Mythical Creatures/Folk (Spoilers ALL Books, including Words Like Coins)

['thul]

It is not unlikely that dragons in the old times spent much of their time inactive. Not to mention the fact that they essentially hunted everywhere, meaning that they had a lot of food available.

[Farseer]

The Six Duchies seem to have a somewhat more... organic? view of their deities. Which I suppose makes sense for farmers, heh. What I mean is, they speak of the Witness Stones as being a place where the gods influence the outcome of events or have the power to bind people to their words (marriages) which leads me to believe that the Six Duchies people think of the deities as more or less keeping their own council. They don't seem to have prescribed religious ceremonies, but rather have places they can go that bring their lives more closely into contact with the Gods.

Likely I have touched on this before but this thought about the gods, via that Witness Stones etc, as binding people to their words or even binding people to their names eg that a name given at birth will become the virtue by which that person is known/lives their lives, well, it is very similar (if not exactly the same) to a binding such as happens with glamour, a Skill-command or the binding of a Pecksie etc. All just have to be connected. It cannot be mere coincidence...

[Norma J.]

I think Others are somehow mixed up with the bad stuff that happens to humans, and will happen in the future. For example, the way anything found on Other's Beach must be left with them, as (in their own words) 'The treasures of this beach are not for humans. What the sea brings here is meant to be lost to humankind! You were not worthy of it.'
Another example of 'bad stuff that happens to humans' is Icefyre's statement that: 'the humans here have always hated us.' and 'We destroyed them, of course. Humans are nuisance enough without letting them think they can defy our wishes.'

[rfresa]

Regarding pecksies and other mythical creatures:

What of the pecksies are not a natural magical race, but are creations of the Elderlings? Being so easily bound and forced to obey commands doesn't seem like something that would just evolve. Consider the six duchies link between pecksies and the Witness Stones. I find it likely that many people chasing pecksies have seen them "disappear into the stones" as they traveled by the Skill. Also consider the dangers of a person/Elderling traveling too often through the stones. What if the pecksies were created/bred to be messengers and servants? Also, if the creation of charms is a facet of original Elderling magic like the Skill and the Wit, the pecksies probably learned it from the Elderlings.

Another mythical creature could be the original Whites, if we can trust anything the Pale Woman says. An ancient, all-knowing, long-lived race that has disappeared but left some remnant behind in the White Prophets. Consider the Fool and how he has both male and female qualities. I find this also in Bee from Fool's Assassin. This dual gender seems remarkably similar to Sa. Could the Whites be the origin of Sa, El, and Eda? Could the entire race have disappeared into the Skill river and be the powerful mother/father beings that Fitz and Dutiful encounter?

Anyway, I just read this thread and wanted to add my thoughts.