ok guys, looking for a word for my NaNo novel. MC finds a tiny malachite figurine as a clue. Prayer beads and worry stones are types of what?
@jannamark mmm, not quite what I'm looking for. The object in question in my WIP is a tiny carved figurine with a base so that it can stand upright.
Think that's closer, though.
@arlowrey @jannamark statuette?
@jannamark @Satsuma must a reliquary have a secret compartment? That may be the best suggestion yet.
@arlowrey @jannamark reliquary roughly means ‘relic keeper’ so compartment is must I’d say
@Satsuma @jannamark I can work with that. The thing's about the size of a chess piece, but a skillful carver could still hollow it out.
@arlowrey @jannamark glad you found a word :) what do you plan to put inside? Finger-bones of saints are traditional but I imagine since this is a clue you might have something more specific in mind
@Satsuma @jannamark Not sure yet, but it's associated with one of the old gods - the goddess of decay, to be precise, so whatever it is won't be nice.
@Satsuma @arlowrey That's my guess.
Unless of course the statuette has a secret compartment.
Then it might qualify as a reliquary.
unless of course the object inside the reliquary was written in terms of a liturgy...