Black Bear

Black Bear
Homeworld	Earth (Frugal Wizard)

The Black Bear is king of the Waelish. He has lived longer than a normal human lifetime, and is said to be immortal. Sefawynn says that "he took upon himself the curse of the land, binding it to his soul". It is said that he can only be killed by his own child, and he has no children. He has a sword that no one else can wield.

In the time of Ealstan's grandfather, the Black Bear led the Waelish in a war against the Weswarans. This was originally a simple fight between mortals, but the Bear corrupted the wights and commanded monsters, including the wolf Fenris, formerly bound by the warrior god Tiw. The war culminated in the battle of Badon.

The gods initially refused to intervene in the battle, fearing the end of the world, but eventually Friag appeared. Her boasts bound the Black Bear to his land. Fenris killed Friag but was bound to the hill of the Black Bear with her dying breath.

Trivia

The Black Bear is presumably this alternate dimension's version of King Arthur. In real-world legend, Arthur is generally associated with the Battle of Badon (a probably historical battle around 500 AD which pitted the Britons against the Saxons, just as this dimension's version was Waelish versus Weswarans). The name Arthur is sometimes suggested to come from a Celtic word for bear, and his special sword which no one else can wield (the Sword in the Stone) and the prophecy that he can only be killed by his own child (Mordred is, in many versions, Arthur's illegitimate son) also fit Arthur.

Notes

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