Gift of the Sea + PDF

Beyond the forest lies a jagged rocky coast, where a small seaside village has observed the rites of Greentide for generations. Each spring as the first green shoots emerge, the village elders weave an effigy from sapling branches and seaweed, crafting the likeness of a young woman. The sculpture filled with gifts before it is cast into the waves as an offering to the Queen of Tides, along with prayers for a bountiful catch for their nets and protection from storms. This ancient tradition harks back to an age when the ancestors would crown a young woman as the Tide Queen and offer her to the sea in sacrifice. Chieftains and princes would travel far to attend the ceremony, pledging gold, jewels and the finest crafts of their settlements. To this day, local fisherman never leave shore without paying her their respects - for the tide, they say, must have its due. Strange as the customs of an isolated village may be, it has not escaped the notice of keen treasure hunters that centuries of