This weird little theological tidbit is courtesy of the mythology of a Brazilian Indian tribe. I took a course on it way back when I was getting a degree in anthropology, which has honestly mostly been good for writing weird bits of Digger.
Sadly, I can’t for the life of me remember which tribe it WAS–the Tupi or the Tupirape’ or the Kayapo or whoever, nor can I remember which group practiced endocannibalism, which was kind of an important thing to remember if you happened to be in the area a hundred years ago or so. But I remember the shadow becoming a deer and the breath becoming butterflies, and it was one of those strange beautiful tidbits that stuck with me even all these years later.
Perhaps the Shadowchild could learn to become a deer?
This is exactly the sort of thing I’m hoping to do with my anthropology degree. You rock.
So what did the liver become?
Ed, probably.
Cool, I imagine it’s because of reptilian skin-shedding that lizards became known as the cast-off skins of dead men.
They’re really sort of adorable, though. In spite of being dead skins of men.
The heart becomes a kingfisher — interesting! Hadn’t ever caught that before.
“Shadows become dear” – and now, having read some of her other work before this, I have to wonder if this inspired the dream deer from the Little Creature story.
What would be diggers face when murial
says that?
Sorry murai.
I want my liver to become an Ed. That would rock.
@Matthias: yes, I’ve been wondering for some time if the shadow deer, and indeed the shadow predator in that tale may be part of the same otherworldly eco-system that includes our own Shadowchild.
Murasaki, I quote thee!
Lord the 22nd, I second thee’s motion!
What? My comment is NOT late! Your late…er! >.>
Holy… Kingfisher…
“Fortunately, Murai avoided a potentially awkward moment of shared sanity by immediately descending into incomprehensibility as well”.
That’s probably my favourite sentence of this comic, and maybe one of my favourites of all time.