Northern Sergal
Naming Traditions
Family names
Northern Sergal take their tribe as their family name. Like Southern Sergals, Northern Sergals who marry between Tribes choose a tribe to join. The children of concubines or flings are considered members of the mother's tribe. Tribal names have two parts and usually consist of a modifying noun or adjective and a noun or nominalized verb. Some tribes are listed below:
Cloudwalker, Nighthunter, Starfall, Coldeye, Strongclaw, Bleachbone, Runehill, Miststalker
Other names
At birth, children are given a special possessive form of their mother's name that does not have a direct translation. They are given a second, adjective name by their mother and this is usually the order of birth but can also be descriptive of the child or a quality they wish to see in the child. For example, the last two children of Sergal King Northstar Vengefulheart's first litter with his wife, Redmane, were named Redmane's Fourth Vengefulheart and Redmane's Fifth Vengefulheart. His last two children with his infamous favorite concubine, Quickclaw Coldeye, were named Quickclaw's Quiet Coldeye and Quickclaw's Deep Coldeye.
See the section on Rites of Passage for more information on naming.
Culture
Major language groups and dialects
Northern Sergal have may dialects but all speak Sergal Common, which is the official language of the Sharptooth Kingdom.
Shared customary codes and values
The Northern Sergal are a highly militaristic people, lending The Sharptooth Kingdom its profoundly martial character. They value the certainty of hierarchy and the unity in a shared struggle. The Northern Sergal view magic with fear and disdain religion as pie-in-the-sky speculation. They do derive great cultural value from art and architecture, with special respect for massive public works, epic stories, and huge murals. Their art normally focuses on the virtues of the Nation, Tribe, or Family rather than love or beauty for its own sake.
Coming of Age Rites
Northern Sergal do not distinguish between masculine and feminine names. Nearly 1500 straight years of desperate war meant that both males and females had to fight together, and since about 1000 PE Sergal women have participated in the ancient and formerly masculine warrior traditions of naming.
As a matter of course, Northern Sergals enter adulthood on the day they complete their warrior training (although this wasn't always the case). The choosing of one's own identity is seen as a privilege gained by a trained warrior. As a consequence, the completion ceremony for warrior training is known as The Naming Ceremony. In this ceremony, the Warrior stands before their Tribe and/or the Army and states their new name before all assembled there. The warrior's new name is then recorded along with their birth name and the names of everyone present, who are thereafter legally required to vouch for the Warrior as the owner of that name (even if they don't remember being there, which leads to some interesting situations). The form this name takes depends highly on the individual but always follows the "adjective-noun tribe" pattern.
Take for example the four children of King Northstar Vengefulheart mentioned above: Redmane's Fourth Vengefulheart, Redmane's Fifth Vengefulheart, Quickclaw's Quiet Coldeye, and Quickclaw's Deep Coldeye.
- Redmane's Fourth Vengefulheart kept his name and took Sword as his noun, making him Fourthsword Vengefulheart.
- Redmane's Fifth Vengefulheart decided to drop her stigmatized first adjective and, out of respect to her mother, took Redmane's adjective along with the noun "stone" making her name "Redstone Vengefulheart"
- Quickclaw's Quiet Coldeye was ashamed of his late mother's treachery and joined his captain's tribe, taking the name Keenedge Starfall.
- Quickclaw's Deep Coldeye, deciding audaciously to wear his besmirched parentage on his sleeve, decided to take his mother's name, keep his tribe, and openly declare his order of birth. He took the name Quickclaw's Sixthshadow Coldeye. (He was later killed in combat by Keenedge Starfall)
Common Taboos
Northern Sergal do not have many taboos but tend to be very suspicious of those who expound individual accomplishments. This isn't a matter of credit, but of the acknowledgement of collective effort. Many Sergal dialects do not have a singular pronoun.
Litter order matters a great deal in Sergal society, to the extent that Sergals are legally obligated to attest to their siblings' birth order and truthfully state their own. While runting does not generally occur in Sergal litters, there is a slight stigma with those born late in a large litter. As a result mothers will often stop naming their children ordinally after the fourth. Some mothers buck this practice, even name firstborn children "fifth" or even "eighth", as they believe that carrying a stigmatized name will make their child stronger. See above for how this plays out in naming ceremonies.
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