Yinkin in Votanki Mythos [1]

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Created On 23 February 2001
Last Updated On 23 February 2001
Copyright © 2001 Simon E. Phipp

A great deal of Votanki Mythos centres around the Hearth and the homelife of the gods, as if they were normal clan members. Many of the tales act as prototypes of family life for the people to follow.

Part of the mythos concerns Yinkin, who once sat in Votank's Hearth, and can be split into two sections - Yinkin in Votank's Hearth and Yinkin in Exile.

Yinkin in Votank's Hearth

Most of the tales that mention Yinkin give him certain consistent character traits. These are explained below in note form. Yinkin is always thought of as a friend of Votank who always turns against his chief and betrays the Hearth.

Lazy

Sits beside the fire all day
Never bothers to catch mice
Never does his share of the chores

Cunning

Gets others to do his work and takes the credit for it
Smooth talking
Is never blamed for causing trouble

Wicked

Steals the breath from babies and the old
Cruel to captured prey, enjoys torturing captives
Sharp teeth and claws
Causes trouble for no reason

Yinkin in Exile

Eventually Yinkin is exiled from the Hearth. When is exile he performs many deeds that hurt Votank and his people. However, he is often treated as a friend or is invited into the Hearth again, perhaps Votank forgets or perhaps he cannot see how wicked Yinkin is. This shows how cunning Yinkin is.

Cunning

Smooth talking
Never blamed for causing trouble
Gets others to do his dirty work for him
Is treated as a friend

Wicked

Has sharp teeth and claws
Is a thief
Does not use Peaceful Cut when hunting
Lures others to danger

Vengeful

Causes trouble for Votank's Hearth
Sets Orlanth against Yelmalio
Always fighting Brother Dog and his kin
Preys on Vrimak's (Yelmalio's Brother) kin

The distrust of Yinkin by the Votanki hunters partially explains why the Lightbringers never really made any inroads into the area, being accompanied by Shadow Cats.

Possible Myth Fragments

These are not full myths but are in note form. I am planning to write up a few myths with Yinkin as the chief enemy or playing a part in the myth. One such myth is found in the story of Yelmalio's hunting dogs, where Yinkin is driven away from Votank's Hearth for trying to steal the breath of an infant.

Catching Mice

Yinkin is too lazy to catch mice
Terriers kill mice
Yinkin takes the mice and pretends he caught them
He gets found out and exiled
After he is exiled the terriers are given the job to catch the mice

Treacherous Friend

Winter rules the land
Votank is out hunting and sees Yinkin
Yinkin claims to be Votank's friend and offers to join him
When they prepare to sleep Yinkin offers to help warm Votank as he is cold
Yinkin lays on Votank's chest and tries to steal his breath as he sleeps
Votank wakes up and drives him off

Notes

1. These are only notes about Yinkin in Votanki Myth. I intend to expand these into actual myths or stories and possibly even HeroQuests, but this will take quite some time. I need to arrange my thoughts and draw up some myth cycles first.

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