Afänsch
Culture
Common Customs, traditions and rituals
The Afänsch venerate the following coloborid gods:
- Honor: Truhftrer (the most important god to the Afänsch)
- Fertility: Süslach (second only to Truhftrer)
- War: Brälldai
- The Celestial Bodies: Blal
- The Afterlife: Drü
In addition to those above, they recognize but reject Frernnfdt and Pfiltl, the coloborid gods of Raiding and Death, respectively.
Birth & Baptismal Rites
Birth Rites
At the time of birth, male children are bathed in the blood of a ram. Females are bathed int he amniotic fluid of a ewe. This ritual is supposed to symbolize the male's place as a warrior and the female's place as a breeding mate. Though such restrictive gender roles are no longer practiced by the Afänsch, great store is set by this ritual, nonetheless, a vestige of an earlier cultural norm.
Dedication Rites
When one of the Afänsch chooses, but never before the age of twelve and rarely after the age of twenty, they may undergo a rite of dedication. They choose one of the gods to venerate with special attention and make a blood sacrifice of a stallion and a mare to that god. They paint the posts and lintels of their dwelling with the blood of these horses, while a priest of their chosen deity intones prayers. Afterwards, the meat of the sacrificed horses is roasted and enjoyed by the community at large, after the best tenth is set aside for the priesthood's enjoyment and consumption.
Coming of Age Rites
The Military Orders
The Afänsch are notably cavalryfolk. When one of them comes of age (sometime of their choosing between their 14th and 17th birthday), if they wish to join the military orders, they are expected to find a four-year old horse and break them to the saddle without the aid of others. If they are successful, they are inducted into the orders. If they fail, they are cast out of the orders and may never try again, though no odium is ascribed to them for the failed attempt.
The Order of the Skyriders
When an Afänsch in the military orders has achieved the age of twenty-one, they may make a request of their commander that they be granted leave for the purpose of seeking membership into the Order of the Skyriders. If their commander deems them worthy, the leave is granted. At this time, the aspirant ventures into the Tweng Highlands. There, they seek out a hippogriff which they raise from a colt. Once it is old enough, they break it to the saddle and return to their people. Upon their successful return, they are inducted into the elite Order of the Skyriders. It is unacceptable, once granted leave to seek membership in the Order, to return without a broken hippogriff. Anyone attempting to do so is put to death for dishonoring their vows.
Ideals
Gender Ideals
Departure from Patriarchy
As recently as the end of the Giantsbane War, the Afänsch were an intensely patriarchal society. Males were expected to be craftsmen, farmers, hunters, and - most importantly - warriors. Females were expected to bear and raise children, tend to the home and hearth, and so on. For unknown reasons, around the 11th century of the Latter Era, expectations surrounding gender roles relaxed, then largely vanished. The Military Orders are open to all, and either sex may take part in almost every aspect of life in Afänsch society. Obviously, females are the only ones who can bear children, but raising those children may fall on either gender.
The birth rites of the Afänsch still reflect the obsolete patriarchal assumptions of gender roles, but this is more of a ceremonial nod to their historical culture than anything else.
Remaining Gendered Roles
There are two roles that remain gender specific, both related to the priesthood. The priesthood of Truhftrer is solely male, while the priestesshood of Süslach is always female. There are no known reasons for these restrictions, but they are universally accepted. Those few who challenge them are ostracized by the community at large.
Gender Identity
The Afänsch generally began to recognize a third identity around the time that the patriarchal norms began to slip - the non-binary identity, though rare, is recognized and accepted within Afänsch society. These individuals are called "worubru," which literally means "unburdened."
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