>GAZZA:
>
>>Is it a custom for Orlanthi women to take their husband's
>>surname as their own? Or is it the case that ALL members
>>of a given Clan have their Clan as their surname?
>
>There are very very few Orlanthi universals, save the name of the Lord of
>the Middle Air, and even that goes through some mind-boggling linguistic and
>dialectic mutations. Useless GodLearner propaganda aside, it is the
>*differences* in custom, kinship and mythology that make each tribe so
>interesting (and also, incidentally, the single great reason why the
>Orlanthi will *never* be united).
>
>At the bright and shining centre of the Lozenge (Sartar and the Far Place)
>surnames as such are not used. An Orlanthi is given a personal name at birth
>or some time thereafter, usually the name of a prominent recent ancestor.
>(Since infant mortality is so high, parents only take a strong interest in
>their child if they survive to four or five - between weaning and this age
>the child is pretty much communal property). Being patrilineal (though with
>strong cognitive descent tendencies) their 'surname' is usually based on the
>name of their father - for example Broddison, or Broddidotter, Arkison or
>Arkidotter. In the case of a prominent or powerful mother, the appellation
>may come from her - Theyadotter, Theyason. This 'never' happens i.e. around
>15% of the time. Personal epithets are very common, but are unlikely to
>remain constant, based as they are firstly on physical characteristics, then
>initiation events or visions, and later on occupation or attainment or
>scandal or just cruel and funny (usually game) puns or jokes. (My
>(myth-sensitive, serious, storytelling (ha!)) campaign has a pc called Arson
>Head In The Clouds - no doubt you can supply groaners yourself).
>
> Clan and bloodline connections are *very* important, in fact more important
>than personal names. These will be well known, and an Orlanthi will
>constantly refer to them, but they are not commonly telegraphed into
>personal names or surnames.
>
>So a typical say, Tresdarnii clansman of the Tovataros tribe would be called
>Broddi Tarkatsonn called Clapsaddle of the Twin Birches of the Tresdarnii
>clan of the Tovtaros, or Danwyr Can't-Be-Moved, son of Orlstein, lodge son
>of the Twin Birches of the Tresdarrnii. (Tribal names are less likely to be
>mentioned in day to day encounters).
The whole concept of Surnames was highly informal in all of the RW analogs of Sartarite culture. Ulf the Hairy's wife is unlike to call herself Gunda the Hairy for obvious reasons, nor would Ulf Thorkelsson call herself Gunda Thorkelsson. As you note, she is more likely to call herself Gunda Tyrsdottir or Gunda Redhair or whatever. Since these aren't formal legal names the way modern last names are, there's nothing for her to take.
In modern Iceland, where children use a patrinymic as their last name, women retain their patrinymic after marriage. Which makes using the Reykjevik phone book sort of complicated, since husband, wife, and children all have different last names.
Andrew E. Larsen
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