The Freljord

The Freljord is a harsh and unforgiving land. Proud and fiercely independent with a strong raiding culture. While there are many individual tribes within the Freljord, the battle lines are being drawn in a three-way civil war that will determine the future of them all. One tribe unflinchingly honors the traditions that have ensured its survival; another follows the dream of a united future, as foretold by a young idealist; while the third worships the power of an enigmatic sorceress.
The Freljord is a harsh and unforgiving place—where the people are born warriors, who must persevere against all odds. Proud and fiercely independent, the tribes of the Freljord are often considered wild, rugged, and “uncivilized” by their neighbors across Valoran, who do not know the ancient traditions that shaped them. Many thousands of years ago, the alliance between the sisters Avarosa, Serylda, and Lissandra was shattered in a war that unknowingly threatened all of Runeterra, plunging the northern lands into chaos, and near-constant winter. Now, only those truly exceptional mortals who seem immune to the ravages of fire or ice seem destined, or able, to lead.
Despite the best efforts of the Frostguard, myths and legends still endure of the old gods, the enigmatic yetis, and restless spirit walker shamans. The raiders of the Winter’s Claw range further with each passing year, harrying the borders of Demacia to the south, and the frontiers of Noxus to the east. Finally, seeking a more peaceful future, the fractious independent tribes and clans have begun to offer their allegiance to Ashe, young queen of the Avarosans.
Even so, the portents are grim. War is surely returning to the Freljord, and none can hope to escape it.

War of the Three Sisters

The Freljordians are an ever divided people. Tribes fighting for dominance for what little resources they can find. As a result, Freljordians deeply value battle, battle kins and battle scars, which are known as a sign of strength, courage and battle experience. A person can only have a fulfilling death with the eyes open. Throughout the nations history, the only known instance of its people uniting was at the time of the "Three Sisters" known as Avarosa, Serylda, and Lissandra. During that time, the three sisters and their closest human allies received immortality from the Watcher and became known as Iceborn (the word's meaning changed over time, as some of the original Iceborn didn't fit in the current meaning of the word, even though most, including the Three Sisters, did). With the Watchers defeated, most of Freljord's history was rewritten, the truth kept secret by the Frostguard and their nearly immortal ruler. However, some truths lingered on for millennia as legends and tales, pass down by storytellers and bards. While the nation is comprised of numerous tribes, the largest among these are the Avarosan, the Winter's Claw, and the Frostguard. The tribes are ruled by the three respective Matriarchs: Ashe , the Frost Archer; Sejuani, Fury of the North; and Lissandra, the Ice Witch.

Language of the Tribes

As shown in The Shackles of Belief, the current language of at least a small number of regions and tribes of Freljord is different from that of southerner land like Demacia and Noxus, to the point their words make no sense to each other. The Ancient Freljordian language is among the oldest attested human languages on Runeterra; traces of some other pre-Freljordian adstrate languages can still be detected in names like Anivia, Ivern, Lissandra, Ornn, Volibear, & Sejuani.
Ancient Freljordian vocabulary:

• Alein - Alone.
• Belger - Bellows.
• Belyser - **Belixes "illuminates, belights, belies".
• Bi - By.
• Bjergen - Barrow "mountain".
• Blæser - Blazes, "blows".
• Bliver - B(e)lives, "remains > becomes".
• Brei - Broad "wide".
• Bro - Brow "bridge"
• Brennen - Burn.
• Bunnløs - Bottomless.
• Dag - Day.
• De - The.
• Det - That.
• Del(s) - Dell(s).
• Du - Thou "ye ~ you" (nominative).
• Din - Thine~Thy "your(s)" (possessive).
• Ein~En~'N - One~An~A.
• Elkur - Elk
• Fald'n - Fallen.
• Floð - Flood.
• Finner - Find.
• Fjerner - **Far (v.) "distance, withdraw, remove, bar".
• Fjell - Fell "mountain".
• Formend - forming
• Frá - From.
• Fri - Free.
• Frosset - Frozen.
• Gnist - Gnast "spark".
• God - God.
• Guddommelig - **Goddomly "godly, divine".
• Grå - Gray.
• Grøp - Grave "pit(s)".
• Halv - Half.
• Hand - Hand.
• Hans - He-yon's "his".
• Her - Here.
• Hirnvel = Organic things of the natural world.
• Hule - Hollow.
• Hyl - Howls.
• Ik - One-what > "no" (see Jespersen's Cycle on how indefinite particles become negatives).
• Ilð - **Eld "fire".
• Is - Is.
• Jord - Earth.
• Ken - Ken "know".
• Klar - Clear.
• Kløften - Cleft "chasm".
• Kongerik - Kingrike "kingdom".
• Kraft - Craft, in context "force".
• Lang - Long.
• Langer - Longer.
• Malm - Malm "ore".
• Med - Mid "with".
• > Men > Men til - "but".
• Mørk - Murky "dark".
• Naljaäg - Pre-Freldjordian, meaning forgotten
• Nær - Near (adv.)
• Nærmer - Near (v.)
• Og - Eke "and".
• Ornn - (pre-Freljordian theonym, meaning unknown).
• Rök - Reek "Smoke".
• Rund(t) - (a)round in context, "through[out]".
• Sin - **Sine, "its".
• Skal - Shall.
• Skolj = The frailty of.
• Sky - **Shee "sky".
• Skyer - **Sheen "skies".
• Smed - Smith.
• Smedning - Smithening "forging".
• Snekkja - **Snaky "Thin and Projecting"; A word used for a type of ship based on the smallest type of Viking longships used in warfare.
• Som - Some, in context "as, like".
• Spring - Spring (v.) "leap".
• Stål - Steel.
• Står ~ Stend - Stands.
• Stein - Stone (native)
• Stige - Sty "rise".
• Stjern - Star.
• Sún - Soon.
• Songur - Song.
• Syng(e) - Sing. (both verb & noun from one same root sengʷʰ-)
• Svell(e) - Swell.
• Tapt - **Tapped "sacrificed > lost"[4](more here)
• Tæt - Tight (adv.) "close".
• Tim(e) - Time.
• Tón - Tone.
• Tvers - Thwart (adv.) "across".
• Uhindret - Unhindered "unbridled".
• Utands - Outondes "breathes out, exhales".
• Utbryt - **Outbreet "erupt".
• Valhir - "god". ON *Valhyrr? "fire of the slain" Cf. Valhalla "hall of the slain"
• Ved - With "by, at, near".
• Veg - Way "path".
• Verk - Work.
• Vet - Wit "know".
• Vi - We.
• Vind - Wind.
• Vol dusk skaar "last chance to run" Pre-Freljordian
• Vol kau fera "cower before me" Pre-Freljordian
• Vorrijaard Pre-Freljordian
• Vrestrom "Great Storm, hurricane-like"

The Freljordians use "summer" to count years. It is also used to express the age of a person. For example: “The child was two summers, but as small and frail as one on its first spring.”
Over the course of its history, Freljordians have created their own terms and slang:
Battlemaiden - A young woman who serves as a sworn retainer to a senior female warrior. This service generally lasts until the young woman comes of age or otherwise proves herself as worthy, at which time she may be named as Battlesister. Implies niece, daughter or ward type of relationship.
Battlesister - A woman who has a sworn blood oath with a Warmother or another senior female warrior. This title commonly denotes a relationship rather than rank, but implies rank by association, and is typically bestowed on very high-ranking thanes.
Blood oath - The ritual performed by the sharing of blood between two people, thus naming them as part of their kin or family. Examples of blood oaths are Battlesister and Bloodsworn.
Bloodsworn - The sworn “husbands” or "wives" of a Warmother, usually the toughest warriors of the tribe. Their loyalty is to her and her children above all else.
Clawleader - Referring to the member of Winter's Claw commanding a raid. Death Knot - Refers to tying your hair with a wolf gut cord in a particular pattern. Indicating you will complete a task even if it kills you. Symbolic of facing the Wolf Wolf for a task or a person.
Frost Priest - A healer and follower of Lissandra who serves and monitors the tribes on her behalf. Their oath is to and only to, the faith of endless cold and Lissandra. They have the ability to smell whenever someone lies. Black Cloak & Black Clads are common slang terms for Frost Priests.
Heartbound - Human inhabitants of the Freljord. Unable to Survive the same extremes as the Iceborn. They make up the majority of the population. The Term sometimes is used by Iceborn as a slur or insult.
Oath - Ritual specifically mentioned as marriage.
Oathbound - The link of obligation between two people that have a relationship where oaths were sworn. Such a relationship could be, for example, the one between an Oathfather and their Oathchildren.
Oathbreaking - Disrespecting a sacred treaty between two tribes.
Oathfather - Interchangeably describes a father or step-father, roles Freljordians don't typically distinguish between. Any man who has sworn his life to protect a mother and her children is considered an Oathfather.
Retainer - Person responsible for legitimizing and elevating someone's status to their charge. An example would be Sejuani to Ashe if they had made a blood oath in front of The Winter's Claw.
Scarthane - A high-level retainer to a Warmother, commanding a large group of warriors. Scar reflects you've earned your rank in battle, and are trusted to lead warriors without supervision for long periods. Sometimes the leader of a clan within a tribe.
Svaag - A common slur or insult close to "damn".
Vedmah - A Freljordian oracle or witch who divines through magical means.
Vol - Coarse slang used in Freljord, typically in exclamation, to cast disapproval or disgust for something or someone. Can also be used in outbursts of impatience or anger without an object.
Warmblood - A casual term used by Iceborn to describe normal humans. It is synonymous with hearthbound, but has no negative connotations.
Warmother - The military leader of a freljordian tribe or clan, always a woman and usually an Iceborn. She decides its course of action as well as dictates its ideology.

Alternative Name(s)

Vorrijaard

Type

Region

Location under

Valoran

Included Organizations

• Avarosan
• Frostguard
• The Ursine
• Winter’s Claw

Contested By

• Avarosan
• Frostguard
• The Ursine
• Winter’s Claw

Characters in Location

• Anaakca
• Ashe
• Braum
• Lissandra
• Nunu
• Trundle

Over the course of its history, Freljordians have created their own sayings: Don't step on ice that already cracks - Old saying used by Grena's Avarosans meaning not to rely on something that is faulty to begin with.
Run Volund, Run - Expression used to encourage someone running from danger. (To die) with your eyes open - Expression meaning “To die a good death”. It celebrates fighting fearlessly and tenaciously to the very end, especially in the face of certain odds. The ice is not pain, It is surrender - Lissandra's prayer that Frost Priests go by. The strong must try the impossible - Words uttered by Sejuani that were later used by Ashe as one of the foundations for her ideology.