The most dangerous predators of the North were the great snow bears, valkokarhut, as the Ystävät Talven called them.Huge, pale gray or white bears (Q. "megliformen"; pl. "megliformeni"; snow bears La. "valkokarhut", S. "losbrogath", Loss. "los-mruk", Urd. "Ovir") found around the Ice Bay of Forochel, the powerful megliformeni were usually solitary creatures.These huge creatures were virtually fearless, wandering the length and breadth of Forodwaith and the Landless Land at will. They had an excellent sense of smell and were superb swimmers. Subsisting primarily on seal and fish, they ranged across well-defined coastal territories. These parcels measured about one hundred square miles. Since they were huge, strong, and could smell intruders up to two miles away, they had little trouble policing their domain. Their most common tactic against Men was to scare away hunters or fishermen and rob them of their catch. When food was scarce, the bears might hunt Men as much as any other game. Unlike most bears, the valkokarhut did not hibernate in winter, but wandered the ice and snow year-round in search of food. Only the females built dens, and even they did not truly hibernate, ceasing their wanderings only long enough to give birth and nurse their young. Approaching such a den was foolhardy for a male bear, let alone a man.During the brief northern summers, the megliformen roamed outside his or her range in search of a mate. During the long days, they also gorged themselves on roots and berries.
References[]
- Retrieved from [Realms of Arda]; original reference: [ICE MERP 2012]