June 1814
THE FIELD NOTES of LEOPOLD MONTEBIANCO
“HIGH MOUNTAINS SUFFOCATE ME.”—Chateaubriand
POPULATION:
The population of the iceman village is comprised of sixty-four individuals, fifteen males, thirty-two females, and seventeen children.
They live communally. I am reminded of the tribes of the South Seas, particularly those natives described by Captain James Cook on his voyage to New Holland. Namely, they are primitive creatures, but intelligent, with a system of communication, rituals, and family structures. Food, shelter, and clothing are shared among the tribe. Activities such as cooking and hunting are shared among the group. Tight couples are formed, although it is often the case that males have two or more female mates. Whether this is due to the lack of males in the current population—females outnumber males two to one—or mating preference is not certain. Children are raised communally, and no paternal identification appears to take place.
There is evidence that the population was once much larger, perhaps as recently as two generations ago, as is evidenced by cave art depicting large groups of males hunting game together. Great quantities of artifacts such as jewelry, spears, stone knives, and animal skins confirm that the population was once more populous than the sixty-four individuals now living in the community.
Fertility is robust, but child mortality is high. I witnessed the birth of six babies in the twenty-eight months I lived among the icemen. Five of these infants died within the first months of life. The length of gestation is longer than that of humankind, approximately fourteen months. Labor is shorter, and delivery less dangerous due to the anatomy of the female, namely a wide pelvis, which allows for fewer complications during delivery.
CONCLUSION: While the birth rate is strong, the survival of infants is less certain. The iceman village is in decline. Isolation is crippling the icemen. If they mix their blood with the human population below, and bring hearty stock to their kind, strength and longevity would certainly ensue. I have instructed them to do so.
LOCATION:
The icemen’s caves are located approximately two kilometers northwest from Montebianco Castle, to the southeast of Mont Blanc. Although I have followed various routes, the least arduous, most direct trajectory from the valley of Nevenero can be found by following a path carved into the side of the mountain. It is my opinion that this path was created by the iceman himself, as the result of uncountable journeys to and from Nevenero over the course of centuries, perhaps to gain access to the rich hunting grounds of the valley. The path is marked by glacial ice formations and waterfalls of spectacular beauty.
PHYSIOLOGY:
The adult male iceman measures between 110 centimeters and 180 centimeters at full height. The female is larger, measuring between 115 centimeters and 190 centimeters. Weight varies between the sexes, with female creatures being heavier. Among the sixty-four icemen of the village, I have observed that females carry larger supplies of fat and muscle. Such reserves of nutrition aid in fertility and ensure milk production for infants. But it may also explain the survival rate for females: females outnumber males and are, in general, more resilient.
The flesh of the iceman is exceptionally white, without the variation in pigmentation one sees in human beings. No freckles, moles, or any other variety of coloration marks the surface of the skin. The eyes are uniformly blue and the hair is uniformly white. Hair covers much of the body of the male iceman and 60 percent of the female. The feet of both male and female are wide and flat. The nails on fingers and toes are thick and yellow. The genitals are identical in size and shape as human beings.
The physical features of the iceman in relation to humanity is striking. While the Creator has shaped them as He shaped our kind—in the mold of Himself and the first son Adam—there are marked differences that render the iceman wholly separate from humanity. The facial features are blunted. The chin shorn away. The brow wide and broad. These features beg to be compared to primates, but I resist such comparisons: the iceman is no animal. Indeed, in my observations, I have wondered if he is not more adept, more beautiful, indeed, more human, than my kind.
CONCLUSION: The Lord has created the iceman with greater fortitude and resistance to the Alpine landscape than humankind.
HABITAT & TECHNOLOGIES:
The iceman has survived in a narrow crevice between two high mountains. This land is protected by rock on all sides, with the center fertile, a seed pressed into a deep furrow.
The primary habitat of the iceman is composed of a series of low, wide caverns. Carved into the western side of the mountain, they number twenty-two in all, eleven on each side of a narrow arcade.
The iceman’s caves are communal in nature. Cooking, eating, sleeping, production of clothing, food, and tools are the primary activities that occur in these spaces, although instances of storytelling, singing, familial interactions, and mating have been found to occur as well.
The caverns are barren, without even the most basic of furnishings, although I discovered a number of man-made objects in the large central cave, namely a ceramic jug and a handsaw, both of which were clearly fabricated by human beings. The icemen regard these objects as extremely valuable. Their existence among the icemen points to contact with human civilization. Indeed, it is my observation that they were acquainted with humankind when I arrived among them. They did not fear me, but rather examined the objects in my pack—a fountain pen, ink, this notebook, a snuffbox of tobacco, a pipe, a pocket watch, as well as other possessions. They considered these objects marvels of technology.
There is a great deal of importance placed upon a large central grotto located above the village. Decorative paint covers the walls and ceilings of this space. Primitive depictions of hunting, cooking, bathing, and so on were in evidence, proof that the iceman takes pleasure in the beautification of his environment. Animal skins, furs, and hides cover the floor near the fire pit, and it is the custom in winter to eat and sleep here.
No man-made structures exist in the village. Huts, tents, and teepees like those fabricated by the natives in America have not been detected. I have found no artificial barriers against the climate such as doors or shutters. The icemen live in the elements throughout the year and have the fortitude to withstand temperatures below freezing. I have endeavored to teach them to use their native elements—stone and wood—to construct huts, which would much improve their resistance to the cold.
Native tools include slabs of smooth granite for food preparation, knives carved of bone, and a number of wooden bowls shaped from the wood of birch trees. Clothing is primitive and made from the skins of animals. I have not observed the use of woven fibers of any kind. This, too, I will endeavor to teach them.
Food storage is basic, with meat and vegetables being dried in the open air or cooled by snow. Water is stored in a cistern outside of the cave.
CONCLUSION: The iceman uses and values advanced tools. Once in possession of more sophisticated technologies, he has the intellectual capacity to understand and use them. They are not creative in tool development, but intelligent in deploying tools.
MATING RITUALS:
Sexual rituals are diverse and elaborate among the tribe of the iceman.
Sexual attraction is shown in numerous ways, most often by light physical contact, such as touching or patting. Bathing is a communal practice that may lead to sexual engagement. Oftentimes, mating rituals involve gifts such as food or clothing. I have, on occasion, heard females sing to attract a mate.
I have observed that sexual acts can be accompanied by aggression—punching, hair pulling, spitting, and choking. I have observed this behavior in young males in the weeks or months after finding a mate. There is a fevered recognition of attraction, a period of courtship, and a direct movement into sexual relations. All three stages are marked by an abundance of sexual desire, possessiveness, and so on. After fathering a child, this behavior abates and a male will find a new companion.
Sexual intercourse occurs without shame or privacy, often in full view of the other members of the tribe.
LIFESPAN:
The icemen don’t remember birth dates, and there is no acknowledgment of time passing among them, but the elder members of the tribe appear to be seven or eight decades old. Elders are valued for their knowledge. There are distinct funerary rights followed by all members of the community. The tribe buries their dead together. The burial site is located less than one kilometer from the village. Objects such as stone knives and furs are buried with the body. I observed six burials during my years in the village, five children and one elderly woman. There is elaborate and communal grieving over the dead. Upon seeing the tears and lamentations over the loss of life, I believe that the icemen are capable of the sentiments and deep feelings of human beings.