Navnsdeg, or the Day of Naming, is regarded as the first day of a Dwarf's life. On this day, the newborn's parents, accompanied by their clan elders and as many generations of direct ancestors as are still living, present the infant at the temples of Grungni and Valaya, to receive the blessings of the Ancestor Gods. First the male relatives take the baby to the Temple of Grungni, where the birth is recorded in the hold's annals. The baby is then handed over to the female relatives, who go in joyful procession to the temple of Valaya. There, the baby is passed through the smoke of Valaya's hearth and given a first spoonful of stone soup, in a ritual of welcome to the new clan member.[1a]
Advertisement