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	{{Cat\|~~Book~~,Wedding ~~Book~~}}~~[[page type is::book\| ]]~~		{{Cat\|Books,Wedding books,Celestial Elf}}
			[[page type is::book\| ]]

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	=Marriage Among The Elves=		=Marriage Among The Elves=
	==Volume IX: The Celestial Clan==		==Volume IX: The Celestial Clan==
	-''An Investigation by Simon J. Bright''		-''An Investigation by [[Simon]] J. Bright''

	In many ways the most cosmopolitan and least ethnocentric of the		In many ways the most cosmopolitan and least ethnocentric of the
	traditional Elves of Elanthia, the Celestial Elves idealize the		traditional [[race association is::elf\|Elves]] of Elanthia, the [[race association is::Celestial Elf\|Celestial Elves]] idealize the
	pursuit of knowledge, the exercise of restraint and diplomacy,		pursuit of knowledge, the exercise of restraint and diplomacy,
	and the harnessing of passion to the control of reason. In pur-		and the harnessing of passion to the control of reason. In pur-
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		⚫	{{Cat\|Book,Wedding Book}}
	[[Category:Book]]
⚫	~~[[Category:~~Wedding Book]]
	[[Category:Celestial Elf]]

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	[[~~Cagegory~~:Book]]		[[Category:Book]]

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New page

=Marriage Among The Elves=
==Volume IX: The Celestial Clan==
-''An Investigation by Simon J. Bright''

In many ways the most cosmopolitan and least ethnocentric of the
traditional Elves of Elanthia, the Celestial Elves idealize the
pursuit of knowledge, the exercise of restraint and diplomacy,
and the harnessing of passion to the control of reason. In pur-
suit of this ideal, the major rituals surrounding events such as
birth, death and marriage tend to be calmly solemn and rational
in nature, highly choreographed and strangely theatrical.

Many of the elaborate legalities and marriage arrangements of
the other Elven clans have been simplified by those of the
Celestial Elves. This is not remarkable, given the wider
exposure over the eons these Elves have had to other cultures
and races. While Celestial Elves do recognize and utilize the
ceremonies of El Agzata, Bile Janis oc Hol Haizeani, and Gel-
inajaun in their lives, they tend to regard most of the other
legal marital arrangements as quaint reminders of a past when
the various Elven clans were more isolated and insular. The
Celestial Elves do not recognize the Gelinajaun Ruh as a
separate ritual, feeling any couple is capable of becoming so
close it may seem as though they are one, but to declare their
souls have melded together is nothing more than a wistfulfantasy.

Those Elves regarding themselves as Celestial truly feel they
have matured past the need for such arrangements and no longer
recognize any of these forms of marriage in their own courts.
However, they do full honor to their cousins by granting full
recognition to these forms of marriage in any instance where one
of the bridal couple is born of the Celestial Clan and the other
belongs to a more traditional clan. Should the Celestial Elf
agree to one of these marital arrangements, they are held with-
out recourse according to the law of the Celestial courts as a
logical consequence of a decision made with full knowledge of
what was entailed.

Given this rational approach, the Celestial Elves are greatly
inclined to favor childhood betrothals and undertake the search
for a suitable mate for the children of a household with the
same diligence shown by several of the other clans. However,
these arrangements are not necessarily rigidly binding. If a
child close to the age of where the marriage can take place
voices rational objections to a marriage with their betrothed,
the community makes provision for re-assessment without undue
affront to honor or loss of face for either family.

Once the betrothed couple have accepted and acceded to each
other as mates, an exchange of betrothal bracelets is made
before family and witnesses to seal the accord. In the ancient
past, these bracelets were crafted with love and care by the
couple for one another and could be woven from anything from
grasses and reeds to the most precious metal wire. Appropriate
ornamentation, usually reflecting one of the patterns that would
later be seen in the marriage cloaks, was added to the bracelets
to make each set unique.

The modern Celestial Elf no longer spends hours with their
betrothed creating such items, preferring to go to a goldsmith
and simply order the bracelets desired. The bracelets them-
selves are wide cuffs of flexible woven mesh created from a
variety of precious jewelry-quality metal, although gold is most
popular. Woven into the mesh are tiny gemstone beads, most
commonly golden and red stones representing fire, and pale blue
and clear gems for water, in stylized patterns representing both
falling rain and the rising sun.

Upon facing one another in a circle formed of kin and witnesses,
the couple clasps hands above a lighted candle, brazier or
hearth. The other hand clasps the betrothal bracelet obtained
for the purpose. Once this had been done, the agreement is
sealed and the wedding date agreed upon. It is imperative for
the wedding to occur within a year of this ceremony.

While the Celestial Elves follow the general forms of the tra-
ditional ritual of Bile Janis oc Hol Haizeani, some notable dif-
ferences have crept in over the years. Particularly evident is
the name for the ceremonial cloth, which designates the home.
The Celestial Elves use the more modern word of "oinurte" to
designate the richly woven bed cloth or small carpet of excep-
tional design used in the ceremony. The oinurte is set in the
precise center of the circle, with the addition of a brazier of
burning coals and amber incense and a silver basin of rainwater.

Celestial Elves always begin the ceremony once night has fallen,
and usually time events so dawn arrives at the most theatrical
and auspicious moment ending the ceremony. The guests attending
the ceremony file into the area silently, each holding a lit
taper as they take their places around the northernmost point of
the oinurte. The bridal procession enters, accompanied by the
additional candlelight shed by the tapers borne by the guardians
and the witnesses for the ceremony.

All begins in the accustomed manner. Ritual greetings are
exchanged between the bridal couple, the speakers for the
couple, their guardians and the elder who officiates at the
wedding, followed by the chanting of the bloodlines of the bride
and groom. As the first of the four challenges rings out, all
the tapers are snuffed, leaving the area in darkness save for
the light from the brazier in the center of the circle.

The Celestial Elves take a more active role when the time comes
to challenge for objection to the union. The bridal couple
stands ready with bared blades in hand, prepared to meet any
mortal challenger. Celestial Elves spice up the challenges by
hiring professional "ill-wishers" to intercede at this part of
the ceremony, supposedly to appease any who might actually have
an objection to the ceremony, but more likely to add a highly
dramatic element to the wedding. Among the many insults they
call out, they proclaim the groom is not worthy to touch the
discarded bath waters of the pure bride and the bride does not
possess the intellectual capacity of a grass snake, although she
may indeed resemble its maternal capacity.

The bridal couple banishes these objections by raising their
crossed blades against the naysayer and theatrically dismissing
their objections as meaningless. Assuming no other challenger
appears to dispute the validity of the marriage, the couple face
one another and exchange their knives. The cleric or wise one
chosen to officiate at the wedding first binds the blades to
each wrist and then binds the couple's hands together so the
palms meet over the burning coals. Some of the more traditional
among the Clan will first cut a shallow slash in each other's
palm before the exchange and the binding, but this is now
generally considered archaic and is not a common or required
step in the ceremony.

Once the hands have been bound together, the elder officiating
the wedding leads the couple to the silver bowl, where they
again face one another. The elder ladles rainwater over their
bound hands as he or she declares them bound by fire and water.
The couple exchange pale gold wedding bands with lavish
decorations, but do not yet wear them.

When these words have been said, the witnesses begin to file
past the brazier. Each relights their taper and again takes up
position to the north. The elder who validated the union leads
the couple, with the wedding party following behind, to a "high
place" open to the air, which may be anything from a balcony to
a mountaintop, there to announce aloud and in formal language
the binding of the two.

At the moment these words are spoken, it is to be hoped the sun
breaks the sky with the warm glow of dawn to light the upturned
faces of the bridal couple with its first kiss. Red dawns are
considered the most auspicious for the beginnings of a new
marriage, although any visible dawn is acceptable. At the
moment the dawn breaks, the couple slides their wedding bands on
their fingers and quietly announce to the gods and the land that
they accept their binding as wedded pair before embracing.

Clothing tends to be simple in design and cut for Celestial Elf
weddings, although rich in execution. The bride generally
chooses a long, straight gown of a heavy silk or linen, laced up
the back or sides. The neckline is generally modestly scooped
or square, and the sleeves long, narrowly fitted and flaring
only slightly at the wrist to end in a point over the back of
the hand. Slippers or sandals may be worn, depending on season.

The groom normally wears loose trousers tucked into his pale
leather boots. Over this, he wears a high-necked tunic with
wide gathered sleeves. Both bride and groom normally wear
white, but what the costumes lack in color they more than make
up for in the elaborate tone-on-tone embroidery, appliqu, bead
and crystal work and soutache ornamentation along collars,
cuffs, hems, bodice and skirts.

Finally, over the shoulders of both the bride and groom are laid
the marriage cloaks. These long cloaks of silk tissue are
fashioned in layers of gold and scarlet. They are clasped at
the collar with a chain of gold, which trails behind the wearer
like a wash of flame. The hem and collar of the cloaks are
fused with gold leaf, overlaid with ornately stylized patterns
of flames, rising sun and soaring phoenix.

[[Cagegory:Book]]

Marriage Among the Elves, Volume 9 (book) - Revision history