A Steadmistress or steadwife is the head of a bloodline lodge, part business manager, part matchmaker, part mediator, part terrifying incarnation of authority. She holds *absolute* authority within her lodge - even a chieftain will leave on her command, and a Uroxi or Humakti park their weapons if they want to be pass beyond the lintel (assuming they're allowed access in the first place).
Remember that Heortling gender stereotyping sees women as level-headed, lateral thinking keepers of wisdom, and practical planners par excellence. When required, they can exert considerable control over the more hot-headed men by appealing to honour, pride and fear of being shamed.
A typical bloodline lodge houses part of an extended family extending across three or four generations, plus married-in partners and various hangers-on. Around twenty adults and a similar number of children would be typical. A typical bloodline will have four or more lodges.
The lodge is the prime economic and work, as well as family, unit.
Anything that happens within the lodge falls under the authority of the steadmistress. This typically includes managing the junior wives, caring for elders, the very young and ill, organising care and teaching for the children, guiding initiands through their inevitable mistakes, providing matchmaking and divorce counselling, advising the men on clan politics and practical matters such as trade, harvest and herds, making or breaking feuds and alliances, caring for the women's herds and gardens, managing women's activities such as weaving and crafting, organising supplies, food storage and preparation, preparing for religious rituals (including attending the sacred lodge lowfire and household shrine), telling stories and providing and organising entertainment (forty people inside a (largeish) single room lodge for most of Dark Season can be a real **killer**, and sleeping booths provide little if any privacy), making sure the menfolk are gainfully employed, and stirring 'guests', assorted cousins and out-stead freeloaders to contribute to their upkeep.
It's quite a demanding position, the MBA and corporation president of the Heortling barbarity, especially since most steadmistresses also have leadership or religious positions in the wider clan. Because of this, the position usually goes to a senior wife whose children have been initiated. The lodge is the centre of bloodline politics, but most wives are from another clan and so members of the bloodline by marriage. When bloodline politics are important (and they usually are) a divorced or widowed sister, or a married sister with her live-in husband may assume the position.
A senior wife will almost certainly have her own herds, gardens, household furnishings, and craft or trade interests.
For a real hero, combine this role with a position as clan priestess, leader of the clan womens' circle (informal but extremely powerful - the 'first moot'), or as a trader, matchmaker, diplomat, or lawspeaker.
From within a lodge, Sartar doesn't look that different from Esrolia. Such a character would be an incredible source of story seeds.
John
Phone (02) 6125 0649
Visit CAEPR on the web at http://www.anu.edu.au/caepr/
Phone (02) 6125 0649
Visit CAEPR on the web at http://www.anu.edu.au/caepr/
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