?

Cheers, Grover! And thanks for the tips.

6 hours ago, marvelBoy123 said:

That sea serpent looks great, the shaping looks really organic!

Aaah, Marvelboy. It warms my frozen heart to know you enjoyed this little sacrifice. 
The serpent is my favorite part, so I'm glad you liked it, brother. 
Cheers! And thanks for all the support. 

[Grover]

10 hours ago, Louis of Nutwood said:

And I'm not sure.. I guess I'm not doing the HSS, and would love clarification. Because, heck! If there's anything to participate on, count me in.
And absolutely, this is a truly HOLY site in the outskirts of Valnötstrad.
Where do I sign in?

HSS is the Historican Settlements thread in which you build to certain categories and get your town on the map! 

[Kai NRG]

Intense story, and a really cool serpent!  I didn't mention it on Flickr, but I really like your snow with a bit at the bottom of the rock and then more at the top.  It looks really good.

[Louis of Nutwood]

24 minutes ago, Kai NRG said:

Intense story, and a really cool serpent!  I didn't mention it on Flickr, but I really like your snow with a bit at the bottom of the rock and then more at the top.  It looks really good.

I'm thrilled you liked it, Kai. I'm particularly happy about this rock work (plus snow work) because I forced myself not to use any SNOT technique. This is straight classic brick on top of brick, and to my surprise, it looks quite good. So, thank you for commenting and mentioning the snow-work, which is really an evolving art. As a Mitgardian, snow shows up a lot, and we have to stay creative. 

Thanks for the support, man!
Skol!
 

On 8/13/2020 at 2:21 AM, Grover said:

HSS is the Historican Settlements thread in which you build to certain categories and get your town on the map! 

YES, of course.. I'm familiar and contributing.. eh.. every once in a while. 
But thanks for the heads up on the 'holy sites', otherwise I would never have though of including this build. 
Thanks, lad!
Skol!

[Grover]

33 minutes ago, Louis of Nutwood said:

YES, of course.. I'm familiar and contributing.. eh.. every once in a while. 

But thanks for the heads up on the 'holy sites', otherwise I would never have though of including this build. 
Thanks, lad!
Skol!

There's quite a bit of leeway with what counts for various categories, so you may be able to look through your previous builds and find some that help complete each category!

Edited August 15, 2020 by Grover

[socalbricks]

This is a great MOC! I particularly like how you achieved the curvature of the serpent. 

[Louis of Nutwood]

9 hours ago, socalbricks said:

This is a great MOC! I particularly like how you achieved the curvature of the serpent. 

I'm glad you liked it, SoCal.
The serpent was initially developing into a black dragon, but it turned into this serpentine beast, which I liked even better. I'm glad you liked the curvature! Those white tooth pieces enforcing the form were a final addition, and I agree they add a lot to the whole thing. 

Thanks for the support, brother.

Skol!