Tauren Animal totem question

[hyenaskate]

I made a Tauren but first need to know a lot more about them before RPing.. This questions are about the Totem Animals. I thought the most fitting totem for my Character was the bear.

((In his habit of hibernation, Bear is closely associated with sleep and is the keeper of dreamtime. Many seers and dream interpreters pay homage to Bear. The Tauren that likes to sleep may be touched heavily by Bear. But in this contact with his dream-self, Bear is also very introspective.

Though lazy and plodding at first glance, bear is a deep thinker. Bear does not make hasty judgments but rather weighs all sides of an issue before reaching a decision. For this reason, many inventors and scholars are influenced by Bear.

Bear also has a great love for home. Those who live under his influence enjoy good food, comfort, and the opportunity to relax. Yet, when in the wild and denied such comforts, Bear adapts well, finding the basic necessities easily.

Finally, Bear can be a fierce warrior, especially when protecting his home and children. Though often slow moving, Bear and those living under his influence can strike with deadly speed and unmatched power when provoked.

Negative Spirit:

Bear's slow pace can sometimes give way to procrastination and laziness if not motivated. However, the most dangerous Bear individuals are those who develop a taste for Bear's wrath when angered. Often, war hungry Tauren are those who have become too comfortable with the power of Bear's anger and enjoy the fear it can elicit in others.))

I have a few questions..

1. What does it mean for the Tauren, besides that it is like his personality?
2. How would one start to see that animal? Would he honor it ETC?
3. How would those animals interact with him?
4. Would he make a nickname for himself that has something to do with that animal?
5. Is there any other information that is important about the Animal totem?

[Bovel]

Not sure if you have read THIS or not, but is a good foundation if you are not familiar with totem entities. (1, 2 & 3) The guide made my Beltharen would suggest that the animals reflects itself based off the taurens ways and actions. I disagree and say that totem animals are usually more symbolic of your -needs- than anything, but hey anything goes.

4. No. The tauren tradition of a second name is based upon an action or event in that taurens life. My tauren was for example named Sternhoof after having stared down a kodo.

5. It all comes down what you think of totems as a player. My own opinion is that they act like cryptic fairy godmothers, guiding every tauren where he or she really wants to go, but through signs and omens so only the ones that pay attention are worthy actually gains help


Lastly there is something you should consider about the choice of animal. It's highly unlikely the tauren will gain an animal he is not familiar with since the "spirit" want to seem welcoming. Out of the areas tauren traveled before settling in Mulgore it's only Feralas that has a population of bears meaning that your characters tribe most likely spent most of their time camped there.

[Kira13]

Now that we've come to this, I'd also have a question that is related to 4.
Would taurens of the same tribe bear the same surname, given they must pass a trial of dare to become full-grown?

It might be a taboo, but it's what describes the tribe my tauren's supposed to be out of.

[hyenaskate]

Lastly there is something you should consider about the choice of animal. It's highly unlikely the tauren will gain an animal he is not familiar with since the "spirit" want to seem welcoming. Out of the areas tauren traveled before settling in Mulgore it's only Feralas that has a population of bears meaning that your characters tribe most likely spent most of their time camped there.

But don't they go somewhere far away when they take the Rite of Passage. Like this short part says.

On a vision quest, one finds their 'spirit animal,' or a physical representation of themselves in animal form.

To venture on a vision quest, the seeker leaves her tribe behind and finds a natural area that feels quiet and sacred to her. The seeker leaves all trappings of civilization behind, including weapons and clothes, taking only a waterskin with her. The tribe's shaman provides the vision speaker with a bundle of herbs to eat in the sacred area. These herbs facilitate the vision quest. Only a trained shaman may set a seeker on her vision quest.

[Bovel]

I don't mean the fauna in the area where the Rite is performed, rather what the individual tauren is used to. Think of it like this - if you are gonna guide someone and can assume any shape whatsoever, would you not choose the shape that gains most trust from the one you are helping? For example me living in the north of Sweden is used to reindeer/caribou and moose/elk while those down south are not, therefore it's highly unlike their totem animal would be either of the forementioned though its more likely one of them would become mine.

---

Now that we've come to this, I'd also have a question that is related to 4.
Would taurens of the same tribe bear the same surname, given they must pass a trial of dare to become full-grown?

Yes. Sort of.
Tauren has a different approach to names.

You are given a name at birth, using my own tauren as an example, he was named Ukho. You also carry the name of your tribe from birth, in this case Grimtotem.

When a tauren has gone through the rites of passage into adulthood he or she will be given a new name, that describes an action or event that has happened in that tauren's life, not limited to event around the rite. Ukho was named Sternhoof, meaning that when he presents himself to other tauren he would say "Ukho Sternhoof" and possibly add "of the Grimtotem tribe".

AND tauren also have a fourth name, this which is to be used around non-tauren. I've got little insight to who makes this name up and which form is usually given but Ukho was called Blackbrute for his feral ways and black fur in both bovine and bearform.

[hyenaskate]

Ahhh I understand
Thanks for your help!!

[Beltharean]

Kind of late but...

Sorry the formatting is so terrible on my Tauren guide. It's from the old forums, and got all borked when we transfered over. :3