Society
“Be prepared to stand alone but when the winter comes, with howling winds and bitter snows, together stand as one.”
- Freya’s Lullaby [Not RP knowledge]
As a people whose bones were forged by hardship, it might come a surprise that the culture itself is built not only on solemnity and remembrance for the past, but on hope and cheer for the future. From attire, to rites of passage; crafts to language, all echo the fierce determination and sheer grit of their ancestors in more ways than mere words can convey.
For clothing, many Norvägen will opt to wear thick wools with furs, leathers, animal pelts and skins, to protect them from icy winds of their homeland. With the climate having such a huge impact on the lifestyle of these people, it is a common sight to see both genders wearing a hooded cowl, heavy cloaks or thick furs, as well as tough leather shoes stuffed with moss or hay to keep out the cold.
Most men wear loose fitting breeches held up by a drawstring, under a woollen tunic with a belt at the waist. These belts are fairly wide strips of leather, and their buckles forged with decorative symbols, runic lettering or likenesses of animals. Particularly in times of war or winter, men will wear thick tabards of boiled leather as a form of light armour which serves an extra layer of protection against the cold, as well as resists the wear that a tunic might be subjected to otherwise.
Meanwhile, women are oft seen in a long linen shift underneath a thick woollen overdress or kirtle. A bodice or apron might also be worn, often decorated with simple embroidery at the hem, or else pinned in place by engraved metal brooches. They might also wear a belt and cord around their waist, and from this they will suspend any number of tools and useful things that they might need.
For both men and women, the majority of garments are fairly dull in colour - ranging from sage greens to dull browns and greys, as well as whatever other colours natural dyes will allow. Another more decorative aspect of Norvägen clothing is the simply embroidered patterns that sometimes adorn the edge of a tunic or dress. Otherwise, it is as a result of plain practicality that, this style has remained greatly unchanged throughout the years, regions and social classes. With the culture - in the end - wrestling survival from winter’s grasp, it is not difficult to see why with the children of Jarls will be raised in the same furs as a cobbler’s apprentice.
Of accents, it is widely thought by those raised in the South that the Norvägen accent seems oddly clipped in comparison to their drawn out vowel sounds and relaxed, often slurred, pronunciation of consonants. Much to the distress of lesser travelled Southern singers, the Norvägen speak with shortened vowels - disregarding the more commonplace Alteran “ar” in words such as “grass”, “path” and “after”, and using a sharper “ah” sound in its stead.
Another distinctive feature of their speech would be the very definite “r” sounds, made by quickly tapping or rolling the tongue against the roof of the mouth. Due to the pronunciation of their native tongue, sounds made by the letters “t” and “d” (especially at the end of words) are often confused, as well as “a” and “o”, and therefore a word such as “Stormhold” may sound more similar to “Stoarmhahlt” from the lips of a Norväg.
Trade and commerce both play a large role in the Norvägen way of life, although this trade is often between villages and holdfasts, be it grain, cattle, wool, lumber or stone from the mountains. Pastoral and arable agriculture is a primary provider of sustenance for these people, yet fishing, hunting, and even small mining communities have sprung up over the years.
While no fine silks, glass or shining trinkets are crafted here, that is not to say that artisans and craftsmen are not perfectly at home. Wood carving and stone inscriptions have long been coveted forms of art among this people, with wild beasts, violent storms and battles long past frequently depicted in runes and knotwork, looping and twisting around pillars, statues, beams, and the curved prows of longships designed to slice through waters frozen for years.
Leatherworking, stitching and dying cloth, weaving, carpentry, smithing and masonry, each and every one functional, and for use in the hard lands of the North. Even the materials used by these artisans are picked from the remains of necessity - the bones of elk and deer are often carved into flutes and whistles, while antler and horn might be used for handles and hilts of weapons. Sinews and heartstrings could make anything from darning thread to lutes, bowstrings to fishing lines, while skins and pelts of animals are beaten into useful textiles, or stretched across drums, when the occasion calls for music and dance.
And this music, though not nearly as developed or common as that of the South, is often said to reflect the path of their people more than anything else. In a way, their song and music echoes their vast histories in such a way that no scroll or tome could hope to accomplish. Melancholy and merry, hopeless and determined. A wildness untameable, freedom without chains. An ongoing rhythmic drumbeat usually underlies the lively melody of a flute or pipe, and sometimes the strings of a lute may join the harmony from the corner of a smokey tavern or the side of a pathway.
Yet another age-old tradition of these people is their great love for the few times of celebration they allow themselves. Indeed, every year since they first found the Path, they have marked the days of midsummer and midwinter with joy and jubilation, as the days of the Dragon and the Warrior respectively.
Midsummer’s day plays host to the Festival of Embers - “Eldreval”, in which much dancing and laughter graces the towns and cities, with food, fairs and fanciful things flitting through markets and halls like wildfire. Much mead will flow, to be sure, but - more than anything - it is a day in which sorrows may be forgotten, before the summer days begin to wane once more, to bring them back into darkness.
But rest assured that the Norvägen do not allow such darkness to go unpunctuated by light. Come the night of midwinter, “Aegreval”, the Festival of Frost takes hold, and fires will glow in the hearths and hearts of the people and their homes. Great pyres and bonfires litter their lands this night, where man, woman, babe and crone might all stand in solemn unity, stronger together than alone. Though there is no open celebration, this is the night in which the Norvägen may reflect and remember their past, and there are many who still believe that the past stir in more than memories that night. More than anything, it is a symbol of ongoing perseverance in the face of centuries’ adversity.
Though the twinned festivals (“Svrevaln”) are fundamental aspects of Norvägen communities, there are other more personal rites of passage which must be observed throughout the lives of these people. The first, and most fundamental rite in one’s lifetime is, of course, their day of birth. In Avanor, this is known as one’s “Vadag”, their birthday. While this is the day they honour as their first throughout their lives, due to the high risk of infant mortality it is a common custom to refrain from giving the child a name until their first year is past - when on their “Nardag” (nameday) they are formally called by their new name.
This in itself is another core part of Norvägen culture, as names are viewed to carry true weight and significance, even foretelling of each Wanderer’s path to come. Some classic examples of male names include Ulldhin, Wulfric, Sven, Olaf, Thorek and Dagmir, which are all attributed to various words in their ancient tongue. Some archetypal female names are Eira, Yrsa, Lynet, Ingrid, Svala, and Frida, which also pay homage to old legends, tales and folk stories. Last names, also, oft originate from this dying language, but many have been influenced by Southern sources and are therefore far more varied than forenames.
Norvägen officially consider their children adults upon reaching the age of 16, although the day of their coming of age may be accelerated in the case of marriage. While most men wait until later in life to take a wife, some (but not the majority) of women are wed sometime after their 15 or 16th birthday, and in times now long past even as young as 12. There is actually no written law on how young a man or woman may marry, though in most cases it is considered extremely bad practice for a woman to marry before they might conceive. If their marriage precedes their official coming of age then they are considered an adult from the day of their wedding. Otherwise, it is only in extreme circumstances that a child is deemed an adult before time.
In the absence of a premature wedding, the Norvägen traditionally mark the transition from child to adult with a physical or mental test of endurance. These range from the simple act of holding one’s hand to a flame, dousing their head in iced water, to making a pilgrimage to high peaks or spending a night alone in a forest. The nature of this test is rumoured to also play a defining part in each Norvägen’s Path to come.
Looking specifically at the rite of marriage, it becomes clear that in this case Southern influences have certainly made their mark. Though still known by the old name of “Parjnen” (or “joining of the pair”), the ceremonies are in some ways quite similar to typical Southern weddings, with the only differences being that a Watcher of the Path usually oversees the vows in the place of a priest, and that their paths are united in the sight of the Guardians as well as the Gods.
Celebrations are usually minimalistic, with a simple ceremony with a few guests, and a small feast or meal in which both families share meat and mead. Depending on the wealth of the couple, the ceremony might also entail music, dancing or entertainers, though large and frivolous weddings are rare affairs.
The last, and most sombre rite of passage for this people is of course, that which takes place after death. Norvägen funerals are symbolic of the end of each person’s path, and so this final journey is made on a small longboat which, when launched into the water, is set alight by a flaming arrow or torch. Betwixt the ice of the waters below, and the blazing flames above, they at last find the balance between fire and ice as their spirit ascends to the gates of Vallaryn, to seek judgement and solace there.