> > -- weregild
>
> The legal price you pay (in silver or cows) for killing someone. If
Literally, "man-money", from the Old English. It is part of a body of legal theory that equates blood to money or property. That is, recompensation is considered at least as important as is revenge. Very different from "modern" jurisprudence in most of the world, where revenge (sometimes under the guise of "rehabilitiation) is the watchword--controlled by the state, of course.
> vengeance. We typically use higher wergilds for more important people
> (some historical sources suggest that any killing has the same fine).
That really depends on time and place if talking about our own history.
> > -- housecarl (or huscarl?)
> > -- weaponthane
>
> These are all the same thing -- a professional warrior, usually in
> service of a clan chief or tribal king.
"housecarl" is a modernized spelling for "huscarl", just as "weaponthane" is modernized spelling for "wapenthegn". They are effectively the same, although huscarl actually refers to a warrior in the bodyguard of a king or noble and weaponthane actually would refer to someone holding land but not as high a rank as an eorl (earl).
> > I appreciate any other teaching about customs of storm barbarians.
>
> The computer game King of Dragon Pass has most of these answers, as
> well as showing what clan life *looks* like.
>
I also suggest that one look at books about the daily life of Celtic and Germanic tribes, since the Orlanthi are a rough fusion of the two general concepts.
> Thank you very much for teaching the meanings of orlanthi cultural
> words. I have understood most of these words come from Norse (or German?)
> and their customs are based on it.
Early on, the Orlanthi were Norse/Germanic. More recently, people have used the Irish as a model (sometimes a little too exactly for my taste). I see the Orlanthi as the fusion of at least two major cultural groups, with a sizable infusion of a third. The two major groups are the pseudo-Norse and the pseudo-Irish. The p-N Orlanthi I see as the originators of "Orlanth Thunderous", "Orlanth Rex" (and Storm Voices), and deities like Humakt and Urox (Storm Bull). The p-I Orlanthi I see as the originators of "Orlanth the Thief", and "Orlanth Lightbringer" (and Wind Lords), also Issaries and Lhankhorh Mhyhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh (extra "h" added just in case). Elmal comes from the third major influence, as does at least the name "Chalana Arroy", if not the actual goddess worshipped under that name by Orlanthi (maybe she did, maybe she didn't--maybe she's a fusion).
> (for we have imagined Sartar would be much more civilized /
> centralized culture because of lack of information, and played as such).
Sartar is a "kingdom" in no sense we normally use the word. Yes, there is a "king", but this "king" very often only gets first honors at the banquet table. Sartar is really a confederation of tribes that voluntarily (for the most part) entered into an agreement. Each tribe jealously guards its individual priviliges. Each individual tribe is also a confederation of clans.
"Nobody can force you to do anything." First principle of the Orlanthi. "Nobody can live alone." Second principle.
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