"A clan ranges in size between 500 and 2000 people."
and also, in discussing fyrds
"From a typical 1200-person clan, 250 or so are adults (85% males and 15% females) who are ready for a fight."
Doubtless you could also do some basic arithmetic on the adult tribal populations from Questlines for those tribes who have a known number of clans.
Jeff:
> Actually there's an intermediate social level in there -- the stead and
> the bloodline.
Steads and bloodlines are different sorts of social units. The bloodline is an autonomous descent and legal unit, the stead is a work organisation unit with no legal identity.
> The smallest unit is the stead (which is usually a single bloodline)
> occupied by an extended family of about 20-30 individuals of varying
> ages (call it a dozen adults).
The smallest unit is actually the heath, lodge or 'household': one or more extended families from one or more bloodlines sharing a common hearth. Although there is a range of variation across Sartar, a typical stead will contain three or four different hearths.
>
> One or more steads make up a bloodline -- which is sort of a proto-clan
> related to a common ancestor or event.
There has been incredible confusion in previous discussions from such mixing of concepts. Families make up a bloodline, which is a conceptual exogamous kinship and legal unit. A bloodline may organise itself into hearths, and several hearths comprise a stead. However, a bloodline may share a stead and even a hearth with other bloodlines, esp. if the stead is rich enough to hire labourers. A bloodline is defined by *known* links of descent from a single ancestor or related group of ancestors (typically brothers). Bloodlines tend to split as they become too large. Several bloodlines comprise a clan, typically defined by claimed (but not necessarily known) links of descent from a founder, or group of founders.
A clan is made up of a group of bloodlines -- enough of them to be able
> to defend themselves from any casual hazards such as trolls or the Black
> Oak clan but small enough so that every bloodline has a voice in the
> council ring. Not to be represented is grounds for leaving or at least
> being very unhappy.
There is a range of variation in Inner Ring composition across Sartar, with three main models in use - Lightbringers, Local and Traditional. The Lightbringer's Ring does not formally take bloodline representation into account. However, the role of Ginna Jar is filled by the collective heads of households or bloodline elders. Membership of the Outer Ring is always fairly amorphous - and membership may include all thanes or bloddline elders/heads of households.
There should be plenty more stuff about all this in Thunder Rebels.
Cheers
John
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