Æjalans
High-Æjalan: Æjalhnjar /aiːjaln̥jaːr/
Low-Æjalan: Æjalnjar /aiːjalɲaːr/
Ælic: Þeredþeið /θɛːɾɛtθeiːð/
The æjalans1 are Þjaric Elves inhabiting the northwestern part of Þjaris in northern Jælondis, with their country of Æjala ruling the region between the river Njalpaða to the south and southeast, Þlónó Lake to the east and the Þjan Tundra to the north.
While they practice agriculture similarly to other þjaric elves, æjalan culture generally revolves more around fishing and hunting at sea or lakes and, more recently, maritime trade with the countries south of Þjaris. They are also known for their woodwork, particularly in and near the capital of Ænla in the Harhitó Hills between Þlónó Lake to the north and Njalpaða to the south, where fine bentwood or birchbark containers are produced, and the coastal city of Inaþis was once known for its shipwrights before the þjaric elves entered a period of isolationism, during which their skills became all but obsolete as trade and travelling shifted towards land routes, lakes and rivers.
Æjalans to the northeast are also the only þjaric elves aside from Æleans who continued using dogs during a time when all crops and livestock regarded as foreign were replaced by local fauna and flora, as they were deemed necessary for guarding families and reindeer herds from predators. In other regions, particularly by the sea or Þlónó Lake, most households keep domesticated Hjað Cormorants or foxes instead.
Sweetened food is generally only eaten at festivals or other special occasions, with birch syrup and -more recently- imported sugar being restricted to the wealthy. As a result, æjalan cuisine has a reputation for being hearty but rather bland for the most part.
One of the most notable differences between these two branches is that /h/ is generally pronounced in high-æjalan, but not along the coast; for example, the city of Inaþis is known as Hinaþis to the people of Ænla.
Low-Æjalan: Æjalnjar /aiːjalɲaːr/
Ælic: Þeredþeið /θɛːɾɛtθeiːð/
The æjalans1 are Þjaric Elves inhabiting the northwestern part of Þjaris in northern Jælondis, with their country of Æjala ruling the region between the river Njalpaða to the south and southeast, Þlónó Lake to the east and the Þjan Tundra to the north.
While they practice agriculture similarly to other þjaric elves, æjalan culture generally revolves more around fishing and hunting at sea or lakes and, more recently, maritime trade with the countries south of Þjaris. They are also known for their woodwork, particularly in and near the capital of Ænla in the Harhitó Hills between Þlónó Lake to the north and Njalpaða to the south, where fine bentwood or birchbark containers are produced, and the coastal city of Inaþis was once known for its shipwrights before the þjaric elves entered a period of isolationism, during which their skills became all but obsolete as trade and travelling shifted towards land routes, lakes and rivers.
Æjalans to the northeast are also the only þjaric elves aside from Æleans who continued using dogs during a time when all crops and livestock regarded as foreign were replaced by local fauna and flora, as they were deemed necessary for guarding families and reindeer herds from predators. In other regions, particularly by the sea or Þlónó Lake, most households keep domesticated Hjað Cormorants or foxes instead.
Culture
Apparel
Æjalan clothing is similar to that worn by the neighboring æleans and Jolþi, consisting of a long-sleeved tunic and trousers made of Muskox Wool and reindeer boots or shoes, often adorned with fish scales or featherwork as well as more common embroidery.Cuisine
Reindeer meat- and cheese, taiga grouse, millet, beans, lily bulbs and other vegetables and especially fish, waterfowl and aquatic mammals all feature heavily in æjalan cuisine, along with more local ingredients such as birch syrup and seaweed. As elsewhere in Þjaris, fats from different animals, fish oil and berries are used to flavour food and most dishes are stews and soups of some sort, sometimes with side dishes such as fermented salmon liver or dumplings made of blood and millet flour2.Sweetened food is generally only eaten at festivals or other special occasions, with birch syrup and -more recently- imported sugar being restricted to the wealthy. As a result, æjalan cuisine has a reputation for being hearty but rather bland for the most part.
Language
The native tongue of the mast majority of æjalans is the Æjalan language, closely related to Jolþic spoken to the south and divided into a number of dialects of varying mutual intelligibility, all of which belong either to coastal low-æjalan or high-æjalan in the hinterlands.One of the most notable differences between these two branches is that /h/ is generally pronounced in high-æjalan, but not along the coast; for example, the city of Inaþis is known as Hinaþis to the people of Ænla.
1Original icelandic: Æjalar, singular: Æjali.
2Known as úlhleif or úlleif /uːll̥eiːf~ulːeiːf/ in æjalan.
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