GeekDavid
Auror
Malik, my boy, you clearly have too much time on your hands.
Bears as mounts, as far as domesticating goes, I don’t find an issue. If you have a committed group of trainers why can’t you train them? Might take time but I am sure it can be done.
The way some authors throw it around, it must be more common than hydrogen.
All you need are large quantities of handwavium.
What about Narrativium?
Hey, I resemble that remark!
But seriously, I've read more than my fair share of fantasy/SF that went waaaay beyond what was needed for reader comprehension in developing magic systems, world building, etc. I tend to go a bit far the other way, maybe, but it fits with a leaner style in general.
There's that famous picture of Teddy Roosevelt riding a moose (although there's the possibility that it was dead, in which case, ugh).I'd like to have elk/moose riders, but I'll need to tweak the animal a little first. Attempts have been made to domesticate elks for military use, but they turned out to be unsuitable for some reason. I believe it was due to having too weak backs, but may be due to other reasons too.
Either way, some large, long legged, hoofed animal with big antlers that stride to the forest carrying a scout/messenger on its back.
I'm always a fan as well. My dwarves ride rulnira (a mantis-like creature) and landsharks regularly; elves have unicorns, pegasi, gryphons, hippogryphs, shay'talahs (a cheetah-like creature); aviadins use dinosaurs; and then there's tons more. I may have gone a bit overkill in fact, but oh well, I like that sort of stuffI rather like the notion that certain fantastical creatures are only ridden by certain races. We have orcs riding wargs, of course. Something along those lines. Only dwarves have bred bear-chargers. Only elves can ride gryphons (only elves are dumb enough). And so on. I am totally stealing this from myself.
Love those pics, Malik!
I'm always a fan as well. My dwarves ride rulnira (a mantis-like creature) and landsharks regularly; elves have unicorns, pegasi, gryphons, hippogryphs, shay'talahs (a cheetah-like creature); aviadins use dinosaurs; and then there's tons more. I may have gone a bit overkill in fact, but oh well, I like that sort of stuff
I've got landwhales. They're a bit of mix between a muskox, a blue whale and a catterpillar. They're enormous, but nearly extinct creatures that live on the very vast plains in certain parts of the continent in my setting. They're about the size of a whale, they are hairy like the muskox and they have several pairs of legs, not unlike a catterpillar.
They're not used in warfare and they're not what you'd really call domesticated. However, they're peaceful and docile enough that it's possible to construct dwellings to live in on top of them. The people who do so are mainly hermits (usually elves), who live in a type of symbiosis with the landwhale. The rider/dweller keeps the landwhale free of parasites and the landwhale provides a safe location for an undisturbed home.
No predator is large enough to be a threat to the landwhale.