Elder ceremony

"Shellheart, I respect your decision. You have spent many seasons serving your Clan. Of course you may join the elders."

— Hailstar allowing Shellheart to become an elder in Crookedstar's Promise, page 375

An elder ceremony is performed when a Clan cat feels as if they cannot serve their Clan anymore, whether it's through aging, illness, or injury. The cat formally retires from their duties so that they may rest as an elder, cared for by their Clanmates.

Process

An aging warrior, queen, deputy, or medicine cat may retire as an elder by their own initiative when they feel they can no longer help the Clan efficiently (such as Mousefur or Speckletail). If the Clan leader feels that it is time, they may encourage a Clanmate to retire (such as Piketooth, Timberfur, and Cedarpelt). A Clan leader may retire themselves if they are no longer able to lead (Brambleclaw). A cat may also retire if they are hindered from serving their Clan through old age (such as Poppydawn) and its effects (Graypool's memory loss), illness (Tawnyspots), or injury (Stonepelt). A cat who wishes to retire reports their decision to the Clan leader, who calls a Clan meeting and addresses the retiring cat:

Leader: ...Is it your wish to give up the name of a warrior and go to join the elders?

Clan member: It is.

Leader: Your Clan honors you and all the service you have given to us. I call upon StarClan to give you many moons of rest.

An elder ceremony may not always follow the same pattern. Some leaders may hold a less formal ceremony, such as Leopardstar's ceremony for Piketooth, Timberfur, and Cedarpelt. In some cases, the Clan leader may mention certain virtues with which the retiring cat contributed to their Clan, such as loyalty, wisdom, and courage. Accordingly, leaders may address retiring cats a little differently:

Leader: ...(Clan) thanks you for your loyalty and courage. You have served your Clan well, and we hope that your days in the elders' den are peaceful. Your stories and wisdom will still have a place in the Clan, and we will continue to learn from you.

At the end of the ceremony, the Clan will call out the retired cat's name, and the new elder will move to the elders' den. An elder may receive a completely different name with a renaming ceremony, rather than keeping their warrior or medicine cat name. For example, two ThunderClan elders, Halftail and One-eye, had originally been named Sparrowpelt and White-eye, respectively, but had taken new names upon retirement. A Clan leader who retires will assume their warrior name once again and surrender leadership to their deputy.

Exceptions

• Under Brokenstar's leadership, ShadowClan elders were often ordered to retire by Brokenstar rather than requesting retirement, and their elder ceremonies doubled as a form of exile in which they were forced to leave camp instead of staying under the protection and care of the warriors, such as in the case of Ashfur and Featherstorm.
  • Additionally, Brokenstar retired his warriors for non-traditional reasons, such as forcing Ashfur to retire for speaking up against him and making Featherstorm an elder once she no longer had kits to raise.
• A Clan leader may force a cat to retire if they feel that the warrior or medicine cat can no longer perform their duties efficiently, such as in the case of Mothwing, who was forced by Mistystar to retire due to not believing in StarClan as a medicine cat. Mothwing also did not receive an elder ceremony, instead being ordered to retire privately.
• Clan leaders who retire may not receive elder ceremonies. Brambleclaw, who retired from leadership after he was unable to fully recover from his experiences in the Dark Forest, did not have a formal elder ceremony.

See also

• Elder
• Ceremonies