The skull of an ancient mother grub, slain thousands of solar sweeps ago.
The mother grub is the lusus responsible for the brooding of Alternia's troll race from a slurry of genetic material delivered to her by the drones.
Such an important role lends itself to an enduring creature; “When A Virgin Mother Grub Abdicates And Renounces Brooding”, however, that mother grub is condemned to a much shorter lifespan. Even a virgin mother grub contributes to the continuation of the troll race, however, as within its body can be found the matriorb necessary to hatch new mother grubs.
Jade blooded trolls such as the Dolorosa are responsible for tending to the mother grub and the underground brooding caverns in which they live; though incredibly rare, a virgin mother grub, having jade blood itself, might sometimes even become a jade blood's custodian.
The mother grub's life-giving role seems to give it something of a sacred quality, with its name taking the place of God in some Alternian phrases such as “Mother Grub fearing” (see god fearing); more vulgar members of the race might even swear on parts of the mother grub's body as private as its “VESTIGIAL THIRD ORAL SPHINCTER.”
In Homestuck[]
The skull of a mother grub slain thousands of sweeps in the past served as the counterweight to a dragon egg on a doomsday clock resembling a great set of scales; anything else about the origin of this skull or this device, however, has been lost to time.
The Dolorosa's descendant Kanaya Maryam was one troll selected to be raised by a virgin mother grub.[image?] When it passed away after 6 sweeps of life together, Kanaya operated to retrieve the matriorb inside, intending to hatch a new one to restore her race from imminent destruction. This ultimately came to pass on Earth C, where she and Rose Lalonde were able to oversee a “very special” 4/13 brood together.[image?]
In Hiveswap[]
A statue depicting a mother grub was among the junk art found in a cave hive Joey Claire and Xefros Tritoh passed through on their way to a train station.
