Frost-Moths

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"A silent crowd of frost-moths perches on the roof of the Chandleress' home. In the faint light of the false-stars above, their idly flexing wings are the colour of dirty ice."[1]

Frost-moths are mysterious insects that appear to be made of ice.[2]

Ephemeral Things[edit | edit source]

"'The frost-moths here vastly outnumber those in London. I have to shield my candle nightly in a little wire cage or they smother and devour it.'"[3]

Frost-moths are enormous moths that can grow to the size of a large bat[4] and notably feed on candles.[5][6] They are an extremely common sight in the Tomb-Colonies, but can also be found in London.[7] These moths bite when provoked, and their wings are sharp enough to injure humans,[8] making swarms potentially dangerous.[9] However, they are fragile and vulnerable to high heat, which melts their bodies.[4][10][11] They emit a faint, moonlike glow.[12]

At least some frost-moths are born from a rare process called Emergence.[13] Reports from fully living individuals indicate that the cycle of Emergence begins when an adult frost-moth enters a person's mouth and lays its eggs inside their body.[14] The larvae may remain dormant within the host's abdomen[15] for decades or even centuries;[16] eventually, the moths burst from a tomb-colonist like they would from a chrysalis,[17][18] permanently killing their host.[19] Emergence can stall entirely if the host has lingering regrets or unfinished business,[20][21] but accelerates once these ties to life are resolved.[22]

The process of Emergence was pioneered by the Third City revolutionaries who founded the tomb-colony of Tanah-Chook.[23] They chose to meet this fate themselves, believing that the moths retained a fragment of their host’s consciousness;[24] while opinions vary greatly,[25][26] some tomb-colonists have adopted their belief that the process is a kind of rebirth,[27][28] and consider it preferable to slowly decaying in the Grand Sanatorium.[29] There may be some truth to its creators' original notion, as frost-moths display intelligence, can understand commands,[30] and are capable of executing complex tasks.[31]

In addition to their association with the Tomb-Colonies, frost-moths migrate irregularly between the world of the living and the dead, a cycle that can span decades.[32][33] They sometimes trail the slow boat along the Stolen River.[34]

Cultural Inspirations[edit | edit source]

Across many cultures, moths (alongside butterflies) have long been associated with death, transformation, and the passage of the soul. In Celtic and British folklore, a sighting of a white moth in the home was often interpreted as the soul of the deceased returning to visit or watch over their loved ones. Similarly, in Chinese tradition, moths are believed to embody ancestral spirits; killing a moth during the Qingming Festival, which is dedicated to honoring and communing with the dead, is considered especially taboo. Indigenous American cultures view moths as spirit messengers, carrying wisdom or warnings from the realm of ancestors. And in Greek, the word psykhē (ψυχή) means both "soul" and "butterfly" (also inclusive of moths) - a particularly strong correlation with the idea of the soul leaving the body and taking flight in death.

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ The Chandleress' Complaint, Fallen London
  2. ↑ The Chandleress' Complaint, Fallen London "A silent crowd of frost-moths perches on the roof of the Chandleress' home. In the faint light of the false-stars above, their idly flexing wings are the colour of dirty ice. "I daren't light a candle," the Chandleress whispers."
  3. ↑ A Chilly Infestation, Fallen London
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Explore Venderbight, Sunless Sea "You round a darkened corner and start down a broad boulevard lined with grimacing statues. There is a fluttering movement above, and a cloud of frost-moths swoops down upon you! You beat them off with your walking-stick - they are determined, and the largest are the size of zee-bats, but they are fragile. At last they retreat, leaving three of their number melting into water on the pavement. Their wings are marked with patterns that resemble letters. You peer at them, but the script is already dissolving..."
  5. ↑ Light a candle, and wait, Fallen London "Frost-moths will come to a lighted candle. They eat candle-flames and candle-wax alike, and they won't balk at biting anyone who interferes. Take care."
  6. ↑ Speak with Harold, Fallen London "It's just a misunderstanding with a fellow student. I borrowed the candles to feed my moth. Such a gorgeous specimen – but so hungry! Didn't have time to go to a chandlers."
  7. ↑ A Chilly Infestation, Fallen London "'The frost-moths here vastly outnumber those in London. I have to shield my candle nightly in a little wire cage or they smother and devour it. Even so, when I wake each morning, the cage is matted with tiny furry visitors. Horrible. […]'"
  8. ↑ Stop briefly at the island, Fallen London "The island is wreathed with frost-moths. […] More moths are coming. Many more. You […] douse the lanterns and hide […]. It's not the light they're after – it's you! Their wings are delicate, but very sharp. Sprint back to the ship before you are cut to pieces."
  9. ↑ Explore Venderbight, Sunless Sea "At the heart of the platform is a long-filled well-shaft, too. You poke about briefly, but something in the place makes you uneasy. A frost-moth - the size of a farmer's hand - flutters down to perch on the well's edge. Another. A third. You retreat..."
  10. ↑ Light a candle, and wait, Fallen London "A dozen frost-moths lie in a welter of broken wings on the ground, gradually melting into pools of dirty water. The grateful candle-maker pays you in kind."
  11. ↑ Stop briefly at the island, Fallen London "The island is wreathed with frost-moths. They cluster around your lanterns […] their wings melt in the heat. [...]"
  12. ↑ All Things Must End, Fallen London "One colonist pinches a candle out, singeing his bandages. The room falls into dark, lit only by the moonish glow of the new-born moth. The room is still, but for the soft flexing of wings."
  13. ↑ 'I lent my assistance.', Fallen London "An Emergence is a rare occurrence, and this Emergence was like none in recorded history. As I held the candle to coax the frost-moth from its cavity, the ornithologist prepared the hooks...'"
  14. ↑ 'So I chose to sleep without the candle...', Fallen London "'A little past midnight, I woke in a terrible fright. Someone had placed their hand in my mouth! I sat upright and my cry of horror dislodged the obstruction: not a hand, no, but an indeterminate number of moths that had attempted to gain entry to my person via my open mouth. I did not sleep again that night, and my cry awoke my neighbours – but I may have been cured of my unfortunate habit of snoring—'"
  15. ↑ All Things Must End, Fallen London "She draws something out of her bandages, from just above her abdomen. "Take this to remember me by." She passes you a fist sized and silk-soft cocoon. If you hold it up to the light there is a shadow which suggests it is not empty."
  16. ↑ 'I advised him to release the frost-moth.', Fallen London "Of course, many tomb-colonists will deteriorate to a terminal stage, just as many have done in the past, and engender frost-moths of their own. What we demonstrated, my dear, is that this stage may be unlocked with the proper technique, properly applied. Lady H___ could have remained a cocoon, as it were, for decades or even centuries more, absent our intervention...'"
  17. ↑ An Anomie-Ridden Tomb-Colonist, Fallen London "Emergence" "[…] She falls rather languidly, gouting dust. "Here it comes," she whispers. Something is pushing its way free through the slit in her bandages: sticky, folded wings, damp antennae. A frost-moth! It flutters into the air as she lifts her hands. […]"
  18. ↑ The First Curator, Sunless Sea "The Curator moves faster than you've ever seen - flinging its arms back, as if in delight. Its chest pulses, then crumbles inwards. [...] Its chest crumbles like damp clay. Something damp and sleekly shining pushes out. Antennae rustle. Faceted eyes glisten. The Curator's hand reaches up to caress the creature, and then goes still forever. It frees itself, flexing damp wings. A moth of prodigious size. Its wings are figured with patterns in familiar colours - peligin, viric, irrigo..."
  19. ↑ The Committee, Fallen London "The moth struggles in the Chairman's chest cavity, wriggling through the largest hole as the flesh stretches and snaps. Before it can extend its wings, you pounce, bludgeoning its fragile body. Trapped, it skitters and twitches. You strike again, and its abdomen splits, spilling milky fluid across the bed. Its wings give a last spasm, then close and still. The Chairman's husk seems to collapse in on itself, until all that remains are a dry, dust-choked pair of pyjamas."
  20. ↑ The Committee, Fallen London "I don't know if you have been present for the death of an older person. Sometimes a curious process called the Emergence takes place, during which a moth leaves the chest cavity and embarks on a new journey. [...] My moth seems to have - I suppose you might call it 'stage fright. It will not emerge. [...] I consulted a Dr Schlomo. It is his professional opinion that my problem is psychopathological. There is something holding me to this carcass. Something not yet done."
  21. ↑ The Reformer of Reputations, Fallen London "I am... trying to halt the progress of a terrible metamorphosis. The only treatment is to remain close to the Game – to hear the tapping of a telegraph; to feel the heft of a dossier."
  22. ↑ The First Curator, Sunless Sea “I am... grateful. You don't know what you've done to me. Accelerated... the growth beneath the flesh. Spared me the sanatorium. Here... my... dissolution...”
  23. ↑ All Things Must End, Fallen London "Those revolutionaries before me arranged the process of Emergence. They went against the order of things. We could hatch into moths."
  24. ↑ All Things Must End, Fallen London "You know, in a way, to Emerge would be true to the revolution. I was recruited by those breaking the cruel rules that bind us. I will benefit from their sacrifice. I'll act with their spirit. [...] Do you think it would be dull to be a moth? Do you think enough of the self would remain to dislike it?"
  25. ↑ All Things Must End, Fallen London "Even tomb-colonists require an ending, at the proper time. I arranged a person's cessation according to their desire. The Surface, the Sanatorium, or the Emergence. The last is... controversial."
  26. ↑ Light a candle, and wait, Fallen London "A dozen frost-moths lie in a welter of broken wings on the ground, gradually melting into pools of dirty water. [...] "Filthy things," a passing tomb-colonist observes. "Your efforts are to be commended.""
  27. ↑ All Things Must End, Fallen London "He shakes your hand with a bruising grip. "It's not just nostalgia. I've chosen my end. If I'm strong enough when I go, imagine what will hatch from me. Cold as the moon. With storms beneath its wings!""
  28. ↑ All Things Must End, Fallen London "After I hatch, I want to live in their rehearsal room. I could dance in the air, unhampered by this body."
  29. ↑ Witnessed: the Curator's End, Sunless Sea "...tomb-colonists do not exactly die. Many end in the Grand Sanatorium, withering slowly to insensate horror. (This is not publicised.) A few end in Emergence: transformation to a flimsy thing of wings and knowledge, an end in ecstacy, the delight of becoming an egg, of sorts. This is accounted a grand and vile and tempting sin..."
  30. ↑ Complaisant Frost-Moth, Fallen London "Days later, wheeling through the dark, it finds you while out on the streets, landing upon your shoulder. You inspect it, but find no shard. Could it be? By some secret cunning, has your moth succeeded? Its antenna twitch excitedly: the sanctum is breached; the mirror, restored. You have your way in."
  31. ↑ Send a Complaisant Frost-Moth to repair the mirror, Fallen London "Days later, wheeling through the dark, it finds you while out on the streets, landing upon your shoulder. You inspect it, but find no shard. Could it be? By some secret cunning, has your moth succeeded? Its antenna twitch excitedly: the sanctum is breached; the mirror, restored. You have your way in."
  32. ↑ All Things Must End, Fallen London "Frost-Moths migrate to the far country, although their cycle is unpredictable and can take decades. [...]"
  33. ↑ All Things Must End, Fallen London "Very occasionally, Frost Moths migrate to the shores of the dead. [...] Eventually the Moths return to the Neath. [...]"
  34. ↑ David: Memories of Death, Mask of the Rose "The boat ride, and the far shore, and the great pale ice-moths in the air. [...] I saw them flutter past me to the far shore, and it seemed as though their wings were made of frost."
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