Proverbs from Velgarth

I finally got around to typing up all those proverbs from Misty's books. There's probably more than I missed, or haven't gotten to (I haven't read all the Kethry/Tarma short stories yet . . .). When I started it, it was just for the Shin'a'in proverbs, then it spread to Tayledras and Skan . . . <g> So there's likely Valdemaran and other ones I just didn't bother writing down. And I'm just a little over halfway done with Owlknight; one has popped up, but it's always possible there's more. Eventually I plan to reread all of them since it's been so long. Anyway, I thought other Misty fans might like to see this.

The information contained here is intended solely for the enjoyment of Velgarth fans everywhere and as an aid to writers of fan fiction set on Velgarth. It is not intended to infringe in any way upon the rights held by Mercedes Lackey.

GRYPHONS

• Never look behind you, there may be an arrow gaining. (Skandranon)
• A clean and neat dwelling place is the sign of a disturbed mind. (Skandranon)
• It is easier to beg pardon than get permission. (Skandranon)
• The quail that escapes is always fatter than the one you catch. (Zaneel)

HERTASI

• We can do this. (Hertasi Motto)

KALED’A’IN

• The man who flies a falcon has puncture wounds all over his fist from nervous talons. The man who flies a goshawk has an arm that is white to the elbow, because he never dares go without his gauntlet. And the man who flies a hawkeagle is the one with the eyepatch. (How you tell what a falconer flies.)
• The best attack is the one no one sees coming.
• Long farewells give time for the enemy to aim.
• Friendly fire, isn’t.
• Whatever is prepared for never occurs.
• Knowledge will always be the best weapon against tyrants. (Urtho)

KARSITE

• Who is wisest, says least. (??)
• Life is attention to both the large and the small. Pay heed to the sun, but watch your feet, or you’ll fall ingloriously on your nose. (Altra/Karsite ??)

KYREE

• You cannot have a battle without getting your fur in a mess. (Warrl)
• You know how fierce the fighting was by how long after it takes to cleanup. (Warrl)

SHIN’A’IN

• An enemy’s nose is always keener than your own.
• Find your enemy’s enemy.
• There is room in the universe for every way.
• No disaster without some benefit.
• You do not hobble your hound, your horse, your hawk, your lover, or your she’enedren.
• Love must live free.
• That was then, this is now; the moment is never the same twice.
• Proud is the Clanchief. Prideful is the Clanchief of a two-member clan.
• Plans, like eggs, are best at the freshest.
• You can put a hawk in a songbirds cage, but it’s still a hawk.
• Be careful what you ask for, you may get it.
• No learning, no knowledge is ever wasted.
• What good is seeing the wonders of the world when you’re too saddle-sore to enjoy them?
• A slighted friend is more dangerous than an enemy.
• Friendly fire, isn’t.
• Don’t make judgement calls; you might find yourself on the other end of one.
• It is not wise to dispute the decisions of the Powers. They have more ways of enforcement than you have of escape.
• Plans are always subject to change.
• The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
• Just because you feel certain an enemy is lurking behind every bush, it doesn’t follow that you are wrong.
• It is no boast when it is fact.
• When you do not like to fight, change the rules.
• No one has lived who has not been a fool as least once.
• Home should be in your heart.
• Anything can be used as a weapon in a case of desperation.
• The swordsworn seldom miss their marks. The Leshy’a Kal’enedral, never.
• There is no such thing as coincidence, only mortals who have not fought the winds of fate.
• Where do you hide a red fish? In a pond full of other red fish.
• It is easier to believe in grain than spirits.
• Never throw your best knife at your foe.
• May you get exactly what you deserve. (curse)
• May your life be eventful. :)
• Every gift carries the hope for an exchange.
• Know where all the exits are.
• Never sit with your back to the door.
• Watch the reflections.
• Watch the shadows.
• Keep your hands free and your weapons loose.
• Never sit down to eat with your sword at your side--strap it to your back for a faster draw.
• Better an honest enemy than a feigned friend.
• The best plans never survive the first engagement with the enemy.
• Use the whip to get the horses out of the burning stable.
• Half of being clever is making certain you are not being stupid.
• Most battle plans do not survive the initial encounter with the enemy.
• The road to disasters is ordered by the righteous, planned by the well-meaning and paved with their good intentions.
• To treat a person like a carpet, it is necessary that one do all the walking, and one allow himself to be walked on.
• It takes a mule to repeat a mule’s bray.
• Every scar is a lesson remembered.
• Professionals are predictable, but the world is full of amateurs. (Tarma)

TAYLEDRAS

• If it gets caught, it deserves to be eaten.
• May you live in interesting times. :)
• No arrow shot at a target is ever wasted, no matter how many break.

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