Northern bears

Dragon hunting an Ovir

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 are usually solitary creatures. They have an excellent sense of smell and are superb swimmers. Subsisting primarily on seal and fish, they range across well-defined coastal territories. These parcels measure about one hundred square miles. Since they are huge, strong, and can smell intruders up to two miles away, they have little trouble policing their domain.

During the brief northern summers, the megliformen roams outside his or her range in search of a mate. During the long days, they also gorge themselves on roots and berries.

Forodwaith Description

The most dangerous predators of the North are the great snow bears, valkokarhut, as the Ystävät Talven call them. These huge creatures are virtually fearless, wandering the length and breadth of Forodwaith and the Landless Land at will. Their most common tactic against Men is to scare away hunters or fishermen and rob them of their catch. When food is scarce, the bears may hunt Men as much as any other game. Unlike most bears, the valkokarhut do not hibernate in winter, but wander the ice and snow year-round in search of food. Only the females build dens, and even they do not truly hibernate, ceasing their wanderings only long enough to give birth and nurse their young. Approaching such a den is foolhardy for a male bear, let alone a man.

References

• Retrieved from [Realms of Arda]; original reference: [ICE MERP 2012]