Leifloff Sjungnarr, commonly referred to as Leif, was born in Marcogg, capital of the province Manthria, in 1631 a.S. Since he was but a child, the man had an uncanny interest in butterflies. He was captivated by their delicate structures and graceful flight patterns, and such young curiosities culminated to being the most well-renowned researcher of the dainty insects on the continent. Much of the entries regarding butterflies in the Compendium were inspired by the numerous facts discovered and expanded upon by the man. While he does have a permanent home in his natal city, the researcher is most often following around colonies of insects.

Picture description: The illustrous butterfly researcher Leifloff Sjungnarr. Picture by Faugar.

Appearance. Like most Avennorian men, Leif is rather short at about one ped and six palmspans. His lineage, like the majority of his people’s common folk, is mingled with the Shan’Thai trader’s blood. This is apparent in his skin tone, which is much darker from its roots with the desert people. However the influence of his foreign ancestors is less prevalent than many, so that his skin tone is about a perfect balance between the two extremes of the different peoples. The researcher does retain one trait that comes from the Glandorian portion of his ancestry, the light blond hair. His greasy locks are about one palmspans in length the majority of the time, and pulled back over the head, tapered out about the area where his neck becomes his sizable shoulders. The man cares quite a bit about hygiene, mostly due to his unattractive features, and the grime would only accentuate the trait about him. However his ugliness is only mild, the man feels very insecure about his looks.

A deluge of attributes label Leifloff as unsightly, the most blatant of which would be his exceedingly large nose. Every aspect of his pudgy visage seems to be larger than the norm. A subtle smile most often plays about his lips, as the man finds entertainment in the simplest of things. In order to express happiness he merely lets his lips move slightly, scarcely allowing the plump veils to reveal his yellowing teeth. Although the skin clings gauntly to his relatively high cheekbones, afterwards it hangs fairly slack in great cascades of blubber. Atop this lofty frame sits a couple of light brown eyes, twinkling with his general blitheness. His neck is a solid trunk, a mingling of genuine muscle and fat. Leif's body cannot be described as overly muscular, but he is definitely not meager on the other hand. His frame hangs in a state of indecisiveness, lingering on the border between overweight and simply large.

Personality. Leif has always been a man to find rapture in the simplest of things. His most intense passion that has accompanied him since he was but three, would be his overwhelming love for butterflies. Growing up in a moderately wealthy family, slightly richer than average, yet far from rich, he was required to help out on the farm to bring in his share of income. Whenever one of the fluttering insects would wander by, he would drop the tools and follow, captivated. Due to the way in which he was raised, the researcher has an extreme appreciation for nature, and therefore prefers to be working directly with the butterflies rather than reading other writers' books on the subject. When writing his collections of information, he prefers to sit in the shade of a nice tree out doors, rather than stuffed up in his cramped office.

The man knows the value of hard work, as the sole reason he learned how to write the scribbles which his notes consist of was by working extra hard on his parents' farm, his chance at tutelage being an added incentive to labor. Leif has always been fairly reclusive, though not to the point that he is impolite. He would not greet another person if he saw them, but would respond kindly if approached first. In general he avoids the title of writer, as he much prefers researching to actually compiling his notes into books. 

Biography. Humble Beginnings (1631). As the cries of a newborn child mingled with the bellows of labour on that warm day, the fourth of Changing Winds, Leifloff Sjungnarr came into the world. A humble house plotted atop a modest farm in the outskirts of Marcogg, capital of Manthria, would be his childhood home. Whilst the midwife tended to him, she would have had no idea that this bloody baby, youngest of six older siblings, would amount to anything important. However, the parents had other plans. Many of their other children had turned out to be lazy and impudent, and they told many of the neighbors their intent on raising this child the right way. In addition their previous offspring had grown up when the family was much poorer, but it seemed that the Gods had begun to smile upon them. They raised the new member of their home with just enough luxury to produce a cheerful demeanor, while being careful to not let the baby be spoiled. Another trait they did their best to instill within him was a love for outdoors, which seemed to come naturally to the bubbly infant.

Love at First Sight (1634). For the first five years of his life, Leif's daily schedule remained very much the same. His father and the five boys went out to the field, while he and his sister remained at home with their mother. The two older girls ran about the house cooking and cleaning the majority of the time, but once a day, though the time varied, the toddler was escorted outside to sit with them beneath the shade of the sole tree in their yard. Unlike many of his age, Leif was a rather subdued child, and prefered to remain seated quietly next to his family. One day while the trio lounged about, snacking on a small plate of doch nut cookies, Leif's first love alighted upon his forehead; a red diamond butterfly, female, as could be noted by its slightly pinker shade of wings. The child was captivated by the insect's beautiful hues, and was once more enchanted while it flew away, in awe of its ability to fly. These sightings became more and more frequent, and his love for the butterflies only grew and grew.

Hard Work (1636-1641). Like all the male siblings before him, Leif was put to work at the age of five. Though the load of labour he received was minuscule in comparison to that of his elder brothers', it was still rather demanding for a child of his age. While the boy enjoyed spending so much time out doors, he often strayed from the task at hand. How much more he would rather be traipsing through the tall grass, or feasting upon petitioners in the shadow cast by his beloved tree. Whenever one of his enamored insects fluttered by, he dropped the tools and followed the butterfly about. While his mother thought it was good for all young boys to have a hobby, his father became increasingly frustrated at the child's inability to focus. The issue went without a solution for around two years, despite the numerous promptings of the work oriented parent.

At the age of seven, Leif began expressing interest in learning how to write, so that he could take notes on butterflies. At first, his sire disliked the idea, claiming that no boy of their status would ever become a novelist. Then a brilliant idea came to him. What a great incentive it would be to make the lazy boy work harder. The more money the farm earned, the more likely it would be that the boy got to learn. They were already a tad richer than the average peasant, so perhaps they could use that money to buy a bit of extra seeds, and donate a few extra hours to farming, it just might get him into school.

Education (1642-1649). When Leif turned ten, his family had finally raised enough money to hire a private tutor that would come on a weekly basis. They simply could not afford to have him every day, and all the remaining days were left to work in order to maintain the man's high salary. The teacher was rather strict, though in general he did not have to enforce his rules, merely because Leif was one to comply to them without being punished. His studies progressed fairly fast, simply due to the adolescent's attentive behaviour. Though the child was disappointed at being stuffed inside a building all day to study, his teacher refused to work outside. These studies made him the only literate person in his entire family, and he was proud of his ability to read and write. After learning the basics, the two began reading manuscripts of a more difficult level, though the future researcher never particularly liked deciphering the symbols, he knew their value if he ever wanted to record information upon his beloved insects.

Research (1650-1663). After graduating from his studies at the age of seventeen, Leif departed from his household a year later to research the butterflies. He began by tracking down colonies of the red diamond variety, mostly because they were much easier to find than other types, which flew on specific courses. He scribbled down detailed accounts of their behaviour and interactions with each other, noting espcially their ability to appear as if they were flowers. After spending roughly six years to this particular species, he moved on to take notes on the ceruwing butterfly. In addition to the actual bugs, he studied the flowers that they were attracted to, though to a lesser extreme. Out of the plethora of locations he visited, a few linger strongest in one's memory. Particularly the Thaelon Forest was a monumentous place for him to visit, due to the vast variety of myths and lore that surrounded the hallowed thicket. In addition the Eight Winds Bay was a nice cool, watery area to relax amidst his studies of the ceruwing.

First Book (1664). After about thirteen years of studying a multitude of different types of butterflies, Leif finally took his scrawlings and morphed them into a well written, intricately detailed book, regarding every aspect of the fluttering creatures' lives. In addition he included a deluge of rough sketches. This primary edition was entitled "Butterflies: A Fluttering and Flourishing Colony". One of the three copies of the novel can be viewed within New-Santhala's library, as the Compendiumists find the book exceedingly useful when compiling entries on butterflies. After his successful publication, the man continued to work in the fields with his enamoured insects, and he has only recently begun to write his second book, the production of which has been confirmed in our interview with him, however he currently lacks a title.

Importance. Leif's dedicated research over the years and extremely detailed accounts of the fluttering beasts he encountered during his studies are excellent contributions to the society of scholars. The majority of the information on butterflies within the Compendium was uncovered by his research. A hearty thanks goes out to this man for the deluge of compilations that have inspired numerous entries. We look forward to the second of his books.

10th Singing Birds 1668 a.S. Information provided by Eléyr Fásamár