Saltydoghayden

I'm trying to think up an alternative for a particular item in a novel I wrote. Its a tiger tooth necklace. I thought that maybe it sounded a little too cliche...does anyone have a better alternative for a type of necklace that I could use...the character using it is kind of like a native american Indian or someone of that sort.

plz reply.

crzywriter

why would a native american have a tiger-tooth necklace...unless there are now tigers in North America....?

maybe like feather or something.
i dunno

~Crzy

Saltydoghayden

the characters not actually a native american...but he is kind of like one...but yeah a feather sounds cool...I preferably need something that would relate to wind...so does anyone else have any ideas.

oh and another thing...I am trying to find out the name for a horse I am using..I dont know what the word is but it means calling up the dead or evil spirits or something...it sounds like Sai-once...if anyone knows the correct spelling could they please tell me.

crzywriter

seance, with an accent diagonally upwards and right over the first e


~Crzy

Philo

As far as something that relates to the wind, I think feathers would be nice and they can be found by visiting the nest or even by plucking directly from the bird. This rings a bell as some kind of test that young men would do to prove themselves: climbing to the eagle's eyrie to secure the tail feather.

This has the benefit of not killing the animal. If killing is required for your story then eagle or hawk talons may make a similar looking necklace.

Necklaces were also made from bear claws here in the States.

Don't know about the horse.

Drzava

A tumbleweed

Saltydoghayden

thanks for the horse name...

as for the feather...that sounds good...but the land around where my character lives is flat and with no mountains as such...would an eagles nest at the top of a large tree make sense?

another thing...the necklace is worn by the character all the time, even when he travels up a mountain during a feirce snowstorm...would a mere feather be able to withstand all this?

Talia_Brie

You might want to think about owl feathers then. I don't know, but I doubt an eagle eerie (sp?) is going to be at the top of a tree, whereas an owl will nest there. They're both birds of prey, but I personally think that owls are much cooler.

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Saltydoghayden

well it doesnt have to actualy be a birds feather. it could be anything, even if its a mythical creature. my story is fantasy based after all

Talia_Brie

If you want something wind aspected then a feather or flying implement is probably the most recognisable. While you're writing fantasy you still want the reader to acknowledge the relevance of the necklace wehn it is first mentioned. You don't want to have to say:

"He was wearing a necklace crafted of the scales of a Togala Wyrm. The Togala Wyrm is the rarest of creatures, a High Serc Aspected lizard. High Serc is the elemenalist discipline of using air and wind. Elementalists are wizards who . . . "

It's much easier to say "He was wearing a necklace crafted of the feathers and talons of a Great Plains Owl". Great Plains Owl says something quickly, that would otherwise require a few lines that take away from the pace of the story, and could disrupt the plot.

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confusedwriter

what about a shark tooth????

Nimbus1944

He'll be wearing deerskin, painted with any symbolic design you wish -- which could make him stand out in a crowd (since most would use traditional tribal designs). Likewise, in wintry weather he'll be wrapped in a blanket which can be decorated. Perhaps something hinting his origin?

If he has come by way of the north or northwest, the Inuit carve tusks, so perhaps he could have a necklace with a bone carving representative of an owl.

The Cheyenne word for a departed spirit is Seo'otse.

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valeca

A tatoo of a symbol would work. And you could have it done as a necklace or on the base of his neck where it meets the chest. Very tribal. And it opens up a world of possibilties as to what it could be. Get creative if it's fantasy .
It also negates having to worry about losing it in the wind as he travels in the stormy weather.

It could be a rite of passage into manhood to receive the tatoo. There are many organic ways to make the 'ink' for a tatoo. Look into the druids for ways to do that.

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Saltydoghayden

nah it cant be a tattoo because he loses it at one point.

what if I said it came from a legendary creature...like say a Crystal Eagle or Owl...do you guys think that'll work...I dont actually have to have the part where the necklace is originally found...its given to the main character.

Talia_Brie

Yes, I think that should work.

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