Bestiary

Mother will take care of you. That’s the idea, anyway. The archetypal Mother cares for her children, and although human mamas often fall short of that ideal, Mama Plenty comes around when folks lose hope and have nowhere else to go.

An embodiment of merciful generosity, Mama Plenty has existed in one form or another for as long as people have needed her. She is Mary, Kuan Yin, White Buffalo Calf Woman, Tonantzin… or an aspect of those venerated women, anyway. More than anything else, Mama Plenty is the feeder of the hungry and the soother of the sick. Healers of all kinds revere her, and the roiling hordes of refugees and homeless folk sometimes feel Mama Plenty’s hand on their brows or see her smile through a wall of soup-kitchen steam. She can’t feed everyone, of course — human need is too great for even a goddess to resolve. People who dedicate themselves to be her instruments, however, help share her bounty across our world.

Mama Plenty generally appears as a hearty woman from the culture of those who behold her. Her touch is cool; her grin is warm. She’s got lots of pockets, and all of them are full of goodies: candy,

bread, cold water, hot milk. Mama makes the best soup you’ve ever tasted, and even the most miserable folk find something to smile about when she hands out food and says, “Eat, child — eat!”

People bonded with Mama Plenty learn to cook and scrounge, how to get the most out of whatever you can get and then find a little more besides. In return, they must re­ main dedicated to helping folks in need; Mama has no time for selfish kids, and she withdraws her gifts if she ever finds them being used for profit. Her chosen kin excel at healing, too, and must do so without charge while acting in her name. Mama’s gifts must be reserved for people in need. Rich folks have money of their own; for the rest of us, Mama’s there.