Bernards: A Guide
A deep(ish) dive into the lore behind the beloved beasts.
Bernards (Magnus Amicus) is the name of a species of large, furry, intelligent beast-like creatures that are found all over the world. They speak the human language depending on where they are living in the world, and they adapt to their environment accordingly.
Adult Bernards have soft, grey, dense fur, which has been described as smelling like sweet, damp earth and the scent of rain on grass after a storm. They have short arms with three finger-like appendages, horns and clawed feet. They also have tusk-like teeth that protrude from their mouths. Finally, they can grow between 6 feet and 8 feet tall - including their horns!
Baby Bernards are adorable. If they’re a boy, they have blue fur, or pink fur if they’re a girl. They have smaller horns that haven’t fully hardened yet, and soft unclawed feet.
As they’re young, the babies have pacifiers/dummies/soothers made for them by their parents. These can be made using soft rocks, clay, moss, and many other natural materials - they use these until their first tooth breaks through. Babies are carried around in their parents’ dense fur safely, with both mama and papa taking turns keeping their young close to them.
Adolescent Bernards grow a thick body of purple fur - think Pesto the baby penguin! They do a lot of growing in this time, although not much talking. Being a teenager is tough, no matter your species. As they reach adulthood, they lose their purple fuzz and grow their signature grey fur.
Bernards love to live deep in nature and can be found all over the world in close communities of families and friends - and although they love humans, they’re rather shy and prefer to make their homes away from busy human environments. They have been known to help humans if they’re lost in the wilds, however.
They like to make their homes in trees, cliffs and underground. Bernards can also build their own homes out of bricks, stones and clay - they are amazing builders and crafters! A Bernard’s home is a place of comfort and safety, full of trinkets and keepsakes.
They are the embodiment of joy, love, friendship and wonder.
Some other Bernard facts for you:
Their favourite food is pineapple.
Each Bernard’s name… is also Bernard. Don’t worry, they know the difference even if we don’t!
They adapt to their environment accordingly - in colder climates, their fur is thicker, they have more body fat and hibernate. In hotter climates, their fur is finer and they retain moisture in their bodies to keep cool.
Bernards are very talented at inventing things using human technology.
Comfort and happiness are their two main aspirations in life.
They can live up for up to 150 years!
Their horns are made of something similar to ivory, and their bones are very thick and tough.
Bernard communities usually include multiple families and their friends, all mixed together and living in harmony.
But they weren’t always Bernards, rather they were originally unnamed monsters I designed randomly for my husband as a token creature for a game of Magic: The Gathering all the way back in 2017! Then, in 2019 and 2020 during lockdown, I developed their lore further with more art and more stories told through each piece. I have so many paintings, drawings and dioramas dotted around my home featuring Bernards, and there are a few folks out in the world with Bernards in their home too.
Their name also came from my husband. When I was being asked by some lovely Discord friends what my beasties were called, he threw out the name “Bernard!” It was a perfect name. It had a double special meaning as my late dad’s name was Bernard - though everyone knew him as Brian in life. (Ask me about the time when he was being woken from a coma, and the nurses couldn’t understand why he was angry at being called Bernard…)
I love Bernards. I really do. And I will keep drawing, painting and sculpting them for the rest of my days - they bring me so much joy, as well as other folks too.
Thank you for reading! Do you have any other questions about Bernards? Anything else you’d like to know? Feel free to comment or drop me a message!
Literally the cutest things ever