People, places and things in Under The Northern Lights - use when needed · 2:25pm May 31st, 2014
Under The Northern Lights: Dramatis Personae and Lexicon
Equestrians
Dr Arnica (earth pony, male): A physician who came with the Equestrian yeomanry to help Tarandroland.
Dark Clouds (pegasus, male): One of Luna’s Moon Guards.
“Dunce Cap” (unicorn, female): A diplomat with little understanding of things. Not her real name, but a nickname Luna gave her.
Lord Eminence (unicorn, male): A member of the delegation with imprecise duties, later revealed to be a spy. Engaged in a rather foolish plot that ignored the natural talents of the reindeer, and hence… decommissioned. Cutie mark: a veil, special talent: invisibility.
“Eponymous Moniker” (unicorn, male): A diplomat with a concealed cutie mark. Not his real name, but a nickname Luna gave him.
“Implausible Celery” (unicorn, male): A diplomat with a weird cutie mark. Not his real name, but a nickname Luna gave him.
Milky Way (unicorn, female): One of Luna’s Moon Guards.
Misty Wisp (unicorn, male): One of Luna’s Moon Guards.
Oak Wreath (unicorn, male): The leader of the delegation, doing the best of a difficult situation. Interested in military history. Cutie mark: an oak wreath, special talents: warfare.
Powerpoint (unicorn, female): An illusionist with the task of projecting images to illustrate what others talk about. That’s her special talent, of course. Her cutie mark is a sun ray.
Raspberry (cattle, female): Colonel in the Equestrian army, specifically the yeomanry.
Shadows Gather (pegasus, male): One of Luna’s Moon Guards.
Sunny Side Up (unicorn, female): An alias/disguise used by Celestia.
The Tarandrian Court
Galderhorn the Sorcerer (reindeer, male): One of Ukko’s Companions. The court spirit-talker, Galderhorn is a rather quiet and timid for a reindeer warrior. Kol says he “cares for every living thing”.
Heikki the Humongous (reindeer, male): One of Ukko’s Companions. Admiral of the fleet. A jolly fellow who loves food, drink and violent action. As his name suggests, heavily overweight. Goes berserk in combat.
Kol the Singer (reindeer, male): One of Ukko’s Companions. A melodramatic bard, he handles the court’s relationship to the media. Skilled with a lariat, a traditional reindeer weapon. His Sight lets him see “what other see”, borrowing the Special Sight of another reindeer present as well as seeing normally through others’ eyes, or just understanding their perspective.
Lif (reindeer, female): A maid in the royal castle.
Princess Ljufa (reindeer, female): The only daughter of King Ukko. Rather meek and afraid of conflict because she is Ukko’s daughter. Her Sight lets her see “evil” within people - and hence, “good”, which also lets her spot lies.
Mustikka the Tracker (reindeer, male): One of Ukko’s Companions. The closest Tarandroland has to a supreme chief of police (and security). Suspicious-minded, details-obsessed and without much social graces, Mustikka’s Sight gives him super-cervine tracking abilities, hence his moniker.
Peivas (reindeer, male): Ljufa’s husband and Vigg’s father, deceased. A famous warrior, he and his warriors froze to death in a blizzard.
Saiva (reindeer, female): A maid in the royal castle. Twilight Sparkle learnt Poatsi by using a magical ritual to copy her knowledge of it, which scared her.
Skiold the Bold: One of Ukko’s Companions. The King’s bodyguard and leader of the army (a job he often ignores out of boredom). One of his forelegs is a nidhogg bone prosthetic, since he lost the original defending Ukko.
King Ukko the Piercer (reindeer, male): Surly and drunken monarch. In his youth a famous adventurer together with his five Companions. Reputedly Sees the weakness in things.
Prince Vigg (reindeer, male): The teenage (only) son of Princess Ljufa, chosen as an heir by King Ukko. Like winter sports and Equestrian comic books. Dislikes the press, court life and adults not taking him seriously. Shares his mother’s Sight, which embarasses him. Was temporary an item with Saga. Has been proclaimed a “champion” by Celestia.
Other Tarandrians, Reindeer or Not
Alva and Tuva (reindeer, female): Daughters of Vidar, tough Grazer does. Skilled with spear, axe and lariat. Chew tobacco. Older than Vigg and Saga, but still young.
Mr Bileam (donkey, male): Secretary and accountant to Paki Saada.
Mother Disa (reindeer, female): Physician and priestess in the cult of Skinfaxi.
Eira (reindeer, female): High (and only) Priestess of the temple of Hrimfaxi. Keeper of odd lore and used to a distinct lack of funds. Her Sight lets her see sideways and far away, but she is going blind and it is increasingly erratic, so she more and more uses her old black-and-white TV and common sense to make predictions.
Honung and Blida (reindeer, female): Two dancing does (and possibly sometimes more, as their boss sent them to ‘entertain’ Twilight Sparkle) at Klubb Niffelhel.
Jarnsaxa (skoll, female): A leader of the Skoll guardians living by the Everfrost Glacier.
Kvalhissir (moose, male): A moose farmer that saved Spike, Vigg and Saga from an unnatural horde of nidhoggs. His home and farm (a lake - moose grow food in tarns) got destroyed in the process, and he got a job as a gardener in the temple of Hrimfaxi. Despite being a “monster” in reindeer eyes, he’s tolerated in his new position because it’s perfectly natural for a troll being a servant of Hrimfaxi. (Reveals from the writer: Kvalhissir is my favorite character, despite not doing much. He’s one of the reasons I wrote the fic, so I could have a side character like him. Now you know.)
Paki Saada (zebra, male): Coffee-trader, consul to Sarvvik for the ruler of the zebras and a dabbler in zebra magics. The only zebra living permanently in Tarandroland, he can be a bit lonely. Cutie mark: an eye, special talent: observation.
Pine-cones (earth-pony, male): The Equestrian consul to Sarvvik.
Revered Ancestress (moose, female): An ancient moose cow who serves as a leader of her people. Cynical and casual, she helped Saga and Vigg with finding the Sampo because it amused her.
Saga (reindeer, female): Temple-fawn at the temple of Skinfaxi, with a strange taste in fashion. Likes macabre things. Her Sight lets her see things that are possible, but doesn’t say if they are probable, but it works as precognition when you have nothing better. Was temporary an item with Vigg.
Sax (earth pony, male): An expert Russ tailor who helped modify a Moon Guard suit so it fit Twilight.
Jarl Vidar (reindeer, male): A Grazer (nomad) “chieftain” (Grazers are rather democratic). Prince Vigg’s (paternal) uncle, father to Alva and Tuva (and several unseen deer). A rather down-to earth guy concerned about the fight against Winter. His Sight is so far a secret.
The Pretender and his Forces
Jarl Ahto (reindeer, male): Former admiral of the Tarandrian fleet and son of the king preceding Ukko, he had expected to become the next king. When he didn’t, he became the leader of an uprising. Full of himself but cares for his followers.
Captain Crimson Coat (pegasus, female): Commander of the Crimson Kraken, a pirate vessel allied to the pretender’s forces. She helped them when raiding Equestria. Her real name is Sudden Gale, and she’s an Equestrian criminal, former member of the Equestrian navy.
“Chancellor Puddin’head” (donkey, male): One of the pirates of the Crimson Kraken. Gives Twilight some assistance. Not his real name, obviously, but a joke.
Gerda (griffon, female): One of the pirates of the Crimson Kraken.
Guthrun (reindeer, female): Ahto’s seer and sister. Her Sight lets her read emotions.
Hailstone (pegasus, male): One of the pirates of the Crimson Kraken. Had an unfortunate accident with Mr Motelele’s magic.
Hakon (reindeer, male): Ahto’s second-in-command and possible lover.
Jorge (peryton, male): One of the pirates of the Crimson Kraken.
Mr Moccus (megasus, male): A megasus (winged pig) and first mate on the Crimson Kraken. He has been that a long time. Captains come and go, but the first mate remains.
Mr Motelele (giraffe, male): The navigator, outlook and ship’s sorcerer of the Crimson Kraken. less powerful than he thinks, he is paranoid and refuses to sleep. Hence, he is always drugged to keep himself awake with alchemically enhanced coffee.
Strange Creatures of Forest, Fields and Fjell
Draugr: The walking dead; an undead corpse still moving around. General description for various forms of monster, including the holdraugr.
Holdraugr: Draugr created when a hraesvalg animates a corpse by possessing it.
Hraesvalg: Spirits of the winter wind, looking like a mix between an eagle and a maggot. They can possess corpses which lets them animate them at the same time as they can slowly devour the meat from within and turn it into spirit matter.
Mokkurkalfe: A living ice statue created from a slain tursakalf, special mud and the heart of an enemy. The creation rites are a secret of the temple of Hrimfaxi. Wiglek has a gigantic mokkurkalfe named Svipp.
Nidhoggs: Giant, blind wyrms who can breathe out super-cold air. They live by deep-freezing wood and eating it.
Ratatosks: Spirits of gossip and curiosity which look like many-limbed squirrels with a multitude of ears, eyes and mouths.
Skolls: Semi-humanoid wolf-people who live in the high mountains. They fight actively for Winter every year. Skolls can drain things of heat by way of their mouths and dig through snow and ice quickly.
Stalu (also stalo, stallo): “Trolls” which live in the forests of Tarandroland. Feared and hunted by reindeer warriors. In reality, moose who hide from reindeer genocidal efforts. They have earth-magic talents, the most obvious one is the ability to repel the earth and run through the air, which they use to avoid leaving tracks.
Tursakalf: An “ice elemental”, a huge living block of ice that moves like a big, twirling top over the landscape.
Turso: Aquatic hydras whose breath is both poisonous and, somehow, create diseases.
Historical and mythical characters and things
King Aslak (reindeer, male) A great ruler of Tarandroland in Sampo’s days, and his uncle. Somehow barren. In the Equestrian comic-book, he is made into Sampo’s father.
Bjorn-Edda: The moose name for Karhu-Akka.
Dagbränna: The Skoll name for Celestia.
Daggmule: The moose name for Princess Luna/Nightmare Moon.
Grotte: The moose name for Sampo.
Hrimfaxi: The reindeer name for Princess Luna/Nightmare Moon.
Illvilja: The Skoll name for Discord.
The Jökelgast: The Skoll name for Wiglek the Wicked.
Karhu-Akka: A primordial water being who Luna and Celestia call their ‘aunt’ for lack of a better name. Karhu-Akka took part in the creation or at least ordering of the world, and somehow gave wits and voice to reindeer, moose and Skoll. She sleeps in the form of the Everfrost Glacier. Too much magic near her could wake her up, which would cause a disaster of worldwide proportions.
Moon Well: A deep well used to drown victims in during the full moon, so they were “sent to the moon” as a sacrifice to Luna. Not used for a very long time, they still makes Luna understandably furious.
Nattmara: The Skoll name for Nightmare Moon/Princess Luna.
Nattspegel: Night Mirror’s name in the Skoll tongue.
Niffelhel: The reindeer name for Tartaros. (Which is a prison for ancient monsters and threats, not a place of punishment for dead souls, like stereotypical Hell.)
Night Mirror (pegasus, female): A follower of Nightmare Moon who acted as missionary/ambassador to the Skoll.
Sampo: A mystical artefact created by ancient beings in antediluvian times to help make the world by moving things from one place to another. It was cursed by Discord, as a prank, so it tends to steal things and otherwise mess up using it. Wiglek found it and his son (who is named after it, or the other way around) used it to end a famine, but brought on a war. Usually said to be a mill, but that is presumed to be a metaphor or something like that.
Sampo (reindeer, male): Ancient hero, named after the cursed artefact he found (or maybe the other way around…) and used to stop a famine.The subject of a rather incorrect Equestrian super-hero comic, Sampo the Warrior-Prince.
Skinfaxi: The reindeer name for Celestia.
Summer Lands: The Afterlife. Not necessarily “Heaven”; it’s a destination, not a reward.
Wiglek the Wicked (reindeer, male): Father of Sampo, brother of Aslak. An infamous sorcerer and general bad guy, who made pacts with powerful beings for magic. Recently revealed to have been a henchstag to Nightmare Moon, who cursed/blessed him so he became an undead being after death. Created the Hrimfaxi cult. His Sight lets him see the heavenly bodies and their energies regardless of where he is and of the light conditions. In the Equestrian comic-book, he is made into Sampo’s uncle.
Äitsi: The reindeer name for Discord.
Places, beings and things mentioned
Ackja: Pulled sleigh used by reindeer. (Named after a real-life Sami vehicle).
Ancient Cervine: Root language of all deer tongues, nowadays mostly used by academics. The language of the “trolls” (moose) of Tarandroland is strangely similar.
Castle Muorra: The royal castle of Sarvvik, huge blocky log buildings within low walls of coarse stone.
Everfrost Glacier (Joukulvakt in Poatsi): The world’s largest glacier, situated in northernmost Tarandroland.
Glennborg: The third largest city in Tarandroland, yet a small provincial town to Equestrians. (To a Swede, "Glenn" is the stereotypical name of a stereotypical male Gothenburger.)
Hestaland: What Equestria is called in Poatsi. A “Hestalander” is an Equestrian or any pony.
Kask: Coffee mixed with vodka, bringing the two favorites of reindeer together. (An actual Swedish tradition. Here’s one recipe: pour yourself some vodka in a cup. Add a copper coin. Now add coffee until the coin is invisible. Add sugar according to taste but no milk. Drink, don’t drive or write fanfic.)
Nagoonberry: Delicious berry used for preserves and liquers. (They exist in reality - in Sweden we call them åkerbär, and, yes, they are a delicacy.)
Poatsi: The language used by the reindeer of Tarandroland. Written with runes. Very similar to a language spoken by the caribou of northern Equestria.
Russ or Russers: Small breed of Earth Pony from the Russer Islands, which belong to Equestria. Many emigrated to Tarandroland long ago. (Named after the Gotland Russ pony IRL)
Sarvvik: The capital of Tarandroland. The name means something like “stag bay”.
Tarandrian Jay: A small brown bird of the crow family, considered an evil omen, but sacred to Hrimfaxi. (In the real life they are called the Siberian Jay - here in Sweden we say lavskrika or guoksik in the local parlance. They are, indeed, seen as an ill omen, sort of like a black cat, by some people.)
Tarandroland (Poatsula in Poatsi): A country situated on and covering most of an island far to the northeast of Equestria. Dominated by reindeer, but also home to Russers (dimunitive Earth ponies), Urox (aurochs), Stalo (moose) and Skoll (wolf-people), all whom are the subject to or the enemies of the reindeer.
Trotholm: The second biggest city in Tarandroland yet still a small town as far as Equestrians are concerned. Has a big Russ population. (Some Swedish bronies jokingly refer to Stockholm as Trotholm…)
Urox: Aurochs, who live as second-class citizens in Tarandroland, mostly as serf farmers. Their numbers and power is dwindling. Many cattle in Equestria are descended from Urox emigrants looking for a better life. Their cultural weapons include, strangely enough, back-mounted flamethrowers and spiked armor.
Thank you! I shall be adding the locations to my list of MLP (canon + fan created) locations.
Pony Location List
I've actually done this, though I had no clue it was a Swedish drink
2161679
I'm sure the concept exists elsewhere.
This should make remembering details much easier.
2161871 Kentucky whiskey is quite popular in coffee in the south, (US) but I myself have always had a fondness for Stolichnaya.
2162402
We used to spike out coffee with whiskey when winter fishing, years ago, yeah.
The classic here is the Swedish vodka known as brännvin with coffee. Kask is very uncommon these days; it was last popular in my grandfather's time, and I'm in my forties. It was a stereotypical rural thing, IIRC, at least in media. I've tasted it a couple of times because of student stupidity.
2162536 Glad to see another writer here whose gone past their 30's lol (I'm 41)
Holy. Kami.
I NEED to ask if I can add this as a post in my group, The Known World.
Nice work. This'll really come in useful.
Oh thank heavens! I've been wanting this forever.
2163501
I wrote it because of your comments that it was needed.
2162949
Sure, why not?
2163771 thank you!
This reminds me of stories I have read in the past that had a massive listing of each character and titles/ranks in the front of the book.
2163767
thank you for your kind graces.
This has to be an impressive blog on the wonders of Scandinavian mythology. However, I have a stronger affinity towards Japanese mythology.