Giants of Gaulm
The giants of Gaulm live in mountain holdfasts in the northern reaches of the Karpathia continent, the sole inhabitants of the continent other than the Unmade of Ethorian. The giants are a sea faring race that thrives on raiding, pillaging, and taking what they want from others. The mighty giants are a race fiercely proud of their traditions and their individual prowess. The giants have proven to be the only rival thus far that has coped with the Unmade threat.
The giants, together with the Valheru, elves and dragons, are among the original races of Eldarr. It is hypothesized by some sages that giants represent the aspect of the elder gods themselves, but the same argument can be said of the elves and dragons as well. The giants themselves say that they are the children of the Valheru and Angels The debate continues.
The primary home of the giant nation is Gaulm, the area north of Ethorian on the Karpathian continent. Much of the population is around the coastlines, but several tribes of giants do exist throughout the central highlands right up to the northern pole of Eldarr.
The giants live in collective or extended families, children, parents and grandparents all living together. If the farmer keeps workers, servants or slaves, they also usually live in the family house. When the oldest son in the family takes over the farm, he becomes the chief of the family and it is his duty to run the farm. On his farm he could have cows, sheep, goats, pigs, horses and maybe chickens. Most giant farms also have at least one large dog. The giants are able to have a varied diet, but they periodically have problems meeting their needs. Their diet often consists of bread, porridge, fish, shellfish, seals and whales. Also, they may have meat from cows, sheep, goats, horses, chickens, pigs and wild animals in the area. Further, they have access to milk, cheese, butter, apples, mushrooms, onions, berries, nuts, leek, seaweed and other sea herbs. Their diet also includes wild herbs. The giants brew beer and mead, and some of the wealthier also have access to wine, which they procure while on trading tours or raids in Europe. The giants also use mushrooms as intoxicants.
Giant society is permeated by their religion, although the Giants have no word for "religion". Instead they use the word "siðr", which means custom or practice. However, the moral code in Giant society is not directly tied to having a belief in the gods. Social behavior is based upon an unwritten system of honor or code of ethics. Right and wrong, gender roles, sexual morality, daily life, the timing of festivals; in all these circumstances the free giant is evaluated by standards of honor. In Rigstula, a poem in Edda, we can read about how Rig (The AllFather) visits families belonging to three classes. Rig stayed with each of the families for three days, sleeping with all three wives, and in this way became the father to all the classes of giant.
A giant of honor is a principled giant. He is given to moderation, is hospitable and generous and offers a helping hand to friends in need. (including aligning himself against his friend’s enemies). A giant of honor also never forgets to be the foe of his enemy. This he does with all his heart.
The opposite of honor is disgrace, and because every giant lives his life as a member of an extended family-circle, he could easily bring disgrace to his entire family - including his forefathers. Therefore, it is intolerable for a free giant to live in such a fallen state. If he is disgraced, he can only restore balance in his social system by confronting the source of his fall from an honorable status. Thus, revenge is an key component of this social system, a system which placed great importance upon maintaining personal honor.
The typical view of revenge is present in the old adage: "A slave takes revenge at once, a fool never takes revenge . A good giant, however, simply waits. He leaves his victim unaccosted for a long time, up to several years. Then, just as retaliation seems to be forgotten, one day he would suddenly attack his enemy with a masterful stroke - hard and inexorable.
Through the ordeal of waiting the good giant shows his strong character. This long waiting and the coolness of the fulfilment of the revenge may appear to us as cruel and heartless, but we have to remember that the threat of blood vengeance is the giant society's only effective punishment. It is only through the good giant's composed way of enforcing the revenge, that revenge becomes a genuine judicial authority, and not merely a primitive and vindictive act. There is, in other words, an ethical societal code in the private claim of a delayed and resolute revenge. The explanation for the frequent in-fighting within giant society lies not with a lack of respect for the law among its members. Rather, the basis is provided by the tension of living in a society which placed a premium upon maintaining personal honor. Giants therefore take the requisite action to maintain honor or ward off dishonor. Revenge is a mechanism employed by individuals or families to maintain a positive balance in their own lives. This is the background for the many bloody fights written about in the family-sagas and history books.
Giant society is self-regulated. Law and order is based upon the Moot system, which had already been established via common-meetings dating back several hundred years. The Moot has legislative and judiciary powers. Every free giant has a duty to meet at the Moot, except giants who farm alone and are unable to leave their farm unattended. Also, women and the handicapped giants can attend the Moot. Among other items, the Giants elect their King at the Moot. These common-meetings might last several days, therefore the Moot is also an occasion for a large marketplace and festival. The Giants have no written laws. However, a giant referred to as a "lovsigemann" - in Common this means "law reader man" - opens the Moot by reading the laws, which he has memorized by heart. This is done to ensure that no one changed the laws. Every free giant must respect the law, including chieftains and the king. The Moot is a democratic constitution. It includes everybody as citizens, except the slaves and those exiled from society - the outlaws.
There are class distinctions in Giant society. The class your family-circle belongs to dictates the class you belong to for your entire life. It is very rare that a giant can transcend class distinctions. A giant’s individual life matters little, as it is the class of the ancient lineage of his family which gives him his position and his rights and duties in society. It is the family who gave him this status, and the family-circle is the center of his life. In the Giant society it is very important to one’s self-esteem to be a free giant. However, this is dependent upon the class you belong to.
The slave - or "trell", as the Giants call him, is not mentioned in the law because they are not protected by law. The slave is owned by his owner in the same way the owner owns his domestic animals. Slaves are looked upon as the owner’s property. The owner can buy and sell a slave, and he can treat his slave as he likes. If the owner kills one of his slaves, it is not considered as murder. If a free giant kills another giant’s slave, the murderer only had to pay for a new slave. The price is nearly the same as that of a domestic animal. When a female slave bears a child, her child automatically became the property of her owner. If a pregnant slave is sold, her unborn child became the new owner’s property as well. The slaves work all the time. They collect wood, fertilize the fields, build fences, dig turf, breed pigs and make rope. The slave family eats unwholesome and unappetizing food. According to the law, the only property a slave can own is a knife. Slaves are often captured during giant raids upon others, but a free giant can also become a slave, either by free will or by force. He might be forced into slavery if he isn’t able to pay the mulct ordained by the Moot or if he can’t feed himself and his family. Some giants became rich by selling slaves to other tribes in Eldarr.
The bondsgiant, is a slave who had been set free by his owner, but who is still dependent upon and still owed duties to his former owner. A bondsgiant is allowed to purchase his freedom by hard work. The bondsgiant’s son represents a separate class in giant society. The son of a bondsgiant often go out of their way to distinguish themselves in giant society through heroic deeds, often to the point of recklessness.
The farmer is a free giant with all available rights and duties in Giant society. Most people in the Giant society belong to the farmer class.
A tenant is a giant who rents or leases a farm. Payment for use of the farm involves giving some of the food to the owner. The tenant can be anyone from a former farm worker to a chieftain. However, as a free giant he has all the pertinent societal rights and duties. A freeholder is a giant whose family has owned the farm as freemen for six generations.
The giant chieftain lives his life in luxury and owns 18 or more farms. The father makes strings for the bow, while The Mother adorns herself with jewels and dresses with blue ornaments. The son practices the bow and arrow, sword, spear and shield. He rides, swims, trains dogs, learns the art of runes, goes out to do battle and takes slaves. They also learn the songs of birds, play board games, tame horses and make arrows and shields.
The king and his men, the lendgianten and earls, are the elite of giant society. Legend tells us that the king is a clever hunter and clever with weapons as well. But more importantly - he has magical abilities. He can save lives, stop storms, understand the birds, ease sorrows, give peace to the mind, stop fires, and is a rune master. The king can also ride and draw the sword, vanquish enemies and travel out in giant raids.
The duty of the giant wife is to run the house in such a way that the family has enough food during the long and dark winter. She makes butter, cheese, dried fish and meat and smoked fish and meat as well. She also has knowledge about herbs in order to make medicine for ill or wounded family members. She is also the leader when the family holds private religious rites inside the house.
The females have the duty to run the farm when her husband is out on trading tours, raids or gone to fish or hunt. If she is of a rich family she has slaves and servants to help her. As a visible sign of her power, she receives the keys to the house’s supply chests during her wedding. She carries the keys in a belt around her waist.
The division between a female giant’s and giant's domain is established at the door step. The outside work belonged to the giant and the inside work belonged to the female giant. However, especially fit women could take on the cloth of armaments and be a warrior in the same way as the males. These female warriors ware called skjoldmø, which means "shieldmaiden" - female warrior.
On small farms there is less of a division between a giant’s and a female’s work. Without the ability to pay workers, buy slaves or pay servants, all the members of the family contribute as needed. This approach is necessary for the family to survive in the harsh Gaulm climate.
Giant girls are married away when they are 12 to 15 years old. It is then expected that she is able to run the housekeeping and do the work belonging to women at/on the farm. The arrangement of the wedding (to find who their son or daughter should marry) is the duty of the family chief. The giants look at the marriage as an assurance of common help and protection between them. Normally the girl had no right to choose her husband according to her own desire.
The girl brought with her bedclothes made of wool and linen, a loom and a bed as her dowry, her contribution to the marriage agreement. Women from richer families also bring with them jewelry of silver and gold, domestic animals and sometimes even a farm or a part of a farm. All the goods the girl brought with her into the marriage continues to be her personal belongings. The female giant’s marriage dowry later becomes her children’s inheritance after her death.
The Giants considered the married female as belonging to her childhood family. In this way she never became a complete member of her husband’s family. If her husband treats her or the children badly or is too lazy to run the farm well, she could divorce from her husband. To get a divorce she would have to call a couple of witnesses and proclaim to them that she is divorced from her husband. First outside the threshold of the home and later beside the couple’s bed. After this the divorce is a fact. If the female left her husband without good reason, the husband keeps her property and belongings.
Babies and small children automatically become the custody of the mother following a divorce. Older children are usually divided between their parents’ families - all according to the status of the respective families and how rich they are. The children are looked upon as legal members of the family and are protected by the law. In this way they had rights to their part of the inheritance after a divorce.
Only a few Giants live in communities; most giants are farmers and live agrarian lifestyles in hall-like houses in small countryside villages near fjords or in valleys further inland. The giant farm is usually placed on a hilltop with a very good view of the surrounding area. In this way they are able to quickly see friends or enemies who had arrived. The hall-like houses of giants are 30 to 300 feet long, with the largest sometimes up to 750 feet long. Often, the giant house only has one room, but it could also be divided into a living quarters and a stable for the animals. The giant houses are usually built of wood, using a stave-construction technology, the walls consisting of upright planks, timber or staves standing side by side, with their ends sunk into the ground. However, in areas where little wood is available, they also use stone, earth and turf as building materials.
Along the walls inside the house are sitting and sleeping benches covered with fur or cloth. Beds were only used in rich families. A fireplace located in the middle of the room is the main source of light and heat. The smoke is vented through a hole in the roof. If they need extra light they might use a lamp fueled with wax or blubber.
Some giant houses also have running water, directed water from a river or a pond into a small channel which runs underneath the house. Inside the house the channel is covered by slabs of rock. When they need water, they just lifted one of the rocks.
Most giant farms have a separate bath house which they used every Saturday - the Giant’s bath day. If they lived near the sea, they also had a ship-house for their ships and small boats.
Giant’s immense size and strength make them incredibly capable combatants and builders. Also, giants are among the best sailors in the world, braving seas with glee that no other would dare to undertake. The only thing that can dwarf their immense strength is their individual pride and personalities. As a result, a leader must be strong indeed to lead a large force of giants. Giant war parties are not a cohesive unit, but really a joining of individuals with the same short-term goals, perhaps joined under a particularly strong individual for a short time. The mightier the leader, the larger or longer the force will stay together. Giant raids are organized by the rich and powerful, such as the chieftain’s family, the king’s family or a very rich farming family. However, warriors might be recruited from an entire area or a family circle.
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