Present!

[qos]

Last weekend, queenofhalves went to an arts festival and posted in her LJ that she had found something she had to buy for me.

It arrived today: a pendant made from a bear claw.

It's certainly an authentic claw, not one of the many horn or stone claws that are marketed as "bear claws." The nail is layered, with softness beneath, and still anchored in porous bone. There are small pieces of black hair embedded in some of the ridges.

When I opened the package and saw what was inside I cried out so loudly that my daughter was alarmed.

I don't do that very often.

It's a very small claw, so I'm wondering if it was from a very young bear.

In any case, I definitely feel that before I wear it I need to do some kind of ritual honoring the bear -- and my friend who sent it to me.

Comments

[queenofhalves]

i don't know if the claw was found (on a corpse or skeleton) or removed from a bear that was shot, but i would say, it's not a horrible gift in any universe where people eat meat. (and yes, people do still eat bear, and use the fur.)

every home is full of relics of the dead; we're just not trained, as a culture, to see them that way.

[tx-cronopio.livejournal.com]

Thanks for your answer. I wasn't trying to attack you, just trying to understand. I fully understand relics of the dead, this just wasn't one I'd come across before. Best wishes.

[queenofhalves]

likewise. :>

[qos.livejournal.com]

*smile*

Thanks, Christine.

I made a more detailed response as well below.