Nord
People in the Southern Countries have known us as ‘vikings’, raiders who come every winter, or summer depending on where you live, to pillage the coastal villages, leaving death and fewer resources in their wake1. Viking is not at all what we call ourselves2. What we call ourselves is Norsemen and Norsewomen, or simply Nords, for obvious reasons. And contrary to the common beliefs, albeit justified I have to admit, we Nords are more than the raids we are known for.
Culture
Customary codes & shared values
Mine is a fierce and resilient people. This sturdiness and fighting spirit is what has allows us to live in the hard-weathered and cold regions of the North for eons, following what foreigners call the Nordic gods but whose proper Norse name is Æsir.
We pride ourselves in our strength and adaptability, and more generally, about our ability to survive as well as we have done every winter so far, when the sun hides for half of the year, leaving us Nords to deal with the kind of icy winds, snow storms and öndoggvar3 as the Southern countries have never seen before. Whether it is a physical or metaphorical one, fighting in the face of adversity is prized amongst Nords, which is one reason why dying in battle is considered an honour, especially for the people who worship the Allfather the most.
Which leads me to another aspect of Nord culture. Æsir and their worship, that is. When my father, the good and priests prayed for Odin to intervene in the Battle of Loptbord, after Loki unleashed the Midgard Serpent on the battlefield, Odin sent his son, Thor, to help. From my own eyes, I saw the Thunderer fight alongside warriors from the whole Kingdom to take down Jörmungandr.
The Æsir walk amongst us whenever they want, hear our prayers and interact with us, for better or worse. My point with that is we have tangible knowledge and witnesses of the Æsir’s existence. Faith in the gods is not just a spiritual conviction. The result is that Nords are a religious people. Mind you, it doesn't mean that every Norsemen and women is pious, just that they acknowledge their existence and power.
Naming Traditions
Family names
We, Nords, do not have family as people in the Southern Countries, Romans for example do. We do use a second name that is modelled after our parents’ first name, adding the either the suffix ‘son’ or ‘dóttir’ to the genitive declension4.
Most of the time, the name used is the father’s. Thengill, one of my cousins had a daughter while I was away, traipsing around the Southern Countries. Since he didn’t marry to a valkyrie, which is quite unusual from a jarl, his daughter, Ljúfa will be the perfect example. She is Ljúfa Thengilsdóttir, or so. But I will get to that part in time.
A child gets their mother’s name when her name is considered far more prestigious than the father’s. It can happen in case the father is a thrall while the mother is a freewoman, or when the father is a criminal or shunted. Sometimes, when they grow, a child can also decide that they don’t want to wear their father’s name, for various reasons.
The main reason why a child would have her mother’s name though is, as often, because she is a valkyrie. Valkyries’ children, for reasons I have detailed in the section of the guide dedicated to valkyries, always take their mother’s name.5 Even when their father is the High King of the Kingdom, so my dear twin’s children are named Rótuson and Rótudóttir for their valkyrie mother6, Róta.
Other names
Clan names
Clans are another important part of Nord culture, even for whose who don’t belong to any. For whose, like me, who do, on top of our given and parents’ name, we also carry our clansname. You might have noticed it if you have read the foreword, I signed it in Nord fashion. For whose you haven’t or need a refreshing, it is Einarr Heimkelsson of Himinsfall, the last part, Himinsfall being my clan.
Titles
Nords are often titled for qualities, negatives or positives, jarls and important clansmen and women more than anyone else. It can be about a trait of character they have displayed, a physical quality or the deeds they have done. Vébjörn the Great got his title from his victory against the Raetovari kingdom, whose territory was integrated to the Kingdom in what is now the hold Sumardetta. My grandfather used to be called Tyrfingr Strong-Arm for his skill with a hammer and his exploits in the war against the Raetovarian, then until recently was titled Tyrfingr the Fallen7.
1 I will add to that a few things I have collected from Nords who frequently raid. The foremost reason is, surprisingly for some, not the glory it brings you if you return but the ressources, especially important in winter for raiders who come from lower castes.
2 Not when we refer to ourselves as a people anyway. Víkingr in Norse means a person who travels, explores, with some variations depending on the dialects. In Sumardetta’s dialect for exemple, víkingr has a distinct negative connotation and is used as a synonym for raider, which I suspect is a leftover from the time the lands were a part of the now defunct Raetovari kingdom, often targeted by raiders.
3 I have actually never witness a single öndogg in any of the Southern countries I have travelled to, which is why I haven’t translated the word. I believe it is a phenomenon specific to the Kingdom and especially the northernmost regions of it.
4 Yes, dear readers, similarly to Greek or Latin, which I think most of you will be familiar with, there is indeed declensions in Norse.
5 Almost always I should probably say. My mother was a valkyrie named Trima, thus my siblings and me used to be named Trimasson and Trimasdóttir. That is, until the Battle of Loptbord happened, during which our father, Heimkell, sacrificed his life to save the realm from the World Serpent, keeping a twenty-years long promise that lead him to be titled Oath-Keeper and brought our clan's honour back. All these accomplishments lead to one of these almost unheard occasion where people didn't call valkyries’ children by their mother's name. That being said, while my sister uses Heimkelsdóttir, Reifr insists to still be called Trimasson. As for myself, I hadn't used my second name since I had left the Kingdom. I have chosen to keep Heimkelsson mostly by convenience since my return.
6 Funnily enough, Róta actually is Himinsfall’s valkyrie-módir.
7 This is a long story, far too long for even the length of my notes. In short, my grandfather had the misfortune of losing the most important duel of his life. That didn’t endear him to the people who had look up to him until then. However, my father managed to regain our lost honour in during the events I mentioned two notes up.
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