Series: I am a...hunter.

Diana the Huntress, OrazioGentileschi

I have really been enjoying scribbling this little series, even if it could have been under the guise of the "Know Your Archetype" theme. I guess the nuance between what I'm attempting here is these are meant to be more of the real-world examples of our archetypal manifestations. (Oh, Matty, don't break your brain - it's way too early for such big thoughts!)

And just when I had mentally drafted it, and even done some gear work for Haanta the Lonely Huntress, Bear went a did a great post on gear and hunters. I had been thinking the same things--no offense female pandas, but that mail gear, well...um.... Let's just say I wish hunter gear came in pink camo. Just kidding. I have often longed for the 'ranger' look for Haanta, complete with a hooded cloak and leather. I have made it a personal goal to only use bows/arrows on my Azerothian huntress -- just seems more epic somehow. Weird self-imposed rules for a game, I know. Most images of Diana/Artemis the goddess is shown hunting at night in her nightie. Must be freezing!

We hunt for food, bargains, lost keys and Red Octobers. Our mythological hunters and huntresses satisfying our obvious basic needs for food and clothing. Hunters are the gods of the tribe, there is no question. Without the skill to work together to bring back food to the group, the group would cease. Perhaps, the "invention" of collaborative hunting practices saved our species. This website does a good job of explaining our our early ancestors used two basic and fundamental means of survival, meat and fire. but it unnecessarily defames vegetarianism, (and doesn't get climate change, but okay) but once again I fail to see the connection between what our ancestors ate versus choices we make now as a species. Neanderthals probably didn't shave their legs either, doesn't mean I want to follow suit. I personally am not a vegetarian--I am a Texas Carnivore. But I don't care if other folks are. *scratches head*) I also have no issues with hunting or fishing. I have a very dear friend whose husband is an avid hunter, and if he wants to spend hours in the cold, moist air looking for Bambi, well, Bambi probably had it coming. She told me of one fight they had a few years ago when one of his hunting dogs was still kind of a pup, and he had the head of some elk or stag in a bag: the maggots eat the flesh away from the skull making it suitable for taxidermy. The dog got into the bag and ripped apart the prize, and he blamed her for 'not watching the dog.' You can imagine how the rest of that conversation went. She is a vegetarian, by the way, or close to it, and they do love each other very much. He's a great guy, but his decorating aesthetic is one I don't share. To each his own. Although if I do ever see a moose head at a garage sale, that Bullwinkle is coming home with ME! To me, "real" hunters, such as my friend's husband, do it for the love of the sport, and would never waste time or meat by randomly or excessively killing. I always thought skeet shooting looked like grand fun.

When I play my hunter, I must confess there is something deeply ingrained and visceral about the skinning/leatherworking abilities. It bugs me when I kill skinnable critters on my other characters and have to leave the virtual carcasses behind. Now as far as real hunting goes--no. I really don't want to see how the sausage is made.

I may have told this story before, so I apologize. When I was dating the dairy farmer, and had to break things off and move on, the Christmas after our break up he sent me a card. Enclosed in the card was a photo of a black bear he shot. It was...disturbing. Not that I wanted his cows to be in danger, or any livestock, but the message was more, "See, Woman, Me HUNTER! You miss out on BIG MAN!" Well, shucks. One less bearskin rug for me I guess.





http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2007/11/hunters/poole-text.html

http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/economy/hunting.htm